Even in a famine, there's no panic; the eldest sister has stockpiled plenty of money and grain.

Despite the sweltering heat, they broke out in a cold sweat.

Someone swallowed hard and asked with difficulty, "Is the magistrate... is he still alive?"

Everyone else was stunned by the sight.

The clerk's legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground with a thud, yelling, "I told you it wouldn't be allowed, it wouldn't be allowed! Now look what I'm getting my comeuppance!"

Someone stepped forward, checked the magistrate's breath, felt the warmth of his fingertips, and exclaimed with delight, "Your Excellency is still alive!"

"Quickly, call a doctor."

The county government office was in chaos, but Jiang Bai, who had already returned to Jiangjia Village, found a clump of dried wild onions on Pingshan Mountain. With a try-it-out mentality, he picked them and took them home, scooped up some water, and soaked the roots of the wild onions in the water.

The atmosphere in the village was tense. Around mid-morning, the village's eldest son, who was working in the county town, ran back and told everyone that the county magistrate had been beaten to a pulp last night.

It is said that his arms and legs were broken, and he will be bedridden for the rest of his life, unable to get up.

The villagers were overjoyed and spread the news throughout the village.

Ji Yanwen, who rarely gets any fresh air today, heard this news. He was stunned for a moment and immediately turned around and went back home.

"Er Ya, where's your older sister?"

Jiang Lu was practicing calligraphy at home with tree branches on the sand she had dug up. When she heard Ji Yanwen ask her, she quickly replied, "Sister has gone up the mountain."

Going up the mountain again?

Ji Yanwen frowned, wondering what she was busy with all day, running up the mountain every day.

What can Jiang Bai possibly be busy with?

She wandered through the mountains and forests. Due to the drought a few days ago, many wild grasses and trees in the forest had withered, and some seeds that had matured early were hidden among the dry leaves.

Jiang Bai groped around and picked up some seeds, but couldn't identify them all, so he just picked up all the seeds and took them back.

Carrying a bundle of firewood, Jiang Bai went down the mountain and saw several people gathered in front of his house from afar.

"Second Aunt, is there something you need at my door?"

They have already helped cultivate two mu of the five mu of wasteland, which can be considered a great help to Jiang Bai.

Is it only been a few days, and their true colors are about to be revealed?

"Da Ya, you're finally back! Look, we've helped you cultivate two acres of land. We're so thirsty and hungry, could you spare us some food and water?"

Zhang's lips were chapped and her face was flushed. She hadn't been properly shaded from the sun while working, and her skin was sunburned.

The Lin family wasn't much better off.

"Well, you guys wait here."

Considering that they had cleared two acres of wasteland, and Jiang Bai wasn't the kind of person to be heartless, he gave them some food and water.

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you."

Zhang lowered her voice, not daring to offend Jiang Bai, and wondered if it would be alright to suggest that Scholar Ji teach Xiao Wu to read.

Jiang Bai glanced at them but didn't let them in. He went home to get some rice bran cakes, and then took a few bamboo tubes that were as thick as a child's wrist and as tall as a thumb. He filled each tube with some water, put them on a plate, and brought them out.

"Second Aunt, please eat!"

The moment the door opened, Zhang saw with her sharp eyes that Ji Xiucai was talking to Jiang Lu and Jiang Songwen while holding a book. Hope rose in her heart, and she didn't mind that the cake Jiang Bai gave her was only half the size of her palm. She quickly picked it up and ate it.

The bamboo tube contained only a mouthful of water, and fearing that Jiang Anlin and the others would snatch it away, she quickly grabbed her own and Jiang Anshan's.

"This little bit of food isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap, and there's only a sip of water."

"Da Ya, we've been working for you, and this is how you treat us? You won't even give us a full meal?"

Jiang Anlin ate the rice bran cake in a few bites, drank the water, and even snatched half of Lin's cake and ate it. He also drank most of Lin's water before throwing away the bamboo tube and starting to lecture Jiang Bai.

Jiang Anshan and his wife's expressions changed.

"Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? The rice bran cakes that Daya gave us are much better than what we eat at home. There's much less rice bran in them, and they even have water. These days, no family has any extra water. Daya gave us several bamboo tubes of them at once. How can you be so ungrateful?"

"What's wrong with you guys? You've actually gotten hooked on doing her work?"

"Jiang Daya, let me tell you, you'd better return my indenture, or I'll go to the clan chief and ask him to stand up for me." Jiang Anlin scolded Jiang Anshan, then glared fiercely at Jiang Bai.

After working for several days in a row, he was so tired that he could barely straighten his back.

Since his family wouldn't give him any food, Jiang Bai only gave him a tiny rice bran cake. He was hungry and thirsty, so he didn't care about the indenture.

That wasn't all. Remembering what Jiang Minchang had told him, he stretched out his right hand in front of Jiang Bai: "Other people's servants get paid a monthly wage for their work. I've been working for you for over a month, shouldn't you settle your monthly wage with me? It doesn't have to be much, just five qian of silver will do. Hurry up and pay me."

Jiang Anlin couldn't take it anymore. He was already in his late thirties or early forties, and he had lost a lot of weight from working in the fields all day long.

The villagers have seen how hard they've worked these past few days, and he just doesn't believe that the clan elder would side with this brat.

"Big brother."

"The boss."

The others tried to pull Jiang Anlin away, but he wouldn't listen at all and insisted on saying everything he wanted to say.

"So you're being kind to me, but all you want is money?"

"Five taels of silver? Uncle, what kind of golden nest did you come from? How can you raise such a price so easily?"

Jiang Bai smiled outwardly, but inwardly he had a feeling that he had known this all along.

“Da Ya, don’t listen to your uncle’s nonsense. We’re just helping you because we see you’re working hard. Don’t overthink it.”

"Oh dear, there's still so much work to do in the fields, honey. Once you've eaten, let's get to work."

Seeing that things were not going well, Zhang grabbed Jiang Anshan and ran away.

Only Lin Shi and Jiang Anlin remained.

Lin's face was ugly. She tried to pull Jiang Anlin's arm a few times, but it didn't work. Thinking of her experience of being pinned against the wall by Jiang Bai, she actually chased after Jiang Anshan and his wife.

Jiang Anlin:? ? ?

"you……"

He wanted to curse, but those people had already run far away. Thinking that Jiang Bai and her group were capable of killing, and that he was standing here alone in the surrounding fields with no villagers around, Jiang Anlin felt a chill in his heart.

"Uncle wants money, why don't you come in and talk?"

Just then, Jiang Bai pushed open half of the door, stepped aside, and made a 'please' gesture.

"Give me the silver."

Jiang Anlin forced himself to remain calm, but the memories that had disappeared resurfaced in his mind. Looking at Jiang Bai's smiling face, his mind was filled with the two unrecognizable corpses he had seen on the mountain with Jiang Songzong and the others.

"If you want money, come in."

Jiang Bai's smile vanished. Just then, Jiang Lu finished her studies and, hearing the commotion outside, came over, fearing that Jiang Anlin might bully Jiang Bai.

Upon seeing the two sisters and realizing that one of them was killed by Jiang Lu, Jiang Anlin's resolve vanished instantly. He took off running, shouting as he ran, "I'll come again next time."