Lan Qingshuang was somewhat disappointed by Ye Zhoushan’s reaction. She always felt that the relationship between her husband and the Ye family was rather peculiar.

Her husband never spoke about it, and no matter how subtly she tried to probe, she couldn’t get any answers.

“Alright then. Even though I don’t know who it is, I can sense that someone is targeting me.”

“I don’t recall offending anyone, so this matter might be difficult to investigate.”

Ye Zhoushan grunted in acknowledgment. After preparing lunch for Lan Qingshuang, he headed to the village committee.

At that moment, the committee was engulfed in a heated argument, centered around the wild boar that had been given away.

Everyone accused Zhao Qianjin of using his position for personal gain, claiming it was wrong to use collective resources to serve individual interests.

They demanded that Zhao Qianjin provide an explanation.

Zhao Qianjin argued that the wild boar had been killed by Ye Zhoushan, who had also saved the village’s crops. To help Ye Zhoushan out of his predicament, it was reasonable to give the boar away, and he would arrange for appropriate compensation later.

Only a small minority agreed with this reasoning. The majority refused to listen, and the argument grew increasingly intense.

“That Ye Zhoushan is just a little brat from a landlord’s family. We don’t even look down on his background and let him work and earn grain like the rest of us. He should be grateful.”

“The wild boar he killed should rightfully be shared among us. That’s what his Ye family owes us.”

“Exactly! You’re the brigade leader, but you’re not acting fairly.”

“You’re using our resources to benefit a landlord’s brat. What qualifies you to be the brigade leader?”

“That Ye kid has been associating with people in the sheds. If he got himself killed, it would serve him right.”

“Why should we sacrifice our resources to save him? Who does he think he is?”

The crowd hurled insults, their faces flushed with anger as they shouted over one another.

Zhao Qianjin stood with his hands behind his back, grinding his teeth, his face dark with frustration. He couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

On his way to the committee, Ye Zhoushan ran into Zhao Qianjin’s wife, Ge Xiu.

He opened his mouth to greet her but was met with a scornful glare and a cold snort.

Ye Zhoushan: “…”

As soon as Ye Zhoushan arrived at the committee, sharp-eyed villagers spotted him.

“Ye Zhoushan is here!”

“The Ye brat has shown up!”

“Ye, you have no shame!”

“Ye Zhoushan, you have to give us an explanation, or don’t blame us for being rude.”

The crowd surged forward, surrounding Ye Zhoushan tightly.

Seeing their agitated state, Zhao Qianjin feared they might resort to violence and hurried over to intervene.

Ye Zhoushan, however, remained remarkably calm. He had anticipated this scene.

Amid the chaos, he neither spoke nor retreated, allowing the crowd to vent their emotions around him.

He also stopped Zhao Qianjin from rebuking them—this was a burden he couldn’t let Zhao Qianjin bear for him.

Once the crowd’s emotions had settled slightly, Ye Zhoushan calmly stepped onto a raised platform.

“Regarding the wild boar matter, I first want to apologize to everyone.”

“Apologies are useless! You just opened your mouth and greedily took hundreds of pounds of meat from us. What, do you think you’re some kind of god? So capable?”

“Yeah, who needs your apology?”

“Compensate us with meat! This isn’t over until you do.”

“Don’t even think about fooling us.”

Ye Zhoushan had barely finished speaking when the crowd showered him with a torrent of abuse.

Zhao Qianjin was so angry he was panting heavily.

Ye Zhoushan pressed his lips together and let everyone have their say.

When the crowd received no response from him, their voices gradually died down.

Ye Zhoushan spoke again, “Also, I’m very grateful for everyone’s tolerance and support toward my family all this time.”

Some people wanted to shout back, but as soon as they opened their mouths, they noticed Ye Zhoushan had fallen silent.

For some reason, they felt it was pointless to shout and quietly held their tongues, watching Ye Zhoushan with resentment to see what excuses he could possibly make.

Ye Zhoushan continued, “A few days ago, when my family had an accident, everyone put aside past grievances to help put out the fire and save my wife and child.”

