With Li Lide backing him up, Li Hongtao felt justified in standing up: "Village chief, look at them! They have no sense of collective honor whatsoever, and they don't hand over any good stuff!"
Li Lide frowned, squinting at the tools in Bai Shihai and Shen Heng's hands: "What are those things in your hands?"
"This was invented by my younger sister. It's incredibly fast at cutting wheat. Village chief, these blades were just delivered by my third son this morning. There are only two of them. You see, Shen Heng and I haven't had a moment's rest this morning. We've made the most of these two sickles! How can you say we don't have a sense of collective honor?"
Bai Shihai explained to Li Lide in a gentle and patient manner.
Bai Shiqing chimed in, "Exactly! These two sickles are just tools; who doesn't use them? Not only did we pay for them ourselves and use our own materials, but when Uncle Shiqing came to borrow them at noon today, my brother-in-law lent them to him without a second thought. We had lunch while these tools were still in use!"
Bai Jiaojiao also said, "I think Captain Li is just upset about losing the bet and is trying to frame our family."
The Bai family has three siblings, one feisty and one honest, but none of them are stupid. Their united front left Li Lide speechless.
Seeing that even the village chief was there, and that the matter was escalating, the villagers on the hilltop stopped what they were doing and came over to see what was going on. It was the hottest part of the afternoon sun, and they all stopped what they were doing to come and see what was happening.
"A bet? What kind of bet?"
When someone asked, Bai Shiqing told everyone the whole story.
"Is this scythe really that powerful? Show us how you use it!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
Shen Heng naturally wouldn't perform this for everyone, but Bai Shihai readily agreed, taking a large scythe and making two quick "swish" sounds in the ground.
"Holy crap..."
Those who saw it were stunned; the efficiency was truly outstanding.
At this moment, Li Shiqing, who had benefited from the lunch, came out to speak up for them: "This thing is convenient, but it is really tiring to use. Although you don't have to bend over, you have to use several times more strength in your arms. The five of us, father and sons, take turns using it, and we have to rest after less than five minutes."
"Those two people also put in a lot of effort!"
Anyone who has done farm work knows that the fatigue at this time is nothing compared to the real soreness that comes with lying down on the kang (heated brick bed).
These two lads need to get a good rest when they get back.
"Hey De-ge, they're working so hard, you can't make things difficult for them!"
Li Shiqing said.
Li Lide glared at Li Hongtao: "Why did you make that bet? You're so much older than them, over thirty, yet you still act like you've never grown up."
Li Hongtao seized the opportunity to back down: "Isn't this just to urge them to work harder? We're all doing this for the good of the collective!"
Li Lide closed his eyes briefly: "Alright, alright, let's just leave it at that! Everyone hurry back to work, time is already tight. You two,"
Li Lide pointed at Bai Shihai and Shen Heng: "Your Uncle Shiqing is right. If you keep using this thing, you won't be able to keep up. I think we should take turns using it, one hour per household. That way, everyone will be faster!"
Li Lide's actions clearly favored Li Hongtao. What does it mean to say "this matter is just let go"?
They even took away their tools. If they fail to complete the task of covering 30 acres, will Li Hongtao let them off the hook? Will Li Lide still speak up for them then?
As Bai Jiaojiao thought about this, her face grew colder and colder.
“Village chief, if that’s how you put it, let’s talk this out face to face.”
"Bai Jiaojiao, what are you going to say now?" Li Lide looked at Bai Jiaojiao impatiently.
Bai Jiaojiao walked to the front and looked at Li Lide: "First of all, I want to ask the village chief, what do you mean by 'just let it go'? Do you mean that our bet is null and void? You're such a high-ranking official, can you just say that a written agreement is worthless?"
Bai Jiaojiao's voice is clear and bright, every word a gem.
Li Lide was taken aback by Bai Jiaojiao's words, his beard twitched a couple of times, and he finally opened his mouth: "I was doing it for your own good! Bai Jiaojiao, so even though you're not the one doing the work, you should at least feel sorry for your husband and your brother!"
“That’s our own family matter, it’s none of your business!” Bai Shiqing said on behalf of Bai Jiaojiao.
If I could be a squad leader instead, what's a little bit of tiredness?
Bai Shihai thought so too. If he could grow an extra 300 centimeters, he would have extra money every year for the New Year to cut a piece of cloth for each of his wife and sister to make new clothes.
Bai Shiqing is also about to get married, and it's his older brother who's worrying about the dowry.
Bai Shihai was honest, but not stupid. He wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by.
Needless to say, Shen Heng didn't think much of it; in fact, he considered that using this much force was nothing at all.
Seeing the Bai family united, Li Lide's lips trembled with anger: "Your family is really..."
"Village chief, instead of telling us this, you should talk to your good nephew first. Who bets fifty yuan on something without a second thought? Who would believe he's not up to no good?"
Someone in the crowd said, "That's right, Li Hongtao is telling people to harvest thirty acres in five days, or he'll give them fifty yuan. I wouldn't even dare to dream of such a good deal!"
"that is."
People in the crowd started talking about Li Hongtao's faults. Although there were two families with the surname Li, they didn't dare to speak up for him.
Li Hongtao stumbled because he was too greedy!
"Fine! Then you can continue with this bet!" Li Lide said angrily. "But this tool must be used by everyone in the village! This is for the collective good, to maximize the efficiency of these two tools! The brigade will reimburse you for the money you spent on making the tool and the materials!"
After Li Lide finished speaking, he wanted to leave. Bai Jiaojiao tried to stop him and make things clear, but Shen Heng beat her to it.
Li Lide's arm felt like it was about to explode from Shen Heng's grip: "Shen Heng, are you crazy? You dare to lay a hand on me? Do you believe I'll send you to live in a pigsty?!"
Li Lide's eyes were bulging with anger, bloodshot, but he just couldn't break free from Chen Heng's restraints.
Shen Heng said, "She hasn't finished speaking, why are you leaving?"
Seeing Shen Heng making things difficult for Li Lide, no one dared to step forward to help.
Shen Heng was holding Li Lide with one hand, and in the other hand he was holding a sickle with a gleaming tip!
That big blade, wouldn't it cut anyone in half with one strike?
Shen Heng had a criminal record for stabbing someone when he was fifteen. Even though he didn't go to jail because of his young age, everyone still called him a convict behind his back. People avoided him not entirely because he was tough.
"What else do you want to say!"
Li Lide's voice began to tremble, whether from fear or rage.
"What I'm saying is, even if you're the village chief, you have no right to manage our family's private property. The army doesn't even take a needle or thread from the people, so you dare to try taking anything from our family!"
Bai Jiaojiao spoke frankly, and Li Lide sneered, "Then what about your family saying it's for the collective? If it were really for the collective, you would have taken turns using it for everyone!"
Li Lide's words did indeed have a significant effect on stirring up the public's emotions.
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