Kongshan Village is a mountain village surrounded by mountains. Due to the terrain, there is not much arable land, so most people rely on hunting or crafts. The least well-off can do long-term or short-term work.
Most of the people here were criminal slaves, some light and some heavy. The heavier ones were usually branded, while the lighter ones were just noted on their household register. After a certain number of years, they could be transferred to good status and leave.
So many people will leave, but many people also choose to stay. After all, years of hard work cannot be wasted.
Kongshan Village is also home to a small number of people who migrated from the north, but the reason for this is unknown.
The village chief's surname was Fu, and he was also an old man who had been a slave and had been granted free status. It was hard to tell what kind of person he was, but after the yamen runners left, he didn't make things difficult for everyone.
The village chief looked at everyone, walked to an old locust tree, and shook the big bell hanging on it.
Soon, villagers gathered from all directions.
The village chief cleared his throat:
"Well, today! Gather everyone at the threshing ground for a meeting. This group of people has just been brought here. Our village has a lot of space, but not many houses. Apart from the two courtyards left by those who left earlier, there are no houses available. Let's see if anyone has an extra room and rent it to them for a while. When it gets warmer in the spring, we can let them build their own houses."
As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers who were looking after their families like monkeys rushed to offer to rent out their rooms.
This is also one of the villagers' annual sources of income. Because every year there are exiles coming here. The newly arrived convicts are the richest at this time, so they must be won over.
"Okay, now that we've all gotten to know each other, let's get along well and love and help each other. I'll discuss this with them later, and once we've agreed on where they'd like to go, we can go wherever they want. Okay, let's go!"
Village chief Fu didn't specify any particular family so as not to offend either side. It seems that he is a smart old man.
The village chief brought the Gu family to his yard and asked:
"Talk it over. There are two courtyards in the village. Both are quite nice. One is a brick house, one of the best in the village. I won't hide it from you. The person who left sold it to the village for sixty taels of silver. Anyone who wants to take it over will have to pay the village an extra ten taels of silver. There's also a mud house, built just two years ago, that costs thirty taels of silver, also ten taels more. The extra money is all the villagers' money, for emergencies. As for renting a house from a villager, it's well known. You pay two hundred wen a month, and you have to figure out your own food and other things."
Second Auntie was always the most active. She raised her orchid finger like a chicken claw and tucked her hair, then said shyly to the village chief:
"Then, village chief, I'll shamelessly buy that brick house!"
As the richest concubine in the Gu family, even after being searched twice and exploited along the way, she is still not as rich as others.
When Bai heard this, she realized that her wife hadn't said anything yet! What was she, a concubine, showing off? She said unhappily:
"Miao, am I going to die just by sitting here? I haven't said anything yet! Why are you acting like a boss?"
"Hey, at this time, you still think of yourself as Madam Gu? Are you addicted to being an official's wife? When the yamen runner left, he said, 'I want to be with your family, and I don't want to be with your family either.' Well, I don't want to be with your family, so what do you think of me?"
"you……"
Bai pointed at Miao with a trembling finger, and was so angry that she couldn't speak. Then she glanced at the others and asked angrily:
"What about you guys? Are you going to live alone too? Are you going to let our Gu family break up like this too?"
Everyone was silent for a while. Only Xiao Bai stood up and said she wanted to follow her.
Seeing that no one else said anything, Bai laughed almost crazily:
"Hahaha, good, what a bunch of heartless ungrateful bastards. You didn't even look down on the Gu family's splendor and wealth. Now you seem to have become more capable."
That's a bit harsh. Everyone knows that their current situation is due to the person who gave them wealth. They don't blame anyone, after all, they did enjoy that person's wealth. But that doesn't mean they have to blame the rest of their lives for it, right?
The aunt was a little reluctant to be the first to speak out, but she also felt that if she didn't explain it clearly today, it would still cause trouble in the future:
"Madam, actually, there are advantages to separation. We don't even have a man to support us now, so can we still rely on each other? The Gu family is down, but the roots are still there, and so many young masters and young ladies are still here. They are lifelong brothers and sisters, how can we sever them? Let's raise them well now, and we will be worthy of the master."
The Fourth Aunt also nodded. "There's no man left, so what are a bunch of women doing together every day? More people means more things to do. Without a man, they quarrel and make a fuss every day. It's really annoying."
Wen Xi nodded inwardly, thinking there must be some understanding people here. He didn't look that fierce! Could it be that he was just being foolishly intelligent?
The Second Aunt listened to this and felt a little bit like she was in the right place. She wondered why it sounded so much like her! She curled her lips and added fuel to the fire again:
"That's right, you're going to support us if we live together? Can you afford it?"
The situation was hopeless and the Bai family had no choice but to accept the outcome.
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