HCB Chapter 273: Sneaky
Chapter 273: Sneaky
Grandma Zhang smiled and declined, "Oh, no, no, I can't accept this cake."
Xiuying quickly said, "Grandma, please don't refuse. This is nothing. You have come up with such a good idea for our village. This is what we should do." Xiuying stuffed the cake into Grandma Zhang's hand.
The next morning, just as the eastern sky was beginning to turn pale, villagers who had signed up to help build the wall began to gather under the old locust tree. The crowd was bustling, full of anticipation and enthusiasm.
You know, there are 350 households in Futian Village, and each household sent a representative, including men, women, young and old, all of them are in high spirits. Only the people from Zhao Cunliang's family have not arrived yet.
Xiuying stood in the crowd and called out a few capable women. She said, "Sisters, thank you for your hard work. Go to the mountain to pick Polygonum aviculare. Yesterday, Grandma Zhang told me a recipe. Mix the Polygonum aviculare with other ingredients and apply it to the stones. This will make the wall stronger."
"I still have quite a bit of lime and copper oil left over from when we were renovating our house. I'll have Wang Daya bring some people over to get it. Let's hurry up and get all the materials ready so we can start construction soon."
Xiuying was about to tell Mrs. Sun to make the glutinous rice juice when Zhao Cunliang hurried over with Zhou Xiaoxiong, urging them as they walked: "Hurry up, hurry up!"
Zhao Cunliang looked hurried, with beads of sweat on his forehead, and he pulled Zhou Xiaoxiong's hand very tightly.
The village chief saw this scene, frowned and said, "Zhao Cunliang, why did you bring the little bear here?"
There was a hint of dissatisfaction in the village chief's tone, and he stared at Zhao Cunliang sternly.
Zhao Cunliang chuckled and said, "I'm here to help!"
The village chief's face was gloomy. He snorted coldly and said, "There are two families in the village who are exempted from labor to repair the wall. One is Ma Ergun's family, because Ma Caifeng is in trouble and needs someone to take care of her. The other is Zhou Xiaoxiong's family. Xiaoxiong is young and has lost his parents. You know that!"
"Village chief, you see, this child is not a child anymore. It's better to help him in any way you can. He can't eat the village's food for free, right?" Zhao Cunliang said with a smug look on his face, his eyes rolling around.
Zhou Xiaoxiong stood aside, with his head lowered, his lips tightly bitten, and his little hands nervously tugging at the corner of his clothes.
The village chief's face turned pale. He pointed at Zhao Cunliang and said, "Zhao Cunliang, don't think I don't know what you're up to! Don't think you can get away with it by bringing Little Bear here. I know everything!"
The village chief was so angry that his beard was shaking. "Even if we let Little Bear participate, he can only represent the Zhou family! Your family must contribute all the effort they should. If you still want to be cunning and not contribute, the wall will go around your house. If anything goes wrong, don't blame us!" The village chief warned sternly.
"I tell you, Zhao Cunliang, our village built this wall for everyone's safety, not for you to take shortcuts! If you still have a conscience, go back and call your family to work!" The village chief became more and more excited, and the blue veins on his forehead bulged.
When Zhao Cunliang saw that his thoughts were seen through, his face turned pale and he turned around to go back and call Dafu.
At this moment, Aunt Li rushed forward and shouted to him, "Zhao Cunliang, stop right there!"
Aunt Li put her hands on her hips, her eyebrows raised, and her aura seemed to be able to freeze Zhao Cunliang in place.
Zhao Cunliang was startled by the sudden shout, his body trembling, and he stammered, "Did I...did I offend you?"
Aunt Li stepped forward, grabbed Zhao Cunliang's sleeve, glared at him, and said, "Zhao Cunliang, look at what you've done! What kind of clothes did you put on Little Bear? They're so tattered, like a beggar! When Hongmei was here, Little Bear wore coarse cotton clothes. They were spotless, without a single hole!"
"You are so heartless! Little Bear is pitiful enough because he lost his parents. You took him in but didn't treat him well. Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?" Aunt Li's eyes were blazing with anger.
Zhao Cunliang was speechless. He lowered his head and muttered, "I...my family is also in financial difficulty."
Aunt Li stared at Zhao Cunliang with wide eyes and asked sternly, "Where are Xiao Xiong's old clothes? You must explain it to me today!"
Aunt Li's eyes were like two sharp arrows, as if they could see through Zhao Cunliang's heart.
Zhao Cunliang's eyes wandered, and he hesitated for a long time without being able to explain clearly: "This...this...I...I don't know either."
Cold sweat broke out on Zhao Cunliang's forehead, and he kept rubbing the corners of his clothes with his hands.
Just at this moment, Tian Guilan came in a hurry with great wealth and honor.
She hurried along the way, thinking to herself: Zhao Cunliang took the little bear away for ages and still hasn't returned. He must have been harassed by those jealous villagers again. Humph, this time I'll show Zhao Cunliang who's the idiot.
"I want to see who is bullying our head of the family!" Tian Guilan shouted at the top of her voice before she even got close.
When she got closer and saw the scene clearly, she was even more furious. She put her hands on her hips and shouted at Aunt Li, "Oh, who did I think it was? It turns out to be Aunt Li. What's going on? You want to meddle in our family affairs too?"
Tian Guilan crossed her arms, raised her chin, and said to Aunt Li provocatively, "Humph, Aunt Li, isn't it just building a wall? Our family has two sons, and we'll be rich and powerful! Who can blame me for having so many sons? Unlike some people who only have a daughter, who's of no use to them!"
Tian Guilan's face was full of pride, her eyes revealed contempt, and her tone was sarcastic and harsh.
"Our son is strong and healthy, he can do the work of two people! Unlike your family, where the girl can do nothing?" Tian Guilan became more and more excited as she spoke, her voice rising eight octaves. As she spoke, she pointed with her fingers and spit flew everywhere.
"I'm telling you, Aunt Li, stop meddling in other people's business. It's not your turn to meddle in our family affairs!"
Tian Guilan glared at Aunt Li fiercely, as if she wanted to eat Aunt Li alive.
Sharp-eyed Mrs. Sun immediately noticed the clothes Dafu and Dagui were wearing. She widened her eyes in surprise and raised her voice, saying, "Oh my! Isn't this the clothes Hongmei made for Xiaoxiong? How did Dafu and Dagui wear them?"
Mrs. Sun's face was full of disbelief. She pointed at the clothes on Dafu Dagui and her voice was full of anger.
"I remember this dress clearly. When it was being made, Hongmei was not in good health, so I was the one who sewed the edges!" Mrs. Sun said as she took a few steps forward, staring at the dress, as if wanting to make sure she was not seeing things.
"At that time, I advised Hongmei not to work too hard and to take good care of herself, but she insisted on making new clothes for Xiaoxiong. I didn't expect that the clothes would be worn by someone else now!" Mrs. Sun became more and more excited as she spoke.