A farmer has a shrewish wife; he's busy making money every day.

"What's wrong? Why are you stunned?" Madam Chen patted Ye Qingxue's shoulder a few times.

Seeing her gaze drift towards the car, Chen smiled and said, "We were worried you were too tired, so we helped you change your things back."

Seeing that Chen's expression was calm and there was nothing unusual, Ye Qingxue then looked at Aunt Lu.

Aunt Lu didn't react much; it seemed like she had just helped her exchange the goods in a very ordinary way.

Ye Qingxue gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and asked directly.

"Then, how did you calculate this price?"

Chen and Aunt Lu exchanged a glance, and then they realized why Ye Qingxue was acting so strangely all of a sudden.

They both laughed at the same time.

Aunt Lu spoke first: "Are you afraid we'll find out that the prices in this county aren't as high as you told the villagers?"

Chen also smiled and looked at Ye Qingxue.

Ye Qingxue shook her head, then nodded: "I..."

It wasn't that she was afraid of them finding out, after all, the money she earned was rightfully hers, but she was just afraid of being seen as greedy and opportunistic in the minds of Chen and Aunt Lu.

After all, not everyone can accept what she did.

Seeing Ye Qingxue's unease, Chen stopped smiling and looked at her with concern: "Don't overthink it. You help everyone exchange goods every day, running around and busying yourself. Isn't it right for you to earn some money?"

"So you're not angry that I lied to everyone?"

Aunt Lu also stepped forward and put her arm around Ye Qingxue's shoulder: "Hey, we know the character of some people in this deserted village. If you tell the truth, you definitely won't make any money. We can't just do thankless work, right?"

Chen raised her hand and tapped Ye Qingxue's head: "I knew about this as soon as I arrived in Qingshui County. You don't need to worry that we will change our opinion of you because of this. We have seen what kind of person you are."

Ye Qingxue raised her hand to cover her head, paused for a moment, and then laughed.

That makes sense. Chen and Aunt Lu have been in Qingshui County for so many days, how could they not know the price was wrong?

Ye Qingxue was really anxious just now and lost her mind.

When Chen and Aunt Lu saw Ye Qingxue smile, they also grinned and chuckled.

"Alright, let's go back to the village, it's getting late." Aunt Lu climbed into the car.

Ye Qingxue quickly went to help, and then helped Chen Shi into the carriage. After that, she mounted the donkey herself, squeezed its belly, and the donkey trotted forward.

……

For the next two days, Ye Qingxue would head straight for Menghu Village on the mountaintop every day as soon as she arrived in Qingshui County.

Along the way, I bought some pancakes, steamed buns, and pastries. I found a tall and sturdy tree and stayed there all day, observing the movement of people in the Tiger Stronghold.

Ye Qingxue possesses the skills of a special agent; photographic memory is a fundamental ability for her.

Soon, he had memorized the patrol and shift changes within the Fierce Tiger Stronghold.

At the same time, Ye Qingxue also discovered that the head of the gang would go to the heavily guarded house every day to take a look.

This made Ye Qingxue even more curious about what was hidden in the house.

On the fourth day, with two days left until the birthday banquet, Ye Qingxue decided to take action.

She took two buckets of oil from the noodle stall and put them into her spatial storage, then went up the mountain.

He hid in the tree, planning to sneak into Tiger Stronghold after dark.

But unexpectedly, at noon, a commotion suddenly broke out in Tiger Stronghold.

"There's an intruder!"

"Quick! There he is!"

"Caught!"

"Go and call the chief!"

Ye Qingxue's drowsy eyes suddenly opened wide. She looked into the Tiger Stronghold and saw a group of burly men escorting a man toward the open space in front of the stronghold.

When Ye Qingxue finally saw who the man was, her pupils suddenly contracted!

That man, with his righteous face and glaring eyes, was none other than...

It's Zhao Yantang!

Ye Qingxue's heart suddenly raced! How did he end up in the territory of Fierce Tiger Stronghold? And he got captured?

