Chapter 88: Raking Up Old Debts
Li Xiaoshan came running to deliver the message, “Sis, the government has sent grain. They’re right under the Old Elm Tree, and everyone’s waiting for you all.”
The account book was with Lu Chengjing, and grain distribution followed the account book, so Shang Wan’s family naturally had to go over.
“Wait a moment.” Shang Wan came out from the shed, put away the axe, and went to the wellside to wash her hands.
Xiao Huan removed the wood chips from her hair for her, wanting Shang Wan to change clothes, but Shang Wan waved her hand, “No need. The shed still needs fixing, and I’ll have to continue when I get back.”
Xiao Huan had no choice but to drop it.
Lu Chengjing placed the account book on his lap and turned his wheelchair over.
“Sis, where’s Shi Tou?” Li Xiaoshan looked around but didn’t see Shi Tou.
Shang Wan said, “Shi Tou went to the city to pick up people.”
Last night, while everyone was asleep, she had taken all the bricks and lime out from the space.
Shi Tou saw it when he got up early and thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He wanted to ask Shang Wan about it, but Xiao Huan diverted him with a few words. After breakfast, he forgot all about it.
The materials for the early stage of house building were ready, so it was time to bring He Sizhi and his group over to work. The family couldn’t keep living in the shed forever.
Shi Tou had volunteered to go to the city to pick them up and had driven the ox cart into the city after lunch.
Li Xiaoshan asked curiously, “Pick up who?”
“For building the house.” Shang Wan bent down to pick up Yuan Yuan, who was happily rolling around on the soft cushion, and straightened the little tuft on the kid’s head.
Li Xiaoshan said “oh” and ran to the back of Lu Chengjing’s wheelchair, saying to Xiao Huan, “Xiao Huan sis, you rest. I’ll push brother-in-law.”
These days, Li Xiaoshan had gotten familiar with Shang Wan and the others, and even Yuan Yuan really liked this little brother who played with her.
Xiao Huan smiled and said, “Be careful, now.”
Li Xiaoshan readily agreed.
The half-grown boy ate a lot and had plenty of strength, pushing the wheelchair with ease.
Xiao Hui had the little turtle on its head, and the two stayed behind to guard the house.
The group chatted and laughed, and before they even reached under the Old Elm Tree, they heard the noisy quarreling.
Shang Wan raised an eyebrow; the Lin Family had returned at just the right time.
“Make way, make way, the Xiucai Scholar is here.” Li Xiaoshan shouted, and the villagers automatically parted to make a path, their gazes all falling on the account book on Lu Chengjing’s lap.
Shang Wan and Xiao Huan walked behind, following them in.
Shang Wan glanced over and saw that the familiar face delivering the disaster relief grain this time was Dan Dajun.
A strange man stood beside Dan Dajun, about the same age as Village Chief Lin, slightly plump, with dark skin.
Thick eyebrows and long eyes, hawk nose, thin lips like paper, goatee on his chin, stern face and drooping brows—he didn’t look like someone easy to deal with.
Judging from the Lin Family’s attitude toward him and the villagers’ repeated mentions of “Village Head,” this was probably Qin Lizheng from Xiao He Village.
Seeing Shang Wan’s group, especially Lu Chengjing coming in the wheelchair, Qin Lizheng’s gaze flickered, and he stroked his goatee up and down with his hand.
Old Man Wu and the others lit up as if seeing their savior upon spotting Lu Chengjing and hurriedly said, “Xiucai Scholar, you judge this. The work-point system was something everyone discussed and agreed on. The Lin Family didn’t contribute any labor themselves, but now they want the biggest share in grain distribution. Where’s the justice in that?”
Lu Chengjing frowned and hadn’t spoken yet when Lin Jianshan, standing opposite, cut in first, “The disaster relief grain from the Imperial Court already has a share for my family. My dad is the village chief—hasn’t he done enough for everyone usually? My family deserves the biggest share.”
