The next morning, Jiang Zhi went down the mountain to check the specific situation.
In the warehouse, Li Laoshi, who had performed exceptionally well this time, was enjoying everyone's praise and care.
Indeed, it was everyone.
Every household came to visit, and Liu and Wang Xiaoju brought breakfast.
Xia Xiucai wrote a banner for him, regardless of whether the illiterate Li Laoshi could understand it.
Even Madam Qin sent over two hot, large meat buns, the kind that ooze oil when you bite into them.
The adoring look in Qin's eyes made Li Laoshi feel as if his bones had become several pounds lighter.
When Jiang Zhi arrived, there was still oil on his chin that he hadn't wiped off.
"Ouch! Be gentle, be gentle!"
Li Laoshi called out again, and Jiang Zhi removed the bandage from his wound. Qin Shi, Liu Shi, and several others watched from the side.
"Your wound will heal in three to five days if you avoid getting it wet. Just leave it airy like this!"
Li Laoshi's wound was a knife wound with a clean cut, which healed easily and was not suitable for bandaging in the summer.
Jiang Zhi casually tossed the blood-stained handkerchief aside. Li Laoshi said with a bitter face, "Sister Jiang, you make it sound so easy, but I can't lift my arm!"
Jiang Zhi pressed around the wound again. There was no redness or swelling. It must have been painful, but not to the point that she couldn't lift her arm. Could the dagger have been poisoned?
Just as she was racking her brains trying to figure it out, her gaze inadvertently fell on Li Laoshi's darting eyes, and then she glanced at Qin Shi next to her, who looked nervous. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows: This guy is putting on an act!
She thought for a moment and said, "The dagger might be poisoned. Don't move around for the next few days, rest more, and drink plenty of water!"
Liu said anxiously, "Second Madam, Genbao was also cut by that dagger, what if..."
The dagger is poisoned!
She was terrified. Genbao had carried water for her this morning, so why hadn't she heard him complain of pain?
Jiang Zhi didn't explain much, but simply pulled Liu Shi along and said, "Sister-in-law, come with me to see Genbao!"
Regardless of Li Laoshi's continued grumbling, Jiang Zhi called out to the children who were running around.
Tian Xiaoquan and Shi Houzi are Li Laoshi's lackeys. They didn't help yesterday and are now waiting outside the warehouse.
Jiang Zhi dismissed the children with just a few words.
If you're supposed to work, then work. If you're not working, then you should read and write. You're not allowed to be lazy and lounging around in the streets and alleys.
Tian Xiaoquan and his group scattered in a panic, and the others also left after saying a few words. Qin Shi also left, looking back every few steps!
Jiang Zhi also learned in the village that Xu Changming had led people into the city early in the morning, but she didn't say much about it.
She had more important things to deal with, and besides, Xu Changming kept complaining about how incompetent he was as the female village chief, so he might not appreciate her efforts.
Anyway, Pi is among these people.
Pi not only knew the courtyard where Xu Xiaolan lived, but also the location of Xiang Dejin's house, so he could easily find someone to help him if anything happened.
Although Jiang Zhi harbored resentment in her heart, she still hoped that these people could go safely and come back unharmed.
After visiting the village, Jiang Zhi went to the post station to thank Cao Yicheng, and finally went to Qingquan Bay with someone.
Xiaoman and Errui came down the mountain to the medicine shop a day earlier. Although Jiang Zhiren didn't come, she was still worried about him.
There were five or six people in the pharmacy at this time. Besides Tian Gui and Xu Gensheng, there was also Wu Yang and Xu Genqing, who had returned from delivering gifts to his mother-in-law's house.
The animal traps that Xiaoman brought earlier have been set up.
Tian Gui asked with a worried look, "Village Chief Jiang, who is this? Is it really Aunt Errui who has come to find her relatives?"
It seems he already knows the truth, but he phrased "searching for relatives" euphemistically.
