After transmigrating, he supported his family by working at a garbage dump.

Seeing the solemn expressions on the three men's faces, Constable Hu felt a vague unease and unconsciously thought of his elderly father at home.

He steadied himself, pretended to be calm, and strode forward, his gaze shifting back and forth between Hu Sanniang, Li Quanfu, and Xu Wenjie.

"Third Sister, Quanfu and Mr. Xu, why have you suddenly come to the yamen? Has something happened at home?"

Hu the Constable’s voice was deep and steady, but even he couldn’t hide a hint of urgency in his eyes at this moment.

Hu Sanniang shook her head and then nodded.

Looking at his elder brother, his lips trembled slightly, the words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't know where to begin.

Her eyes, which were always smiling, were now filled with complex emotions, a mixture of worry and reproach.

Seeing Hu Sanniang's state, Li Quanfu looked around and realized something was wrong, so he quickly stepped forward and grabbed Hu Sanniang.

He suggested, "Brother, let's find a quiet place to talk; it's not convenient here."

They were now standing at the entrance of the yamen, with two unfamiliar yamen runners standing guard beside them. Although they avoided looking in their direction as if to avoid suspicion, their heads were tilted and their ears were perked up, clearly paying attention to what was happening in their direction.

Especially that tall, burly constable, his eyes darted around, he seemed very restless.

Hu Da glanced at the constables at the door and saw that they were pretending to be dutiful, but their eyes kept glancing in his direction. He understood everything and nodded.

"Then let's go outside and talk."

After saying that, he waved his hand, signaling the three of them to follow.

Then he led them around to a secluded corner in the back alley of the government office.

"Alright, there's no one here. Third Sister, tell me quickly, what happened?"

After Hu Bu-kuai stopped, his eyes were fixed on Hu San-niang.

Seeing that there was no one else around, Hu Sanniang took a deep breath and finally spoke the words she had been holding back all night, "Brother, is there something you're hiding from us?"

Upon hearing this, even though Hu, the constable, was prepared, paused for a moment before breaking into a rare smile.

He immediately denied Hu San Niang's question.

"Third sister, what are you saying? From childhood to adulthood, when have I ever kept anything from you?"

Hu San Niang bit her lip.

She was the youngest sister in her family, and both of her older brothers doted on her. Because of this, she understood her eldest brother very well.

She would have been relieved if her older brother had said those words with a blank expression, but now she saw a rare smile on his face.

She was even more certain.

There was a flash of disappointment in his eyes.

"Big brother, stop hiding it from me. You only smile so awfully when you're lying. You were like that when you were a kid, you were like that when you grew up, and even now that you're married, you still haven't changed..."

Hu raised an eyebrow, remaining silent.

Hu Sanniang choked back tears, her eyes reddening:

"Brother, tell me honestly, you said you wouldn't be home for two or three years. Is it because you got promoted and are being transferred to the county, or are you going to Huaiqing Prefecture? Are you going to fight a war?"

The words following the character "仗" were left unsaid.

Officer Hu's smile froze on his face, and a hint of fear even appeared in his eyes.

"Third sister!"

He hurriedly covered Hu Sanniang's mouth with his hand, and said in a stern voice with a stern face, "Don't talk nonsense!"

After saying that, he nervously looked around, and seeing that there was no one else around, he released his hand from Hu Sanniang's mouth.

Xu Wenjie and Li Quanfu witnessed this unusual behavior throughout. They exchanged a glance and realized that something was amiss.

The two of them didn't say a word the whole time, and were dumbfounded by Hu Da's exaggerated behavior.

"Brother, what are you doing? Third Sister is just worried about you."

Li Quanfu quickly pulled Hu Sanniang into his arms, and asked Hu Da with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

Hu Da never expected that the thing he had deliberately kept hidden, which he hadn't mentioned at all when he went home, would be so easily found out by his sister.

He sighed somewhat helplessly and readily admitted it.

"How did you know?"

