T/N: This is a Bonus update~ Happy Reading (✿◡‿◡)

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Chapter 34

A large group of people arrived at Shenjia Village in a grand manner.

As they passed by Shaman Zhao’s house, no one went inside to say a word; instead, they pushed her along directly to the home of Viallge Chief Shen.

Wang Fulu, though very angry with the villagers of Shenjia Village and disgusted with the village head’s poor management, which had encouraged bad practices, was a man of integrity and still followed the necessary rules.

He reached out to stop the villagers from Wangjia Village, who were trying to rush into the house, and said, “Everyone stays in the courtyard; no one can enter the house. There are wives, daughters-in-law, and young girls inside, and we must not ruin their reputation. We, farmers, should be honest and decent.”

Over the years, Wang Fulu had been a fair village head, so his words carried weight.

The villagers from Wangjia Village, unable to fit in the courtyard, stood just outside the main gate of the Shen family home, shouting, but no one dared to rush into the house.

Village Chief Shen was disturbed by the noise and, upon seeing that Wang Fulu had brought along more than half of his villagers, his head immediately throbbed with stress.

When he spotted Shaman Zhao, who had been pushed along with the crowd, he instantly realized something bad had happened.

Though he normally believed in spirits and such matters, sometimes consulting Shaman Zhao for strange occurrences, the concept of spirits was always something no one had ever truly seen—where there was belief, there was also doubt.

Wang Fulu explained to Viallge Chief Shen how Shaman Zhao claimed that Zhou Jing had been possessed by an evil spirit and needed to be burned to death.

As soon as the village head heard this, he immediately realized the gravity of the situation, and his face turned pale.

With a bitter expression, the village head apologized, saying, “That Shaman Zhao is always babbling nonsense. She’s old and muddled—she’s talking rubbish!”

“Rubbish? Rubbish, and she dares to claim the life of someone from Wangjia Village! It’s fortunate that the people of my village aren’t ignorant. What if they had been swayed by this old woman and really burned Zhou Jing alive? Who would take responsibility? You or me?”

“This…” Village Chief Shen realized that Wang Fulu had created such a large spectacle because he was determined to get an explanation.

Sure enough, Wang Fulu continued, “In today’s matter, I am taking into account the fact that you and I have both been village heads for many years, and I am considering the villagers of your village.

If this incident were to be reported to the authorities, and the County Magistrate found out, not only would you lose your position, but your Shenjia Village would also be labeled an ‘evil village.’

That would make it difficult for your people to arrange marriages or find work in the future. That’s why I came to you to settle this privately. I hope you understand and can give the villagers of Wangjia Village a satisfactory explanation!”

“Understood, understood…” Village Chief Shen was drenched in sweat.

Village Chief Shen clearly knew that if this absurd matter reached the authorities, it would undoubtedly enrage the County Magistrate.

Not only would he himself suffer, but the entire Shenjia Village would also be implicated.

If the magistrate were to officially brand the village with an ill reputation, the villagers would carry this stigma wherever they went, facing discrimination and struggling to move forward in life.

He could only ask, “So, Brother Wang, how do you think this matter should be handled?”

Wang Fulu pushed Zhou Jing forward and pointed at him, saying, “He is the victim, the one Shaman Zhao claimed was possessed by an evil spirit. Shaman Zhao was about to ruin his entire life. How to handle this should be up to him to decide.”

Village Chief Shen initially thought of dealing with the victim, offering some kind words and playing the sympathy card, hoping to let Shaman Zhao off the hook, considering her old age.

But before he could even begin speaking, he realized the person standing before him was no pushover.

Wasn’t this the same man whom Old Shen had tried to swindle but ended up being taught a lesson instead?

Well, today he had stirred up trouble with two tough characters from Wangjia Village—there was no way this would end peacefully.

Zhou Jing, noticing that the village head recognized him, thought it was for the best.

Today, he intended to establish his authority in both Shenjia and Wangjia Villages, making it clear that he was not someone to be trifled with.

He wanted everyone to understand that no one should dare covet his husband ever again.

“Back then, she and Aunt Wang conspired together, inciting Aunt Wang to cause trouble at my home, which led to my husband being knocked down by her. We ended up spending 20 silver coins on medical expenses. Now, this cost should rightfully be split between Shaman Zhao and Aunt Wang—half each!”

