The county magistrate was very enthusiastic towards Lin Weiming.

Lin Weiming sipped the rare fragrant tea and saw the various pastries laid out in front of him, but he didn't dare touch them.

"What is it you want to say, Your Excellency?" He didn't quite understand what the magistrate was trying to do.

"Ahem..." The county magistrate stroked his beard and sighed, "Actually, it's not that I don't want to deal with the bandits, it's just that I'm powerless to do anything about it. Look, I only have a few dozen men at my disposal, and it's difficult to even maintain the stability of the county."

“We’re all from the same county, and I’m not afraid to tell you this so you might laugh at me. With so few men, I can’t even handle the petty thieves in the county town, let alone the bandits in the mountains. Even if I wanted to catch them, I simply don’t have the strength! This time, I really have to thank you all, otherwise I would be worried to death!”

"Ah, it's enough that you have such a kind heart, sir. We see it and are very grateful." Lin Weiming flattered him lightly.

Although he was a carefree person, he could tell that the magistrate wanted to shirk responsibility and complain. But what use were these words to a country bumpkin like him?

Could he go home and sing praises of the county magistrate to his fellow villagers?

"It's good that you understand." The magistrate was quite pleased with his pragmatism. He stroked his beard, his smile growing even brighter, and finally revealed his purpose.

"I see you have such martial prowess and intelligence. If you could stay in the county government, I would feel much more at ease."

Lin Weiming: "..."

He wants to recruit me?

Lin Weiming lowered his head, pretending to be drinking tea, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Lin Weiming raised his head and looked into the magistrate's determined and confident eyes.

"Does the master mean... he wants me to stay and work for him?" Lin Weiming asked, feigning surprise.

“Yes!” The magistrate nodded. “I see that you are indeed a smart man, and you are capable of dealing with so many bandits. If you stay in the county and follow me, I will definitely not let you suffer any losses. I will give you a monthly salary of two hundred coins. What do you think?”

two hundred?

"Pfft—" Lin Weiming almost spat out the tea in his mouth.

The monthly wage was only two hundred copper coins, which amounted to just over two taels of silver a year!

What's the difference between this and him toiling in the fields for food?

He decided to retract his opinion; this county magistrate was not generous at all, one could say he was extremely stingy!

However, even if this magistrate offered him a monthly wage of one or two taels of silver, he had no intention of following him.

"Thank you for your consideration, sir, but I have elderly parents and young children at home, which are a great burden. I cannot abandon my mother, wife, and children. Please forgive me for not being able to comply." Lin Weiming stood up and respectfully bowed to the county magistrate.

"..." The magistrate's expression changed slightly, and his voice quickly turned cold and hard: "You mean, you refuse to come?"

"Yes, please forgive me, sir!" Lin Weiming continued, bowing his head, but his voice remained neither humble nor arrogant.

Snap—

A teacup shattered on the ground, making a crisp sound of celadon breaking.

It shattered at Lin Weiming's feet.

"Very well, you have quite the spirit! I admire people like you. If you are unwilling to serve me, then I cannot force you. Go back now." The magistrate suddenly changed his previous polite tone and said in an angry voice.

"Yes." Lin Weiming didn't delay. "Thank you, sir!"

He left immediately after saying that, without the slightest hesitation.

"..."

This action infuriated the county magistrate behind him, who gritted his teeth and watched his departing figure, letting out a cold snort.

...

After Lin Weiming went out, he found the villagers drinking tea and eating snacks with the constables in the teahouse.

"Brother Lin, you're out? What does the magistrate want with you?" The villagers gathered around him as soon as they saw him coming, all of them perking up their ears.

Even the constable who brought them here for tea had a gossipy glint in his eyes.

"It's nothing serious. You've all eaten, haven't you? Let's hurry up and take the money back." Lin Weiming glanced at the constable but didn't mention the magistrate's invitation.

"Oh, right!" Hearing about the silver, the villagers became even more interested, quickly stuffing the remaining tea and snacks on the table into their mouths, wiping their mouths, "Let's go, let's go get the silver!"

But unexpectedly, when he returned to the county government office to collect his money, another mistake occurred.

"You've really struck it rich this time! Here's twelve taels of silver, take it." Another constable pulled out a purse and stuffed it into their hands, then tried to drive them away with a look of disgust on his face.

"Why is it twelve taels of silver? We brought a total of twenty-four people with us, shouldn't it be twenty-four taels of silver?" Lin Weiming stared at the constable.

The constable, feeling uneasy under his gaze, said with obvious displeasure, "I said twelve taels of silver, and that's twelve taels of silver! You people are really greedy. You've taken so much money and you still don't think it's enough? Get out of here!"

The villagers were initially happy; twelve taels of silver was more than enough to make them happy.

But Lin Weiming's words served as a wake-up call for them.

"Please take a closer look," Lin Weiming said, pointing to the notice. "It says here that each bandit will receive a thousand taels of silver! We brought twenty-four bandits, why can't we get twenty-four taels?"

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!