Chapter 145: Chapter 145: The Village Chief Isn’t an Official, But He’s in Charge of Plenty
"It’s nothing." He originally wanted to ask about buying the hillside, but the village chief’s antics instantly drained all his enthusiasm.
"If it’s nothing, then I’ll head back first. If you need anything, just come to me. As long as I can help, I’ll definitely lend a hand. Don’t be too polite!"
Watching the village chief’s retreating figure, Lin Shanshui walked back to the room in a dejected manner.
"Pah, what a damn piece of work! All he does is flaunt his power because he’s the village chief, not even mindful to accumulate some virtue with a bunch of kids at home!"
Mrs. Jiang waited until the village chief was out of the doorway before spat towards it, muttering a few curses.
"Alright, after all, we’ve got to call him Uncle. No matter how wrong he is, it’s not our place as juniors to question him." Actually, if it weren’t for being a man himself, Lin Shanshui wished he could curse out a few lines to vent his frustration.
"Elder, my foot. Take a look at his behavior, don’t sully the word ’elder’!" Mrs. Jiang said, then turned to ask him, "So what do you plan to do about this?"
"What else can we do? Didn’t you hear what the village chief said? If we can’t pull it off, it just means we aren’t trying hard enough!" The more Lin Shanshui thought about it, the more bothered he felt. "I originally planned for Niannian to subtly mention it when visiting Young Master Nan. Whether or not Young Master Nan agrees, it’s not our concern. But now, it seems like I’ll have to personally go over and talk to him. Just hope Young Master Nan is open-minded and doesn’t pressure me like the village chief does, or I’d be stuck in a dilemma."
Lin Shanshui stepped out, only to see Gu Nian standing in the yard looking at him.
Seeing his most beloved daughter, Lin Shanshui’s mood lightened a bit, "Niannian, stay home and play for now. I’m heading out to handle some stuff."
"Dad, are you really going to ask Young Master Nan as the village chief told you to?" Gu Nian inquired.
"What else can I do? The strong dragon can’t suppress the local snake. The village chief has been ruling over our village with a heavy hand for quite a while. Though Young Master Nan can temporarily back us up, no one knows how long he’ll stay in the village. Provoking the village chief now might not be a concern, but Young Master Nan will eventually leave. What should we do then?"
"Our family hasn’t made any big mistakes. Even if he becomes offended, he’s not going to drive us out of the village, right?" In Gu Nian’s eyes, a mere village chief, who doesn’t even count as an official, can’t possibly dominate everything.
Lin Shanshui chuckled bitterly, "See, this is where you being young comes into play. You don’t understand these intricacies. The village chief may not be an official, but he controls quite a few things. Take the grain tax we pay annually. The first checkpoint is inspected by the village chief. If he deliberately acts up, with a single ’not qualified,’ our family will have to redo everything, losing some grain isn’t the worst part. There’s also conscription for military service, which cannot bypass the village chief’s approval!"
Otherwise, why is it that, despite everyone farming, no one else can build a house, just the village chief’s family manages to build a house with green bricks and large tiles?
Under the village chief’s name, he hasn’t hesitated to profiteer from such situations.
Gu Nian isn’t one to suffer in silence, unless the opposition is overwhelming enough that she must endure the loss.
But evidently, such a small village chief is far from qualifying.
Gu Nian’s eyes twinkled, and she came up with an idea, "Dad, since you aren’t well-acquainted with Nan, why don’t I talk to him? I’m more familiar with him, so it might be easier to communicate, right?"
"Are you sure?" Lin Shanshui hesitated, "The village chief’s matter hasn’t been resolved yet. Make sure you don’t offend Young Master Nan!"