Chapter 27 He's a fraud! He'll lose money! Ye Li's new idea.
To get justice, we must first persuade Jiang Dahe.
With Jiang's father gone, Jiang Dahe is the only one of the two heads of their branch.
According to Jiang Dahe's family custom, they eat breakfast before dawn and then go to work in the fields.
So Ye Li asked Jiang Liu to grind soybeans for milk, and he went to find Jiang Dahe in the dark.
When he arrived at Jiang Dahe's house, sure enough, Jiang Dahe, Liang Erxiang, and Jiang Yu were already eating breakfast.
Cornbread, corn and spinach porridge, and half a bowl of pickled vegetables.
The three warmly invited Ye Li to sit down and eat with them, but Ye Li waved her hand, sat down on a small stool to the side, and directly stated her purpose.
"Second Uncle, it's not easy for me. Da Tong is already twenty, and Xiao Da and Xiao Shun are also of marriageable age."
Jiang Da is Jiang Tong's third younger brother.
Jiang Shun is the fourth brother.
"My uncle originally wanted Datong to learn a trade so that he could lead Xiaoda and Xiaoshun to make a living. But that guy surnamed Wang was a scoundrel and made Datong work for him for ten years."
As she spoke, Ye Li's face darkened with anger.
He didn't seem very angry in front of Jiang Liu before, even though he doesn't have the surname Jiang.
But at this moment, standing in front of Jiang Dahe, he looked furious and determined to get justice.
Because he wanted to "take advantage of the situation" and make a few remarks to Jiang Dahe.
He raised his arm and pointed in the direction of Baxian Town: "Since this guy surnamed Wang accepted the apprenticeship gift, and Brother Datong even served him tea and water like a grandson, why shouldn't he teach him a real skill?"
"Why shouldn't he teach?!"
"Using the guise of taking on apprentices to order people around—what is this if not fraud?! He can cheat others, but if he tries to cheat us and thinks we're easy targets, he'll break his hand!"
He became more and more "excited" as he spoke, waving his arms and pointing to the county town: "Even if we take it to the government, we're in the right. Who told him to cheat people first!"
"Brother Datong paid the apprenticeship fee and acted as a grandson for ten years, but he didn't get either money or skills. Second Uncle, you can tolerate this, but I can't!"
Jiang Dahe: "..."
He frowned, and found it hard to swallow the biscuit in his mouth.
Liang Erxiang looked worried but didn't say anything.
Jiang Yu looked at Ye Li with some curiosity.
Unexpectedly, Li Ge, like his sister, wanted to go to the Wang family to demand an explanation.
Ye Li took in the expressions of the three of them and pressed on while the iron was hot, saying, "Second Uncle, now Da Tong and his two brothers have nothing. What are we going to do next? Both of our families are poor and we don't have any money to lend them."
"...We definitely don't have any money."
Jiang Dahe immediately nodded.
Little Ji hasn't even saved enough money yet to go to the prefectural city to take the imperial examination in the autumn.
Although Li Ge'er can earn a little every day, he can't keep up with how much he spends.
All day long, it's either bone broth, steamed buns, or snacks. All the little money I work hard to earn goes to feeding my mouth!
He sighed, looking troubled, "Brother Li, of course I'm angry too, but we don't have anyone in our family. There are seven or eight of his sons and grandsons in the Wang family, we can't beat them."
"That's why it's better to have a son; without a son, you're destined to be bullied."
Upon hearing this, Liang Erxiang lowered her head.
Jiang Yu pursed her lips and lowered her eyes.
But Ye Li was just waiting for him to say that!
Jiang Dahe is a good person in every way, but he always favors his son over his daughter, which Ye Li really can't stand!
Ye Li wasn't afraid of angering him, and rolled her eyes, saying, "Second Uncle! What you're saying is wrong. Doesn't your eldest uncle have few sons? He has three! But didn't your eldest uncle still choose to let things go?"
"It has nothing to do with my son, it has to do with people! If my father-in-law were here, he would have smashed up the Wang family's house yesterday!"
"Besides, it's not just our family with the surname Jiang in this village. We can go to the clan chief. There are so many people with the surname Jiang in Yezaopo. If each family contributes a strong laborer, are we afraid we can't beat the people with the surname Wang?"
"Second Uncle, you're not as bold as Xiao Liu. Even though Xiao Liu is a girl, she's better than all three of them, including Da Tong!"
