As Wang Gouzi saw it, the people who had beaten him were long gone, and he had nothing left to fear.
But how could Captain Li possibly return the grain to them?
If he really returned it to them, wouldn't he offend the old Su family again?
He needed to maintain his relationship with the old Su family now, and absolutely could not let his relationship with Xiangyang Brigade, especially the old Su family, be ruined because of Wang Gouzi and Granny Wang.
They were now well-connected, with people in the county!
"This is not your family's grain, Wang Gouzi, watch your words," Captain Li said with a drawl.
Granny Wang had also come to her senses by this time. When these grains were taken out, her heart and lungs ached.
After the troublesome people left without taking the grain, she naturally wanted to get her family's grain back.
A bag of grain could feed a family for many days if they ate sparingly!
It was their family's grain to begin with, so there was nothing wrong with taking their own grain back.
"Captain Li, why are you speaking like that?"
"Why? What did I say wrong?" Captain Li said with a cold face.
Did they think he was easy to talk to, that both Granny Wang and Wang Gouzi wanted to bully him?
"This is our old Wang family's grain. So many people are watching with their eyes wide open. You can't be greedy!"
Granny Wang stared at Captain Li with disbelief, trying her best to appear sincere. She didn't realize how affected her expression was.
Captain Li wished he could spit on her. How dare she slander him with her red lips and white teeth?
A commune member nearby, unable to watch any longer, spoke up, "Granny Wang, why didn't you say that earlier? You're only brave now that they're gone?"
Granny Wang put on a magnanimous air, "What's there to say to those rough people? The old Su family is unreasonable, you all know that, don't you?"
After saying this, she felt it wasn't strong enough, so she immediately added, "Otherwise, when we asked for help back then, why didn't the people from Xiangyang Brigade arrange for anyone to help our Xiangyang Brigade harvest the crops? It's because they have no conscience!"
Granny Wang thought that by saying this, she could make the other commune members in the brigade hate the old Su family with them.
However, she didn't know that most people in the brigade blamed their old Wang family for Hongxin Brigade's unwillingness to help Xiangyang Brigade.
It was fine when she didn't mention it, but now she had to bring it up on her own accord.
This immediately stirred up a hornet's nest. Those who were watching the show were angered by her words. Why Hongxin Brigade didn't help Xiangyang Brigade, no one knew, but you, the one who caused trouble, didn't know?"
"It's you, the shameless Granny Wang! If you hadn't been obsessed with Su Manxiu back then, would people have such resentment towards you?"
"If Su Manxiu had really done something wrong, we wouldn't have said anything about you tormenting her, but Su Manxiu is such a good woman, and you've ruined her like that."
"Why are you still speaking up for that unchaste woman, Su Manxiu?" Granny Wang asked in surprise.
This time she was genuinely surprised. Why wasn't it going as she had expected?
"Look at you, look at you. How long has Manxiu been gone, and look at how your old Wang family's life has become? Your whole family is a bunch of good-for-nothings! I think your old Wang family deserves to be in this situation!"
"They absolutely deserve it. They deserve to starve, and Wang Gouzi deserves to raise children for others like a cuckold!"
"Granny Wang, if you hadn't brought this up, I'd want to split you in half with an axe!"
...
Granny Wang never expected to be attacked by the crowd from Xiangyang Brigade because of that sentence!
But what kind of person was Granny Wang?
She was someone without shame or face.
"Oh my heavens, why are the people of Xiangyang Brigade so useless? Their own people were bullied, and instead of helping them, they're helping others bully our old Wang family. It's just because our old Wang family is alone and has no support! I can't live anymore! I've been a widow for so many years and I'm still being bullied like this. I can't go on living!"
Granny Wang started crying and cursing as she sat on the ground, resuming her act of crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself.
Granny Wang was like a rogue element in Xiangyang Brigade, and everyone was used to her antics.
No one paid her any attention. Let her make a scene; they just wouldn't watch.
Captain Li curled his lips and turned to leave with the bag of grain.
"Lao Si, Lao Wu, follow me and distribute this grain to Desheng's family, Dechang's family, and Song Lao Liu's family!" Captain Li shouted loudly.
