Chapter 123: Courtesy

So, those who were building houses, pig pens, stoves...anything that needed soil, would dig it from the wasteland here. Over time, this place was dug into a big pit. If it rained frequently in the summer, it would become a pond, overgrown with weeds and small trees, and no one cared about it anymore.

No one cares about this place and no one wants it. If you occupy it, there won't be any disputes. And as Zhuang Jingye said, the place is big. If the tofu shop wants to expand outward in the future, it will be close to Wen's place and convenient.

"The place chosen by the village chief is indeed good." Zhuang Qingning nodded repeatedly and said with a smile: "Thank you, village chief, for still thinking about me."

"Why are you being so polite? I am the head of the village and you are a villager. Isn't it my duty as the head of the village to do something for the villagers?"

Zhuang Jingye frowned and said, "But if we fill this hole, it will be very troublesome. You have never helped others on weekdays. Now you want others to help your family, but I am afraid they will not help. Whether you fill the hole or build a house, it will be a troublesome matter after all."

When building a house in the village, one family would build the house and the laborers from other families, those who are skilled in masonry would come to build the walls, and those who are not skilled in masonry would help to carry things, do small jobs like mixing mud, etc., and everyone would help to build the house.

But this kind of thing is a give and take. Today my family is doing work and you come to help me. Tomorrow your family is doing work and I will help you again. In the long run, no one suffers a loss, but no one gains any advantage either.

But Zhuang Qingning, who had established a female household, had never helped other families. When Zhuang Qingning's parents were still alive, they worked for others in the town and were often not in the village. They had hardly ever done this kind of work for others. Now that Zhuang Qingning wanted to call people to work, she might not be able to call as many people as the Zhuang Ruman family, which had a bad reputation.

“That’s true…”

Zhuang Qingning frowned slightly.

It is indeed troublesome. I guess I will have to spend money to hire someone to do it.

Zhuang Qingning didn't think it was a big deal to ask people to work and pay them, it was what he should do.

“So I wondered if this would work.”

Zhuang Jingye said, "It's really tiring to fill a hole. If you want to hire people based on personal connections, it probably won't work. You have to spend money to do it. If you're willing to pay, I can help you get two useful people to do the work."

"As for building the house, I can help you call some people to work. I will provide lunch and tea. You just need to prepare the bricks, wood and other things."

"If you don't understand these, I can help you look for them and buy them from the right places, so that you, a little girl, won't be easily deceived and lose money."

As he listened, Zhuang Qingning couldn't help but tilt his head and even looked up at the sky.

That’s right, the sun still rises from the east.

But after hearing what Zhuang Jingye said, I felt like there was something wrong with this person.

It cannot be said that Zhuang Jingye hated and targeted her in the past, but at least he did not like her. After all, for a young girl who had established a household name, it was common for her to not be recognized by men in this male-dominated world. Moreover, she was a hedgehog who could get angry at any time. Zhuang Jingye also often disliked her for being too powerful and a troublemaker.

Now, she came over eagerly and told him that the place had been chosen and she wanted to help her build a house...

Zhuang Qingning felt that this was definitely not something he did out of pity for the little girl.

"Uncle, the village head." Zhuang Qingning cleared his throat and said, "I am a straightforward person. Most of the time, my brain is very slow and I can't think straight. If you have anything to say, just tell me."

With such attentiveness, Zhuang Qingning had reason to believe that Zhuang Jingye had something else to discuss with her.

"Ahem, this matter..."

Zhuang Jingye's thoughts were exposed, and he laughed awkwardly: "What are you talking about? I am the head of the village, and I should take care of the whole village. You don't have any adults at home, so it's my duty to help you..."

"Uncle, if there's nothing else, I'll go home first. It's noon now and I haven't cooked yet..."

As Zhuang Qingning spoke, he was about to walk into the yard.

"Hey..." Zhuang Jingye hurriedly stopped her and continued, "Okay, I'll tell you now. I really have something to talk to you about."

"Uncle Lizheng, if you have anything to say, please tell me."

"Didn't your aunt buy tofu from your tofu shop a few days ago? I tasted it and it tasted very good, better than any tofu I've eaten before. Your tofu shop is doing pretty well, and you're sure to be able to do even bigger business in the future."

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Zhuang Jingye rubbed his hands and whispered, "I won't hide it from you. I have selfish motives in helping you with these tasks. This is a regular position. Logically, we should change positions every five years, but I have been in this position for more than three years. Although the village is peaceful, there is nothing much to show for it."

"Now the county magistrate said that the villages and places cannot just be peaceful and without trouble. The people must be prosperous and live a good life. We cannot just be profiteers who only know how to skin people and drink their blood and sweat. I think our tofu shop is good. The beans are grown in our village, the workers are from our village, and even the tofu shop owner is from our village. The money earned from selling tofu is both clean and legitimate, and others can't say anything wrong about it."

"So I thought, if I can help you fix your house, you can do better in your tofu shop business. But my help to you cannot be in vain, you must pay a penny less and prepare everything you need. I am just running errands for you, and the beans you use in the tofu shop and the people you hire in the tofu shop must be selected from our village, and the price must be fair and reasonable."

"In this way, you can earn more money, other people will have jobs to do, and the beans can be sold on the land. The people in the village can live a better life, and the taxes paid to the higher authorities can be more. I can also have something to say to the higher authorities, and it will be glorious."

The most important thing is that with these, he will be guaranteed to keep his position as the head of the village for a long time, and his eldest son will be able to work in the government and gain more respect.

Zhuang Qingning raised his eyebrows.

It turned out that Zhuang Jingye helped her build the house for his own political achievements.

Seeing that Zhuang Qingning didn't say anything, Zhuang Jingye thought she was hesitating, and continued to persuade her: "You won't suffer any loss this way. The villagers will make money with you, and they will be willing to help you. It is said that a tall tree attracts the wind. If your tofu shop business is doing well, others will definitely be interested in it. There will be bad people, and the villagers will also help you out."

(End of this chapter)