In truth, Shen Mo hadn’t been knocked down by Aunt Wang; he had fainted from a sudden rush of anger.

At that time, Aunt Wang hadn’t even sought out Shaman Zhao. However, no one was bothering to dig into the details now.

“What? 20 silver coins for medical expenses?”

“Did they use ginseng and lingzhi for the treatment? That’s so expensive!”

“The Zhou family must be really wealthy. He only fainted and they already spent 20 silver coins just to treat Ger. How much fortune must they have!”

For a moment, the villagers from Wangjia Village began to murmur among themselves, speculating about the wealth of the Zhou family. Even the onlookers from Shenjia Village were left dumbfounded. Wasn’t Zhou Jing just a troublemaker? How had he suddenly turned into a wealthy lord?

Village Chief Shen had not yet spoken when Aunt Wang started shouting.

“Dream on, you jinx! I won’t give you a single coin!”

Zhou Jing sneered coldly, “Fine, since you’re unwilling, let’s head to the yamen right now.”

“There’s no unwillingness here. I still have the final say on the matters of Wangjia Village. The compensation that should be paid, every cent that needed to be paid must be paid. No more, no less. As for her situation, we’ll handle it when we return. Let’s first talk about this Shaman Zhao.”

“This is too much, isn’t it?” Village Chief Shen said.

Zhou Jing, however, did not yield an inch. “I’m only asking for this much silver, not a single coin more. My husband suffered such severe punishment for no reason, and this debt must be repaid with ten strikes per person! Even with that, I still think it’s not enough. You didn’t endure the pain my husband suffered—who knows how much it hurt!”

Zhou Jing became somewhat emotional as he spoke.

The memory of Shen Mo fainting that day still filled him with lingering fear, causing him great anxiety.

Shen Mo instinctively reached out to tug on Zhou Jing’s sleeve, wanting to comfort him, but Zhou Jing tightly grasped Shen Mo’s hand instead.

In front of everyone’s eyes, Shen Mo had never been so reckless before. He wanted to break free, but Zhou Jing’s large hand gripped him like a vice—making it impossible to escape.

Village Chief Shen turned to look at one of the parties involved—Shaman Zhao, only to find her staring blankly as if her soul had drifted away. She seemed completely lost in thought.

With Shaman Zhao didn’t say a word, Village Chief Shen felt hesitant to make a decision on such a significant matter. He could only helplessly say, “Shaman Zhao is over seventy years old. How could she possibly withstand ten strikes?”

“It must be done!” Zhou Jing declared firmly. “However, I’m not an unreasonable person. I’ve heard that in the past, an elderly woman was punished and received strikes, but the County Magistrate, considering her age, allowed her family to take the punishment in her stead. I am willing to do the same.”

What Zhou Jing sought was merely to instill fear, ensuring that no one in Shenjia Village or Wangjia Village would dare to scheme against them again.

As long as his intimidation was effective, it didn’t matter who ultimately received the strikes.

“This…” Village Chief Shen glanced at Shaman Zhao, who still appeared dazed and was ignoring their argument.

At that moment, Shaman Zhao’s son was brought out by someone.

After hearing the whole story, he was taken aback to find that his mother had become so confused as to suggest burning someone.

Without a second thought, he agreed to Zhou Jing’s demands.

He immediately called his wife to go home and fetch ten silver coins to give to Zhou Jing, willing to take the ten strikes on behalf of his mother.

The ten strikes were administered by the villagers of Wangjia Village—strike him without holding back at all.

Two strong men used 70% of their strength, and yet Shaman Zhao’s son endured it all, not uttering a single word.

After the punishment, he was carried back by his sobbing wife and a few men from Shenjia Village, while Shaman Zhao finally came to her senses. She cried a few times before being helped away.

Wang Fulu said, “Now that personal grievances are settled, it’s time to address the matter between Shenjia Village and Wangjia Village. Your Shenjia Village has repeatedly tarnished the reputation of our Wangjia Village; are you trying to cut off the livelihoods of everyone in our village? How do you plan to settle this debt?”

Village Chief Shen smiled bitterly. “Personal grievances can be settled with silver, but as for the matters between the two villages, you can’t expect every person in my village to pay silver to your village, can you?”

