Dual Transmigration: Starting from being captured and brought to the Hehuan Sect!

When it was Liu Si's turn to get his own food, he squatted down, held the lunchbox in both hands, and looked at it over and over for a long time. He tapped the surface of the box with his knuckles, making a clear and pleasant sound.

He carefully pried open the handle on the side of the box, then tapped it again, wondering to himself:

This thing is both light and hard, and when you tap it, it makes a crisper sound than a copper basin. Its surface is so shiny that you can see your reflection in it. What material is it made of?

Ironware isn't that light, porcelain isn't that sturdy, and silverware is certainly not something that could be given to peasants.

He couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it, opened the box lid and held it in his hands as if he were holding a handful of silver.

After receiving their meals, each child would instinctively find a corner, squat down, place the lunchbox on their lap, and scoop out the food with their chopsticks.

When the first bite of braised pork entered the mouth, the entire courtyard fell into a brief silence.

It was a sense of satisfaction that even soothed the soul. The tender, fatty meat melted on the tip of the tongue, and the salty aroma of the meat juice mixed with the slight sweetness of caramel coated the rice grains, sliding down the throat and warming the stomach instantly.

A little girl who was so thin she was just skin and bones cried after taking her first bite. Tears streamed down her cheeks and into her lunchbox, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. She just kept her head down, crying as she shoveled rice into her mouth, as if she had never eaten anything so delicious in her life.

The boy next to me didn't cry, but he ate incredibly fast, his cheeks bulging out. He choked until his eyes rolled back before remembering the egg drop soup next to him, and then picked up the bowl and gulped it down.

Lin Mo stood on the steps behind the lobby, watching this scene unfold, the firelight casting flickering shadows on his face.

Approaching Liu Si, Lin Mo began to give him instructions:

"Today is the first day, each person can only have one serving!"

It wasn't that he was reluctant to give up the food, but rather that these children had been hungry for too long, and their stomachs were already empty. Eating too much meat and oil at once would probably give them diarrhea.

Liu Si mumbled his reply while shoveling rice into his mouth, while Zhang Tie and Wang Laonian didn't even have time to speak, just nodding vigorously with their mouths glistening with oil.

At the end of the meal, Zhang Tie used his fingers to scrape the meat juices stuck to the inside of the lunchbox and put them in his mouth, sucking them out with loud smacking sounds. He then used his tongue to wipe the bottom of the lunchbox clean, making it even shinier than if it had been washed.

After everyone had finished eating and washing up, Liu Si led several officials to arrange accommodations for the children.

On either side of the county government office was a warehouse that had been abandoned for many years. It had just been cleaned up in the afternoon, and a thick layer of dry straw had been laid on the ground. Although it was simple, it was much better than the children sleeping on the street before.

The boys lived in the east warehouse and the girls lived in the west warehouse. Liu Si took the roster and called out names one by one to assign beds. The children held their newly issued clothes and lined up obediently. Their bald heads gleamed in the candlelight.

Two days later, just as dawn was breaking, the sound of light footsteps could be heard outside the warehouse.

When Lin Mo pushed open the door, dozens of children were already lined up neatly in the yard. No one blew a whistle or shouted commands; they had formed a crooked but complete square formation on their own.

The two days of braised pork and hot baths have given these children a new perspective on things they hadn't seen before.

The morning's schedule included literacy and arithmetic lessons, taught by Long Qingxue.

In the main hall of the county government office, there was a small blackboard and chalk that Lin Mo had brought back from the main world. Long Qingxue stood in front of the hall, wearing a moon-white dress, her long hair tied back with a simple hairpin, her temperament was aloof and elegant.

She wrote the three large characters "人、口、手" on the blackboard with chalk, her voice soft but each character clear.

The children below sat cross-legged on the ground, with Lin Mofa's exercise books and pencils on their laps, their eyes wide as they stared at the unfamiliar symbols on the blackboard.

Zhang Tie sat in the last row, his rough fingers gripping the pencil like a needle, drawing a crooked "person" character on the paper. His hand was so heavy that the pencil lead broke three times on the spot.