“Besides, Lu Xiucai records accounts for you and gets benefits, so of course he’s on your side. Whatever justice he judges is crooked. The Village Head is here; we should listen to the Village Head.”
Li Dashan spat, “You only talk about doing things—why not mention all the benefits your Lin Family has gotten?”
“Yeah, why not talk about how your family took all the good land?” someone took the chance to question.
Liu Cheng said, “During the flood, your house collapsed. When building the new house, didn’t all the village’s young and old put in a lot of effort? Not to mention wages, shouldn’t the meals be decent at least? But what did your family provide? No meat or oil was one thing, but it was hard to even eat your fill.”
Someone chimed in, “It left me too hungry to work.”
Liu Shi muttered softly, “We didn’t ask for your help. You came begging uninvited, and now you have the nerve to complain.”
An auntie who heard that wasn’t pleased, “Who was begging? Liu Xiaolan, explain yourself to me!”
“Right, explain!”
“No good deed goes unpunished; no one mistreats people like this!”
As they spoke, the argument heated up. The villagers pointed at the Lin Family and cursed them, with all sorts of foul and mild insults flying, spittle everywhere.
The Lin Family wouldn’t back down, and when they couldn’t outargue, they started dredging up old accounts, voices getting louder and louder—it was utter chaos.
Lu Chengjing ignored the lively arguing crowd, flipping through the account book while quietly observing Qin Lizheng.
Xiao Huan silently noted the village’s various disputes, thinking that this one argument revealed more information than targeted inquiries ever could.
Shang Wan carried Yuan Yuan over to exchange pleasantries with Dan Dajun.
“Big Brother Dan, how much grain does our village get this time?”
Hearing Shang Wan greet Dan Dajun so naturally, Qin Lizheng glanced sideways and gave her an extra look.
Even Lord An treated Shang Wan politely with a protective air, so Dan Dajun naturally wouldn’t act superior and was happy to do her a favor.
With a smile, he pointed to the grain bags stacked on three carts and said, “All the grain on the carts. Elm Tree Village has the most people among the nearby villages, so the lord specially instructed to add ten percent. I’m familiar with the road to the village, so the lord sent me.”
Shang Wan took a quick look: three carts, each cart could hold about seven to eight shi of grain, so all three together, eating rice three meals a day, would last the villagers about half a month.
If they rationed it carefully, a month would be enough.
Dan Dajun leaned close to Shang Wan and whispered, “Master Lu raised over a thousand shi of grain from all the gentry, solving the lord’s urgent problem.”
Shang Wan raised an eyebrow; grain from the gentry wasn’t that easy to get. The Lu Family must have bled heavily this time and probably taken a lot of grievances.
“Ahem, quiet!” Qin Lizheng suddenly coughed heavily twice, sternly scolding with a straight face, “You’re all from the same village—show some understanding for each other. Past matters are in the past. Grain distribution is the priority now!”
“The officers are still waiting to report back to the lord. If we’re delayed, who among you can take responsibility?”
Shang Wan secretly curled her lip; he pulled out the big banner right away, clearly trying to intimidate them.
But she had to admit, this trick worked well on the villagers.
The group, red-faced and thick-necked from arguing, all fell silent, their thoughts turning back to grain distribution.
Many looked expectantly at Lu Chengjing, Old Man Wu, and the others.
The work-point system was their proposal, and they’d guaranteed it to the villagers. If the labor ended up for nothing in the end, the villagers wouldn’t stand for it.
Village Chief Lin looked ashamed and bowed slightly to Qin Lizheng, his tone carrying three parts helplessness, “Brother Qin, as village chief, I’ve failed to keep order, letting an outsider stir up chaos in the village and making a joke of it for you.”
The remark’s barb was aimed straight at Shang Wan’s family.
If Shang Wan’s family hadn’t moved to the village, Village Chief Lin would still be the authoritative figure everyone obeyed and fawned over.
The Lin Family would naturally enjoy the village’s benefits as a matter of course, and even in a disaster, there wouldn’t suddenly be some work-point system for grain distribution that made the Lin Family suffer.
