Union

Chapter 109 Debts are canceled after death
Thinking this to himself, Wang Shunnian spoke out.

Then, the scene suddenly fell silent.

The second master's expression was somewhat amused, Yunying...

Yunying was somewhat taken aback.

Weren't we talking about arsonist Li Dazhu? How did we end up talking about her tea plantation and even saying we wanted to buy it from her? Did she ever say she was going to sell the tea plantation?
No forced purchases, please!
Yunying's expression was somewhat numb.

Wang Shunnian didn't notice any of this, nor did he notice the strange expression on Second Master's face.

He continued to appeal to their emotions and reason with them.

"As you all know, Wutou Mountain is related to the five tea mountains in front of it. Originally, these five mountains belonged to our village, but Changshun went through the government's connections and bought them from them."

“Sir, this tea plantation is crucial to the feng shui of our Wutou Mountain. If this tea plantation is destroyed, all of us, young and old, will be unable to meet our ancestors in the afterlife. Moreover, it will affect our descendants, and our village may become even poorer.”

Yunying listened silently without uttering a word, but couldn't help but think to herself: Even if these five mountains weren't destroyed, Wutou Mountain doesn't seem that wealthy. It's just like the other villages in Yungui County, where the people wear patched clothes, are too poor to afford a bowl of rice, and have to wear straw sandals all year round.

Perhaps changing the feng shui would actually make the local people richer...

Yunying dared not say what she was thinking, for fear that Wang Sou would chase after her with his straw sandals.

While Wang Sou was still muttering to himself, Yun Ying's thoughts had already drifted far away.

Suddenly, she heard a shocked "What?"

Yunying quickly looked over and then discovered that Wang Sou was staring at her blankly.

Yunying was completely bewildered, having no idea why she was looking at her. Could it be...?

Yunying looked at the Second Master questioningly, and the Second Master laughed, "Where have you been daydreaming again?"

Yunying shook her head guiltily, then forced herself to say, "I was just daydreaming for a little while."

"Ah."

The two paid no attention to the old man in front of them and whispered among themselves.

Seeing this, Wang Sou's already broken state of mind collapsed even more.

He had seen Yunying yesterday, and because the girl was so beautiful, he even took a second look at her.

But he only glanced at her a couple of times; he didn't think much of it and couldn't believe that she was the new owner of those tea mountains.

Even if he could think that Suiyun might be the owner of that tea mountain, he would never have thought of Yunying.

It must be said that Wang Sou did, in a roundabout way, reveal the truth.

Because the land deed for this tea plantation bears the name Suiyun, doesn't it?

Even though the tea plantation belongs to Yunying, and the land deed is currently in her possession, there is no binding contract between Yunying and Suiyun. If Suiyun were to renege on his promise, no one could say that the tea plantation does not belong to Suiyun.

But Wang Sou was unaware of this.

His reasoning was simple: he simply felt that Yunying was a woman and didn't seem like the type to manage a tea plantation.

Women, especially delicate women like this, are bound to be pampered by men. If this woman had any sense at all, she wouldn't buy things from this poor, remote place. Even if she wanted to acquire property, she would want shops and houses in the city, or at least estates on the outskirts. For her to acquire property right here in their village is illogical.

Thinking this, Wang Sou couldn't help but glance at Yun Ying again.

Then, he keenly noticed that the girl was very close to the county magistrate.

Could it be that this young lady is not one of Suiyun's wives or concubines, but rather the magistrate's maid or concubine?
Thinking this to himself, Wang Sou couldn't help but recall how Suiyun and Yunying had gotten along yesterday.

But yesterday was chaotic and no one had time to care about these things.
However, judging from the fact that the magistrate and the girl did not seem to care at all about being seen being close by others, their relationship must be open and aboveboard, and they were not afraid of what others might say.

So, this girl really is the magistrate's bedmate!
Wouldn't it be even more difficult to buy the tea plantation from her?
Putting aside the fact that the county magistrate would definitely not help him bargain, let's talk about this girl. She has come to see the tea mountain in person, so she obviously likes it very much. Would she still sell the tea mountain?
Old Wang's heart sank.

But he still wouldn't give up, and shamelessly asked Yunying in a very warm and friendly manner, "Miss, are you selling that tea plantation?"

He held Yunying in his arms, saying, "I never imagined that you, young lady, could manage such a large tea plantation at such a young age. You are truly capable. However, the tea plantation is located in a very remote area, and the annual profits are not much. Moreover, after this incident, half of the mountain was burned down..."

