Chapter 197 Dispute Resolution
Old Lady Wan looked at Jinniu and repeated the same words: "Village Chief, tell me what you want to do about this matter. You are the village chief. Since the county magistrate has appointed you, it means that you are fair and capable. Otherwise, why don't you appoint someone else?"
After Old Lady Wan complimented him, even the clan leader who had just been rejected felt a little better. After all, the village chief was also a member of their Jin family.
Taurus nodded and glanced at the sky. The sun was shining brightly, scorching the earth. There was not a trace of dark clouds. Everyone still had to water the fields this afternoon, so they really shouldn't waste time on this trivial matter.
"Aunt, I have already made a decision about your matter. Cousin, listen carefully. In front of the villagers, this matter will be resolved. The children of your two families fought privately, and they only suffered superficial injuries. Neither side will be held accountable. Cousin was wrong to come to your house to make trouble for the sake of the child. This matter will not be held accountable. However, Xiaolan's arm is dislocated, and your family will pay for the bone setting. You will also be given a hundred coins as compensation."
After Jinniu finished speaking, he looked at Old Lady Wan and asked, "Aunt, do you think this is acceptable?"
Mrs. Wan nodded: "I have no objection."
Anyway, she didn't suffer any loss. The children's injuries were a lesson for her. She would beat them back next time she saw them. After all, they were just ignorant children and fighting was a common thing. As long as little Fubao was not hurt, those kids were tough.
But Zheng disagreed.
"Village chief, I don't accept it. We were just fighting. Why should my family pay compensation? I won't pay a penny."
When Zheng heard that she had to pay, she felt like she was going to die. Her husband worked away from home all year round, so they could save some money and their family was a little more solid than other families. This money was all their hard-earned money. Why should she pay it to a little girl? With a hundred coins, she could buy several kilograms of meat.
"It's okay if you don't pay. As the village chief, I have the right to drive your family out of Shizi Village. You decide whether you want to pay or leave Shizi Village."
Jin Bao looked at his cousin who didn't seem to be joking, and said in disbelief: "Cousin, you actually want to drive our family out of the village for an outsider? Did a donkey kick your brain? Even if your sister-in-law hit you just now, she was wrong, but you can't be angry and deal with our family members? Let others laugh at our infighting behind our backs?"
"Humph, Jin Bao, I am the village chief now, and I am dealing with village affairs, not family affairs."
Taurus exuded an unquestionable aura, which frightened Golden Leopard, but he was also a reckless person, otherwise he would not have allowed his child to be lawless.
"Bullshit, if it weren't for the Jin family's support, would your father have been able to sit on the position of village chief? Without your father, how could you be the village chief? The county magistrate appointed you, wasn't it because of your father? You are forgetting your ancestors. I suggest you open an ancestral hall and deal with Jin Niu."
Jinniu was amused by Jinbao's ridiculous remarks, "Okay, open the ancestral hall. The clan leader is here too, so there's no need to bother the second master."
The clan leader had no objection to Jinniu's judgment. If he were the village chief, he would probably make the same judgment. If his child's arm was dislocated, one hundred coins would not be enough to settle the matter. Jinniu was able to solve the matter with one hundred coins, so the clan leader had no complaints against Jinniu.
"Okay, let's do it this way. Jin Bao, you two go back and send the money quickly. I'll wait here. If you don't send it in a quarter of an hour, I'll open the ancestral hall and punish you according to the family rules. Are you really going to be kicked out of Shizi Village? Although Jin Niu is from our family surname Jin, he is also the village chief of Shizi Village. As his clansmen, we should refrain from causing trouble for him. But you two, relying on the fact that the village chief has always been a member of the Jin family, you two are increasingly looking down on the people in the village. People who don't know would think you are the village chief. Stop embarrassing yourself here and take your wife back quickly."
The clan leader had spoken, so Jin Bao didn't dare to make any more noise. If he continued, his family might really be driven out of the village. However, he couldn't just swallow this anger. He glared at Old Lady Wan fiercely and directed all his anger at her.
