Chapter 90: Don’t Squeeze
Dan Dajun was speechless. Why had it suddenly turned to him?
The other officers looked toward Dan Dajun.
The money had been divided among the brothers, and the taken money couldn’t be spit out. According to the rules, they should stand on Village Head Qin’s side.
But they all knew that Lord An had kept Lady Shang’s family for a private talk. If they offended the two, they might go before the lord to badmouth them, which would be more loss than gain.
Dan Dajun indicated, did this even need hesitation?
Look further ahead. Keeping their positions was the only way to receive more bribes.
Facing the gazes looking over from the crowd, he said gravely, “The lord does know about this matter.”
With that hammer blow, Village Head Qin staggered in disbelief, his eyes staring at Dan Dajun in shock.
That gaze plainly said: You took the bribe money!
Dan Dajun touched his nose. When taking the money, this old man hadn’t said the people to deal with were Lu Xiucai Scholar’s family.
Someone like old man Qin, Lady Shang alone could beat a thousand of them. Why go against such a star of disaster?
Wasn’t this the God of Longevity hanging himself—seeking death?
Village Head Qin’s lips pressed into a straight line, his mind racing to think of countermeasures, but Lu Chengjing didn’t give him that time and gave Village Head Qin a multiple-choice question as well.
“Village Head thinks, how should this disaster relief grain be distributed?”
Hearing this question, Village Head Qin’s face flickered between green and white, gradually turning red. Under everyone’s gaze, he held back for a long time before spitting out, “Since there was an prior agreement, naturally distribute by distribution based on labor.”
The villagers immediately cheered, but the Lin Family members’ faces turned ashen. Village Chief Lin stared at Village Head Qin, “Qin…”
The words had just started when they drew an angry glare from Village Head Qin.
If Village Chief Lin hadn’t failed to inquire clearly, how would his dignity be swept away today, letting a yellow-mouthed kid prevail.
He shouldn’t have come to meddle in this matter!
Seeing Village Chief Lin deflated, Old Man Wu’s face broke into wrinkles from smiling. He called to the villagers, “Everyone, don’t rush. Go back first and get the things for bagging grain. With the officers watching, the grain won’t run away.”
The villagers agreed, each family sending someone back to get the items for bagging grain. Soon, the crowd around had thinned by more than half.
Seeing that her own family hadn’t moved, Chen Guifang anxiously said, “Mom, according to the rules, we can get some too. Let’s go back and get things to bag the grain.”
Her man still didn’t know when he would wake up. More grain would be good.
This rule had been discussed by Lu Chengjing, Old Man Wu, and others specifically to take care of childless or widowed households in the village or those with little labor.
It was equivalent to setting a basic guarantee. Whether helping with village labor or not, everyone got it, and those who put in labor would add on top of the guarantee according to how much they contributed.
“What’s the rush?” Liu Shi glared at her second son’s wife, unwillingly reached out, poked hard at Lin Jianshan’s lower back, and kept signaling toward Village Head Qin with her eyes.
They had sent those gifts, but the matter hadn’t succeeded. Was it just going to end like this?
Lin Jianshan was furious inside too. He had thought inviting Village Head Qin and greasing the officers would make the grain distribution a sure thing. Who knew Lu Xiucai Scholar had this trick up his sleeve, pulling in the prefect as backing.
Seeing Village Head Qin’s attitude now, it seemed they really would distribute by distribution based on labor.
He immediately said to Chen Guifang, “Younger brother’s wife, go to your home and get those two rice sacks from the house.”
Chen Guifang agreed and hurriedly ran home, afraid that if she was late, the grain would be all divided.
Li Dashan moved a long wooden table out from the shed, the height just right for Lu Chengjing to sit in the wheelchair and settle accounts.
Xiao Huan ran home to get Lu Chengjing’s usual brush and ink. Lu Chengjing calculated on the account book how much grain each household should receive based on the amount of disaster relief grain.
