"Everyone, quiet down a bit!"
Li Zheng raised his hand and pressed down, and only then did the angry villagers quiet down. "Dàhé Village and Guìhuā Village live next to each other. After the land dispute twenty years ago, the two villages have lived in harmony for over twenty years. If Dàhé Village makes the first move and the county magistrate hears about the disturbance, all the villagers will suffer." Li Zheng slowly said, "But our Dàhé Village will never tolerate anyone who dares to steal our village's grain."
"If we don't fight them, then what should we do?"
"We can't just make Guìhuā Village return the stolen grain, can we?"
"Those people in Guìhuā Village are not good people at all."
Some villagers became angry, while others felt dissatisfied.
The two villages were close, and many people from Guìhuā Village married into Dàhé Village, and many also married their daughters into Guìhuā Village, so naturally, they didn't want the two villages to have a conflict.
"Are we going to cause trouble with Guìhuā Village just based on what Auntie Zhao said?"
"Guìhuā Village does have some ruffians, but not everyone is unreasonable. If we just casually attack them, then our Dàhé Village will be in the wrong."
"What if Auntie Zhao misheard?"
Cheng Loanloan said, "It's best to form a patrol team. Each household sends one person to take turns on duty. Once Guìhuā Village makes a move, it won't be too late to retaliate then."
Just as some felt this idea wasn't bad and were about to nod in agreement, someone objected.
The person who spoke was Zhang Wulai, a lazy glutton from the village. He stood on the hillside with his hands clasped behind his back and snorted lightly, "There's still a lot of work to do in the fields. Who has time to take turns on duty? A wretch like you just finds chores for everyone. If an upright person like Li Zheng also agrees with this idea, then I wonder if Auntie Zhao is colluding with Li Zheng?"
2
With just one sentence, a basin of dirty water was poured over both their heads.
Li Zheng, who was over fifty years old, was so angry that his beard bristled, wishing he could kick Zhang Wulai into the fields.
Cheng Loanloan sneered, "If Li Zheng agrees with my idea because he's colluding with me, then if everyone in the village agrees, does that mean the whole village has designs on me?"
Zhang Wulai's face was arrogant, "Except for Li Zheng, basically no one will agree." "This is a great idea, why wouldn't anyone agree?" Old Man Zhao stepped out, "My eldest daughter-in-law proposed this method for the benefit of the entire village, and Zhang Wulai, out of laziness, made such malicious speculations. My Zhao family will remember this debt."
Cheng Loanloan was a little surprised.
She didn't expect that at such a time, the Zhao family would trust her unconditionally.
Old Man Zhao looked at her with firm eyes and continued, "Decades ago, Dàhé Village was all surnamed Zhao, all one family, united, and rarely had conflicts. But in the past ten-plus years, the number of people with foreign surnames has increased, and disputes among the villagers have also increased. This time, forming a patrol team can be considered the Zhao family's business; those with foreign surnames are exempt. Of course, the patrol team formed by the Zhao family will only protect the Zhao family's grain."
Li Zheng nodded, "A little later, all those surnamed Zhao will come to the Zhao family's ancestral hall for a meeting."
"Li Zheng, this is not valid!" An old woman of about seventy or eighty years old stood up,
"Zhang Wulai's disagreement is his business. We never said we disagreed! Although my family name is Zhu, we've lived in Dahe Village for fifty or sixty years. We've long become a part of the village. At a time like this, how can we falter? My grandson, though young, is intelligent. Let him join the patrol team!"
The old woman pushed a child forward. His name was Zhu Huzi, and he was indeed very intelligent.
The Zhu family had a rather tragic history. Many years ago, they fled to Dahe Village to escape disaster. Not long after, the pillar of the Zhu family, Old Zhu, suddenly passed away. His three sons and two daughters also died of illness, ultimately leaving behind only this young grandson, who was raised by Old Lady Zhu.