Zhou began to wipe away her tears, "Elder clan leader, we, the old, weak, women and children, really can't survive without land."
The man from the mountain quickly said, “Tian Kuang’s mother, don’t worry. My little benefactor just said, how about we give you that mountain? The clan’s land has already been distributed to each household, so it’s really difficult to get them to give it back. This mountain is still the clan’s public property. If you want it, I’ll go to each household right away to ask for their opinions.”
The clan chief quickly replied, "I know this hill is a bit overgrown, but it still occupies a large area, at least three hundred acres, which is enough."
Xiao Youran said in a clear voice, "Grandpa Clan Chief, these three mountains are connected. If you're going to give them to us, you have to give them all to us."
The old clan chief choked, clearly feeling a pang of regret, "Tian Kuang's family, you don't have any strong men in your family right now. You can't manage so many mountains."
He originally thought there were three hilltops, and giving them one wouldn't be a problem.
How come they suddenly wanted three mountain peaks all at once?
Zhou was not very satisfied. "The clan chief is right. That mountain is barren and nothing can be grown there. There's no use for us if we take the mountain. Why don't we all just share the land we have?"
The conversation circled back to the old patriarch, whose lips twitched.
Na Dashan quickly said, "Clan chief, these mountains are so steep that ordinary people can't climb them. Anyway, they're the clan's public property and are usually useless. If they want them, then let them have all three mountains!"
The clan chief was still very reluctant to part with them.
A man beside him added, "If it weren't for our little benefactor, our family of five would have been buried in the mud long ago. In fact, he saved at least twenty of our lives. Are our twenty-odd lives worth less than three useless hilltops?"
When the clan chief was compared to human lives and the mountain, he was instantly speechless.
Indeed, he never seemed to amount to anything with those three hills.
The mountain is too steep and rocky, making it impossible to cultivate land and grow crops.
Da Shan quickly looked at Zhou Shi, "Tian Kuang Niang, what do you think?"
Zhou was not really happy about it, because she felt that the farmland was difficult enough to take care of, and what use would it be if even the experienced farmers in the village couldn't manage the hills?
But when she looked at Xiao Youran, she saw Xiao Youran blinking her big eyes, nodding firmly at her, and saying in a soft voice, "Auntie, this mountain is great! We can go up the mountain and catch little rabbits!"
Suddenly, Zhou felt that this little You Ran was so cute, and for some reason, she agreed without thinking, "Alright then, something is better than nothing."
Da Shan quickly said, "Then it's settled. I'll go door-to-door to ask for their opinions right away. If no one has any objections, then this afternoon, clan chief, I'll trouble you to go to the county and get this done."
The old clan chief sighed, "Alright, just because you saved more than twenty lives in the village last night, these three hills are all yours!"
...
In the afternoon, Old Feng ran in and reported that a group of people had come and brought a cartload of grain and rice after learning that our area had been flooded.
Upon hearing this, Zhou was overjoyed and hurriedly led Guo to greet them.
Yun Tiankuang and his children watched with curiosity from outside the door as the cart of grain fell from the sky.
Xiao Youran and Jiang Youchen also ran out, and saw that there was indeed a butler-like man in his forties outside, directing the other two to carry bags from the car.
It's obvious at a glance that it's filled with grain.
Madam Zhou quickly smiled and asked, "May I ask which official you are?"
The middle-aged man smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "I dare not accept such praise. I am just the steward of a small village at the front of Sanyang Village. My surname is Zhang. Our young master heard that Sanyang Village was flooded last night, and some farmers' houses were washed away. He was worried that the villagers would lack food and clothing, so he sent me to bring some relief grain. Please see if your family needs it. If you do, you may take it all."
Coming from a wealthy family, Madam Zhou couldn't help but ask, "May I ask who your young master is...?"
Steward Zhang waved his hand and said, "Our master is the Wen family of Wufeng County. My young master happens to be staying at the estate to recuperate. Yesterday's heavy rain was truly unexpected, so he sent me to come and check on you. Is there anything we can do to help you?"
Madam Zhou shook her head repeatedly, "This grain is already a kind gesture from you, and we would be impolite to refuse it. We have already received a great favor from the young master, and we dare not trouble Young Master Wen with anything else."
The butler said no more. "Alright, then we'll head back."
He watched as his two men unloaded the goods, then left with the coachman and another person.
Seeing this, Guo asked Zhou curiously, "Is that the big village that's two miles west of the village?"
Zhou nodded, "Probably."
She instructed Yun Tiankuang, "Go to the old clan chief's house and inquire whether the wealthy man Wen really sent two carts of grain."
Before Yun Tiankuang could take two steps, he saw the old clan chief leading a few people, walking towards them with a smile. "So Young Master Wen really unloaded the grain here for you? Hehe, then I'm relieved."
Zhou hurriedly asked, "Elder clan leader, who is this young master Wen?"
"I heard he's the young master of the Wen family in town, and he's recuperating at that big estate not far to our west."
As he spoke, the old clan chief pointed to the west and said, "This young master Wen is a kind-hearted man. He sent a lot of grain during the drought last year. I heard that the magistrate of Wufeng County is very grateful to him."
Hearing this, Zhou felt relieved.
Guo asked again, "But why did he send this half-cartload of grain to our family alone?"
"When Steward Zhang delivered the grain earlier, we chatted for a while. I said, your little girl saved more than twenty lives in Dashan and his family. It's just a pity that your whole family, the elderly, women and children, still don't have anything to eat or use. Steward Zhang took a good look at it. He said that after unloading only half a cart of grain, he would bring the rest to your door."
The old clan chief said happily, "I've already asked every household in Dashan, and no one has any objection to dividing these three hills among you. My old bones are almost falling apart, and I can't even ride the oxcart anymore, so I was thinking of borrowing your horse-drawn carriage to go to the county to exchange for your deed. Tiankuang's mother, could I borrow your big horse-drawn carriage and Old Feng's carriage for a while?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou immediately looked at Old Feng and said, "Oh, I can't make that decision. Old Feng isn't one of our servants."
Old Feng nodded hurriedly and said, "What's the big deal? Madam, please don't be so polite. My wife will definitely agree. It's just a trip to the county town. I just don't know if the main road is still passable?"
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