So, this tea plantation might not be compatible with your energy; otherwise, it wouldn't have burned down the moment you arrived. So, young lady, are you really not considering selling this tea plantation?
Yunying: ...

"I'm sorry, but I really like this tea plantation and I'm not planning to make a move on it anytime soon."

Wang Sou urged anxiously, "But this tea plantation is too far from the county government office, and it will take a lot of trouble to go back and forth."

“It’s okay, I’ll find a reliable person to manage the tea plantation. I don’t necessarily have to personally intervene every time.”

Wang Sou pleaded again, "But many tea plantations have already been burned..."

“I was just thinking of trying to plant some other tea trees. Even without this fire, I would have pulled up some tea trees to make room for the new ones.”

Old Wang clutched his chest, struggling to breathe.

Finally, he gave up hope.

Fine, if he doesn't want to sell, he doesn't want to sell. At least he did his best, and he'll have given the villagers an explanation later.

However, "the girl said she wanted to find a reliable person to help manage the tea plantation?"

Yunying understood what Wang Sou meant and nodded hesitantly, "I do have this idea."

"What does that girl think of me?"

“You…” Yunying actually wanted to say, “At your age, can you still climb the tea mountain?”

Yesterday, she took a look from afar and saw that the tea mountains were all very steep, and the tea trees were planted without any discernible pattern. It was as if they were just planting whatever they felt like, one here and one there, completely unlike the orderly and disciplined tea mountains of today.

This increases the risk of walking on the mountain. If something were to happen to the old man on the mountain, she wouldn't be able to afford the compensation.

Wang Sou, however, sensed Yunying's unease and quickly assured her, "Miss, don't let my age fool you, I'm in great health. In the surrounding villages, how many people my age don't use a cane? I'm the only one with a strong constitution; I can still plow an acre of land a day. Don't worry about anything happening to me, or your family trying to extort money from you; I can guarantee it in writing."

"Furthermore, I am the elder of Wutou Mountain. While I wouldn't claim absolute authority here, at least everyone listens to what I say. If I were in charge of this mountain, I guarantee you, young lady, no scoundrel would dare to cause trouble on the mountain. When it's tea-picking season, I can even gather the entire village to come and pick the tea leaves for you first..."

Wang Sou was eloquent, and in the end, he persuaded Yun Ying to agree.

Yunying thought that Wang Sou was a local strongman, and it would be best not to offend him if possible.

He wanted to find a job for the people of Wutou Mountain. She wanted something easier and less stressful, and she also wanted someone who could manage the tea plantation. Old Wang was just the right person for her.

Both sides had their own agendas, and Yunying had her own backing, so she wasn't afraid of Wang Sou's sabotage. Therefore, after some discussion, the two quickly finalized the matter.

Just as Yunying was about to write a document as proof, the sound of rapid hoofbeats rang out outside.

Yunying looked towards the door, wondering if Suiyun and the other person had returned.

Sure enough, a little while later, Suiyun and Leiting dismounted and walked into the courtyard.

Yunying glanced behind the two men, then looked towards the gate. She looked around and saw only the two men; Li Dazhu was nowhere to be seen.

Yunying frowned, wondering if Li Dazhu had run away.

Wang Sou clearly thought the same thing, and his expression immediately became ambiguous.

Second Master asked them directly, "What happened?" Sui Yun wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Second Master, we were too late. Li Dazhu is dead."

"Dead?" It was Yunying who asked this question. "How could he be dead? Did he hang himself out of fear of punishment?"

“No, that’s not it,” Suiyun said. “The thatched hut he lives in is badly dilapidated, and with the heavy rain yesterday, the rafters collapsed. By sheer coincidence, they hit Li Dazhu right on the temple.”

A light tap on the temple can cause dizziness, vomiting, or even fainting, let alone a rafter hitting the head directly, causing the temple to cave in and the person to die instantly.

When we arrived, the people of Liushu Village were busy digging a pit to bury Li Dazhu.

It was called a burial, but in reality, they just wrapped Li Dazhu in a mat and prepared to put him into a mud pit and fill it with soil.

This is also the burial method for most people today.

Some families were so poor that they couldn't even afford to give the deceased a mat.

When those people saw the two of them go to find Li Dazhu, they suspected that Li Dazhu had done something bad. They were still holding wooden shovels, and they wished they could just drop the shovels and run away.

