Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 394 His Weakness - Setting Village Rules (2)_1

Chapter 394: Chapter 394 His Weakness - Setting Village Rules (2)_1

He had ways to deal with those with ulterior motives but could not reveal his own weaknesses, lest they seize the opportunity! In this world, apart from the Crown Prince, she was his Achilles’ heel. Even if there was just a one-in-ten-thousand chance, he was unwilling to put her in danger because of these letters, letting those with ulterior motives know of her existence, or even harm her...

"Smack!"

After hearing the whole story, Yang Bao slapped the table and looked at the calm Mo Yan, grinding his teeth angrily: "Yan girl, this is all Wang Dali and the others’ fault. Rest assured, Uncle Yang will not cover for them and will definitely give you an explanation."

This time, Yang Bao was truly furious. He had been the village chief for more than a decade. In the past, Liu Yang Village had only a dozen or so households, and the biggest dispute was usually over a missing chicken or a few less vegetables in someone’s garden. Nothing like the present, where it was either arson or falsely accusing people to extort silver, leaving him overwhelmed.

Not to mention that Mo Qingze was the only scholar in Liu Yang Village, but also the benefits the Mo Family had brought to Liu Yang Village over the past year naturally inclined Yang Bao to be somewhat biased in their favor. Especially since this time the trouble was all stirred up by Wang Dali and his group—there was even less chance he would let them off easily! He would use this incident to thoroughly rectify the village’s atmosphere. Otherwise, if others followed suit, where would that lead?

Upon hearing this, Mo Yan’s expression became even more gentle: "I do trust Uncle Yang. I’m just not sure how you will punish them, after all, they are also villagers of Liu Yang, our neighbors; I wouldn’t want things to be too awkward when we meet in the future."

These words were like pouring oil on fire. Hearing this, Yang Bao became even more irate: "If they truly considered themselves people of Liu Yang Village, they wouldn’t have come up with such a rotten idea to spoil our village’s atmosphere!"

Seeing Mo Yan looking embarrassed, he softened his tone to comfort her: "Yan girl, Uncle Yang knows you’re a kind-hearted good girl, but those people need to be taught a lesson. Otherwise, if such things keep happening, we’ll never have peace!"

After listening, Mo Yan nodded helplessly: "Uncle Yang, you are the village chief. You handle village affairs fairly and justly. I have no objections to however you deal with them, but..."

She hesitated as she looked at Yang Bao, apparently finding it difficult to continue.

Yang Bao, who was enjoying the flattery, eagerly pressed her for more when she stopped speaking: "Yan girl, just say whatever you want, don’t stand on ceremony with Uncle Yang."

Upon hearing this, as if casting aside her concerns, Mo Yan laughed heartily: "Well, since Uncle Yang has said so, I won’t hold back! If Uncle Yang finds my suggestion feasible, this matter can be settled within the year; if not, I hope Uncle Yang will understand."

Yang Bao had a feeling that what Mo Yan was about to say was no small matter. He composed himself and signaled her to speak freely.

Mo Yan’s idea had come to her on the spot; she hadn’t thought it through beforehand. After pondering for a moment and organizing her thoughts, she began to speak: "Uncle Yang, now the village has more than a hundred households, making it quite a large village! However, most of the people have come from various places, each with their own customs and habits. With such a mix, conflicts are inevitable. If Uncle Yang has to deal with each one individually, it could be very troublesome. Instead, why not gather the knowledgeable and elderly villagers to discuss together and establish a set of comprehensive village rules... With the constraints of village rules, the villagers will not only be mindful of their own actions but also, should anyone break them, we can refer to the rules. I believe then no one could say Uncle Yang is unfair..."

The more Yang Bao listened, the brighter his eyes shone. Once Mo Yan finished, he stroked his beard and laughed loudly: "Good, good, this is a great idea! Don’t laugh at me, Yan girl, but ever since last year when so many people suddenly poured into the village, there has been an endless stream of those petty disputes. Sometimes, it’s like I’m scrambling—I’ve just settled a dispute in the west end of the village, and then the east end kicks up a fuss. When it comes to these matters, all I can do is try to be fair, but there are always people who feel that I’m taking someone’s side, ending up as The Man in the Middle. There have been several times I got so vexed by their nasty words that I couldn’t even sleep..."

Towards the end, Yang Bao shook his head in self-derision, not wanting to go on.

Mo Yan didn’t know how to respond and offered dryly: "Uncle Yang, you are a good village chief, and most of the villagers know it in their hearts!" These were not mere pleasantries, but words from her heart.

The position of "village chief" might sound impressive and seem to control all the affairs of the entire village, large and small, but Liu Yang Village was so poor that its land was a third less fertile than other villages. Even if Yang Bao wanted to indulge in graft for personal gain, he wouldn’t have gotten much, whereas to maintain order in the village, he had endured untold grievances. Yet, no matter how aggrieved, he had to bear it, because he was the village chief with an official position registered in the Government Office!

In fact, disputes in other families were often trivial matters, but those involving her family and other villagers that reached Yang Bao were always significant.

"Heh, with Yan girl’s words, even if I get aggrieved, it’s worth it!" Yang Bao chuckled and comforted himself, then eagerly continued to discuss the establishment of village rules with Mo Yan.

"Uncle Yang, I could only give a rough idea; as to how it will actually be implemented, I’m also puzzled. The decisions are really up to you!"

Mo Yan awkwardly demurred. She did have some ideas, but it wouldn’t be right to push them further. After all, Yang Bao was the village chief, and whether or not he was willing, he surely didn’t want anyone meddling too much. Moreover, setting village rules required gathering the opinions of other villagers, so she expected that with collective wisdom, there would be suggestions more suitable for Liu Yang Village.

Her proposal to establish village rules was also a hope that those villagers with ulterior motives would take heed, so even if they couldn’t be completely prevented, she would at least have fewer troubles.

Leaving Yang Bao’s house, Mo Yan walked toward her home in high spirits, only to overhear some villagers en route discussing an incident where Wang Dali and others had gone hunting in the mountains and been injured by wild animals.

It turned out that before dawn, Sister-in-law Wang, along with two other women, tearfully trudged through the snow to the city to summon a doctor. The doctor did brave the heavy snow and arrived to treat everyone’s wounds one by one.

But how could wounds inflicted by a tiger be so easily healed?