The bloodstains outside the city gates were washed clean after a night's work, and the makeshift traps were dismantled.
The bandits' corpses, however, presented a problem.
With nearly three hundred bodies, there was no place to bury them within the city.
Magistrate Cheng pondered, "Why not hang them on the city walls for three days as a warning to the refugees outside?"
Yes, a way to reuse waste.
Jiang Wan found the idea brilliant.
Others felt their scalps tingle.
How had the magistrate become so terrifying overnight?
After all, the former Magistrate Cheng had always been gentle and refined, possessing a scholarly demeanor. How could he commit such a brutal act?
Magistrate Cheng, however, stated, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. These bandits harbored ill intentions towards Yao County, and we, using our own strength, defeated them. Now, we use them to deter other villains who wish us harm. This is called killing the chicken to scare the monkeys."
Magistrate Cheng believed his method was excellent.
Yet, after the more than three hundred corpses were truly hung on the city walls, Magistrate Cheng fell ill for several days, causing his wife to both cry and laugh.
She cried for his hardship and laughed at his timidity.
The day after the bandits' corpses were hung on the city walls, the refugees who had been occupying Yao County began to withdraw rapidly.
They dared not linger any longer. The magistrate and the people of this place were too insane. So many people, and all of them bandits, yet they were killed as soon as they were decided upon, and then hung on the city walls for display.
This was something they had never heard of in all their travels fleeing famine.
Previously, seeing the people of Yao County hiding in the city and not daring to come out, they had assumed they were like people elsewhere, all extremely timid.
Who knew this was all a pretense!
They were luring people into the city to kill them!
With so many bandits dead, what good end awaited ordinary refugees who continued to stay?
Thus, within a few days, almost no refugees remained outside the city.
The citizens within the city cheered loudly upon hearing this news.
After confirming there was no longer any danger outside the city, Magistrate Cheng ordered the city gates opened to allow the citizens to return home. However, he also instructed the citizens that if refugees appeared again, they were to immediately enter the city.
However, with the previous experience, the people of Yao County were grateful for the refuge in the city.
If it weren't for Magistrate Cheng's series of actions, they likely would not have been able to protect their money and grain, even if they had survived.
Although their houses might have been damaged, their grain and money were preserved, which meant their foundations were not shaken.
The villagers from the small mountain village also moved their grain back to their village.
Upon entering the city, the villagers were so enraged they almost collapsed.
The small mountain village was a poor village, with houses of yellow mud walls and thatched roofs. When the refugees withdrew, likely out of resentment, they had pierced the roofs of most of the villagers' houses.
The women in the village cursed angrily, wishing the refugees would all starve to death on the road.
Jiang Wan also felt the refugees had wicked hearts. They had also come fleeing famine and had stayed in other villages, but they had never damaged other people's houses.
Thinking of her own courtyard, Jiang Wan became even more furious.
Perhaps the inscription on Jiang Wan's door had worked, or perhaps they had beaten those people half to death when they returned, scaring them. Jiang family's courtyard had not been trespassed upon again.
However, the traces left by the previous refugees in the courtyard and rooms still made Su Shi and Zhang Qiaoxiu cry with anger.
These houses carried their hopes for life and their aspirations for the future. When they lived in them themselves, they cherished them dearly and were reluctant to even scratch them. Yet, these refugees had ruined the houses like this.
Especially Zhang Qiaoxiu, the furniture in her room had been specially bought when she got married, giving it a different kind of significance. Seeing it so ruined, Zhang Qiaoxiu felt as if her heart was bleeding.
Chen Yuezhi looked at the messy and dirty house and decisively said, "Let's go to the county town and find an inn to stay in. We can hire someone to take care of this house."
They still had many things to do and no need to waste time on this matter. Moreover, the house was so dirty that cleaning it themselves would be too strenuous and too disheartening.
Jiang Wan ignored the house and turned to look at her old tea tree.
After a period of recuperation, the old tea tree had recovered considerably. Jiang Wan infused it with more of her abilities, allowing it to quickly return to its former appearance in the mountains.
Chen Yuezhi walked around the courtyard and said to Da Lang, "Go to Aunt Hongye's house and see how her family is. If they are not doing well either, bring their whole family to the city."
Da Lang immediately drove the horse-drawn carriage to Wang Hongye's village. When he returned, Wang Hongye's tear-reddened daughter-in-law and little Douzi were sitting in the carriage. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"The refugees smashed Wang Auntie's house beyond recognition. It's completely uninhabitable. When I arrived, Aunt Wang and the others were squatting in front of the house crying."
The anger on Da Lang's face was evident. "These refugees are truly scum. Couldn't they have just occupied the houses without damaging them? With such intentions, they deserve their fate!"
Who could disagree!
Everyone looked at their own courtyards, filled with indignation.
Chen Yuezhi saw Wang Hongye and her mother-in-law crying so hard and quickly comforted them, "As long as the people are safe, other matters are trivial. If the house is broken, we will repair it slowly. If it's really impossible, we'll tear it down and rebuild it, considering it as building a new house for little Douzi to get married in advance."
Wang Hongye felt deeply distressed. That house held memories of her and her husband. Besides, where would she get the money to build a new house?
Chen Yuezhi patted her hand. "I can advance you your wages. Don't worry, I won't let you and your son be homeless."
Wang Hongye hugged Chen Yuezhi and cried heartily. "Sister Yuezhi, your family are all good people. If it weren't for you, how would we still be alive today."
Chen Yuezhi patted her back with concern. "Don't cry anymore. Everything will get better, it will get better."
Er Lang watched Wang Hongye sob uncontrollably and then looked at Zhang Qiaoxiu, who was also wiping away tears. He couldn't help but clench his fist.
In the end, the Jiang family, along with Wang Hongye's family and Zhang Qiaoxiu's parents, returned to the county town together.
The three families settled into a decent inn in the county.
As soon as they moved in, Yan Li and his disciple also came to join the fun.
Jiang Wan was a little curious. "Didn't you live with your master's master? Why are you staying at an inn?"
Gu Chenzhou rubbed his nose. "Your master's master keeps testing medicine on me every day, and I'm getting a little scared."
Divine Doctor Jin was currently dedicated to refining medicine for Gu Chenzhou. Gu Chenzhou had to drink several bowls of medicinal soup every day, and even his burps smelled of traditional Chinese medicine.
Unable to bear it any longer, he quickly pulled his master out. Hearing that the Jiang family had settled here, he simply ran over to stay with them.
More people meant more liveliness.