Chapter 537 - 538: Causing Trouble
Chapter 537: Chapter 538: Causing Trouble
Huang Pingguo yearned for familial affection. Having been a neglected child in the past, he deeply hoped to earn his family’s attention. These past few days, his family’s constant concern and the satisfaction in his parents’ eyes had made him lose himself.
However, he listened to Zhuang Datou more. Growing up, the time he spent with Zhuang Datou was arguably longer than what he spent with his own family. He knew better than anyone that although he and Zhuang Datou were not blood brothers, they were closer than real ones. Others might harm him, but Zhuang Datou never would.
He would repay his parents for raising him, and he had already given them quite a lot. In the future, he just needed to do his part.
Having figured this out, his resolve firmed. "Mother, say no more. My mind is made up. I already gave you thirty taels of Silver, which was more than half of all my savings. I currently have twenty taels of Silver left, and I’ll give it all to you. Take this Silver, along with the money from selling the house and land back home, and I can help you settle down in the neighboring village."
"You heartless wretch! You clearly have a house and land here, so why are you sending us to the neighboring village?" Lu Cuihua continued to make a scene, dissatisfied with this outcome. If they moved to the neighboring village, how could they take advantage of him? Besides, how could the neighboring village compare to Tian Village? In the time they had been here, the village smelled of meat every day—something they couldn’t even dare to dream of before. Moreover, ever since they arrived, Chunxiang had Silver in her hands and managed the daily meals very well. They got to eat a meat dish every single day. Where else could they find such a life?
"There’s simply no room in Tian Village," Huang Pingguo said, turning to look at the crowd gathered around before his gaze finally landed on the village chief. "It just so happens that the village chief is here. As long as he says the village has land, you can stay here."
Zhu Ziqiang said with a chuckle, "Our village truly has no more land. Everywhere that can be cleared has already been cleared."
What a joke. Even if the village had land, they would have to find a way to save it for their own descendants. The village was developing better and better now; if these outsiders wanted a piece of the pie, they could forget about it. Furthermore, these two families were Steward Zhuang and the others’ relatives. With them around, any future job opportunities wouldn’t fall to the villagers. He didn’t even need to calculate this to know the outcome.
The villagers understood this underlying meaning as well, and they all quickly chimed in. "Where would there be any land? Every nook and cranny has been reclaimed by us.
"Plus, our homesteads aren’t for sale either. But the neighboring village is different. They still have a lot of wasteland, and the prices are cheap..."
The others also voiced their stances. It was impossible for them to give up the homesteads they had previously demarcated, let alone their farmland.
Huang Pingguo actually knew that the village still had some wasteland, but waiting for that land to be cleared and harvested would delay things for a year, which meant a lot of variables. Since he had made up his mind, it was best to make a clean break as early as possible.
The few workers from the neighboring village who had come down from the mountain found it hard to say anything at this moment. Indeed, their village was more remote and still had a bit of wasteland. They couldn’t lie about that. They secretly worried whether they would ever have peaceful days again if two such troublemaking families moved over.
Just as one person mustered the courage to say that their village didn’t have land either, he was pulled back by someone beside him. "Don’t say a word, you’ll offend people."
"But if these people come to our village..."
"So what if they come to our village? We have so many households in our village; don’t tell me we can’t keep them in check?
"Don’t just look at the fact that they are Steward Zhuang’s family—Mr. Gu is still above them.
"Besides, if it’s not them, the government might arrange for others to move there anyway. It’s better not to sour our relationship."
The man listened to the advice, feeling it made some sense. There was so much mountainous land anyway. No matter how hardworking their village was, they wouldn’t clear that much. After all, they would have to pay taxes on reclaimed land. It was better to come out and do odd jobs like this, where the income was tangible. Speaking up now would undoubtedly offend people. If they were no longer hired for future jobs, they would lose out even more.
Having figured out these implications, no one else spoke up.
Listening to the villagers chattering away and offering them ideas, the Zhuang and Huang families couldn’t get a word in edgewise. It seemed that in the midst of the conversation, others had already made the decision for them. Looking again at Zhuang Datou and Huang Pingguo standing together, it was as if they had formed their own united front, standing in stark opposition to them. Both families knew clearly in their hearts that their previous tactics wouldn’t hold up at all.
At this moment, Lu Cuihua turned her gaze toward Gu Kaiyuan and Bai Suihe, who were heavily protected in the center of the crowd. Suddenly, she charged straight at Bai Suihe, only to be sent flying with a single kick from Lin Hua, who had been on guard there all along.
"Insolent!" Lin Hua had now drawn his sword, the tip pointing directly at Lu Cuihua. "How dare you try to harm Mrs. Gu and the young miss? Do you have a death wish?"
Lu Cuihua turned pale with fright. As a village woman, she had never encountered such a situation. She simply thought that as long as Bai Suihe gave the word, let alone Chunxiang, even Huang Pingguo and the others would have to obediently listen.
"Mrs. Gu, you are a noble person, and we have no intention of offending you," Huang Qianlao hurriedly stepped in front to shield her, speaking in an earnest tone. "This wife of mine doesn’t understand proper etiquette. If she has offended you, please forgive her.
"She is just anxious. After all, it’s not easy to raise a son. Now that he has finally made something of himself, he ignores us. You must be careful when employing such a disloyal and unfilial person, Mrs. Gu."
In order to save his wife, Huang Qianlao couldn’t care less about Huang Pingguo at this moment. His wife was his backbone; without her, this family wouldn’t be able to stay afloat.
Bai Suihe looked at Huang Pingguo sympathetically. "It seems your parents don’t have much affection for you, either.
"When it comes time to choose, you are still the first to be abandoned."
Bai Suihe was overtly sowing discord with these words. Even if Huang Pingguo knew it, he couldn’t mind it. After all, what Mrs. Gu said was the truth, and he had truly been heartbroken just now. But he still took a step forward at this moment and said respectfully, "My mother offended you, Mrs. Gu. As her son, I am willing to be punished in her stead. Mr. and Mrs. Gu, all the fault lies with me. I am willing to resign from my position as steward and will henceforth just tend to the few acres of land at home to support my family."
As soon as these words came out, the Huang family was dumbfounded. If he didn’t work as a steward, what would their entire family do in the future?
"This is all a misunderstanding," Lu Cuihua hurriedly stepped forward and fell to her knees. "Mrs. Gu, I lost my composure. I only wanted to beg you to say a word on our behalf. I didn’t expect to cause a misunderstanding with this young man. I had no intention of hurting you.
"These are all my faults. I will accept any beating or punishment, but please spare our Huang Pingguo."
Bai Suihe replied, "This was originally your family matter, and it would have been fine for you to resolve it privately. But look at the scene you’ve caused!
"Now you’ve made a joke of yourselves for everyone to see. I’m afraid Huang Pingguo temporarily won’t be able to serve as a steward anymore. Let him go home and clear his head for a while before we talk."
After Bai Suihe finished speaking, she looked at Gu Kaiyuan. "Husband, what do you think?"