"Village chief, what should we do now? Should we report it to the authorities or what?" Xi Chun had guessed that this would be the outcome. She had only asked last night to try and get some information out of him.
"If I report it to the authorities now, the yamen won't be open. Besides, I've heard that this county magistrate doesn't really care about these kinds of things. If I want to report it to the authorities, I'll have to pay money first. Sigh, I think it'll be difficult to report it to the authorities."
The village chief was also worried. If the two didn't report it to the authorities, would they retaliate? If they did, the county magistrate was quite different from the previous one, and he might not even take the case during the Lunar New Year.
"Then let's deal with it according to the village rules. Otherwise, these people will think we're afraid of them, and they might become even more rampant in the future." Xi Chun thought about it and agreed.
The village chief had these people taken to the ancestral hall, where, in the presence of the villagers, they were each given thirty strokes of the cane and then thrown into the wilderness.
"If you're lucky enough to survive this time, then don't steal again. If you do, don't blame us for being ruthless. Even if we kill you, no one will dare to report us." The two knew that the consequences of being caught were usually terrible, so they didn't hold out much hope.
However, when they glanced into the crowd, while others didn't notice, Xichun did. She thought quietly that she had to secretly go and see who dared to go against the village's wishes and let the two go.
After this was over, Xichun asked Aunt Zhang for help, and took the fried food and eggs she had prepared earlier to each household to express her gratitude.
Unexpectedly, Xichun brought such expensive dishes. Everyone who helped that night was overjoyed. It seems that if Xichun encounters any trouble in the future, they should help her more.
Haven't you noticed how much better life has become for the Zhang family who used to help Xichun? Even Qiangzi has gone to work as a shop assistant in the county town.
They knew the Zhang family's situation inside and out. If they had that ability, they would have arranged for their son to go to the county town long ago. Why would they wait until he was following Xichun? They knew this perfectly well. Thinking of this, they looked in the direction of the Chen family and wondered if they regretted severing ties with Xichun.
The Chen family, whom everyone was thinking about, were now filled with regret. They never expected that the girl could escape from the hands of two robbers. She was really lucky. They didn't even get to see her make a fool of herself.
Hearing the people around her discussing how much Xichun had given them as a thank-you gift, Old Mrs. Chen was so angry that she was jumping up and down. Unfortunately, it was the New Year, and she didn't dare to curse back, otherwise she would have angered everyone.
Chen Cuihua's family was also sulking at home. She never expected that Chen Xichun would hold a grudge against her because of the Wu family's mentally challenged son. She had set up a stall for several days, but no one came to buy anything. As soon as her two sons came home, they ate all the food that couldn't be sold. She was so angry that she cursed them countless times at home.
The money has been spent and the principal hasn't been recovered, so this year the family ate exceptionally vegetarian food for the Spring Festival. When she heard others talking about eating meat, Chen Cuihua was even more furious.
Xichun returned home, and the results of Qiangzi and Taozi's stakeout near the two thieves were also in.
“Sister Xichun, we saw with our own eyes that Chen Lizhong’s father released those two men. The two men even said it was all his fault for calling them over, otherwise they wouldn’t have been so unlucky. Later, Chen Lizhong’s father took out another two hundred coins, and only then did the two men leave cursing.”
The Chen Lizhong that Qiangzi mentioned is the son of Xichun's uncle. It seems that the Chen family is the culprit this time.
After learning the truth, Xi Chun was also plotting in her heart, looking for an opportunity to teach the Chen family a lesson they would never forget. How dare they do such a thing? They were worse than pigs and dogs.
"Okay, don't tell anyone about this," Xichun instructed the two.
"Yes, we know. That Chen family is really awful. They're your uncle, after all. How could they do something like that? We all think they're bad luck."
The New Year was so thrilling that the following days seemed uneventful. Xichun asked Aunt Zhang and Aunt Liu for help. She wanted to take advantage of the New Year to treat Aunt Zhang's family, Aunt Liu's family, and the village chief's family to a meal. Uncle Liu had made a great contribution in catching the robbers, and Xichun also wanted to maintain better relationships with the villagers so that she could find someone to help her if she encountered any problems.
Aunt Zhang and Aunt Liu were quite surprised to see that Xichun had bought meat and chicken and prepared a lot of dishes. They kept urging her, "Xichun, you're being too generous. We're not strangers, so don't be so polite. Keep them for yourself. The weather is still cold, and these things won't spoil anytime soon."
"Auntie, Auntie, these are nothing compared to the life-saving grace you have shown me. Besides, I will need your help in the future. Consider this a small token of my appreciation. To be honest, I wasn't that scared before, but I still need to be careful now. When I'm not home, please look after my yard for me."
Xi Chun naturally knew that serving meat at this time would be showing off her wealth, but she also knew that these families were reliable people. Xi Chun felt that letting them see the tangible benefits was a good choice. She had more plans for the future, and having more loyal people around her would only help her business.
"Xichun, are you really planning to do this?" Aunt Zhang had spent the most time with Xichun, so she had heard Xichun's thoughts before, but she thought Xichun would stay in town for a while longer.
"That's right, but let's not talk about these things now. I'll share my thoughts with everyone after we've eaten." Xichun kept everyone in suspense.
The village chief and his family were a little embarrassed when they were called over, but Xichun sincerely wanted to invite them and persuaded them for a while. The village chief was not a pretentious person, so he naturally came along.
“Xichun, why are you making such a big fuss? We’re all neighbors, there’s no need for you to cook so many dishes. Save up your money, and when you’re able, buy some land. That’s the foundation for a stable life.”
Seeing how much Xichun had prepared, the village chief couldn't help but sincerely offer his advice.
"Village chief, don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Xichun said with a smile.
The children ate at one table by themselves, and the adults ate at another table. Everyone was crowded together. Xichun had prepared a hot pot and stir-fried a few dishes today. In short, everyone ate their fill.
"No wonder Xichun is good at business. Look at these dishes, I think they taste even better than the food we eat at banquets in the village. Maybe they taste just like the ones in restaurants." The village chief's wife was also very full, and she kept praising Xichun.
"Yes, I haven't eaten anything this delicious in all these years. Xichun is really good at cooking. If you were willing to be a chef, people from all around would definitely want to hire you."
"You flatter me, everyone. I'm afraid I can't handle it all by myself. I see those pots used for the banquet; they're wider than my hand. It takes a lot of strength to lift them. But the reason I invited you all here today is that there's something I want to discuss with you."
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