“This is a kindness I, Ye Zhoushan, will remember for the rest of my life.”

“If anyone in the village ever needs help, as long as I, Ye Zhoushan, can do something about it, I will never hesitate.”

These words instantly extinguished much of the crowd’s anger.

Some even felt a bit embarrassed, muttering something under their breath that others couldn’t quite catch.

Ye Zhoushan turned to Zhao Qianjin: “Uncle has been the brigade leader for nearly ten years now.”

“What kind of person he is—I believe everyone has a scale in their hearts to judge.”

“If it weren’t for Uncle Captain, there would be no Ye Zhoushan standing here today. It’s no exaggeration to say he’s like a second parent to me.”

“So, I don’t want to make things difficult for the brigade leader because of me, or let everyone misunderstand him. In the heat of the moment, we might say things we regret and damage the bonds between us.”

It was true. Zhao Qianjin had served diligently for nearly a decade, selflessly dedicated to the village. Everyone in Minsheng Brigade had praised him at some point.

Earlier, in the heat of the moment, they had said things they didn’t truly mean. Now, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of guilt and regret.

But emotionally, apologizing outright was hard for them. Still, the anger in their hearts had mostly dissipated, and their expressions softened.

Zhao Qianjin felt a warmth in his chest and a sting in his nose at Ye Zhoushan’s words, though he too felt a little embarrassed.

That rascal.

In a corner of the crowd, Zheng Juan’s face darkened with anger.

The look she gave Ye Zhoushan was no longer as gentle as before.

When his face overlapped with one from her memories, hatred flickered in her eyes.

Seeing that the crowd had mostly calmed down, Ye Zhoushan continued.

“The wild boar belonged to the collective, to everyone. It was given away because of my personal circumstances.”

“By reason and by principle, I should take responsibility for this. I can’t let those who helped me and tolerated me—especially when times are already hard—pay the price for me.”

“But as everyone knows, I have nothing to my name right now. If you really demanded something from me, I truly couldn’t provide it.”

“So…”

The crowd’s hearts tightened. So what? Was he not going to compensate them after all?

Though unhappy, they were no longer as furious as before.

The crowd fell silent, their expressions still grim.

“So, I’d like to ask the brothers who helped carry the wild boar to estimate its weight.”

“Then, I’ll ask Uncle Captain to calculate how much each household should have received based on the normal distribution.”

“Once that’s clear, I’ll write IOU slips for everyone.”

“For those who want meat, I’ll repay in meat. For those who prefer cash, I’ll repay in money.”

“Additionally, to thank everyone for your help and tolerance, I’ll give an extra fifty work points to each household.”

“These work points can be converted into grain, cash, or ration coupons—whatever you prefer.”

“I wonder what everyone thinks of this solution?”

The crowd immediately broke into discussion, surprised and shocked by Ye Zhoushan’s proposal.

Zhao Qianjin even gave Ye Zhoushan a light smack in exasperation: “Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how much that is?”

“Even if I sold you and your family of three, it wouldn’t be enough to cover it! What are you trying to prove by acting so generous?”

Ye Zhoushan grinned: “Uncle, selling people is illegal.”

Zhao Qianjin glared: “Don’t you dare joke around with me!”

Ye Zhoushan clicked his tongue: “Uncle, repaying debts is only right and proper. I can’t just not repay because I can’t afford to, can I?”

“This is what I owe everyone. I can’t let you bear the burden for me.”

“When you’re deep in debt, a little more doesn’t matter. I’ll repay it slowly—eventually, I’ll manage. I won’t set a repayment deadline on the IOUs. Everyone should understand.”

“Besides…”

Ye Zhoushan leaned closer and lowered his voice: “When people accept favors, they become more accommodating. In the future, I’ll definitely need to help the Chu family.”

“If everyone holds my IOUs, by reason and by principle, they’ll be more lenient and turn a blind eye to it.”

“They might even keep an extra eye out for Wu Yong, wouldn’t they?”

“All things considered, I’m the one coming out ahead.”

Zhao Qianjin looked at Ye Zhoushan, not knowing what to say.

The troublemaker from before had truly grown up.