When Granny Wang heard this, she couldn't bother to make a scene anymore. If the grain was really distributed to other families, it would be over.
She scrambled and crawled to Captain Li's feet, grabbing his trouser leg and refusing to let go. Perhaps because she was too agitated, she didn't say anything.
"Granny Wang, your son is messing around, are you planning to climb onto someone else's kang too?" someone with a loose tongue blurted out an unpleasant remark.
"Fei Yuming, how can you talk like that?" Granny Wang glared angrily, but no one was afraid.
"If you're not planning to climb onto someone else's kang, why are you grabbing the captain's pants?" Fei Yuming had been at odds with Granny Wang for decades, so he naturally decided to kick her while she was down!
Granny Wang decisively turned away and stopped paying attention to Fei Yuming.
"Captain, you can't do such a wicked thing. This is my family's grain, why should it be distributed to these few families? If it's given to them, what will our whole family eat?" Granny Wang roared heartbrokenly.
"Everyone in the brigade saw it. This is the old Su family's grain. When they left, they said they would distribute this grain to the poorest families in our brigade. This is the old Su family's kindness. I think everyone in our brigade knows who is poor!"
Captain Li had chosen these families. Granny Wang was unreasonable, and these families were even more so. As long as the grain was distributed, these families would not suffer.
"We know, we know, Captain, we all know, but it's precisely these three families that are poor." Someone immediately chimed in.
Although they knew this grain wouldn't fall into their own bowls, they were happy that it wouldn't fall into the old Wang family's.
Granny Wang wanted to continue making a scene, but she was dragged aside by a few strong women.
"You stand aside obediently. If you pull the captain's pants off, it's considered hooliganism, and you should be paraded. Female hooligan!" one of the women said, cursing.
Captain Li wasn't about to be shameless. Taking advantage of Granny Wang's inability to make a scene, he directly took the grain and left.
Seeing the captain leave, those who helped also followed.
Soon, everyone had left.
Leaving Granny Wang and her son, watching the figures of these people leave, they cried miserably.
Granny Wang continued to cry and shout that her sons and grandsons were all spineless, not coming out to help their mother when she was being bullied.
Meanwhile, Granny Wang's other two sons and grandsons were locked in their rooms.
Her two usually weak daughters-in-law had also become firm, warning their husbands that they would divorce if they went out to help.
After all, even a divorced daughter-in-law from the old Wang family could remarry well, so they were not afraid of being laughed at for divorce.
However, Wang Laoda and Wang Laosan were terrified. They wanted to benefit, but this matter at hand looked like it would bring no good.
Moreover, if they divorced, they would be as pathetic as Wang Gouzi in the future.
Even if they wanted to help their mother, their thoughts faded in the face of reality.
At this moment, the crying mother and son didn't know that for them, even more tragic things were yet to come.
That very evening, Wang Gouzi's brothers demanded to split the family with Wang Gouzi, saying that with a spendthrift like Wang Gouzi, they could no longer live.
Granny Wang disagreed, and the two said that since Granny Wang was unwilling to part with the second son, she would live with the second son from then on.
Of course, this was something that happened later, so let's not talk about it now.
Let's just say that when Grandma Su arrived in the county town and saw the bustling scene, she couldn't help but sigh, repeatedly saying that it was better in the city.
"Grandma Su, if you think the city is good, then stay in the city for a while longer," driver Xiao Zhu said with a smile.
Anyway, the minister's house wasn't short of space. Seeing that the minister seemed to like the old Su family, he probably wouldn't object to a good elder like Grandma Su staying at their home for a while, right?
"How can that be? I'm a farmer, and I should make a living from the land. It's enough to come to the city occasionally. If I had to stay here every day, I'd be suffocated!" Grandma Su said, waving her hands repeatedly.
Although the city was good, a golden nest or a silver nest was not as good as one's own doghouse!
"Grandma, when I grow up in a few years, I'll buy a house in the city and let you come to the city to enjoy life!" Su Xiaotian said happily.
What she said was the truth. In a few years, commercial housing could be bought and sold, and buying a house in the county town would be nothing.
