Transmigrating into a peasant family to fight against the best, leading my parents to earn gold and

Chapter 360 Catching the Thief

After a moment's thought, Manager Su said, "It's half and half. It could be workers from our medicinal herb fields, or it could be farmers from the surrounding area. It's too early to draw any conclusions."

However, our workers in the medicinal herb fields weed and loosen the soil field by field, and the thief happened to avoid the fields the workers were tending. This means they knew the workers' progress in the fields, which proves that this thief knew our medicinal herb fields very well.

"What you said makes a lot of sense. But this also makes it more likely that the thief was one of the workers in our medicinal herb field."

He frowned and continued, "These medicinal herb fields are full of hardworking workers. How could a thief do something so audacious under everyone's noses? Isn't he afraid that if we find out, we won't let him off easily?"

Suppressing their anger, the two began to discuss countermeasures. If they did not find the depraved thief as soon as possible, the medicinal herbs in the field would continue to be lost.

Moreover, once someone finds out that the thief stole the medicinal herbs without being caught, more people will take chances and come to the medicinal field to try their luck, stealing herbs to exchange for silver.

As the saying goes, one person can hardly form a crowd, but three people can make a tiger.

With so many people stealing medicinal herbs, it will be difficult to catch the thieves. Also, the law doesn't punish everyone, so it won't just be a matter of stealing anymore; there might be a whole crowd coming to loot it.

Just thinking about it made them both feel dizzy and gave them terrible headaches.

They cannot allow or tolerate such a thing happening, because they have hired so many workers to help manage the medicinal herb fields, and they pay the workers their wages on time every month. The value of thousands of acres of land is there for all to see. Even if they don't grow medicinal herbs, they can still earn a lot of money by renting them out.

"It's not difficult to find out who the thief is; the method is actually quite simple."

Manager Su looked around to make sure the workers in the distance couldn't hear him before whispering his solution.

"These thieves stole once without being caught by us. They exchanged the stolen silver for real money, and seeing the silver in their hands made them even more eager to steal. They took a chance and wanted to continue stealing, unaware that we had already discovered them."

During the day, with workers around, they wouldn't dare to steal openly. Nine times out of ten, they'd come at night. We'll stake out the herb field at night, and if the thieves dare to come again, we'll catch them on the spot and find out who they are.”

Lin Qingchuan nodded in agreement with Manager Su's method.

"Alright, then let's stay here in the herb field and let him come. I'm afraid he won't come, and we won't be able to capture him on the spot."

It was still daytime, and there was still half a day before dark, so they had plenty of time to return to the county and arrange for some people to accompany them on their stakeout.

Since it's uncertain how many thieves there are, whether it's one person or several working together, if they don't send reinforcements, the two of them alone might not have much of a chance against several thieves.

Manager Su added, "Brother Qingchuan, let's hurry back, call Shuisheng and Wu Yu, and three or four more men. Let's take our weapons and come back together. If those thieves dare to come again tonight, we'll make sure they don't leave alive!"

“If murder weren’t a crime, I would make sure they came in upright and left horizontal.”

Lin Qingchuan has always been an honest and kind person, so the fact that he said those words shows that he was really angry.

Manager Su knew that Lin Qingchuan was angry when he said those words. He shook his head and said, "These words are just for venting. Of course, they should be taught a lesson, but there's no need to make them suffer. Their self-deprecating lives are not worth sacrificing our lives for."

"Sigh, I was just angry and said some harsh words. I wouldn't dare to actually kill anyone. Let's not delay and go back to find someone now."

Shopkeeper Su tossed aside the medicinal herb roots in his hand, clapped his hands, and walked out of the herb field with Lin Qingchuan. They got into a carriage and hurried back to the county.

The workers in the medicinal herb field occasionally noticed that the two owners had been there before, but they didn't pay much attention and continued to work enthusiastically weeding and loosening the soil.

These medicinal herbs will soon be ripe. After this harvest, they won't need any more care. We can just wait for the harvest.

No one noticed that in some inconspicuous places in several other fields along the edge of the paddy field, medicinal herbs had been stolen.

The carriage sped along, and Lin Qingchuan and Manager Su returned to Qianzhenlou together, where Lin Qingchuan told Shuisheng and Wu Yu about the matter.

Upon hearing this, the two were shocked and furious. They cursed and swore at the thief, and still not satisfied, they uttered a string of harsh words.