Old Mrs. Wan also noticed that Jin Bao had a bad look in his eyes, but she was not afraid. She should be more careful in the future. Once she was stared at by such a person, it would be disgusting. Old Mrs. Wan glanced at Jin Bao and his wife indifferently and said nothing.
Jin Bao pulled his wife back home. This time he ran quite fast and got the money soon. He handed over 100 coins to Old Lady Wan in front of the village chief. As for the medical expenses, the village chief asked Jin Bao to go to the old lady's house and pay for it.
The matter ended there. Wan Laosi just came back carrying Xiaolan. Xiaolan had fallen asleep on Wan Laosi's body, and the child was a little frightened.
Old Mrs. Wan nodded to the village chief's family and went home.
After returning home, Grandma Wan asked Old Fourth Wan to put the child on the kang. Shen had already prepared lunch. The family was now smaller in population, but with the addition of Ergou's siblings, Shen still cooked some extra food.
After the meal was served, Old Mrs. Wan asked Old Fourth Wan.
"What did the bone-setter say? Will it cause a permanent disease?"
"Mom, that person said that Xiaolan is still young and that children grow fast. It's okay. Just take good care of her and let her drink more bone soup and she will recover."
Old Mrs. Wan nodded while holding the bowl, then looked back at Xiaolan who was sleeping beside her like a kitten, and then at Xiao Fubao who was eating with a small wooden spoon. The two children, who were one year apart in age, were in completely different states, and Old Mrs. Wan felt a touch of pity in her heart.
"Ergou, leave some of your sister's favorite food. Ran Wanwen will heat it up. When your sister wakes up later, she can have something hot to eat."
Ergou looked at the delicious food on the table and kept swallowing his saliva. This meal was enough for their family to eat for ten days or half a month. He secretly vowed to work hard in the future so that his mother and sister could live a life without worries about food and clothing.
Ergou said politely in a low voice: "Thank you grandma, my sister is not picky about food. We are lucky to have something to eat. With such good food, why would she be picky?"
When Wan Wen heard this, he remembered that his family was not much better off than Ergou's. He patted Ergou's arm silently, then put down his bowl and chopsticks and helped Ergou serve a bowl of rice. He was afraid that Ergou would feel embarrassed.
Wan Wen served the food and took it directly to the stove to warm it up.
After dinner, Xiaolan was still asleep, so Old Lady Wan said to Old Fourth Wan, "Old Fourth, go to town this afternoon and buy some big bones, and also a few chickens and eggs. Our chickens are not yet ready to lay eggs, so your wife should take good care of herself during her confinement. We are better off now, and we have some income. You should spend what you should spend and save what you shouldn't spend. You should also be prudent."
Wan Lao Si nodded, "Mom, I know, don't worry, this big bone is for Xiaolan to make soup, right? We are all familiar with the butcher shop that often supplies meat to our family. This big bone is not worth much, I will bring some back, everyone in the family can drink it, and you can drink it too."
Old Lady Wan rolled her eyes at Old Fourth Wan and said, "I just told you to make plans, but now you have no plans. It's so hot, and there's no well water to keep it cool. If you buy too much, it will be thrown away. How can you drink it all? You have to save water at home. Boil half a pot every day for the children. Even if this big bone is cheap, it still costs a few coins. A few coins are enough to buy a pound of grain."
Wan Lao Si chuckled and quickly apologized, "Anyway, mother still has the final say in this family? Without you at the helm, our family can't go far."
Old Lady Wan knew that her son was trying to make her happy, so she accepted it. With a smile on her face, she reached out and touched her son's forehead. "Alright, you're the only one who knows how to flatter. Go and have a rest. It's too hot now. Wait until you have your lunch break before leaving. You can come back with your second sister-in-law and the others in the evening. You can even ride a bullock cart, which saves some energy."
"Oh, that's fine. Mom just loves her son." Wan Laosi said with a smile and ran out of the upper room.
At this moment, a carriage suddenly came to the door and stopped at the door of the Wan family. A respectable woman got out of the carriage.
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