Hu Wenhua said he had been catching pigs with his father since he was a child and was very experienced. He successfully persuaded them to come along. He added, "The round trip, plus the time to tie up the pigs and sheep, will take at least the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. So, you sisters, you need to hold off the other side for at least the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"
Shui Qing assured her, "Okay! Don't worry."
Bai Ziqian reassured him, "Even if it's just to catch up and reconnect with family, I'll chat with my uncle for the entire time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Don't worry, Uncle Wenhua!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present couldn't help but smile.
Hu Wenhua smiled and continued to instruct, "Also, keep an eye on the number of people on the other side at all times, and be careful that some of them don't sneak over."
After all, they were a small group going to the back mountain this time. Even if more than ten of them sneaked over, it would still be quite dangerous to face them head-on.
Li Changlin chimed in, assuring her, "I'll be keeping a close eye on the number of people, and I'll immediately remind Aunt Shuiqing if the number gets too low."
After quickly finalizing the arrangements, Li Changlin climbed onto the watchtower, counted the number of people, and gave a thumbs-up to those below.
Hu Wenhua, Li Wenwu, and five or six other men quickly prepared a cart, ropes, and other items, and ran towards the back door.
Shui Qing and Bai Ziqian also climbed up to the lookout tower.
Bai Ziqian first played the family card.
"Uncle! Uncle!"
Magistrate Wu, who was in the carriage, frowned deeply upon hearing an annoying voice.
The next moment, the clerk reported from outside the carriage curtain: "Master, it is the madam's nephew."
Magistrate Wu grunted in agreement, climbed out of the carriage, stood on the frame, and looked up at the young master of the Bai family, whose face was obscured on the watchtower. His expression was indifferent: "Qian'er, you should quickly persuade the people inside. Going against the imperial court and the government will not end well. We can't make another mistake."
Bai Ziqian pretended not to understand and continued to shout, "Uncle, we are perfectly fine here, why did you bring people to arrest us?"
Besides, I'm still in the village. Aren't you afraid that this will make it impossible for me to explain to the Bai family?"
Magistrate Wu frowned even more deeply. Why should he explain to the Bai family? He wished Bai Ziqian were gone!
The floods in Nandu were much more severe than here, and the situation had descended into chaos much earlier. As the richest family in Nandu, the Bai family was a target of envy and suspicion, and it was uncertain whether his good brother-in-law was still alive.
It's better that they're all gone. In the end, the Bai family will still belong to the Wu family, right?
Thinking of the Bai family's wealth, he looked at Bai Ziqian with a smile: "Uncle, I have no choice. The lives of disaster victims are lives too. How can I, as the local official, ignore them?"
Qian'er, that's over a hundred lives. They came to Shanshui Village begging for food because they were starving, and then they disappeared without a trace. Don't you think your uncle should come and check it out himself? Also, Qian'er, if you are being coerced by the villagers, come out quickly, and your uncle will protect you!
Your uncle advises you, you mustn't be unable to distinguish right from wrong and help the wicked.
Bai Ziqian has truly had his eyes opened today.
They can turn black into white. It was clearly those bandits who attacked the village, but in my uncle's mouth, they were disaster victims!
The uncle who robbed and murdered her was not mentioned at all; all that was said was that he was desperately hungry and begging for food!
If it weren't for stalling for time, he really would have argued and cursed at me.
Suppressing his anger, he pretended not to understand and asked, "Weren't those people all driven away? Besides, my uncle didn't care about the disaster victims before, so isn't it better that they're gone? Why do we need to look for them again?"
Upon hearing Bai Ziqian say that he didn't care about the disaster victims, Magistrate Wu's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
The refugees beside him stared blankly at Magistrate Wu.
Yes, it was because Magistrate Wu ignored them that they went from being disaster victims to becoming refugees!
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