Union

Chapter 108 The Idea to Take Over the Tea Plantation
Is Second Master coming to Wutou Mountain?
This was something Yunying had never expected.

If the Second Master knew that the tea plantation she had just bought was almost burned down, and that she had nearly caused a major disaster yesterday, I wonder what he would think.

Yunying looked miserable, feeling utterly miserable.

She did nothing wrong, and was even a victim herself, but because the tea plantation belonged to her, she almost ended up in jail.

Yunying's small face scrunched up as she asked Suiyun, "Second Master also knows about the fire at the tea plantation?"

Sui Yun nodded, "Of course I will report the truth."

Seeing that Yunying's expression of bitterness deepened, Suiyun smiled and said, "You probably haven't grasped the seriousness of this matter yet. If this fire really spreads, not only will you face imprisonment, but even Second Master's official career will be over."

Such a serious matter cannot be concealed under any circumstances. Even if the tea plantation belongs to someone else, Second Master would have to go to the scene immediately upon hearing the news, regardless of whether it is Yunying's or someone else's.

Yunying sobbed, "I know all too well how serious this matter is."

Yunying sighed, thinking that given Second Master's wisdom, he wouldn't blame her. But the tea plantation she had been so eager to buy had caused her such a huge mess right after she got it. She could already imagine the expression on Second Master's face when he saw her later.

But things didn't go as Yunying expected.

When the second master rode his horse to the outside of the house, the first thing he did upon seeing her was not to say with a half-smile that she had "bought a good tea mountain," but to scrutinize her from head to toe and ask her, "Are you injured?"

Yunying's nose tingled, and she shook her head. "No."

The second master dismounted and strode up to her. "Why are you so dejected? It's just that the tea plantation burned down. Isn't that exactly what you wanted? Didn't you say you wanted to replace some of the tea trees and try other varieties?"

Yunying said, "But actively replacing tea trees is definitely different from being forced to replace them. Besides, the fire on this tea mountain almost caused a major incident."

"The fire didn't catch fire?"

"It caught fire, but not much? The fire burned half of the tea trees on the mountain before it started to rain. If it hadn't rained, this would have been a much bigger problem."

Second Master laughed upon hearing this, "It's good that the fire has been put out. As for the tea trees... are you still worried about your tea trees?"

Yunying raised her eyes and glanced at the Second Master. "Please don't joke around. You know that's not what I meant."

"Then you don't need to feel so guilty. In the end, things didn't escalate. It was just half a mountain of tea that was burned. If you're really upset, I'll buy you some tea trees to make up for it later."

Yunying stamped her foot, "Second Master!"

Second Master laughed, "Alright, alright, I won't say anymore."

The second master's face was full of indulgent smiles. "I noticed your voice sounded a bit nasal just now. You have a cold, don't you?"

Yunying nodded, not wanting to say more.

Sui'er, still shaken, chimed in from a short distance away, "Not only did the young lady catch a cold, but she also has a fever. She had a fever twice last night. Luckily, Lord Suiyun carried fever-reducing pills with him, otherwise, with such heavy rain, it would have been impossible to find a doctor."

Upon hearing this, the Second Master's previously relaxed expression suddenly turned serious. "Why didn't you tell me you had a fever?"

The second master intended to reach out and feel her forehead, but his long, slender, and well-proportioned hands froze in mid-air and did not fall.

Yunying seemed not to have seen this scene, and only turned her head slightly to say, "It's nothing serious, and it's all better now."

"All right?"

"I'm really all better now, it's just a bit of a cold, but it's nothing serious."

Yunying wanted to say that a cold would get better in seven days with medicine and a week without, it really wasn't a big deal. But if she said "a week," she would have to explain to the Second Master what a week meant, so she held back. She only repeated once more, "I just have a stuffy nose, but otherwise I'm fine."

"Enough about me, Second Master. You got here so quickly. Did you set off at dawn? Also, with the heavy rain yesterday, were there any landslides or mudslides along the way? How are those terraced fields I had built? Are any damaged?"

The two sat down in the room, and Sui'er brought up some tea. Yunying quickly handed the tea to the Second Master, saying, "Please drink some water first and calm down before we talk."

Second Master did indeed drink a cup of tea, and when Yunying saw that he had drunk it all in one gulp, she quickly poured him another cup.

It's the height of summer now, and although yesterday's torrential rain lowered the temperature a bit today, it's still hot overall, and rather muggy, as if it's going to rain again tonight.

Yunying sat motionless, feeling sticky all over, not to mention that Second Master was already very energetic, and now his face was slightly covered with sweat.

