As soon as Xia Xiucai finished speaking, Song Lizheng's face turned as black as if it had been smeared with soot.
He pointed at Xia Xiucai, trembling with anger: "Who exactly are you, and why are you altering ancient meanings without authorization?"
Xia Xiucai stared blankly at him and said, word by word, "Song Lizheng, you are wrong!"
Jiang Zhi clapped her hands: "Clap clap clap!"
"Shuyan's view is correct; lacking virtue is more harmful than lacking talent."
Lacking talent means you're just an ordinary person, and an ordinary person can only harm themselves.
Talented but immoral people are just bad people who occupy high positions; they hold the position but do nothing, and their misdeeds affect the entire town.
With Jiang Zhi taking the lead, Xia Xiucai's praise group instantly went online!
Xu Gensheng, Li Laoshi, and the others echoed, "Well said, Scholar is right!"
"The village chief is right!"
"Yes, Village Chief Jiang is virtuous and talented, while some people are just despicable bastards!"
Jiang Zhi genuinely praised Xia Xiucai. At a time when people generally believed that "women should be mediocre," Xia Xiucai's ability to think differently was truly commendable.
Not all success must be built on talent and ability; moral character is also a cornerstone of success.
Song Lizheng stared at Xia Shuyan with a complicated expression: "A scholar? You're a scholar too? In what year did you pass the exam?"
There weren't many scholars in Pear Blossom Town, only three. Now, with the war breaking out, the imperial examinations were impossible, so there were even fewer scholars.
But he didn't even know when another scholar would appear in Xujia Village!
Xia Xiucai had been expressionless until Song Lizheng asked him when he would pass the imperial examination. Suddenly, his face twisted into a fierce expression, and he bared his teeth at Song Lizheng.
Song Lizheng was startled by this action, and Xia Xiucai then laughed heartily, swaying his head as he chanted and strode away.
Li Laoshi and Xu Gensheng immediately ran after him, shouting, "Scholar, wait for me!"
They were worried that the scholar might fall ill due to the shock, so they had to keep an eye on him.
Song Lizheng was mocked by Jiang Zhi, and then someone suddenly jumped out and pointed at someone else, saying "you're wrong," and that person was a scholar. He couldn't stay in Xujia Village any longer.
He immediately instructed the eldest son of the Wang family: "Wang Fu, are you going to stay home and wait for the county government to send a letter, or are you going to prepare silver to avoid trouble? Is it your brother-in-law's family that will provide grain, or are the thugs going to steal it? Think it over carefully."
After saying that, he hurriedly went to Zhang Juntou's patrol inspector to discuss the matter of redeeming the person. This matter was not over yet!
The reason for calling it "redemption" is that it is a set of management methods outside of the official government and county yamen.
Although the group kept threatening to send the suspects to the authorities, there was still room for maneuver.
Zhang Juntou is not Jiang Zhi; he naturally understands these folk survival rules.
Snakes follow snake paths, rats follow rat paths; each has its own way to get rich.
The thugs wouldn't be sent to the county government immediately; instead, they would be beaten first.
They beat the person until they were completely submissive, confessed their crimes, and accepted punishment, then detained them at the checkpoint until their family brought money to ransom them.
The thugs had one less lawsuit, Zhang Juntou had an extra source of income, Song Lizheng's jurisdiction was peaceful again, and Xujia Village had less trouble. This was a win-win situation.
As for who should pay for it, that's a matter for the scoundrel's family and the Wang family to discuss privately. The Xu family probably won't dare to come.
Of course, if no one inquires about it for several days, it will naturally be sent to the county government for official business.
Song, the village head, could simply leave, but the eldest son of the Wang family, as the brother-in-law, couldn't; there were more complicated matters waiting for him.
The situation is quite serious because Xu Genbao wants to divorce his wife.
It's not easy for a couple to get a divorce.
In just a short while, the villagers had gathered around Xu Genyou's family, each offering their own opinions.
