It wasn't that Liang Shuyan was too harsh, but she knew that she should make an example of someone. If she paid these workers, wouldn't they all leave after working on the construction project?

The stones were bought with Liang Shuyan's own money, so how could they be stolen? She walked into the crowd and said calmly, "What? Some people actually care about the stones I use for building houses and testing dishes? Don't blame me for being ruthless. Dashan, do you remember the ledger? Bring it here, I need to check it one by one."

Foreman Wu never expected that such scum would appear among his men. Leaning on a stick, he said, "What's wrong with you? Who among you is so useless that you can't even see the words on a stone? Search them all, one by one. Once you find one, you can forget about working for me forever!"

After everyone lined up in order, Foreman Wu personally searched the area. He searched suspicious places and questioned the two remaining men who were about to run away with their wages.

“We’re not with you, so you don’t need to search us. We’re all leaving soon, why should you search us? Don’t think you’re so great just because you’re a foreman. We can also contract out jobs, and our jobs are much easier than this.”

Old Wu understood perfectly well that when they first arrived, these two seemed like oddballs, always eating and sleeping separately from him. He originally thought it was just due to their incompatible personalities, but he never expected that they would actually be planning to split up with him.

"Men, search us! Search us again! You scum, with your shady hands, want to work for me? Now you've stolen our materials and you still want your wages?"

One of the men swung his shovel at Lao Wu, who fell to the ground before he could dodge.

Seeing this, Jin Dashan stepped forward and grabbed the man, cursing, "You beast, how dare you hit someone! If I don't beat you to a pulp, what kind of man am I?"

Liang Shuyan rushed forward and pulled Dashan up: "Dashan, stop! Quickly help Old Wu to find a doctor!"

Da Shan finally let go, giving the man a somewhat resentful look: "You just wait!"

The man spat and stood aside. Liang Shuyan glanced over and saw that Zhao Heng had already sent people from the government office to bring them over, led by Constable Huang.

Constable Huang was ruthless and showed no mercy to those who broke the law. Zhao Heng urged him, "Brother Huang, look! This guy not only stole the stones my aunt used to build her house, but he also beat up the foreman! We can't let this brat get away with this!"

Constable Huang walked over, turned to Liang Shuyan and said, "Is this your family building a house? Are all these craftsmen you hired from town? Have they reported to the security brigade?"

Liang Shuyan hadn't expected this rule, so she shook her head and said, "We didn't know we had to report to the security team. What happened? These two people stole our stones and now they've even assaulted someone. Can you help us deal with this?"

Before leaving, the county magistrate repeatedly instructed him to handle the matter seriously and to ensure that Liang Shuyan suffered no loss under any circumstances.

Constable Huang gave the order: "Men, seize these two thieves!"

Soon the constables pinned the two people down. No matter how much they struggled on the ground, they could not escape the constables' arrest.

"You won't pay us our wages? What? You think you're in the right? People from your government office are actually siding with this woman. So she really is the magistrate's concubine, with such influence. Now we realize that even Chief Constable Huang can't distinguish between justice and right and wrong?"

Officer Huang was an upright and incorruptible man. Upon hearing this man's words, he said with a stern face, "If you dare to speak nonsense, I will take you back to the prison right now and subject you to severe torture!"

Liang Shuyan took out an account book and handed it to Constable Huang: "Take a look, this is the stone we brought in. I was going to use it for the foundation, but who knew that two bags would be missing out of nowhere. As for the wages of these two men, I gave them an advance of 20 copper coins because they said they had family matters to attend to. Later, they didn't listen to the foreman's orders while working, and now they've even assaulted the foreman. Constable Huang, I think I should pay these people. Besides, we have so many people here now, how can I set a precedent like this? What if others follow suit? When will my house be built?"

Officer Huang kicked the man, yelling, "You beast! Not only did you steal someone's things, but you also dared to hit them! You wanted your wages, but now that you've assaulted someone, the medical expenses alone will cost more than that. And you still want money?"

The man rolled his eyes and fell silent, no longer speaking. Officer Huang, not wanting to waste any more time, took the two men away.

Thinking of Lao Wu, Liang Shuyan quickly went to the shed where Lao Wu lived and found that Da Shan had already invited a doctor, who was treating him.

Upon seeing Liang Shuyan, the doctor sighed and said, "This person's health wasn't very good to begin with, and this will likely make her even weaker. If she wants to recover quickly, she needs to rest properly for now and avoid strenuous work!"

Old Wu opened his eyes and, upon hearing this, said, "No, how can I not work? My elderly mother is seriously ill and needs money. If I rest, where will my mother's medical expenses come from? This won't do!"

Liang Shuyan pressed down on Old Wu, who was lying on the bed: "What are you saying? We have a house to live in now, it's not like we don't have a house to live in. I don't need to be in such a hurry. You should rest well. It's not too late to build it when you get better. Anyway, I still believe in you!"

Old Wu was so excited that he wanted to sit up and kowtow to Liang Shuyan, but Liang Shuyan grabbed him: "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I didn't recognize the right person and encountered such a person, which caused you inconvenience. I can still manage, Madam, please don't be so polite. The construction period cannot be delayed."

Liang Shuyan's face immediately fell: "If you're worried about your mother's medical expenses, I can give you an advance on your wages. I've already asked you for help, so you're responsible for building the house for me. Of course, your health is also very important, so I absolutely insist that you don't do anything during this time and just stay here quietly to recover."

The doctor coughed twice and said with a smile, "I really didn't expect that Aunt Dashan is so kind-hearted. She treats everyone who works in the family so well. Today, I'll give you some money for the medicine, but we'll forget about the consultation fee."

The doctor prescribed a medicine and handed the prescription to Liang Shuyan.

Liang Shuyan insisted on handing a bag of loose silver to the doctor, saying with a smile, "I haven't paid you back for the medical expenses I received from you last time I treated my daughter. Please accept this. It's not easy to make a living, how can I let you come all this way for nothing?"