Unfortunately, there were no ice basins here, so we could only give Second Master two cups of cold tea to warm him up.

After finishing his tea, the second master told Yunying about the issues she was concerned about.

He received a message from Suiyun via carrier pigeon at dawn. Without daring to delay, he immediately got up, mounted his horse, and rode over.

Last night, most parts of Yungui County experienced heavy rain. The rain near the county government was not as heavy as that near Wutou Mountain, but it was still considerable. The roads were extremely muddy, making it difficult for the horses to travel, which is why we didn't arrive at Wutou Mountain until mid-morning.

As for landslides and mudslides, there have been none.

After all, Yungui County hadn't seen much rain in the past month, and yesterday's rain quickly soaked the fields.

As for the terraced fields, he didn't look at them closely, only glancing at them a few times while on his way. Although some soil had been washed down, they were generally okay, and the damage was not significant.

Upon hearing this, Yunying couldn't help but utter "Amitabha."

Fortunately, the rain was lighter near the county government yesterday. If a heavy rain had come down on the Wutou Mountain side, the terraced fields would probably have been destroyed.

Upon hearing this, the second master said, "Was the rain on Wutou Mountain very heavy yesterday?"

Yunying nodded, "It is very heavy." If the rain hadn't been so heavy and timely, who knows what the situation would be like now.

Yunying said, "It's all thanks to this heavy rain."

She was still shaken, and the cold and fever from last night had taken a toll on her energy, leaving her with pale lips and a sickly complexion that was usually rosy and full.

A pity welled up in the second master's heart. "This matter is over, so don't think about it anymore..."

The second master wanted to say something more comforting, but then there was a commotion outside the door.

But it was the elders from Wutou Mountain who came.

The elders of Wutou Mountain had met Second Master before, after all, he was already in his sixties and had even attended the banquet for the elderly hosted by Second Master at the end of last year. It was because they had met Second Master that when they heard from the villagers that several very handsome and imposing young men riding tall horses had come to Wutou Mountain, the old man's heart stirred.

He came to the house with the intention of just taking a look, but unexpectedly, he immediately saw Suiyun guarding the door.

Sui Yun had met him yesterday and thought the young man was good-looking and had a great presence. But for some reason, he seemed familiar.

But the scene yesterday was too chaotic, and he didn't have time to think about it much. Afterwards, because of a rainstorm, everyone went home, and he put the matter out of his mind.

Now that he thought about it, he realized he recognized the man—it was the magistrate's attendant!
So the old man bowed respectfully, eager to see the Second Master.

The Second Master walked out of the room, and Yun Ying followed closely behind, standing a step to his right.

The elder of Wutou Mountain is named Wang Shunnian, and the people of Wutou Mountain usually call him "Uncle Shunzi". Second Master would naturally not call him that, but to give him face, he would also address him as "Old Man Wang" when they met.

Old Wang hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting, "It really is you, Magistrate. Your presence is an honor to my humble abode."

Old Wang wasn't sure if what he said was right. Thinking back carefully, he vaguely remembered that the educated young man in the village had said something similar before.

Wang regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. He should have known better than to use such flowery language. He was just a country bumpkin, yet he tried to act like a scholar; wouldn't that make him a laughingstock?
Second Master naturally wouldn't make fun of him, nor did he have such intentions. He helped Wang Shunnian up and even complimented him, "Thanks to you for what happened yesterday. If it weren't for your repeated interventions, things would have gotten much worse."

Wang Sou was ashamed. "I'm glad you don't blame me, sir. How could I dare to take credit? Besides, although I tried to stop him, I couldn't. In the end, Li Dazhu still set fire to the tea mountain."

Wang Shunnian's heart still races when he talks about it.

He was standing at the foot of the mountain at the time, and he watched the fire start right before his eyes.

Li Dazhu had threatened to set the mountain on fire several times before, but none of them took it seriously. "If only I had taken it seriously before, I could have been on guard. But I didn't take his threats seriously at all, which almost led to a disaster."

"It's alright. Old Wang has done his best, and the matter was ultimately under control. Old Wang doesn't need to blame himself."

At this point, the second master asked about Li Dazhu, the arsonist, "Where is he now?"

Wang Sou said guiltily, "Yesterday, after that beast set a fire, we were in a hurry to put out the fire and didn't pay attention to him. Later, it rained heavily, and when we saw that the fire on the tea mountain was extinguished, the rain was too heavy, so we all ran home. As for Li Dazhu, he should have gone home too. His home is in Willow Village in the next village."

Second Master gave Suiyun a wink. Suiyun had met Li Dazhu before, so he nodded immediately, took Leiting, and the two of them rode off to Willow Tree Village.

