Chapter 20 If you can’t exchange people’s hearts for theirs, then exchange this!
In the yard, the air seemed to be sucked dry by the two silver ingots, leaving only dead silence and the crackling sound of the burning fire.
The villagers' eyes, like a school of startled fish, swam back and forth between the village head's pale face, Old Man Chen's sullen face, and the two shiny silver ingots. Shock, contempt, sudden realization, and finally a subtle, indifferent cowardice.
Pingjiang Village's destiny rests with the village head. If you offend him, you'll have no good results in land distribution, levies, or dispute mediation.
The village head was the first to recover from the devastating blow. He knew that if he admitted what had happened today, his life would be over. He gritted his teeth, and a trace of grief and heartache appeared on his smoke-scorched face. He didn't look at Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo, but turned to all the villagers. His voice was hoarse, but it carried a determination to reverse right and wrong.
"Fellow villagers! I, Zhou Zhengde, have been the village head for over ten years. I can honestly say that even if I haven't made any contributions, I've certainly worked hard! I've dedicated myself to the village and to everyone involved. I never imagined that today, I'd be slandered by these unfilial people!"
He pointed at the silver on the ground, then at Chen Kangbo, and continued with deep sorrow, "Eldest Boss of the Chen family, speak honestly! Your father and mother, for the sake of your brother's future and the reputation of the Chen family, begged me humbly to suppress this scandal! I was soft-hearted for a moment, thinking that a harmonious family brings prosperity, so I agreed to mediate! Your father took out these two ingots of silver, not for me, but to compensate that Tian Lao San, telling him to get out of Pingjiang Village and never mention this matter again! This is hush money!"
"If I, Zhou Zhengde, covet this money, may the heavens strike me with lightning and I die a miserable death!" He swore, his expression so sincere that it seemed as if water could drip out of it. "But what about you two? You don't appreciate the painstaking efforts of your elders, you don't care about the future of your brothers and sisters, and for your own momentary pleasure, you are going to bring shame to your entire family and the entire village before the county government! You are being unfilial! You are unrighteous! You are going to drag everyone in Pingjiang Village down with you!"
With just a few words, he turned himself into a victim who cared about the villagers but was framed by villains.
Old man Chen reacted immediately, sat down on the ground, slapped his thigh and began to wail loudly: "I can't live anymore! What sin have I committed to raise such a heartless beast! For a little girl who paid compensation, he forced his own father to death and ruined his own brother! Folks, please give us some justice, there is no such thing in the world!"
The father and son sang in unison and cooperated seamlessly.
The villagers' opinion immediately changed.
"That's right. We're family after all. Reporting it to the police is too much."
"Sixth Brother is the most promising scholar in our village. If this gets tarnished, his life will be ruined."
"The Cumber family is too cruel. After all, they are her parents-in-law."
The discussion buzzed like flies, and every word stung Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo's heart. They were portrayed as ruthless and ruthless villains who ignored the overall situation, while those who actually did the evil became victims.
Feng Lan was so angry that she was shaking all over. She had never thought that people in this world could be so shameless. They could turn black into white and evil into good.
At this moment, a figure in a long gown squeezed out from behind the crowd. It was Chen Kangsi, the fourth son of the Chen family who rushed back from the town overnight.
Chen Kangsi was a lowly clerk in the county government office. He prided himself on being a scholar, was very careful about his reputation, and was also very good at smoothing things over. When he came out, he first bowed to the head of the village and the villagers, looking very reasonable.
"Mr. Village Head, fellow villagers, I'm sorry for the misfortune our family has caused." He sighed and turned to Chen Kangbo and Feng Lan, his face showing just the right amount of reproach and helplessness. "Brother, sister-in-law, I know you're angry. But my parents are doing this for our family, and my sixth brother's future is related to the hopes of several generations of our Chen family. It's already happened, and we have to find a way to resolve it, rather than making things worse and making it a laughing stock for outsiders."
He paused, cleared his throat, and offered what he considered the fairest solution: "Let's put it this way. Big brother and sister-in-law have felt wronged, and we all understand. Parents are also at fault. Why don't we all compromise? Big brother, you take out fifty taels of silver as an apology to Parents, and to compensate for the losses this incident has caused our family. Then, let's put this matter behind us, and no one is allowed to mention it again. From now on, we'll still be a family, living in harmony and happiness. How do you think?"
When these words were spoken, even Old Man Chen was stunned for a moment, and then a hint of ecstasy flashed in his eyes.
High! Really high!
This is not mediation at all, this is clearly a heart-breaking act!
They failed to sell their granddaughter, and instead asked the victim to pay fifty taels of silver as an apology? Is there any logic in the world more absurd and shameless than this?
Many of the surrounding villagers expressed approval. Fifty taels of silver was a fortune for them, but using it to quell a disturbance, save the Chen family's reputation, and protect Chen Kangyun's future seemed like a good deal. After all, they weren't the ones who suffered the loss.
"puff--"
Feng Lan was so angry that she laughed, and her laughter was shrill, like a cuckoo crying blood.
Fifty taels?
She couldn't even take out five copper coins, and he actually asked her to take out fifty taels to apologize to these beasts?
"Good... what a good 'each take a step back'!" Feng Lan said word by word, her eyes slowly sweeping across Chen Kangsi's self-righteous face, the hypocritical face of the village head, the greedy face of old man Chen, and finally landing on the firewood stick as thick as a child's arm that was thrown away by old man Chen in the corner of the yard.
Her eyes, at that moment, became extremely calm.
It was not rage, nor madness, but a kind of calmness that was cold to the bone, like looking at a dead person.
The next second, she moved.
As fast as a black lightning!
Everyone saw a flash before their eyes, and Feng Lan had already picked up the firewood stick and used all her strength to hit Chen Kangsi's head hard while he was still talking big!
"I'll compensate your mother!"
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