Chapter 541
Chapter 541: Chapter 535_1 Chapter 541: Chapter 535_1 In the end, the Zhao Wufu family was not driven out of the village. The village chief still remembered the kindness of the deceased uncle and, despite the pressure from everyone, decided to keep the Zhao Wufu family in the village. However, to explain his decision to the rest, he made the Zhao Wufu family swear in front of their ancestors’ tablets at the ancestral hall that they would never again do anything that would harm the village’s reputation or interests, otherwise, they would definitely be driven out next time.
At first, the Zhao Wufu family had been somewhat defiant, thinking that throwing tantrums would suffice, but as the situation developed and it became clear that this was not merely about them—the majority of the families in the village had come to insist on their expulsion—Mrs. Zhao didn’t dare to make a peep. She obediently took the village chief’s reprimand. If they were truly driven out of the village, they would have no way to survive.
As for the abode of the Zhao Wufu family, the village chief didn’t leave them to shelter and dine in the open. He took out one tael of silver and twenty pounds of grain from his own savings to give to them, allowing them to take their belongings and leave, either to rent someone else’s house or to find another solution. Now that the snow had stopped, they wouldn’t actually freeze to death. They were still wearing the cotton-padded clothes they had gotten from Zhao Erhu’s house. He had done all he could; he had repaid the debt of gratitude he owed to the late uncle and didn’t owe their family anything more. If anything else happened to the Zhao Wufu family, he wouldn’t get involved.
After dealing with Zhao Wufu, the village chief made another visit to Zhao Erhu’s house. First, to communicate the outcome of the handling of Zhao Wufu’s family and the reasons behind it, hoping Zhao Erhu could understand; and second, because he had been the one to bring the Zhao Wufu family into Zhao Erhu’s home. Now that they had done such a disgraceful thing, he felt responsible and wanted to offer an apology to Zhao Erhu.
“Uncle Youfu, look at what you’re saying, there’s no need for this. Even though they were brought in by you, you were just fulfilling the village chief’s duty to help everyone. Zhao Wufu’s family’s actions were not something you could have foreseen. Moreover, they have already been punished. There’s no need for you to dwell on this matter any further,” Zhao Erhu consoled.
“It is you, Erhu, who has the broader heart. Ah, I had no choice; otherwise, I would have driven such people out of the village long ago. But in any case, they are still of Zhao’s bloodline. When the old Uncle An was around, he took good care of me and many people in the village. I owed his family a favor, so it was difficult to take too harsh an action. It’s comforting that you understand my position,” the village chief said with remorse but was still forthright in expressing the reasons behind his actions.
Zhao Erhu actually agreed with Zhao Youfu’s approach. Though he had driven the Zhao Youfu family out of his home, he had no intention of entirely destroying them. In fact, there were reasons for this.
“It’s only human nature. Speaking of which, Old An was truly a good man. When I was a child, I had nothing to eat and starved for two days. It was Uncle An who gave me a steamed bun. Not long after, when Old An’s age caught up with him, he passed away, and I never had the chance to repay his kindness. That’s why I had my wife take extra care of Zhao Wufu’s family when they moved in, never expecting Old An’s descendants to be so unworthy—lacking not only success but even good character. It was in a fit of anger that I drove them out, but I hadn’t thought of driving them out of the village; I still left them some leeway,” Zhao Erhu recalled these memories.
In the eyes of the village chief, Zhao Erhu was not a smooth talker. If he spoke in this way, it must be sincere, and so the villagers’ actions had nothing to do with Zhao Erhu. With this in mind, the village chief nodded in understanding. “Yes, in the end, it’s because the Zhao Youfu family doesn’t know how to behave themselves that they have been unanimously rejected by everyone. Ah, I can only intervene this one time, considering it as paying back Uncle An’s favor. From now on…”
“That’s the way it is,” said Zhao Erhu, as he saw off the village chief. He sat in contemplation for a while longer. Although he still detested the Zhao Wufu family, in memory of Uncle An’s kindness for a single steamed bun, he sent for Liu Aniu and instructed him to send the bedding, charcoal, and food that the Zhao Wufu family had used to them.
At this time, Lin Yue was gathering all the servants in her home with Madam Xu and Xixi, punishing the old lady who had taken a bribe and let the intruders and Zhao Pingshun into the house with twenty heavy hits on a plank, disposing of her in front of everyone, and then selling her off. This served as a warning to everyone not to think that they could defy the rules because the master of the house was kind-hearted.
This was Lin Yue’s first time meting out such a severe punishment, not only because the old woman’s greed allowed someone to take advantage and nearly harm Zhao Erhu. Times have changed; their family was on the rise and would continue to improve. There would be more servants in the future, and as the saying goes, “Without rules, there is no square.” To ensure peace within the household, discipline is an unbreakable bottom line. With an unyielding yardstick above their heads, people below will abide by the rules and not invite trouble into the home for their selfish desires.
These past few days, Lin Yue had noticed the slackness of the servants in the house, some disregarding the rules. This trend was not a good sign. She had intended to address this, but before she could, this incident occurred, causing her much distress. Now that the matter with the Zhao Wufu family had been dealt with, she raised this issue.
“Listen up, everyone. From now on, anyone who dares to ignore the rules or commit acts that betray this household will end up like that old woman!” Lin Yue finished speaking and looked at the servants standing respectfully below, obviously frightened by her assertive manner. They never imagined that the normally gentle and amiable mistress would act so ruthlessly when angry, not hesitating to beat and sell off someone. The old lady deserved it for betraying her master. Fortunately, her scheme hadn’t succeeded; otherwise, the punishment might not just end there but lead to her execution.
“Alright, that’s all I have to say. Just keep it in mind. As long as everyone behaves and refrains from harboring bad intentions, I will not mistreat you. You have been in this household long enough to understand this. I am not naturally cruel and ruthless, but without rules, we cannot form a circle. Only if everyone follows the rules can the household remain peaceful,” said Lin Yue as she offered a firm but encouraging word following the harsh reprimand.
Madam Xu, who was watching, felt gratified. Although the mistress came from a peasant family, her poise and abilities were rarely matched by ladies and mistresses from more prominent households.
After Lin Yue said what needed to be said and did what needed to be done, she left the rest to Madam Xu to handle and went inside with Xixi.
Seeing the mistress had left, the servants breathed a sigh of relief, inwardly blaming the intruder and the old woman for bringing trouble upon them all. Otherwise, the mistress would not have had to take such drastic measures to discipline them. However, in the crowd, there were two individuals feeling equally guilty and frightened, breaking out in cold sweat. One was naturally Lun Qin, who had narrowly escaped punishment last time, and the other was the old woman bribed by Lun Qin. With the harsh words the mistress laid down that day, they were terrified of what their fate would be if their deeds were discovered.