After traveling through time, I was raised by a little brat

After a night of rest, the morning sun streamed through the window, and Tang Wenshu slowly awoke. She packed her belongings and prepared to return to the county government office. When she stepped out, the sky was already bright, a warm, soft light illuminating everything around her.

At that moment, Tang Wenshu caught a glimpse of the detained bandits. This glimpse was truly astonishing. She discovered they were vastly different from her eldest brother's description. According to her eldest brother, most of the bandits he encountered during his bandit suppression efforts in Yingtian Prefecture were strong, young men. However, these Liuxian bandits were predominantly older, each appearing to be in their forties or fifties. There were even quite a few young children among them, and without exception, they were all girls.

Tang Wenshu blinked her big watery eyes, turned her head with suspicion, and her gaze fell directly on Tang Qi, who was standing beside her with a serious face. She opened her red lips and asked in a soft voice, "Brother, these people don't seem to be the same as the vicious bandits you described to me before?" Her fair and tender little hand gently tugged at Tang Qi's sleeve, and her expression revealed a hint of confusion and bewilderment.

After all, this was Tang Wenshu's first time personally participating in such a thrilling bandit suppression operation. Before this, she had only heard from Tang Qi about the bandits' rampages of burning, killing, looting, and other atrocities, but she had never witnessed their hideous, ferocious appearance. So, when she saw the ragged, haggard men before her, she couldn't help but wonder, finding it difficult to connect them with the legendary image of bandits.

Tang Qi's brows furrowed slightly, a pensive glint gleaming in his deep eyes. He remained silent, gazing silently at the group of people surrounded by soldiers, as if trying to penetrate their disheveled exteriors to the secrets hidden deep within. After a moment's deliberation, he finally spoke slowly, solemnly ordering a nearby soldier, "Go, bring me the bandit leader. I want to personally interrogate him and find out what they're up to."

The soldier immediately followed the order and left. Not long after, he arrived before Tang Qi and Tang Wenshu, escorting a man in his fifties with gray hair and a wrinkled face. The man was hunched over, his gait unsteady, and he looked like a candle in the wind, about to fall. Yet, despite his imprisonment, his eyes still shone with an unyielding stubbornness.

Upon seeing Tang Qi and the others, the old man slumped to his knees without a word, his knees clattering heavily against the hard ground. Then, he shouted in a trembling voice, "Sir! Please have mercy! We really didn't mean to offend the authorities! Look, the second rice harvest is about to arrive this year. Who would risk their lives to do such a thing if they weren't forced to? We simply want to reclaim our life-saving grain, which originally belonged to us. We absolutely wouldn't dare to harbor any unreasonable desires! We are honest, respectable farmers, not heinous bandits! We hope you will see clearly and make a decision for us!"

Upon hearing this, a nearby yamen runner couldn't help but laugh out loud, mocking, "Humph, this is ridiculous! If you were good citizens, would we be considered bandits?" He then shouted sternly, "The county magistrate is asking you questions, why don't you answer them properly!"

The old man frowned and said slowly with a sad face: "Every word I said is true! We are indeed villagers from the nearby village. Now we are old and useless, so we were ruthlessly driven out." As he spoke, he sighed heavily, his eyes revealing endless sadness and helplessness.

Hearing this, Tang Wenshu was shocked. His eyes widened and he exclaimed, "What? How could such a thing happen in Liu County? It's unbelievable! So, were those poor girls also cruelly abandoned by the villagers?"

The old man nodded heavily and replied, "That's right. Once a baby girl is born, many families either cruelly strangle her to death or drown her directly in the water. Fortunately, there is a deep mountain here. These cruel parents just throw the baby girls into the mountain and leave them to fend for themselves. However, thanks to Dahuang's cleverness, he has saved many innocent children in the past few years." At this point, a trace of relief finally appeared on the old man's face.

He then continued to complain, "Alas, we are now so old that we can barely make ends meet, let alone feed these children. Therefore, we can only sneak back to the village during the harvest season every year to get some food and daily necessities."

At this time, A'er, who had been standing silently beside Tang Qi, suddenly interrupted and said, "Huh, what do you mean by taking? It's actually stealing." After following Tang Qi for some time, A'er has learned some speaking skills. At this moment, he is trying to use this method to induce the old man to reveal more unknown inside stories.

"No, no, no," the old man waved his hands in panic and explained anxiously, "We will never go to other people's homes to take things! We will only go back to our own home to get some daily necessities. I have four sons, and we can get what we need by taking a little from each family." As he spoke, the old man's weathered face showed a pitiful and sympathetic look.

At this time, a man in the crowd stepped forward and said indignantly: "Sir, we really just went to our son's house to get some things. Supporting the elderly is their obligation! But these unfilial sons didn't care about our lives and drove us out of the house. Now we take a little bit of their things, is it too much?" As soon as he finished speaking, the bandits gathered around and began to talk about their own tragic experiences.

One of the bandits sighed and said, "Oh! The houses my two sons live in were built with the money I earned from hard work back then! I finally made it to old age, and I thought I could enjoy the happiness of family, but who would have thought that it would end up like this..." Another bandit echoed, "That's right! My family originally had some savings, which were all saved by my wife and I through frugality for our retirement. In the end, they were all snatched away by those heartless guys! They also drove us out and didn't even leave us a set of warm clothes..." The more they spoke, the more sad and angry they became, with tears and anger flashing in their eyes.

"This..." Tang Wenshu looked helplessly at her eldest brother, Tang Qi, eyes filled with pleading and expectation. She wished he could speak up and calm the agitated villagers. However, to her disappointment, Tang Qi simply turned his head away, his gaze elsewhere, seemingly completely uninvolved. He simply handed this difficult situation over to Tang Wenshu.

Tang Qi had his own concerns. His sister, Tang Wenshu, had always grown up under his protection. With him by his side, nothing was a problem. However, life is a long and winding road, and who can guarantee constant companionship? What if, one day, his sister was in danger, out of his sight? What would he do? Just thinking about this made Tang Qi's heart tighten, filled with worry and fear.

Despite her uneasiness, Tang Wenshu knew she had no way out. She took a deep breath, gathered herself, and then, summoning her courage, said to the villagers, "Don't panic, everyone. Please come with me back to the county government office. We'll document the events in detail. I believe the county magistrate cares deeply about the people and will find a solution for us." Hearing Tang Wenshu's words, the restless villagers gradually quieted down, and several elderly people nodded in gratitude, saying, "Thank you, County Magistrate! You truly stand up for us!"