Jing Yi, feeling rare embarrassment, couldn’t help but feel a little awkward in front of his sweetheart’s two fathers. Even if he had a thick skin, he felt uneasy at this moment when he saw the other person’s son zoning out.

 

He quickly changed the topic.

 

“Uncle, Aunt, my father and mother were thinking that our family will be resting from business on the fifth day of next month. If it’s convenient for your family, they would like to visit again and my father mentioned that he would like to have a drink with you and not return drunk,” Jing Yi said.

 

Upon hearing this, Mr. Lin and Mrs. Lin were both surprised. It was quite formal for an entire family to visit, especially in the countryside where it was usually the men who interacted more.

 

“It should be us who visit Brother Jing and Sister Caiyun. We can’t always have your family running over,” Mrs. Lin said to Jing Yi. Friends should visit each other reciprocally, otherwise, they wouldn’t have any friends left.

 

“Don’t worry, Aunt. My mother feels a connection with you and wants to pay you a visit. And coincidentally, my father has been wanting to have a drink with Uncle Lin since he left in a hurry during our last visit, and he has been thinking about it,” Jing Yi reassured.

 

Jing Yi had his own way of persuading people, and he readily said, “Since my family is here, next time you can bring your whole family to visit my house. After all, we’re not far away from each other.”

 

Finally, Jing Yi discussed the visiting matter with Mr. Lin and bid farewell.

 

On a day at the end of September, in Xiwancun.

 

“Is Brother Jingrong at home?” came a young and clear voice from outside the courtyard. The voice grew closer and louder as a boy approached.

 

Jing’s mother heard the voice and hurried to greet the young boy as he entered the gate, accompanied by Jing’an.

 

The visitor was Jing Cheng, the younger son of the village chief, Jing Sheng’s family. Although he was only eleven years old, he was tall and sturdy, more mature than his peers in his words and actions, and considered a half-grown boy.

 

He was also favored in the chief’s family, especially by the chief’s elderly father and mother, who loved this little grandson the most and believed his steady and firm temperament resembled his great-grandfather, seeing a promising future for him.

 

The Jing Yi family and the village chief’s family were distant relatives, but in rural areas, as long as there were any family ties or acquaintances, they would take care of each other to some extent. Moreover, the village chief’s family had a higher seniority, so whether it was before or after the incident at the Jing Yi family, the village chief’s family had always been very helpful, which was why Jing’s father and mother held great respect for the chief’s family.

 

“Little Cheng, come in and have a seat. What’s the matter with your Brother Rong? He hasn’t returned from town yet,” Jing’s mother asked with a smile, taking out some cloud-shaped pastries that Jing Yi had brought back from town a few days ago and offered them to Jing Cheng.

 

“Aunt Caiyun, my father said someone wants to sell land and asked if Brother Rong is interested,” Jing Cheng said without hesitation, picking up a piece of pastry and eating it.

 

He and Jing’an were already good friends, and he had often visited Jing’an’s house before Jing Yi arrived. If it weren’t for Jing Yi’s arrival, Jing Cheng would be considered the older brother in Jing’an’s heart.

 

“Somebody wants to sell land? Okay, do you know whose land it is?” Jing’s mother became serious upon hearing that it was about selling land and asked inquisitively.

 

“I’m not sure about that. I forgot to ask my father,” Jing Cheng said a little regretfully. He should have asked all the details before leaving.

 

“Well, it’s alright. When your Brother Rong and Jing Yi come back, let them go and visit that family,” Jing’s mother said, looking at Jing Cheng’s regretful expression. She patted his head and saw that Jing’an had already given several secret signals to Jing Cheng, but she didn’t mind the two of them. “Alright, you two go out and play. Be careful.”

 

“Understood, Mother.”/”Understood, Aunt Caiyun.”

 

After saying their goodbyes, they ran out of the courtyard and stopped in front of several houses in the village, calling out to their friends. Then, they went off somewhere to have fun.

 

In the afternoon, when Jing’s father and Jing Yi returned home and unloaded the car, they tidied up a bit and sat in the courtyard to rest, drinking tea and eating pastries and fruits to replenish their energy.

 

“Just now, Xiao Cheng came to our house looking for you. He said Uncle Sheng mentioned that someone in the village wants to sell land and asked if we were interested,” Jing’s mother said as she refilled Jing’s father’s almost empty teacup.

 

“I haven’t heard anything about anyone wanting to sell land in our village recently. Alright, let’s rest for a while and then I’ll go to Uncle Sheng’s house with Xiao Yi to inquire,” Jing’s father said, puzzled. He wondered why news of land being sold hadn’t been revealed earlier. The village rarely kept secrets.

 

After a while, Jing Yi and his father left the house. It was Jing Yi’s first time interacting with the village chief. From his memories and what his family had told him, the village chief was known for doing practical and good deeds. He tried to resolve conflicts in the village fairly and justly, and he didn’t back down when faced with external challenges.

 

Overall, in the context of the Da Yuan Dynasty, encountering a village chief like him was considered very good.

 

They soon arrived at the village chief’s house, which was located in the middle of the village. Next to it was an open space that was often used for village meetings and other gatherings.

 

Beside the open space was a dilapidated house, with missing bricks and tiles. It was said that two generations ago, a high-ranking official from Xiwancun had achieved the rank of Fourth Rank after passing the imperial examination. He took his family and left for the capital, never returning to the village again.

