Ten taels of silver is not a small sum of money, and it's no surprise that Liang Youqian, who loves to take advantage of others, would set his sights on this amount.
To her surprise, Liang Youqian was in such a hurry that he arrived with a large group of people before the compensation was even received.
Besides Liang Youqian and his mother, the people who came to ask for money included Liang Youqian's wife, Li Guilan, as well as Li Guilan's brother and father.
Li Guilan's father was named Li Dagen, who was the patriarch of the Li family and also the village head of Qingshui Village.
Li is a common surname in Qingshui Village. Li Dagen was able to become the village head not because he was particularly upright or popular, but simply because there were many people in the Li family. In addition, Li Dagen's father was the previous village head, and he benefited from his father's legacy, which is why he became the village head.
After becoming the village head, he did not do anything practical for the villagers. On the contrary, he used his position to seek personal gain in the village.
However, no matter how badly he performed as the village head, he was still the nominal village head of Qingshui Village.
Wan Shu concealed the emotions in her eyes and forced a smile that didn't reach them: "It's almost lunchtime. What do you mean by bringing such a large group of people here, Uncle Village Head? My family is a widow and her children; we can't afford to entertain so many people."
Li Dagen looked up and gave her a cold, arrogant look: "I'm here today to help my mother-in-law get her compensation."
At the opportune moment, Liang's mother walked to the front, covered her eyes (which had three white parts in them) and began to wail.
"Oh dear, my life is so hard! I raised Fugui with all my love and care, and before I could even enjoy life, Fugui died. Since I learned of Fugui's death, I have been heartbroken, and my health has deteriorated day by day. If it weren't for the compensation, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to survive!"
Wan Shu watched her performance with a cold eye, her smile unchanged: "Mother-in-law, the government hasn't distributed the Fu Gui's pension yet. If you want money, you should go to the yamen to ask for it."
Mother Liang choked, for the yamen was the territory of the county magistrate.
The county magistrate is an official, and even if she had the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard, she wouldn't dare to cause trouble for him!
Liang Youqian, losing his patience, rushed forward and said, "What are you pretending for! We're not here for money today, but for the distribution of the compensation!"
Li Guilan followed behind, echoing her husband: "Although you are Fugui's wife, in the end, Fugui was still raised by his mother, so our family should also have a share of these ten taels of silver!"
Li Guilan's brother, with a booming voice, rallied her: "Don't think you can keep all ten taels of silver for yourself!"
Wan Shu never intended to keep the ten taels of silver for himself.
Liang Fugui separated from the family a long time ago, but separating the family was just separating the family, not severing ties.
The Great Sheng Dynasty valued etiquette and filial piety. Even if the person was a stepmother, they were obligated to support her as long as the kinship was not severed.
Liang Fugui is dead, and it is both reasonable and ethical for Liang's mother to receive a share of the compensation.
However, judging from their grand display today, what they want to divide is definitely not just "one share".
“It wasn’t easy for my mother-in-law to raise such a promising young man. Now she is plagued by illness and cannot compare with you, a strong and healthy young man.”
Li Dagen said with a self-righteous expression: "In my opinion, you should draw up a contract today, stipulating that when the pension is paid out in the future, your mother-in-law will receive nine taels of silver, and you will receive the remaining one tael."
"One tael of silver?" Wan Shu almost laughed out loud in anger: "There's more than just me in the family. There's also Dazhu, Erya, Sanshun, Siya, and Wuping. They are all Fugui's biological children. So many people are only sharing one tael of silver?"
“Uncle Village Head, you’re clearly bullying us orphans and widows.”
Having his true colors exposed, Li Dagen felt no shame, but rather pride, proudly putting his hands on his hips: "So what if I bullied you? You're just a widow and her children now, what can you do to me?"
Liang Dazhu couldn't listen anymore. He picked up a carrying pole, stood in front of Wan Shu, and argued with Liang's mother and her group.
Seeing this, Er Ya and Si Ya picked up their weapons and were about to go over, but San Shun quickly grabbed them.
"Li Dagen is standing at attention, and he's also the head of the Li family. If he wants to, he can summon countless people. Even if all of us go together, we can't defeat them, and we might even get hurt. You guys go and call your uncles and the others to help!"
Yes! And there's also my uncle's family, about ten people in total!
Er Ya and Si Ya's eyes lit up, but before they could even leave the main house, they saw Wu An running back with a deathly pale face.
"Oh no! My uncle and the others have gone to Qingzhou Ferry! There's no one at home!"
Wan's father and Wan Feng were bamboo craftsmen. Whenever they had free time, they would weave bamboo products at home. Then, every three months, the whole family would set off to sell them at the Qingzhou ferry where Zhou's maternal family lived.
Each time I go, it takes two days to come back.
Upon hearing this, Wan Shu finally understood why Liang Youqian had rushed over with people to demand the compensation before it even arrived.
It seems that they were afraid the Wan family would interfere, so they deliberately chose a time when the Wan family was not around.
The Wan family fled here and had no other relatives in the village.
Furthermore, the original owner of this body was not well-liked, and since Li Dagen was the village head, it was unlikely that any villager would be willing to become an enemy of the village head just to help her.
Now they are in Qingshui Village, completely isolated and helpless, at the mercy of Li Dagen's family.
However, Wan Shu was not afraid. She had expected this day to come when she first learned about the compensation.
She had looked at self-defense items in the mall beforehand.
Most of the self-defense items in the mall are very expensive, costing hundreds or thousands of dollars. However, a very user-friendly feature is that in addition to purchasing, self-defense items can also be rented.
A stun gun that can knock someone unconscious can be rented for just 20 coins for an hour.
That one hour was enough for her to knock these people unconscious one by one.
As for how to explain their unconsciousness afterward, Wan Shu had already thought it through.
All she had to do was pretend that Liang Fugui was a spirit from heaven, protecting them because he couldn't bear to see them, the orphans and widows, being bullied.
This way, people will be wary of her in the future.
“My great-grandson has already written the distribution document for the pension.”
Li Dagen proudly produced a pre-written contract, his tone laced with threat.
"No one in the village will come to your aid. I advise you to obediently put your handprint on it, or don't blame us for being rude to you!"
The children were unaware that Wan Shu had the mall as a trump card, and they were all terrified, their faces pale, but they still grabbed their weapons and stood firmly in front of Wan Shu.
"You're not allowed to bully our mother!"
Looking at the five thin little bodies in front of her, Wan Shu felt a warmth in her heart.
They protect her, and she has to protect them in return!
She opened the online store and was about to rent a stun gun when she suddenly heard Aunt Wang's voice from outside the courtyard.
"Who says no one will help Sister Shu! With the Wang family here, you can forget about bullying her!"
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