Jiang Dahe is an elder, and he has been deeply grateful to the three Jiang brothers. Even if he wanted to criticize them, he could only do so in this way and could not be too sharp.
Even so, Jiang Dahe's face turned pale and then red.
Jiang Dahe wanted to refute, but didn't know how.
He wanted to reprimand Ye Li for being so audacious and disrespectful to his second uncle, but he didn't dare.
He was still counting on Jiang Ji to support him in his old age, and dared not offend his nephew-in-law Ye Li, who was very capable.
After holding it in for a while, he said sullenly, "Even if what you said is right, can Xiaotong and the other two take care of your uncle in his old age?"
"..."
Ye Li rubbed her forehead.
He was just thinking that if Jiang Dahe scolded him, he would say that he had spoken wrongly in a moment of anger.
But who knew Jiang Dahe would say something like that!
"Second Uncle, Jiang Ji will take care of you in your old age. Someone will take care of you."
"But you can't just focus on elder care and ignore everything else, can you? As long as someone is there to take care of you, you'll just have to put up with being bullied to death on a daily basis, right?"
“Your uncle thinks the carpenter is in the right, after all, Xiaotong has performed the apprenticeship ceremony.”
Jiang Dahe wanted to say a few words in his opinion about Jiang Dachuan and Jiang Tong.
It wasn't that these few grown men were cowards; it was that the other side had more people, more power, and was in the right.
"It is precisely because of this apprenticeship ceremony that we are in the right!"
"This apprenticeship ceremony isn't just for Brother Datong and not for the man surnamed Wang. If the man surnamed Wang takes the money and enjoys the tribute, but doesn't teach Brother Datong a skill, then he's committing fraud!"
Ye Li said firmly and forcefully.
It's unreasonable and unethical, isn't it?
He has the law!
Fraud was a crime in almost every dynasty in ancient times. Although the Great Xia Dynasty he traveled to was not a dynasty he was familiar with, it probably had this law as well.
This crime was so common that a properly functioning dynasty would certainly have specific regulations governing it.
If you identify someone with the surname Wang, then you've broken the law.
Jiang Dahe hadn't expected Ye Li to have this angle. He paused for a moment, then asked, "Is this feasible?"
"Whether it works or not, just ask the clan chief. He's the village head, so he must know the law."
“Even if other families spend money to hire a servant, they still have to pay the servant a monthly salary, let alone Brother Datong who is not a servant of the Wang family. Under normal circumstances, Brother Datong has worked for the Wang family for ten years, and the Wang family should pay Brother Datong at least three taels of silver a year for his wages!”
“We won’t ask for much. Let the man surnamed Wang give Brother Datong thirty taels of silver, and let Brother Datong beat him up. That will settle the matter.”
Ye Li held up three fingers and waved them at Jiang Dahe.
Thirty taels of silver?!
Jiang Dahe, Liang Erxiang, and Jiang Yu exclaimed in unison.
Ye Li snorted: "I'm asking for too little! Sixteen years old is considered a strong laborer. If you go to the county town or town to carry heavy loads, when there's a lot of work, earning forty or fifty coins a day is not a problem!"
"Earning a few taels of silver a year during the off-season is easy."
"Furthermore, he has beaten and verbally abused Brother Datong so many times, he should be allowed to be beaten back by Brother Datong! If he refuses, then he should be made to pay another ten taels in compensation!"
"..."
Jiang Dahe and the other two were completely speechless.
He just stared blankly at Ye Li.
Ye Li pointed to the pancake in Jiang Dahe's hand: "Second Uncle, take a pancake and let's go find Uncle Jiang now. If we go too late, Uncle Jiang might not be home."
The wheat harvest is approaching. Before the harvest, the government will send people down to check the grain yield of each village.
As the neighborhood chief, Jiang Fuzheng was responsible for accompanying him.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Dahe snapped out of his daze and hurriedly picked up two pancakes: "Okay, let's go find the village chief first."
Forty taels of silver!
Even if we can only get half, it's still twenty taels!
We must go to the Wang family to demand an explanation!
When Ye Li and Jiang Dahe arrived at Jiang Fuzheng's house, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
Jiang Fuzheng's family had eaten breakfast and were getting ready to go to the fields.
Ye Li, a young man who had just married into Yezaopo, should have had no right to speak in this situation.
But who can blame them when the original owner was an exceptional being?
