Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 31: Public Outcry, Zhou Family Returns Money

"Oh no, oh no, something terrible has happened."

Chen Zhi was panting heavily, shouting, his face filled with excitement.

Chen Yuan quickly asked, "What happened?"

Chen Zhi caught his breath: "The mountain god's head is gone again!"

"what?"

Chen Yuan almost stood up, and Chen Yangshi quickly came over to support him.

"How could this happen? What exactly happened?"

Chen Zhi then recounted the whole story in detail.

It turned out that in the morning, some people went to the local temple to set up the scene. When they went inside, they saw that the new statue of the mountain god was fine, but the clay head on the neck was missing.

This immediately caused chaos, and everyone hurriedly searched the temple, but where could they find it?

They sent more people to search the vicinity, but still couldn't find him.

Some people say that the mountain god must have run away.

So here's the question: Why did the mountain god run away?
Is it because they are dissatisfied with sharing a temple with the local deity?

Or perhaps they are not satisfied with the newly sculpted original?

Thinking about it more deeply, if the mountain god is dissatisfied and gets angry, will he blame everyone?
Rumors spread like wildfire, causing a great uproar throughout the village, and no one knew how to handle the situation.

"Young man, what exactly happened?"

Chen Yuan was puzzled and asked Chen Jin.

Chen Jin's eyes darted around, and he said in a serious tone, "The mountain god's head is missing; there must be something fishy about it. Could it be that the Zhou family, who were in charge of the project, embezzled funds and cut corners, which angered the mountain god and caused him to run away?"

Hearing this, Chen Zhi clapped his hands: "I knew the Zhou family was no good. They were just using this opportunity to make money and fool us ordinary people. Sigh, we really shouldn't have paid so quickly back then, giving them whatever they asked for. Later, I asked around, and other families only donated a few coins each. Bah, we were ripped off and became suckers."

Chen Jin glanced at him and said, "So, in the future, when you act in the countryside, you must not be rash or impulsive, but consider things carefully."

Chen Zhi blushed slightly: "At that time, I was thinking about all the bad things happening in our family. You failed the exams repeatedly, my uncle was conscripted into the army, and my father was in this state... It must be an evil spirit causing all this bad luck. So I thought of making a sincere donation to seek the protection of the mountain god and have our family's luck turn around."

Chen Jin said, word by word, "It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Many times, even so-called gods can't be trusted."

Chen Zhi said angrily, "The Zhou family took the money but did nothing good. We can't let this go. I have to go and demand an explanation."

Chen Jin stopped him: "You have to be tactful when you're seeking justice. You can't just go to their door and yell at them. What can you accomplish by yourself? You'll only incur the Zhou family's wrath and make it difficult for you to move an inch in the village in the future."

Chen Zhi realized what was happening and humbly asked, "Then what should we do?"

Chen Jinfen said, “One person is weak and powerless; a group of people, however, is a powerful force. This time, it’s not just our family that paid money; many people in the village have paid as well. They are equally angry that they couldn’t worship the mountain god and want an explanation.”

Chen Zhi wasn't actually stupid; he was just a bit impulsive. He immediately understood Chen Jin's meaning, his eyes lit up, and he gave a thumbs up: "Brilliant! Truly brilliant! Scholars really know how to handle things!"

From childhood to adulthood, watching his family scrimp and save to support Chen Jin's education and his attempts to pass the imperial examinations, it would be a lie to say he didn't resent it.

If Chen Jin's studies went smoothly and he achieved academic success, everything would be fine. The problem is that he has taken the exams for so many years and still only achieved the lowest rank of "Tong Sheng" (a student who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).

Therefore, Chen Zhi could no longer suppress his resentment and looked down on Chen Jin, thinking that he was just a useless scholar who only ate and did nothing.

However, in recent events, Chen Jin has acted calmly and appropriately, demonstrating his ability to provide financial support and take responsibility, which has given people a completely new impression.

Even what he said made so much sense.

Gradually, the entire household began to subtly adopt the attitude of following Chen Jin's lead.

