“Everyone, quiet down!”

The village chief raised his hand and pressed down, and the villagers, who had been shouting in anger, finally fell silent.

“Dahe Village and Guihua Village have been neighbors for over twenty years. Even after disputes over land boundaries arose, we have coexisted peacefully. If Dahe Village takes the first aggressive step and this matter reaches the county magistrate, all of us will suffer,” the chief said in a calm voice. “But we will never allow anyone to steal our grain!”

“If we can’t fight back, what should we do?”

“Are we supposed to let Guihua Village take our grain and then retaliate later?”

“People from Guihua Village are nothing but trouble!”

Some in the crowd were furious, while others looked conflicted.

The two villages were close, and many people had married between them.

Some women from Guihua Village had married into Dahe Village, and vice versa.

Naturally, not everyone wanted open conflict.

“Are we really going to turn against Guihua Village based on one statement from Sister-in-law Zhao?”

“Some people in Guihua Village are troublemakers, but not all of them are unreasonable. If we attack rashly, we’ll be the ones at fault.”

“What if Sister-in-law Zhao misheard?”

Cheng Wanwan spoke up, “Why not set up a patrol team? Each household can send one person to take turns standing guard. If Guihua Village makes a move, we can counterattack immediately.”

The village chief thought this was a good idea, but before he could nod in agreement, someone objected.

It was Zhang Wulai, the laziest man in the village.

Standing on a ridge between the fields, he scoffed, “There’s so much work to do in the fields. Who has the time to take shifts on patrol? A single word from you, woman, and you’ve given everyone extra chores! If the chief agrees to this, I might start wondering if this widow, Sister-in-law Zhao, has seduced him!”

With one sentence, he threw mud on both of them.

The chief, who was over fifty years old, was so furious that his beard quivered.

He wanted nothing more than to kick Zhang Wulai into the rice paddies.

Cheng Wanwan sneered, “So, if the chief agrees with me, that means he’s involved with me? Then if the whole village agrees, does that mean I have a relationship with everyone?”

Zhang Wulai smirked arrogantly. “No one besides the chief will ever agree!”

“This is a great idea. Why wouldn’t we agree?” An elderly man, Old Man Zhao, stepped forward. “My eldest daughter-in-law suggested this for the good of the whole village. But instead of thinking about the village, Zhang Wulai is just trying to get out of work. We Zhao family members won’t forget this insult.”

Cheng Wanwan was slightly taken aback.

She hadn’t expected the Zhao family to support her unconditionally at this moment.

Old Man Zhao gave her a firm look, then continued, “Decades ago, everyone in Dahe Village had the surname Zhao. We were one big family and rarely had conflicts. But in the past ten years, more outsiders have moved in, and disputes have increased. This time, the patrol team will be seen as a Zhao family matter. Outsiders don’t have to participate. Of course, the patrol will only protect the Zhao family’s grain.”

The village chief nodded. “Later today, all Zhao family members should meet at the ancestral hall.”

“This isn’t right!” An elderly woman, around seventy or eighty, stepped forward. “Zhang Wulai doesn’t agree, but that’s just him! The rest of us haven’t said no! My family’s surname is Zhu, but we’ve lived in this village for fifty or sixty years—we are part of Dahe Village! How could we back down now? My grandson is still young, but he’s clever. He’ll join the patrol!”

She pushed forward a young boy, Zhu Huzi, who did indeed look sharp and quick-witted.

The Zhu family had suffered a lot.

They had fled to Dahe Village to escape a disaster years ago.

Before long, their patriarch, Old Zhu, died suddenly.

His three sons and two daughters also passed away from illness, leaving only this grandson. The old woman had single-handedly raised him.

With just the two of them, they had received extra food during the last grain distribution—around eighty pounds in total. That was enough to last them a couple of months.

The old woman wasn’t about to let Guihua Village steal their food.

She was the first to volunteer.

Auntie Wang, who had once had her food stolen, was the second to speak up. “Dama’s idea is good. My husband will join.”

“And my family! My husband is strong—Guihua Village won’t dare steal from us!”

“My family has many people. We can send two for the patrol!”

One by one, the outsiders stepped forward, making Zhang Wulai’s face turn dark with anger.

These fools were all sucking up to the Zhao family!

No wonder they were treated as outsiders in Dahe Village!

He couldn’t win the argument, so he stormed off in frustration.

The village chief calmed everyone down and called over Tiezhu to record the volunteers.

Tiezhu was one of the few in the village who could read and write. He had never formally studied but had picked up literacy while working at an inn in town.

He spread out a piece of rough paper and held a brush, writing down names.

“Wang Yongcheng, signed up.”

“Zhao Dashan, signed up.”

When Cheng Wanwan signed up, she caught a glimpse of Tiezhu’s writing and couldn’t help but twitch.

His handwriting was worse than a dog’s scratching—crooked, disjointed strokes.

The name “Dashan” looked like a twisted mess.

Yet the villagers were full of praise.

“Tiezhu’s writing is the best in Dahe Village!”

“The chief’s family might have a scholar soon!”

“Speaking of scholars, Chengjia Village is impressive. Their eldest grandson even passed the child scholar exam!”

“What’s a child scholar?”

“Not sure, but it sounds amazing!”

People glanced at Cheng Wanwan.

She bore the surname Cheng but had fallen out with her family, so no one asked her about it.

Since Tiezhu didn’t know many characters, he simply drew circles where he struggled. By the time the sign-up was done, the paper was covered in large and small circles.

Cheng Wanwan turned away. Thank goodness she wasn’t a teacher, or she’d be tempted to step in and correct everything.

As she was about to leave, she noticed a boy standing in the distance.

It was Zhang Dagang, the kid who had fought with her younger brother for a rabbit last time—Zhang Wulai’s son.

He stood in the shadows, his expression unreadable.

After watching for a moment, he turned and left.

Back home, Cheng Wanwan went straight to her room and opened the trade shop.

She didn’t know when Guihua Village would make a move, so she needed something for self-defense.

After browsing, she chose a short dagger.

It was cleverly designed, foldable, and easy to hide in her sleeve—perfect for self-defense.

She tested it by slicing it against the corner of her table. It cut straight through! No wonder it cost 500 coins—it was worth it.

“Mom…” Zhao Sanniu pushed the door open, about to say something, but when he saw the dagger, he forgot his words. His eyes lit up. “Where did you get that? It looks so sharp!”

Since he had seen it, Cheng Wanwan didn’t bother hiding it. “I found it in an alley last time I went to town. It is very sharp.”

Zhao Sanniu couldn’t tear his eyes away, rubbing his hands eagerly.

Cheng Wanwan sighed. “Fine, take it.”

“Thanks, Mom!”

He ran off happily with the dagger.

In the end, Cheng Wanwan bought herself an electric shock ring—single-use, strong enough to stun an adult, costing one tael of silver.

She gritted her teeth and bought it, tying it on a string around her neck for protection.