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

In the courtyard, moonlight filtered through the old locust tree, casting dappled patterns. The embers in the kitchen were still burning, their firebox glowing a dark red.

Old Sun finished his last bowl of wine, stood up, and let out a burp. "Sanlang, thanks to you, I've finally had a good drink in my life! I'm going back now; I have to go to the docks to set up my stall tomorrow morning."

Zhang Sanlang smiled and saw him to the door of the main house. Seeing that the old man was a little unsteady but not very drunk, he said, "Uncle Sun, take care."

Old Sun waved his hand, swayed left and right for a few dozen steps, and entered the gatehouse. Soon after, he began snoring loudly.

Carpenter He also stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhang Sanlang, and said, "I'm going back too. I'll get back to work first thing tomorrow morning."

"Brother He, thank you for your hard work."

After everyone left, A-Fang took out a cloth bag from his pocket, untied it, and inside was a string of copper coins and loose change. He held it out with both hands and said, "Uncle Zhang, this is next year's rent, and this month's rent too. Please count it."

Zhang Sanlang glanced at it but didn't reach out. "You just moved in, you're short on money, no rush."

A-Fang placed the money on the table with a smile on his face, but quickly continued, "Uncle Zhang's willingness to take us brothers in is already an immense favor. If the rent is delayed any longer, we won't feel at ease living here."

Seeing that he spoke sincerely, Zhang Sanlang nodded and said, "Alright. I'll go to the clerk's office to see Clerk Feng tomorrow. I'll let you know about the assignment as soon as I hear anything."

A-Fang chuckled and agreed, then pulled A-Zheng to tidy up the west wing.

Zhang Sanlang stood in the courtyard, glanced at the sky, and turned back into the main room. The table was a mess of cups and plates. He picked up his wine bowl, drank the last drop of wine, and prepared to clear the table.

Lin Qiao'er came out from the east wing, carrying an empty bowl. She walked silently, and only when she reached the table did she softly call out, "Uncle Zhang, you've had some wine, you should rest more. Let me do it."

Zhang Sanlang glanced at her, handed her the bowl, and said, "Finish tidying up and go to bed early. Tomorrow I'll go to the yamen to process your sisters' foster care contracts. Just stay here peacefully, don't worry too much, you're just a child."

Lin Qiao'er took the bowl, her face slightly flushed.

She lowered her head and responded with a soft "Mmm," her voice barely audible, as if squeezed from her throat. She turned around, bowl in hand, her steps light.

Zhang Sanlang shook his head helplessly and had no choice but to go with her.

The lighter your steps, the heavier your thoughts!

The sound of water coming from the kitchen.

Lin Xiuer squatted by the stove, holding a bundle of firewood in her hand, stuffing it into the firebox. The firelight from the firebox reflected on her face, making it look rosy.

She saw her sister come in and grinned. "Sis, there's still a fire in the stove. It's so warm and cozy."

Lin Qiao'er put the bowl into the basin, bent down and scooped up a ladle of warm water. "Don't squat there, come and help."

Lin Xiuer refused to move, so she added another handful of firewood to the stove. The flames licked up, making her eyes sparkle. "Sister, I heard from the kitchen that Uncle Zhang said we'll be living here from now on?"

"Um."

"So, does that mean we don't have to go any further? Is this home?"

Lin Qiao'er paused, opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end only sighed.

Lin Xiuer stood up, brushed the dust off her knees, and looked up at her. "Sister, Uncle Zhang is a good man. Better than the others in the village, even better than Dad!"

Lin Qiao'er lowered her head, dipped the bowl in the water, and wiped it with a rag. "I know. Stop nagging, hurry up and wash the bowl, then get the charcoal to warm Qing-ge'er's bed."

Lin Xiuer said "Oh," squatted down, put her little hand into the basin, picked up a bowl, and wiped it like her older sister.

The next morning, Zhang Sanlang arrived at the clerk's office. "Clerk Feng, I have two matters to report to you."

Feng Jian gestured for him to sit down, "I was just afraid you'd come looking for me for no reason. Tell me what's going on."

"Over at the criminal investigation department, Clerk Kong has been transferred, the remaining staff are serving in various positions, and several clerks have been dismissed. Yesterday, Brother Fang complained to me that the department has a backlog of documents. He asked me to inquire if you have any suitable replacements."

Upon hearing this, Feng Jian shook his head. "I'm also troubled by this matter. The prison is different from other places; even a minor official must know the law. If he's really too busy, I'll send a scribe over to help."

"Although Fang Zhong'an has a gossipy tongue, he has at least mingled with various departments and knows the ins and outs of the interrogation room, so he can barely hold his own. If someone else goes in, they'll be completely clueless and will only make things worse."

Zhang Sanlang nodded and smiled. "To be honest, I do know someone. He's had a few years of schooling and studied law. Do you think he could be hired as a copyist in the prison?"

Feng Jian leaned back in his chair, watching as his expression turned serious. "Studied criminal law? Who is he? Is he reliable?"

"My old house was rented by a relative, the younger brother of whom was named Xu Zheng. He studied at a private school for five years. His teacher said that he was not good at poetry and essays and had no hope of passing the imperial examinations, so he advised him to switch to the law. He had already memorized the laws and regulations, but he had lost interest in taking the various examinations."

"The older brother is named Xu Fang. Because his parents died early, he went to live with his aunt in the county town ten years ago. In the past two years, he has been working as a waiter in a tavern and has become quite good at reading people."

Feng Jian pondered for a moment and smiled wryly. "It's rare to have studied the laws. However, given your current status, why bother asking me about a menial task?"

"Here's what we'll do. Bring him here tomorrow, and I'll test him on a few criminal laws in person. If he passes, he can be directly appointed as a clerk in the criminal department; if he fails, he can only do menial tasks. As for his brother, he can start as a menial task and do the assigned work. We'll see how things go later."

"It's not good for the torture chamber to be empty; Fang Zhong'an really can't handle it all by himself. I trust the people you, Zhang Sanlang, recommended. That's a small matter. What else is there? Speak frankly; why are you beating around the bush with me?"

When asked, Zhang Sanlang chuckled and took out the contract from his pocket, handing it over with both hands. "Clerk Feng, there's one more thing."

Feng Jian took the adoption contract and unfolded it, his brows furrowing slightly. "Adoption contract? Whose child did you take in?"

"Ma Dashou's two adopted daughters," Zhang Sanlang said, his hands hanging limply. "They're the Chen family tenant farmer who was beaten to death a while ago. Before he died, Ma Dashou entrusted his two daughters to me, asking me to take care of them. I couldn't refuse, so I took them home."

Feng Jian put down the child support contract, leaned back in his chair, and said, "I've seen the case file. Sigh, it's all Chen Youde's fault. You're kind-hearted, raising two children isn't just about adding another pair of chopsticks."

Zhang Sanlang grinned bitterly, "I don't want to be a burden to myself. But Ma Dashou's death was partly my fault, and I really can't bear to see two orphaned girls freeze and starve to death."

Feng Jian nodded, then shook his head. "You can take in two adopted daughters and handle it yourself. At most, you should just inform Tao Yashi. Why did you come here?"

Zhang Sanlang smiled and said, "Officer Feng, I've only been in this position for a few days, and it's all thanks to your and Officer Tao's help. How could I dare to make decisions on my own? Although this matter is not a big one, it is still adding people to the household register, so I have to come and report to you to feel at ease."

Upon hearing this, Feng Jian's round face smiled even more. "You certainly know how to handle people. It seems you were keeping a low profile for the past few years! Alright, I understand. You can take care of it yourself."