Chapter 4

"Call someone? Young Master, why are you calling someone?" Shunbao scratched his head in confusion, looking at the sullen Yuezhang. By all logic, shouldn't this matter be reported to the old lady, and then someone sent to the yamen to report to the magistrate, waiting for the yamen to mediate?

"What for, of course to prepare for a fight. Do you think we're going to invite them for a meal!" Yuezhang glared at Shunbao.

"What? A fight..."

This time, not only Shunbao, but even the Linglong sisters were stunned. Three pairs of eyes looked at Yuezhang in unison. Before this, they never would have thought that the young master of the Yue family, known for his gentle and mild manner, would say the word "fight" without changing his expression. Is this still the young master of the Yue family, known throughout the entire Wulizhai for his gentle and friendly demeanor?

Seeing the three of them staring at him in a daze, Yuezhang touched his nose and asked somewhat strangely, "Why are you all looking at me? Didn't you hear what I said? Shunbao, go call people quickly. Linglong, help me change clothes, hurry up!"

"Uh..." Seeing Yuezhang's calm but determined expression, Shunbao finally realized that his young master wasn't joking. He swallowed and immediately ran off, knowing he should report this to the old lady first.

After Shunbao left, the Linglong sisters hurriedly followed Yuezhang into the house to help him wash and change clothes. One of them brought a towel and washing water, while the other brought Yuezhang's clothes. However, they seemed somewhat distracted, and Yulong kept sneaking glances at Yuezhang, as if he were some rare object.

"Yulong, what are you looking at? Hurry up and bring the clothes over." Seeing Yulong's beautiful big eyes staring at him, her delicate and cute little face flushed with a mysterious red, looking especially alluring, Yuezhang forcibly suppressed the urge to kiss her. He gently pulled on the twin braids on Yulong's little head.

"Ugh, Young Master, you're so annoying! My hair took my sister a long time to fix." Yulong gave Yuezhang a glare, which, combined with her cute expression and fair skin, made her look even more adorable. Since the Linglong sisters were assigned to Yuezhang by the old lady, in the ten days they had been serving him, they found that Yuezhang was indeed as gentle as people said. He never hit or scolded the servants, especially the Linglong sisters, and was very easy-going. Even when they made mistakes, he rarely scolded them, at most just patting their heads, so Yulong gradually became more casual around Yuezhang.

After Yuezhang finished washing and dressing, he just stepped out of the courtyard gate when he saw the old lady, supported by two maids and accompanied by Shunbao, hurrying toward his courtyard. Yuezhang knew at a glance that Shunbao had reported to her. He glared at Shunbao and quickly went to meet her. For this old lady who truly cared for him, Yuezhang respected her from the bottom of his heart.

"Grandma, why did you come over?"

The old lady stopped, panting from the rush. "Grandson, Grandma heard from Shunbao that you're going to take people to the river to confront the Wang family?"

"Yes, Grandma!" Yuezhang nodded. "The Wang family is too overbearing. The Sanggan River is the lifeline of Wulizhai. If we just watch them divert the water, it will affect the harvest of tens of thousands of acres of good farmland in Wulizhai. And don't forget, the Li and Lin families are watching us. If we back down, I guarantee they will immediately demand to divert water from the Sanggan River. What will we do then? Agree or not? If we agree, not only will our Yue family village suffer, but the entire Wulizhai will have no harvest, and many people will starve to death."

Seeing Yuezhang speak so eloquently, not only the old lady but also Shunbao, the Linglong sisters, and the surrounding servants and maids looked at him with strange eyes. Is this still the former bookish scholar who only knew how to recite books? Is this still the young master of the Yue family who believed in the principle of 'a gentleman uses words, not fists'?

After a long time, the old lady sighed, looking at Yuezhang with a hint of satisfaction. "Grandma was worried that your character was too weak, and you would suffer greatly when she's gone. Now Grandma sees that my dear grandson has grown up, and I can rest easy! What you said is right. Since your parents passed away, the attitude of those three families toward us has gotten worse. In the past few months, they have even proposed to buy our Yue family village's land. This land has been accumulated by the Yue family ancestors over hundreds of years. If we sell it to others, I will have no face to meet the Yue family ancestors in the afterlife." As she spoke, the old lady's anger was evident, and her body trembled slightly.

