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Chapter 26: Silencing Gossip

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jinzhi frowned, thinking the old man was being a bit too greedy.

Uncle Chen Jiu quickly explained, “Master Zhang, to be honest, we’re not lacking food in our village anymore. I’m not after your wages or meals.”

He said with concern, “It’s just that the Zhao family’s situation is a bit special. I’m afraid if things drag on too long, unpleasant rumors might start to spread about them.

“If we mix in a few more people, it might help ease things a little.”

Zhang Jinzhi didn’t dare to make the decision himself and simply looked at Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu smiled and praised, “It’s truly a blessing for Tongshu Village to have a senior like you! Alright, I agree. You can choose the people yourself, but no more than five, and they must be strong.”

“No problem at all!” Uncle Chen Jiu beamed. “Us country folks, unless we’re too young to walk or too old to move, we all have good strength!”

He even promised, “Anyone with poor character, we absolutely won’t send them your way!”

Zhou Yu nodded, and Uncle Chen Jiu immediately went back to think about the candidates.

In truth, the villagers of Tongshu Village were quite puzzled by Zhou Yu asking Qin Ying for help.

Although they had benefited greatly because of the Zhao family, the deep-rooted idea of valuing men over women made them believe that the Zhao family’s good fortune mostly stemmed from Zhao Hu.

Not long after Qin Ying arrived at the village, her biological mother died. Then her husband was conscripted, Black Mountain suffered a terrible drought, her in-laws died one after another, and even her sister-in-law was taken away…

No matter how they looked at it, she seemed like a jinx.

If it weren’t for her capable nature and the Zhao family’s unwavering support of her, the villagers would have kicked her out long ago.

Even though public opinion had started to change recently, many still doubted how a woman with a young child could possibly help a nobleman.

Some began to remember how pretty Qin Ying used to be—fresh-faced and radiant. You couldn’t find a prettier girl in all the surrounding villages.

Maybe she had a bold heart and believed that since Guo Wen hadn’t been heard from, he must be dead, so she was now looking for a better future?

But as for that nobleman, she had no chance. Someone so capable and handsome at such a young age—why would he want a secondhand woman with a child?

Sigh. Someone really should speak to the Zhao family. Us farming folks should live honestly and not chase after what doesn’t belong to us.

Still, with Uncle Chen Jiu holding everyone back, no one dared to stir up trouble for now.

Now that Uncle Chen Jiu was picking people in the village, the villagers were in an uproar, each scrambling to volunteer.

Uncle Chen Jiu called everyone to the grain-drying field.

The old man kept a stern face and walked around the crowd twice.

The first round, the villagers were still chirping and gossiping. By the second round, they gradually fell silent, each looking uneasy.

Uncle Chen Jiu stood before them with his hands behind his back and said coldly, “So, now we all have water to drink, right? Food to eat, right? No longer waiting to die, right? No longer afraid of being buried in the ground and dug back up to be eaten, right?!”

The villagers were shaken and quickly responded:

“Uncle Jiu, what do you mean by that?”

“Uncle, why are you talking like this?”

“Yeah, if we’ve done something wrong, just say it—we’ll change.”

Granny Wang added slowly, “To live is to accumulate virtue. Otherwise, when you die, you go to hell. And if you’re reincarnated, you might end up as a beast.”

She glanced at Uncle Chen Jiu and smirked slightly. “Brother Jiu, you’re getting old, and even your words are losing edge!”

Then she turned to the crowd with a scornful smile. “As if no one knows how you whisper behind others’ backs?

“This village ain’t that big. Someone farts on the east side, and you can smell it on the west side!

“You’ve been blessed by others, yet you gossip behind their backs. If that’s not lacking virtue, then what is?”

Some villagers lowered their heads in shame, while others looked defiant.

“Still not convinced?” Uncle Chen Jiu sneered. “Have you forgotten who discovered and dug out our water source?

“Could Yingzi do it alone? Could the Zhao family alone do it? Could little Tiger, a half-grown boy, do it?

“Who found food for the Feng family? It was Yingzi! It was almost dark at the time. If she hadn’t said anything and quietly brought it home, would we have known?

“These past few years have been nearly windless. The crops didn’t fill out well. Who braved the scorching sun with a feather duster to help pollinate the plants?”

He spat on the ground. “I still remember how some of you laughed at them for wasting their time! Now that the harvest is in—compare it with the other villages—what do you see? Can you deny it was thanks to her?

“That idea was all Yingzi’s!

“She made it possible for us to have so much extra grain! And yet you dare gossip behind her back? That’s like eating with your bowl and then cursing your mother!”

The villagers all lowered their heads, too ashamed to speak.

“And those pine nuts, hazelnuts, and grains found in the mountains—has she ever kept them for herself? Didn’t she always share with the whole village? If she’d hidden them, she could’ve eaten three big meals a day for three years and never run out!

“You all tried going into the mountains to forage too—did you ever find anything? You didn’t have the luck, and now you can’t stand to see others doing well?

“We never told you before because the nobleman didn’t want to make a fuss. But now I’ll tell you the truth: that Master Zhou living in my home is the county magistrate!

“Lord Zhou came to inspect the well we dug and has been helping us ever since.

“Why did he ask Yingzi and Huzi to help? Because he saw they were lucky kids!

“They left for one trip and struck water again, didn’t they?

“Could any of you have done that? No? Then don’t badmouth them behind their backs. That’s called envy!

“Receiving kindness and repaying it with slander against an innocent girl—that’s called being rotten to the core!

“If you’ve got the guts, don’t drink the water. Don’t take the grain. Say whatever you want—no one will stop you!

“But if you can’t do without them, then shut your mouths! Bullying a widow and orphan—aren’t you proud of yourselves!”

The more softhearted women had already started to cry.

Granny Wang added sarcastically, “Now that the words have pierced your hearts, the tears start to fall like cat pee. But don’t go forgetting all this the moment you turn your backs.

“If you lose your conscience, you’re worse than pigs and dogs!”

Some villagers had started sobbing outright.

Uncle Chen Jiu couldn’t help but give Granny Wang an approving look. “Old lady, well done!”

Granny Wang proudly raised her chin.

After a moment, Uncle Chen Jiu said, “I told Lord Zhou that now that the harvest is over, we’ve got time on our hands. Us farmers may not have much, but we’ve got strength.

“If we’re not lucky, we can at least help carry and lift things, right?

“Lord Zhou agreed. He said we could pick a few people from the village to go help. Meals will be provided, and there might even be some money in it afterward.