Chapter 116 - Chapter 116: Chapter ill Gained Prestige i (1/2)
Chapter 116: Chapter ill Gained Prestige i
Translator: 549690339
Some things, when done in secret, may seem unnoticed. But now, with the village head personally investigating and even bringing village elders to testify, Wu Si couldn’t possibly deny it.
His idea was simple, offer some compensation, and send Qin Niu on his way.
This was also his habitual arrogant thinking at play; he hadn’t fully accepted Qin Niu’s assertive rise.
In the eyes of people like Big Sister Mo and Wu Si, even if Qin Niu had become somewhat more formidable, he was still just a slightly improved version of the old foolish All Niu.
So now you’re publicly admitting to the encroachment of Old Man Liu’s house foundation land, right?”
Xu Zhenchang asked.
“I did take up a bit of it.”
Under pressure, Wu Si had no choice but to concede.
“You’ve taken a whole yard and three feet wide of his land, and you call that a bit?”
Xu Zhenchang challenged him.
“I’m willing to compensate; please Master Qin and the village head be generous.”
Wu Si bowed and scraped repeatedly.
“Master Qin, what do you think?”
Xu Zhenchang turned to Qin Niu.
“Not an inch of ground will be given up!”
Qin Niu simply replied with four cold words.
“Master Qin, you intend to build a new house, which requires a considerable amount of money. If you want something slightly more magnificent, you need at least seven or eight taels of silver. I’m willing to offer you five maces of silver as compensation; what do you think?”
Wu Si proposed a figure as compensation.
ii
Does Master Qin lack your five maces of silver? Just the advance payment for my labor costs five taels,” Tang Fang couldn’t help but speak up for Qin Niu.
The intention to please was obvious.
That’s how people are, when you’re powerful, the whole world is full of good people, supporters, and friends everywhere.
When you’re down on your luck, everyone is ready to kick you while you’re down.
Big Sister Mo was closely monitoring the situation.
Seeing that the five maces of silver didn’t solve the issue, she rushed to the spot where the two properties met, pulling her two children along. She threw herself to the ground with a wail and had her children lie down with her.
“Oh heavens… Open your eyes and look! They’re all bullying our family; if there’s any justice, let lightning strike down those evildoers! 1 can’t live anymore, wu wu…”
This woman, when throwing a fit, let her hair down and lay on the ground crying as if her heaven and earth had fallen apart, appearing even more ‘heartbroken’ than if her parents were dead.
The children, too young to know any better, joined their mother on the ground, weeping piteously; the scene was tragic.
“Wu Si, I’ll just ask you once, are you going to return the encroached house foundation land or not?”
Xu Zhenchang already intended to win favor with Qin Niu, and now that he had the upper hand, he was even less apprehensive.
The surrounding villagers also began to accuse Wu Si’s family of wrongdoing.
“Then 1 have no choice but to ask the authorities to settle this matter! Hmph, when your wife ends up in jail, at the mercy of the prison guards, don’t regret it. And if you go in, you’ll likely suffer physical torments as well.”
Upon hearing this, Wu Si’s face instantly turned ashen.
Even Big Sister Mo on the ground stopped her antics immediately.
She scrambled up and threw herself at Xu Zhenchang’s feet, pulling her children with her.
“Village head, please have mercy on us, a mother and her children; can we please not tear down the house? Where would we live if it’s demolished?”
She was praying to the wrong deity.
The real decision-maker wasn’t Xu Zhenchang.
“You refused the toast only to drink the forfeit, this is all brought upon yourselves.”
Xu Zhenchang’s face darkened, ready to report to official authorities on the spot.
Frightened, Big Sister Mo immediately grabbed hold of him.
“We’ll demolish it; we agree to demolish! A weak arm cannot twist a strong thigh. We’ve all seen how Qin Niu bullies his neighbors…”
Slap!
Xu Zhenchang landed a heavy slap across the face of this shrew.
The crowd felt a rush of gratification.
“The facts are clear, the evidence is conclusive; your family has occupied Master Qin’s house foundation land, yet here you are, distorting the truth. Do you think with just your word, you can slander others at will? If you dare to make a scene again, don’t blame me for not considering our fellow townspeople’s feelings—I’ll send your whole family to the officials. Then, you can cry for injustice all you want in the court.”
Xu Zhenchang sternly rebuked Big Sister Mo.
That slap had thoroughly subdued her.
Usually, when she quarreled with other villagers, this tactic worked without fail.
But now, facing power, all her tricks that normally worked on the common folk turned into a joke.
“Wu wu… 1 don’t want to live anymore!”
After being publicly slapped, Big Sister Mo was stunned for a moment before breaking into loud wails, threatening to jump into the river and seek death.
Wu Si was a man who usually feared his wife.
But he had now recognized the reality, and with no hope of escape, he ran over and grasped his wife.
“Get back home!”
This was the first time he had shown authority in front of his wife.
Big Sister Mo initially resisted, but Wu Si gave her a couple of fierce slaps on her backside.
She immediately quieted down.
After dragging Big Sister Mo back into the house, the whole world seemed to quiet down.
Wu Si quickly came out again, holding a hoe and a sickle in his hands.
The crowd assumed he was out for a fight with Qin Niu.
“Master Qin, it’s our fault for taking your land; I’ll demolish it right away. 1 only ask that you look past the small person’s faults, and not hold it against my family.”
After apologizing, Wu Si began to dismantle the fence.
Seeing this, Xu Zhenchang showed a satisfied expression.
People were filled with awe for Qin Niu.
In just one day, Qin Niu’s status within the village soared to the highest point.
From the likes of local bullies like Wang Haikun, with a certain backing from officials, to shrews like Big Sister Mo who threw tantrums and rolled on the ground, he had managed to deal with all of them. Moreover, he always held the moral high ground, which made the villagers both fear and respect him.