vrcanaries Chapter 327: Beating the Villagers
Chapter 327: Beating the Villagers
After dinner, as they had just said at the dinner table, Shen Wanning and Lin Jingyou went to the village head's house.
When they arrived, the village head and his family had not finished their meal yet. They sat in the yard and waited for a while. The village head came out in a hurry after finishing his meal.
"Is there something wrong with you two coming here at this time?" When facing Lin Jingyou, the village head was a little restrained, with his hands on his knees, looking a little nervous.
Shen Wanning laughed to lighten the mood. "Don't be nervous, Uncle Village Chief. We're here today to talk about sweet potatoes and cotton. The sweet potatoes are almost ripe now, and I heard some villagers have already started digging them. We came here to tell Uncle Village Chief that no one is allowed to sell the sweet potatoes they dig privately, or the imperial court will send people to collect them."
"Uncle head of the village, the emperor asked us in Daqing Village to plant sweet potatoes first, which shows his appreciation for our Daqing Village. But if someone sells sweet potatoes privately for that little money and is discovered by the emperor, and is blamed, not only will they not get a penny, they might even lose their lives." Lin Jingyou deliberately spoke more seriously to scare them.
At this time, even if it's not a serious matter, there may still be people who take risks for a little personal gain. But when it comes to beheading, no one is not afraid.
The village head seemed frightened, his facial muscles twitching, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Is it that serious? You're going to be beheaded for selling some sweet potatoes?"
"That's right. The emperor attaches great importance to these sweet potatoes and cotton. I don't know how many people he has secretly sent to keep an eye on our Daqing Village! Third brother is the county magistrate. When he heard the news, he came back to tell the head of the village! We are all from the countryside, and we can't just watch everyone die." Knowing Lin Jingyou's intention, Shen Wanning echoed.
"Fortunately, Lin Laosan is the county magistrate, otherwise who knows how many people would have made big mistakes. We have to hold a village meeting as soon as possible without delay. Otherwise, if we are any later, they will have sold a lot of sweet potatoes." The head of the village said hurriedly.
The village head just stood up and looked at Lin Jingyou again, "Oh, right, Lin Laosan is here. He's an official, and the villagers will definitely listen to what he says. Let's go to the old locust tree at the entrance of the village and ask others to notify the whole village to come to the village entrance for a meeting."
Shen Wanning and Lin Jingyou nodded and said, "Then let's go home first and ask our family to go to the village entrance together."
Before they could say much, seeing how anxious the village chief was, Shen Wanning and the others didn't mention the cotton seeds for the time being. They simply decided to wait until everyone had gathered before announcing it together.
Arriving at the village entrance, after everyone had gathered, the village head stood on a stone and began to speak, "We in Daqing Village have been blessed by His Majesty to grow sweet potatoes, contributing our humble efforts to the great summer. Now that the sweet potatoes are ripe, from today on, the entire village will dig them together. However, the Emperor has decreed that this year, no sweet potatoes may be sold privately; they must be purchased by the imperial court. Anyone who violates this will be beheaded as a warning to the public!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the audience began to talk. Some were terrified, while others questioned his words.
Finally, a bold villager shouted, "Uncle Lizheng, are you just trying to scare us? Why would the emperor care about such a small matter? Besides, there are so many sweet potatoes, what's wrong with us selling some? If the price the emperor buys them for is not as high as what we sell them to others, then we will lose money, right?"
"You are superficial and a frog in a well! The emperor allowed our Daqing Village to be the first to plant sweet potatoes because of Wan Ning's kindness. Otherwise, do you think it would be our Daqing Village's turn to plant sweet potatoes first? It's good enough to earn some money. How much more do you want to earn? Greed is insatiable. People should be content! We have just had a few days of good times, and you have forgotten that we were digging wild vegetables and didn't have enough to eat last year?" The head of the village taught him a serious lesson.
The man blushed at the words of the village head, lowered his head and said nothing.
The village head continued, "Let me be frank. If I find anyone selling sweet potatoes outside without permission, I will kick him out of Daqing Village. If anything good happens to Daqing Village in the future, he won't get a chance!"
The villagers remained silent, which was considered as their agreement.
Then, Shen Wanning approached the village head and whispered, "Uncle head, besides sweet potatoes, there are also cotton seeds. The court should also send people to collect them."
"Oh, yes, yes, I almost forgot. The cotton has been almost harvested these days, but the cotton seeds have not been removed from the cotton yet. I have to tell them about this in advance." The village head reacted and said quickly.
Then, the village head said again, "By the way, in addition to sweet potatoes, cotton seeds are also not allowed to be sold. If I find out, I will not only drive him out of Daqing Village, but I will also report him to the county magistrate. We absolutely cannot let one person, or a few people, ruin the reputation of our Daqing Village."
As soon as the village head finished speaking, someone immediately asked, "Village head, since you said the court would send people to collect sweet potatoes and cotton seeds, how much will they pay? They won't take our things for free without paying, right?"
The village head hesitated and looked at Shen Wanning. He didn't know what the court was planning.
Shen Wanning stepped forward and said, "Everyone, rest assured. The court will give everyone a fair price and will not let anyone suffer any loss. Once the sweet potatoes and cotton are reported to us, the emperor will definitely reward us from Daqing Village and will not treat you unfairly. Please do not give up your long-term interests for such a small profit."
The villagers who were originally ready to make a move gave up the idea when they saw Shen Wanning stand up and say this.
After more than a year, the Lin family's life has been getting better and better since Shen Wanning came to the Lin family.
Not only the Lin family, but also the entire Daqing Village's life is getting better and better under Shen Wanning's leadership, which makes them believe that it is right to listen to Shen Wanning.
"Since Wan Ning said so, we will believe it. We will never sell it privately. If I see it, I will report him to the village head." Someone in the crowd said.
Then, Chen Zihao stood up and said, "We believe in Miss Shen. We can have the good life today because of Miss Shen. What Miss Shen said must be right. We will never sell it privately."
With these two people speaking first, other villagers responded and said that they would not sell sweet potatoes and cotton seeds privately.
Shen Wanning raised her hands and clapped them. "Everyone, please be quiet. I will go to the county seat and discuss the price of sweet potatoes and cotton seeds with the county magistrate. Don't worry, I will strive for the highest interests for everyone and will never let anyone suffer any loss."