The constables paid no mind to Tao Lengshuang, assuming she was a troublesome woman who knew nothing of the law, and repeatedly berated her.
"What nonsense are you spouting, a village woman? Do you understand the law? Dare to utter another word of nonsense, and I'll arrest you and throw you in jail."
Tao Lengshuang's disgust for these constables grew. She crossed her arms and sneered, "The law clearly stipulates that without an arrest warrant, you constables have no right to arrest anyone."
"Try arresting me if you have the guts. See if I don't turn the county yamen upside down and get you all thrown in jail."
The constables exchanged glances, wondering where Tao Lengshuang had heard this, and their arrogance intensified.
"You are disrupting order and gathering a crowd to cause trouble. We have the right to arrest you."
Tao Lengshuang scoffed, retorting sarcastically, "Even constables from the Ministry of Justice need an arrest warrant or official document to apprehend criminals."
"Since when have you, constables without official positions, been able to arbitrarily concoct charges and arrest innocent citizens?"
Before the constables could respond, she continued, "What constitutes gathering a crowd to cause trouble? It means bringing a large group of people to a place to cause trouble. Did I bring a large group of people anywhere to cause trouble?"
"No!"
She clapped her hands and spread them, "Where have I disrupted order? We were setting up our stalls peacefully, not bothering anyone, not making a fuss. Everyone was conducting fair and reasonable business, exchanging money for goods. Can that be considered disrupting order?"
The surrounding people nodded in agreement, whispering amongst themselves.
"Yes, yes, this woman is absolutely right. How is this disrupting order or gathering a crowd to cause trouble?"
"We can't afford the entry and exit taxes, so we can't sell our goods in town. We have to sell them here to make a living. We can't just sit here and starve."
"Alas~~ With all these taxes, it's the common people who suffer. If this continues, I fear the common people will truly be driven to death."
Hearing this, the constables immediately moved to arrest Tao Lengshuang.
"Come on, try arresting me. I guarantee I'll turn the county yamen upside down and make sure you all have a miserable time." Just as Tao Lengshuang was discreetly preparing to use her powder, she heard a stranger's loud shout.
"Wait, wait!"
A thin, dark-skinned constable ran over quickly, grabbing his colleagues and pulling them towards the town.
"What are you still doing here? Something's happened!"
Upon hearing that something had happened, the constables quickly followed their colleague towards the county yamen, whispering to ask what was going on.
The constable dared not say it publicly, only stating that they would know once they returned to the yamen.
Seeing this, Tao Lengshuang guessed it might be related to taxes. She narrowed her eyes, thinking that if it was indeed about taxes, these constables would become scapegoats.
But that had nothing to do with her.
She put on a cheerful smile again, her tone light as she called out to passersby, "Look at these fresh wild goods, top-quality medicinal herbs! Miss this chance, and you'll never get another."
She winked at Aunt Wang San and Aunt Shen Er.
Aunt Wang San and Aunt Shen Er quickly began to greet passersby again, thinking that selling more would help their families live a little better.
The surrounding stall owners, seeing this, also resumed setting up their stalls.
Before long, the area became lively again.
Even some shops in town sent people to buy goods.
This was because the vendors here sold their items at a much lower price than those in town, operating on a sell-as-much-as-you-can basis.
Some clever shops even set up small stalls here to sell and buy goods, killing two birds with one stone.
Tao Lengshuang's medicinal herbs were bought by two herb merchants at reasonable prices.
However, not many people bought her wild goods.
She wasn't worried. If the wild goods didn't sell, she would take them home for her own use.
While selling wild goods, she bought some rice, flour, and other necessities at a lower price than usual.
When the sun was about to set, Tao Lengshuang, Aunt Wang San, and Aunt Shen Er packed up their belongings and returned to the village together.
As soon as they arrived, Tao Laoda's family, who had been waiting, swarmed them.
"Lengshuang, you've worked hard."
Tao Laoda greedily scanned Tao Lengshuang's basket, rubbing his hands and smiling, "Lengshuang, you know we're family. You should consider us first when there's any good news, right?"
Tao Lengshuang knew why Tao Laoda's family had come the moment she heard him: "Just say what you want directly. There's no need to beat around the bush."
Tao Laoda's smile widened, and he said quickly, "These are my two daughters."
As he spoke, he pushed his two daughters in front of Tao Lengshuang, acting as if he were hawking merchandise.
Tao Lengshuang glanced at the two young girls.
The elder one, about thirteen or fourteen years old, was thin and timid, appearing like a child of seven or eight. She wore clothes patched all over and nervously clutched the hem of her skirt, not daring to even look at Tao Lengshuang.
The younger one, about seven or eight years old, was even thinner and more timid, appearing like a child of three or four. She also wore patched clothes and shrunk weakly behind her elder sister.
"Lengshuang, look how well my two daughters have grown."
Tao Laoda pushed his daughters again, eager to marry them off for a betrothal gift, "That noble young master will surely like them. You take them to him."
"According to custom, just get me more betrothal gifts in return."
He had already figured that the noble young master must be very wealthy, capable of giving him at least a hundred taels of silver as a betrothal gift.
With a hundred taels of silver, he could even take a concubine and have a few more sons.
Tao Lengshuang's face showed sarcasm, and she said mockingly, "I say, Tao Laoda, do you think your two daughters are unparalleled beauties?"
"Who would fancy such scrawny and ugly girls? Let alone you thinking of extorting a large sum with your two daughters. Even a fool wouldn't fall for that."
Tao Laoda's expression faltered for a moment, but he then said cheerfully, "Lengshuang, my two daughters are just underfed. They'll look much better once they've eaten their fill."
"How about this, after this is done, I'll give you a tael of silver as a thank-you gift."
Looking at his pained and condescending expression, Tao Lengshuang felt only disgust, "Please, get as far away from here as possible, or I'll give you a packet of powder that will keep you in bed for the rest of your life."
Tao Laoda recoiled in fear, shouting back feebly, "Lengshuang, I'm your elder brother. You must help me this time, or I'm not done with you."