The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

Upon hearing his elder brother's words, Shen Cao knew that his brother had experienced even more malice in the past.

She felt sorry for her older brother.

Shen Chen wiped away Shen Cao's tears with his hand and looked at his own yard.

Do you know why I agreed to let you buy a house in the county town?

Shen Cao looked at her older brother quietly. She had always been puzzled as to why her brother did not object when he heard that she was going to live in the county town. On the contrary, he was very supportive.

"Actually, I had this idea a long time ago, but my family really didn't have any money back then."

“You were only four or five years old when we first moved here, so you probably don’t remember.”

"But I remember it very clearly. Back then, apart from the village chief, everyone else in the village bullied our family because we were outsiders."

“My mother was ostracized every time she went to do laundry.”

“The village chief originally reserved a few acres of fertile land for our family, but when we bought it, it became inferior land.”

“I used to read in books that farmers in the countryside are the kindest and most honest people.”

"However, such kind and simple farmers are not from Stone Village."

"The reason I study so hard is so that one day I can earn money and take my family away from here."

"Alright, that's enough for now. If you say any more, I'm going to hit you."

"Haha, big brother, you actually hit people." Shen Cao looked surprised.

"Of course, your older brother is really good at fighting."

Shen Cao didn't believe it.

Her eldest brother was the most refined and gentle; he would never hit or even curse anyone, let alone hit them.

"Little sister, your big brother knows that you have your own ambitions."

"Just go for it. One day, your older brother will be your most reliable support."

"I believe in you, brother. I believe you will become a very, very powerful person someday."

"Haha, then big brother must work even harder, and become the amazing person that little sister thinks he is."

"Yes, let's work together."

"Let's go, it's getting late, we should go to sleep."

"Ok!"

That night, Shen Cao and Shen Chen planted a seed in each other's hearts. Many years later, that seed grew into a towering tree, becoming their mutual support.

The next day, the Shen family began packing their belongings, planning to move to the county town the day after tomorrow.

Mr. and Mrs. Shen hadn't figured out how to tell the village chief. They had received a lot of help from the village chief when they came to the village, and now that they were leaving, they had to say goodbye to the village chief properly.

After breakfast, Shen's father went to the village chief's house to invite him to lunch, wanting to tell him about their upcoming move.

Shen Cao personally cooked many delicious dishes.

Spicy clams, braised pork, stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots, stir-fried wild vegetables, bangbang pork, cold braised pork, stir-fried eggs with garlic sprouts, stewed pork ribs, etc.

The food was just prepared, but the village chief hadn't arrived yet.

She walked out of the kitchen and suddenly found herself surrounded by a group of people in her house.

The one leading the group was Aunt Li, who was pulling an old man who looked to be about fifty or sixty years old towards her home.

The old man was dressed in brocade and looked quite wealthy, but his hair was almost bald and was tied up with a small hairpin.

Several servants surrounded the old man, each holding a stick, and were about to storm into his house.

"Who are you? What right do you have to trespass on other people's property?" Shen Cao immediately spoke up to stop them.

When Aunt Li saw Shen Cao come out, she walked up to the old man with some fear. "Sir, this is the girl I told you about."

"It's her older brother. I don't know what bad thing he did, but he was expelled from school."

“I suspect her older brother must have killed someone, otherwise why would he have been hiding at home for several days after returning home, afraid to go out?”

Shen Cao was so angry at Aunt Li's words that she laughed out loud, "Hmph! I've seen stupid people, but I've never seen anyone this stupid."

"If my older brother really killed someone, would he be able to come back from school?"

"Who knows? Maybe you bribed the people at the school."

“You need to have evidence to back up your claims. You say my older brother killed someone, but do you have any evidence?”

Upon hearing that Shen Cao wanted evidence, Aunt Li immediately walked up to the man and said, "The county magistrate is here. If you have anything to say, say it to him."

"Besides, a lot of people saw you hit me last time."

Li Sheng didn't really want to make this trip, but his concubine at home was begging him, and it was almost time for him to report on his work. He hadn't achieved anything this year, so when he heard that there might be a murderer in the countryside, he immediately brought a few people to this Stone Village.

If his subordinates hadn't told him, he wouldn't have known there was such a place in his jurisdiction.

The magistrate cleared his throat. "Whether there is evidence or not is another matter. Take the person back to the county office, and I will find out whether it is true or not after a trial."

Shen Cao looked at the fat, burly county magistrate in front of her; he was clearly no good official. If her elder brother went to the county government, he would definitely be tortured into confessing.

We absolutely cannot let anyone take my elder brother away today.

"You can't take my older brother away!" Shen Cao said firmly, as if she would fight to the death if anyone took another step forward.

With the county magistrate backing her up, Aunt Li wasn't afraid of Shen Cao at all. "Why can't I? If the county magistrate wants to take someone away, does he need to ask you?"

Are you sure you can handle the consequences?

Li Sheng was indeed frightened by the little boy in front of him. Even the emperor had several poor relatives. He had heard that the Shen family had moved here later, and it was possible that they had a powerful background.

Aunt Li didn't take it seriously. Their family was so poor they couldn't even afford to eat, so what kind of support could they possibly have?

"What consequences could there be? He'd just be a poor, pedantic scholar expelled from school!"

“My brother is a scholar, and the county magistrate should not have the right to arrest people arbitrarily without any evidence.”

When Li Sheng heard that the person he was to arrest was actually a scholar, he panicked. He knew that as a lowly ninth-rank official, he didn't have that kind of power. Arresting ordinary people was one thing, but if he arrested a scholar, his official career would be over.

He walked up to Aunt Li and slapped her, saying, "You wretch, are you trying to harm me?!"

Aunt Li didn't believe Shen Cao's words and immediately grabbed the county magistrate who was about to leave. "County magistrate, don't listen to her nonsense. Don't talk about her being a scholar. Her older brother was expelled from school a long time ago. What kind of scholar is he?"

"you sure?"

"The woman has been identified."

The village chief and his family had just arrived at the Shen family's door when they saw this scene: the villagers had gathered at the Shen family's door, and Aunt Li seemed to be leading people to take Shen's eldest son away.

He stepped forward and bowed to the county magistrate. "Your Excellency, I am the village head of Stone Village. Is there some misunderstanding here?"

When Aunt Li saw the village chief arrive, she knew he favored the Shen family, so she immediately said, "Your Excellency, whether our village has any scholars or not, the village chief probably knows best. You can find out with just a question."

Li Sheng immediately asked the village chief, "How many scholars are there in your Stone Village now?"

The village chief had just arrived and didn't know the whole story. When the county magistrate asked him, he told him the truth: "Our Stone Village hasn't produced a scholar for many years."

No sooner had the village chief finished speaking than Li Sheng turned around and scolded Shen Cao, "How dare you! Do you know the consequences of deceiving this official? I almost fell for your tricks, you little girl!"