Upon hearing Liang Shuyan's voice, Jin Wang hurriedly grabbed the old lady's clothes: "Mother, please don't tell my sister-in-law about this. With her temper, she'll just take it to the authorities. I don't want to go to jail."

The old lady angrily pushed Jin Wang's hand away and said, "Forget it, even if you're like this, how could I possibly tolerate you!"

"Mom, just this once, please!"

In the courtyard, Zhao Heng stood before the county magistrate and recounted what had just happened at the drying yard. The magistrate angrily said, "Such a thing has happened! The thief who stole the grain is actually Da Shan's second uncle?"

After hearing this, the county magistrate became extremely angry and walked towards Liang Shuyan's room.

As soon as she entered, she saw Jin Wang lying on the bed. Liang Shuyan said irritably, "What's wrong? You stole our wheat and you still think you're right? And now you're lying on our kang (heated brick bed)?"

Then, the county magistrate entered, his face grim as he glanced at everyone in the room. Old Mrs. Jin's eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: "This humble woman greets Your Excellency the County Magistrate!"

"Quickly, please rise. I came to see Zhao Heng today, but I didn't expect to stumble upon such a thing as grain theft. The whole village is trying to harvest the grain, but you are stealing it. Since I have caught you, I must treat you fairly!"

Jin Wang trembled all over: "Magistrate, Your Honor, I shouldn't have stolen, especially grain. Now, I know I was wrong, please don't blame me!"

Zhao Heng walked in, arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe, and said smugly, "So, Jin Wang, what do you have to say now?"

"Dad, you must not be lenient. Auntie usually gets along well with the villagers, but this Jinwang is always causing trouble for her. This time, we must not let him get away with it, otherwise, there will be a next time!"

Liang Shuyan wanted to say something, but her lips trembled and she couldn't utter a single word.

"In that case, Jin Wang, get up and come back to the magistrate's office with me. I will handle this matter properly and give everyone an explanation."

Jin Wang knew that no matter how much he begged, it would be useless. He looked at Liang Shuyan in front of him with eyes full of hatred.

Just then, Li Zheng bumped into Jin Wang, who was looking furious, at the door. Li Zheng was really something else; he never came earlier than now. Now that he's here, he's just becoming the magistrate's punching bag.

"Look at how you manage Daling Village! They're stealing grain from the drying yard in broad daylight! Can't you even continue to run this business? If you can't, you should vacate your position long ago!"

Li Zheng's face was ashen, and he immediately replied, "Your Excellency, this was all my oversight. I did not expect such a thing to happen. Please forgive me, Your Excellency."

"Alright, regarding today's grain theft, go find Da Shan and Zhao Heng later and get a detailed account of it, write it down clearly, and submit it to the county!"

Li Zheng hurriedly nodded, then turned around and asked Da Shan and Zhao Heng about the situation. He then rushed out after the county magistrate.

Liang Shuyan saw this scene very clearly. She thought to herself, "This matter is not Li Zheng's fault. How can we let Li Zheng be punished?" So, she moved her feet and walked towards the door.

"Sir, this matter cannot be blamed on Li Zheng. Li Zheng has already done enough for our village. He never expected that someone would steal grain when everyone was busy harvesting it."

The magistrate was angry in a moment and took his anger out on Li Zheng. However, he was well aware of the contributions Li Zheng had made to the village.

"It's alright. You all hurry up and harvest. Make sure everyone gets their grain back. As for the thief who stole the grain, the county will handle him appropriately. Don't worry!"

After returning home, Liang Shuyan remembered that Grandma Liu was busy in the fields, so she prepared some hot steamed buns and side dishes, as well as some brewed tea. Then she got on the donkey cart in the mountains and headed towards the wheat fields.

Zhao Heng followed closely behind. Although the carriage was going a little faster, in order to talk to Da Shan, Zhao Heng pulled on the reins and slowed the speed down to the minimum.

“Auntie, you can’t be soft-hearted now. Jin Wang is too wicked, and that woman actually encouraged Chunyan to steal your recipe. It’s infuriating to think about. Today is just a small lesson.”

Liang Shuyan's lips curled up slightly: "Actually, in my opinion, we shouldn't make a big deal out of this. Jinwang is Dashan's second uncle after all. Isn't what he's doing a bit too much?"

"Hmph, I knew Auntie was so soft-hearted. When I first came to Daling Village, Auntie even had Dahei scare me so badly that I fainted. What did I do wrong? All I wanted was someone to take care of me."

A burst of laughter came from the donkey cart: "I told you, don't talk about your shameful deeds anymore. It's embarrassing to even mention them. Big Black's paws landed on your shoulder, and you fainted on the spot. How dare you still talk about it?"

In the wheat field, Old Lady Liu was the first one there. She had already made it to the front of the field. She stretched, picked up a large ear of wheat, and said, "Look at this year's grain. Just looking at it gives me confidence for the harvest."

Ruyan was already exhausted and thirsty. Seeing her mother's energetic face, she complained, "Mom, how come you don't feel tired? You're not a woman in your sixties at all. You're clearly stronger than those strong men in the martial arts school!"

At the other end of the field, the donkey cart in the mountains stopped. Liang Shuyan got off the cart, carrying some steamed buns and a water bottle, and called out crisply, "Everyone, come and take a rest!"

Grandma Liu said with a smile, "Come on, Ruyan, you must be tired. Your aunt has brought some food and drinks. Eat a little and you'll have the energy."

Erniu, along with a group of people from the martial arts school, dragged their weary bodies over and sat down on the edge of the ground.

"I'm exhausted. We just don't understand why that old lady doesn't seem tired at all. She's been ahead of us from the very beginning, and none of us can keep up with her. I'm so ashamed, I don't have the face to sit next to her."

Liang Shuyan smiled and pulled the old lady of the Liu family to sit on the edge of the ground.

"My dear in-law, you've really made me so ashamed! I kept chasing you, then I'd glance at you, only to find the distance hadn't changed. Then I'd look up again and find you'd vanished in a flash! Haha!"

"It's alright. The crops are growing so well that I'm getting happier as I harvest them. With so much grain, can we harvest all of these five mu?"

Liang Shuyan nodded: "Yes, that's fine. It should be done in about two days. The remaining wheat is growing even better than this, but it should be harvested soon."

Erniu was a little worried: "Mother, are you just trying to make us happy? There are still twenty acres of wheat to harvest. How can we finish it in two days?"