When Village Chief Huang returned home, he explained what had happened, and the hall fell silent.
Sister-in-law Huang shed tears of grievance, "Not only can I not pay the corvée labor, but I also have to pay an extra tael of silver. I can't live like this anymore."
"Look at you," Village Chief Huang said, looking at his wife with a headache, "It's just bad luck, we had no choice but to spend the money."
“What do you mean we have to spend money?” Sister Huang pouted. “It’s clearly a matter for everyone, so why can’t we share the cost equally?”
"Alright," Old Man Huang waved his hand, "This matter is settled. Let's not talk about these trivial things. Since the eldest son has received the benefits of being the village chief, he should take on the responsibilities of the village chief. It's just a tael of silver, it won't be enough to cripple the family."
Old Huang felt sorry for them, but he knew that the villagers were having an even harder time.
“Father,” Sister-in-law Huang lowered her head and explained, “I understand these principles, but I’m just heartbroken and can’t think of any way to save the money.”
After saying that, he took off the purse from his waist, gritted his teeth, and handed it over.
Cough cough...
Jiang Nuan cleared her throat and said, "Father and Mother, I have five taels of silver to give you as a token of my respect."
He said this while smiling and handing it over.
"Yaya, keep it safe yourself," Old Mrs. Huang said, quickly stuffing the silver back into her hands. "Listen to me, we have enough money at home, we don't need yours."
“That’s right,” Sister Huang said, her eyes red, “This year’s harvest is not good, you should save more money for later.”
“Mother, sister-in-law, don’t worry,” Jiang Nuan had no choice but to reveal the truth. “Some of the money from selling recipes hasn’t arrived yet, but I’ve made some money selling kimchi these past few days, so we’re not short of money for now.”
“Old woman,” Old Huang said, taking a puff of his cigarette, “you should keep it.”
No matter what, it's a token of the child's affection, and it's hard to refuse.
After thinking for a moment, Grandma Huang nodded and said, "Alright, I'll keep it for Yaya for now, and she can take it out when she needs money."
Her daughter, Yaya, is good at making money but also good at spending it. Although it's not a serious problem, it still makes people worry.
After Old Mrs. Huang accepted the money, Jiang Nuan began to express her opinions, "Father, elder brother, if we plan the matter of corvée labor carefully, things might turn out for the better."
"What?" Village Chief Huang looked at Jiang Nuan in surprise. "You have a way?"
“I wouldn’t call it a method,” Jiang Nuan shook her head. “I just feel that there’s a lot of room for maneuver in this matter.”
She straightened her face and asked seriously, "Now that the tasks have been assigned, is it possible to ask someone else for help?"
“This shouldn’t be allowed,” Village Chief Huang said, unsure since no one had ever done it before. “The number of people to be assigned will be determined after the corvée labor is reported the day after tomorrow. During the service period, the number of people will be counted every day. It definitely won’t work if there are too many or too few people.”
Besides, they're all serving in the military; it's not easy to get people to come.
"In that case, is it possible to rotate them?"
This question made Village Chief Huang frown again. "No one has ever done this before, and I don't know if it will work."
“If things are handled properly, there won’t be any problems,” Jiang Nuan continued her analysis. “This year’s tasks are heavy, we are under a lot of pressure, and the government is under even more pressure. If we don’t complete the tasks, we will be held accountable, and so will the government.”
"So, there is indeed a lot of hope?" Village Chief Huang's eyes flickered, and he suddenly stood up. "You all continue talking, I'll go and discuss it with the clan chief."
Before Jiang Nuan could speak, Village Chief Huang had vanished.
“Yaya,” Old Man Huang said with a gleam in his eye, “if this is done, I’ll swallow my pride and ask for credit for you.”
“Dad,” Jiang Nuan spread her hands, “It’s too early to talk about this now. Let’s wait for news.”
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