The Rise of a Farm Girl

Chapter 39 Arrangements for the People in Zhangjia Village

The village chief led a group of people into the county town. There were about seventy people in his group. The rest were scattered. These people only gathered together again when they walked faster and caught up with the village chief.

They had heard from the village chief a long time ago that Wang Laosan's eldest son became the county magistrate of Xinghai County. After hearing this, these people thought that with such a good background, they would definitely go to Xinghai County. After all, they were from the same village and the same family.

Regardless of how much light they borrowed, they certainly could not be bullied when they got there. When these people entered the county town, the people on both sides of the street all watched them walk to the county government office.

Because the refugees who fled famine all settled in other counties and never came to their county, because their county was far away and was adjacent to neighboring countries!

So they found it very strange to see them, and they all looked at the refugees walking by as if they were fools.

The village chief knocked on the door of the county government office, his heart was beating fast. This was the county government office, and if he was beaten by the runners, they would have nowhere to seek justice.

Common people have an innate fear of the yamen. They usually don't want to pass by it when they walk. Isn't there a saying that goes, 'The yamen faces south, and you can't come in if you don't have money.'

In the minds of ordinary people, no matter whether you are right or wrong, if you don’t have money to honor the county magistrate, you will be beaten when you go to jail.

After knocking on the gate of the county government office, an old man came out after a while. He opened the gate and walked out. He looked at the village chief and then at the people behind him. All of them looked very embarrassed and were obviously people fleeing famine. But he did not say anything bad to them. Instead, he said kindly, "Where are you all refugees fleeing famine from? Are you here to settle down in the county government office?"

The village chief also hurriedly bowed to the old man and said, "We are refugees fleeing famine from Wangjia Village, Daqing Town, Huaqing County. We are from the same village as the county magistrate and are also his clansmen."

We have come to seek refuge with the county magistrate. I don’t know how to address you, the old man said, I am the steward of this mansion.

My surname is Liu, and my name is Liu Gui. The village chief immediately said, "Please ask housekeeper Liu to help inform the county magistrate."

Liu Gui said, "Please wait for a moment while I go and inform them." Then he closed the door again. After Liu Gui left, the people of Wangjia Village whispered to each other, "Look, Wang Laosan's son has really made it."

Look how well the butler is dressed. Look how well he speaks.

We can also borrow some light here. They are talking in a low voice!

Several people rushed out from behind. They were none other than Wang Changxi, Wang Laosan's father.

The crowd was separated and brought to the front door. Wang Changxi and his wife, Mrs. Wang, were leaning on a cane, and Wang Jingyi followed behind them. Only these people were seen by the Wang family, and the rest might have been separated.

When they got to the front door, they slammed it loudly. Old Mrs. Wang called out, "My dear grandson, open the door for me."

My eldest grandson, please open the door for me quickly.

After a while, Butler Liu and Wang Laosan came out.

Wang Youliang was not at home today, as he had gone out for something. Wang Laosan saw that it was difficult to bring so many villagers into the yard, so he hurried to find a lawyer to help them settle down.

The household registration was ready, but Old Lady Wang refused to leave and was standing at the gate of the county government office. For the sake of her brother's reputation, Wang Jingru had no choice but to let these three people into the house.

Wang Jingru was very angry, but her brother was an official, and his reputation was very important.

In order to prevent the old couple from ruining his brother's reputation, he had to do this temporarily.

I will come back to deal with them after I have settled the villagers. The document of breaking off the relationship is still in Wang Jingru's space!

The villagers were arranged to live in Mengjia Village, Tieniu Town, not far from the county town, which is also the hometown of the concubine Meng Xianfeng in the mansion.

Wang Laozhong was used to farming, so he followed the village chief and his people to the village. He also wanted to build a few houses and plant a few acres of land in the village.

Then bring Old Man and Old Lady Wang out, otherwise it will affect his son's future.

Wang Laosan followed the village chief and, under the guidance of the yamen runners, came to Mengjia Village.

