All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

Seeing that everyone's expressions were off, Bai Jiaxuan immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly asked what was going on.

"what happened?"

Lu San returned to the plain yesterday and already knew what had happened. He couldn't hold back any longer and quickly spoke up.

"Master, something has happened on the plain!"

Bai Jiaxuan's face immediately darkened, and he shouted.

"What exactly happened?"

Lu San said angrily.

"A new county head has taken office. The first thing he did was to arrest the people who caused trouble during the last agricultural tax collection. We arrested three people in Yuanshang, and Lu Zilin is among them!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Jiaxuan nodded with a stern face, and then addressed the crowd.

"Everyone, use ropes to unload these wooden crates and load them onto the truck. Let's go back first!"

Everyone was curious about the wooden crates on the caravan's wagons, but seeing Bai Jiaxuan's gloomy expression as he spoke with Lu San, they didn't ask any further questions and all began to busy themselves with their tasks.

They quickly handed over the caravan to each other and set off again. Bai Jiaxuan and Lu San walked in front, while Zheng Mang sat in a carriage, holding a box, his expression somewhat complicated and his heart filled with trepidation.

Zheng Mang didn't know how Bai Jiaxuan would arrange things for him, but when he remembered Bai Jiaxuan's promise in Shanghai, he felt a little more at ease.

Occasionally, when Zheng Mang thinks about Bai Jiaxuan's experiences in Shanghai, he feels a heat rising in his chest. He sometimes thinks that it would be great if Bai Jiaxuan could teach him some kung fu.

Bai Jiaxuan ignored Zheng Mang at the moment and carefully considered how to make the next arrangements.

Two weeks ago, a new county head named He took office in Zishui County. As a new official, he was known for his bold moves. His first action was to order the county's security team to arrest people, including the leaders of the previous agricultural handover campaign.

Originally, Bai Jiaxuan was the main leader of this incident, but he ran away, so the other party could only arrest other people in the village. As a result, Lu Zilin and two others were arrested.

The reason for arresting Lu Zilin was simply because he had a foul mouth. He loved to brag. Although he participated in the last agricultural handover campaign, he was just a figurehead among the crowd.

However, the last grain requisition campaign was very successful, forcing the county to stop collecting grain, and even the county magistrate was dismissed.

During this time, with Bai Jiaxuan away, Lu Zilin once again unleashed his boastful nature.

He would tell everyone he met that he was the one who led the agricultural handover movement, because he was the one who came up with the ideas, and Bai Jiaxuan was only allowed to lead because he was the clan chief!

After hearing this repeatedly, people from other villages actually started to believe Lu Zilin's words, and even many villagers who were unaware of the truth thought that Lu Zilin was the one who came up with the idea.

So the first thing County Magistrate He did upon taking office was to issue an order to arrest Lu Zilin and Bai Jiaxuan, these two rebels!

Lu Zilin's name was even higher than Bai Jiaxuan's.

As a result, Lu Zilin was caught red-handed. Since they couldn't catch Bai Jiaxuan, they eventually caught two other young men in Bailuyuan.

Ten days have passed since this incident. Mr. Leng from the village went to the county to inquire and found out that Lu Zilin is now half-dead, beaten up like a bloody gourd. This time, he is probably in grave danger!

Lu Zilin's father, Lu Taiheng, was so angry about this that he fell ill, and the people on the plain were in a state of panic.

Because the second major move by County Magistrate He was to collect grain taxes. He not only reinstated the grain tax that the previous county magistrate had not collected for three years, but also added a new tax: the poll tax!

It costs five cents per person per year. There are more than a thousand people in Bailuyuan, so they have to pay more than six hundred silver dollars!

The reason why County Chief He was so confident this time was that when he took office, he was given a security team of sixty men, all of whom were armed. Having guns gave him confidence.

As for how to support so many people, County Chief He naturally came up with a new tax: a head tax.

Zishui County has a population of over 100,000. If each person contributes 50 cents a year, the county magistrate would collect tens of thousands of silver dollars annually. He was thrilled just thinking about it.

