LGSLAW : Chapter 26 – The Village Chief

Miao He had no idea that Young Master Xu inadvertently boosted his reputation, leading the young masters in town to spread the word about Yangshui Teahouse’s special dishes, inadvertently overshadowing Dahe Restaurant’s tofu pudding.

The day after returning from the town, Miao He found himself bedridden again. Due to the additional mattress he bought for replacement, which somehow led Yang Dalang to misunderstand, and with Dr. Ji’s clearance for physical activities, they once again shared an intimate moment that night.

This time, Miao He managed to keep his head clearer, but it was of no use. Yang Dalang was like two different people—one domineering and straightforward, doing whatever he wanted; the other a considerate introvert, leaving Miao He to guess his thoughts. Of course, Yang Dalang didn’t use brute force to hurt Miao He. His dominance came from overwhelming Miao He until his mind went blank, then taking advantage.

Waking up the next day, Miao He felt like a boiled, limp shrimp, rendered useless. As Yang Dalang bustled around, Miao He thought, in hindsight, he should have bought more mattresses. Who knows if one would be enough…

“Not eating?” Yang Dalang handed a peeled lychee to Miao He’s mouth.

The off-season lychee grown with the magic soil could only be eaten in secret. Giving it away wasn’t an option. After asking Dr. Ji, Miao He found out that lychee was also good for bone fractures. So, instead of tomatoes, they started eating plump and juicy lychees from today.

Miao He blushed and quickly took a bite. The sweet, bouncy fruit immediately released its juice. Miao He instinctively sucked a little, his tongue accidentally brushing against Yang Dalang’s finger. He saw Yang Dalang’s gaze deepen, and the next moment, his mouth was covered by Yang Dalang’s.

“You, you…” Miao He blushed even more. You don’t need to do that.

Yang Dalang calmly spat out the seed and started peeling another lychee.

A few lychees later, Miao He felt hot all over. Speaking of lychees, they do cause heat. Later, when Miao He was pressed onto the bed again, he didn’t resist too much.

There must be a honeymoon period, Miao He thought, burning with heat.

He just didn’t know this honeymoon period would last much longer than he expected.

***

But there were still things to be done. When Miao He finally regained his mobility, he and Yang Dalang took the town-bought pastries and the land deed to inform the village chief.

The village chief, smiling, felt a bit uneasy.

How could they be so lucky? They saved someone and easily got a mountain.

But the village chief still spoke amiably, “This is Dalang’s good fortune. Others can’t envy it. Haha, with this mountain, including a piece of wasteland at the foot. As long as young people work hard, life will get better and better.”

Yang Dalang nodded, “Thank you, village chief.”

“But be careful with taxes in the future. If you open up wasteland to grow crops, the tax will be different from mountain land. It’s not like growing vegetables on homestead land, which can be exempted. The transplanting season is over, so it’s too late to grow crops. How about planting some soybeans to get through the autumn tax? I’ll talk to Mr. Miao; he shouldn’t mind the previous incident.” The village chief kindly suggested.

He doesn’t mind, but I do, Miao He thought with a dry laugh. He heard Yang Dalang say, “It’s fine; the family is doing well.”

The village chief’s smile froze for a moment, “That’s true. Besides the gifts from the Liang family, I also heard that He Ge’er goes to town to sell vegetables every morning. That’s a good business.”

“Thanks to the Liang family’s help,” Miao He replied.

The village chief nodded, hinting, “It’s lucky to be connected with a good family like the Liangs. If the relationship deepens, who knows, you might bring prosperity to the village like Mr. Miao.”

Miao He pretended not to understand, “We’re not as capable as Mr. Miao.”

The village chief felt a bit annoyed.

He had suggested Miao He plant soybeans for Miao Jue’s family, hoping that if Miao He agreed, it would show that he had let go of the past. This would reduce criticism of Miao Jue’s family. After all, if Miao He was willing to sell soybeans to Miao Jue’s family, it meant he had moved on, so what else could people say?

In this way, the village chief would gain more favor from Miao Jue. Since the village assembly, Miao Jue had entrusted the village chief with the task of acquiring soybeans, raising the villagers’ respect for him. This warmth had gone to his head, making him feel that his decision to support Miao Jue’s family and handle He Ge’er’s marriage was the right one!

Moreover, he wanted to help his nephew Miao Gui secure a job at the workshop. He couldn’t lower himself to ask Miao Jue directly, hoping to first do him a favor and then bring it up. However, Yang Dalang had directly rejected his suggestion! And He Ge’er, despite the hint about introducing vegetable sales paths to the villagers, acted as if he didn’t understand!

These two, were they doing it on purpose or not? The village chief snorted inwardly.

Maybe they felt superior because the Liang family gave them a mountain. But it was just a mountain. Growing crops on it would be difficult. What good was it? These young people probably didn’t know the challenges ahead and were dreaming of becoming landlords!

When there were no conflicts of interest, the village chief didn’t mind serving the villagers. But if there were conflicts, he had plenty of tricks.

