Eat My Childless Life: The Little Fisher Girl is Poor and Fierce

Chapter 163 We must not discourage the hero's heart first.

The case was heard until dusk before it came to an end. The constables still had to go to the other side of the river to search for the Lin family's property that the Lin clan had consumed, as well as to compensate other families whose girls had been trafficked.

They were busy until it was completely dark before Wu Qingfeng and the others finally had a moment to rest.

Lin Chang'er had the women prepare dinner early on; with so many people, there wasn't much to it.

She bought half a pig today and made several pots of braised pork. The small fish and shrimp were readily available, so she made a spicy small fish dish.

The vegetarian dish was a fairly standard dry-fried small potatoes, and there was also a side dish of pickled mustard greens and tofu. The soup was bone broth, and some green vegetables were added to cut through the richness.

Two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup, plus several large steamers of white rice. Take whatever you like, and the rice is all you can eat.

The Gu family members and the women and men who came to help eat the same food.

The men of the coastal defense team lit torches in the yard early in the morning and fixed them in place, illuminating the entire front and back yards of the Gu family.

The yamen runners sat with the men of Linshui Village, bowls in hand, showing no distance between officials and commoners whatsoever.

One of the constables asked, "Brothers, since you're helping the Gu family, can you come over for meals every day?"

"That depends on the situation. Those who help during the day eat at Miss Lin's house! It's delicious..." The man who spoke stuffed a piece of braised pork into his mouth, let out a satisfied sigh, and then continued, "We usually go beachcombing with Miss Lin at night."

So the constables felt relieved that they couldn't come to eat every day, but the next second, they were on the verge of losing their temper again.

"However, Miss Lin is generous. She is afraid that her brothers will go hungry while they work at night, so she will prepare midnight snacks, such as grilled fish, barbecue, celery and meat patties, and grilled dumplings."

"We not only eat it ourselves, but we also set aside some for our families to take home and enjoy!"

"The brothers all say in private that we're lucky we followed the right person. The others who didn't want to join the coastal defense team back then are now regretting it terribly." The man chewed the braised pork and swallowed it, then ate a mouthful of rice with satisfaction.

Someone else chimed in, "Anyway, as long as Miss Lin doesn't kick me out, I'll stick with Miss Lin for the rest of my life."

“Even if Miss Lin tries to drive me away, I won’t leave,” someone laughed.

The men of the coastal defense team burst into laughter, saying, "Where can you find such a good employer as Miss Lin? We were incredibly lucky to have found her."

As the constables listened to their banter, the meat in their bowls suddenly lost its appeal.

Lord Wu was not harsh on his subordinates, and the food at the county government office was not bad, but compared to the Gu family's, it lacked a bit of warmth and human touch.

Lin Chang'er was eating with the women in the backyard, holding her bowl, and also settled accounts with Aunt Zhou and Sister-in-law Gu.

Lin Chang'er trusted both of them, so she simply asked as a matter of routine.

The two of them had only been learning arithmetic from Lin Chang'er for a few days, and when they made mistakes, Lin Chang'er would simply correct them and tell them to pay more attention next time.

However, it was extremely rare for the seafood stall to have Grandma Bai's help and the steamed bun stall to have Sister Gu's help. Lin Chang'er simply considered it as paying tuition for them.

Aunt Zhou and Sister-in-law Gu are both grateful, and they especially remember Lin Chang'er's kindness.

While eating, Lin Chang'er suddenly slapped her forehead, thinking of something, "Have all the meals been sent to the wounded?"

Aunt Zhou was initially startled by her question, but upon hearing it, she smiled and said, "They were sent over early on; the brothers with minor injuries are all outside helping out."

"As for the Huo and Zhou families, they have already woken up. As you instructed before, they should not eat meat for the time being. Therefore, their meals are prepared separately, with thick white rice porridge, bone broth, and two dishes of vegetables and tofu."

"The family members eat the same food as us."

Lin Chang'er said "Oh," and then said, "That's good."

Aunt Zhou laughed at her again, "You're all alone, how can you take care of so many things? Don't worry about everything. Those two families are acquaintances, I've already spoken to them."

"If we're really busy and forget, we can just have them send someone over to pick it up ourselves, it's no big deal."

Lin Chang'er laughed and said, "Our brothers are all honest people, they wouldn't dare to lower themselves like that."

Turning his gaze to Sister-in-law Gu, who was shoveling rice into her mouth, he said, "Sister-in-law, later, send 50 jin of rice each to Huo Shiyi and Zhou Shi's family."

Sister-in-law Gu nodded and said "Okay!"

Fifty catties of rice! The women eating nearby all looked on with envy. You know, the Gu family only eats fine rice! But Lin Chang'er and her sister-in-law didn't seem to care at all.

Aunt Zhou took in the women's expressions and gently scolded, "Those two kids risked their lives for this, and Chang'er is just trying to let them recover properly! Don't be so short-sighted!"

Upon hearing this, the women realized it made perfect sense. Between 50 catties of grain and a man's safety, of course they would choose the latter, and the envy in their eyes dissipated.

Smiling at Lin Chang'er, one of the women said, "Our men dared to go up and fight because they were certain that Chang'er would take good care of us."

"We can't be like the Lin clan, so shallow and heartless."

"As long as we have a home, we can have a good life. Come, let's offer a bowl of soup instead of wine to Chang'er."

Once someone started, the women picked up their soup bowls one after another. Lin Chang'er quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Sisters-in-law and aunts, please don't say that. I'm just doing my part."

"The credit belongs to everyone. As long as we are of one mind, we will always be able to protect our homeland."

Aunt Zhou, holding a bowl of soup, said, "Chang'er is right. We can't be like those bastards from the Lin family. They didn't manage to snatch anyone from outside, but they snatched their own people first."

She took a big gulp of soup, her eyes red-rimmed, and said, "Chang'er, on behalf of Eleven and Zhou Shi, thank you in advance!"

Lin Chang'er waved her hand, "No need to thank me. Those who fight pirates and protect their homes are all heroes. The imperial court hasn't issued an order to suppress the pirates yet, so the reward is uncertain. But we can't discourage the heroes ourselves."

As they were talking, Wu Qingfeng strolled over. Lin Chang'er guessed he was looking for her, so she quickly ate a few mouthfuls of rice and got up. "If you're here, the sisters-in-law and aunties might feel uncomfortable. Let's go outside and talk."

Wu Qingfeng originally wanted to say, "You eat first, I'll wait outside."

Seeing that she was already up, he did not refuse.

The front yard was full of people, so the two of them went to the edge of the field outside the yard.

There were no streetlights in this era, but tonight the torches in the Gu family's courtyard were bright, illuminating the surrounding area.

A gentle evening breeze rustled through the rice paddies, causing the heavy ears of rice to sway clumsily in the wind.

It was summer, and the chirping of cicadas and the calls of frogs filled the air.

Lin Chang'er, being straightforward, spoke first, "Third Brother, are you going to tell me about the family fortune left by my father?"

Wu Qingfeng nodded, "Uncle left behind 50 mu of fertile land, three shops, a house, and a dowry for Auntie. All of these have been sold by the Lin clan. Including cash, the total amount is 5000 taels of silver. Of this, Lin Houde took 1500 taels, and the Lin clan members received 3500 taels."

"Today, only 500 taels of silver were found in Lin Houde's house, while 3000 taels were found in the Lin clan, for a total of 3500 taels."