However, the main criticism was directed at Wang Xiaoju for being willful and reckless, Xu Genbao for being ignorant, the couple for being unfilial, and the pitiful child without a mother.
Their child, Leizi, is only three or four years old. If he is handed over to his stepmother in the future, who knows how much suffering he will have to endure.
Wang Xiaoju, who originally thought she could leave with pride, suddenly burst into tears when she thought of her child and remarrying.
Although Xu Genbao couldn't earn as much money as she had imagined, he was wholeheartedly good to her and the children. It's hard to say whether he would be the same with another man.
Although the Xu family was poor, they were a kind family. As long as they didn't cause trouble, they could make a living.
The villagers advised Liu to forgive the young couple once more, saying that as long as they were willing to change, they should not break up their marriage.
Parents all hope that their children and spouses will live in harmony, and they certainly don't want to see their wives and children separated, or their families broken apart and people killed.
Liu was a kind-hearted person, and Xu Genyou and Tian were also honest and kind-hearted. The fact that they allowed the village chief to punish them this time was because Xu Genbao and Wang Xiaoju had gone too far and made the whole family feel disheartened.
No matter how the villagers tried to persuade her, Liu kept wiping away her tears and remained silent.
In the past, the eldest son of the Wang family might have agreed to his sister's divorce and return home so she could marry into a better family.
But now he absolutely refuses to agree. Once they divorce, his family will have no connection with Xu Genyou's family anymore.
If the Xu family were to file another lawsuit with the county government, not only would those thugs go to jail, but the Wang family would also face legal trouble.
Besides, couples who quarrel usually make up before they get out of bed; they're fine after one night. There's no such thing as breaking up so easily.
Even if things really can't go on, the younger sister should at least drag it out for a while before getting a divorce.
“Brother-in-law, you’re a man. If Xiaoju misbehaves again, you should teach her. If she doesn’t listen, give her a couple of slaps. She won’t learn her lesson if you don’t hit her, and she won’t amount to anything if you don’t hit her!” Wang’s eldest brother patiently taught Xu Genbao how to discipline his wife.
Xu Genbao shook his head: "How could I dare to hit her? If I lay a finger on her, you and my second brother would fight or kill me. I can't afford to offend you. Let's break up!"
Seeing his brother-in-law, who had always been obedient and never dared to utter a word of rebuttal in front of him, suddenly become assertive, the eldest son of the Wang family was not used to it.
After suppressing his temper and getting used to it, he said, "You should go back to Xujia Village in the future. You're getting married, not moving in with someone else's family. Don't listen to Xiaoju's nonsense."
After much crying, pleading, and arguing, the matter was naturally resolved through mediation.
Wang Xiaoju cried and cried, and Xu Genbao also bowed his head and shed tears. The two knelt in front of Liu and begged for forgiveness and admitted their mistakes, saying that they would never be lazy again and would work diligently.
Liu naturally forgave him.
Jiang Zhi did not comment on the outcome, but there was one condition: Xu Genbao and Xu Gen had separated their businesses, a true separation where they would have no connection with each other.
This matter had actually been going on for a while, but there was no village chief at the time, and the talk of dividing the family property was only verbal; the household registers were not divided, and there wasn't even a written agreement.
Now, in front of the village chief and her family, they are going to establish new rules to completely separate the two families.
There is no objection to this.
Soon, Xia Xiucai brought paper and ink, and according to the land and property division method that the two brothers had agreed on beforehand, he wrote down the division document in a long and fluent manner, and everyone affixed their fingerprints.
The eldest son of the Wang family said earnestly to his younger sister, "From now on, you will be starting your own family. You can no longer rely on others. How your life turns out is your own business. If you're struggling, don't blame others."
"From now on, don't think about running to town every few days. A married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl; the right thing to do is to build your own family and be a good person."
Wang Xiaoju wept silently, her cries unending!
She should have figured these things out years ago, but she never imagined that she would have her own family, and she even left her dowry at her parents' home instead of bringing it with her.
Only when you are truly abandoned and have nothing left do you realize how alone and helpless you are!
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