Chapter 320

This batch of knives wasn’t given out to Shuiqing, but it’s good to have some. Who else would be picky?

The men were overjoyed, almost unable to resist cheering. Then they wondered why Fan Xiaoliu and Wu Gousheng didn’t reveal any money along the way, even making them think all the money was gone?

Why did Hong Mancang also not reveal the large knives, only letting them think they had been washed away by the river?

Surely it wasn’t to guard against them, but against whom was clear at a glance!

They only felt that guarding against them was appropriate and correct. Anyway, if they were to share the money and large knives with such a family, it would be more disgusting than having them eat flies!

Having understood this, the men suppressed their cheers, their faces showing only excitement.

The old village chief distributed the fourteen large knives one by one. Now, except for those two households, almost every household in the village had two large knives, and a few had three!

After distributing one or two taels of silver to each person, there were still twelve taels left. However, Fan Jin, Ding Heli, Hu Wenhua, and the three did not take their share, so these three taels of silver were added to the remaining silver. So now the village has a total of fifteen taels of shared silver!

Fifteen taels of silver in total. The old village chief felt that this silver was too hot to handle.

He was a little uneasy, afraid that he hadn’t handled things well. His gaze just fell on Fan Jin, who respectfully said, “Old village chief, you are the most suitable candidate.”

The old village chief was highly respected in the village, based on decades of experience in dealing with people. No one else could compare.

His three sons were honest and straightforward, warm-hearted, never slippery, and very concerned about the people and things in the village. With a solid family background, they would never covet these dozen taels of silver.

His three daughters-in-law were diligent and capable. Especially Guifen, the eldest sister-in-law, born and raised in the village, knew everything about the people and things. In the future, she would be the most capable person to organize banquets.

Most importantly, he could feel that the old village chief now highly favored Shuiqing, almost wishing for Shuiqing to take charge of his work and lead the village to a better future. However, he also had his selfishness—being overly exhausted and not wanting Shuiqing to accept it.

Shuiqing was suitable for handling major tasks, achieving visible results, such as leading villagers to earn money. However, tasks like organizing village banquets, which were tiresome and tedious, were not suitable for Shuiqing.

The old village chief tentatively said, “Your daughter-in-law Hu Shuiqing—”

Originally, the men felt that there was nothing more reassuring than the old village chief managing the silver, but when they heard the old village chief mention Shuiqing’s name, they suddenly found her equally reassuring! Since when did Hu Shuiqing become an equal presence to the old village chief in their eyes?

There was even a faint sense of replacement and surpassing!

Fan Jin’s expression was gentle, and his words were somewhat troubled, “The medicine shop has many things to deal with, all of which need her. The children are still young and can’t do without her. I’m afraid there’s no extra energy. If it’s not handled well, won’t it be a waste of money?

Old village chief, you’re the best to handle this. Brother Li and the other two can convene people for discussion. Sister Guifen is efficient and will surely prepare the banquet quickly and well.”

When the men heard the old village chief mention Shuiqing, they felt she was the most suitable candidate;

But after hearing Fan Jin’s calm words, they felt that the old village chief’s family was still the most suitable.

Their thoughts changed back and forth, making them feel like a grass on the wall, swaying with the wind~

The old village chief was thinking that the medicine shop was the foundation of the village’s livelihood and must not have any risks. Naturally, he couldn’t let Hu Shuiqing be distracted. He nodded and took over the silver and the subsequent matters.

After distributing the silver and knives and discussing the whereabouts of the remaining silver, the men were satisfied and prepared to leave, each returning home.

“Wait, old village chief, I have an idea.” Hu Wenhua suddenly said.

The men in the courtyard stopped, looking curiously at Hu Wenhua.

“Old village chief, we encountered bandits on our way back. Although we have large knives and the credit of unity, lime also played a big role, so I’m thinking, can we postpone using the lime we bought this time to plaster the walls?

Instead, could we store it just in case?” Hu Wenhua calmly suggested.

Before he finished speaking, everyone present immediately began discussing it, and the conclusion was overwhelmingly in favor!

Actually, there was no need for discussion as everyone agreed, not just the men who faced danger, but also the old village chief, and even the elderly women and children in the village.

After all, not everyone had a large knife, and even if they did, it wouldn’t be enough. If the knives weren’t in capable hands and were taken away, it would pose an even greater danger! Moreover, if there were many bandits attacking the village, the walls could block them, but knives alone couldn’t cause harm. At that time, lime would come in handy!

Give them a bag over their heads and see how they dare to do wrong and plot against others’ belongings!

“Wenhua is right. Let’s not plaster the walls for now. Let’s wait until the floods pass and the world is stable again. We can plaster the walls then, anyway, it won’t spoil.”

“All the lime is stored in the front study. If it’s really needed, it’ll be convenient to use it there.”

“Oh, by the way, old village chief, don’t you know? Many wealthy households in the prefectural city have been robbed!”

“The impact of this flood is uncertain. It’s getting colder, and there’s obviously less wild food outside. This isn’t a good situation.”

The topic shifted from worrying about the safety of the village to worrying about the disaster victims outside, sweeping away the previous atmosphere of joy and excitement, and replacing it with a subdued atmosphere.

The old village chief looked at the injured men and sighed, advising them, “We are humble people with little to say. It’s already difficult enough in these times to take care of ourselves and our wives and children.”

Sighs echoed one after another, and in the end, they dispersed helplessly.

When Hu Wenhua returned home, his mother knew he was crying uncontrollably because of his injuries.

The butcher Hu wished he could take his pig-killing knife and chop up those bandits one by one. Upon hearing that the constables had arrested them, and these bandits were going to be charged with crimes that weren’t even theirs, he anxiously asked, “Those scoundrels who replaced the crimes, won’t they be safe now?”

He wasn’t kind-hearted. He would be happy if these bandits couldn’t come out again. It was just that if they were to bear other crimes that weren’t theirs, then the real perpetrators of these crimes would be able to roam free, continuing to kill and set fires outside?

“Well, there’s nothing we can do. How the officials handle it, we don’t have the right or the ability to question.” Ding Heli replied helplessly.

Hu Wenhua looked at his mother, who kept wiping tears, unsure of how to console her. He could only state the facts, “Mother, we live comfortably in the village and feel time passes quickly. But those disaster victims are struggling to survive day by day. Those who were kind-hearted might have died long ago, and those who remain may not be completely wicked, but it’s common for them to commit such crimes.”

“Mother, don’t be upset. If we weren’t at Sister’s and Brother-in-law’s house, I’m afraid I wouldn’t know how many injuries we would have suffered by now.”

Hu’s mother understood this reasoning, but understanding was one thing; seeing the blood-soaked bandages on her son’s back still pained her deeply.

Her son and daughter were her everything. She would rather be injured herself than see harm come to either of them.