Ingratitude

“I understand, Uncle. By the way, has there been any movement from the Zhou family these past few days? My grandma tricked them out of three hundred copper coins, and with Zhou Zhi Qing’s vengeful personality, she definitely won’t swallow this insult easily.”

As a sworn enemy, he wouldn’t overlook the Zhou family. These past few days, he had been busy making money and didn’t have time to pay attention to the village situation, but he believed that with Zhou Zhi Qing’s temperament, the village would certainly not be peaceful.

Indeed, as soon as Zhong Fu Shu heard this, his face darkened. He slammed the table and said angrily: “Don’t even mention it! Just hearing about the Zhou family makes your uncle angry!”

Qiu Qi’s fingers twitched slightly.

Zhong Fu Shu, indignant and resentful, began to vent, deeply regretting having supported the Zhou family back then. He never expected the Zhou family to be so ungrateful.

Previously, when the Zhou couple came to settle in Dong Bai Village, they arrived empty-handed, like beggars, with no silver to buy land in the village. It was all because Zhong Fu Shu, soft-hearted and pitying the pregnant couple who had encountered bandits, spent both money and effort to take them in.

Later, when Zhou Zhi Qing transmigrated, the Zhou family began selling herbal eggs and spicy hotpot to make a living. It was also Zhong Fu Shu who stepped forward to find connections in town, helping them apply for a hawker’s license. Did they really think doing business was that easy, just pushing a cart to town to sell goods? Did they take those local tyrants for vegetarians?

It could be said that the Zhou family’s current prosperity, although due to the recipes provided by Zhou Zhi Qing, could not disregard the help of Village Head Zhong Fu Shu.

Afterward, Zhong Fu Shu never claimed credit or demanded benefits, only asking the Zhou family to care more for the village, procuring vegetables, fruits, chicken eggs, and duck eggs from the village. One, to help the villagers, and two, to help a family from another place like the Zhou family quickly integrate into village life.

As a result, who knew that the Zhou family would now turn their backs, thinking they had money, looking down on everyone, their tails reaching the sky.

To vent their anger, a few days ago, they declared that they would no longer procure vegetables, fruits, chicken eggs, and duck eggs from the village, unless Zhong Fu Shu forced Old Madam Zhong to apologize in person!

Qiu Qi listened, his expression blank.

…Did this Zhou family, the entire family, have a problem with their brains?

One must know that, whether in modern or ancient times, living in a collective, the most taboo thing was to be arrogant and self-important. Just think, which company can a person stay in long-term if they offend all their colleagues? Which class can a person live comfortably in if they offend all their classmates?

Moreover, this was ancient times, where factionalism was very serious, and the power of the village head was much greater than people imagined. In the village, one could offend anyone, but the Village Head was the only one they absolutely could not offend.

Once the Village Head truly held a grudge against you, then your taxes, labor service, and travel outside would all encounter problems, all kinds of difficulties that would crush you, unless you no longer intended to live in normal society.

To give a simple example, just like needing a letter of introduction to leave the house in the sixties and seventies, here, to travel further than one town, one also needed the Village Head to write a certificate of identity. If the Village Head deliberately made things difficult, then you could only watch helplessly.

More cruelly, when it came time for conscription, if the Village Head listed your entire family for conscription, you would have no way to resist, and the villagers would even applaud!

So… even he had never thought of doing such an arrogant thing, yet the Zhou family was so stubborn.

This was no longer a matter of the Zhong family apologizing; it concerned the dignity of Village Head Zhong Fu Shu. Whether for public or private reasons, Zhong Fu Shu would definitely not compromise. Otherwise, what prestige would he have left to manage the village?

“Before, I was blind, not seeing that the Zhou family was such a kind of people. If they don’t procure vegetables and eggs from the village, then so be it. They don’t have to anymore. I, your Elder Uncle, have been Village Head for so many years; how could I be stumped by such a small matter? I want to see how long they can be arrogant!”

Zhong Fu Shu was furious.

The Zhou family thought that by doing so, they could control him. No way! He knew many stewards of various taverns in town. The vegetables and eggs in the village basically didn’t have to worry about not having a market. Before, he just wanted to support the Zhou family, and their procurement price was two copper coins higher, which was why they cooperated. It wasn’t that the Zhou family was indispensable.

On the contrary, for the Zhou family, if they didn’t procure goods from the village and went to other villages, temporarily setting aside the price issue, whether they could procure enough vegetables and eggs was a question worth considering. Unexpectedly, Zhong Fu Shu not only refused to bow his head, but the Zhou family also played a trick that harmed themselves eight hundred to harm the enemy a thousand.

Qiu Qi secretly praised this Elder Uncle of his. This Elder Uncle was indeed very capable and well-connected.

“Since that’s the case, I’ll procure the vegetables and eggs in the village. The price will be one copper coin higher than the Zhou family’s, saving Elder Uncle the trouble of looking for suppliers… This matter was caused by our family, so it should be resolved by our family. I also have channels to sell these things, and I can take this opportunity to improve our relationship with the villagers. What do you think, Elder Uncle?”

He had to buy these things anyway; procuring them from anywhere was the same. He could also use this opportunity to change the villagers’ perception of the Zhong family. Perfect.

Zhong Fu Shu knew that he currently had money, and thinking of the Zhong family’s reputation in the village, he felt this was not a bad solution. Hesitating for a few seconds, he nodded in agreement.