Chapter 79 Inquiry
Liu Mingda stiffened his neck and said, "Why should I be afraid of them? I'm just used to being at ease and I'm too lazy to deal with them."
"Well, whatever you say is what you will. Go to bed, old man. I'll call you for dinner after they leave."
Liu Mingda grabbed Zhang Juexia and asked, "What delicious food are you going to make?"
"I haven't decided yet. I just made some canned hawthorns."
"That canned hawthorn thing is rare. Leave some for me and don't serve it. No matter how good the food is, those people won't be able to appreciate it."
Zhang Juexia felt that what Liu Mingda said made sense, so he took some meat and bones out of the warehouse.
She thought about it and realized that people in the mountains didn't need to be too elaborate when cooking, just a bit of boldness would be fine.
Stew large bones and large pieces of meat together, and add a head of cabbage when serving.
As for food, she planned to make a pancake with white flour and corn flour.
The dishes are cooked and the meal is ready, killing two birds with one stone.
In the main hall, Ye Beixiu accompanied Zhang Wei and Liu Qiang to drink tea and chat. Zhang Wei drank tea and ate five-spice peanuts, and glanced at Liu Qiang, "Brother, although our job today is not very good, it can be regarded as a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, how could we have tea at Brother Beixiu's house?"
"Exactly. Exactly."
Liu Qiang's mouth was also busy, "Brother Bei Xiu, we are acquaintances now. We brothers are not afraid of you laughing at us. We come all the way here to do business, isn't it just to relax.
Look at what happened. It makes me sad every time I think about it."
Ye Beixiu was wondering who wanted to buy the land and why they were so clueless.
But except for the Qin family, everyone in Yejia Village has the surname Ye. The Qin family probably doesn’t have the financial resources to buy the land, so there are no outsiders.
He picked up the teapot and filled Zhang Wei and Liu Qiang's cups with tea. "Two big brothers, calm down first. My wife's meal will be ready soon."
"This incident has really caused trouble for you and your wife."
"The fact that you two elder brothers can come to my house shows that you think highly of me. I couldn't be happier."
Zhang Juexia found two large basins, one for the large bones and the other for the large pieces of meat and cabbage.
After she brought the dishes over, Zhang Wei and Liu Qiang's eyes almost popped out, "Big sister, you are too polite."
"My two brothers, we in the mountains don't have any rare food to treat you. You can just make do with these big bones and meat.
I'll get you some wine, you must drink to your heart's content!"
Zhang Wei couldn't hold back any longer. He reached out and picked up a large bone and started chewing on it. "Just this kind of food is enough for us brothers. This big piece of meat is so satisfying to eat."
Zhang Juexia brought over a jar of wine and some pancakes from the kitchen.
Ye Beixiu took it and put it aside. "Go to the kitchen and eat something first. I'll come find you later."
When Zhang Juexia had eaten half his fill, Ye Beixiu came out of the main hall and whispered, "Go to the village and ask who wants to buy the land. I've been trying to get them to tell me, but they won't tell me.
I drank with them, and if they were happy, maybe things could be turned around."
Zhang Juexia also had the same idea. She thought that the people in the village had never seen the world and didn't know how to adapt, which made the officials unhappy.
If she had provided them with delicious food and wine, and made them happy, perhaps things would have been different.
But she walked around the village and couldn't find out who wanted to buy land.
Helplessly, she went to the home of the village head, Ye Jidong. Ye Jidong also shook his head, "Normally, if anyone in our village wants to buy land, they have to go through me. But recently, no one has come to talk about buying land!"
Then Ye Jidong remembered something, "Bei Xiu's wife, your mother-in-law came to ask me a few days ago about buying land, but she didn't say she wanted to buy it. She just said a few words and then left."
Zhang Juexia didn't take Ye Jidong's words to heart. "Grandpa Lizheng, maybe the person who bought the land is not from our village. Then I will go back."
"Normally, when officials come to the village, I, as the village head, should be the one to treat them to a meal. But today, you two are the ones who have to pay for it."
"They came to my door, how could I chase them away? It's just a meal, what's the point of paying for it?
Bei Xiu and I were thinking that since we were all from the same village, we could say a few nice words while the official was still around, and maybe there would be a chance for this matter to turn around.
But who would have thought that no one would admit it now."
"Grandpa knows that you two are kind-hearted and truly care about the people in our village. Grandpa thanks you both.
No one has acknowledged this, and if they are willing to pay a high price for the land, that is their own business.”
Since the head of the village has said so, if Zhang Juexia continues to insist on it, it will seem like he is meddling in other people's business.
After returning home, Ye Beixiu had almost finished his meal with Zhang Wei and Liu Qiang, and the two large pots of food were almost empty.
There were only two pieces of pancakes left.
Zhang Wei burped, "Big sister, this meal is really good! We brothers haven't had such a good meal in a long time."
Liu Qiang stood up and echoed, "Brother Beixiu, sister, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, come to the government office to find us brothers."
"Yes, yes, find us."
Zhang Wei patted his chest and promised, "Next time we go to town, I'll treat you and your wife to a meal."
"The food in the mountains is rough, how can I let you two big brothers spend money on it?"
Zhang Juexia took out two pieces of meat from the backyard storehouse. "I hunted a wild boar a while ago. You are eating this wild boar today. Take these two pieces of meat home, brothers, so that your family can also taste this wild game."
"That's not good. We brothers are eating and taking things at the same time."
"Look at what the two elder brothers said, they are all gifts from the mountains, and no money was spent."
"Okay, we brothers won't be polite."
Zhang Wei and Liu Qiang happily mounted their horses, bowed to Ye Beixiu and Zhang Juexia, and soon disappeared.
Zhang Juexia told Ye Beixiu what she had learned in the village.
Ye Beixiu was also puzzled, "During the meal, I kept trying to get them to talk, but they were very resistant and wouldn't let me bring it up at all. They would interrupt me whenever I did.
They also told me that this matter has nothing to do with us and that the court will soon issue new instructions."
Zhang Juexia helped Ye Beixiu into the house and said, "This matter has nothing to do with us, so don't add to our worries.
Go and tell Doctor Liu to get up and eat. I'll go to the kitchen and heat up the food for him."
After Liu Mingda got up, he also helped them analyze the situation.
“Perhaps what those two officials said was true. A while ago, the imperial court was short of money for the war.
Now, the border is negotiating peace, and they have lost a lot of money. How could they do such a losing business again?
Do you have any money on hand? Why not take advantage of this opportunity to buy some more land?"
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