Chapter 114 - Chapter 114: Chapter 109 The Power of Virtue i (2/2)
Upon hearing this, a murmur of astonishment spread among the onlookers.
Qin Niu was truly on the rise, with a status and position even more formidable than Wang Yue, and now he was constructing a new house. It was truly enviable.
“Master Qin, may 1 ask if now would be a convenient time to inspect your old residence?”
Tang Fang didn’t bother with the others, and directly stood outside the gate and respectfully posed the question.
“Convenient, very convenient! Master Tang, please come in!”
Qin Niu stepped out of his house to personally receive him.
He was still clad in coarse cloth garments patched up in many places, but he seemed to carry a bit more authority now.
“This is my younger brother, Tang Jun, who has been working with me as a roofer since he was twelve, and later went to the city to study for two years. His skills have even surpassed mine. Moreover, some of his clever layouts and building methods are at the forefront of the latest trends.”
Tang Fang introduced the middle-aged man beside him.
About thirty years old, he looked extremely composed, his eyes and forehead gleaming with the unique wisdom of a craftsman.
“I’ve met Master Qin!”
Tang Jun greeted him with clasped hands and a respectful bow.
“No need for formalities! I will be relying on you and your brother for my new residence, please do take care, and rest assured that you will be treated fairly for your efforts.”
With a gesture of his right hand, Qin Niu signaled to Tang Jun that further courtesy was unnecessary.
He then took the two brothers to inspect the old house inside and out.
When they inspected the side adjacent to Wang Furen’s home, Wang Furen himself came out.
“Master Qin, are you planning to build a new house here?”
Wang Furen addressed Qin Niu with respect.
It appeared that the cunning Wang Furen had been eavesdropping from inside the house all along.
“Uncle Wang, you can just call me Ah Niu. When I was destitute, not only did you refrain from oppressing me, but you also helped me a great deal. Our relationship is, of course, special.”
Qin Niu was a person who remembered past kindnesses.
He had always been grateful to Wang Furen’s family.
“Master Qin, I am truly grateful that you remember our past kindnesses, but social decorum is strict. I’m a commoner, you’re the nobility, 1 wouldn’t dare overstep.”
Wang Furen’s face was filled with contentment, but also a great sense of emotion.
Who could have imagined the once underestimated Qin Niu would become so noble?
Indeed, one should not despise the poor youth.
The growth of children is unpredictable to everyone.
“If the land for building your house is insufficient, my family’s land is at your disposal.”
Wang Furen’s home was separated from Qin Niu’s by about three meters, consisting of a piece of land in between.
Two meters of it belonged to Wang Furen’s family, and one meter to Old Man Liu.
This was a division made by the previous generation.
“Alright, thank you, Uncle Wang! If I really need it, 1 will certainly buy it from you with money, not take it for nothing.”
Back when Qin Niu was weak, Wang Furen had never bullied him or encroached on his homestead.
Now that Qin Niu was strong, he naturally would not bully Wang Furen either.
While they were surveying the homestead, another neighbor, Big Sister Mo, came over with a basket full of chicken eggs.
Big Sister Mo was of medium height, with robust arms and legs, and her eyes were as cold as a wolf’s. She was known in the village for being a formidable character.
No one could withstand her barrage of curses in a quarrel.
Her other neighboring household, Wu San, had been literally sickened by her curses on several occasions.
It should be noted that Wu San was her husband’s own brother.
Qin Niu usually gave Big Sister Mo a wide berth, not wanting to provoke this woman.
Wang Furen and Big Sister Mo were his next-door neighbors, but he had no interactions with Big Sister Mo’s family.
Instead, their homestead kept encroaching on his own.
It wasn’t an outright grab; rather, it was subtle encroachment, little by little.
“Ah Niu, these are chicken eggs my family had saved up. 1 had intended to sell them for money, but now I’m giving them to you.”
Although Big Sister Mo’s face was filled with an ingratiating smile, the arrogance in her heart still made her speak to Qin Niu with a condescending attitude.
A gift of chicken eggs was now somehow presented as an act of charity.
Qin Niu gave her a detached look.
That one look sent a shiver through Big Sister Mo as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
Without saying a word, he continued surveying the homestead with the Tang brothers.
After inspecting Wang Furen’s side, they proceeded to the left side.
Big Sister Mo followed, her face betraying a certain amount of embarrassment.
“All Niu, I have two children, and our homestead is already small; you can’t encroach on our land!”
She forced a smile as she greeted him.
Only a woman as tactless and oblivious as Big Sister Mo could be suited to being a scolding fishwife.
“Master Qin, this side seems a bit tight! If we build with three rooms and seven bays, I’m afraid the entranceway in the front yard will become too narrow.”
After inspecting, Tang Jun suggested with some difficulty to Qin Niu.
“Could some kind villager please fetch the village head for me? Here’s five wen as a tip for the trouble.”
After hearing this, Qin Niu glanced at his homestead that had been heavily encroached upon by Big Sister Mo’s family.
Yet, he did not resort to force.
The Yan Family’s way of winning people over with kindness appealed to him.
So, he decided to follow their example.
I’ll go, I’ll go! No need for money! It would be my honor to serve Master Qin!”
It was Liu Shengli from the Liu Family.
He had been thinking of getting his hands on Qin Niu’s secret fertilizer formula, but upon seeing how formidable Qin Niu had become, he completely abandoned that idea.
Now his sole intention was to find an opportunity to cling to Qin Niu’s coattails.
“Brother Ah Niu, just leave this kind of task to me!”
Er Dan reacted even faster and dashed off without a trace.
Liu Shengli cursed behind him, “You blockhead Er Dan, why do you compete with your Uncle Liu over this!”
Before long, Village Head Xu Zhenchang was summoned.
Indeed, the village head of Shuangfeng Village was Xu Zhenchang.
Ever since the old village head passed away, the villagers had elected Xu Zhenchang as their village head.
Naturally, this was not without the support of the Yan Family.
The Yan Family, being one of the most dominant forces in Jade Stream Town, had already extended its influence into every corner.
It’s no exaggeration to say that when it came to the control of public opinion, the Yan Family’s influence locally far exceeded that of the government..