The villagers had no choice but to go back.
On the way back, everyone was seething with anger, muttering and cursing, "I really don't know how those officials do their jobs! We clearly agreed on one tael of silver per bandit, but even after we delivered the people, they still deducted our money. It's infuriating!"
From twenty-four taels of silver to twelve taels of silver, the amount was reduced by half. How could they not care?
I'm so angry I could die!
"Sigh..." Du Fan sighed softly, dragging his lame leg. After thinking for a moment, he moved closer to Lin Weiming and asked, "Brother Lin, what did that magistrate say to you when he called you in?"
The villagers all perked up their ears.
They were also eager to know what the magistrate had said to Lin Weiming when he called him in.
Previously, the county magistrate had been quite polite to them, even instructing the constables to take them to a teahouse for tea.
Why did Lin Weiming's attitude towards them change after he came out?
"..."
Lin Weiming's expression darkened slightly as he explained that the county magistrate wanted him to stay in the county town to work.
"No, Brother Lin! You've stumbled upon such a great opportunity, how could you refuse?" A bystander slapped his thigh, acting as if he himself had lost a huge sum of money.
"That's right!" Most of the villagers shared this sentiment. "That's an invitation from the county magistrate! So many people want to stay in the county town to work, but they can't even find a way. Now the county magistrate himself is inviting you to work, and you actually refused?"
No wonder the constables' attitudes changed; it's probably because Lin Weiming's refusal offended this official.
Lin Weiming said, "There's nothing we can do. The salary the adults give us is too little; we can't afford to raise children."
They have five children!
With three adults and a family of eight, they only had two hundred copper coins, not even enough to buy rice. Moreover, if they moved to the county town, they would have to rent a house even if they didn't buy one. Were they just supposed to lose money on their own?
This is an extremely simple economic calculation.
"hiss--"
The villagers thought about it and realized it was indeed true.
However, someone still said, "Brother Lin, you've misunderstood! Even if you didn't have a single copper coin in salary, let alone two hundred copper coins a month, there would probably be plenty of people vying to work for the magistrate! With the magistrate's name on your side, making money is just a matter of thinking. Brother Lin, you're still too honest."
The others nodded in agreement, all feeling that Lin Weiming had suffered a huge loss this time.
However, Lin Weiming himself did not think so.
The issue of salary is only discussed openly, but the fact that this county magistrate can offer such a low salary suggests that he is not, as others suspect, allowing his associates to make money!
Otherwise, it would only mean that this magistrate is ignorant of the five grains, completely unaware of current prices, and shows no compassion or pity for his subordinates.
Regardless of the reason, it's clear that this magistrate is not a wise ruler. Following such a person is like being a knife, offering no benefit whatsoever.
Therefore, Lin Weiming refused the magistrate's offer without hesitation.
As he expected, things turned out just as he thought. This person was really petty and narrow-minded. Just because of his refusal, he didn't even dare to admit the announcement he had issued!
Lin Weiming couldn't help but feel fortunate that he hadn't followed such a good-for-nothing!
Otherwise, you'll end up digging your own grave sooner or later.
It would be better to take your daughter up the mountain to hunt, occasionally gather some herbs, and keep the family safe.
"Hey!" Du Fan stepped forward to smooth things over, saying, "Don't think too much about it, everyone. Maybe the magistrate just doesn't want to spend that much money, so he did it on purpose. We've already gotten twelve taels of silver for free this time, which is already great."
"That's right. We can only get so much money thanks to our ancestors' blessings and the Lin family's little girl." Although the others were heartbroken about the twelve taels of silver that had been reneges on, they had no way to deal with the magistrate, so they had to adjust their mindset and accept the fact that their silver had been reduced by half.
Many people patted Lin Weiming on the shoulder, saying, "It's not just him, we also have to rely on Brother Lin! If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have been able to capture so many bandits so easily."
"That's right, it's all thanks to Brother Lin!" the men said with smiles.
Lin Weiming: "..."
Actually, he didn't do anything.
...
Back in the village, everyone told the village head about the twelve taels of silver they had been rewarded with and what had happened.
The village head was both pleased and helpless upon hearing this, and said to everyone, "Although this silver is only twelve taels, it is a reward from the county government. We cannot completely disappoint the county magistrate's kindness. Let's not bring it up again."
Everyone knew that the old man was worried that they would gossip and offend the county magistrate, and they couldn't bear that responsibility.
"Don't worry, sir," the crowd chuckled. "We're busy working in the fields, we don't have time to talk to the magistrate. Besides, the magistrate is so busy, he probably doesn't have time to come to the fields to watch us work."
"I told you not to talk anymore, but you still insist on being so talkative!" The old man, the village head, shook his head helplessly and looked at everyone: "Since this silver is a reward from the county, it's not something an old man like me can keep for myself. So I thought I'd distribute all of it. What do you think?"
Of course, everyone is happy to see the money divided up.
They were all eager to get started, beaming with joy: "Of course, it's up to you, sir!"
"Is it really true?" The old man looked at the person who spoke.
"Uh..." The man scratched his head awkwardly, smiling sheepishly, and said, "As long as the old man doesn't pocket all the money, that's fine!"
Everyone looked at the old man with expectant eyes.
The village headman also laughed: "Although our village contributed a lot and offered assistance this time, I saw it all. But to be honest, these bandits were mostly caught thanks to the Lin family's efforts. What we did was at most just to protect ourselves."
"I thought, there are twelve taels of silver in total, so how about we give two taels to the Lin family and the remaining ten taels to every household in the village?"
The villagers, of course, had no objections.
"Alright, let's do as the old man says!" Everyone stared intently at the small bag of silver.
Ning'an Village has about thirty households. If the money is divided like this, each household can get three hundred coins for free!
That's enough to buy meat for the Chinese New Year.
Although it's a bit difficult to find a new outfit for everyone, at least the children can wear a new outfit.
Everyone was overjoyed to receive the silver, including Lin Weiming.
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