Chapter 394: Exploiting His Weakness and Establishing Village Rules (2)
Chapter 394: Exploiting His Weakness and Establishing Village Rules (2)
He had ways to deal with those who harbored ill intentions, but he couldn't expose his weakness and give them any opportunity. In this world, besides the Crown Prince, she was his weakness. Even if the possibility was one in a million, he wouldn’t let these letters put her in danger, nor let anyone with ulterior motives discover her existence and harm her...
"Bang!"
After hearing the whole story, Yang Bao slapped the table and looked at Mo Yan, who was sitting calmly, gritting his teeth as he said, "Yan girl, this is entirely Wang Dali and his group's fault. Don’t worry, Uncle will not cover for them and will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation."
This time, Yang Bao was truly angry. He had been the village head for over ten years. In the past, Liuyang Village had only a dozen households. The biggest conflicts were minor disputes, like who lost a chicken or whose vegetable garden was missing a cabbage. Now, it was either arson or false accusations for money, causing him endless headaches.
Not to mention that Mo Qingze was the village's only scholar, the benefits the Mo family had brought to Liuyang Village over the past year made Yang Bao somewhat biased towards them. Moreover, this incident was entirely caused by Wang Dali and his group. He couldn't let it slide. This was a good opportunity to rectify the village’s atmosphere. Otherwise, if others followed their example, it would be unmanageable.
Hearing this, Mo Yan’s expression softened further. "I trust Uncle Yang's judgment. But I'm curious about how you plan to punish them. After all, they are also villagers of Liuyang Village, and I don't want it to be too awkward when we meet in the future."
These words were like adding fuel to the fire, making Yang Bao even angrier. "If they truly considered themselves part of Liuyang Village, they wouldn't come up with such bad ideas to ruin our village's reputation!"
Seeing Mo Yan’s troubled expression, he softened his tone and comforted her, "Yan girl, Uncle knows you are kind-hearted. But those people need a lesson, or such things will keep happening, making it hard for everyone to have peaceful days."
Mo Yan nodded, seemingly resigned. "Uncle Yang, you are the village head. You handle village affairs fairly and justly. I have no objections to however you decide to deal with them. However..."
She hesitated, looking at Yang Bao as if finding it hard to continue.
Yang Bao, feeling pleased with her praise, quickly urged, "Yan girl, just say whatever you want. Don’t hold back with Uncle."
Hearing this, Mo Yan let go of her concerns and smiled brightly. "Since Uncle Yang says so, I won’t hide my thoughts. If you think my idea is feasible, we can implement it this year. If not, please forgive me."
Yang Bao sensed that Mo Yan was about to propose something significant. He straightened up and signaled her to continue.
Mo Yan hadn’t planned this beforehand, so she organized her thoughts before speaking slowly. "Uncle Yang, the village now has over a hundred households, making it quite large. However, most people come from various places with different customs and habits. Such a mix inevitably leads to many conflicts. Handling each issue individually would be troublesome. It might be better to gather the village elders and knowledgeable people to discuss and establish a comprehensive set of village rules. With these rules, villagers will be mindful of their behavior. If anyone breaks the rules, they can be dealt with accordingly, ensuring that no one accuses you of being unfair."
The more Yang Bao listened, the brighter his eyes became. When Mo Yan finished, he stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Good, good, this is a great idea! Don’t laugh at Uncle, Yan girl. Since last year, when so many people flooded into the village, minor disputes have been constant. Sometimes I feel like I’m running a marathon, dealing with conflicts in the west one moment and then rushing to the east the next. Even though I try to be fair, some people still think I'm biased, which makes me feel misunderstood and sometimes lose sleep over it."
By the end, Yang Bao was shaking his head self-deprecatingly, unable to continue.
Mo Yan didn’t know how to respond, so she awkwardly comforted him, "Uncle Yang, you are a good village head. Most villagers recognize that." This wasn’t flattery but genuinely from her heart.
Being the village head sounded prestigious, seeming to control all the village's affairs. But Liuyang Village was so poor that even its land was thinner than others. Even if Yang Bao wanted to embezzle, there was nothing to gain. On the contrary, he had to endure countless grievances to maintain village stability. Despite the hardship, he had to bear it because he was the village head and had an official title.
Other people's disputes were mostly minor issues, but her family's conflicts with other villagers were significant enough to reach Yang Bao.
"Haha, with Yan girl's words, it's worth it even if Uncle has to endure grievances!" Yang Bao laughed and comforted himself, then eagerly asked Mo Yan more about establishing village rules.
"Uncle Yang, I can only give general ideas. I’m not clear on the specifics; you will have to decide." Mo Yan modestly declined. She had some thoughts but didn’t want to overstep. After all, Yang Bao was the village head. Whether he liked it or not, he wouldn’t appreciate too much interference. Moreover, setting village rules required input from other villagers. Collectively, they could come up with better suggestions suitable for Liuyang Village.
She suggested creating village rules to deter ill-intentioned villagers. Even if it didn’t completely stop them, it would reduce her troubles.
Leaving Yang Bao's house, Mo Yan walked home in a good mood, only to hear villagers discussing Wang Dali and his group getting injured by wild animals while hunting.
Before dawn, Wang Dali’s wife and two other women had tearfully rushed through the snow to fetch a doctor. The doctor braved the snow to treat their wounds.
But injuries from a tiger weren’t so easily healed.
Comments
Post a Comment