With these dark thoughts, the village chief exchanged a few more pleasantries before letting them leave.

After they left, the village chief’s wife, Aunt Mian, came in with a smile.

“What did He Ge’er and Dalang come for? I saw from a distance they brought a box. Did they bring another gift? These two are really nice, always bringing gifts when they come.”

Seeing gifts, Aunt Mian was always the first to rush. The village chief felt a bit annoyed and scolded, “Don’t always focus on those things. A person’s worth isn’t determined by gifts!”

Aunt Mian put her hands on her hips, “Well, without my focus, with your meager salary, always running around without farming, how could our family live so comfortably? If you don’t want it, I’ll just take it away. This red bean cake is sold in town, and our grandsons love it. I’ll keep it for them!”

The village chief sneered at the cake, “You’re happy with these? They got a mountain and just give us some cakes. I’m not happy.”

“A mountain? What’s the story?” Aunt Mian was puzzled.

The village chief vented his frustration by telling her about Yang Dalang coming to report the land transfer.

After hearing it, Aunt Mian rolled her eyes, “So what? They got the mountain; did you help? They gave us these cakes out of goodwill. How can you complain? Look at Miao Jue’s family, whom you praise. Have they ever given us anything? They’re the ungrateful ones!”

The village chief’s face turned red, “That’s a woman’s perspective! Without Miao Jue’s family, would the tax collectors treat me so well? And the respect I get now, isn’t it thanks to the village assembly? Plus, Miao Gui’s job depends on them. These are real benefits, not like these cakes!”

Aunt Mian got angrier when Miao Gui was mentioned, “I’ll compare cakes if I want! Can you eat those other things? Think carefully. It’s your three sons who farm to support you, not Miao Gui! Why worry about his job?”

The village chief’s three sons were honest and hard-working, never thinking of taking over his position. But the village chief, even when he had to retire, still wanted to keep his status. Seeing no hope in his sons, he turned to his nephew, Miao Gui.

Miao Gui, his elder brother’s youngest son, was not interested in farming but liked to help the village chief with various tasks, so the village chief saw him as his successor. If Miao Gui could get a job at the workshop, he would respect the village chief even after retirement.

Aunt Mian didn’t know his ambitious plans. She just knew some gifts were welcome, but sometimes the old man needed to be scolded.

Meanwhile, back to Miao He and Yang Dalang.

After completing the last step, they went to inspect their new land hand in hand.

The small hill in the southwest of Miao Village was called small because it wasn’t high but had a large area.

Luckily, a stream from West Long Mountain flowed down the northwest side, circling the hill on three sides, forming a gorge with the only entrance from the southwest of Miao Village. If they secured the entrance, managing the hill would be feasible.

However, being close to the village, the lower areas had sparse vegetables and trees. Higher up were some fruit trees, but not many. Large animals were scarce, so Yang Dalang usually hunted in the northwest mountains for better yields.

But now, owning the land made a difference. Yang Dalang planned to clear the hill in the coming days. The flatter areas near the stream might attract animals from other hills, so he needed to set traps. This work was similar to hunting, so Miao He disagreed.

After some discussion, they decided to start simply. They would build a wooden fence at the southwest entrance to mark their territory. Miao He planned to plant fruit trees, and they couldn’t let people think the fruits were free for all.

Building a wooden fence wasn’t difficult, with materials available on-site. Aunt Yang was delighted with the news. The Yang family lacked land, so even a hill was a valuable asset for their descendants. She called her two sons, Da Tong and Da Chuan, to help, and they quickly fenced a small area.

This activity naturally caught the villagers’ attention. The village chief didn’t hide the news, so soon everyone knew the details. Jealousy and envy were inevitable.

Even the original owner’s family heard the news.

Zhang Mian, a woman from the second branch who loved to criticize, sarcastically said that the in-laws had become wealthy but didn’t see He Ge’er sending rice or chickens back home. Miao He’s mother laughed it off, thinking, why should I let him send things home just for them to end up in your grandson’s mouth? She wasn’t stupid. However, she held onto the remaining silver, feeling warm. If the silver ran out, she might ask He Ge’er for more.

Guang Auntie, who had previously clashed with Miao He, also spoke sourly.

“Oh, they got a hill, so they’re becoming landlords, huh? I didn’t see that coming. He Ge’er sends vegetables to the Liang family, and they reward him with a hill. I don’t know what he’s delivering so often. And Dalang, I don’t know what to say about him.”

“Guang Auntie, be careful with your words. If Dalang hears this, he’ll come after you.”

Such insinuations of infidelity were serious slanders in the village, often leading to fights. The villagers generally sided with the wronged party.

Guang Auntie, realizing her mistake, quickly changed her tune, “I-I didn’t mean anything. I was just saying He Ge’er must be delivering great vegetables, earning such a big reward from the Liang family. They probably want him to grow more.”

Unbeknownst to her, these words were overheard by Miao Min’s mother.

Here was another adversary of Miao He. So, what was said unintentionally was taken seriously by a willing listener.

 

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