As for the third measure, that's still weighing on County Chief He's mind; he hasn't decided yet.

However, in the ten days or so since County Chief He took office, he has already caused quite a stir. With guns and men, no one really dares to cause trouble.

Take grain requisition as an example; the county government's warehouses are almost full of the collected grain.

After learning the whole story, Bai Jiaxuan also kept a somber expression and pondered his own thoughts.

Lu Zilin definitely wants to save him, but he's having a real headache about how to do it.

He wanted to shoot that County Magistrate He, but if he killed one surnamed He, another surnamed Wang or Li would come along. The most important thing for him was to find a way to maintain a balance between Bailuyuan and Zishui County.

The goal is to ensure that Zishui County has no jurisdiction over Bailuyuan and dares not interfere in matters concerning Bailuyuan.

It seems that Bai Jiaxuan needs to prepare his bandit team as soon as possible. Right now, Zheng Mang is the only commander without any troops, which is making things difficult for Bai Jiaxuan!

Bai Jiaxuan was a little overwhelmed, but when he turned around and saw the fifteen boxes of weapons, a smile appeared on his lips. He dared to venture into Shanghai, so why would he be afraid of a small Zishui County?

The cargo on the truck was too heavy, so Bai Jiaxuan didn't dare to let everyone drive too fast. After pulling for a whole day, they finally arrived near Zishui County.

Bai Jiaxuan didn't let everyone enter the city. Instead, they ate some food outside the city and then spent a silver dollar to stay overnight at a small landlord's house nearby. Only then did they head back to Bailu Plain on their second trip.

The next morning, the group set off again, and finally at three o'clock in the afternoon, Bai Jiaxuan and his party appeared on Bailu Plain.

Looking at the land on the plain, Bai Jiaxuan couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity and ease, as if he could only feel at home when he returned to Bailu Plain.

Having experienced so much in Shanghai, with its dazzling lights and vibrant nightlife, Bai Jiaxuan found less allure in a bowl of oil-splashed noodles in Bailuyuan than in Shanghai itself.

He couldn't help but think of his wife, Xiangcao, his son, Xiaowen, and his nagging mother, and was filled with emotion.

Before they even reached the plateau, many villagers had already spotted them. The news spread quickly, and soon everyone in the village, young and old, had gathered at the village entrance.

When Bai Jiaxuan saw so many people gathering to watch, he immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly whispered a few words in Lu San's ear.

Lu San nodded somewhat reluctantly, then picked up a burlap sack from the carriage, rode his horse, and shouted to the old and young at the village entrance.

"The clan chief said that anyone who wants Western-style candy should come to the ancestral hall. I'm here to distribute the candy to everyone!"

Upon hearing about Western-style candy, everyone became very curious, and the crowd immediately followed Lu San's horse towards the ancestral hall.

Only a few old men remained at the village entrance, and Bai Jiaxuan finally felt relieved. He quickly called on everyone to help him carry the boxes back to his home.

When they arrived at Bai Jiaxuan's house, the group used ropes and sticks to carry the boxes into Bai Jiaxuan's inner room. Bai Jiaxuan planned to move all the boxes to the cellar with Lu San the next day. He would feel more at ease once they were in the cellar.

Zheng Mang, who was behind Bai Jiaxuan, also carried several bags back into the courtyard. Some of these were bought in Kaifeng, and some were novelties brought back from Shanghai. There were several sacks of them.

The sack of candy that Lu San just brought was actually bought in Kaifeng. Bai Jiaxuan originally planned to share it with the children in the village, but he didn't expect to use it so soon.

After everyone put down the boxes, Bai Jiaxuan took out a money bag from his pocket, pulled out a handful of silver dollars, and gave each person two silver dollars as a thank you for their help!

Everyone was overjoyed to receive the silver dollars. For them, the round trip had only taken two days, and they had already earned two silver dollars – it was a real bargain.

Bai Jiaxuan thanked everyone and said that his house was too messy for the time being, so he would not entertain them. Everyone had received the money and naturally did not care about being served food. They quickly went back with smiles on their faces.