The head of Mengjia Village was originally unhappy, but when he heard that the county magistrate's father was also going to settle in the village, his expression changed immediately.

The diligent man was busy around Wang Laosan. The village chief said, "There are mountains behind our village and open fields on both sides. In recent years, most of our villagers have gone to the military camp to serve as soldiers."

The population in the village is getting smaller and smaller. Originally there were 500 to 600 people in the village, but now there are less than 200. There are only 170 to 180 people.

You are here just in time. There are still thousands of acres of land that no one is planting and has been abandoned. It's not that we don't want to plant, but the remaining people are the elderly, the weak, women and children, and our ability is limited. Each family can only cultivate three to five acres of land.

Village Chief Wang asked Village Chief Meng, "Wouldn't we rent the land to the surrounding villages?" Before Village Chief Wang finished speaking, Village Chief Meng said, "The surrounding villages have about the same amount as ours."

I can’t even farm the land in my own village, so how can I go to other villages to farm?

We are close to the neighboring country, with a vast territory and sparse population. Every time we recruit soldiers, we start from these villages.

So there were no young and strong men in the village, and some who were seriously injured in the battlefield and missing limbs returned to the village.

Village Chief Meng allocated all the land covered with weeds to them. The village chief of Wangjia Village was very happy, at least they had land, and now all they needed to do was build houses.

Village chief Meng said that almost all the women in our village are doing the physical work now, and they can’t help you much, so you should go to the mountain to cut trees and build houses by yourselves.

There are a lot of stones on the mountain, so as to build the house, we can start building it next to our village. Village Chief Wang thanked Village Chief Meng.

He led the villagers to measure the land. Each family had a certain amount of land. After each family measured the land and divided it up, they started to go to the mountain to cut wood.

Village chief Wang was also worried. All the young and middle-aged men in the surrounding area had been conscripted into the army. So, when the conscription came, would the young and middle-aged men in their village also have to go to the military camp to serve?

But now is not the time to think about these things. I don’t even have a house to live in now, so how can I have the time to think about these things? Just go!

Maybe I can earn a future for myself! Wang Laosan was busy with the villagers in the village, and Wang Jingru was arguing with Old Lady Wang in the government office.

Grandma, the letter of severance is still here. I hope you can be more restrained, otherwise I will really kick you out. Don't use morality to blackmail me. I won't fall for it.

Anyone who dares to criticize the county magistrate will not want to live. My brother is an official appointed by the court. Anyone who dares to spread rumors and slander will be thrown into prison.

You don't need to cry and yell all the time. Houses are being built in the village now. Move back to the village as soon as they are completed. This is the last way my father can show his filial piety.

Wang Jingru looked at Wang Jingyi and said, "Cousin hopes that you can live in the mansion and keep quiet."

If you dare to catch a demon, get out of here. Don't hang around in front. If you need to leave the house for something, go out the back door. The county government office is in front. It's where cases are handled. Don't let me say it again.

Old man Wang nodded and said, "Don't worry, Erya, Grandpa is not that kind of person." But Old Lady Wang didn't take Wang Jingru's words to heart at all.

Wang Jingyi was not afraid either, because there was a place where her grandparents lived. How dare Wang Jingru chase her out?

He wanted to find a good husband for himself as soon as possible. He could raise his status while living in the county government office.

Wang Jingyi said, "Cousin, look at what I'm wearing. It's covered with patches. It doesn't look good for me to go in and out of the county government office, right?"

What I wear is not as good as the ones worn by the maids in your house. Why don't you make eight or ten sets of clothes for my cousin?

Old Lady Wang became excited when she heard this. Erya! Your grandfather and I have been fleeing all the way here, and our clothes are torn beyond repair.

You should buy us two sets of clothes as soon as possible! I am your grandmother after all, so why don't you buy me some jewelry?

Wang Jingru said bluntly, "You are so arrogant. My cousin wants eight or ten sets of clothes. Grandma and grandpa also want two sets each. Grandma also wants jewelry."

