Zhao Dashu stared at the three people outside for a moment, then smiled broadly and said, "Brother Zhao, why have you been standing outside all this time? Come in, it's warm inside."
As he spoke, he put his arm around the other person's shoulder and led them directly into the house.
When Gou Sheng and the others saw Zhao Da enter, their faces were full of smiles. The stories they had just heard from Zhang Li were full of Zhao Da's influence, and the two of them were equally formidable in their eyes.
Zhao Da glanced at the crowd with some curiosity, wondering why the people who had been eyeing them so hostilely last time were being so enthusiastic today.
Fortunately, he wasn't one to mince words, and he walked in confidently and sat down by the fire table to warm himself.
Jiang Yimian glanced at the group with amusement, then took the baskets into the house with Old Man Liu before closing the door again.
The cold air was kept out, and the room warmed up again.
Upon seeing his long-lost brother, Zhang Li immediately stopped telling stories and began asking about the situation in the town and county.
Everyone immediately looked at Zhao Da.
Zhao Da took a sip of hot tea, frowning at the bitterness and sourness, and after a while said, "Most of the refugees in the various towns received their food and seeds and returned to their hometowns early."
There are also some who don't want to go back or can't go back; the adults are making arrangements for them, and it should be done in a few days.
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Judging from this, things have completely settled down.
Old Liu then asked, "Brother Zhao, what are the sir's plans for us?"
Upon hearing this, the women who had been doing needlework immediately looked over.
To be honest, they had lived in this small depression for more than half a year and had gotten used to a life undisturbed, so they were somewhat reluctant to go to other villages.
Zhao Da simply smiled and said, "The lord hasn't said yet what you're thinking. Do you want to stay on this mountain or go to other villages?"
He believed that as long as Miss Jiang's request wasn't too unreasonable, the master would definitely grant it.
Jiang Yimian looked at everyone and saw that they all looked like they wanted to say something but didn't dare to. She could only say, "Brother Zhao, could you please tell the magistrate that we don't want to go to other villages? Just register our household in any village you like."
The villages nearby were probably mostly destroyed by bandits, and if they were really assigned to other villages, the journey would be quite long.
Living with strangers is never as comfortable as living in a small, low-lying area.
Seeing that no one else objected, and that they all clearly shared the same idea, Zhao Dacai quickly nodded, "Alright, Miss Jiang, don't worry, I will tell the master about this."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as long as they didn't go to other villages.
Zhao Da inquired about Zhang Li's injuries and learned that he was recovering well and would be fully recovered in at most half a month. He didn't say anything more.
On the contrary, Zhang Li asked about the mountain stronghold. He already knew most of the details from Jiang Yimian, but there were some things he wasn't sure about and really wanted to find out.
"Brother Zhao, is there a mole from a bandit gang inside our yamen?"
He had just infiltrated the mountain stronghold and was discovered before he even received any concrete information. It was too strange. He wouldn't believe there wasn't an undercover agent in the government office.
Zhao Da paused, met several pairs of burning eyes in the room, hesitated for a moment before nodding: "Yes, there is a traitor. If it weren't for the fire in the village and the bandits all having diarrhea that day when we were suppressing the bandits, we would probably all be dead."
The magistrate's original plan was to send the people hiding in the silver box from the Lin family into the mountain stronghold before launching an attack. However, before they even entered, someone suddenly shot an arrow, causing their hiding place to be discovered and putting them in a passive situation.
Although the bandit suppression was successfully resolved for various reasons, upon returning to the yamen, the county magistrate arrested the constable who had shot the arrow first.
The constable admitted that he was working for the advisor, and that the advisor and Zhao Sandao had been in contact before Song Quanzhao came to Qingshui County.
Originally, the two planned to cooperate for mutual benefit. One would gradually grow stronger with the help of the government, while the other would rely on the power of the mountain stronghold to eliminate the newly arrived county magistrate and take control of Qingshui County.
Unexpectedly, Song Quanzhao disliked the clerk from the start and didn't allow him to participate in the bandit suppression. The clerk had no choice but to let that constable cause trouble, but unexpectedly, trouble broke out in the mountain stronghold first.
Zhao Da picked out the ones who could speak from the crowd and continued, "He has already been imprisoned in the jail by the county magistrate, so he's fine now."
Zhang Li breathed a sigh of relief and didn't ask any more questions.
Zhao Da chatted with the others for a few more minutes before taking his leave.
Jiang Yimian only said she would see him off.
Once the two left the house and reached a secluded spot, Jiang Yimian asked, "What did the master say? When will I receive my one hundred taels?"
Half a month has passed since the bandit suppression, and she still hasn't received the silver. She's starting to doubt whether she'll ever get it.
Zhao Da was a little embarrassed. He touched his nose before saying, "The magistrate said that the matter of the commendation has been reported, and it will probably take some time before it comes down."
One hundred taels is not a small amount; we can't let the adults pay for it themselves.
It will take time to report the matter, and the prefect is certainly still worried about the refugees, so the reward will naturally be postponed.
It's probably hopeless this year. It's already the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, and the New Year is just over twenty days away.
Jiang Yimian had no choice but to agree, but she didn't press the matter further.
Zhao Da suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Miss Jiang, although the matter of the commendation has not been settled, the matter of finding your father and elder brother that you mentioned last time has been arranged by the magistrate. Their portraits have been posted in various towns, and I have also asked acquaintances in the neighboring county to help me find them."
Jiang Yimian quickly thanked her, "Is there any news?"
Zhao Da coughed lightly, a hint of smugness on his face. "Of course there is, but it's about your older brother. Didn't the yamen recently recruit some new arrest officers?"
There are veterans among them, those who have retired from the battlefield. Wasn't your older brother conscripted back then? I reckon there should be some news about those veterans.
He came today mainly to inform the other party of this news.
As soon as he heard that there were veterans who had retired from the battlefield in the government office, he came immediately.
Jiang Yimian's expression brightened. Seeing that it was getting late, she said, "How about I go to the yamen with Brother Zhao tomorrow?"
It's already past mid-Shenshi (3-5 PM). Winter days are short, and it might get dark before we even get to town.
Zhao Da nodded and said with a smile, "Tomorrow happens to be market day in Qinghe Town. You haven't been to town for so long, have you? You can bring the others along and do some New Year's shopping while you're at it."
Qinghe Town holds its market every three days, and tomorrow is the thirteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. With the Lunar New Year approaching, the town will be very lively these days.
Jiang Yimian responded and led Zhao Da out of the cave via a shortcut, then told everyone about going to the market the next day.
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