Jiang Zhi said, "That's right. Some things are hard to explain in a few words. I just hope they will pass soon so we can get back to work."
The matter involved was somewhat complicated, and Jiang Zhi didn't go into details. If she continued, it would lead to the background of the male protagonist, Nie Fantian.
Errui said that Zhang Juntou had searched all over the town last night but found no suspicious persons, so he suspected that the other party had already left.
Lihua Town is neither too big nor too small; there are people living both inside and outside the town, including in the mountains and forests.
If the other party did not enter the town, it is not impossible that they are hiding somewhere and staying at someone's house.
Jiang Zhi decided to start work on time tomorrow, taking a wait-and-see approach. There's no such thing as a thief who can be caught a thousand days in the act.
We can't let this interfere with making money. It's just a matter of arranging more people so that everyone can come and go together and no one is left out.
Errui originally wanted to stay and guard the pharmacy with the others, but Xiaoman chased him away: "Brother Errui, that person asked about you and Brother Xiaotian. It might be bad for you. You should stay in the village. It's closer to the post station and safer there."
Not only Errui, but the others were also persuaded by Xiaoman to return to the village: "Let Brother Wuyang stay with me, you all go back to the village and protect Brother Errui and Auntie."
He felt that he had nothing to do with Xu Xiaogu, and that he couldn't possibly find his way here.
So, only Wuyang and Xiaoman remained in Qingquan Bay, and everyone else returned to the village.
The day passed quickly. Jiang Zhi and Er Rui did not return to the mountain, but stayed in the village instead.
Errui went home again to pick up Qiaoyun and her daughter, and they stayed at Wang Xiaoju's house.
Jiang Zhi took some time to find Xia Xiucai and gathered the "group of eight" who were still in the village together to discuss matters.
Time waits for no one, and the raw materials are readily available. She plans to set up the mosquito coil workshop in the next couple of days.
This will help to bring people together more closely and also ease the tension in the village.
Mosquito coil workshops need ventilation; they don't need fancy buildings, just a simple shed to shelter them from the wind and rain.
Xia Xiucai was still in charge of the village fund's accounts, and he also took out the accounts that recorded various medicinal powders and charcoal powders.
That evening, when it should have been time for night classes, Xia Xiucai did not appear.
The villagers, young and old, were still gathered under the drying shed outside the warehouse, still talking about the "robber" from yesterday.
Some people also mentioned that Master Changming and his group went into the city early in the morning and haven't returned yet; they don't know how they are doing.
Some optimistically suggested that the host might have invited the child to stay and drink.
No one agreed with the joke, and Li Laoshi, who had been stabbed, rolled his eyes at him: "Is that wine easy to drink? Is it some kind of execution wine?"
Everyone looked worried, and the atmosphere was rather somber.
However, when Jiang Zhi and Er Rui walked under the drying shed, the villagers immediately perked up.
Because at this moment, Xia Xiucai was holding a large ledger that everyone was familiar with.
Jiang Zhi stood in the crowd and said directly, "Inspector Zhang has already sent people to check Lihua Town. That person from yesterday has probably left."
Everyone should just focus on living their lives and doing what they need to do, and stop talking about it all the time.
"Now that everyone is here, I'd like to tell you another piece of news."
To thank everyone for their unity and hard work in the village, I plan to set up a workshop in the village's name, using the money from Xu Xiaolan's compensation payment—the Xu Family Village Fund.
"From now on, everyone can work in the workshop. There will be wages for the work, the working hours are not fixed, and the amount of money will be calculated based on the piecework."
After deducting the principal, the remaining interest goes into the fund, and everyone can exchange work points for money, just like when building the house, each large work point is worth fifty coins, and each small work point is worth thirty coins!
Just moments ago, everyone was complaining about Xu Xiaolan's people harassing the village. Now, upon hearing about setting up a workshop, they were all stunned, looking at each other without saying a word.
Setting up workshops in the village and expecting villagers to work there—everyone understands this.
However, no one understood what "piecework wage" meant.
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