Chapter 535 - 536: Plans
Chapter 535: Chapter 536: Plans
Zhuang Datou had already prepared for the worst. Since his family wasn’t going to let him live in peace, then no one would. If not for his master’s kindness, he would still just be a slave now. He had finally secured a bright future. He had even thought about sending his child to an academy after his wife gave birth, so they could elevate their family’s status. But now he saw clearly: no matter how hard he worked, his family was determined to make him carry them all forward. His previous plans were nothing but a pipe dream. Since they were all going to hell anyway, why should he show any mercy? The worst-case scenario would just be him signing another deed of sale and moving to a new place, far away from this family.
Zhuang Tian’s chest heaved violently with anger. Just as he was about to curse this unfilial son, he heard his younger brother exclaim from behind. He turned around to look, and to his horror, the old man had fallen straight backward, lying stiffly on the ground.
"Dad!" The Zhuang family instantly swarmed around him. It was hard to tell what they were truly thinking, but their faces were all filled with anxiety.
"Hah, what a bunch of filial sons," Zhuang Datou scoffed. He felt a fleeting moment of panic but quickly composed himself, turning to glare at the Huang family. "Are you satisfied now? Since you’ve forced me into a corner with no way out, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Tell me, does Huang Pingguo listen to you, or does he listen to me?"
The Huang family’s pupils shrank slightly. Lu Cuihua, in particular, sprang up to scratch at him, but she was caught by Huang Qianlao, who was standing nearby. "Don’t make a scene yet."
Huang Qianlao didn’t dare to gamble right now. Huang Pingguo was indeed his son, but the boy had always listened to Zhuang Datou since childhood. If those words just now swayed Huang Pingguo, all their previous plans would be completely ruined.
"Datou, we also watched you grow up, and we just want you two to live a better life. Why did both our families pack up and come to seek refuge with you? It’s because we had no other choice. We really couldn’t survive back home. You two are the hope of the entire family. We sold our houses and lands to come out here, thinking you could help your uncles and brothers find a way out..."
Zhuang Datou quietly watched his performance. He had long guessed that the two families had ulterior motives for coming here, but he had assumed it was at most to get him to arrange some work for them. However, the jobs on the mountain had long been settled with the villagers; it wouldn’t be appropriate to let anyone go. Besides, he had finally established a good situation for himself, and he couldn’t let personal favors ruin his reputation. Moreover, deep down, he vaguely sensed that these family members weren’t as capable and hardworking as they made themselves out to be. If he let them work on the mountain, slacking off would probably become the norm, and he feared they might even abuse his authority to act as bullies.
He was originally just a minor steward. The master and madam trusted him, but they also had their methods. He didn’t dare to take the risk, which was why, even though he and Huang Pingguo had felt somewhat tempted these past few days, they hadn’t dared to arrange for these people to join the workforce.
"I’ve told you all before, I don’t have that much power," Zhuang Datou reiterated. "This place isn’t far from the county town. If you want to find work, you can absolutely go there and ask around. Many noblemen have recently arrived in the county town, and plenty of people are hiring every day. As long as you are hardworking, you won’t go hungry."
There were indeed many people in town looking for workers. After all, with so many people settling down there, aside from the servants attending to them, plenty of trivial tasks and heavy manual labor required extra hands. However, because Tian Village had the estate, the villagers didn’t go out looking for work. But in the neighboring villages, apart from some who came here to work, many had gone into town to find jobs. Although the wages and benefits weren’t as good as here, it was still a source of income.
He had already mentioned this to the two families before, but they used the excuse that they had just arrived and needed a good rest to hide at home every day. He had previously thought they were genuinely resting, never expecting they were actually setting up such a grand scheme. Having sorted things out today, he realized that the true center of the two families was actually Lu Cuihua. Despite acting like a shrew all day, she was the strategist behind both families. He suspected that she was even the one who instigated them to sell their family properties and come here.
"The county town," Zhuang Tian said resentfully. "It’s an unfamiliar place to us, and there are so many noblemen. If we go and accidentally offend someone, we’ll lose our lives there."
"Who did you hear that nonsense from?" Zhuang Datou’s gaze swept over Lu Cuihua, only to find her feigning innocence and looking at him with a terrified expression. He couldn’t help but sneer. "I don’t believe you didn’t ask around when you arrived. The County Magistrate of Zhang County is a good official who is fully committed to standing up for the people. A Government Official patrols the county town every day, and the public security is exceptionally good. Otherwise, the neighboring villagers wouldn’t go to town to make a living. Don’t make excuses for your own laziness. Back when Huang Pingguo and I begged all along the way, we were terrified that if we didn’t work hard one day, we’d starve to death in some corner. Your current conditions are much better than ours were back then. At the very least, I’m still providing you with three meals a day. What more do you want?"
"We’re all family here, don’t say such harsh things." Huang Qianlao stepped forward, trying to play the peacemaker. This damn Zhuang Datou was much harder to fool than their second son. "Doesn’t that also take time? Besides, when we can clearly find work right on our doorstep, why must you make so many of us run all the way to the county town? Being away from home brings all sorts of hardships. You’re going to hire people anyway, so why not let your own family do the work?"
After speaking, Huang Qianlao glanced in the direction of Gu Kaiyuan and his family. "I believe your employer wouldn’t fuss over such trivial matters with you. Look, your employer is back too. How about you ask him in front of everyone? Hiring is hiring, regardless of who it is. Rest assured, as long as you let the people from our two families do the work, we will all be diligent and hardworking. We won’t put you in a difficult position."
With that, both families turned toward Gu Kaiyuan and the others, talking all at once, "Sir, Madam, please be kind and spare us a bite to eat."
Gu Xingyang snorted coldly. "Father, Mother, did you hear what they just said? Asking for a bite to eat—they’re comparing themselves to beggars. Oh, I see Zhuang Datou’s face looks exceptionally awful. This is practically trampling his dignity under their feet."
Bai Suihe swept a glance over and saw that his face did indeed look rather awful, though they had brought this upon themselves. If he had made everything clear when they first arrived, or if he had handled the matter more decisively, they wouldn’t still be entangled in this mess here.
"Sir, Madam, you are so wealthy, just hire a few more people to work. We are all Zhuang Datou’s family. You can use us with peace of mind; we will certainly never betray you."
"Yes, we are very hardworking. Isn’t it just planting fruit trees? That can be done without even using one’s brain..."
"Enough! What are you all trying to do?" Having received the news, Huang Pingguo also rushed down the mountain in a hurry. He had known that the master and madam had gone up the mountain earlier, but he had felt guilty, so he had been hiding...