The constables surrounded them, but few dared to meet their gaze.
Only Jiang Sheng stared blankly over. Because of her young age and tattered clothes, she posed no threat, and the constables didn't take her seriously, clapping their hands as they returned to the county office.
Zhang Qiquan, covered in blood, struggled to his feet, staggered to the corner, and then collapsed to the ground again.
In Jiang Sheng's mind, this person was a bad guy, but his wife was a good person, and the scene of her wailing was still vivid in her mind.
She began to hesitate about whether to lend a hand. If she pretended not to see it, and a life was lost here, would she be blamed in the future?
The older brothers seemed to be thinking about it as well.
Just as the donkey cart was about to pass Zhang Qiquan, Fang Heng cursed under his breath and reined it in.
Zheng Ruqian and Fang Heng got out of the car, lifted Zhang Qiquan onto the donkey cart, and several children blocked the view of those around them with their bodies. They hurried towards Shilipu Village without stopping.
Back at the village entrance, fearing that if they took the unconscious Zhang Qiquan back, the Zhang family would blame them without explanation, they simply left Zhang Qiquan in the dilapidated temple.
Zheng Ruqian went to boil water and helped him clean the ulcerated area.
Wen Zhiyun ground up wound medicine and bandaged his wound.
After finally getting everything sorted out, Zhang Qiquan slowly woke up.
He seemed to think he was dead, but when he opened his eyes and saw the standing Buddha statue, tears welled up in his eyes instantly.
Suddenly, a child's head popped out from beside him, startling him back into tears. "Where...where am I?"
Jiang Sheng pursed her lips as she looked at him, the anger she felt when her business was stolen still vivid in her mind, and her tone wasn't exactly friendly either, "Village entrance."
"You...I..." Zhang Qiquan wasn't stupid; he calmed down after a moment. "You saved me, thank you."
Jiang Sheng pouted. She didn't want to help, but since her third brother had already stopped the car, she could only go down and lift the person out.
Fang Heng remained expressionless. He didn't want to save her either, but the sight of his sister almost crying made him feel sorry for her.
Zhang Qiquan, who was rescued by a twist of fate, was unaware of all the complicated details. With red eyes, he said, "I treated you so badly back then, and you still saved me. I'm a worthless person, I'm not even as good as a child. I've lived for over twenty years in vain."
He raised his hand, as if he wanted to slap himself.
But the pain in his body made him gasp twice.
Xu Mo, who was in the corner, finally spoke up, "Why did you offend the government? That newly appointed county magistrate is not someone to be trifled with."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qiquan's eyes filled with hatred.
"They're not just difficult to deal with, they're utterly lawless. First, there was Magistrate Xu, who loved the people like his own children, yet he was framed and driven to suicide by them. Then there was Physician Wen, who worked diligently, yet he was beaten to death by them on some pretext simply because he refused to treat his beloved concubine. And me, an ordinary commoner, who just wanted to sell some furs and meat in a remote corner of the county town, was robbed of everything and then brutally beaten."
"I was not convinced, so I went to the county government office to beat the drum, but this is how I ended up."
Zhang Qiquan gave a bitter smile, "This is the local official, this is the upright and just magistrate of Xieyang County. With them around, Xieyang County is truly honored and fortunate."
The dilapidated temple is located at the entrance of the village, some distance away from the houses of the villagers.
Unable to suppress his grievances, Zhang Qiquan covered his face and burst into tears.
It's quite frightening to see a grown man crying like that.
Jiang Sheng didn't dare to speak, timidly hiding behind Zheng Ruqian, even forgetting to hold a grudge.
“I know you’re in a bad situation,” Xu Mo said calmly at this moment. “But there are rules in the county that you can’t sell things privately. If you want to do business, go to the market and do business at your own stall. It’s perfectly legitimate and not better than selling things secretly.”
This rule applies not only to county towns but to any larger city, primarily to control market prices and prevent excessive fluctuations.
Overall it's good. If I had to point out a drawback, it would be the requirement to pay a booth fee.
But it wasn't expensive, at most ten or twenty coins a month, so the Zhang family wouldn't be unable to pay it.
"Ten or twenty coins?" Zhang Qiquan laughed. "That's the price set by Magistrate Xu. The current market stall fee is two hundred coins."
It increased by more than ten times.
Suppose a butcher earns a net profit of twenty coins a day, he can earn half a tael of silver a month, and paying ten or twenty coins for the stall fee is no problem.
But after paying the 200-coin stall fee, income was instantly halved, which is something no one would be happy about.
Some vendors are still persisting, while others have turned their backs and gone home, preferring to sell less in town rather than pay the stall fees in the county.
Some people, like Zhang Qiquan, who were desperately short of money, took the risk of secretly selling their goods in secluded corners.
The result was that he was beaten until he was covered in blood.
The world is tough, but life is tougher.
After venting his anger, Zhang Qiquan struggled to his feet. "Thank you all. I'll repay your kindness in the future. I'm going home now."
Just as he was about to leave the dilapidated temple, Fang Heng suddenly asked, "When you said you were selling fur, bones, and meat, did you mean mutton?"
Otherwise, he couldn't have imagined what kind of animal could be sold for its fur.
Zhang Qiquan was taken aback. This was a secret he shouldn't have revealed, but since the children had lent a helping hand, he reciprocated. "It was wild game we hunted in the mountains. Although the process was dangerous, the fur, bones, and meat could fetch a good price."
"If I hadn't been caught by the constables, I probably would have saved enough money for the New Year."
Zhang Qiquan staggered away.
The dilapidated temple fell silent.
Xu Mo never expected that such earth-shattering changes would occur in the county just a few months after his parents passed away.
Fang Heng never expected that there were not only mushrooms in the mountains, but also wild game. He felt that he should contribute his own strength and energy, and not just drive a donkey cart.
Wen Zhiyun never expected that her father would lose his life because he refused to treat a concubine.
The things, when put together, are so heartbreaking.
It is foreseeable that as long as this magistrate is in power, the sky over Xieyang County will be gray, and such heartbreaking events will continue to occur.
Xu Mo straightened his back, walked to the entrance of the dilapidated temple, and looked in the direction where the sun was rising.
He figured it out.
Now he not only has to go to school, but also has to work hard for the imperial examinations.
He wants to pass the imperial examination to become a scholar, and he wants to become a successful candidate in the provincial examination. If there are no good officials in this world, then let him, Xu Mo, be the good official!
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