"Oh my, you two know each other?" Wu Bohu said sarcastically.
“Yes, Brother Hu, we’re very good brothers.” Wang Zixiang smiled sincerely at Wu Bohu, then turned to Shi Zhancai and said, “Zhancai, didn’t I tell you where my hometown is? You know my brother’s name too, don’t you recognize him?”
Yes, it was Shi Zhan who tricked Wang Zixiang into doing the construction project. When he couldn't afford to pay the money upfront, he urged Wang Zixiang to ask Ye Yunyi, his brother, and all his family members to help him get loans. He knew everyone's name in the family. He also knew this was Wang Zixiang's hometown.
Upon hearing Wang Zixiang's words, Wu Bohu also became cautious, and his eyes changed. Although he still had that "I'm the boss" attitude, his expression became much more serious.
"Hey, Zixiang, I'll come find you after work to catch up. Let's finish the task Brother Hu assigned us first." Shi Zhancai smiled guiltily. He had already noticed that Wu Bohu's expression was off and was afraid that Wang Zixiang would keep harping on this topic, so he changed the subject.
“Zixiang, now that you’ve come to our village, you have to abide by our village rules. You know there are zombies everywhere and everyone is starving, so we’ve been ordered by our superiors to come here and grow crops. We need to plant all these fields and wastelands, but we don’t have enough manpower, so everyone’s working hours will be longer. There’s nothing we can do about it. We’re just following orders. Once the first batch of crops is harvested, we’ll save many people, and that will be a great achievement, won’t it?”
"However, we are not so heartless. We have working hours and rest hours. We start work at 7 o'clock every morning, have lunch from 12 to 2 pm, and finish get off work at 8 pm, where we can have dinner and rest. We get one day off every month."
"We will distribute the harvested grain to everyone, but since we haven't harvested any grain yet, and we don't have any either, everyone will have to fend for themselves for now. Each person has been allocated a small plot of land to grow some vegetables and grains. It's all done with everyone's well-being in mind."
"Since you're coming here to live permanently, it's the same for you. You'll start working this afternoon to get used to it."
Shi Zhancai remained the same; with his silver tongue, he could always make even the worst and most disgusting things sound impressive and beautiful.
"An order from above? The government is still functioning normally, isn't it?" Ye Yunyi asked, pretending not to understand.
"Why ask so many questions?" Shi Zhancai was about to answer Ye Yunyi when Shi Bohu yelled at him.
"Brother Tiger, I'm sorry, I'm just a woman and I don't understand," Wang Zixiang quickly said.
“Remember to work, otherwise we don’t hire idlers here. As for what happens to idlers, Zichao, you can give them a good talking to,” Wu Bohu threatened.
Knowing they were coming, Wang's parents quickly hid the things Wang Zixiang had given them and came over, standing there obediently.
Seeing that everyone was very respectful, Wu Bohu was very satisfied and left with his group.
"What are we going to do? You've all been dragged into this," Wang Ma said, crying.
"It's okay, Mom. You and Dad go cook. We have a plan," Ye Yunyi comforted her.
Mr. and Mrs. Wang eventually went to the kitchen to cook, while everyone discussed things in the main room.
"Don't worry, let's get to work first and look for opportunities slowly. Shi Zhancai should be a breakthrough point. Zixiang has already sown the seeds of suspicion in them. As long as we drag him down later, we don't need to worry about them not falling into internal strife," Ye Yunyi said.
"When there are no outsiders, they still prefer Ye Yunyi to make the decisions. You all need to hide your abilities and not reveal that you know martial arts or even have weapons. This afternoon, when you are working, you must pretend that you don't know how to do it and that you can't do it."
"Okay," everyone replied.
"Little brother, could you briefly explain the points to pay attention to? We'll discuss the specifics tonight."
“Okay,” Wang Zichao replied. Seeing how quickly Ye Yunyi made her decision and arrangements, Wang Zichao glanced at his brother, who was smiling at Ye Yunyi, as if he was used to Ye Yunyi making the decisions. However, when Wu Bohu was around earlier, his brother’s handling of the situation was many times better than before.
He glanced at the people who had come with him; they all looked energetic. His brother and sister-in-law's return brought him a great sense of peace. Especially seeing Wang Junjun so dependent on Ye Yunyi, he inexplicably felt like crying.
He had endured so much alone for so long. No matter how bitter or tiring it was, he dared not slacken his efforts. But a person's energy and ability are always limited. He tried his best, but he still couldn't protect his parents or his son. His brother came back, and his burden could finally be temporarily lifted. That's good. He carefully explained the points that needed attention again.
In the afternoon, everyone went to work. They were indeed clearing land on the mountain. The weeds were plentiful and tall, making it very difficult to clear. In winter, they could have simply burned it all, but they said it was firewood and they had to bring it back to burn. This was because Shi Zhan had deliberately arranged for his family to do the most difficult work.
So everyone cut grass and turned the soil, working until 8 p.m., until Ye Yunyi's hands were covered in blisters. Shi Zhancai, who had been sent to monitor them in the afternoon, couldn't be too harsh in front of Wang Zixiang, so Ye Yunyi and her group complained about how hard and tiring it was, putting Shi Zhancai in a difficult position. Even the neighbors who had worked alongside them could finally catch their breath and take a break.
When they got home that evening, they used the food Ye Yunyi had brought to make dinner. At this point, Ye Yunyi had to thank her mother for her love, as she stuffed them with lots and lots of food, including two pieces of cured meat.
Wang's parents hadn't had cured meat in a long time, and their eyes lit up when they saw it. However, they couldn't bear to cook it all, so they cooked just a little bit each time, with a bit of oil and meat, and gave one slice of meat to Wang Junjun.
After dinner, everyone discussed the specific plan, and after some deliberation, they decided to do it this way.
Aside from a little trouble on the first afternoon, they were very well-behaved for the next two to three days, working quickly and efficiently. Wang Zixiang even intentionally or unintentionally tried to get close to Wu Bohu.
Wu Bohu is the kind of person who enjoys being praised and flattered. It's said that Shi Zhancai won Wu Bohu's favor because of his eloquence. Wang Zixiang is truly talented; composing poems and writing essays comes naturally to him. Compared to Shi Zhancai's limited talent, Wang Zixiang's work is far more refined and impressive.
He didn't drink, so he took Wang Zichao with him to write poems, documents, and merit records for Wu Bohu. Wang Zichao drank with Wu Bohu, enjoying himself immensely. Soon, Wu Bohu became much closer to Wang Zixiang and Wang Zichao.
Shi Zhancai was so anxious that he kept pacing around. He had stayed by Wang Zixiang's side when they were there, but he couldn't get a word in edgewise. When he did manage to say a few words, Wang Zixiang would twist them into something wrong, and he would get a scolding from Wu Bohu.
It's one thing to bully him, but to dare to bully his younger brother and his parents? How could he possibly let him get away with it? After what happened with Boss Zhong, Wang Zixiang's soft spot in his heart is now reserved only for his family.
Gradually, Wu Bohu's subordinates also changed their tune, showing more disdain for Shi Zhancai. The tasks he assigned were always difficult to complete, making Wu Bohu doubt his abilities.
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