"Officer Zhang, lunch is ready. Let's go over now!"

When Lin Xue returned, the three constables were still sitting in the shade of the courtyard chatting.

The old village chief has never returned since he left, but Lin Xue is not in a hurry. If he still hasn't returned by the appointed time, she will personally search the villagers' homes.

Just as everyone sat down to eat, the old village chief also came over looking for them.

"Here's ten taels of silver from Zhou Tianli's family. We've already collected it for you!"

After more than an hour of running around, the old village chief's legs were almost broken.

Those bastards did bad things, and now that their misdeeds have been exposed, they're all so scared that they've run into the mountains to hide.

He finally managed to get the villagers to find the person and painstakingly scraped together the ten taels of silver.

The villagers live deep in the mountains, except for a few hunters who make a living by hunting and can exchange their prey for some money.

Most families in the village still make a living by farming, and they can't even save two taels of silver a year.

Anyone with a bit of ability would have gone out to make a living long ago; who would still be living in these deep mountains and forests?

The saying "bad people come from poor and remote places" is no exaggeration.

Although Lin Xue's village was very remote, there were several other villages of varying sizes in the surrounding area.

Many families who can't find wives resort to buying them, and I've heard that this has ruined many young girls.

How were these girls sent to the village? What decent family would be willing to marry their daughter into such a place!

These are either people from remote areas like theirs, or women trafficked by human traffickers.

Wasn't the original owner of this body abducted and sold to this remote mountain by human traffickers?

"Village Chief, Guard Lin will be working at the county government office for a long time from now on, and he may rarely come back!"

"We'll let it go this time because Guard Lin isn't going to pursue it. But if anything goes missing from Guard Lin's house again, we constables aren't just there to eat and do nothing!"

"I'll trouble you to keep the villagers in check. If even a single ear of corn goes missing from Guard Lin's house, we'll hold you responsible. If you don't pay tenfold compensation, we'll definitely throw you in jail and let you enjoy a few days of prison food!"

There's no point in reasoning with such troublemakers; direct threats are the most effective approach.

Officer Zhang had encountered quite a few barbarians, so he naturally had his own methods for dealing with them.

Whether it's kind advice or coercion and inducement, any method that achieves the goal is a good method.

"Don't worry, sir, I will definitely keep the villagers in check and ensure that what happened before will never happen again!"

If the old village chief hadn't threatened to expel them from the village, the villagers wouldn't have been willing to pay!

Putting them in jail wouldn't do much good. The villagers said that as long as they hide in the mountains, who could catch them?

This infuriated the old village chief, who decided he would have to manage the villagers better in the future to prevent such incidents from happening again.

In the past, the villagers were mostly from the mountains, so they didn't know much about the world or the law.

Now their village has a woman working in the county government office; if someone wants to mess with their village, it's really just a matter of talking.

The villagers didn't understand, but the old village chief did know a little bit.

After all, he was the one who received the officials who came to collect taxes and grain in the past, and he was familiar with some of the policies.

After everyone finished eating, Lin Xue and the others prepared to return to the county.

I originally wanted Zhou Xiaocang to bring some things for our own use, but now it's all over, there's nothing at home.

Before leaving, Lin Xue also handed her house key to Li Tiezhu, asking him to come over and help look after the house when he had time, and to repair the collapsed door.

"When the grain is harvested, you can put it in the house first."

"No one from our family is coming back for now, but you can let Dapao and the others come and stay with us temporarily. After all, it's not good for the house to be empty for too long!"

"If anyone in the village gives you trouble, go to the county government and find me. Next time you come back, I won't be so polite. I'll make those hooligans suffer!"

Before leaving, Lin Xue gave Li Tiezhu a few more instructions, then mounted her tall horse and left the village with Zhou Xiaocang.

Li Tiezhu, along with his entire family, escorted the person all the way to the village entrance.

Only after Lin Xue and the others had walked far away did the villagers gather around.

"Tiezhu, what exactly is going on?"

"I heard that the Zhou family entrusted your family with managing their fields and houses. Is that true?"

Will they ever come back? Why did the Zhou family entrust their land to you to manage?

After Lin Xue and the others left, the villagers surrounded Li Tiezhu.

They were afraid of Lin Xue, but not of Li Tiezhu.

They were still trying to force the Li family to reveal more information!

"Shut up, all of you! Guard Lin said that from now on, the Li family will manage her family's fields, and we will receive 30% of the harvest each season!"

"Before leaving, Guard Lin said that if anyone ever makes things difficult for the Li family, they should go to the county government office to find her!"

"She said the county government was worried about not being able to catch enough people to meet its performance targets. The county government has a certain quota for catching bad guys every year, and if the quota isn't met, the officials will be punished!"

"Guard Lin also said that if anyone dares to covet her family's property or bully those of us who manage her family's property, she will have them all arrested and thrown into jail."

"The constables are just having trouble catching bad guys, and this person just happens to fill in!"

Lin Xue taught him to say these words, but Li Tiezhu embellished them artistically.

Upon hearing Li Tiezhu's words, the villagers who had been surrounding him immediately dispersed.

"Hehe, I see..."

"I remember there's still water boiling at home. If we don't go back soon, the water will boil dry. You guys keep chatting, I'll go now."

"Yes, yes, the fire is still burning in my stove. I need to hurry back and cook. You guys keep chatting, keep chatting..."

"I just finished eating and I'm a little sleepy. I'll go home and take a nap. I still have to go to the fields to weed this afternoon!"

"I had just washed my clothes and hadn't even had a chance to hang them up yet. If it weren't for seeing Guard Lin off, I wouldn't have left my clothes behind and run out!"

Some people know to find an excuse to leave, while most others slip away without a word.

"Third brother, now that your family has found a powerful backer, you should work hard for Guard Lin from now on. Our Li family now has a powerful backer, and we won't be afraid of being bullied anymore!"

"That's right, third brother! Remember to call us if you need anything in the future. We're all cousins, there's no need to be so formal!"

"I never imagined that our Li family could get involved with the county government. Remember to let us know when it's time to harvest the grain, and we'll all come to help!"

After the villagers left, not all members of the Li family left.

Especially Li Tiezhu's cousins, who now look at him with new respect.