Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

Qing-ge'er caught the book bag, hugged it to his chest, and puffed out his chest. "Sister said money is a good thing, and I read in the book that money can even communicate with the gods. If it can communicate with the gods, isn't smashing someone a piece of cake?"

happy Mei glared at him. "When did I say that?"

Qingge shrank back, his face full of resentment, but he didn't dare to respond.

Lin Xiuer chuckled beside her, shaking the short stick in her hand.

She was a few months younger than Ximei, but about the same height. Her sleeves were rolled up twice, revealing her slender wrists. The short stick was a bit heavy in her hands, but she held it steadily. She seemed much more reliable than Qingge who threw money at people.

Seeing the short stick in her hand, which was the kind archers usually used, Zhang Sanlang became curious and asked, "Xiuer, where did you get this stick?"

Lin Xiuer looked up at him, raised her little face and said in a clear voice, "Mr. Lu gave it to me. He said Xiuer has talent and told me to use this to practice my strength."

When Lin Qiao'er and A Yun saw Zhang Sanlang looking over, they both forced a smile at him, and after the initial nervousness, they couldn't say a word for a moment.

Zhang Sanlang nodded to them, then turned to happy Meier, "How did you know someone had broken in? The doors and windows were blocked so tightly."

Xi Mei hugged his sleeve and laughed, "Grandma He told me before she moved away. She said that she had been robbed a few years ago and had several hundred coins stolen. So Uncle He added crossbeams to all the windows so that even children couldn't squeeze in."

"She also taught me to place rattle-making wood at the base of the wall. When someone climbs over the wall and steps on the dry bamboo poles, it will make a rattling sound, and the noise can be heard inside the house."

She also said that the courtyard gate and house doors all open inwards, and that before going to sleep, one should remember to put a wooden stick on top so that it cannot be opened from the outside. The windows should also be blocked so that thieves cannot see inside and will not dare to come in.

Zhang Sanlang felt ashamed upon hearing this and nodded repeatedly.

After moving into the old house, he never got used to the fact that both the courtyard gate and the house door opened inwards, and he found it awkward.

It turns out it was specifically designed to prevent thieves.

It can't be pushed open from the outside, but it can be held firm from the inside; it's much sturdier than a door that opens outwards.

Having lived in peacetime for so long, he was not as as shrewd as Xi Mei'er.

Zhang Sanlang blushed slightly. "What else did Granny He say?"

Xi Mei thought for a moment, "She said that living in a tenement and keeping the door closed is the best policy. She also said that she personally watched Uncle He add the crossbeams to the windows of the two rooms in the east wing."

Zhang Sanlang glanced at her.

The child's voice was lower than usual when he spoke of Grandma He.

After the He family moved to the nursing home, Mrs. He would occasionally come to visit the children, sometimes bringing a jar of pickled vegetables, sometimes a few pieces of candy. Although they weren't worth much money, they were a token of her affection.

Qingge'er, still squatting there with his book bag, suddenly blurted out, "Dad, will that thief come back?"

Zhang Sanlang turned to look at him. "No. It's too late, you guys should go to sleep early."

Qingge thought for a moment, then hugged the book bag even tighter. "Then I'll sleep with it tonight."

happy Mei patted him on the head, "Go to sleep if you want to. Sleeping with your money bag in your arms, don't you find it uncomfortable?"

Qingge pouted and followed behind Zhang Sanlang, carrying his book bag.

Seeing that everything was alright, A-Yun followed them back to the west wing.

Zhang Sanlang was still a little worried, so he let Qingge sleep in his bed tonight.

Zhou An returned to the prefectural city early in the morning, saying he wanted to discuss proposing marriage to Wang Yue'e with his family. Although Zhang Sanlang didn't approve, he let him go.

Unlike Zhang Sanlang, the man in black was clutching his waist with one hand and leaning against the wall with the other. He stood in the back alley of the county government office for a quarter of an hour before he recovered.

