Finally, under the obstruction of the crowd, Huang Shi reluctantly gave up, his expression quite strained.
The crowd quickly and laboriously carried Huangshan back, gently placing him on the bed and carefully tucking him in.
Xie, who had been watching the whole thing closely, seemed thoughtful as the events unfolded.
"My cousin really deserved that beating!"
Not only did it resolve the resentment of the entire village, but it also made him the most beloved child in the village.
"Shh," Huang Lao Er whispered, "Don't let Auntie hear, she'll be unhappy."
He saw it clearly: when his cousin was being beaten, his aunt was so nervous that she tore her sleeves and stared intently at his uncle. With each swing of her hand, her fist clenched tighter.
"Mmm," Xie quickly covered her mouth and looked around. "She's not here, she's not here."
"How many times have I told you?" Jiang Nuan said, a little annoyed, "You can't talk nonsense."
“Mother, I was wrong,” Xie Shi leaned closer. “It won’t happen again, absolutely not. Let’s go home. My cousin is alright now, and it’s time to cook dinner.”
"I'll go talk to your aunt and then go back. Make a lot today, make some for the old house too, your aunt isn't in the mood to cook."
In the end, Jiang Nuan sighed.
The old saying that children are all debts is absolutely true.
Meanwhile, at the county government office, Inspector Niu was in a very good mood after escorting the last batch of people.
He had already accomplished the task less than ten days after being given the order from above. Ping'an County, which had lagged behind in everything, finally got to take the lead and could finally show its face.
And his name, Niu Yu, finally made it to the ears of those important figures.
As soon as I entered the county government office, I heard someone say, "Inspector, the county magistrate is looking for you!"
"The county magistrate wants to see me?" Inspector Niu asked, puzzled. "What does he want with me now?"
"I don't know, it's quite urgent, I've had my subordinates urge you to go quickly."
"Okay, I'll go take a look right away."
Inspector Niu was quite surprised. The county magistrate always maintained his official airs and wouldn't say a word to these clerks unless there was something going on.
This county magistrate was undoubtedly learned, but his administrative abilities were mediocre, and he was also rigid, inflexible, and did not know how to adapt. Therefore, he only received a mediocre evaluation in the performance appraisal.
While his contemporaries who were also sent to other posts were promoted or transferred, he remained a lowly ninth-rank county magistrate.
The county magistrates come and go, but the clerks remain constant. Although they are of lowly status, they have been scheming for decades. Therefore, the clerks in the yamen only have the respect and deference due to the county magistrate, but no fear whatsoever.
Why should I?
It's very simple.
The yamen can still function without a magistrate, but it can't function without a bailiff.
Upon entering the inner office, Inspector Niu first consulted with his clerk to confirm that there were no major problems before knocking on the door. "Your Excellency, this subordinate Niu Yu pays his respects."
Cough cough...
Magistrate Zhou coughed twice to clear his throat with a reserved air, then deliberately stroked his beard slowly before speaking, "Come in!"
Although his tone was gentle, it carried a hint of arrogance.
However, Inspector Niu didn't care at all.
Although the magistrate of Zhou County was a bit aloof, he was not a bad person and never suppressed these clerks.
Of course, I haven't bribed anyone either.
"Your Excellency," Inspector Niu bowed and asked directly, "Is there something important that you summoned me here?"
“Hmm,” Magistrate Zhou nodded slowly, “There’s something wrong with the group of people you arrested.”
"Is there a problem?" Inspector Niu was completely bewildered. "What problem?"
"No need to ask any more questions. In short, just do as I instruct."
"Keep pretending, I'll watch you keep pretending," Inspector Niu complained to the magistrate, who had a profound expression on his face.
"If the magistrate has any ideas, please speak frankly, and I will certainly do as he says."
Inspector Niu's words cut off what Magistrate Zhou was about to say, leaving Magistrate Zhou stunned.
Cough cough...
After concealing his embarrassment, Magistrate Zhou calmly continued, "People from above are coming to investigate. They'll arrive tomorrow, and you'll be responsible for assisting them."
"What?" Inspector Niu exclaimed in surprise. "Magistrate, I just finished transporting people, how did the higher-ups know?"
"No need to ask any more questions, step down."
After saying that, Magistrate Zhou waved his hand expressionlessly, signaling Inspector Niu to leave quickly.
"Can't you come up with a different excuse?" Inspector Niu looked at the study speechlessly. "Every time he doesn't know, he just says there's no need to ask."
“You don’t know him yet,” the advisor said helplessly, “He’s extremely concerned about his image.”
That's just how intellectuals are!
“Master, this is strange,” Inspector Niu said, puzzled. “I just sent the man to jail, and then an urgent letter from above arrived at the county magistrate’s place. Could it be that they’ve been keeping an eye on us all along?”
The thought that his every move was being watched by others gave Inspector Niu goosebumps all over his body!
"Perhaps they're not watching us," the advisor said thoughtfully, "but rather that Taoist temple!"
"Staring at the Taoist temple?" Inspector Niu was surprised. "Is there something wrong with that Taoist temple?"
“There are many things that are not right,” the advisor’s eyes gradually deepened. “I just don’t know which point has attracted the attention of the higher-ups, or if there are any other things we haven’t noticed.”
Ping'an County is a poor and small place, and there shouldn't be anything there that would attract the attention of the higher authorities, but that's exactly what happened.
It just doesn't look right.
“No,” the advisor suddenly said after a moment of contemplation, “we can’t just sit here and wait to die. We must find a way to find out what’s going on.”
Is it possible that the county magistrate knows anything about this?
“No way, don’t even think about it,” the clerk said dejectedly. “Instead of hoping our county magistrate will be enlightened, we might as well hope that the Emperor himself will come.”
“That’s true,” Inspector Niu agreed wholeheartedly. “Our county magistrate really doesn’t understand the ways of the world.”
"You'll get used to it. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he'll probably be the magistrate of Ping'an County for the rest of his life."
"Sigh, following such a county magistrate is both a blessing and a curse. Never mind, let's not talk about this anymore. I'm going to Huangjiakou first. If anyone notices anything amiss at Qingfeng Temple and knows anything about it, it's definitely her."
"who?"
“Lai Zi’s aunt, though a widow, is not to be underestimated.”
"Isn't that an overstatement?" The advisor frowned. "She's just a woman."
“Absolutely not,” Inspector Niu said in a low voice. “If it weren’t for her last night, Huangjiakou would be in even worse shape than Qingfeng Temple is now.”
"Is that so?" A glint appeared in the advisor's eyes. "Come on, I'll go with you."
In Huangjiakou, Jiang Nuan took a short rest to recover her energy and quickly divided the watermelon seedlings for each household, waiting for people to come and collect them.
There weren't enough seedlings to begin with, so Jiang Nuan cultivated another batch in her space. Anyway, with all sorts of frames piled together, you couldn't really tell what was going on.
Springtime is the most precious time. After a night of rest, everyone who hadn't slept got back to work.
Hearing that the watermelon seedlings were ready to be planted, he immediately ran excitedly to the Huang family's house.
I was immediately shocked to see the yard full of healthy and large rice seedlings.
"It's only been a few days? Four or five days? How did the melon seedlings grow so big?"
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