After lunch, Shen Qingwan rested for a night at Ye Minglan’s place.

Early the next morning, she returned to Dahe Village.

There was still a lot of work waiting for her there, so she couldn’t stay to accompany her mother just yet.

She planned to take care of everything in the village first, then make a trip to the capital—to kick that scoundrel Lu Wenzhao to the curb.

After that, she would deal with the matter of the children.

If she could bring them back, that would be ideal. But if they didn’t want to follow her, she wouldn’t force them.

This period would serve as Lu Wenzhao’s fair chance to prove himself.

If he truly cared for the two children, then naturally, they would choose to stay with him. Though she loved them, she wasn’t their biological parent.

She didn’t want them to grow up resenting her for taking them away.

Before returning to the village, Shen Qingwan stopped by the training grounds where Meng Hangzhou and the others were being trained.

The place had been arranged by Rong Yunfei—it wasn’t far from their residence, located in a secluded alley in the western part of the city.

It was a large four-courtyard estate, spacious enough to accommodate over a hundred children.

In the end, only about thirty of the kids that Rong Yunfei had brought back remained.

Shen Qingwan had a training blueprint drawn up and instructed Rong Yunfei to rearrange the courtyard accordingly.

Now, the children were training daily according to her customized schedule.

Aside from physical training, Shen Qingwan also hired a teacher to educate them in reading and writing.

If any of them displayed talent, she would make sure to nurture it. She aimed to train them into well-rounded individuals—not only skilled in combat but knowledgeable in many areas.

These children would one day become her most trusted aides.

Meng Hangzhou was the fastest learner among them.

Since he was older and already had a foundation in martial arts, he progressed more quickly.

The boy was determined to fight on the battlefield, so he trained diligently.

In addition to regular training, Shen Qingwan required Meng Hangzhou to study military strategy for two hours every day.

There were also two other boys who showed a keen interest in military tactics, so she gave them books on the subject as well.

The military books were from her personal collection—antique-style texts written in traditional characters, covering warfare, military formations, battle strategies, and cold weapons.

She pulled out more than twenty volumes at once—enough to keep them occupied for quite some time.

Rong Yunfei, now acting as their martial arts instructor, was responsible for training them daily.

Though he only had his left arm, it was more than enough to handle a group of children.

Shen Qingwan observed their training for a while, gave Meng Hangzhou some pointers, then left.

She drove the carriage back to Dahe Village alone.

From a distance, she could already see vast green fields, forming a stark contrast with the barren lands further away.

However, something felt off. Normally, at this time of day, there should be people tending to the crops—pulling weeds and managing the fields.

Yet now, the fields were completely empty.

Sensing something was wrong, she quickened her pace.

As soon as she reached the village entrance, she saw a large crowd gathered.

Some were crying, others were cursing angrily, and a few were shouting about seeking justice.

The village chief was about to speak when he spotted Shen Qingwan’s carriage. The villagers saw her too, and at once, it was as if they had found their pillar of support.

“Eldest daughter-in-law, you’ve finally returned!”

The village chief was the first to approach her. Shen Qingwan’s gaze swept over the villagers, noticing several bruised and battered faces. Some people lay on the ground, unable to stand—one of them was Lu Wenguang. Her expression grew serious.

“Village Chief, what happened?”

She quickly jumped down from the carriage and walked toward Lu Wenguang.

Seeing him leaning against Zhou Huiniang, his face contorted in pain, her worry deepened.

“It’s a family from the county, the Feng family. They’ve set their sights on our village’s land and want to buy it all,” the village chief explained. “At first, they were polite, but when we told them the land was privately owned and not for sale, their attitude changed.

“They came back several times to issue threats, but we stood firm. Then today, Master Feng arrived with twenty to thirty county yamen officers and a group of his personal guards. They accused us of illegally occupying the land and tried to seize it.

“The villagers were furious and argued with them, but Feng’s guards beat them up. Lu Wenguang led the others in trying to fight back, but the yamen officers protected the attackers. They warned that if we retaliated, they’d charge us with assaulting government officials.

“They left saying that by tomorrow morning, they will take over the land—and we aren’t even allowed to harvest our crops.”

Hearing this, rage surged within Shen Qingwan.

How audacious! Did they really dare to provoke her?

“What kind of people are the Fengs?” she asked, genuinely curious.

She was familiar with the power dynamics in Suzhou City, but she didn’t know much about the county. Ever since moving here, she hadn’t even set foot in town.

The land deeds had been handled by the village chief on her behalf.

At the mention of the Fengs, the village chief shot an angry glance at Zhang Hong and Wu Erniang. If it weren’t for their daughter, Zhang Qiao’er, the Fengs wouldn’t have even taken an interest in Dahe Village’s land.

The village chief wasn’t foolish—he didn’t believe for a second that the Feng family was doing this just for some farmland. Zhang Qiao’er must have whispered something in her new husband’s ear.

After all, she had left the village on bad terms with Shen Qingwan—and she had eloped.

“That Master Feng is one of the wealthiest men in the county,” the village chief said. “Recently, Zhang Qiao’er returned—she married into the Feng family as a concubine. Shortly after she came back, Master Feng showed up to buy land. There’s no doubt she’s behind this. Otherwise, why would he suddenly take an interest in our village?”

This time, the village chief didn’t bother protecting Zhang Qiao’er’s reputation. Anyone with eyes could see what was happening.

Zhang Hong and Wu Erniang panicked and rushed to explain. “Village Chief, this has nothing to do with us! We’ve already cut ties with that wretched girl. Her life or death has nothing to do with our family anymore!”

Zhang Hong wanted to distance himself from his daughter as much as possible. He wasn’t stupid—he knew where his true roots lay. His daughter’s current status was temporary, but he had to live in Dahe Village for the rest of his life.

Besides, ever since Shen Qingwan’s business had started, every household in the village had money and food. In another year, they could even afford to build brick houses.

There was no way he would ruin all of that for a daughter who had abandoned them.

Seeing that he was still sensible, the village chief didn’t press further.

Lu Wenguang coughed twice and looked at Shen Qingwan with concern.

“Sister-in-law, the Fengs are clearly in cahoots with the county magistrate. I’m afraid we can’t fight them alone. But we can’t give up this land either! If we must, we’ll take this to the prefectural government and ask the governor to uphold justice.”

Though honest by nature, Lu Wenguang was not someone who tolerated being bullied. Even a rabbit would bite if cornered.