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“Important matter? Well, go ahead and tell me. I’d like to hear what important matter you have to discuss with me,” the village chief said coldly, not seeming very interested in the matter at hand.
“Village head, is it true that Wang Jinhe’s family is selling their melons for fifty cents per pound?”
“That’s right, but what does that have to do with you? Why are you so concerned about it?” The village chief squinted at them and asked in a stern tone.
“How can it not be related? This is a big issue that concerns the entire village. Village chief, you can’t pretend to know nothing about it.”
“Yeah, if the whole village starts growing watermelons, how much money can we make?” One of them said with a hopeful expression.
The village chief remembered this person; besides Jiang’s family, she had been the most malicious towards Wang Jinhe’s family, using harsh words to try to force Wang Jinhe into a difficult situation.
“These are watermelons that Xiaohe grew herself. What does it have to do with all of you?” The village chief asked, not showing any concern.
“Village chief, what do you mean by this? Are you helping Wang Jinhe and not the people of our village? Aren’t you the village chief? Can’t you just talk to her? Besides, their family lives in our village; shouldn’t they contribute to our village?” The person argued earnestly.
The village chief burst into laughter and said, “You’ve got it all wrong. Their family isn’t from our Xie Village, and even the place they live in doesn’t belong to Xie Village; it’s already part of the territory of Hululu Village.”
“When the Wang family came to buy land and move out, in order to prevent such a situation, I told them directly to buy land from Hululu Village. This way, if there were any issues in the future and villagers wanted to involve someone from our village, it wouldn’t be possible. Now it seems my decision back then was correct.”
Luo Shi screamed, “How can this be?”
“Why can’t it be? Can’t they build a house outside of Xie Village’s territory if they don’t want to? Don’t even mention that they have land from Xie Village; they bought it with their own money, and it has nothing to do with you. Don’t come here and make a fuss; it’s annoying,” the village chief said impatiently.
Luo Shi, seeing such a significant opportunity slipping away, became somewhat resentful. “Village chief, you should help us speak up. Can’t the people from our village participate in this money-making opportunity together? Our village would become the wealthiest village, and that would give you face, right?”
“When you used such malicious words and tried to force their family to death, did you ever think that they might become prosperous one day?” the village chief asked Luo Shi.
Luo Shi felt like she was being strangled and couldn’t utter a word.
“What do you mean by that, village chief?” she finally managed to ask.
“Have you all already gone to talk to Xiao He?” the village chief asked. “You probably didn’t get any benefits from her, and that’s why you’re here asking me to use my position as village chief to pressure her, to get her to give you some seeds? I’m sorry, but I can’t do anything about this. Xiao He was very clear when she came to me; she’s only willing to provide seeds to those who have a good relationship with her family and those who have helped her family in the past. As for others, she wouldn’t even bat an eye if they starved to death in front of her.”
Luo Shi was shocked by this response.
“Xiao He is too ruthless.”
“Ruthless? Can she be more ruthless than you people? Don’t even think about destroying her melon field. She’s already sold all her melons. If you dare to vandalize her field, she’ll have you all reported to the authorities. Don’t come crying to me for help then. I can’t do anything for you,” the village chief said sternly, looking at those with malicious intent in their eyes.
It was a case of not wishing others well simply because one was doing poorly themselves.
Seeing them like this, the village chief had no trouble understanding the situation.
“Village chief, are you really not going to help us?” someone earnestly asked the village chief.
The village chief shrugged and said with a hint of helplessness, “It’s not that I don’t want to help you; it’s just that I can’t help. After all, Xiao He is not from our village.”
“Then, village chief, can you ask her for some seeds and distribute them to us later?” Luo Shi said without any hesitation.
The village chief chuckled silently and replied, “Do you think I have that kind of authority? If I request seeds from her, does that mean she’ll give me as many as I want? I don’t have that much influence.”
Even if Xiao He were willing to grant him this favor, why would he help them? These people not only disobeyed his leadership but also caused trouble regularly.
The village chief had no positive feelings toward them at all.
“This doesn’t work, that doesn’t work. What’s the use of being the village chief? You can’t even secure any benefits or advantages for your own villagers,” Luo Shi angrily retorted, her audacious words causing the people around her to change their expressions.
“Shut up, Luo Shi. Do you even know what you’re talking about?” Did she think she could say whatever she wanted to the village chief?
Right now, they were all relying on the village chief to negotiate benefits from Wang Jinhe. If they really offended the village chief, they would get nothing in the end, leaving them at a greater disadvantage.
“Why can’t I say it? Did I say something wrong? He’s utterly useless, doesn’t do anything good for the village, and doesn’t take our concerns seriously when we approach him. If that’s not the case, we wouldn’t have had to come to him. Even when we do, he still doesn’t care,” Luo Shi, proud of her son’s success in becoming an accomplished scholar soon to be an official, spoke to the village chief without any restraint.
The village chief looked at Luo Shi coldly, showing no signs of anger. Instead, he smiled and said, “If you’re so capable, why don’t you go yourself? Su Yu is worried that Wang Jinhe and the others might still harbor grievances from the past. Why don’t you go and see if he’ll let you get away with everything you did?”
“My son is an accomplished scholar!” Luo Shi said proudly.
“You make it sound like being an accomplished scholar is a big deal. Su Yu became one at the age of fifteen and even ranked first, whereas if I remember correctly, your son just barely made it, right?” Even among accomplished scholars, there were different levels, and the gap was apparent. One was ranked first, and the other was at the bottom. Anyone who understood the imperial examinations would know the difference.
Luo Shi looked at the village head in shock. “How is that possible?”
“Why wouldn’t it be possible? I’ll tell you directly; Su Yu has a lot of potential. In the future, everyone in the village will sell their melons to him. As for you guys, are you not worried that he might make it so you can’t sell anything, and your melons will rot in the fields?”
“Xie Kui, I think you’re completely unfit to be the village head. If you don’t want to do it, then we should just replace you.” Luo Shi was infuriated and vented her frustration.