Therefore, it was Pan Shi and Wu Shan who thought of it themselves, and these two were unwilling to help him persuade Shen Xiaoyan. Thus, they were indirectly refusing him, or rather, stating their position.
"I say, Mrs. Wu Shan, since ancient times, how did those great philanthropists come to be? Were they not all famous for doing things that benefited the common people during times of disaster and calamity? If you do nothing, aren't you like a stingy person?"
Bai Yonggui's words were exceptionally sharp, showing none of his usual gentle demeanor.
Upon hearing this, Pan Shi showed no fear and continued, "No matter what it is, you must respect others' wishes. If others are willing to do it, it is a good deed. If they are unwilling, there is nothing wrong with that."
"That's right, as the saying goes, helping you is kindness, and not helping is one's duty. You cannot feel that others are going too far just because they are sticking to their duty, can you?" Wu Shan also said, looking up.
Bai Yonggui was utterly astonished this time. He looked at the two of them in disbelief, not knowing what to say.
"You..."
Pan Shi stood up, her body straight, and continued to say to Bai Yonggui, "Although the village chief has not mentioned Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei's names since he arrived, just hearing these words, we can roughly guess who you are referring to. Moreover, you even brought the Bai Zhong brothers. In this village, only our two families have a relatively good relationship with Shen Xiaoyan."
Hearing Pan Shi say this, Bai Yonggui smiled heartily, "It's best that you understand. Then I won't beat around the bush."
"My objective is very simple. Currently, we don't know when the imperial court will send people to provide disaster relief, nor do we know how they will do it. I wonder if the people in our village can survive until help arrives. Therefore, I hope that Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei can allow these homeless people to stay in their homes for a while."
After Bai Yonggui finished speaking, he turned to look at Bai Zhong, "I heard that your eldest daughter's family also suffered a disaster. Can you bear to watch your daughter's family freeze outside? Don't you want them to live in a proper house and eat hot meals?"
Hearing Bai Yonggui's words, Bai Zhong felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
"Although your daughter is married to someone from another village, as long as you can persuade Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei to agree to let the villagers stay in their homes, I will agree to let your daughter's family live there as well. This is a special favor I am offering you, Bai Zhong. Think carefully about it."
After speaking, Bai Yonggui picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.
Although no one spoke in the room, Bai Yonggui was no longer in a hurry.
Everything that needed to be said had been said. Now, it was up to these few people to make their own choices.
Especially Bai Zhong, could he really bear to let his own daughter and grandson suffer from the cold outside?
He had already made a promise to him, so surely he would agree?
After all, no matter how good the relationship was, Shen Xiaoyan was still an outsider, while his own daughter and grandson were the ones who truly mattered most.
Upon hearing Bai Yonggui say this, Pan Shi and Wu Shan felt a surge of indignation in their hearts.
Bai Yonggui was truly shameless.
What did he mean by promising Bai Zhong's daughter a place to stay?
Was that his house? Did he have that right?
They could almost imagine that if Shen Xiaoyan actually agreed to this matter.
Even if they were living in Shen Xiaoyan's house, it would still be Bai Yonggui who would be thanked by the villagers in the end.
If Shen Xiaoyan wanted to drive them away, someone would surely say that Bai Yonggui had told them to stay, and they wouldn't leave, so Shen Xiaoyan had no right to drive them away.
Thinking of this, Pan Shi's body trembled uncontrollably. If that really happened, how terrifying would it be?
She could almost imagine Shen Xiaoyan, in her extreme anger, unleashing her flowers to deal with these people.
Pan Shi closed her eyes, dispelling these fantasies from her mind.
In reality, the scene was too beautiful to imagine.
"No need." After a moment of silence, Bai Zhong looked up at Bai Yonggui and said, word by word, with great determination.
"What did you say?" Bai Yonggui looked at Bai Zhong in surprise.
"I said, no need." This time, Bai Zhong's voice was a little louder and even more certain.
"I will bring them here, but they can stay in my own home. Although our house is like this, it hasn't collapsed yet and can shelter them from the wind and snow. That's enough."
"You..." Bai Yonggui pointed at Bai Zhong, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Those who have relatives should go to their relatives. If your own relatives don't help, why should you expect others to help?" Wu Shan chimed in.
"Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei's lives are better now, but it has nothing to do with the villagers, nor with you, the village chief, right? Moreover, when Shen Xiaoyan first planted the flowers and watermelons, she involved the villagers. Even if you, the village chief, enjoy your current comfortable life, you should be more grateful to Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei. Why don't you repay their kindness, but instead demand that Shen Xiaoyan do something else?" Pan Shi's tone of sarcasm became more pronounced towards the end.
Bai Yonggui's face became even uglier due to Pan Shi's words, and he remained silent for a long time.
Just as Pan Shi thought he was too embarrassed to continue, he spoke again.
"I am not doing this for myself, but for the villagers. If you think that all the villagers are not as important as them, then I have nothing more to say." Bai Yonggui said with a mocking smile.
"Is the village chief trying to flatter us?" Bai Zhong stood up, his gaze towards Bai Yonggui darkening. "We are not the village chief, nor are we powerful figures with grand ambitions for the nation. We just want our own families to have enough to eat. If the village chief insists on attributing the suffering of the villagers to us, then we can only go to the yamen to clarify things."
As soon as Bai Zhong finished speaking, Bai Yonggui's face turned ashen, as if he had eaten dirt.
He had never expected that Bai Zhong would dare to speak to him like this one day.
"Bai Zhong, you've gotten quite capable now. Do you think you've latched onto Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei?" Bai Yonggui said sinisterly.
"I stand upright and walk in the open, I don't need to latch onto anyone." Bai Zhong sneered, feeling utterly contemptible of Bai Yonggui's suspicion.
How had he not noticed before that the village chief was such a person?
"We're just saying a few fair words. If the village chief doesn't want to hear them, he can pretend he didn't. However, if the village wants us to go to Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei with you, that's impossible." Wu Shan said emphatically.
"That's right, what my husband said is right. We cannot do things that coerce people into doing good deeds. Village chief, you should find someone else, or, you can go by yourself." Pan Shi also added.
Bai Yonggui looked at the three people in front of him. Seeing their firm stance, he knew that no agreement could be reached today. He was extremely angry, so he no longer sat there. He stood up and quickly walked out of the house.