The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 240 - 229: Panic

Chapter 240: Chapter 229: Panic

The once bustling courtyard suddenly fell silent, and the pounding in the village chief’s heart intensified as he instinctively looked toward Old Zhou.

This question came so abruptly that Old Zhou momentarily failed to control his facial expression, which twitched but he remained silent.

Soon after, the sound of sobbing emerged.

Old Zhou turned his stiff neck to look and saw his elderly wife covering her face as she cried. He finally regained his senses, lowered his head to wipe away tears, but his hands began to tremble slightly.

Ms. Qian raised her hand to beat him, leaning on him and saying, "It’s all because of your incompetence. Otherwise, your younger brother wouldn’t have sold himself. Why did you have so many children if you can’t provide for them? How am I supposed to face your parents now..."

The more Ms. Qian talked, the angrier she got, and the harder she hit him. Old Zhou didn’t resist and just crouched down, covering his head while she struck him.

"Before grandma passed away, she repeatedly entrusted me to take good care of Uncle..."

Zhou Dalang and the others joined in with their whimpers.

Manbao, who knew nothing about this, was stunned. Then snapping back to reality, she rushed to stop her mother, trying to shield her father from some of the blows, "Mother, stop hitting father..."

But for the first time, Manbao failed to stop Ms. Qian. Mrs. Qian, who had been bedridden for a long time, suddenly had a burst of strength, pushed Manbao aside, and continued hitting Old Zhou. A couple of slaps struck his face, turning his cheeks red with the imprint of her palm clearly visible.

But the three men who were asking the questions remained indifferent, their brows furrowed in concern.

One of them couldn’t hold back and shouted, "Stop! We’re asking you something. Answer honestly, where did that brother of yours called Zhou Yin go?"

The village chief also snapped out of it and hurriedly said, "Your Honor, Your Honor, I know about Zhou Yin. He sold himself into servitude when he was fourteen. It’s been so many years, and we have no idea where he ended up. Bringing this up so suddenly, isn’t that like stabbing a knife into my aunt and uncle’s hearts?"

His gaze fell on the village chief’s face as he asked in a solemn tone, "Is that so?"

"Yes, yes, everyone in the village knows about it, and there’s nothing to hide about selling oneself into servitude," said the village chief. "You may not know this, but during the eleventh year of Dade, our region suffered a severe drought. It wasn’t just for a month or two; it started in the spring and lasted until early autumn, with no harvest at all. Everyone was left without a means to survive. You’ve seen it yourself. Uncle Jin’s family has many members, and they were desperate back then. Seeing that his family was on the brink of death, Zhou Yin sold himself to bring back a bag of grain."

It was the first time Manbao knew that she had an uncle and that he was such a pitiable one.

Selling oneself into servitude, her uncle must still be suffering somewhere unknown. No wonder her mother was so heartbroken; no wonder her father didn’t even try to dodge.

Seeing the three men still pressing them, Manbao grew unhappy, stepped in front of the village chief, and with her head held high, she asked, "Aren’t you here to count people and distribute aid? Why are you asking all these pointless questions?"

Manbao also started feeling that something wasn’t right and asked Keke in her heart, "Are they really officials from the government?"

Keke hesitated for a moment before answering, "Yes."

Manbao was surprised, "Are they really here to distribute aid? They won’t withhold assistance from my family just because I argued with them, will they?"

"It’s not related, so they won’t."

"What?" It took Manbao a moment to understand the meaning behind these words. Her eyes widened, and just as she was about to shout something, she remembered what Old Master Bai had taught her. The words on the tip of her tongue changed to, "Are you impostors? If not, why aren’t you checking the fields for the disaster assessment instead of just looking at homes?"

In fact, there was no need for Manbao to shout. From the moment they started asking about Zhou Yin, the villagers realized these people were probably duped. Whoever they were, they weren’t from the County Governmental Office or here to verify the disaster situation.

They didn’t understand the phrase "The drunkard’s intent is not in the wine," but they knew the visitors had ulterior motives, which is why everyone’s expressions turned wary as they watched the three men closely.

Meanwhile, the news quickly spread. Those families who were waiting at home for the officials to visit or who had already been verified and were preparing dinner started setting aside their work. Women and children were rushed back home, and all able-bodied men grabbed their hoes and rushed toward Zhou’s house.

Some older villagers who heard the news also made their way to Old Zhou’s house with stern faces.

The three men, who initially wanted to use their power to intimidate, couldn’t help but pause as they saw how quickly the villagers had gathered outside the wall.

The three were skilled in martial arts, but two fists are no match for four legs. And this was not just four legs; all the men of the village had come, forming a dark mass just beyond the wall.

Even Dalv, who did not get along very well with Manbao’s family, had come with a hoe in hand.

The atmosphere grew tense, and for a moment, neither side spoke.

Mr. Zhuang pushed through the crowd to the front, frowning as he asked them, "You claim to be carrying out the imperial court’s orders to verify the disaster situation. Do you have any official documents? Who appointed you?"

"Who are you? Do I need to explain myself to you?"

"I am but a commoner, but fortunately, I have studied in the prefectural school. Perhaps I am acquainted with the person you mention."

Of course, the three men knew Mr. Zhuang; they had done their research before coming. But that didn’t mean they would answer his questions.

Seeing the three men not responding to Mr. Zhuang, Zhou Dazhu stepped forward with the others, pressing them aggressively, "Could it be that you really are swindlers?"

"I’m afraid they are indeed swindlers. I was wondering how there could be such a good thing where everyone gets aid, even babies. Clearly, it’s a deceitful act."

"We’re already in such dire straits, and yet you come here to deceive us. That’s utterly heartless."

"Right, seize them and take them to the County Governmental Office!"

The three men, seeing the situation becoming untenable, immediately brandished their swords in front of them and warned, "What do you think you’re doing? Let us tell you, we are officials appointed by the imperial court. If you dare to harm us, the court will send an army to annihilate your village."

"Who are you trying to fool? You say you’re imperial court officials, then tell Mr. Zhuang who you are, if you have any official documents, and who you were appointed by?" Zhou SiLang wanted to escalate the situation. He remembered the words Mr. Zhuang said and repeated them, then instigated the crowd, "Fellow villagers, let’s seize them. Perhaps they are wanted by the County Governmental Office, and we might even get a reward for capturing them."

Everyone, upon hearing this, looked at the three men with eyes shining with the prospect of reward money.

The three men were taken aback and attempted to push through the crowd to escape, but the villagers quickly blocked them, and the situation became chaotic.

Ms. Qian finally stopped crying, pulled Manbao into her arms to shield her, and moved away from the fray. Seeing Bai Shanbao standing there dazedly, she grabbed him on impulse. Junior Ms. Qian and others were quick to shove their children inside the house.

Ms. Liu, anxious at how rapidly things had deteriorated, searched for her grandchild, only to see Ms. Qian pulling both Manbao and Shanbao into the house.

She breathed a sigh of relief, clutched Nurse’s hand tightly, and whispered, "Let’s move back a bit, to give them space."

At this moment, Old Zhou firmly grabbed Zhou Dalang by the hand, his teeth gritted in determination, "We can’t let them leave, we must keep them here."

Zhou Dalang’s hands and feet trembled, "But what will we do after we’ve kept them?"

"Don’t worry about that now; we must keep them at all costs."

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