Yang Quan reacted quickly, dropping his things and trying to run away, but how could he possibly escape?

He had only taken two steps when he was kicked back and lay on the ground for a long time, unable to get up.

Yang Bao was so frightened that he stood there, too scared to move.

Li Xiang'an, along with A Da and the others, surrounded the two of them. Seeing that there was nothing more for her to do here, Mu Xi disappeared into the night sky in a flash.

Li Xiang'an watched Mu Xi's disappearing figure, his eyes filled with envy.

Mu Xi has only been learning martial arts for a short time and he's already so skilled. He's been learning from his mother for so long and he still can't fly.

Of course, Yan Qingqing wouldn't know either, let alone teach them.

Li Xiang'an withdrew his gaze and looked at the two men with a sinister expression, saying, "I never expected there to be such heartless bastards in the workshop!"

They really don't take my Li family seriously!

After saying that, he gave Ah Da and the others a look, and Ah Da and the others started to fight.

Although A-Da and the others weren't sent to the mountain for special training like Mu Xi and the others, they still practiced with Li Xiang'an and the others for an hour every day.

Although not exceptionally skilled, they are still better than the average person.

Furthermore, since Ah Da and the others were highly valued by their master in the Li family, and Yang Quan and Yang Bao dared to steal things from their master's workshop, they were bound to be beaten to death. They were truly brutal, with every punch landing on their flesh.

Soon, a series of wailing cries for parents came from the workshop, giving Li Xiang'an goosebumps.

Li Xiang'an only ordered his men to stop when the two were on the verge of death.

He then instructed, "Lock them up first, and we'll decide what to do after consulting with the madam."

Upon hearing this, Ah Da and the others picked up the two men and carried them into the workshop.

After handing the matter over to Li Xiang'an, Yan Qingqing fell asleep peacefully. She had already laid the groundwork, and with Mu Xi present, they were bound to be caught if they acted tonight. Yan Qingqing wasn't worried about that at all.

Yan Qingqing slept soundly through the night. When she woke up the next morning, she looked at Ruyi, who was serving her, and asked, "How did it go? Did you catch the thief last night?"

Ruyi nodded and said, "They caught him. I heard from A-Si that they beat him up after catching him yesterday and then locked him up in the workshop."

Yan Qingqing then asked, "Is it from Yangjia Village?"

Ruyi shook her head and said, "This servant doesn't know, but I think there's someone named Yang Bao."

That must be Yangjia Village.

Yan Qingqing quickly dressed herself. She originally wanted to ask Li Xiang'an about the details, but suddenly A Si's voice came from the courtyard: "Madam, the village chief of Yangjia Village requests an audience."

This matter originally had nothing to do with Village Chief Yang. After all, they recruited the people themselves. Even if this happened, it couldn't be blamed on him.

Besides, Yan Qingqing didn't have the habit of taking her anger out on others. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I won't get involved in this matter. You go and tell the second young master to handle it."

Remember to tell the second young master not to neglect Village Chief Yang.

Upon hearing this, Ah Si quickly responded with an "eh," and then went to find Li Xiang'an.

Village Chief Yang was waiting anxiously outside. He didn't know what had happened, but early this morning, Yang Quan and Yang Bao's parents came to his house in a panic, saying that their son hadn't come home last night and insisted that he come and ask about the situation.

Village Chief Yang originally didn't want to come; he felt that they should have gone to the workshop to ask about such a small matter first.

However, Yang Quan and Yang Bao's families all said that Yan Qingqing was now an official, and it was not something that ordinary people like them could just see whenever they wanted.

They even claimed he was the village chief and had connections with Yan Qingqing, which easily fooled Village Chief Yang into coming over.

Only then did he realize that these two families must be hiding something from him and using him as a pawn. But he had already arrived, and besides, he was the village chief, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask for an audience.

Fortunately, Manager Yang didn't have to wait long before Ah Si came out and said, "Manager Yang, our second young master invites you."

After saying that, he led Village Chief Yang through the door.

Village Chief Yang had been to the Li family before. Back then, he had looked around admiring the houses the Li family had built, but now he didn't dare to even breathe loudly, let alone glance around.

When Village Chief Yang arrived, Li Xiang'an was sitting in the main seat in the front hall.

Village Chief Yang quickly stepped forward and said, "Greetings, Second Young Master." He then went to bow to Li Xiang'an.

Remembering Yan Qingqing's instructions, Li Xiang'an stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Village Chief Yang, you are too polite. You are the elder, and I am the junior. I am only being given face by others because of my mother and brother. How can I accept such a great courtesy from Village Chief Yang?"

"Village Chief Yang, what brings you here so early? Please, have a seat."

The more polite Li Xiang'an was, the more uncomfortable Village Chief Yang felt.

Finally, he sat down and said, "To be honest, Second Young Master, I came here for Yang Quan and Yang Bao from our village."

Their families came to my house early this morning saying that the two of them hadn't gone home from work last night and wanted me to come and see what was wrong.

A hint of mockery flashed in Li Xiang'an's eyes as he listened, and then he said, "They actually sent Village Chief Yang over for such a trivial matter. Why didn't they come themselves?"

Village Chief Yang could easily understand the implication in Li Xiang'an's words, but what could he say now that he was already there?

Moreover, he realized that if Yang Quan and Yang Baoying were indeed involved, it probably wasn't anything good. Li Xiang'an clearly knew about the two men's movements.

So he took a deep breath and said, "As the head of the village, I can't just ignore them since they've come to me for help."

"Have they done something wrong? Please enlighten me, Second Young Master."

This village chief, Yang, was the previous ward chief. He was quite eloquent and knew how to assess situations.

Li Xiang'an cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Village Chief Yang is so righteous, then I will speak frankly."

These two are dishonest; they stole things from the workshop.

Of course, if it were just stealing a few things, we might not pursue the matter out of respect for Village Chief Yang.

Now, not only are they stealing, but they're also conspiring with outsiders to frame my family. I absolutely cannot tolerate this.

Li Xiang'an recounted the whole story. It turned out that Yang Quan was the only one who stole the things at the beginning. At that time, his family was poor, and he couldn't resist when he saw the duck eggs.

After stealing a few more times, he was afraid of being discovered and decided to stop.

However, someone in the prefectural city approached him and asked him to tamper with the workshop, offering him money. Because of Tie Tou's previous poisoning incident, he dared not do anything else and could only continue to secretly take preserved eggs from the jars.

Not only did he steal it himself, but he also took his cousin Yang Bao with him.

After learning the whole story, Village Chief Yang felt a refreshing coolness in the sweltering summer heat.

He had heard some of the grudges between Yan Qingqing and the people in the prefectural city. Yang Quan and Yang Bao had essentially offended the entire Canghe Village.

For a moment, Village Chief Yang was truly caught in a dilemma. If he pleaded for leniency, he would offend the entire Canghe Village; if he didn't plead, who knew what would happen to Yang Quan and Yang Bao?