This was certainly impossible, and Wang Fulu found himself in a difficult situation for a moment. However, Zhou Jing said, “Village Chief, this account can be easily settled. Since it is a matter of grievance within the village, we can use the village’s resources for compensation. We have a small river that connects to Shenjia Village; there are fish and shrimp in that river. We can definitely use that as compensation. Let’s allow the villagers of Wangjia Village to come to the half of the river belonging to Shenjia Village today, whenever they want, to catch fish and shrimp. Whatever they catch will be considered as belonging to that household. What do you think?”

Wang Fulu’s eyes lit up. “This method is feasible!”

The small river, being a natural resource, was a public asset of the village.

As long as they were villagers, they could go into the river to catch fish for their own consumption, which counted as a benefit for each household in the village.

Families who usually refrained from eating meat looked forward to catching a couple of fat fish during this time to improve their meals.

They would not be willing to let others’ affairs infringe upon their own interests, and in an instant, many villagers from Shenjia village stood up to voice their opposition.

Wang Fulu only sneered and said, “Fine, if you all don’t agree, I will go to the County Magistrate and discuss this matter with him. I will ask him to give our Wangjia Village justice. By then, if the County Magistrate tarnishes your Shenjia Village’s reputation, causing the men in your village to be unable to find wives and the daughters to be unable to get married, and if you can’t find work in town, don’t blame me for not giving you an opportunity!”

The County Magistrate held a minor position in the capital but was the highest official in the local area, and his words were considered full of authority.

If the County Magistrate were to utter a bad reputation about this village, then Shenjia Village would be permanently burdened with that notoriety, unable to wash it away.

Which village would want to associate with a village recognized as infamous by the County Magistrate?

Considering these factors, the villagers of Shenjia Village could only swallow their pride and agree to Wang Fulu’s demands.

For the villagers of Wangjia Village, this was an enormous blessing.

There’s no rich family in their village; seeing meat on the table even once a month was considered fortunate.

There were only a few days when anyone could go to the village’s small river to catch fish, and it wasn’t something one could do at will.

But now, they could fish to their heart’s content. As long as they had the skill to catch fish, whatever they caught would belong to their family.

In no time, the entire Wangjia Village became deserted, as everyone flocked to Shenjia Village to fish.

The river connecting Shenjia Village and Wangjia Village was not large, with a width roughly the height of two adult men. Usually, fishing was done in the half of the river belonging to their own village.

Now that they were allowed to fish in Shenjia Village, to prevent the fish from escaping back to Wangjia Village after they had caught them, they set up a net at the point where the two villages’ sections of the river met.

With this fishing net in place, the river was effectively divided into two, ensuring that the fish in each part belonged to their respective village.

Moreover, the net had an additional benefit: it prevented large fish from passing through while allowing small fish to slip through the holes. This way, the fish in Shenjia Village wouldn’t be completely depleted.

Shen Mo was filled with excitement, as the burden on his heart was lifted, and he felt much more energetic. Upon hearing about the opportunity to fish, he immediately became eager to try.

.

In the past, the Zhou family lived in poverty, and Shen Mo looked forward to the days when he could go to their home to fish. If he was lucky enough to catch two fat fish weighing around two to three pounds, he could prepare a hearty stewed fish dish. Although he had to send the largest fish to Aunt Wang and the rest would be mostly eaten by Zhou Jing, he and his younger brother could at least enjoy the fish broth over rice, savoring the taste of fish in their meal.

“You can tell me what kind of fish you like, and I’ll mainly catch that for you,” Zhou Jing said.

Shen Mo replied, “I like white catfish. The white catfish in this river grow big and fat, and they have a lot of meat!”

“Alright, I’ll catch you some white catfish.” Although Shenjia Village agreed to let the villagers of Wangjia Village catch fish, they insisted that no nets or tools were allowed—only hands could be used for catching. Otherwise, they could clean out half the river in no time.

In his past life as a big boss, Zhou Jing had never fished like a fisherman, so his skills were indeed lacking. He caught two that were scrawny and barely had any meat, so he released them back into the water.

A man next to him had already caught half a basket, while Zhou Jing had not caught a single one. Zhou Jing felt that he had lost all face, so he quickly stole a glance at his young husband. Sure enough, he saw Shen Mo covering his mouth, chuckling at his clumsiness.

