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

Liangjia Village was one of the villages that had previously reported being looted to the county government. Its location was exceptional, with a broad river winding through it like a giant dragon, perfectly traversing the village. This provided convenient access to water for daily life and irrigation for the vast expanse of fertile farmland. Thanks to this unique advantage, the villagers of Liangjia Village possessed a considerable amount of fertile farmland, making it one of the larger villages in Liu County.

Once a major taxpayer in Liu County, this place contributed significantly to its development. However, in recent years, this once prosperous village has been plagued by frequent raids by bandits. Now, even maintaining a basic livelihood, let alone paying taxes, has become a challenge. At times, they are forced to rely on the generosity of kind merchants in the county to barely make ends meet.

Tang Wenshu had escorted the village chief and other relevant personnel from Qianjia Village to Liangjia Village for a reason. Liangjia Village's advantageous location had caused Tang Wenshu to be careless, offering only a cursory inspection before leaving hastily. She hadn't been particularly concerned about Liangjia Village's harvest, so she hadn't paid much attention.

Along the way, the meticulous Tang Wenshu quietly guided Village Chief Qian. After all, facing this cunning and shrewd man, Tang Wenshu knew he might already have seen through the hidden schemes behind Liangjia Village. Yet, all of this was simply a matter of survival and self-preservation. But at this moment, gazing at the several villagers following closely behind him, Village Chief Qian gritted his teeth, his resolve firm: even if it meant ruthlessness, he would pull Liangjia Village out of this turmoil and fully expose its hidden secrets.

Upon entering Liangjia Village, the first thing you see is a group of hardworking villagers furiously turning the soil. Strangely, they seem so indifferent to the recent looting of their village, as if it were a trivial matter. This stands in stark contrast to the neighboring Huangjia Village, where residents have either been forced to flee or are forced to eke out a living by digging for wild vegetables and catching game in the mountains.

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that the Liangjia villagers' condition wasn't as good as it appeared. Their faces were as pale as paper, devoid of any color. Their lips were chapped from lack of water, leaving a startling array of deep and shallow cuts.

It was hard to believe they had any surplus food at home, but strangely, despite their difficult lives, their expressions were unusually dull and lifeless, as if they had lost their souls. Even when the yamen runners approached, they did not stop their farm work, and even turned a deaf ear to the runners' inquiries, completely ignoring them.

Seeing this, Tang Wenshu couldn't help but feel puzzled. He turned to the old village chief Qian beside him and asked, "Old Village Chief Qian, do you think these people are really all from Liangjia Village?" Old Village Chief Qian narrowed his eyes and studied them for a moment before slowly answering, "They should be. I only know the village chief of Liangjia Village and a few elders. I'm not very familiar with these ordinary villagers."

At this time, a villager from Qianjia Village interrupted the team and said, "To be honest, I have been to Liangjia Village to exchange mountain products, but I don't think I have seen these villagers at that time." After hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought. The strange scenes before them made everyone confused.

Fortunately, as the banditry still had many unsolved mysteries, Tang Wenshu, at Tang Qi's request, always brought 5,000 elite soldiers with him whenever he visited a village. This trip to Liangjia Village was no exception.

Upon entering the village, Tang Wenshu ordered the soldiers to gather all the villagers at the threshing ground. Household registrations indicated that Liangjia Village had 532 households, totaling over 3600 people. However, when the soldiers gathered the entire village, they were met by a sea of ​​people, shoulder to shoulder, a vast crowd far exceeding their expectations.

Faced with such a large crowd, Tang Wenshu didn't rush to ask questions, but instead ordered the soldiers to count the number of people. After a careful check, the final number was astonishing—the number of people gathered in Liangjia Village at this moment was as high as over 6,000! Clearly, this excess was not ordinary.

At that moment, the head of Liangjia Village hurried forward and explained with a broad smile, "Your Excellency, some of them are illegal residents. You know, in this rural area, every village has a few illegal residents. They're just trying to pay less taxes. This is all my fault. Tomorrow I will personally take them to the county government office to register and I won't do it again."

Looking at the assembled villagers of Liangjia Village, their condition was also starkly polarized. One group had sallow or pale complexions, their bodies emaciated and thin, evidence of chronic malnutrition. Without exception, these individuals stood at the forefront of the group. In stark contrast, another group was composed of burly, powerfully built men. In this era of scarcity and food shortages, each of them maintained themselves as robust as bodyguards.

No, definitely not, but what exactly was wrong? Tang Wenshu frowned, racking his brains but unable to figure it out. Just then, Ah Da, standing by, suggested, "Sir, in my opinion, we might as well search for the food first. After all, since these bandits have looted the food, they must have found a place to hide it. As long as we can find this batch of food, there's no need to worry about them denying it."

Tang Wenshu's thoughts struck her, and she felt Ah Da's words made perfect sense. With a decisive wave of her hand, she ordered, "Alright! Soldiers, listen up! Disperse immediately and search carefully for any possible food caches nearby!" Upon receiving the order, the soldiers sprang into action. Some entered houses, some climbed onto rooftops, and others searched the fields for clues. The remaining soldiers surrounded the gathered Liangjia Village villagers.

The head of Liangjia Village stood in the crowd, facing the ferocious soldiers without showing any fear. He watched the soldiers busily searching with a calm and relaxed demeanor, as if Liangjia Village had truly been plundered by bandits and their homes were completely destitute of food.

At this moment, Tang Wenshu, who had been standing there directing the work, seemed to be a little unsteady. She swayed slightly and leaned against a sacrificial pillar at the edge of the threshing floor to rest. Seeing this, the sharp-eyed Ah Da quickly brought a chair and respectfully placed it in front of Tang Wenshu, inviting her to sit down and rest.

Since traveling to this era, Tang Wenshu had never seen such a sacrificial object. Curious, she reached out and gently stroked the intricate carvings on the pillar. When her fingers touched the lifelike dragon head at the top of the pillar, she suddenly felt it seemed to rotate. Just to give it a try, Tang Wenshu gently twisted the dragon head.

Something unexpected happened—a slight noise was heard, and a crack slowly appeared on the smooth ground at the edge of the threshing floor, revealing the entrance to a pitch-black secret passage...