The burly man holding Zhao Yantang was pressing down hard on Zhao Yantang's shoulders, intending to force him to his knees.

"Your Majesty!"

But Zhao Yantang refused to kneel, his neck veins bulging: "I will not kneel!"

Ye Qingxue was anxious, but at the same time she was also moved. Even at a time like this, she could still hold on to her principles.

Zhao Yantang is truly admirable.

At this moment, the head of the gang arrived, looking at Zhao Yantang with a mocking expression.

"Oh, who do we have here? Isn't this Lord Zhao, the magistrate? Why aren't you visiting your prisoners? What are you doing here at my little Tiger Stronghold?"

Zhao Yantang glared fiercely at the gang leader in front of him: "Hu Fu! Don't think you can keep your head over our heads forever! Sooner or later I'll find something on you, and you won't have an easy time!"

Ye Qingxue couldn't help but rub her forehead.

At a point like this, what's the point of making threats?

No wonder he was only a minor official in a small county town at his age.

With that kind of personality, I don't know how many people he's bound to offend.

Sure enough, the leader's face darkened, and he waved to his men.

He whispered four words: "Make him kneel down."

The person behind Zhao Yantang kicked him directly in the back of the knee.

Kaka!

Two crisp cracking sounds rang out, followed by the sound of a body heavily kneeling on the ground.

Zhao Yantang's face turned deathly pale instantly, his body trembled uncontrollably, and his face was contorted with pain.

The excruciating pain in his legs forced him to his knees, but his eyes shone with a stubborn light as he bit his lip, refusing to utter a sound.

The gang leader, Hu Fu, sneered: "You can kneel here all you want, let's see how long you can hold out!"

After giving a few instructions to the people around him, Hu Fu walked away with his hands behind his back.

Ye Qingxue frowned deeply, feeling a pang of sadness as she looked at Zhao Yantang's pained expression.

After eating the half-eaten pancake in her hand, Ye Qingxue climbed down the tree and looked around. She managed to find some branches that could be used for securing the tree, as well as some willow twigs.

He climbed the tree again, anxiously waiting for night to fall.

As the sun began to set, Ye Qingxue saw Zhao Yantang kneeling in front of the open space, gradually losing his strength. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Ye Qingxue was anxious, but there was nothing she could do but wait.

If she recklessly goes in, she won't be able to save anyone, and she'll get herself killed in the process.

Finally, the moon came out, and Ye Qingxue took advantage of their shift change to jump into the village from a corner.

Hiding and darting through the darkness, they evaded countless patrols and finally made their way safely to the second floor of the Tiger Stronghold's headquarters.

Ye Qingxue took out the oil from her spatial storage, crouched down, and began pouring it out.

She poured it quickly because the oil smelled strong, and if she was slow, it would be easily noticed.

Soon one bucket of oil was emptied, and then another bucket was taken out and poured out.

After pouring out all the oil, Ye Qingxue took a torch from the porch and held it directly to the oil-soaked flammable material.

Flames instantly leaped up. The houses in Tiger Stronghold were all made of wood, and the flames quickly grew larger, greedily licking everything around them.

Seeing the flames ignite, Ye Qingxue quickly turned around and disappeared back into the darkness.

Soon, the patrolmen discovered the fire.

"Go away!"

"Quick! The main camp is on fire! Put out the fire!"

Everyone rushed to the base camp, and the people in the open area quickly ran away.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ye Qingxue quickly moved over, picked up the unconscious Zhao Yantang, and flew away.

First, he rolled out of the Fierce Tiger Stronghold, then hid Zhao Yantang in the grass, hastily stuffed the corydalis rope into Zhao Yantang's mouth, then used tree branches to fix his legs, and then rolled back into the Fierce Tiger Stronghold.

After smearing some ash on her face, Ye Qingxue ran towards the heavily guarded house.

The people there heard the commotion but were unsure whether to help, so they looked at each other blankly.

Ye Qingxue ran to a spot where the firelight couldn't reach her, lowered her voice, and shouted at them.

"Fire! What are you all standing around for? Go put out the fire!"