"But seeing them like this, I wanted to protect them; I just couldn't bear to see them like this."
“Lian’er, if I were the one wearing those clothes, I would never allow such a thing to happen.”
Qiao Lian'er shook her head: "Just wearing this uniform isn't enough. You'll only be an obedient clerk. If you don't comply, you'll end up like those common people. You need to hold real power and climb the ranks step by step to have the right to speak and make decisions. Otherwise, your voice carries little weight, and every extra word you say carries a risk."
Da Yong seemed to be deep in thought. He was feeling a surge of impulse, like a seed that was taking shape.
After walking for a while, I saw those people pushing carts again.
"Hehe, this Lingjia Village may not have much money, but it has plenty of grain. Selling the extra grain can bring in quite a bit of silver."
"That's right, it wasn't a wasted trip."
"What other villages are there further ahead?"
One of them took out a map and looked at it; it only showed the route.
"The next village is Hexiang Village, where more than a dozen families raise lotus roots in ponds and also raise fish. We should be able to catch quite a lot."
"Going from Hexiang Village, we arrive at Wanzi Village, then Datian Village, and further ahead from Datian Village is Sunjiatun."
"If we can finish collecting taxes in Wanzi Village by nightfall today, we'll head to Datian Village first thing tomorrow morning."
"To get to Datian Village, we'll need another team from the nearby Guan Ning garrison. We might not be able to go; we might have to be sent somewhere else. We'll see what the arrangements are."
"Why can't we go? Our mission is to go this way. Tomorrow, Supervisor Qu will meet up with us."
"I heard that a wealthy family came from there, and they didn't want to miss out on this lucrative opportunity."
"Damn it, so they're trying to rob us."
These people recounted what had happened.
Qiao Lian'er's eyes turned cold. A wealthy family, could it be referring to the Qiao family?
It would be a waste to give these twenty-odd taels of silver to these people.
At the entrance of Lingjia Village, many villagers sat there crying, and there was a sound of grief.
The joy of the autumn harvest had not yet faded when most of the grain was requisitioned, threatening the survival of the entire family.
As I passed by the door, I even saw someone faint, and their family members were trying to save them.
Qiao Lian'er asked Qiao Zhizhi to guard the carriage, and then went to the Ling family with Da Yong.
Ling Laosan sat under the eaves, head down, listening helplessly to the cries that rose and fell outside.
Although his family's food and money were saved, he still felt terrible seeing the villagers fall into despair one by one.
Among them were relatives and friends.
"Third brother, it's good that you stayed at home. I was afraid you would rush up like those people." Qiu ran over and grabbed Ling Laosan's arm, wiping away her tears.
“I originally wanted to go too.” Ling Laosan looked at Ling An playing in the yard: “Look how young the child is. If I get locked up, what will happen to An’an? What will happen to you?”
"What else can we do? We can only swallow our pride and be thankful that we have money and food at home."
Those people looted the place thoroughly, and Qiao Lian'er knew they would most likely never come back.
Then he took out the Ling family's silver and gave it to them.
Ling Laosan held the ten taels of silver, his hands trembling slightly. A mix of emotions welled up within him, as if he had lost something and found it again. If Qiao Lian'er hadn't been so young, he would have kowtowed to her.
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