Qin Yihuai's face darkened. Looking at Ye Zhinan, who was being so insistent, he let out a helpless sigh.
"It's not the time to discuss this now. Let's settle the villagers first."
Ye Zhinan glanced at the onlookers beside them. When their eyes met, both parties felt a bit awkward.
"I'll go find something. You guys carry on."
The woman waved her hand and tried to slip away.
Ye Zhinan followed closely.
"What are you looking for? I'll help you!"
There were a lot of things in the stockade. They carried things back and forth many times, but there were still some they couldn't take away.
Ye Zhinan supported her waist and gasped heavily. Fine beads of sweat oozed from her forehead.
"Now I know the benefits of decluttering."
Lu Yanlai looked at her with a smile in the corners of her eyes and reached out to rub her back.
"The people in the stockade seem straightforward, but actually they are very thrifty. They won't throw things away unless it's absolutely necessary."
Seeing that there was no one around, Lu Yanlai leaned over to her and whispered.
"I heard that you had a fight with Inspector Qin?"
Ye Zhinan stood up abruptly, her eyes full of panic as she waved her hands repeatedly.
"No, we just had a little disagreement. It's not a big deal."
She wasn't angry anymore. There were too many gaps between them, and both of them were hiding secrets.
If the skylight couldn't be opened, they couldn't talk openly.
"Come on, it's normal for a couple to quarrel and make up. Quarreling hurts feelings."
Ye Zhinan almost choked.
What couple?
"We're not a couple. Don't talk nonsense."
"I understand. You're a couple-to-be."
Ye Zhinan twitched the corner of her mouth. She didn't want to entangle with her anymore and turned around to continue helping with the work.
The innocent will prove their innocence. Qin Yihuai would get married in the future.
By then, the rumors would be self - defeated.
Everyone was busy all day. It was not until it got dark that they finally finished moving the things.
"We can finally go down the mountain. I haven't stepped on the soil at the foot of the mountain for so long."
Several men's eyes were a bit red under the influence of alcohol. They wiped their eyes behind their backs, drank up the wine in their cups, and forced back the tears welling up in their eyes.
"They are all like me. They came to the mountain because they were at the end of their ropes. Actually, the foot of the mountain is their real home."
Lu Yanlai whispered in her ear. Looking at Li Feilong not far away, Ye Zhinan couldn't help but feel admiration.
When the villagers went down the mountain, they would be incorporated into the government.
The former leader would just be an ordinary civilian.
Abandoning his past status and glory just to let them go home.
He was truly a heroic man.
Ye Yingfeng held a wine cup and put his arm around Li Feilong's shoulder. The two of them laughed heartily.
"What are your plans next?"
Ye Yingfeng's face darkened a bit. He forced a smile.
"I'm a criminal official. Even if I have great ambitions, what can I do?"
A look of desolation flashed in his eyes, but it disappeared in an instant. He pulled Li Feilong and continued to drink.
The two of them understood each other tacitly and hid their words in the wine.
"After this meal, we'll go to the new village. The old village head and the others must be waiting anxiously."
Qin Yihuai urged everyone to set off quickly.
The mountain seemed calm, but actually there were jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards roaming at night.
If they left too late, it would be unsafe.
Li Feilong wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth and called on everyone to set off quickly.
"Inspector Qin is right. Let's go quickly. We'll drink more when we get to the foot of the mountain."
A large group of people left in a mighty way. The huge stockade was instantly empty and looked extremely desolate.
"Are you really going to use this place as a granary?"
Qin Yihuai looked down at her and remained silent.
"No. Aren't you going to use this mountain for farming? I'll apply to the prefect later. I'll let you be in charge."
Qin Yihuai's face was flushed. It was not clear whether it was because he was drunk, but he looked especially good - looking.
She leaned over and pinched his face.
"Do you mean what you say?"
"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond."
The two of them clapped hands to seal the deal. Ye Zhinan's mood improved a lot. Even her steps down the mountain were especially light.
He had already made plans for the Ye family. Fortunately, he had planned carefully and everything was going smoothly.
"When will you finally get the hint? It's a pity that you have that mouth."
Chen Zhenhai was so anxious that his face turned red.
He was almost tempted to rush up and tell the truth for Qin Yihuai.
Qin Yihuai had his own views on punishing the county magistrate and had made thorough plans.
Even without the help of the Ye family, he could still accomplish this.
But he deliberately found many reasons just to drag the Ye family into it.
At first, Chen Zhenhai couldn't understand. But when he knelt in the cold wind to plead for the Ye family, Chen Zhenhai understood everything.
He wove a huge net and trapped the Ye family in it just to clear their name.
"The Ye family helped ease the relationship between the government and the people and resisted the rebels. It's only right that they get their sentence reduced. It has nothing to do with me."
Qin Yihuai straightened his back, looked straight ahead, and his expression didn't waver in the slightest.
He had received kindness from the Ye family in the past. He was just repaying the favor.
As for whether they remembered and were grateful, he didn't care.
Seeing that he didn't keep up, Ye Zhinan took small steps and caught up.
"Hurry up. There are a lot of wolves on the mountain. Don't let them carry you away."
There was a smile on the corners of her eyes and brows, like the bright stars in the sky, which made Qin Yihuai's heart flutter a bit.
He nodded slowly and followed Ye Zhinan's steps.
He walked steadily behind, stepping on her shadow, and smiling faintly with his head down.
The village was very lively. Even though it was late at night, every household had their lights on.
The village head stood at the entrance of the village to welcome them. Only then did Ye Zhinan notice that the village was extremely bustling, even more lively than during the Chinese New Year.
"We haven't had a wedding in our village for many years. I just went to the market and bought two rolls of red silk. It'll liven things up a bit."
Ye Zhinan wanted to leave at first, but was surrounded by the villagers and led in.
Looking at every household beaming with joy, she suddenly felt that the village had come to life.
"Have you given them the land deeds?"
She turned her head and whispered to Qin Yihuai.
"Yes. Besides, I also distributed a few shi of grain to them. They should be able to get through the winter."
Ye Zhinan looked up at him.
She had a feeling that it seemed like Qin Yihuai was the one with the space.
Otherwise, how could he always manage to produce grain in different ways?
"Don't think too much. Li Feilong is very shrewd. He cut down all the mature crops overnight and then set the fire. The granary in the stockade is probably richer than the government's."
Ye Zhinan burst out laughing and then shook her head helplessly.
"It seems that being the leader is not an easy job."
Li Feilong and the village head made arrangements for everyone to move in. However, many of the houses had been lived in by widows and widowers, and there were some taboos.
Lu Yanlai wasn't superstitious, but she still felt a bit scared.
Ye Zhinan walked up to her and proposed first.
"I heard that there's a temple on the nearby mountain. They sell things to ward off evil spirits. Let's go and take a look. It'll bring us good luck."