Chi Yan frowned. He didn't think the other party was foolish. From their perspective, he could understand. They were being asked to give up half a year's harvest by just a few words from others. Who would be responsible for the losses they faced?
He pursed his lips and reminded the other person, "Be nicer when communicating and try to avoid conflict."
If the conflict is abandoned, it may exacerbate the contradictions and backfire.
The guard nodded: "Of course."
Chi Yan stepped into the crowd. When the guards called him "Sir" and saw that he was handsome and had an extraordinary air about him, the people became somewhat reserved.
But Chi Yan was naturally approachable, always smiling at everyone. He casually struck up a conversation with an older woman: "Hello, sister, what's your name?"
One sentence made the auntie overjoyed, and she couldn't hide her smile: "Oh, I'm so old, why call me 'sister'? Just call me Aunt Li!"
Chi Yan readily agreed: "Well, I have something I'd like to ask you, Aunt Li."
Aunt Li was quite forthright: "Sir, just ask me anything!"
The guards standing nearby were dumbfounded. When he went up to talk to her earlier, the woman looked at him like he was a thief. How could she have changed her attitude so much now?
He unconsciously touched his face and silently said to himself:
He's not bad-looking, is he?
From Aunt Li's words, Chi Yan further confirmed their concerns: "Sir, look at the rice in the field. It will be ready for harvest in a few days. After harvesting, it will need to be threshed and dried, which will be another busy time! We don't have the time to deal with the government officials."
Chi Yan frowned: "Can't we harvest now?"
"It's possible," Aunt Li said hesitantly. An old man beside her interjected, "But there's a problem. If we harvest early, the grains are very likely to be underdeveloped, affecting the appearance and yield. Not only will they be hard to sell, but the high moisture content will also make them prone to mold! Who would dare take that risk?"
Chi Yan looked at the elderly man, who introduced himself to him; it turned out he was the village chief.
He pursed his lips: "But village chief, have you considered that, not to mention floods, if a torrential rain comes, all those crops will rot in the fields, and wouldn't it all be a waste of effort?"
The village chief shook his head and glanced at him with a smile: "Sir, the old folks in our village have already checked, and it's unlikely to rain for at least half a month."
Ultimately, nobody believed there would be a downpour.
Chi Yan straightened his expression and tried to make the matter sound more serious: "But village chief, the imperial court would never joke about something this big! You've seen it yourself, the people sent by the imperial court are reinforcing the Yunlong Dam day and night. With such seriousness, do you think this matter is fake?"
A hint of hesitation flashed in the village chief's eyes.
He pressed on, saying, "If the torrential rain really comes, all the hard work we've put in over the past year will be for nothing. It's always better to minimize the losses now than to regret it later. What do you think?"
The village chief's heart wavered slightly. Yes, the imperial court was taking this matter so seriously, which meant the situation was urgent and their information channels were certainly more abundant than those of them, a bunch of peasants.
After a moment, he said hesitantly, "Then, according to your opinion, sir..."
Before he could finish speaking, a voice filled with anger rang out.
"Village chief, why are you wasting your breath talking to them! A bunch of good-for-nothings, talking without a care in the world, they're all fat and bloated, and they want to ruin our livelihood. Just kick them out of the village!"
Chi Yan's eyelids twitched slightly as he looked over and saw a group of men carrying hoes and sickles walking menacingly toward him.
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