"Since you've offered such generous terms, I shouldn't refuse, but..."

Indeed, for a woman in this ancient world, the conditions offered to her by the adults were already quite generous.

However, Lin Xue was self-aware; she knew that she could do more than just protect the magistrate's wife.

A capable person will shine wherever they go; there's something she can't control.

So it's okay to make a few more demands now; the magistrate will eventually feel it's worth it!

"Please speak freely, young lady!"

For the county magistrate, once the houses had been promised, any additional conditions were not so important.

As long as it doesn't cross his bottom line, he'll agree. You know, everyone with a bit of ability in this world has their own requirements.

If Lin Xue didn't make any demands, he would doubt whether she really had the ability to protect his wife.

"That's right, our village is located in an extremely remote area, and the villagers are quite stubborn and ignorant of the law!"

“If I don’t go back for a long time, my family’s property and land will definitely be seized by the villagers.”

"Although I work for the adults, I don't want to lose the family business. I'd like to hire someone to manage it and give them some grain. I'll keep the rest for my younger siblings!"

"This way, my family can have fewer expenses and save more money to prepare betrothal gifts and dowries for my younger siblings in the future!"

Originally, Lin Xue could have sold her house and land and then bought some new property near the county town. Even if it was a small amount, it wouldn't have mattered, as it would have been easier to manage since it was close by.

But she didn't want to let those villagers benefit. She wanted the villagers to know that she was working for the county government. Even if she didn't live in the village, she didn't intend to give up the produce from the land. The Zhou family owned quite a lot of land, and she couldn't let her enemies benefit from it.

"This matter is easy to handle. I'll have Constable Zhang accompany you later. As long as the people in your village know that you are truly working for this magistrate, naturally no one will dare to seize your property!"

When the magistrate saw Lin Xue hesitate, he thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be just a small matter.

Talented individuals are hard to find in this era, especially given the various restrictions imposed on women, making female talent even more precious.

Women are often treated better than men.

For example, a capable female housekeeper, along with the male housekeepers in the same household, would receive an extra allowance in addition to her monthly salary.

This subsidy was intended to compensate the housekeeper for appearing in public and facing pressure from various rumors and gossip; it was a form of appeasement.

Of course, those born into the household and servants are not included in this category; this only refers to those hired from outside!

"Thank you very much, Your Excellency. I'll take this job!"

"Please have someone escort us back to our lodgings first, so that my siblings and I can settle in before we go to work for Madam!"

Now that she had achieved her goal, Lin Xue had no intention of lingering here any longer.

After informing the magistrate, I was quickly led to a residence behind the county government office.

This residence was the private property of the county magistrate. It has only four rooms in total, but fortunately, it occupies a large area and the rooms are spacious.

What's even better is that there's a large courtyard, and all the necessities of life, such as a kitchen and a well, are readily available.

Lin Xue occupied one room by herself, while the other two rooms were divided between men and women.

Lin Xue didn't let anyone stay in the last room; instead, she converted it into a study.

These children have never been to school. She plans to teach them herself in the evenings, and then hire a tutor to teach them individually when she has more money in the future.

The youngest of the children is 10 years old. It's impossible for them to achieve anything significant, but it's not difficult for them to recognize some characters and learn common arithmetic.

She plans to find jobs for these children in the future and arrange for them to earn money to get married.

Girls can earn their own dowry so they won't be bullied when they marry into their husband's family.

Lin Xue's idea is excellent: it's better to teach someone how to fish than to give them a fish.

Give them a skill so they can live well in this era.

The courtyard seemed to be regularly maintained, as it wasn't very dirty. It also had basic necessities like bedding, so there was no need to buy anything else.

Apart from needing to buy a new desk for the study, everything else is usable.

In the evening, Constable Zhang brought them another ten taels of silver, saying it was a reward for capturing bandits.

"Guard Lin, our magistrate said he wants me to go with you first thing tomorrow morning. There are horses available at the county office, so we should be back by tonight!"

"Get ready tonight, I'll come and wake you up first thing tomorrow morning!"

Officer Zhang also heard that Lin Xue had single-handedly captured seven or eight burly men in black, and those men were not ordinary people, but notorious human traffickers.

A capable person will be respected wherever they go. Even if some people look down on women who work, they won't dare to provoke them once they know that the woman is truly capable.

As long as she doesn't say anything to Lin Xue openly, she doesn't care about the contempt shown towards women in ancient times.

I do the work, you pay me, we each get what we need, and by the way, it's good to have a big tree to lean on for shade, so it's easier for us.

"It's really been a hard job, Officer Zhang. Our village is quite far from the county town. I wonder if any of you brothers would like to come with me? I'd like to prepare some provisions for you all!"

It should take about half a day to get there by horseback, but a round trip would probably take a whole day.

Lin Xue felt a little embarrassed for taking up someone else's time for her own business, but she had to go, just to deter those bullies in the village.

"There are other things to do at the county office, so I will only be taking two brothers with me. But the three of us are enough. We will definitely not let the villagers look down on Guard Lin!"

Zhang, the head constable, originally intended to prepare his own rations, but upon hearing that Lin Xue was willing to provide them, he decided not to stand on ceremony.

Everyone here has a family and a career. This matter is ultimately for Lin Xue's family. If it can save their own food, then that would be the best outcome.

"Okay, then I know how much stuff I need to prepare!"

After chatting casually for a few more minutes, Constable Zhang took his leave. He still had work to do at the county office, and he wouldn't be in the county town for the rest of the day, so naturally he had a lot to explain.

"Xiao Cang, tell me, is there anyone in the village who is on good terms with our family, like someone who helped us in the past?"

After Zhang the constable left, Lin Xue called Zhou Xiaocang over and asked him which family in the village she was closest to.

"Sister-in-law, our family rarely interacts with the village!"

"If we absolutely have to find someone with a good relationship, it would be Li Sanpao's family, who live at the west end of the village!"

“When my eldest brother wasn’t home, Sanpao’s mother used to help us siblings out. When we were working in the fields, if we didn’t know how to do something, Uncle Tiezhu would guide us!”