After everyone had left, Bai Jiaxuan finally had time to see Xiangcao, whom he had been longing to see day and night.

She held Xiaowen in her arms, her face full of tenderness, looking at her husband who had been away from home for more than two months, her eyes filled with love!

Bai Jiaxuan took two steps forward, hugged Xiangcai tightly, kissed her forehead, and felt a surge of joy as he savored the faint milky scent of his woman in his arms.

Xiaowen, who was in Xiangcao's arms, felt the pressure from his father and burst into tears. Bai Jiaxuan laughed and teased his son's little face.

Hearing the noise at the door, he suddenly remembered something and quickly turned around. He saw Zheng Mang squatting at the door, watching Bai Jiaxuan tease the child, and couldn't help but show a simple and honest smile.

Bai Jiaxuan quickly smiled and said to Xiangcao.

"Go and make a few bowls of oil-splashed noodles, I have something to do first!"

Cilantro nodded, then picked up the child and went back to her room.

Bai Jiaxuan then walked over to Zheng Mang, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile.

"Let's eat first. After we finish eating, I have an important task for you!"

Zheng Mang nodded excitedly.

Bai Jiaxuan looked at the young man in front of him and couldn't help but smile.

This young man's future begins here; he has embarked on a new life.

Chapter 35

After Lu San finished distributing the candy, he returned to the Bai family. By then, the coriander and oil-splashed noodles were ready. The three of them sat on the stone bench in the backyard, bowl in hand, and began to eat heartily.

Bai Jiaxuan ate three bowls in a row before finally putting down his bowl with satisfaction. Lu San also ate two bowls, and Zheng Mang ate three bowls. He was about to ask for another bowl when he saw that the other two had put down their bowls, so he felt a little embarrassed and decided to put down his bowl as well.

Bai Jiaxuan called out to the kitchen with a smile.

"Vanilla, give my brother another bowl!"

Xiangcao agreed and brought out another bowl. Zheng Mang, feeling a little embarrassed, quickly thanked her, saying, "Thank you, sister-in-law!"

After finishing his fourth bowl of oil-splashed noodles, Zheng Mang put down the bowl with a satisfied expression. He felt comfortable and warm in his stomach. If he could eat a few bowls of oil-splashed noodles every day, he would be content even if he died.

Seeing that Zheng Mang had also finished eating, Bai Jiaxuan smiled and called out to Lu San.

"Third Brother, take your things back first. When you're done with your work, go check on the livestock at home, and remember to bring the two sets of clothes you bought for Heiwa!"

Lu San smiled and nodded, then hurriedly went back into the house, picked up a sack, and went back inside.

Seeing that Lu San had also left, Bai Jiaxuan patted Zheng Mang on the shoulder and said...

"Zheng Mang, get on the horse, let's go for a stroll on the plains!"

Zheng Mang nodded. During his trip to Kaifeng, he also bought three horses. Bai Jiaxuan and the other man each led a horse, mounted them together, and rode towards the entrance of Bailuyuan Village!

The two arrived at a deserted spot, several miles from the village, before stopping.

Bai Jiaxuan looked at the vast mountains in the distance, remained silent for a long time, and then spoke to Zheng Mang beside him.

"Zheng Mang, have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"

Upon hearing Bai Jiaxuan's inexplicable remark, Zheng Mang touched the few strands of hair that had just grown on his head, feeling embarrassed, and replied with a smile.

"I...I don't know either, Brother Bai. I'll do whatever you tell me to do!"

Bai Jiaxuan looked at the green-faced young man in front of him and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He shouted boldly.

"Okay! You'll do whatever I tell you, and I'll guarantee you a bright future!"

Zheng Mang was also inspired by Bai Jiaxuan's boldness and looked at Bai Jiaxuan with longing eyes!

Bai Jiaxuan then smiled and said.

"Do you know what those fifteen large wooden crates we brought back this time are?"

Zheng Mang thought for a moment and then shook his head.

Bai Jiaxuan smiled and pulled out the pistol he had gotten from Boss Huang last time from his waist.