Chapter 136: Caused by Money

Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Caused by Money

"Who says they only donated a pittance?" The village chief stopped and turned to ask her.

Gou Sheng’s wife craned her neck and glared. "Then you tell us. Exactly how much did they donate?"

"They donated a whole..."

He almost blurted out "four sacks."

Fortunately, he remembered what Ji Huan had said and slammed the brakes on just in time.

"In any case, they donated plenty."

Gou Sheng’s wife wouldn’t let it go. "What proof do you have?"

After being challenged repeatedly, even the good-tempered village chief lost his patience.

"What right do you have to demand proof from me? Is it because you didn’t donate a single grain of rice? Widow Xie has to support her elderly mother and raise a whole flock of children. Isn’t that hard enough? Despite that, when she saw her fellow villagers in trouble, she offered to help without a second thought. And Ji Huan, just a young woman who recently came of age, the head of her own household with no father, no mother, no one to depend on. But she said it herself—she’d rather save and go hungry than stand by and watch her neighbors starve. None of you contributed a single grain, so what gives you the right to talk about them?"

He let loose a blunt tirade, and even that was him going easy on the two of them.

The other villagers weren’t so kind. Their words were like slaps to the face.

"It’s one thing not to donate—no one was forcing them. But I don’t get what they’re thinking, latching onto others like this and refusing to let go. They even want a share of the relief grain. The nerve!"

"And Gou Sheng’s wife is a real piece of work. Her husband tried to climb over Widow Xie’s wall once and got his head bashed in for it. Instead of scolding her own husband, she started a feud with Widow Xie..."

"And what did Wuan ever do to her? Or to Ma Liugun, for that matter..."

"How? It’s the money, of course! Someone’s got a case of the green-eyed monster..."

Ma Liugun and Gou Sheng’s wife never expected their accusations to backfire so spectacularly.

Facing the village chief’s fury and the whispers and stares of their neighbors, they were mortified and resentful. They wished the ground would open up and swallow them whole.

The village chief was a bit out of breath after his long speech. He took a moment to recover before continuing.

"This Merit List isn’t just for show. From now on, if any family on this list encounters hardship, I, as the village chief, will be the first to step forward and help. Everyone else on the list must also support and assist one another. For those families facing difficulties who couldn’t donate grain, don’t lose heart. It’s the sentiment that matters. Just focus on living your lives well. When you have the means in the future, you can do good deeds and give back to the community. Your day to be on the list will come."

"As for those who didn’t donate grain, and instead spread idle gossip and maliciously slandered others..." He paused, pointedly glancing at Ma Liugun and Gou Sheng’s wife.

"Perhaps I should consider making a blacklist. Anyone on it would be marked as a freeloader. If you gloat and make cynical remarks when others are in trouble, then when your day of hardship comes, you’ll have no right to ask your neighbors for help."

"Well said!" The crowd erupted in applause and cheers.

It goes without saying that the expressions on Ma Liugun’s and Gou Sheng’s wife’s faces turned utterly foul.

The village chief, having vented his anger and seeing everyone’s enthusiastic support, felt instantly refreshed and invigorated.

’It’s not often I get to be so authoritative. When have I ever been so widely supported?’

In truth, the blacklist was just an empty threat to scare them. As the village chief, he couldn’t be the one to create division and ostracize people.

But they still needed to be taught a lesson.

"A widow and a young, unsupported girl—why are they such an eyesore to you? Besides, you’re not mind readers, so how could you possibly know their exact circumstances? It’s true the Hu Family has a stall in town, but they only had it up for less than half a month before the year’s end. They probably haven’t even recovered their initial costs, so how much could they have earned? And Ji Huan—yes, she made money doing business with the army, but she wasn’t selling anything particularly rare. Her profits were likely limited. On top of that, she built that huge house. You saw it, didn’t you? How much money do you think she had left after that?"

The village chief rarely took such a clear stance in defending anyone.

This time, aside from the matter of the four sacks of grain, it was mainly because Ji Huan’s idea had been so effective in solving his problems. It was only natural for him to show her some favor.

Then again, as the village chief, he couldn’t be too obviously biased, no matter how unreasonable some people were.

He softened his tone and tried to console the two women.

"You two should stop focusing on others and concentrate on improving your own lives. That’s what really matters. It’s okay to be poor, as long as your heart is in the right place and you don’t waste time on pointless scheming. Hard work is the path to prosperity, you know. I won’t put you on the blacklist this time, but you need to be on your best behavior. That way, if the day comes when your house collapses or you run out of food and can’t even fill your cooking pot, your neighbors will be willing to lend a hand."

The village chief’s words were heartfelt and sincere, and the onlookers all found them reasonable.

And yet, Ma Liugun and Gou Sheng’s wife felt not an ounce of comfort.

’The village chief wasn’t just mocking them for being poor; he was cursing their families to run out of food and have their houses collapse!’

’And he has the gall to say he’s not having an affair with Widow Xie. What a load of crap!’

If only the village chief knew what they were thinking. He would have been so furious he’d have coughed up blood.

Aunt Gao and Aunt Wang later visited the Hu Family and recounted the whole affair, acting out the parts with great flair and amusing everyone in the room.

Ji Huan complained to Widow Xie in private, "I always thought the village chief was a bit of a muddle-headed pushover who couldn’t get anything done. I never expected him to have it in him to be so capable."

Especially after the snowstorm hit, he had promptly organized rescue and relief efforts, and he’d been running himself ragged trying to secure grain.

While those were his duties, plenty of officials don’t bother to do their jobs, especially when the county government couldn’t provide any aid whatsoever.

He had really done everything in his power.

Widow Xie sighed. "The village chief has his share of minor faults. He’s easily influenced, afraid of his wife, and always tries to smooth things over. But he’s not a bad person at heart. If you ask him for help with something, he’ll do it if he can."

Ji Huan couldn’t help but laugh. "With a virtue like that, that’s more than enough."

The grain drive concluded successfully. The village chief led some men to take inventory, and the total amount far exceeded their expectations. They had also received a good deal of old clothing and other goods.

The village chief didn’t dare delay for a moment. He immediately gave orders to distribute the supplies on a per-person basis.

The families who had lost their homes or run out of food had been in despair. To suddenly receive so much aid... it goes without saying how incredibly grateful they were.

No one else in Dafeng Village died from cold or hunger. A week later, the County Magistrate succeeded in borrowing grain and, without delay, notified all the village chiefs to come to the government office to pick it up.

It wasn’t that they were unwilling to make deliveries; there were simply too many villages, and the government officials couldn’t be spared during such a critical time.

The village chief had been worrying that the donated grain was about to run out, and he couldn’t very well ask the villagers for a second round of donations.

When he suddenly received this news, he was absolutely ecstatic!

That very day, he gathered more than ten able-bodied men. Those with oxcarts brought them, those without pulled flatbed carts. He even dispatched his own mule-drawn cart. A vast, cheerful procession set off for Yeyang.

The snow had stopped a few days prior. The wind and freezing temperatures had packed it down, so it was no longer loose and powdery. It was now quite solid, crunching underfoot.

It was a little slippery, but at least they didn’t have to worry about sinking in, so the journey went smoothly.

After the relief grain was hauled back in batches, the entire village set off firecrackers. The celebration was even livelier than the New Year festival.

The village chief also brought back news regarding the war at the front.