Zhou Jing was instantly enraged. If the tiger did not show its power, did he think the “king” character on his forehead was just for decoration?

He glared at him in warning, and Shen Mo immediately composed himself, pretending to observe the air with a serious demeanor as if he had never laughed at him.

At that moment, a very fat fish, weighing about five or six pounds, swam right next to Zhou Jing through the river water.

Zhou Jing had set his mind on relying on it to regain his former glory, and his eyes gleamed with determination as he tried to catch it. His arms moved as if he intended to crush the fish. However, despite its size, the fish was quite agile. Just as Zhou Jing got close to it, it swiftly darted away. Using sheer brute force, Zhou Jing abruptly closed his hands, but he caught nothing. The sudden loss of power caused him to plunge headfirst into the river.

The small river was only that deep, barely reaching Zhou Jing’s waist. After splashing around a bit, he surfaced, wiping his face. He was completely soaked, looking like a drenched chicken.

“Hahaha…” Shen Mo laughed so hard on the shore that he doubled over. His husband, who could usually excel at anything, also had a clumsy side, which amused Shen Mo.

The man beside him watched the whole scene with a disdainful smirk. He was not from Wangjia Village; he had come to visit his aunt’s house today. He heard that they could come to Shenjia Village to catch fish for some reason, so he followed along to help out.

He bent down to feel for some fish when a ger and a man approached.

The man was dressed in tattered clothes, with patches piled upon patches, while the ger was strikingly beautiful, wearing a new outfit that made his already outstanding appearance even more dazzling.

In a season with no festivals, which ordinary farming family would be willing to buy new clothes?

The man thought that Ger’s family must be one of the wealthier households in the village; otherwise, how could they afford to dress him so finely?

The ger’s outstanding appearance, combined with her family background, immediately attracted the man.

Meanwhile, Shen Mo was still unwell.

In the morning, he had lacked the energy to groom his hair, so he had just tidied it up a bit without styling it into a proper “married” hairstyle.

The man mistakenly took him for an unmarried Ger.

He viewed Zhou Jing as a poor boy chasing after Shen Mo.

He compared Zhou Jing’s disheveled appearance to his own impressive catch, feeling proud like a male peacock displaying his colorful feathers to attract a mate.

“A man who has been at it for half an hour and hasn’t caught a single fish—what ability could he possibly have? How could he support a husband in the future or uphold a household? What family would want to marry off their ger to someone who would only make him suffer?”

Shen Mo, who had been laughing at his husband on the shore, was now displeased.

He puffed up like a cat whose fur had been ruffled, angrily rolled up his sleeves and pant legs, and jumped into the river.

Zhou Jing said, “Didn’t we agree that you would wait on the shore? The water is cold.”

Shen Mo shook his head and replied, “It’s summer; it’s not cold. I just wanted to let someone know that he is not even as good as Ger, so what’s there to be so proud of?”

Shen Mo spoke deliberately loudly, aiming to be heard by the man nearby.

After finishing, he bent down to feel around in the river. His movements were so casual that it looked like he was simply washing his hands, but when he straightened up, he surprisingly held a large, plump white carp in his hand.

The carp weighed at least six pounds, making it one of the largest fish among all that could be caught.

Shen Mo held the fish up high in his hand for the man to see, his head held high, showing far more pride than the man.

The man could only respond with a stunned silence.

Zhou Jing also fell silent, taken aback by the scene.

At that moment, Wang Fulu passed by with half a basket of fish. Seeing that Zhou Jing had caught nothing while Shen Mo had just jumped in and already caught a big one, he teased, “Zhou Jing, it looks like your little husband has outdone you! You’re great at making money, but when it comes to catching fish, you can’t compare to your husband!”

When the man heard that Shen Mo was Zhou Jing’s husband, he glanced at the two of them again, realizing the difference in their appearances.

He questioned whether he could ever allow himself to wear tattered clothes like Zhou Jing while letting his husband dress so elegantly, overshadowing him.

Moreover, he remembered the name “Zhou Jing”—he was the capable man his aunt had mentioned earlier, someone who could make a lot of money.

He was willing to spend 20 silver coins to treat a minor illness for his husband.

With such capability and care for his spouse, the man suddenly felt inferior and left with his tail between his legs.