Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy stone had been lifted from their shoulders.
Only Zhou Ligen’s face was complex. He looked at Bai Sheng and questioned her unpleasantly, "Then how do we know it's not your water that's the problem? Tian Dou and Tie Wa were fine before, but they only got like this after drinking your family's water!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed drastically, and they stared tensely at Bai Sheng's face.
Zhou Ligen's wife, Liu Shi, was so angry she immediately jumped up and slapped him on the head, "Did you eat shit! Is your brain full of paste? If it weren't for the employer's water and food, you would have died of thirst and hunger long ago!"
Zhou Ligen, slapped by his wife in public, was furious. He retorted coldly, as if to contradict her, "Their family just moved to Hongshu Slope, and they're not related to us in any way, so why are they helping us so much? Do they really have such good intentions? Or do they have some ulterior motive?! And if they are good people, how could they have been driven out of their village by the people of Huangsha Village!"
Liu Shi was so angry she was about to slap him again.
Suddenly, a sharp, cold voice rang out, "Then from now on, you don't have to drink my family's water, nor eat my family's food!"
Lu Ye was summoned out of the space by Bai Sheng's consciousness. As soon as he walked over, he heard Zhou Ligen speaking.
Zhou Ligen snorted, his face sullen, and did not reply. He truly did not dare to face Lu Ye's imposing aura.
The others looked worried.
Tian Guihua said, "Employer, Tian Dou and I have always believed in you. You are good people, and you are giving us a way to live because you want to help us!"
Grandma Tie Zhu glared fiercely at Zhou Ligen and said to Bai Sheng sincerely, "Our family of three also believes in you! You would never harm us!"
"And our family too! We believe in you!" Hu Da Niu and Yang Shi's family also stepped forward.
"And me! I believe in you too! Since I started drinking your water, I feel strength all over my body!" said the single man Huang Gou Sheng, patting his emaciated chest.
"I feel my body has significantly improved these past two days!" Ma San also said.
Seeing this, Liu Shi immediately knelt before Bai Sheng and pleaded tearfully, "Employer, my man was momentarily confused and said things that no human should say. I beg you to forgive him and not be angry with this fool!"
Hearing Zhou Ligen's words, Bai Sheng felt a chill in her heart. She helped Liu Shi up and looked at everyone, saying, "May I ask everyone, what do you have that I could covet?"
The crowd's hearts panicked. They looked at each other, and everyone except Zhou Ligen shook their heads repeatedly, "Nothing, absolutely nothing!"
Lu Hua, Lu Yun, and Lu Yu stood beside Bai Sheng, also filled with indignation. Their sister-in-law was clearly willing to suffer losses herself to give them a way to live, yet they had the audacity to suspect her of harming them!
Lu Ye cast a cold glance at everyone, his expression as cold as ice.
Du Min and Feng Ping Yuan were also extremely angry. The young madam and the young master had helped them so much, yet they suspected them like this! Anyone would be disheartened.
Bai Sheng's gaze sharpened, and she raised her voice, "If I were coveting your labor, then may I ask everyone, how long do you work each day?"
They worked for a while when it was cool in the morning, and then again when it was cool in the afternoon. The employer, fearing they were too weak to handle the workload, had always taken their condition into consideration.
The crowd remained silent, their faces showing an anxious desire to explain.
Bai Sheng continued, "Our family is indeed not related to you in any way, so why should we help you? Perhaps you won't believe me when I say it, but it's simply because the people from Huangsha Village came to cause trouble that day, and you stood up and spoke a word of justice for us!"
Everyone looked up, their faces filled with shame as they looked at Bai Sheng.
"People often say that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring. Although our family is not of noble or powerful background, we know how to repay kindness!" Bai Sheng's gaze fixed on Zhou Ligen.
Du Min, with a cold face, scanned the crowd and angrily scolded, "Do you think the employer really needs to hire people? Even if she hired people, she would hire those who are strong and efficient. Why would she hire the old, the weak, and the frail among you?! It’s something even your toes can figure out! Yet you refuse to use your brains!"
Feng Ping Yuan also raised his voice and said, "As for the water you drank, is it good or bad? Don't you know in your hearts? You benefit from it, and then you bite the hand that feeds you. Is that what people do?"
Liu Shi was so ashamed she wanted to burrow into the ground. This foolish man!
"We were expelled from Huangsha Village because they always bullied my parents! They are all bad people!" Lu Hua said with a small, stern face.
"The bad kids from Huangsha Village often hit me and my brother! We don't want to live there!" Lu Yun said indignantly.
Lu Yu, with wide eyes, kept nodding.
The crowd looked extremely embarrassed.
"Young Madam, we didn't—"
Before Tian Guihua could finish, Bai Sheng raised her hand to stop her.
Most of them had not said anything ungrateful, but after hearing Zhou Ligen's doubts, it was impossible for them not to have any suspicions.
After all, in this world, where were there good people who helped you for nothing?
Bai Sheng declared loudly, "Everyone, starting tomorrow, our Lu family will officially be hiring. Those who qualify will be employed. We will no longer provide free meals and water. The daily wage will be 20 wen. Those who are willing to work are welcome, and those who are not can seek employment elsewhere!"
After speaking, Bai Sheng exchanged a look with Lu Ye and, with the three children and the Du Min couple, turned and left.
"Employer! We've always believed in you!"
Explanations came from behind them one after another.
"Yun Ge! I've always believed in you!" Tian Dou shouted from behind.
"And me, Yun Ge, I've always be... believed in you!" Tie Zhu also shouted loudly.
Lu Yun stopped, glanced back at the two of them, nodded, and then turned and left.
"You damned idiot! Tell me, you starving beggar, what is it about you that the employer would want to harm you!" Liu Shi kicked Zhou Ligen.
"You shrew! You only ever take the side of outsiders! I'll divorce you sooner or later!" Zhou Ligen hopped around, cursing ferociously.
"Divorce me? I want to divorce you too!" Liu Shi, enraged, started beating him again.
"What a thankless wretch!" Tian Guihua glared at Zhou Ligen, grabbed Tian Dou, and indignantly walked towards their own thatched hut.
"You have ill intentions yourself, and you've harmed all of us!" Grandma Tie Zhu scolded with a trembling voice, and angrily left with her son and grandson.
The others stood there, staring coldly at Zhou Ligen, their eyes full of mockery and contempt.
Zhou Ligen still felt his doubts were reasonable. The world was full of people with wolf-like hearts. For the sake of someone speaking a word of justice for them, this family was investing so much to help so many people. If they said they had no selfish motives, how was that possible!
Perhaps, some kind of mind-controlling substance had been added to the water, and in the end, all of them would become puppets of the two employers.
These fools! Sold and still counting money for others!
He turned his head and said stubbornly, "I just won't drink their water anymore. Let's wait and see!"
Liu Shi looked at this stubborn, foolish man and wished she could divorce him immediately!
"Fine, those are your own words. We'll all wait and see who the real fool is!" Ma San sneered, looking at Zhou Ligen with disdain.
"We'll wait and see!" Huang Gou Sheng also coldly dropped a sentence and left with Ma San.
Hu Da Niu's family walked up to Zhou Ligen. Hu Da Niu's wife, Yang Shi, looked at Zhou Ligen and said gently, "There will come a day when you will regret this."
After speaking, she took her husband and brother and left without looking back.