He tilted his head and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. He looked down at his shirt, which had a tear in the front, and the fabric on his left shoulder was soaked in blood and stuck to his skin.

His left leg dragged a little as he walked, and the spot on his lower back where the stick had rubbed against it was swollen. He endured the pain, took a deep breath, and then moved to the back door of the county government office and knocked three times.

The door bolt rattled, and Old Zhou poked his head out. Only then did the man in black remove his black mask, revealing himself to be Zhao Xie, Li Hang's advisor!

When Old Zhou saw him like this, he was stunned for a moment, and then quickly opened the door.

Zhao Xie waved to him and squeezed in sideways.

Old Zhou closed the door and gestured with his chin toward the east wing.

Zhao Xie walked across the courtyard and reached the door of the east wing.

The door was ajar, and light shone from inside.

He pushed the door open, went in, and closed it behind him.

Inside the room, Li Hang sat behind a desk, holding a cup of tea in his hand.

Seeing Zhao Xie's appearance, he held the teacup in mid-air for a couple of moments before putting it back on the table.

Zhao Xie's short brown jacket was torn at the hem, revealing the lining underneath. A dark patch of fabric had stained the left shoulder. His belt was askew, and even his heels had left a shallow mud stain on the ground.

Li Hang's gaze shifted from Zhao Xie's face to his left shoulder, and his brow twitched slightly.

He had seen Zhao Xie escape from the encirclement of four imperial guards, and he had seen him break the arms of two strong men with one hand.

This was the first time he had ever seen Zhao Xie so disheveled!

Zhao Xie walked to the table, picked up the teacup in front of Li Hang, and gulped it down. Tea dripped down his chin; he wiped it with the back of his hand, placed the empty cup back on the table, and let out a long sigh. "Jingzhai, Zhang Shouli has gained momentum."

Li Hang leaned back in his chair, a look of surprise on his face. "With your skills, even the Imperial City Guard's personal guards couldn't do anything to you. How could Shou Li's residence be so well-defended?"

Zhao Xie plopped down on the chair next to him, the movement aggravating his left shoulder injury. He took a breath, shifted his position, and moved the back of his shoulder off the chair as well.

"You underestimate him. That coroner surnamed Lu from the county government office lives in the east wing of his house. I had just climbed over the wall from the empty house on the west side into the backyard when that guy heard me."

He paused, pressed his hand against the wound on his left shoulder, and frowned. "That guy seems to be an amateur, but he's really tough. I rushed from the backyard to the front yard, and he blocked me twice at the corner of the corridor."

"In close combat, I was almost slashed in the ribs by his short blade. This is not the kind of skill a coroner in the torture chamber should have; he must have done other things before."

Li Hang picked up the teapot and poured himself another cup, knowing that his ordeal was probably more than that.

Sure enough, Zhao Xie's lips twitched, as if he remembered something unpleasant. "I rushed out from the backyard, climbed over the wall, and prepared to return to the empty house the same way I came."

"Unexpectedly, Sun Jizu came to my aid from the side gate. That scoundrel... a mere one-armed county magistrate, yet his javelin throws are truly vicious. If I hadn't dodged quickly, that spear would have been lodged in the back of my head. That brat ruined my plans!"

He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his left shoulder.

The wound wasn't deep, but the skin was torn open, and the blood had congealed into a dark red scab. Zhao Xie pressed his finger along the edge of the wound and then released it.

"That's just me. An ordinary person would have been pierced through the shoulder by that shot. That guy's aim with the gun is far superior to anything you'd see on a straw target in the county yamen's drill ground. What bad luck!"

Li Hang's gaze lingered on the wound for a moment, and seeing that he was already applying medicine himself, he didn't dare to go over to help.

Zhao Xie sprinkled some powder on the wound, bandaged it up, closed his clothes, and shifted his position to lean back. "The bad thing is, I had just run out of the alley when that bastard Wu Yan blocked my way again."

"He was quite strong, and I couldn't break through in time. Then the coroner got on me again. There were also two convicts, who were also thugs hired by Zhang Shouli."