Sisters in the Deep Forest Valley: Many Fun Things

How many?

The already heavy box in Lin Chunyi's arms almost fell to the ground. She quickly held on tighter to avoid hitting her foot.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Zongyue laughed loudly, "Fei'er, you've really hit the nail on the head."

Those two, they really care about money. Last time they heard there was a reward, their eyes lit up, hahaha.

"That's great! I was worried that giving money would make me seem vulgar!"

Lin Chunyi: I just didn't hold on properly, I didn't mean I was in a hurry to put it away!

The two sisters' toes were practically digging into the ground.

The two sisters said to Sun Mengfei:

"Madam, this is far too much. We are truly unworthy of it. Please take it back."

“Miss Lin, the wife and son of a magistrate, are you really not worth more than five hundred taels of silver?” Sun Mengfei asked with a stern face.

...Of course it's worth it.

They heard it from the tree: someone offered a thousand taels of silver to abduct the magistrate's family, but unfortunately they didn't live to take it.

The two sisters had no choice but to thank the magistrate's wife.

Zhao Zongyue then said:

"The gift from the lady was a token of her gratitude; she took the money from her own private treasury to thank you."

I haven't thanked you yet. Is there anything else you want? As long as it's within my ability, I'll grant it to you.

You need not bring up what happened last time again. What you have done today far exceeds what I have given you.”

Does this mean that the county magistrate is going to give them a promise?

The two sisters really just wanted to repay a debt of gratitude; they never expected to receive so much in return.

Having received a box of money and a promise from a county magistrate, they felt a little lightheaded.

A magistrate's promise shouldn't be taken lightly...

However, few people like to owe others favors, whether it's a debt of gratitude or a favor.

Because the longer the debt of gratitude is owed, the harder it becomes to repay.

"Sir, may I have a few words to discuss with my sister first?"

"nature."

Lin Chunyi whispered something to her younger sister, who nodded seriously in agreement.

Then, carrying the heavy little box, she considered for a moment and said:

"The magistrate is a good official who stands up for the people and is sincerely believed in by all the people of Yuanfeng County. It is our good fortune to be able to help you."

She glanced at the magistrate's face, paused, and said seriously:

"I have a few words to say to you, sir. If I have offended you, may I promise you this in exchange for your forgiveness, that you may pretend you did not hear me today!"

Such a serious expression piqued Zhao Zongyue's curiosity. What could it be? "Is it feasible? Go ahead and say it!"

Lin Chunyi handed the small box to her younger sister, tightened her hands inside her sleeves, and then, making a firm decision, said:

My sister and I have always lived deep in the mountains.

For the past few months, the constant sun exposure and dwindling water supply alerted us, so we went down the mountain to investigate.

Sure enough, the situation down the mountain was much worse, with the villagers' harvest less than a third of their crops. Every household was crammed together, barely scraping by and struggling to make ends meet.

But then the authorities levied taxes again, claiming it was to help the people in the south who were suffering from disaster.

Does this humble woman know if something truly terrible has happened in the south?

"Could it endanger our place..."

Then he knelt down and kowtowed, somewhat nervously saying:

"What we are saying today is merely to ensure our survival; we have absolutely no intention of inquiring about matters of state."

If this involves matters of national importance, I beg you, sir, to promise me that you never heard these words!

After saying that, Lin Lanshan also knelt down while holding the small box.

These were the words Lin Chunyi had spoken after careful consideration, because they knew in their hearts that these two questions were slightly risky, but not much.

They were extremely worried, feeling that the drought and the attitude of those in power were not quite right.

Was it a major war with another country, or something happened in the south that resulted in heavy casualties? Or... was there some internal strife at the top?

In case this place or them were truly in danger, they didn't want to be caught unprepared.

Even when a person is about to die, they still want to struggle a little longer!

They felt that the danger that might arise unexpectedly was far more frightening than asking these questions and potentially angering the magistrate.

Zhao Zongyue sat in the main seat and remained silent for a while.

The two sisters knelt below, cold sweat pouring down their backs. Could it really be related to some state secret?

Zhao Zongyue stared at the two people below, not answering, but instead asking:

"Lin Chunyi, since you asked, it means you've noticed something unusual. What do you think it could be?"

Lin Chunyi was stunned. That's why she asked, because she didn't know!

"I don't know."

……

"Haha, you are indeed cautious, but overly cautious."

Hearing Zhao Zongyue laugh, the two sisters breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that nothing inappropriate had been mentioned.

"You all get up first. Madam has been staring at me the whole time, and her eyes are tired from staring."

Sun Mengfei huffed and puffed:

“They’re just teenage girls, why do you have to test them like you’re testing subordinates? Look at you, they’ve scared you pale.”

"..." Zhao Zongyue sighed.

Madam, there's no need for you to lie so blatantly to protect them. With your face so dark, how can you tell you've turned pale from fright?

Then I saw that the two sisters had already stood up and were standing respectfully below.

It seems they were quite frightened; we need to find something to talk to and let them calm down first.

"Tell me first what you put on your faces. It's so ugly that I still can't accept it."

If I hadn't recognized your voices, I would never have guessed it was you.

"..." Such dramatic ups and downs, is this magistrate really that good at scaring people?

Lin Lanshan said in a serious tone:

"Reporting to Your Excellency, it involves pounding various colored juices from mountain herbs, adding herb residue, and then applying it."

We did this because the situation down the mountain was quite serious, in order to scare away those with ill intentions and protect our own safety.

Zhao Zongyue could no longer maintain his authority; he leaned on the table and burst into laughter several times.

No, what are you laughing at? What's so funny? You're switching between a black face and a red face, are you performing a face-changing act with them?

"You're all so young, yet your minds are so complicated. What kind of crazy ideas are going on in your heads to come up with such a method?"

"Coming down from the mountain and into the city, didn't anyone think you had ill intentions? Hahaha..."

"..."

"Oh dear, my lady, there are people here. Could you please give your husband some face?"

Before Zhao Zongyue could finish laughing, Sun Mengfei grabbed his arm and spun him around halfway.

The way they were wincing in pain was completely different from how they looked when they first met!

Lin Chunyi and Lin Lanshan lowered their heads, pursed their lips, and tried hard to suppress their laughter.

"You're in your fifties, and you're still a public official? How can you be such a parent, making fun of your child?"

"Sigh, if it were Song'er..." He was afraid that he would never be able to look his son in the eye again.

"Alright, the drought and taxation are no secret to begin with."

"Just talk to them properly, stop scaring them!"