Chapter 40: Calling out the big snake and calming the whole audience
Four days later, Lao Xiao drove a new car to Youran Ju and picked me up to help his younger brother mediate a fish pond dispute.
I asked happily, "Did you change your car?"
He smiled sheepishly: "The car is my face, I'm just pretending to be rich."
As soon as we got in the car, Lao Xiao started chattering about how his shop was doing so well. He said it was all thanks to my brilliant ideas. My name, Wan Shanhong, was legendary in Xicheng District, especially among the tens of thousands of people working in the old state-owned factories. Many people wanted me to come and give them advice.
I was ecstatic; this was the effect I was looking for. Speaking of making money, I couldn't make much from the tens of thousands of laid-off workers in Xicheng District. It would be better for Mr. Yu to just give them a red envelope. But a great man once said: The masses, and only the masses, are the driving force behind the development of history.
If I, Wan Shan Hong, want to gain a foothold here, I must have a mass base. The public's reputation is the prerequisite for me to receive big red envelopes from General Manager Yu, General Manager Lan, and General Manager He.
My face flushed slightly: "Thank you, Lao Xiao, for telling everyone I am Wanshanhong."
Old Xiao's eyes lit up with joy. "Hey, you got it wrong. I should be the one to thank you. Our family's financial situation has improved, and my sister has become more obedient. My words as a father with a tainted past now carry more weight. Recently, she found someone who works in customs, and my wife and I are very happy. So, you are our family's great benefactor."
I was very happy: "Your sister is obedient, I am happy too."
The two chatted for a while, and then Lao Xiao asked cautiously: "What good ideas do you have today?"
I said seriously, "How many kilograms of fish does your cousin Lao Lin have? Tell me the truth."
Old Xiao's face turned pale and blue. "He told Old Liu it was 20,000 jin, but it was actually around 12,000 jin."
I laughed out loud: "Old Lin isn't honest either."
Lao Xiao looked shy: "He was afraid of being at a disadvantage, so he reported a higher amount."
I then asked, "What about Lao Liu? How many pounds does he have in the downstream pond? Does Lao Lin know?"
Old Xiao said bitterly, "How could he not know? They both rented the pond in the same year and each released fish fry. Not only do they know the number, but even the neighbors know it. Old Liu should have less than 20,000 kilograms."
"That means the water from Lao Lin and Lao Liu's two ponds combined is a little over 30,000 kilograms?"
Old Xiao nodded. "Yes. That's the number. My relative was afraid of getting a loss, so he reported a little more. Old Liu was also afraid of getting a loss, so he reported a little more as well."
We chatted all the way out of the city, drove seven or eight miles, and turned onto a country road. After passing a hill, the car drove downhill and suddenly saw a village in front of us. The houses were up and down, scattered and uneven. Gradually, we saw a large courtyard, probably with 20 or 30 families living together.
Old Xiao introduced: "This is the big courtyard. It was once the ancestral property of a wealthy man named Shen."
I said, "Even if it was built near the liberation, it still has several decades of history."
Old Xiao said excitedly, "Yes. This courtyard is well-preserved now. Back then, it was all built with blue bricks. The beams and pillars were all made of logs. The windows, gatehouse, porch, and hanging signs were all made of golden nanmu. That's why the government didn't allow residents to tear it down. But the government didn't have the money to buy it, so they had to subsidize them 2,000 yuan per household each year to let them look after this large courtyard."
I was delighted: "I didn't expect there is such a treasure here."
Lao Xiao didn't identify with the "baby" I mentioned. He just said that Lao Lin and Lao Liu both lived in the Shen family compound.
When the car stopped in front of the courtyard, I realized that the size of the courtyard was even more shocking than what we saw from a distance.
In front of the large square stands a crescent-shaped pond, its waters rippling with emerald green. A flock of ducks splashes in the water, their movements like silver threads. Turning back to the courtyard, the courtyard boasts soaring eaves, carved beams, and painted buildings, a magnificent and well-preserved building. The towering gatehouse speaks of the owner's former wealth.