She was even thinking of buying a house in the capital city after she made money.
Then, she could let the whole family do whatever they wanted in the city, which would be much easier than scratching a living in the countryside.
But no one believed her when she said it now.
Driver Xiao Zhu didn't believe it.
Grandma Su believed it even less.
Xiao Zhu was a good-natured person. Even if he strongly disagreed with what Su Xiaotian said in his heart, he still humored the little girl to make her happy.
"Listen to Grandma Su, your good fortune is still to come. The little girl is so filial to you!"
Grandma Su's proud mouth was almost split to her ears.
"You're right. I have many sons and grandsons, but the most filial one is my dear granddaughter."
What she said was extremely sincere. For a moment, Xiao Zhu even felt that what Grandma Su said might be true.
But then again, Xiao Zhu felt speechless.
She was just a child, seven or eight years old, and a girl. What had she done to be the most filial?
He quietly glanced back at Grandma Su, his eyes seeming to say: Old lady, if your other children and grandchildren heard this, wouldn't they be heartbroken?
Xiao Zhu didn't know that even if the others from the old Su family heard this, they would nod in agreement and say that Su Xiaotian was definitely the most filial.
"Oh my, this place wasn't like this when I came last time. Why has it changed so much in such a short time?" Grandma Su suddenly saw something and asked with a smile.
"It's because the county has opened a new sponge cake factory. Grandma Su, you don't know, the population of the county town is increasing, and the demand for jobs is also increasing. The county is also trying to solve the problem of employment difficulties," Xiao Zhu introduced.
"Sponge cake factory, that's good! Those things are very expensive. Building a factory must be profitable," Grandma Su sighed, "It's still better in the city. Being a worker with an iron rice bowl, compared to the difficult life of us farmers!"
"Old lady, tell the minister to arrange for your older grandsons to work in the factory. What's there to envy about others?" Xiao Zhu was actually very curious about this.
Originally, he thought that since the minister married a daughter from the old Su family, the old Su family would surely rise in status. If nothing else, finding good jobs in the city, such as working in a factory, would be completely possible.
After all, the younger generation of the old Su family seemed to have studied and were knowledgeable, making it easier to be recruited.
But the old Su family seemed indifferent to using connections, and had never approached Minister Chen for help.
And the minister himself had no intention of using his position to do such things. He was good to the old Su family, but it was all with his own salary. He just looked out for them and prevented them from being bullied, and that was all!
If nothing else, look at Sister Manxiu, she was still at home.
She hadn't gone back to work since she got pregnant with the baby.
To be honest, he had never seen a family like this.
If it were another family that had such a relative, they would have probably settled all their family members long ago.
"That won't do. My darling child said that one must be honest."
"Is it your darling child again? Grandma Su, do you really listen to a little girl?" Xiao Zhu asked with a laugh.
It was true that listening to advice helped one eat well, but truly listening to a little girl's words was somewhat unfathomable.
"Xiao Zhu, tell me, even if we became workers by taking advantage of Zi'an's status, wouldn't it be undignified?"
Xiao Zhu was speechless. What she said was not wrong; the old Su family had integrity.
After Grandma Su said this, she sighed, "It's not easy for an orphan like him to get to this point. As relatives, we can only wish him well, not drag him down."
"Uncle Xiao Zhu, my grandma is right. If we really went to my uncle-in-law for something like this, he would probably feel uncomfortable helping us!" Su Xiaotian's soft and sweet voice sounded next to driver Xiao Zhu.
Xiao Zhu had never thought that even a girl from the Su family, such a young girl, could think so far ahead.
He suddenly understood why the minister, despite having many unmarried girls, had finally married Su Manxiu, a second-time divorcee.
The upbringing of the old Su family was truly impeccable!
Many leaders' problems started with people around them, and eventually implicated themselves.
The minister was truly fortunate to have such a relative.
[Author's Note]
The updates for the latter half of the month have been a bit late. I've been painstakingly typing them out on my phone during my breaks. It's really difficult. Please bear with me, my dears! It's too hard. May the mountains and rivers be safe, and the country be peaceful and prosperous!