 

After he was promoted to the rank of Fourth Rank official, to prevent political opponents from accusing him of forgetting his roots and to gain a good reputation, he built a school in the village and hired a teacher to teach everyone how to read, while he took care of the teacher’s salary.

 

For a while, everyone in Xiwancun praised him, and even distant and close relatives, as well as the elders and neighbors, didn’t hold it against him for neglecting his ancestral duties.

 

However, the good times didn’t last long. The school had only been open for less than two years when the corrupt official was convicted of embezzlement and bribery. His family was all exiled, and the school couldn’t continue. The teacher left as well.

 

At that time, the various clans in the village wanted to pool money together to continue hiring a teacher, but without officials backing them, no teacher was willing to come to teach in a remote and poor village.

 

As Jing’s father was talking about the history of the dilapidated house, he also caught sight of the village chief’s house from a distance.

 

The village chief’s family was relatively wealthier than ordinary families, as the Da Yuan Dynasty provided some tax and financial subsidies to the smallest administrative units.

 

The village chief’s family currently consisted of three generations living together: the old village chief and his wife, the current village chief and his wife, and their children.

 

Although the parents hadn’t officially separated, the old village chief had divided his property among his children in the year he stepped down. The sons were already grown up, and having a large family with dependents was burdensome, so they were relieved after the division.

 

They went their separate ways to build their own small families, with a brighter future ahead.

 

In general, positions like village chief and village elder were hereditary in the Da Yuan Dynasty. When the old village chief divided the village chief position, he did it fairly and justly. All three sons, including the two daughters who were married off, received their fair share. Everyone was satisfied.

 

The second son of the old village chief was honest and practical, while the third son was cunning and timid but knew how to adapt to the situation. These two brothers had always respected their eldest brother since they were young, not to mention their younger brothers and sister. They frequently visited each other even to this day.

 

“Auntie Shu, is Uncle Sheng’s son at home?” Jing’s father walked to the door and saw the village chief’s wife picking vegetables in the courtyard. He walked in and asked. Due to the generation gap and the fact that the old village chief and his wife were usually at home, they weren’t afraid of what others might say.

 

“Oh, Xiao Rong is here. Uncle Sheng’s son just went to the field for a stroll. He should be back soon. Come in and have a seat.” The village chief’s wife greeted them enthusiastically when she saw Jing’s father and his eldest son.

 

After they entered, she noticed Jing Yi behind Jing’s father and couldn’t help but praise him, “Oh, this must be Xiao Yi. It’s been almost half a year since I last saw you. You’ve grown so much and become more handsome!”

 

Indeed, the current Jing Yi was taller and stronger than the original body, mainly because of his temperament, which was a world of difference.

 

“Auntie Shu, it’s been a long time since I last saw you. I’ve always wanted to come and visit, but I’ve been busy. Please forgive me,” Jing Yi said as he shook Auntie Shu’s hand, worried that she might pinch him again. No, he hadn’t even been pinched by his little Chuxia yet.

 

As they chatted, the old village chief and his wife also walked out from the inner room to the courtyard. Jing’s father and Jing Yi quickly stood up to greet them. After everyone had taken their seats, they chatted for a while, and within the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the village chief returned.

 

Then they began discussing the main topic. The village chief explained to Jing’s father and Jing Yi about someone wanting to sell land.

 

In the village, there was a family named Wang Shitou who lived a fairly good life. They owned a lot of land, which was envied by everyone.

 

However, this family had a problem of favoring sons over daughters. Although it was common for boys to be favored as they were seen as strong laborers and had higher status, they still treated their daughters and sons-in-law fairly.

 

The family had three daughters, and these three girls could be said to have grown up in difficult conditions. From the age of four or five, they were made to work by their family, and when they grew up, they were either partially married off or sold land to support themselves.

 

Finally, they gave birth to a son named Sigouzi. When his mother suffered a physical injury during childbirth and couldn’t conceive again, the whole family pampered this boy from a young age. He was spoiled to the extreme.

 

If he made a small mistake, they would consider it mischievous and even think that mischievous children were clever. But if he made a big mistake, they would blame someone for leading their child astray, and his mother and grandmother would go to cry at their door.

 

As a result, during the autumn harvest, he caused a big problem.

 

Originally, he was supposed to accompany his father, Wang Shitou, to the town to sell grain. However, while his father was selling grain, he took the opportunity to wander around the town. He was lured into a gambling den and, being foolish and greedy, couldn’t resist the tricks in the gambling den. Not only did he lose all the loose change on him, but he also owed 70 taels of silver.

 

When the thugs from the gambling den came to collect the money, this family didn’t take it seriously. Sigouzi’s mother and grandmother planned to cry and beg like they usually did. But the thugs had seen this too many times and didn’t give them a chance. They went straight up and beat Sigouzi. They also smashed things in the house and threatened to chop off their hands if they didn’t repay the debt.

 

The whole family panicked and rushed to find the village chief and the elders.

 

When the village chief and others arrived and understood the situation, they were helpless. Repaying the debt was the right thing to do. They had no choice but to negotiate with the thugs, requesting a few more days to gather the money and allowing Sigouzi’s family to raise the funds.

 

Only then did the thugs leave, but before they went, they issued a stern warning to come back in seven days, and if the money wasn’t repaid, they would chop off their hands!