You think my family is a wealthy business! My brother's monthly salary is only a few taels of silver, and I gave it all to you. Are we going to starve to death this month?

Don’t forget that Daddy still needs money to build a house for you in the village!

It cost a lot of money to escape the famine. Now our family can't even afford ten taels of silver. If you think your clothes are shabby, just go back to the village.

Our family doesn't have that much spare money. Wang Jingyi saw Wang Jingru's tough attitude and knew she couldn't take any advantage, so she stopped talking and went back to her room.

She still had a set of clothes without any patches. She had been carrying this bag on her back all the time while fleeing from famine and had not been willing to wear them.

Wang Jingyi plans to wear this dress and go for a stroll on the street tomorrow to see if she can meet a rich young man.

She must find a rich and powerful husband before returning to live in the village.

Old Man Wang and Old Lady Wang also returned to their room. After returning to the room, Old Man Wang said, "My dear!

You have to calm down. Our relationship with the Third Family has just eased. You can't make a scene like before. This is the government office.

Old Lady Wang said, "What's wrong with the government office? He dares to lock up an old woman like me. I can't say for sure. Just think about it. Even if he locks us up, he can kill us secretly."

That's not something that can be done without anyone noticing. You didn't see the vicious expression on Arya's face today.

Besides, our relationship has just eased. If you dare to make trouble at this critical juncture, once the relationship becomes strained, you can drive both of us to the village and ignore us.

How can we live? I don't know where the eldest and the second child have gone. Can we find this?

Now the only one we can count on is the third child. Old Mrs. Wang was also scared after hearing this. Then I won't make trouble anymore. As long as I don't lack food or drink, I will never make trouble with them.

It's not to mention that being an old lady is really nice. But that damned girl Erya always goes against me, not letting me do this or that, and not letting the servants listen to me.

The third daughter-in-law acted like the lady. She was so arrogant. All the servants had to obey her. The third daughter-in-law ignored me.

It's because you were too harsh on her in the past. If you had been nicer to the third son's wife, she wouldn't have treated you like this today.

Old Mrs. Wang sighed and said, forget it, she won’t stay here for long anyway.

Wang Jingyi was not a cautious person, so she put on her own clothes without patches.

She combed a nice hairstyle for herself, but the key point was that she had no jewelry to wear. Wang Jingyi thought about it and decided that she should go to her third aunt to ask for some hair accessories. So she went to Wang Laosan's wife's house and knocked on the door. Third aunt, I am Jingyi.

I have something to talk to you about. Yu Wenjiao is in the room, sorting out the account books. The monthly salary will be paid out soon at the end of the month.

When he heard that Wang Jingyi was coming, his mood instantly became bad. This child has been petty since she was a child. She always bullied her daughter in the past. It must be no good thing that she came to him.

Come in! As soon as the words fell, Wang Jingyi came in impatiently. Wang Jingyi was very sweet, Aunt San was busy!

I was bored staying in the room alone, so I came to chat with Aunt San.

Yu Wenjiao came to the table and poured a glass of water. Jingyi, are you used to living here? Look at what Third Aunt said. I have never lived in such a nice yard in my life. How can I not get used to it? It's very comfortable.

That’s right, Wang Jingyi was hesitant and didn’t want to continue, feeling a little embarrassed.

Yu Wenjiao asked, "Is there anything else?" Wang Jingyi said shyly, "Aunt, I'm going to go for a walk, but I only have one set of clothes, nothing to change into. And I don't even have a silk flower on my head."

I told my cousin, and she told me to go out wearing the patched clothes. I thought that I lived in the government office, and I was afraid that going in and out would embarrass my uncle and aunt.

Yu Wenjiao's face fell. Jingyi, it's not that Third Aunt doesn't want to buy you clothes, but your cousin is still wearing old clothes!

The expenses in the mansion are huge. Your third uncle and I didn’t even have a set of clothes to make when we came, let alone donate flowers.