Hu's voice was somewhat hoarse, and he couldn't explain why, nor could he go into details, but he didn't want to reveal too much.

Upon hearing this, Hu San Niang's slightly reddened eyes couldn't hold back her tears, and her voice choked with emotion.

"Big brother, why did you keep this from us? How could you make such a big decision all by yourself? How worried will Dad be if he finds out?"

Hu Da looked conflicted and remained silent.

After all, she was still his younger sister whom he had doted on since childhood. Seeing her so worried and anxious because of him, he felt guilty.

But he couldn't say much.

Xu Wenjie secretly observed, only to see Hu Da turn his head away and sigh slightly.

He spoke earnestly to Hu Sanniang, "Third Sister, I didn't mean to hide it from you, it's just..."

He paused, then said, "It's just that this matter is too complicated, and I don't want you to worry."

"complex?"

Hu San Niang's voice couldn't help but rise a few decibels.

"Go if you want to, don't go if you don't want to. Is anyone forcing you to go?"

A glint flashed in Xu Wenjie's eyes as he thought to himself, "I can indeed force them to go."

After all, Hu Da was in that position and was working under the patronage of the registrar, so he was somewhat caught in a dilemma...

Hu San Niang didn't think that much, but she thought of other things.

From his sister-in-law to the constables in front of the yamen, everyone was saying that his elder brother was investigating a case and was going to discuss it with the registrar in person. Could it be related to this matter?

The conversation shifted abruptly, "Brother, what case are you investigating? Is it related to your joining the army? Have you encountered any danger?"

Upon hearing this, Officer Hu shook his head without hesitation, trying to soothe his sister's emotions: "Third sister, don't overthink it. I just... just have some things I have to do. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Will everything be alright?"

Seeing that Hu Dasan remained silent, Hu Sanniang couldn't help but shout out, her voice filled with anger.

"Brother, stop lying to me! I just saw those new yamen runners at the yamen gate. They're not from our town at all. Are you going to go with them?"

Hu Da's face darkened. He hadn't expected that Hu San Niang would notice these details. She didn't come to the yamen often, so she shouldn't have known.

He glanced at Li Quanfu; if it was his brother-in-law who told the story, it would make sense.

But thinking about it, it makes sense, since the two people at the door aren't exactly low-key either.

He remained silent for a moment, but still did not admit it.

"They are the county magistrate's men assigned to the registrar. The registrar is currently investigating a case in town and asked me to help him with something. It has nothing to do with them."

"What case?" Hu San Niang pressed for an answer.

Officer Hu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "Third Sister, it's better if you don't know about this."

Hu San Niang was unwilling to give up and wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Xu Wenjie who was standing to the side.

"Since Constable Hu is unwilling to say more, he must have his reasons."

Xu Wenjie stepped forward, creating distance between Constable Hu and Hu Sanniang, and then gave Li Quanfu a wink, signaling him to appease Hu Sanniang.

Then, looking firmly at Constable Hu, he said, "Actually, there's another matter I'd like to ask you for help with, Constable Hu."

He noticed Hu's predicament and wanted to smooth things over.

Hu, the constable, sensed Xu Wenjie's intention and naturally took over the conversation, smiling as he said, "Mr. Xu, please speak."

Xu Wenjie took a deep breath and said slowly, "Officer Hu, do you still remember Zhang Xiaolin?"

Upon hearing the name, Hu Da pondered for a moment and then nodded affirmatively.

"I remember, isn't he the one who caused trouble at your stall last time? What? Hasn't he learned his lesson? He's coming to cause you trouble again?"

Seeing Hu Da speaking with a puzzled expression, the three of them were momentarily stunned.

"Brother, Zhang Xiaolin was caught stealing in the village and has been locked up in the yamen for a long time. Didn't you know?"

Li Quanfu added.

Hu Da frowned and asked in surprise, "What did you say?"

The group was taken aback; Hu Da's behavior clearly indicated that he was unaware of the situation.