The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 149: Jealousy, Making a Fool of Oneself_1

Chapter 149: Chapter 149: Jealousy, Making a Fool of Oneself_1

Qi Shuli didn’t care about these people; after all, they weren’t native to the land but sent from elsewhere for reformation. Why should he be so polite to them?

"If they lack enthusiasm, that’s easy to deal with. Take them out and re-educate them a few times, and they’ll have enthusiasm," Qi Shuli said lightly, unconcerned. "They come here, are fed well, and looked after; what’s a bit of work? They’re here for labor reform; it’s what they’re supposed to do. Besides, the hill behind Qijia Village belongs to us; it has nothing to do with them. Why can’t our village take these things?"

As the second in command in the village, Qi Shuli never missed an opportunity to undercut Village Chief Qi, and this time was no exception. He insinuated, privately and publicly, that Village Chief Qi favored outsiders over his own villagers.

Village Chief Qi chuckled and said, "I knew you’d say that! Take a look."

He placed two pieces of paper on the Eight Immortals Table.

Qi Shuli picked them up and his gaunt face turned green.

"What do you mean by this, Village Chief Qi? You’re not looking out for the benefits of your own village, preferring to take care of those sent down for reform. You’ve made a grave mistake in your thinking," Qi Shuli snapped angrily. Qi Dazhu, that damn dog, had obtained that damned certificate in the county town. Why didn’t he bring it out sooner? He had to wait until after Shuli had said so much, only to expose him as a fool!

Village Chief Qi glanced at Qi Shuli and said, "It is precisely because I’m thinking of the best interests of our village that I must do this. With this incentive, if they are capable, they’ll work even harder for the good of the village in the future. You can’t be too harsh when dealing with people."

"You... you..." Qi Shuli was so angry that his complexion turned a shade of green and white. Village Chief Qi had already brought the certificate, and even if Shuli was dissatisfied, he couldn’t take the matter to the commune!

Second Team Leader Qi Shuming chuckled and said, "Accountant Qi, let it be. Village Chief Qi is also considering the long term. Think about it, if it weren’t for Comrade Zuo and Comrade Xiang going hunting in the hills, our village wouldn’t have three hundred yuan. And this is just the start. In the future, if the whole village goes hunting together, it won’t need to be divided. This points our village towards a way to make money. Qi Shulin also said that within ten miles of our back hill, there are no large predators, meaning we can freely hunt within this range. By the end of the year, every family in our village might get a share of several dozen yuan."

"Yeah, Accountant Qi, things are like this now, and we all live in the same village, seeing each other day in and day out," Zhao Dajiao also urged. "The days to make money lie ahead! Our harvest this year was not wasted, we have enough grain, and if we can distribute some extra money by the end of the year, that would be a double celebration, far better than other villages."

Hearing this, several people also felt that Zhao Dajiao and Qi Shuming were right.

Accountant Qi knew what Qi Dazhu was capable of, and now that they had fallen out, he was the one at a loss.

"Ah! I also have our village’s interests at heart. Since everyone is saying this, I won’t say anymore," Qi Shuli conceded. "This seventy-five yuan, Village Chief Qi, you can’t just take it and give it to them. They should come to collect it! Sign and leave a fingerprint. That’s the rule in our village."

Indeed, it was the case; when distributing money each year, fingerprints had to be pressed.

"Alright, I will have them come to collect the money and get their fingerprints," Village Chief Qi agreed, giving a signal with his eyes to Qi Ergou sitting behind.

Qi Ergou, getting the hint amidst everyone, called over Zuo Li and Xiang Rong.

Qi Ergou rode on his bicycle and quickly reached the Animal Husbandry Team.

Zuo Li and Xiang Rong were delighted. Although it was only seventy-five yuan, having it was better than not.

Upon arriving in the village, Qi Shuli handed over the money to Zuo Li and Xiang Rong, and with a changed demeanor, he said warmly and with a laugh, "Comrade Zuo, Comrade Xiang, this is the money exchanged for the game sold to the procurement station, totaling three hundred and seventy-five yuan. You can take your twenty percent, which is seventy-five yuan, thirty-seven and a half each. You can count it, and if there’s no issue, please put your thumbprint here."

"Thank you, Accountant Qi," Zuo Li and Xiang Rong said, and put their thumbprints down.

Village Chief Qi pointed to the certificate of merit on the table and the approval from the commune and said, "This is the commune’s affirmation of you two. Keep these with you."

Upon seeing the date, which was that very day, Zuo Li and Xiang Rong knew that Village Chief Qi had been busy on their behalf.

These two simple pieces of paper were more important than the seventy-five yuan.

"Thank you, Village Chief Qi," Zuo Li said gratefully, carefully putting away the items and sliding them into his jacket pocket.

Qi Shuli, seeing the two men so respectful to Village Chief Qi, felt stifled and regretted having smiled at them needlessly.

"Alright, it’s getting late. You should head back as well," Village Chief Qi said. "Rest well, we may need your help again in the future."

"If you ever need our help, just say the word," Xiang Rong said, very respectfully.

After the two had left, Village Chief Qi looked at Qi Shuli with a smirk that seemed to sneer. It was as if he was looking down on Qi Shuli. Behind his back, he was the one who said he wouldn’t give them money, yet when they came, he himself was very welcoming!

Qi Shuli looked embarrassed and somewhat angrily ashamed.

However, Village Chief Qi said nothing, and Qi Shuli got angry for no reason.

From that day on, Qijia Village set many traps in the hills behind the village, caught a lot of game, mainly wild boars, wild goats, hares, and pheasants, and went to the commune to sell them every two days, every time making several hundred yuan.

This good news quickly spread to other villages.

Especially this year, most of the villages in Taoyuan County had spoiled much of their grain because of rain. Some of the good grain had been taken as a public levy, and the rest that was left had gotten moldy and inedible. Now that it was winter and there was no work to do, the gruel people drank was so thin, one could almost see their reflection in it.

Many daughters-in-law in Qijia Village came from the surrounding villages, and some had married into those villages. When the days in Qijia Village became better, it was inevitable that they would tell their relatives who were living tougher lives, so everyone went to the mountains to hunt.

However, in the dense forests of those places, there was no powerful deterrent like the Snake King, and many large wild animals would show up in the hills, such as blind bears, big tigers, and countless wolves. At first, these people caught some game, but as they ventured deeper into the dense forests, several of them were bitten to death or injured by the large wild animals inside. This prompted those who were jealous to give up the idea of continuing to hunt in the mountains behind their villages.

Yet, the fact that Qijia Village went to the commune to sell game every two days truly made those people envious. After hearing that there were no large wild animals or wolves in the hills behind Qijia Village, they started to sneak there to hunt. Sometimes, they even took things directly from the traps dug by Qijia Village, which immediately sparked a conflict between Qijia Village and the other villages.