Chapter 60 The Liu Family: The Magistrate's Cold Violence (Please vote!)
"We appointed him to be a local official, but we didn't actually appoint him to be a parent."
Not far from the Liu family's porridge stall and orphanage, where the flow of people was sparse.
Liu Zilin, who was usually short-tempered, was unusually calm today. He turned to his two older brothers and said seriously.
Liu Ziwen remained silent, gazing at the desolate and deserted porridge stall and orphanage.
Rice prices in Longcheng are now extremely low. Anyone with a little wealth has no worries about rice. Those without wealth are all at the disaster relief camps outside the city. Even if some cheap folks come to freeload, they only get a bowl of porridge each morning and evening and leave.
Nowadays, no one would be hung upside down next to a soup kitchen, starving and waiting for the soup to be served.
Right now, Longcheng County is hiring everywhere. As long as migrant workers have an arm and a leg, they can find odd jobs, earn some wages, and have enough to eat. Nobody is waiting here to waste their time.
The same is true for orphanages.
I heard that a new female clerk came to the county government office and tidied up a staff quarters, and also opened an orphanage to take in orphaned children.
They even recruited many women of childbearing age from disaster relief camps on the outskirts of the city to raise children. The wages were not much less than those of dockworkers, and the work was easier. Many refugee women were vying to join them...
So the Liu family... seems to have truly become benevolent this time.
Since the eldest brother remained silent, Liu Zian and Liu Zilin had no choice but to stand quietly to the side.
Behind the three brothers, an old manager who oversaw the porridge stall and orphanage waited awkwardly, his back hunched and head tucked in.
"Let's shut it down first."
Liu Zian turned his head and spoke first.
He was originally in the sword shop keeping an eye on a swordsmith and a forge when Liu Ziwen suddenly sent someone to summon him. His third brother, Liu Zilin, was probably there as well.
Liu Zian already looked sickly, and now he was looking at the two old, worthless antiques with his eyelids drooping, his face somewhat listless.
The current source of wealth for the Liu family, this towering tree, is not the soup kitchen or the orphanage, but rather the money tree that is the Guyue Sword Shop. The former is at most just a way to earn some pocket money.
The poor in Longcheng County can no longer be squeezed for any profit; if they want to make money, they should make money from the powerful and wealthy people of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Liu Zian had long advised his elder brother to shut it down, but having seen it, the latter naturally didn't listen.
Upon hearing the second young master's words, the old manager of the porridge stall looked distressed and helplessly said, "Young Master, it's our fault for being useless. We should listen to the second young master..."
"The soup kitchens and orphanages must not be shut down."
Liu Ziwen spoke earnestly, recounting a matter.
He turned around, raised his hand to straighten the trembling old steward's hat, and calmly said:
“Taibo has done a good job all these years. You have also taken good care of Father’s soup kitchen. You’ve worked hard. Hang in there a little longer. After this year, Taibo can go to the purchasing department of the sword shop and choose an easy position to retire in.”
"It's no trouble at all! I'm so grateful that the young master still remembers this old servant..." Taibo was moved to tears.
Liu Ziwen waved his hand.
Liu Zian watched coldly from the sidelines.
Liu Zilin looked indifferent. He was only focused on one thing: muttering to his older brothers, trying to sow discord among some powerful local officials.
"Brother, the porridge stall closing down is a small matter, but the loss of face for the Liu family is a big deal! He's been in office for so many days, and he hasn't even come to pay his respects to our Liu family yet!"
Liu Ziwen ignored them, and led his second and third brothers to each get a bowl of hot porridge. He silently finished it with his head down, then shook his head and said:
"It's a bit too thin, make the rest of the batch thicker."
"Yes, young master."
After Taibo bowed and left, Liu Ziwen, without turning back, scolded, "Drink it!"
Liu Zian, who was sipping his porridge with his head down, finished the remaining half bowl in one gulp.
Liu Zilin, who was still muttering to himself, panicked and hurriedly tilted his head back, pouring the hot porridge, which was stuck to the edge of the bowl and on his thumb, into his stomach in one gulp. The movement was so big that he coughed violently, choking on his mouth and nose.
The young master of the Liu family asked his two puzzled brothers:
Have you forgotten your father?
Liu Zian remained silent, while Liu Zilin's expression hardened.
The latter gritted his teeth:
"I haven't forgotten. It was all these lowly people who killed my father!"
“My father kindly opened soup kitchens during the famine to help these lowly people. When the food ran out, the number of soup kitchens naturally had to be reduced. Instead of being grateful, these lowly people, instigated by people with ulterior motives, clashed with my father and looted the Liu family’s house.”