Wang Shunnian witnessed the whole scene and sighed inwardly before recounting Li Dazhu's life story.

He was a pitiful person too.

Having lost his parents at a young age, he and his half-sister depended on each other for survival. Fortunately, he had several uncles and aunts who, although unable to raise them, provided them with support, and the siblings managed to preserve the thatched hut left by their parents.

With a place to stay and deep forests nearby, anyone who wasn't afraid of death could find some food if they went in. That's how the brother and sister survived.

Unfortunately, their good fortune didn't last long; Li Dazhu's sister contracted smallpox. Naturally, there was no saving her, and she died within a few days.

Li Dazhu finally reached adulthood. One day, he went to the county town and suddenly brought back a mentally unstable woman. Li Dazhu claimed she was his wife, but everyone knew that she was abducted by him.

The woman had moments of lucidity, during which she would try to run away, but Li Dazhu beat her several times until she calmed down. However, whether due to severe physical exhaustion or some other reason, the woman was unable to conceive.

As time went on, Li Dazhu grew to be forty years old. He had no choice but to adopt his cousin's child.

It was a boy, quite cute, but he had a tragic fate. A few summers ago, he drowned while swimming with Li Dazhu.

After the child died, Li Dazhu's wife was so traumatized that she went even crazier.

Once, Li Dazhu went into the mountains to find food, and when he came back, his wife was gone.

Many people in Liushu Village said that they saw the woman go to the river to look for her child, so she must have drowned.

However, a few old bachelors were jealous that Li Dazhu had a wife. They wanted to take advantage of him but couldn't, so they said that his wife had run away with someone else because she thought he was incompetent.

Li Dazhu's temperament was already somewhat skewed, and after being provoked like this, his mental state became somewhat unstable.

In recent years, he has stopped going out to find food and stopped farming. He just wanders around aimlessly all day long, and has truly become a good-for-nothing that everyone in the village hates.

So, Chang Shun was arrested, and his involvement in trafficking women and children was also uncovered. Someone, I don't know who was so heartless, told Li Dazhu that his wife might have also been trafficked by Chang Shun.

Chang Shun didn't know if he genuinely believed his wife had been abducted or if he was trying to swindle a large sum of money. In any case, he took these words to heart and acted on them, causing a scene at the county government the next day.

When they arrived at the county government office, it turned out that not only had his wife been abducted by Chang Shun, but his sister, who had died of smallpox, and his nephew, who had drowned, had also been abducted by Chang Shun.

After talking about Li Dazhu, Wang Shunnian also sighed deeply.

"He said yesterday that to settle the matter, he would have to compensate me with the tea plantation. Sigh, he probably doesn't even know what he said. That kid is practically a madman now."

As Wang Shunnian spoke, he glanced at the Second Master, but the Second Master's expression remained calm and composed, revealing not a trace of emotion.

Seeing this, Wang Shunnian couldn't help but sigh again.

He really wanted to defend Li Dazhu, and he genuinely felt sorry for Li Dazhu, hoping to save his life.

But the crime he committed was too serious.

He deliberately set fire to the fire and almost caused significant damage. It was only thanks to yesterday's torrential rain that the raging fire was extinguished. Otherwise, if the fire had really started, not only Li Dazhu, but he might have also lost everything.

I can't take it anymore, I can't think about it. The more I think about it, the more my heart races, and I feel like I can't breathe.

Wang Shunnian clutched his chest and gasped for breath before calming his turbulent emotions. He then said, "The fire has been extinguished, but the tea plantation has suffered some damage, and Li Dazhu is definitely responsible for compensating for it. However, as you all know, Li Dazhu probably can't afford it..."

What Wang Shunnian really wanted to say was that Li Dazhu was unable to compensate the owner of the tea plantation, and the government certainly wouldn't foot the bill for Li Dazhu's madness. Would the new owner of the tea plantation then feel that the feng shui of the plantation was unfavorable to him, and subsequently sell it off again?

If it's possible to sell, could the county magistrate help mediate and negotiate a lower price for them? Their village is interested in buying these mountains back.

Of course, even if the tea is cheap, they still can't afford it. So, could we allow them to use the income from the tea plantation to pay off their debts?

There should be another update later. Also, there will only be one update tomorrow because I'm going to a housewarming party. Sigh, I've been so busy lately. It's either weddings, baby showers, or housewarming parties. Next Monday is a first birthday party too. I really have to attend banquets almost every week, and the most important thing is giving gifts... I feel so bad for my wallet.

(End of this chapter)