He didn’t even need to touch the abacus that Wu Mingli had specially brought. Glancing at the points recorded on the account book, he mentally calculated in an instant, writing down the corresponding amount of grain each received almost without pause.
Several village elders gathered around to watch. Some mentally calculated, others used their fingers. Often before they finished one, Lu Chengjing had already finished a page and turned it.
The few secretly clicked their tongues. At such a fast speed, under their checking, Xiucai Scholar hadn’t made a single mistake.
Xiucai Scholar was indeed Xiucai Scholar. With this skill, even if he couldn’t become an official later, he could easily support a family as an accountant.
Village Head Qin glanced sideways with disdain and coldly snorted, signaling Village Chief Lin with his eyes. The two walked to a distance, one after the other, to talk.
While teaching Yuan Yuan to speak, Shang Wan took in the entire conversation of the two in the distance.
Although the two deliberately lowered their voices, it didn’t hinder Shang Wan from hearing clearly at all.
A way to deal with them?
Shang Wan’s eyes darkened as she continued listening, but the two didn’t say what specific method it was and soon ended the talk and walked back.
Both men’s faces looked a bit better than before. Village Head Qin made an excuse of having matters at home and bid farewell to Dan Dajun and the others.
Dan Dajun nodded with a stern face, looking like he didn’t want to get too involved with Village Head Qin.
Village Head Qin smiled on the surface, but in his heart he had already cursed Dan Dajun’s ancestors eighteen generations over.
The villagers returned one after another. Zhang Da and a few others helped maintain order.
“Line up properly, don’t push!”
“Get your own grain, no proxies.”
“Xiucai Scholar has it all calculated, no one will be shorted. Don’t rush, come one by one.”
Under the arrangement of several village elders, Zhang Er and a few with loud voices were in charge of announcing, while Aunt Zhou and Aunt Yao took the lead, along with two other aunts from the village, weighing the grain according to the announced amounts.
Seeing the villagers completely forgetting him as village chief and organizing themselves, Village Chief Lin’s face was black as the bottom of a pot, practically able to scrape off a layer of ash.
He signaled Liu Shi with his eyes. Understanding, she shouted and squeezed over to help weigh the grain.
Aunt Zhou gave her a blank look. “Oh, we wouldn’t dare trouble you to do it. What if you get tired and blame us? You, go cool off on the side.”
“What kind of talk is this?” Liu Shi forced her way forward to grab the scooping spoon. “Come on, make room for me.”
“We have enough hands.” Aunt Yao sidestepped to block Liu Shi, not letting her touch it.
The other two aunts exchanged a glance and cooperated to usher Liu Shi out.
Liu Shi was so angry her hair was about to stand on end. With hands on hips, she wanted to curse.
Xiao Huan coughed once and said faintly, “The officers are all watching. Who dares make trouble during disaster relief grain distribution? Those sabers aren’t for show. I hear killing troublemakers can even earn merit back home.”
Now that the grain sacks were opened, it wasn’t like the dispute earlier. If chaos broke out now, Dan Dajun and his group wouldn’t just stand by.
Hearing this, Liu Shi subconsciously shut her mouth tight and turned to glance at where Dan Dajun and the others stood.
Seeing the official sabers hanging at their waists, that impulse to throw a tantrum instantly extinguished.
Her face embarrassed, she walked back to Village Chief Lin’s side and said softly, “Hubby, no shortage of hands.”
Village Chief Lin glanced at her. “Second son needs people by his side. You take his wife home first.”
Liu Shi hesitated. “Then the grain…”
Village Chief Lin said coldly, “Go home!”
Liu Shi didn’t dare ask more and pulled Chen Guifang away.
Shang Wan looked over here and just caught Village Chief Lin’s sinister, calculating gaze.
Her lip corner hooked into a provocative smile. Who was calculating whom wasn’t certain yet!
Another chapter got stuck. Nothing was written, so why stuck? Speechless… Don’t know when it will pass.
