Chief Li struck the gong a few times, and the noisy voices gradually stopped.
"Everyone has lived in Lijia Village for generations. I hope we can unite at this time. Now go to the house and find Li Erlang. Tell him the names of the people you think are in need, and we will vote."
The villagers lined up and walked into the house, telling Li Erlang about the difficulties they thought were there. Li Erlang and Li Yan wrote down the names. About an hour later, Li Yan handed the compiled list to the clan leader.
Patriarch Li stood on the boulder and announced the list. Those whose names were called cried with joy, while those whose names were not called were distraught.
At this time, Madam Liu rushed to Chief Li and knelt down, crying and begging: "Chief Li, my family's grain is barely enough to make ends meet based on the current price! Please be kind and give us a place!"
Others were also watching here, wanting to see if the patriarch would be flexible.
If we buy their grain at the price of previous years, we can at least exchange it for one dan less! One dan of grain is nearly a month's ration for an adult.
Chief Li couldn't agree to Madam Liu's request directly, so he said to everyone, "Everyone go back first. We, the elders, will study and see if there is any other way to help everyone reduce their losses."
Those whose names were called went back happily, while those whose names were not called lingered in front of the patriarch's house and were unwilling to leave.
Although their families are not in dire straits, no one is willing to sell their grain at a low price.
The food was sold at a low price, but no one knew where the family expenses would come from in the future. Oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, needles and thread all required money.
Patriarch Li sat in the courtyard and looked at everyone: "If you have any other ideas, please tell us."
Everyone looked at each other, but none of them had any good ideas. For a moment, no one in the yard spoke.
Old Man Li stepped forward and said, "There should be some families in our village who have savings. We can all contribute some money and buy some back from those who weren't chosen. Even if it can't completely solve the problem, at least everyone has contributed a little, so no one will feel it's unfair."
After hearing this, Chief Li thought this was a good idea and said, "I won't force you to contribute a specific amount of silver. I'll contribute eight taels of silver, and you can contribute according to your own circumstances. We'll buy the grain from the village and distribute it according to your contribution ratio."
Old man Li already had this idea, but since the patriarch had offered eight taels of silver, it would be inappropriate for him to bypass him. After thinking about it, Old man Li took out five taels of silver.
When the other people saw this situation, although they were somewhat reluctant, they also contributed money for the sake of the overall situation. Some contributed three taels, and some contributed two taels.
In a short while, twenty-eight taels of silver were raised.
Patriarch Li felt a little relieved and said to the others, "Let's go out and tell them about the plan. That will be considered as explaining it to them!"
The courtyard door opened from the inside, and those who were reluctant to leave gathered around them.
Clan leader Li stood on the boulder and addressed the crowd, "We've just discussed this. Several of our families will pool their resources and buy your grain at the same price as in previous years. However, our ability is limited, so we can only accept eight cents of silver per household. For the rest, you can either sell your grain or borrow from relatives. I hope you can understand!"
When everyone heard what Patriarch Li said, they knew that the matter was a foregone conclusion.
Compared with other villages, Lijia Village is the best!
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