The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 476 - 474: What to Lead With?

Chapter 476: Chapter 474: What to Lead With?

She didn’t mind the healthy competition among peers, and after all, with the large annual output of mountain goods, how much of a splash could the small amount of silver they, the Wang Family, invested, possibly make?

Boss Qian just couldn’t tolerate even that small splash and his methods of dealing with the Wang Family were both swift and vicious. One plan failed and he immediately hatched another. It seemed he had done such things many times before.

He definitely couldn’t be let off easily!

"Clan Leader, let’s not mince words, Boss Qian has already bullied us to our faces. If we make light of this major issue and dismiss it as trivial, he’ll think we are afraid of him! He might become even more ruthless towards our family in the future!"

"Besides, he dares to hire thugs to hurt people today, who’s to say he won’t dare to start a fire tomorrow? There are thieves who stay thieves for a thousand days, but no one can guard against a thief for a thousand days. Do we have to give up doing business and just wait for them to send someone to harm us every day?" Wang Yongzhu’s words left the Clan Leader speechless.

Wang Laozhu happened to overhear and came over with a grim face: "Yongzhu! How can you speak to the Clan Leader like that? The Clan Leader is also looking out for the best interest of our Wang Family. What do you, a child, understand? That Boss Qian may not have the good reputation of Benefactor Wu, but he’s the big bully in our town. For years, he’s controlled the mountain goods business. All the big and small mountain goods shops have to listen to him if they want to continue doing business."

"Now, it’s our family’s high profile that has angered Boss Qian, bringing this disaster upon us! If you ask me, we should prepare gifts tomorrow and go talk to Boss Qian, and if he allows our family a small share of the business, that would be enough."

Ever since Wang Yongan left, Wang Laozhu’s heart had started to feel uneasy.

With Wang Yongan around, protected by the name of Scholar Master, he had been very confident. Since ancient times, commoners don’t fight with officials, and although a Scholar isn’t an official, he has academic honor and could become one in due time. In the eyes of the country folk, that’s almost the same as being an official.

Seeing those wealthy people or even the village Lizheng, he could stand tall because his son was a Scholar Master!

Thus, did Wang Laozhu really not know about Wang Yongan monopolizing the family’s resources and being selfish? He knew, but he tolerated it.

Even when Wang Yongan committed acts that were unfilial and outrageous, he couldn’t bring himself to expel him from the family records, harboring a slim hope that if Wang Yongan did make a name for himself and became an official, their family could leap over the dragon gate, and their status would no longer be the same as before – no longer commoners, but officials.

Now, who doesn’t know that the Wang Family has fallen out with Wang Yongan and severed ties? Without Wang Yongan as their support, even though they have the good reputation of a daughter awarded by the empress, after all, the empress is far away in the capital, and she can’t be of much help if real trouble arises.

Having offended these local tyrants, the Wang Family’s business is likely doomed.

If Wang Yongan were still at home, perhaps Wang Laozhu would have considered confronting Boss Qian. Boss Qian would have had to give some face to his second son.

Given the family’s current circumstances, Wang Laozhu felt it was better to avoid a head-on clash.

But listening to his daughter’s tone, she was not just intent on standing firm against them but also on troubling Boss Qian.

Unable to listen any longer, he immediately jumped out to stop her.

Every time it came to this, it was basically Wang Yongzhu’s turn to shut up, as Old Granny Zhang could no longer contain herself. She had originally intended to save face for her old man in front of the Wang Family Patriarch.

But listen, what was the old man saying? They had bullied their way to the doorstep and slapped your left cheek, are you really going to stick your right cheek out for another slap?

My own son was injured and yet I’m supposed to bring a gift to the perpetrator?

It would be more fitting to send him off for burial!

"I say, old man, have you gone senile, completely confused? Our Laosan is still lying unconscious on the Kang, and here you are, a father whose son was beaten, not seeking revenge to settle the score but instead thinking of preparing gifts to apologize to the enemy?"

"Is this how a father should act? At such a time, it would be one thing if you didn’t stand up for us, but preventing your daughter from taking action— is this something a person should do? Are these the words a person should say?" Old Granny Zhang was furious.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Do you know who Boss Qian is? He could crush us with a single finger—do you understand? Opposing someone like him, do we still want to live? If Laosan were still here, without a second thought, I’d grab a weapon and fight Boss Qian to the death! But now, without our Laosan, the Scholar Master to protect us, can we afford to offend such a person?"

"All day long you talk about standing up—what do we have to back Laosan up with?" Wang Laozhu was also anxious, and being reprimanded by his own wife in front of the Clan Leader and the clan members was too much for his face to bear.

"Pah! Wang Laozhu, I’ve finally seen it! So you’re brave when Laosan has your back? What’s Laosan anyway? A mere scholar, and there are thousands of those in the world, churning out by the hundreds each year, not even having touched the edge of officialdom— who could he protect? I think he’s confused you! You’re just a coward! All right, if you’re scared, don’t go; I’ll do it myself!"

"I’m not afraid! I’ll go with my daughter to find that man surnamed Qian! Then you all will see, without that bastard Wang Yongan, this family will be better off! As long as I have my daughter, she’s a hundred times—no, a thousand times—stronger than Wang Yongan!" Upon hearing these words, Old Granny Zhang was enraged.

At such a time, the old man still couldn’t let go of that scourge, Wang Yongan, and actually dared to compare that little beast with his precious daughter?

How could she swallow such indignation! Her own daughter, so filial and considerate, and so generous, shouldering the entire family, yet in the old man’s eyes, she was inferior to a thing worse than a beast like Wang Yongan?

Upon hearing this, Wang Yongzhu’s thoughts stirred. She glanced at Wang Laozhu, who was arguing fiercely with Old Granny Zhang, neither willing to back down. She silently touched her nose and took a few steps back.

The Clan Leader who was nearby, after hearing Wang Laozhu’s words and then seeing Wang Yongzhu’s inscrutable expression, felt his heart skip a beat. He hurriedly said, "Yongzhu, don’t misunderstand your father; he’s doing this for the family. Boss Qian has abundant wealth and power, we can’t compare with him. Your father is also afraid of offending Boss Qian, which would be detrimental to the family. He’s just anxious, which made him say such nonsensical things, don’t take it to heart. Your father always says in my presence that you are filial and considerate, even stronger than other people’s sons!"

Wang Yongzhu smiled; she had no affection for Wang Laozhu, so naturally, there was no disappointment.

Upon hearing these words, she felt a slight discomfort in her heart, but it quickly vanished.

"Clan Leader, don’t worry! I know what I’m doing! I just need to trouble a few of our clan’s brothers to later accompany us to the town," she said.

The Wang Family Patriarch, seeing Wang Yongzhu’s determined look, could only sigh and nodded in agreement.

Turning his head to Wang Laozhu and Old Granny Zhang, who were still arguing, he inwardly sighed; his clan brother, who used to be astute, now couldn’t even see the situation clearly. Why cling to the past with Laosan? What was there to remember about such a scourge like Wang Yongan? If this confusion continued, the Wang family was bound to face more turmoil in the future.

Unfortunately, in such domestic affairs, even as the Clan Leader, he could not interfere.

Now that the Clan Leader had no objections, Wang Yongzhu did not wait for Old Granny Zhang and Wang Laozhu to finish their argument, and headed straight out of the Wang Family’s courtyard gate.