Chapter 240: Chapter 240: Learning Acupuncture
240. Learning Acupuncture
Zhao Dong lifted his eyelids. "So, you’re saying you only got the money back, and the remaining pigs are still in your hands, correct?"
Upon hearing this, those people were stunned. They instantly understood Zhao Dong’s meaning and quickly indicated they would return the remaining pigs immediately.
Zhao Dong wasn’t planning on having a sudden burst of saintly compassion to help these villagers get their pigs back.
It was just that they had recently experienced a locust plague. The villagers had no food and had spent a large sum of money to buy and raise pigs. They would most likely not survive the upcoming winter.
Zhao Dong felt no pity for them; he simply believed these people were reaping what they sowed.
However, a cornered dog will bite. He feared that if these people became desperate from starvation, they might do something reckless, so this was also a way to save himself some trouble.
More importantly, Zhao Dong had no intention of letting these unscrupulous merchants off easy.
However, the main culprits, Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Zheng, could forget about it.
In the end, those merchants returned some pigs to the villagers. However, it was only a portion, as most had already been slaughtered. Families that had sold only one pig received half a carcass in return. Nevertheless, this made the villagers extremely grateful, as half a carcass could be sold for some money at the market.
Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Zheng were particularly unlucky. The merchants claimed their pigs had been sold the earliest and all had been slaughtered, so there was nothing left for them.
Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Zheng sat at their doorways and cried, their wails echoing down the entire street. Many villagers, however, kept their distance, muttering from their homes that they deserved it.
The merchants who had returned the pigs then went back to Zhao Dong’s Residence.
Zhao Dong eventually accepted their orders, but he refused Jia Xin’s.
Zhao Dong said calmly, "I am a man of my word. When you came to return the pigs that day, I already made it clear: the pigs from our Zhao Village are not for sale to you."
Zhao Dong’s attitude was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
Seeing that a soft approach wasn’t working, Jia Xin decided to try a hard one. He looked at Zhao Dong and threatened, "Zhao Dong, are you getting too big for your britches? It’s just buying some pigs, what’s there to be so arrogant about!"
"You should go out and ask around who I, Jia Xin, am! There’s never been anyone who dared to disrespect me! Let me tell you, if you don’t do business with me today, don’t blame me for trashing this place!"
The people around hurriedly tried to mediate. "Hey, hey, let’s talk this over. Boss Jia, don’t be impulsive. It wouldn’t be good to spoil the harmony."
Jia Xin tilted his chin up, full of arrogance. "It’s not me who’s not being reasonable. Tell me, I came all this way; you can’t expect me to leave empty-handed, can you?"
Then, the surrounding people turned to persuade Zhao Dong. "Oh, Boss Zhao, why must you be like this? Why turn your back on money? Refusing to earn money when you can, isn’t that foolish?"
Zhao Dong’s stance was firm. "Enough. You don’t need to persuade me. I’ve given my word, and I can’t go back on it. Otherwise, how can I expect my brothers to respect me in the future?"
"Besides, we already made a deal. Afterward, this Boss Jia went back on it. A person like him has no integrity. If I sell to him this time, who knows if he won’t just bring them back to me again someday!"
"It’s better not to do business like this. Stop trying to persuade me, all of you. You should head back now."
Jia Xin sneered. "Hmph, Zhao Dong, you’ve chosen the hard way. Brothers, listen up! If we don’t get any pigs today, smash this place up!"
Instantly, the retainers under his command surged forward. Chaos was imminent.
Zhao Dong’s expression turned grim. He stood blocking the doorway and roared, "Who dares?!"
Then, pointing to the plaque above the main gate, he declared with imposing authority, "This plaque was bestowed by the Emperor! You dare to act presumptuously before a plaque bestowed by the Emperor? That is disrespect to His Majesty, a capital offense punishable by beheading!"
His words had a stunning deterrent effect. The retainers froze, looking left and right, none daring to advance.
Even the arrogant and domineering Jia Xin faltered. They had all heard that Zhao Village had received an imperially bestowed plaque. No matter how audacious he was, he truly didn’t dare to touch an imperial plaque.
In the end, he could only utter some harsh words before turning and fleeing with his tail between his legs.
The other merchants, having received their pigs and seeing there was no more spectacle to watch, also took their leave one after another.
Shi Tou spat forcefully in Jia Xin’s direction. "Brother Dong, that was truly satisfying! HAHA, people like that deserve no better."
The other villagers all voiced their agreement. Zhao Dong smiled at the crowd. "Alright, everyone head home. It’s getting dark."
Everyone bid farewell to Zhao Dong, clutching their copper coins, and returned home joyfully.
After this incident of returning the pigs, the villagers who had originally sided with Mrs. Zheng and her group began to distance themselves. Furthermore, quite a few villagers went to the Zhao Family to apologize and to thank Zhao Dong for helping them get their pigs back.
Thus, without suffering any loss, the Zhao Family won the hearts of many villagers and solidified their standing within Zhao Village.
「 」
After this, apart from the households of Mrs. Zheng and Mrs. Wang, which were often thrown into an uproar by hunger, most other homes in the village returned to tranquility.
As the weather gradually turned colder, the year was also drawing to a close.
Grandmother’s peony flower business flourished more and more.
After that, Younger Uncle, Sun Youli, teamed up with Uncle to clear another mu of wasteland next to the peony field.
Uncle’s strength was no exaggeration; he truly was an excellent worker.
With his help, the time taken to clear the second mu of land was a full half shorter than for the first mu.
The peony cuttings had now been planted, just waiting for the next growing season.
However, apart from the day Zhao Zhitong went to see the peony cuttings being planted and helped with some watering, she was hardly involved in the subsequent work.
During those days, she was busy learning acupuncture from Sun Kang.
Zhao Dong had even bought her a set of silver needles. She treasured them immensely, carrying them to school every day, which thoroughly frightened her three friends.
They were terrified that Zhao Zhitong would practice on them, just as she had when learning pulse diagnosis...
Fortunately, Zhao Zhitong didn’t. Instead, she drew a human figure on paper, marking it with numerous black dots. She used this for practice in her spare time.
However, this unexpectedly attracted someone: Wei Zijian, the son of Country Gentry Wei.
This naughty child, spoiled by his mother, had seemed to flip a switch after Zhao Zhitong scolded him at the County Government Office. He actually started listening to what Zhao Zhitong said.
Now, seeing Zhao Zhitong drawing on the paper, he grew very curious and started sticking close to her every day to watch.
Seeing his son suddenly show an interest in learning and spending time with Qiao Muchen and Zhao Zhitong, Country Gentry Wei was overjoyed.
What he didn’t realize, however, was that his son wasn’t studying classical texts with them; he was purely interested in the silver needles Zhao Zhitong held.