Chapter 649 Magistrate Xu's Little Assistant 5
"It's better not to mention it, because once it's brought up, I lose my appetite."
The eight men quickly finished their lunch, then lined up and patrolled the city.
Song Jinhuan then took two constables with him and ordered them to take the tools for measuring the land and head to the Zhang family's house.
They then went to the area around the Liu family's residence to inquire about their situation.
By the time it was Shi's turn, it was already getting dark.
Shi was a woman in her fifties. When she saw Song Jinhuan arrive, her first reaction was to close the door.
When Song Jinhuan knocked on the door to no avail, she had no choice but to call out through the door, "Aunt Shi, I know you have difficulties at home. Please open the door first, and we can have a good talk face to face."
"If they keep evading responsibility, the authorities will have no choice but to act in accordance with the law."
After a long while, the old woman's voice came from inside.
"But there are no able-bodied men in the family, the old man has passed away, the youngest child is unable to walk since childhood, the fertile land has been seized by the husband's brother, and the old woman can barely make ends meet by washing clothes to earn some copper coins."
"There is no extra money to pay taxes."
A desperate, collapsing sob reached Song Jinhuan and the two constables behind her.
Song Jinhuan felt a lump in her throat and said gently, "Aunt Shi, I'm not here to collect taxes today. I've been ordered by Lord Xu to come and understand the people's situation."
"Really?" Aunt Shi's hesitant voice came from behind the door.
Song Jinhuan replied decisively, "Of course!"
Xu Qingyuan didn't force her to collect the taxes today.
The wooden door then opened.
Grandma Shi stood awkwardly by the door, her hands nervously clutching the hem of her clothes.
Song Jinhuan's gaze swept around the courtyard. The firewood was piled up not high, but it was stacked neatly.
The water tank was only half full, and the yard was very clean.
It can be seen that Granny Shi is usually very clean, just like her clothes, which are full of patches, but are still clean even though they are washed until they are faded.
The group sat down at the small stone table in the courtyard.
Grandma Shi poured three cups of water.
Song Jinhuan smiled and said, "Aunt Shi, please sit down. We'll leave once we've understood the situation."
Grandma Shi waved her hand, flattered, "No, no need, I'll just stand."
Song Jinhuan didn't press the matter further. "What did you mean by the encroachment on the fertile land?"
When this matter is brought up, Granny Shi has a lot of grievances to tell.
“My husband passed away three years ago. Taking advantage of the fact that there were no able-bodied men in the family, my husband’s brother forcibly seized the fertile land. Not only that, but he also married my daughter off to the mentally challenged son of the village chief of Niujia Village against our wishes.”
“Master Jiang, Xiao Cui’s elopement was out of necessity.”
Song Jinhuan frowned. "Why not go to the yamen to sue him?"
Grandma Shi was speechless for a moment. After a long silence, her tone turned cold. "No one in the family can read, so naturally no one will write the legal documents."
Song Jinhuan then asked a few more questions, which Granny Shi answered one by one.
Before leaving, Song Jinhuan left a message saying that if there was anything she needed, she should go to the yamen to find her. Then she led the constables around the area to inquire about the Shi family.
I gained a lot.
"Do you know anything about Niujia Village?" Song Jinhuan asked the two constables behind him, seemingly casually.
Constable A: "Isn't that a village in Dong'an County?"
Constable B scratched his head. "I don't know."
Song Jinhuan smiled and said, "Tomorrow, the two of you should take a walk near Shi Lang's house."
Grandma Shi's experience was tragic, but all of this must be based on the facts.
Song Jinhuan naturally couldn't just listen to one side of the story; he needed to verify the facts from multiple sources before taking action.
The three were walking and talking when several shadows fell from above.
Song Jinhuan looked up, and a cold light met her gaze.
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