Before Lin Qingchuan and Manager Su could speak, the two of them immediately decided to go with them to stake out and catch the thief.

This medicinal herb field was their life's work, and now that it's been destroyed, it's like their hearts are bleeding!

They selected a few strong and healthy men, and when they arrived at the medicinal herb field in the evening, the workers had already finished their work. They brought their own dry rations, squatted in the field, and ate their rations while keeping watch.

The stems and leaves of the medicinal herbs in the herb field were just up to the height of an adult's thigh. When four people squatted down, they could just cover themselves. This was good, as the thieves could not see them from a distance, and it made it easier for them to lie in wait.

So the group of people quietly squatted there for about an hour.

The moon rises above the willow branches, and the heat of the day has not yet completely subsided; mosquitoes swarm wherever there are leaves and grass.

The four grown men were covered in welts from the stings.

"What time is it? Manager Su, do you think the thief might not come?" Wu Yu was starting to have an existential crisis.

"Could it be that the thieves aren't coming today?" Wu Yu asked, puzzled.

"No, they've tasted success, and they'll definitely come back before the harvest is complete."

Manager Su firmly believed in his intuition; those thieves had already tasted success, and before they were discovered, they would surely come back again.

Lin Qingchuan also felt that the thief was very likely to come back, after all, there was more than one place in the herb field that had been stolen from. Maybe the thief had come in several separate trips before, or maybe they had been lying in wait for a while and the thief hadn't come yet.

Just then, Manager Su vaguely heard some noise in the distance, and he immediately reminded everyone to keep quiet.

The group immediately fell silent, holding their breath, afraid of accidentally touching the herbs nearby and alerting the enemy.

A rustling sound came from not far away, and the group stared intently ahead with wide eyes.

Not long after, two burly men walked towards us from the edge of the field, carrying shovels, the tools they used in the crime, on their shoulders!

There was also a coarse cloth sack tucked under their armpits. This time, the evidence was irrefutable; it was definitely the two of them!

hateful!

Lin Qingchuan wanted to rush out and capture them immediately, but Manager Su stopped him and whispered, "Don't rush, let's take another look."

These two thieves were definitely not going to escape, but in case they had other accomplices, Manager Su decided to wait a little longer.

Two thieves crouched low and stealthily entered the medicinal herb field, their tone brimming with undisguised smugness.

"We've gotten this all without any effort. With this free medicinal herb field, shouldn't we, brothers, seize this incredible fortune?"

"It's just..."

The two men laughed heartily, their expressions quite wicked.

"I have to say, this thing is really valuable. We've really struck gold."

"There's no time to lose, let's get back to digging, or we'll be finished if someone comes to rescue us."

"Who would guard such a large medicinal herb field? How can the owner possibly manage it? Everyone works during the day for wages. Even if they discover a problem with the field, no one will step forward."

“That’s perfect for us brothers. This is pure silver. Before the medicinal herb fields are fully harvested, let’s harvest as much as we can and try to make a fortune so we can live a good life soon.”

"That's right. We work ourselves to the bone for just a pittance every month, while the employers make money hand over fist. It's about time we laborers got a taste of the good life."

"hey-hey……"

As they talked, the two picked up their shovels and began digging with practiced ease and speed.

"You scoundrel, where do you think you're going!"

Lin Qingchuan couldn't hold back any longer. He leaped forward and kicked the two thieves to the ground with one kick each.

The two thieves were so caught up in their fun that they were not on guard. They were suddenly kicked to the ground by Lin Qingchuan, which scared them so much that their hearts almost jumped out of their throats.

It was already quite late at night, and being in this medicinal herb field in the middle of nowhere was already a bit creepy.

How could he possibly stand by and watch the two of them damage the perfectly good medicinal herbs?

Shui Sheng and Wu Yu rushed up behind them and immediately rolled up their sleeves to punch and kick the two thieves.

The two thieves were so frightened that they were dumbfounded. It wasn't until the pain hit their bodies that they couldn't help but cry out and beg for mercy.

"Stop hitting me! Have mercy! Ah..."

Several of the men also surrounded them and couldn't help but attack the two thieves.

Lin Qingchuan gritted his teeth and roared, "You two are really bold! You actually dared to come to the herb field in the middle of the night to steal our medicinal herbs. You're really asking for trouble!"

One of the thieves immediately retorted and argued back.