Chen Jin instructed, "When you go to discuss matters, don't make a big show of yourself. Stay in the crowd and don't stand out."

Chen Zhi repeatedly said, "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you..."

They ran out very quickly.

Chen Yuan said with some worry, "Young Master, given our family's situation, we can't afford to offend the Zhou family right now. If we do these things and get caught, it will be troublesome."

Chen Jin said calmly, "This matter was originally the Zhou family's doing, and I was able to demand an explanation from Chief Clerk Zhao, so why would I be afraid of the Zhou family?" Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan was speechless.

The Zhou family was indeed a local gentry and wealthy family, but compared to Zhao Zhubu, they were nothing more than nouveau riche.

They're not on the same level.

Moreover, Chen Zhi was instructed by Chen Jin to only secretly stir up trouble, and the Zhou family had no way of finding out the truth.

If this matter is handled well, we can get back the donated incense money, which is six or seven hundred coins, not a small amount.

……

"boom!"

A porcelain cup shattered on the floor, sending shards flying.

Zhou Lizheng's face was full of anger: "What on earth are you doing? How could such a huge blunder occur?"

Zhou Chang, Zhou Ming, and the others at the lower seat looked at each other, staring at each other, unsure of how to respond.

Zhou Lizheng glared at him: "Second brother, you speak!"

Zhou Chang looked distressed: "Brother, I really don't know what happened. I asked the craftsmen and even supervised the work myself. The newly sculpted body of the mountain god and the head were joined together perfectly, without a single seam. It's very sturdy."

"Then how could the head have disappeared? Do you really believe it was a manifestation of the mountain god that allowed it to run away on its own?"

Zhou Li was so angry that his goatee stood on end.

Zhou Chang pondered for a moment and said, "I suspect it was cut off and stolen."

Zhou Lizheng sneered: "I already said there were no blade marks at the break point, it looks more like he struggled to break free."

Zhou Ming added, "Second Uncle, we're just country folk, every household believes in gods, how could we dare to take away the mountain god's head? Besides, that head is just a clay sculpture, it's not worth anything, this doesn't make sense."

Zhou Chang shrugged: "Then the only explanation is that the mountain god ran away on his own."

Zhou Lizheng reached up and rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache.

Zhou Ming reported, "Father, Second Uncle, we don't know yet why the Mountain God is missing. What's worrying us right now is that the villagers are making a fuss. Many people are saying that our family embezzled money and cut corners, which offended the Mountain God. They've all gathered here to demand an explanation and a refund."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Lizheng's expression tightened, and he immediately became extremely nervous.

No matter what the situation, once people gather in large groups, it becomes difficult to manage.

To offend the masses is a major taboo in management.

Not to mention ordinary people, there is also the risk of mutiny in military camps.

The Zhou family were merely local gentry and wealthy landowners with some servants and farmhands; they were far from being militaristic. If they were not handled properly in the face of the surging crowd of villagers, they could easily capsize.

He quickly made a decision and stood up abruptly: "Second brother, tomorrow, you go and bring out the money, apologize to everyone, say that this matter was not handled well, that we did not consider things properly, and that we should return the money."

Zhou Chang said with a pained expression, "Do you really want a refund... or how about only half? After all, repairing the temple and reshaping the original form cost a lot of money."

"Second brother, you're being foolish. If you're going to back out, back out completely. Being stingy will only make people resent you. Sigh, this is the best solution right now. If our Zhou family wants to build up our reputation in the village and win people's hearts, we need to put in the money and effort."

At this point, Zhou Lizheng snorted, "But you keep a close eye on them and make a note of who's causing the most trouble. We'll settle accounts with them later. I refuse to believe we can't deal with these peasants!"

"Ok."

Zhou Chang had nothing to say.

This time, they really tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead; they failed to make money and ended up losing money instead.

So, where did that damned mountain god's head go?
Could it be that the mountain god truly has a spirit...?

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but shudder and quickly went to get a refund.

　Keep writing stories that are different!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)