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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Qingxi At the Door
The elderly woman had silver hair, her eyes were frantic and vacant, and her clothes were ragged and unappealing. The cold wind blew, disheveling her hair, and her lips were cracked, with pieces of dead skin peeling off.
Liu Qingxi felt a pang in her heart, swallowing hard, her brow furrowed with tension.
"Grandma, please come inside first!"
Qin Family stood awkwardly at the door, hesitating to speak. Finally, summoning courage, they said: "Qingxi, Grandma came to find you because she had no other choice. Your uncles are in the wrong, but we are family; blood is thicker than water. Can you help us?"
Liu Qingxi wanted to refuse, but the elderly face before her resembled that of her grandmother from her past life, making it hard for her to be harsh. She exerted effort to pull Qin Family inside to spare them from the cold outside.
This was also Qin Family's first serious look at Liu Qingxi's courtyard. The layout was neat; the stove was enclosed by a makeshift shed with a wooden door, creating a uniquely charming kitchen.
In one room, a curtain divided the space. There were two beds and a square wooden table in the middle. Although worn out, everything was tidy and well-organized.
"Grandma, please sit down. I'll boil some water for you!"
As she prepared to turn and leave, Liu Qingxi was suddenly pulled back by Qin Family: "Girl, Grandma doesn't want water; let's get to the point!"
Reluctantly, Liu Qingxi sat down. She understood Qin Family's purpose very well; they wanted money and help. But the question was: Was someone like Wang worth helping?
"Grandma, it's not that I don't want to help; it's just that I can't. Are your uncles on good terms with the people from Sanhe Village? How will they compensate?"
Compensation is necessary!
At the same time, a heated argument was taking place in Sanhe Village.
The villagers saw that Zhang Wuliang was indifferent to their plight. Already in a bad mood, they worried even more about their future—not just this winter but also the new year ahead. What would they do?
Some families were particularly difficult to deal with; after compensation, they would still be responsible for rebuilding their houses come spring!
The sharp voices of the Wang family and the Jiang Clan pierced the sky: "Impossible!"
It was harder than climbing a mountain to make them give up the juicy piece of meat they had in their mouths.
They only knew how to be stubborn, and those who refused to agree had suffered greatly!
Now, a few women were holding them back, and their strength from years of farm work was no joke. They pinched and twisted with all their might.
The Wang family members winced in pain, while Liu Eldest and Liu Er were not much better off. The men directly threw punches, and after a few blows, both of them bent over and could no longer stand upright!
When Liu Laosi and Liu Laowu arrived, the situation was still at a standstill.
At this moment, Liu Laosi was completely different from his usual silent self; he was not like Liu Eldest or Liu Er, who were indecisive and struggling.
He first bowed to everyone and apologized: "Brothers, sisters-in-law, uncles and aunts, I apologize to you all. This matter is our fault!"
"Hmph!" Village Head Liu and others had been at an impasse for so long without any progress, so their mood was not good, and they had nothing nice to say about anyone from the Liu family!
However, Liu Laosi was the most reasonable person in the Liu family; he could still speak while the others were clueless.
"Well then, how do you plan to compensate?"
"Uncle Liu, we were wrong, and we are willing to compensate, but you know our family's situation; we can only do our best."
Liu Laosi's words were abruptly interrupted: "Don't talk about doing your best. You can't meet our conditions and expect so many people in the village to spend winter outside? Isn't that asking for trouble? No matter what, you will repair the house, and you will build new ones next year!"
In the first cold wind of winter, Liu Laosi bent over and apologized one by one to the victims. His attitude was gentle, admitting fault sincerely. After a whole hour of this, the people of Sanhe Village finally softened!
This made the stone in his heart drop; there was finally some hope as they were willing to negotiate.
Only beside him, Wang occasionally interjected with a few words, reigniting the flames that had just begun to calm down each time.
In the end, the four people were tied up like dead pigs and thrown onto the ground, huddled together. Struggling was of no use; they could only watch helplessly as Liu Laosi made the decisions.
An hour later, both sides finally reached an agreement.
"Liu Family's Fourth Son, if it weren't for your good attitude, we wouldn't agree to anything. We wouldn't even be afraid to report this to the authorities!" Village Head Liu declared firmly.
"Yes, yes, thank you!" Liu Laosi exhausted every compliment he could muster. His mood at that moment felt like being constipated—stuck and uncomfortable.
"Uncle Liu, we’ll go back and raise the money!"
Afterward, the anger subsided, but the villagers of Sanhe Village still felt uneasy as they released the bound individuals, kicking them a few times in resentment, thinking to themselves that they would pay for this!
As soon as Wang was freed, she lunged at Liu Laosi like a mad dog, shouting incessantly, "Who told you to agree? Who told you to pay? Ahhh, I’ll fight you!"
Caught off guard, Liu Laosi was scratched twice, instantly leaving two bloody marks on his face.
Village Head Liu couldn't stand by any longer. After two hours, he had already realized that Liu Laosi and Liu Laowu were not on the same page as their two older brothers; they were reasonable people.
Wang's crazed demeanor infuriated him. "What are you doing? If you don't agree, we can report this!"
Report it! That word truly frightened Wang.
Not just her; in this era, common people feared encountering officials—it could mean death!
Deep down, there was an indescribable fear of the government that made them tremble at the thought.
Wang, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, suddenly stopped and looked over timidly. Village Head Liu's serious expression was anything but fake, especially with those wolf-like eyes staring at her!
"Let’s go," came a weak voice that only Liu Laosi could hear.
As for the final decision regarding compensation, Wang no longer dared to object!
The problem is that they must rebuild the house to ensure they can get through this winter. The cost of rebuilding next year, if they do not provide labor, would be half the compensation; if they do provide labor, it would be one-third.
To build an ordinary three-room house, it would require about four to five taels of silver. If only the Wang family and others had been a bit more accommodating from the start, they could have compensated with double the payment and made some repairs!
But she was arrogant, Zhang Wuliang did not stand up for him, and the people from Ten Li Pu looked down on them. If they didn't take advantage of them, who would they take advantage of?
Moreover, when they went to Ten Li Pu in the morning, everyone had not fully considered the conditions, and later on, Village Head Liu and others thought more about it and realized that double the silver was a loss.
It’s not like those who needed to repair their houses were in a good position; even the wealthy families in the village could not just build new houses without sufficient resources. The Liu Family would definitely have to cover the shortfall!
In the end, Sanhe Village and Liu Laosi reached an agreement on these terms.
Now it was done; tens of taels of silver had gone down the drain!
The people of Sanhe Village benefited; they could build a new house for just half the money. What was there to be dissatisfied about?
Wang's heart felt as if it were being carved out piece by piece. She bit her tongue hard, and with the wounds on her body, she grimaced in pain.
"Is it just you who can do this? What compensation? Are they going crazy over money?"
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