"We were just strolling around here when we were suddenly captured and beaten by you. You've misunderstood us. We're not thieves. If you keep hitting us, we'll report you to the authorities!"

The two thieves, having failed to steal the medicinal herbs, turned around and threatened Lin Qingchuan and the others.

Lin Qingchuan's temper flared up instantly, and he could no longer hold back. He raised his fist and started punching the two of them.

Everyone was furious. They had spent half the day feeding on mosquitoes in the medicinal herb field, and now that they had finally caught the thief, they were determined to vent their anger.

So the two thieves were beaten until they screamed and howled, struggling to escape, but there was nowhere to run.

"Stop hitting! Stop hitting! Please stop!"

The thief was curled up on the ground, his hands protecting his head and other vital parts.

"How arrogant you are! You steal things and think you're in the right? You want to sue us in court? You stole our medicinal herbs, do you have the guts to go to the government office? I'm more afraid you won't dare!" Shui Sheng shouted as he hit.

At first, the two thieves still had the strength to howl and beg for mercy, but gradually their voices weakened and their throats became hoarse.

It looked especially eerie in the pitch-black night!

Upon seeing this, Manager Su frowned. Seeing that things had gone too far, he stepped forward to dissuade him.

"Stop fighting. Just teach them a lesson. Don't let it escalate to the point of causing death. It's not worth getting yourself into trouble for people like them." Manager Su brought everyone back to their senses.

Everyone gradually stopped, and a few of the men couldn't help but spit at the two thieves.

"Pah, you bastard!"

Lin Qingchuan scolded the thief, "This is what happens to thieves. Since you dared to do this kind of thing in secret, you should have known that you would be caught sooner or later. The tools of the crime are right here, yet you still deny it to the death!"

"No, I'm still so angry. How about I beat him up again?" Shui Sheng said.

Upon hearing this, the thief, who had been motionless, immediately sprang to his feet, knelt down, and begged for mercy, "No, boss, we know we were wrong!"

"Yes, we will never dare to do it again. Please have mercy, boss. We will do anything you ask us to do from now on, just don't send us to the government. We will definitely serve you like cattle and horses to repay you."

The night was dark and the surroundings were pitch black. The two thieves had no idea that the men who attacked them were Lin Qingchuan and his companions.

However, after hearing Lin Qingchuan mention their medicinal herb field, the two of them guessed that their boss was among this group of people and had come to arrest them in person.

In the end, Lin Qingchuan had his servants take out the ropes that had been prepared beforehand from the carriage, tie up the two thieves, and bring them back to Qianzhenlou.

They couldn't see clearly from the fields, but once they returned to Qianzhenlou, the main hall was brightly lit, and everyone could finally see that the two thieves had been beaten black and blue, their clothes torn in several places, and they were in such a sorry state that it was unbearable to look at them. It was clear that Qingchuan and Shuisheng had really been ruthless.

Everyone has invested a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources in the medicinal herb field, and has also put in a lot of effort, so naturally they deeply hate the thieves who steal medicinal herbs.

They have hands and feet, they can do anything, but instead of trying to earn money honestly and steadily with their own hands, they choose to steal and do crooked things.

Every one of these thieves is a blessing in disguise!

The two thieves looked up and saw their two bosses, as well as Shui Sheng and Wu Yu, who were favored by the bosses. Only then did they realize that they had kicked a hornet's nest today and had been caught red-handed by their bosses.

The two were so panicked that their faces turned completely pale, and they wished they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into immediately.

If their employer sends them to the authorities, they're doomed!

Lin Qingchuan glared at them fiercely, moved a stool and sat down in front of them, intending to guard them and send them to the government office the next morning.

Both thieves were tightly bound and unable to move an inch. Even if they wanted to escape, they were powerless to do so.

The men were still furious and unwilling to let them off so easily. After discussing it, they decided to send them to the authorities for punishment at dawn!

The next morning, he was taken to the government office by Manager Su and his companions.

County government office.

The magistrate sat high on the platform, his brows furrowed, watching the two men kneeling on the ground, their faces bruised and swollen, their clothes tattered, looking as if they had been badly beaten, each grimacing in pain.

He asked in a cold voice, "Who are you here, and what brings you here?"

The two thieves exchanged a glance and immediately shouted that they were innocent.

"My lords, you must do justice for this humble citizen! I've been beaten like this; it's an abuse of power, it's illegal..."

"Yes, sir, this humble subject's body is covered in welts, look how ruthless they are..."