Seeing that I was lost in thought, Lao Xiao reminded me, "The village party secretary and Lao Lin are here."
I shook hands with the village party secretary. He looked inscrutable and said, "So you are Master Hongyi's disciple. I've heard of your great name for a long time."
I asked, "Is the branch secretary's surname Shen?"
The village party secretary looked at Lao Xiao, meaning, have you introduced him?
Lao Xiao smiled awkwardly: "Yes, the last name is Shen. I am such a blockhead that I forgot to introduce the secretary's last name in advance."
Secretary Shen was a little puzzled. He scratched his head, thought for a long time, and asked, "Mr. Wan, have we met before?"
I shook my head. "From your words and actions, I can see that you still have noble blood."
Old Lin clapped his hands. "Mr. Wan, you're truly divine. We often joke about the secretary, calling him 'Shen the Noble.' He enjoys gardening, raising plants, and carving root sculptures. One of his root sculptures was even sold for thirty thousand yuan."
I looked at Secretary Shen and said, "You must have a lot of root carvings at home."
Everyone said: "That's a good guess."
The four of them entered the main gate. I won't describe the grandeur of this courtyard, as you may not share my interest in classical architecture. In short, in terms of cultural relic value, every component of this courtyard is a treasure.
We walked through the corridor beside the courtyard and arrived at the main hall. Secretary Shen led us to the right side of the main hall, through an octagonal door, and into a side hall. When we walked in, we were surprised to see a hundred or so villagers already waiting inside.
I bowed with both hands as a greeting to everyone, and they applauded together.
I know that this applause is partly a welcome, but more of it is out of curiosity to see how I, Wan, solve the case.
A burly man stood up, and Secretary Shen introduced him as "Lao Liu, the contractor of the fish pond downstream."
Old Liu smiled awkwardly. He thought I was invited by the Lin family and the handshake was just perfunctory.
Secretary Shen cleared his throat and said, "Dear neighbors, today we have invited Mr. Wan Shanhong to help mediate the fish pond dispute between the Lin and Liu families. Honestly, even a god would find it difficult to accurately judge this case. But since Mr. Wan has a solution, let us applaud again and hope that the gods will give us a fair judgment."
Secretary Shen's words were both tactful and maintained his prestige. After all, he had already mediated once. If I, Wan, failed to mediate, that would be the best outcome, preserving his prestige. If I succeeded, his open and tolerant attitude would also earn him points.
I smiled faintly. Let's not talk about mediation for now. Master said, "The skill lies beyond poetry." Let's talk to them about the house and its good feng shui.
When it comes to the feng shui of the house, there is a lot of praise. Some say it is warm in winter and cool in summer, which is much more comfortable than living in air-conditioned rooms for you city people; some say it is a decades-old house and there are very few mosquitoes in summer, and they have never seen any snakes.
I understood that most of the people here should have the surname Shen. At this moment, I suddenly laughed out loud, leaving them confused.
This kind of laughter needs to be practiced often. Even when there is no funny point, you have to burst out suddenly, just like an actor, crying when you are told to cry and laughing when you are told to laugh.
I learned this trick from my master.
Everyone fell silent, staring at me as if I were a bit unhinged. They were starting to treat me, the mediator, like a monkey show. Their eyes were filled with smiles, and you know what kind of smiles they were—blinking smiles.
My expression suddenly changed. "There are definitely snakes in this yard, but they are all sensible snakes. They get along well with you and are afraid of scaring you, so they come quietly and leave quietly."
Everyone laughed bravely, some even laughed unrestrainedly. An old man said, "I'm about seventy years old, and I only saw it once outside the yard."
Holy shit! This is exactly what I want. If I, Wan, don't show them some magical skills, I won't be able to control this place.
I smiled coldly: "Don't be afraid, old man, I'll call out a few for you to see."
The old man couldn't hold back his expression anymore and smiled coldly: "Really?"
I laughed out loud again.
On a tree in the courtyard, a bird was startled by the laughter and flew away, spreading its wings and soaring into the sky.
Then, the dead leaves began to fall.
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