Even if he acts out of line while still in the body of the original owner, others will only grumble a few words.
In addition, his daily income is quite good now, so when he stepped forward, Jiang Fuzheng's family did not underestimate him.
When Jiang Fuzheng's family heard his purpose for coming, they were all shocked and furious.
It is truly intolerable.
This is taking advantage of the fact that there's no one left on Yezao Slope!
Although Jiang Fuzheng's face was full of anger, what he felt more in his heart was disappointment and frustration with Jiang Dachuan's family.
It's so pathetic to be bullied like this and still intend to endure it!
It's not even as good as the one from the Ji family!
Don't let Ye Li's past unreliability fool you; he's turned over a new leaf and is now not only brave but also resourceful!
Logically speaking, Jiang Dachuan's family might not come out on top in this matter.
Legally speaking, this carpenter Wang must pay compensation! Otherwise, he'll be going to jail, as the Great Xia Law treats fraud and theft as the same crime.
Jiang Fu was, after all, a village head. If he was in the right, how could he possibly lose to an ordinary citizen?
He praised Ye Li a couple of times, and since Ye Li hadn't made tofu yet, he told her to go home.
Jiang Fuzheng took charge of this matter.
Having received Jiang Fuzheng's confirmation, Ye Li felt relieved. He then gave Jiang Dahe a few more instructions, telling him to emphasize the forty taels of silver when he met Jiang Dachuan.
With money as a incentive, there's no fear of not being able to provoke the Jiang family's fighting spirit.
When Ye Li arrived home, Jiang Liu had already finished grinding the soybeans and gone home.
Jiang Mai had also prepared breakfast, but he and Jiang Ya didn't start eating. The two little ones were filtering the soybean pulp while waiting for Ye Li to come back.
Ye Li was very happy; they were so sensible! She pinched their little cheeks one by one, and then pulled them both to sit down and eat.
After breakfast, he and the two little ones went about their own business.
It was agreed yesterday that thirty fried dough balls would be made today, and he needs to grind the wheat that he washed yesterday into flour.
Thirty dough balls weighed less than five pounds.
It will take about three pounds of dry flour.
One pound of wheat yields eight ounces of flour, so he only needs to grind five pounds of wheat. The extra portion is used to make steamed cakes.
After many days, Ye Li started pushing the stone mill again, and as he did so, he made up his mind:
He should save up money to buy livestock first.
Buy the livestock back, and then find Jiang Liu some work...
Well... Jiang Tong may not have learned the real skills, but he has definitely learned the basics. These days, how else can a carpenter make money besides making furniture for others?
After grinding five pounds of wheat into fine flour, Ye Li was covered in sweat when he left the mill.
It was a bit hot today, so he didn't go back to lie down on the kang (heated brick bed).
He moved a stool and sat weakly under the jujube tree at the entrance of the courtyard to recover his strength.
A breeze blew, making the lush green jujube leaves rustle. He leaned against the tree trunk, listening to the sound, and a new idea suddenly came to his mind.
Perhaps Jiang Tong could make some wooden wind chimes?
As far as he knows, wind chimes appeared relatively late. They were initially used as warning devices and later applied to architecture, with practicality outweighing aesthetics.
Ancient people believed that wind chimes brought good luck, and they paid attention to the direction when hanging them.
He searched through the original owner's memories but found no trace of the wind chime. However, the Great Xia Dynasty should have had such an object.
Therefore, it wasn't abrupt that he taught Jiang Tong how to make wind chimes.
Moreover, people in the countryside don't have so many rules. If you buy a nice wooden wind chime and hang it up so that it makes you feel happy when you come and go, then it's considered to be in accordance with the feng shui of your home.
The more he thought about it, the better he thought of the idea. He got up, picked up a stool, and went into the yard.
Before Jiang Tong returns, he'll design a few wind chimes!
Ye Liang arrived right on time at noon.
Ye Li got busy, frying tofu puffs and fried dough sticks.
After seeing Ye Liang off, he locked the courtyard gate and planned to go and check on Jiang Fuzheng's house.
It's so late, why haven't Jiang Fuzheng and his group returned yet?
However, before he had taken more than a few steps, he saw Jiang Dahe, Jiang Dachuan, Jiang Tong, Jiang Da, and Jiang Shun approaching together.
He looked closely and confirmed that all of them had smiles on their faces.
He felt relieved.
Looks like they got the money.
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