Liu Zian also said coldly:
"And then there's the new magistrate after Master Di left. He was jealous of Father's good reputation and coveted our family's wealth. He falsely accused Father of poisoning his porridge and tortured him into confessing. The world is so cold and indifferent; not a single person spoke up for Father."
Liu Ziwen stared at his two younger brothers: "Before Father died unjustly, do you know what he said to me?"
Both Liu Zian and Liu Zilin shook their heads.
"They told me to keep the soup kitchen open."
The atmosphere was silent.
Liu Ziwen suddenly laughed, pointing to the porridge stall and orphanage ahead, and said:
"A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment. Fine, then our Liu family will find a new way to operate. Look, aren't all the people in the county now saying that our Liu family are great philanthropists? Has anyone dared to criticize us?"
He nodded again:
"So as long as I am alive, my father's soup kitchen must continue to operate."
Liu Zian nodded and said coldly, "Our Longcheng County will not allow such unruly people to exist again."
Liu Zilin's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he said hatefully, "No official is allowed to stand up. Either behead them or kneel down and become their dogs!"
Liu Ziwen patted his two younger brothers on the shoulders forcefully.
Before long, the three left the soup kitchen and returned to the carriage.
On the way back.
Liu Ziwen glanced at the bustling streets at the end of the Dragon Boat Festival, lowered the carriage curtain, and turned to his second brother, a man of deep cunning and reserved nature, saying:
"Keep an eye on the sword shop. You were right last time; it's not the right time to stir up too much trouble. The calmer the situation in Longcheng County, the better. The sword shop is the most important thing!"
Liu Zilin said with dissatisfaction, "Are we just going to stand by and watch that guy surnamed Ouyang act so arrogantly?"
Liu Ziwen glanced at his third brother, his expression unchanged:
“Of course we won’t let him get his meat so easily. Since he’s a flock of sheep brought in from outside, and he’s not the only wolf in Longcheng County, we’ll eat them all, and maybe even eat him too…”
The young master of the Liu family chuckled and said, "We'll buy at the bottom when the price of grain drops below five qian per dou in the next couple of days."
Liu Zian smiled slightly and nodded: "Don't worry, big brother, we've been keeping an eye on things, and we've been prepared for a long time."
"But all of this must be done discreetly. Once the price of grain drops to practically nothing, Second Brother, you can then take the sincerity of the Liu family to Manager Ma and Manager Li. It's easier to make friends than to add flowers to brocade, but to offer charcoal in the snow?"
As Liu Zilin listened, his face grew increasingly flushed. If it weren't for the cramped space and bumpy ride inside the carriage, he would have already stood up, excitedly pacing around and rubbing his hands.
"Big brother and second brother, you did a great job intercepting! I love intercepting! Hahaha, that corrupt official surnamed Ouyang will definitely have a very good time!"
Liu Ziwen turned to ask, "Last time I told you to think carefully about how to get your broken leg back on, what are your thoughts now?"
Liu Zilin nodded vigorously, his face filled with excitement: "I've made up my mind! I've been preparing for this for a long time! Didn't my brother say that killing people is nothing, but destroying their spirit is the ultimate skill!"
Liu Ziwen said calmly, "Alright, when we get back, I'll talk to you about it and have your second brother give you his opinion. Sometimes a soft knife won't draw blood; you have to use a hard knife."
After giving these instructions, the young master of the Liu family couldn't help but sigh again:
"Why bother? We've been holding on for so long, and now it's almost the rainy season. Without the craftsmen from our Liu family, will the Di Gong Dam still be repaired?"
"You have to crash and bruise before you can see the road clearly. You came to Dragon City just to do one thing? It really is just one thing... to have a meal and apologize."
The three Liu brothers exchanged a glance and laughed together.
Soon, the carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the tall stone lions at the entrance of the Liu family mansion.
The three brothers, Liu Ziwen, Liu Zian, and Liu Zilin, got out of the car and prepared to go inside, each going about their own business.
Suddenly, a lame servant boy who had been waiting at the door for a long time approached with a serious expression and immediately said:
"Masters, sirs, sirs, something terrible has happened! This afternoon, the magistrate suddenly held a meeting in the main hall of the county government office. He not only invited the sixteen grain merchants from outside Longcheng who were still in the city, but also the gentry and landlords from the other twelve villages. However, he didn't invite us at all!"
The three Liu brothers were all taken aback.
Liu Ziwen's usually calm and composed expression suddenly changed, and a bad premonition rose in his heart.
...
There is still 12 o'clock
(End of this chapter)
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