Half a month passed in the busyness. At noon that day, the housekeeper Chen Qiang came to tell Tian An that there was news from the government office.
Tian An stood up excitedly and said in disbelief, "You said Lai Batou went to the government office to surrender himself?"
Chen Qiang nodded and told Tian An the news he had received.
It was said that after Lai Batou escaped from the government, he had been hiding from place to place. But after a few days, he discovered that several groups of people were looking for him.
He almost lost his life several times. What made him most devastated was that he found out that one of the groups was his employer. Later, he was forced into a corner and decided to go all out and go to the government office to surrender.
He turned himself in, so of course he answered everything the yamen asked him. He told them everything he knew, and even revealed a lot of explosive information about the young master of the Zhang family.
What about framing a business competitor? Just like what they did to Tian An's shop.
A restaurant owner accused someone of dishonest food and sent thugs to smash their shop. A silk shop owner deliberately forced people to buy fabric and then spread rumors that it was discolored and defective. A cosmetics shop owner bribed his servants to adulterate their cosmetics, causing customers to have facial ulcers after using them, ultimately bankrupting the owner.
And what about persecuting poor girls? They bought them for money, then sold them to brothels when they got tired of them. The worst case was that they forced a girl to death, and then used money and bribes to silence her parents.
There are countless examples like this.
Tian An sighed, this is simply a scumbag! Fortunately, Qin Yalan didn't marry him, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.
The news of the interrogation of Lai Batou in the county court had somehow spread. Suddenly, people in the streets and alleys, taverns and teahouses were talking about it.
Shaoyao, the maid who went to buy things for Qin Yalan, heard the news on the street and hurried back to tell Qin Yalan.
Qin Yalan was also frightened. She had never been so grateful that she had small red bumps all over her face. If her face had been fine, she would probably be the one marrying Zhang Wenhao now.
When she thought about how she almost married a scumbag like Zhang Wenhao, she couldn't help but feel nauseous. There was nothing she could do, it was too disgusting.
Qin Yalan was feeling relieved, while Tian An was paying close attention to the development of the case.
"Has Zhang Wenhao been arrested?"
Chen Qiang shook his head.
Tian An frowned: "He has done so many things, why haven't the government arrested him yet?"
Chen Qiang explained: "Those words were said by Lai Scarhead. It happened a long time ago, and he has no evidence, and..."
"And what?" Tian An was a little anxious.
Chen Qiang said: "His housekeeper has taken full responsibility for this incident. Not only this one, but he has also taken all the blame he can't deny.
All of Zhang Wenhao's affairs were handled through the steward, because he was indeed involved and had confessed his guilt, so the county government couldn't do anything about it."
Tian An fell silent. Peng Zhang, that fat guy, had been right. He had found a scapegoat. Even though the housekeeper wasn't innocent, it was still unpleasant that the mastermind behind the incident didn't get punished.
Tian An was still thinking about something when Chen Qiang said, "Miss, I heard that the contents of the interrogation at the county government office were leaked out somehow.
In just one night, many people have come to trouble the Zhang family. All their shops are either experiencing poor business or have run into problems. I'm afraid they're in a state of panic now."
Hearing this, Tian An snorted coldly: "You've done so many bad things, I'm afraid you'll get your comeuppance this time."
After thinking for a while, he instructed Chen Qiang: "Keep watching the Zhang family's affairs. Since someone is dealing with him, we can just watch the show. Keep an eye out for any of his shops being sold. If you find a suitable one, bargain down the price to the lowest and buy one or two."
Next, the two discussed other situations.
Tian An asked Chen Qiang to buy some strawberry seedlings and other common vegetable seeds. She would first grow the seedlings and then plant them in the greenhouse, and then sell them in winter.
After Chen Qiang left, Tian An continued practicing calligraphy. She had already copied three copies of the Three Character Classic, and Zhao Yiming had copied four. The village school had only about twenty students at the time, and including the children of the farmhands, there were thirty-six students in total.
She figured they could copy five more books before moving on to the rest. Three people would be enough to read one book. The conditions were tough, so let's all just get over it! It was all she could do.
At first, Grandma Qin suggested that Tian An learn music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework, but unfortunately, she never learned a single day in the end.
There was no way. Tian An was really too busy. She was busy copying books in the morning and busy with farm and business matters in the afternoon. These were all important matters and could not be delayed.
Grandma Qin wanted to help Tian An copy books, but she thought that Tian An could practice calligraphy by copying books, and it would be a waste of paper if she copied them.
When the villagers learned that Tian An and Zhao Yiming had copied books for the children, they were grateful to them from the bottom of their hearts. Buying a book would cost at least two taels of silver, and they helped everyone save a lot!
The village chief also went to Tian An and Zhao Yiming's homes in person to express his gratitude on behalf of the entire village, and also brought some vegetables, eggs and other things sent by the students' parents.
For Tian An now, these things are not worth much, but they are everyone's recognition of her. In the evening, Tian An felt that the vegetables sent by everyone were particularly delicious.
As the days passed, after the rice, corn and other crops were harvested one after another, the autumn harvest was over in the blink of an eye.
With Old Man Luo watching over the fields, not a single farming season was missed. The second crop of potatoes and winter wheat had already been planted. Even the strawberries in the greenhouse had been planted, and the vegetable seedlings were being raised.
Looking at the warehouse full of grain, Tian An smiled so much that his eyes narrowed.
"Chen Qiang, go to the county government office and ask whether the grain we borrowed previously was collected by the county government or whether we delivered it."
The day had finally come. Once she paid off the grain she owed to the county government, she would be debt-free.
After the autumn harvest, there was less farm work to do, and the farmhands gradually had more time. Tian An began to arrange her literacy classes.
Mr. Han has already taught a whole day and has to give lectures to Zhao Yiming in the evening, so he definitely doesn't have time.
Tian An would set aside half an hour after dinner every day and arrange for a student from the village school to teach everyone how to read.
Others can study this voluntarily, and she does not force them, but she requires the few people she bought to go and learn. Of course, anyone in the village who wants to learn can also go and listen.
Because it is free, many people go there, including some older people in the village and children who have no money to go to school.
The children who gave lectures felt that they were valued and the teaching was very thorough. Those who came to learn knew that this was a rare opportunity and studied very seriously. The classroom atmosphere was extremely good.
Tian An's action won her favor in the village, and then she could eat the food sent by the villagers every few days.
Everyone just put the food at the door and left, and she couldn't refuse even if she wanted to.
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