Song Anxin and Lin Fengshou left Yong'an Lane and headed straight for the county government office.
It was midday, the sun was blazing, and there were only a few pedestrians on the street.
Song Anxin walked quickly to the entrance of the county government office under the blazing sun. From a distance, the county government office looked extremely imposing, with two majestic lions on both sides. It was indeed a government office.
Lin Fengshou was a little scared; he wouldn't dare ask the government for money even if he had ten lives.
Her mother, on the other hand, remained very calm, as if she were just visiting a neighbor in the village. He couldn't help but admire her greatly; she truly deserved to be the daughter of a scholar.
Yes, ever since Lin Fengshou learned that his mother was the daughter of a scholar and had a younger brother who had only passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations, he felt that his mother was different from the other women in the village.
"Sir, please have mercy. I just want to ask when this compensation will be issued? My granddaughter is seriously ill and needs money for medical treatment. Please have mercy on me."
As Song Anxin got closer, she saw an old man, about sixty or seventy years old, pleading with the constable. Upon closer listening, she realized it was the same thing he had been asking.
The constable impatiently shook off the old man, saying in a bad tone, "Go away, I don't have time for that. Can't you see I'm busy?"
He claimed to be busy, but instead leaned against the stone lion and dozed off, looking like he didn't want to talk to anyone.
He was waiting for someone else to come and hand over his shift so he could have a good meal, but his shift partner hadn't come back yet, and he was starving.
"Officer, I beg you, my granddaughter is really dying, otherwise I wouldn't have come here to plead for help," the old man pleaded humbly.
"Didn't I tell you I'm busy? Get out of my way, you old geezer!" The constable lost his patience and pushed the old man to the ground.
The old man was already quite old and couldn't withstand such a fall; he immediately cried out in pain on the ground.
Lin Fengshou, disregarding any fear or apprehension, rushed over to help the old man up, saying, "Hey, what's wrong with you? How can you treat an old man like this? I didn't see you busy at all."
This was the first time the constable had ever seen anyone challenge him at the yamen gate. Normally, no one dared to mess with him on the street, so he immediately got angry: "Where did this brat come from, daring to talk to me like that? You're asking for death!"
The constable drew his gleaming knife with a "whoosh" and pointed it at Lin Fengshou. Lin Fengshou was immediately frightened. He usually only fought with other kids his age in the village and had never seen a real knife or gun before.
When the constable saw Lin Fengshou so frightened, he laughed: "Hehe, now you know fear, huh? Get the hell out of here, or I'll chop you both up."
The moment Song Anxin saw Lin Fengshou being held at knifepoint, her anger flared up instantly. She quickly stepped in front of Lin Fengshou, saying, "Well, well, what a majestic constable you are! How dare you treat human life so lightly right at the gates of the yamen!"
"If you want to chop, come at me! If I die, you can sue me! If the local government won't listen, go all the way to the prefectural capital! If the prefectural capital won't listen, go to the provincial capital! And above the provincial capital is the capital! I want to see if there's any law left in this world!"
Lin Fengshou was deeply moved. He hadn't expected his mother to risk her life to protect him at such a crucial moment. Suddenly, he was no longer afraid. He straightened his chest and stared intently at the constable. If the officer really came at him, he would definitely protect his mother.
The old man hadn't expected that the mother and son would argue with the constable over him. Fearing that the woman might lose her life, he hurriedly said, "Calm down, everyone calm down. Young lady, it's not worth it for my old life. Constable, if you want to take something, take my old life."
He continued coughing after speaking, perhaps from being pushed.
The constable panicked immediately: "You, you woman, what nonsense are you talking about?"
He only intended to scare these people, but he never expected to be accused of disregarding human life and even have to take the case to the capital. Forget the capital, if the county magistrate finds out, his job as a constable will be over.
"Am I lying? Didn't you just threaten to chop us up? As an official, you don't work for the people's benefit or solve their problems. Instead, you stand here acting like a bully, even drawing your sword. Is this the kind of official you are?"
What did this old man do wrong? He raised his son with great care and sent him to the battlefield to sacrifice his life for the country!
He went to war as a young man, and returned with the spirit of a hero. His son is a hero of our country! It is because of heroes like him that you can stand here safely, drinking and eating heartily, and that our country can enjoy stability and peace!
How dare you treat a hero's father like this? How dare you point your knife at him? Your knife should be pointed at the enemy! Your anger should be directed at the enemy who wants to trample on our country!
Song Anxin's words were passionate and inspiring, attracting many nearby residents to stop and listen.
"Well said, well said! If you're so capable, go fight on the front lines. What are you doing showing off here?" Several men retorted indignantly, inspired by Song Anxin's words.
“My son also died on the battlefield. He was a hero! And those damned people even stole the money my son earned with his life!” a woman cried out in grief.
"What a wonderful line: 'A young man goes to war, a hero returns.' These heroes deserve our respect!" some writers exclaimed.
The constable was speechless after being rebuked. He should have been furious, but for some reason, he couldn't get angry. In fact, he was somewhat agitated by what the woman had said.
"Clap, clap, clap," came the sound of clapping from somewhere.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man wearing a dark blue robe with dark patterns walking over.
"I never expected that such a broad-minded person could exist in this small Ningdu County. His awareness is far superior to that of the ministers in the imperial court." This was Yan Shuping, the newly appointed magistrate of Ningdu County.
"Young Master, be careful what you say." A man of about forty years old followed behind, his face calm.
"Be careful what you say. They've already demoted me to this level, what more do they want?" Yan Shuping rolled his eyes and said nonchalantly.
The constable was so startled by the sight of the two that he broke out in a cold sweat and immediately knelt on the ground, saying, "Greetings, Magistrate, and Master Fan."
Upon hearing that the county magistrate had arrived, the people around quickly dispersed. In those days, ordinary people had an innate fear of officials and would never want to see them unless absolutely necessary.
Song Anxin sighed inwardly at how fast these people ran, and the old man next to her was the same; he had just stood up, but now he was trembling and lying down again. Wasn't he just asking the constable about the pension? Now that the person in charge has arrived, why don't you ask him?
Lin Fengshou wasn't much better off; he immediately knelt down, his head almost buried in the ground.
Song Anxin was left standing there blankly. She felt very awkward. She was a modern person who only knelt to heaven and earth and to her parents. Moreover, judging from the county magistrate's appearance, he was probably only about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, not even as old as her. The clerk behind him was more or less acceptable.
Song Anxin resigned herself to her fate. After all, the class gap in ancient times was so huge. So Song Anxin half-knelt with her legs slightly apart and said, "This humble woman greets the magistrate and the clerk."
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