Seeing this, he and Lei Ting didn't say much and turned back.

However, with Li Dazhu dead, the debt was wiped out, and Yunying had no one to compensate her for the tea plantation, so she could only accept her fate.

Sui Yun looked at Yun Ying, and everyone else in the courtyard followed suit.

Yunying sighed, "Don't look at me, I was prepared. Even if he were alive, what could I possibly get back a few copper coins from him?"

She didn't even harbor that illusion.

But since the person is dead, it can be considered retribution, so let's just let this matter go.

Old Wang nodded and said, "The young lady is truly magnanimous."

"I'm not magnanimous; I just don't want to argue with the dead."

The gloomy weather suddenly cleared up, but only for a moment, and soon the sun hid back behind the clouds.

Yunying asked Second Master, "Would you like to go and take a look at the tea mountain?"

"Going is one of the reasons I came here."

“But Suiyun said that the water at the foot of the mountain is very deep, so we can’t go up the mountain and can only look at it from the foot of the mountain.”

We'll see where we get.

The group then went out and headed towards the tea plantation.

On the way, we inevitably encountered a few ordinary people.

Seeing Wang Sou following a group of nobles, the common people all huddled together and began to whisper among themselves.

Yunying didn't pay attention to what they were saying, but the Second Master leaned down and asked her, "They keep talking about the Queen Mother of the West. Do people here believe in the Queen Mother of the West?"

Yunying stumbled and almost fell flat on her face.

Fortunately, the second master pulled her back in time, preventing her from making a fool of herself.

However, she was startled just now and stepped into the mud, getting her boots all dirty.

Yunying stomped her feet, but only managed to remove some mud from her boots, which still looked very dirty.

Second Master asked, "Did you bring a change of shoes?"

"I brought it, but it's in the carriage. We took a shortcut from Sui'er's house, and the carriage is still parked in front of her house. We can only change it after we finish things here and go back to Sui'er's house."

"Alright."

Second Master nodded, then asked, "So, do the people here truly believe in the Queen Mother of the West?"

Yunying mumbled a response twice, "Yes, I guess so."

……

Upon reaching the foot of the tea mountain, sure enough, the further we went, the deeper the water became.

The group could not go any further and could only stand by the water, looking at the distant tea mountains.

The other mountains were a vibrant, emerald green, washed clean by the torrential rain, their tea leaves resembling the most translucent and lustrous emeralds. In contrast, another mountain was half black.

Yunying took a deep breath. "Look, a huge area has been burned. It's only because the rainstorm came just in time, otherwise, Second Master's official career would be over."

The second master said "yes," and added, "It seems I'll have to offer incense to the Queen Mother of the West later."

Yunying looked at the Second Master stiffly, "Why are you offering incense to the Queen Mother of the West?"

Second Master said, "The people here all say that it was because of the protection of the Queen Mother of the West that there was such a heavy rain yesterday. It is because of the Queen Mother's grace that heaven sent down the sweet rain. The Queen Mother's contribution is indispensable."

"Oh, oh, okay."

"Would you like to go up and take a look?"

Yunying looked at Second Master with surprise, "Where are we going? Second Master, are you referring to the tea plantation?"

Second Master nodded. "Shall we go?"

Yun Ying's eyes lit up with eager anticipation. "Second Master, do you have a plan?"

"What do you say?"

Yunying recalled Second Master's superb martial arts skills, and her heart shamefully stirred.

She finally blurted out, "I want to go."

The moment the word "go" was uttered, Yunying felt herself take flight.

It really flew.

She felt incredibly light, and suddenly she was lifted into the air. But at the same time, a feeling of weightlessness suddenly came over her, and Yunying looked down and saw the deep water that had just blocked her path. But it was only for a moment; soon, she crossed the deep water and felt herself land on the ground.

The second master placed Yunying in a slightly cleaner spot, then removed his hand from her slender, soft waist.

Yunying's heart was pounding wildly, and it wasn't until she caught her breath that her heart gradually calmed down.

To cover her embarrassment, Yunying coughed lightly and said, "I don't think there's anything interesting to see here."

Everywhere was covered in the filth from burning tea trees.

The ashes and blackened branches were scattered all over the ground, and with the broken branches and leaves washed down by the torrential rain, the scene was truly a mess.

It was quite unsightly to look at, and you could even faintly smell a burnt odor.

Yunying said, "Second Master, there's nothing much to see. Let's go back."

(End of this chapter)