Village Chief Sun’s gaze sank as he heard these words. A lowly girl who sought refuge from a famine dared to undermine his dignity . He is the village chief, in charge of all matters big and small in several neighboring villages. Whoever dares to offend him shouldn’t expect to live a peaceful life afterward! However, Village Chief Sun had his own concerns. After all, the Gu Family was not without powerful backing, under the protection of Lord County Captain. Besides, the Gu Family had visited the Prefecture and even connected with official families there; this backing was something he could not match. Village Chief Sun felt envious. What kind of luck did the Gu Family have? Why couldn’t his Sun Family have such good fortune?! "Village chief, what should we do?" whispered the man in his forties dressed in a blue cloth shirt. Village Chief Sun had not become the village chief by being stupid; he knew about the Gu Family’s close relationship with County Captain Jiang’s family, and he also knew about the Lu Family’s significant loss to the Gu Family. But he had come prepared today. Village Chief Sun’s hands, clasped behind his back, moved slightly, and an old man dressed in patched warm clothes stepped forward, bowed to Gu Jinli and said, "Young child, you misunderstand. Today, Village Chief Sun came to Gu’s Workshop to ask for tofu and spices because we forced him to." The old man wiped away tears and said, "The several villages nearby are all poor; families can only farm or do hard labor to make money, and the silver coin they earn is barely enough to feed their families. If someone in the family gets sick, then the whole family has to go hungry, let alone providing for adult men to marry and build houses..." "When we learned that you made tofu and spices, we thought these products could make money, so we shamelessly begged Village Chief Sun, asking him to mediate with your workshop, to have your workshop sell the tofu and spices to us." "Village Chief Sun was forced by us to do this; he brought us here with no choice. Don’t be angry, it’s all our fault, these old men’s fault, it has nothing to do with Village Chief Sun." Gu Jinli laughed, so they had indeed come prepared, switching from tough talk to a sob story? "So, because you are poor, others should provide for you?" Gu Jinli said bluntly: "Go and ask around within ten miles and eight villages, has any family ever begged for help from others just because they were too poor?" "Besides, our families are not rich ones; the real rich ones are County Magistrate Zou’s family, the large households in the county, the officials’ families in the prefecture, and even the Lu Family is richer than our families. If you’re looking for aid, go ask them, don’t crowd around our workshop’s gate." Damn it, did they really think they could get their way by crying a few tears? Wanna force a sale or take over our Gu’s Workshop? No way! The old man was stunned; he hadn’t expected Gu Jinli to speak such words. No matter what, he was an old man, had dressed himself scruffily on purpose, and here he was begging and crying, yet she didn’t soften even a bit? Liang Zhuzi was leading some villagers to pick up tofu and saw the crowd around Gu’s Workshop’s gate, so he did not enter but stood outside watching. After hearing what the old man said, he couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh: "Uncle Village Chief, your son Old Si just went to town yesterday and brought back lots of good stuff, with three bolts of cotton cloth alone, and he bragged in the village that it’s for making your spring clothes. What’s happening now? Old Si didn’t make you new clothes, making you go out in patched warm clothes? That’s unfilial." "This won’t do; I will report this to the officials for you and accuse Fourth Son Liang of the crime of being unfilial, having him exiled for military service!" In Great Chu, as in the former dynasty, governing the country with filial piety was emphasized, and unfilial sons and daughters could face severe punishment. The elder who spoke was none other than the village chief of Lianghe Village. Hearing these words, he panicked, hastily turned around, and barked at Liang Zhuzi: "What nonsensical gibberish are you spouting? When has my Fourth Son ever been unfilial?" Liang Zhuzi put down his burden, strode over, and tugged at Village Chief Liang’s warm clothes: "Your fourth son wears new cotton clothes, yet leaves you in these ragged ones—is that not unfilial?" "Everyone, come take a look, here is the evidence of Fourth Son Liang’s rebelliousness and lack of filial piety," Liang Zhuzi called out to a few villagers of Lianghe Village who had come to pick up their goods: "We are people of Lianghe Village, we can’t stand by and watch our village chief suffer. Even if it means not doing business today, we must seek justice for the village chief." "That’s right, we can’t let the village chief be mistreated by Liang’s fourth son. Let’s accompany the village chief to report this to the officials and sue that Fourth Son Liang to death!" said the villagers of Lianghe Village. Village Chief Liang was flustered and quickly retrieved his clothes, shouting at Liang Zhuzi: "Zhuzi, you heartless thing, what crazy drivel are you spouting? My family is just poor, everyone’s clothes are patched up. My fourth son isn’t unfilial at all." When Liang Zhuzi heard Village Chief Liang’s words, he looked at the village chief with extreme disappointment: "Uncle village chief, how have you become ?" Village Chief Liang had no special talent, but he was a decent man who would not deliberately trouble the villagers or skimp on their grain and silver. Yet today, Village Chief Liang followed Village Chief Sun to Gu’s Workshop, doing such a thing as to force-buy tofu and spices. This tofu and spices belonged to the Gu Family, who has the freedom to sell to whomever they wish. For them to forcibly buy is an affront—what does that make them? Bullies? Village Chief Liang, his face flushing with shame upon hearing these words, hurriedly pulled Liang Zhuzi aside and pleaded in a whisper, "Zhuzi, I didn’t want to come today either, but Village Chief Sun said all the village chiefs from the nearby five villages had to be here, and those who didn’t come would have nowhere to hide." "You also know about our village, it’s poor. Although I’m the village chief, I don’t have any powerful backing and can’t withstand Village Chief Sun’s manipulation." Liang Zhuzi was distantly related to Village Chief Liang and knew the chief’s character—he wasn’t one of those evil men who would bully the villagers. "But why did you say those words just before? To use such miserable coercion against the Gu Family?" With a face full of bitterness, Village Chief Liang said, "Do you think I wanted to say those offensive things? It’s just that I’m the thinnest and oldest, I look the most pitiful." Village Chief Sun had said he looked the most wretched, so he was told to say those miserable words as people were more likely to believe them. An enraged Liang Zhuzi said: "Then why didn’t you come and tell us first? By causing such a scene with them, will the Gu Family still provide us with tofu and spices? Uncle village chief, are you trying to cut off our families’ livelihood?" If it weren’t for the kinship of sharing the same village and the bonds of distant relations, Liang Zhuzi would have really felt like beating Village Chief Liang up. Village Chief Liang, having been yelled at, also had tears welling up in his eyes: "Do you think I didn’t want to let you know in advance? But last night none of us managed to get home, Village Chief Sun..." Village Chief Liang glanced over towards Village Chief Sun and said in an even lower voice, "Village Chief Sun feared we might back out on the way, so after inviting us to his place for drinks last night, we weren’t allowed to return to the village. Early this morning before dawn, he gathered us to come here to Da Feng Village." Village Chief Liang felt very aggrieved. Though poor, he had never done anything truly bad in his life. Today was the worst thing he had done, and to be exposed and scolded in front of his own people, he had lost all face.