Don't think about those unnecessary things. We are not afraid of being embarrassed.

We originally came here to escape famine, and I am only able to live in this government office because of my eldest son's help.

If you feel that you have brought shame upon me and your third uncle, then just move to the village. People in the village all wear patched clothes and no one will laugh at you.

Wang Jingyi was stunned when she heard this. She thought that after hearing this, her Third Aunt would make two sets of clothes for her to save face.

I didn't expect that not only would he not be made clothes for him, not bought silk flowers for him, but he would also be driven out of the village.

Third Aunt, if the house is built, I will move to the village with my grandparents.

Third Aunt, you take care of me first, I'll go out for a walk. Yu Wenjiao nodded and said nothing. Watching her go out and close the door, Yu Wenjiao finally let out a long sigh.

When I was living in Lao Wang’s house, I was often bullied by them. This time, I finally don’t have to live by other people’s faces, and I have children who are doing well for me.

From now on, he will live more recklessly and happily. No one can bully her.

At this time, Wang Jingru came in with a plate of fruit. "Mom, why are you in a daze? What are you thinking about? You are so absent-minded."

It's nothing, it's your cousin who came to me to ask for jewelry and clothes. Mom, you won't agree to it! Yu Wenjiao tapped her daughter's forehead, you clever little ghost, what are you thinking about?

How could your mother buy him clothes and flowers when he bullied you so much before? Not kicking her out and letting her live in this yard is already a great blessing from heaven.

Let's talk about Wang Lao Da and Wang Lao Er. Their two families were separated from their parents by the crowd of people fleeing famine. Wang Lao Da and Wang Lao Er were very happy!

Their mother kept scolding them as she walked, and the two brothers were already fed up with it. So no one mentioned looking for the two old people, but the eldest brother's wife was the one who was clamoring to look for them, because her daughter was following the old couple!

But he was stopped by Boss Wang's rebuke. They are fleeing from famine, you are just playing! Hurry up and move forward. Boss Wang's wife thought that she couldn't find it by herself, so she could only follow the crowd.

Originally they were heading towards Xinghai County, but halfway through the journey they encountered a military camp conscripting men. Wang Lao Da, Wang Lao Er and his sons were all captured, even Wang Lao Er's youngest son, Wang Youjun, was captured as well.

The only two people left were Wang Laoer's wife and Wang Laoda's wife. They asked along the way and arrived at Xinghai County.

When they arrived at the county town, they asked around and found the county government office. The two men were in a very sorry state, their clothes were tattered, their hair was dishevelled, and their skin was so thin that they didn't even have straw sandals, so they just walked barefoot on the road.

When he knocked on the gate of the county government office, a yamen runner came out. When he opened the door and saw that they were two beggars, he hurriedly shouted at them, "Don't you want to live?"

How dare you knock on the gate of the government office? Get out of my way, you stinky beggar.

If you dare to knock on the gate again, I will put you two in jail. But we are thirsty and hungry, so we don't care about that. We are the eldest and second aunts of your county magistrate. You should quickly call Wang Youliang out and welcome us in.

Bah, you dare to deceive me, you two stinky beggars, and you dare to pretend to be my relatives.

The two were about to say something when they heard the bailiff shout, "Brothers, come out in twos, bring your weapons and lock these two stinky beggars up in jail."

The two men were so scared that they didn't dare to say a word. When they saw two people really coming out to catch them, they ran away.

The yamen runner saw the two men running away and spat on the ground, saying, "Pah, how dare anyone come and claim to be your relative. Do you think the county yamen is owned by your family?"

After saying that, he closed the door. Besides, the two men ran for a while and were out of breath. Seeing that there was no one chasing them, they slowly walked towards the street.

The two men came to the street. They had some copper coins hidden in their hands. They bought two steamed buns and ate them voraciously.

After they finished eating, they found a place sheltered from the wind and sat there to think of a solution. Just when they were at a loss, Wang Laoer's wife called out, "Sister-in-law, look and see if that is Jingyi."