Wang Laonian lay on the low table next to him, writing characters that were haphazard and disorganized, but each stroke was drawn with great care.

Wang Ni and the other women were also sitting in the corner. Yesterday, Lin Mo formally informed them that the county government would hire them long-term to cook and do chores, providing food and lodging, and paying them monthly wages.

Their hands were trembling as they held the exercise books. They had never imagined they would have the chance to learn to read. Although the characters were different from those they had seen before, it didn't matter. As long as they could have enough to eat in this famine-stricken era, they would risk their lives for it, let alone learn strange characters.

Lin Mo stood at the back door of the lobby for a while, then turned and left the courtyard without disturbing them.

Liu Si was waiting for him at the entrance of the yamen, holding a crumpled account book in his hands, on which a list of timber to be purchased that day was written crookedly with charcoal sticks.

Lin Mo called him aside and began to explain the tasks for the day:

Find some carpenters and bricklayers to make a batch of beds, tables, chairs and benches for the children, and while you're at it, repair the dilapidated roof and drafty walls of the county government office.

Liu Si noted everything down and was about to leave to receive the order when a series of footsteps suddenly came from outside the yamen, followed by a loud announcement that rang out in the dilapidated front courtyard of the county yamen:

"The Wang family has sent a messenger to offer their congratulations on the appointment of the new county magistrate! The Wang family is hosting a banquet at their estate in the west of the city tonight and cordially invites the county magistrate to attend!"

Liu Si's expression changed, and he leaned close to Lin Mo's ear and whispered:

"My lord, this Master Wang is no pushover. He is the father-in-law of the commander of the garrison in the west of the city. Relying on his son-in-law's troops, he has been running rampant in Lianhai County for many years. On the surface, you are the magistrate of Lianhai County, but in reality, he is the local tyrant."

The former magistrate was killed by pirates, and he might be the one behind it. If he invites you here today just to appease you, he probably has ulterior motives.

You must be very careful, this could be a trap!

As evening fell, Lin Mo changed into a clean, dark-colored ancient costume, put on a wig, and left the county government office alone.

He didn't bring any attendants with him. Long Qingxue stayed at the county office to teach the children, while Liu Si and the other two had other tasks.

Compared to being constrained by subordinates, being alone allows for greater freedom.

Not to mention he also has a giant pineapple in his space, and the system can run at any time.

With his second-rate, first-level cultivation level alone, he was already an invincible figure in this remote Lianhai County.

Let alone a mere local tyrant's banquet, even if Master Wang brought out all the soldiers under his son-in-law's command, they wouldn't be enough for him to fight alone.

The manor of the wealthy Wang in the west of the city is easy to find. Just follow the only dirt road in the county that can barely be called a road to the west and you will see a very large mansion in the distance.

The high walls and blue bricks, with the two gilded characters "Prince's Mansion" hanging above the door, and two stone lions crouching at the entrance, form a stark contrast with the surrounding low and dilapidated mud houses.

As soon as Lin Mo reached the door, a butler wearing a silk jacket and sporting a goatee greeted him with a smile, bowed, and courteously led him into the main hall to sit down. He then instructed a maid to bring him a cup of hot tea.

Then there is no more.

Lin Mo sat in the armchair, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then put it down.

A cup of tea went from hot to cold, and apart from him and the butler standing by the door, there wasn't a soul in the main hall.

He frowned slightly. His current identity was the magistrate of Lianhai County, a seventh-rank official appointed by the imperial court, and he was the ruler of this land.

Master Wang was nothing more than a nouveau riche who had bought his title with money; he didn't even have any official rank.

Not only did they not come out to greet us, but they also made us wait when we arrived. What kind of hospitality is this?

It was clearly meant to give this new magistrate a hard time.

Lin Mo snorted coldly, stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked straight towards the door.

"Magistrate, what brings you here?"

The butler hurriedly caught up, a smile still on his face, but the smile clearly showed his disdain for Lin Mo.