Yuezhang quickly supported the old lady and comforted her. "Grandma, don't worry. I will take people to support Master Hu. If the Wang family dares to act forcefully, we won't be afraid. If they want to take our water, they must first ask the people of Wulizhai if they agree!" As he spoke, a fierce expression appeared on his face.

The Sanggan River is located to the northeast of Wulizhai. For thousands of years, the mighty river has not only irrigated tens of thousands of acres of farmland on both banks but also divided into several tributaries, nurturing the fields for hundreds of miles around. Today, on the east bank of the Sanggan River, a few miles from Wulizhai, over a thousand farmers and tenants from Wulizhai, armed with hoes and sticks, faced off against hundreds of people from the lower reaches of the Hun River. The atmosphere was extremely tense, with a sense of imminent conflict.

In the center of the confrontation, a young man wearing a square headband and a white silk robe, with an ordinary appearance but a sinister look in his eyes, sneered at a middle-aged man with a full beard and a robust build. "Hu Lao San, I'll be straightforward with you. Today, you must agree to dig the canal. If you don't, we will dig it anyway! This canal, I am determined to dig today!"

"You dare!" Hu Lao San shouted, his voice like a thunderclap. He glared and said, "Second Young Master Wang, I respect you as the second young master of the Wang family, so I give you three points of respect. But if you insist on digging the canal here, you must first ask the people behind me if they agree!"

Wang Er's face first showed a look of disdain, then he shouted loudly, "Hmph, what can you do if you don't agree? You Wulizhai control the upstream water of the Sanggan River, so you don't have to worry about water. But have you thought about how the people living downstream survive?

Last month, the water in the Hun River had already run dry, and tens of thousands of acres of farmland are withering due to lack of water. The fields are about to crack, and the rice is about to wither. What are we supposed to do? Without a harvest, are we supposed to watch the people starve to death? I, Wang Chenglin, may not be talented, but today I will also seek justice for the people!"

"Good!"

"Second Young Master, what you said is right. We need to live, so we must dig the canal!"

Wang Chenglin's words stirred the emotions of the ten or so servants and hundreds of people behind him, who all shouted in support.

On the other side, Hu Lao San was speechless. As the head of the guards at Yue family village, if it came to a fight, Hu Lao San had never been afraid of anyone. But when it came to arguing, he was no match for Wang Chenglin, a scholar. Wang Chenglin's few words left him speechless. Although he knew something was wrong with what Wang Chenglin said, he couldn't pinpoint what it was. He was so flustered that he broke out in a cold sweat and could only stammer, "You... you're lying? That... that river belongs to Wulizhai, to our Yue family village, and we can't give it to you!"

"Ha ha..." Seeing Hu Lao San's stammering, Wang Chenglin laughed triumphantly, pulling out a folding fan from his sleeve and opening it with a snap. After fanning himself a few times, he put it away and pointed at Hu Lao San, saying, "Hu Lao San, you may be an uneducated brute, but you should at least understand basic right and wrong. Can you really watch as tens of thousands of acres of farmland wither and thousands of people starve to death? How cruel you are!"

"You... you..." Hu Lao San, who was not good with words, was now even more flustered, his face turning purple as he struggled to speak.

"Ha ha ha..." Wang Chenglin laughed triumphantly, raising his hand and shouting, "People, look, they have nothing to say. Let's dig the canal and divert the water!"

"People, let's go!"

As Wang Chenglin spoke, the ten or so servants and hundreds of ragged people behind him raised their hoes and shovels and rushed forward to break the riverbank and divert the water. Hu Lao San tried to stop them but was blocked by Wang Chenglin and his ten or so servants.

Wang Chenglin sneered at Hu Lao San, "Hu Lao San, I'll tell you, I am a scholar with a degree. If you dare to touch me, I can report to the yamen and have you punished for insulting a scholar! Come on, come and hit me! I want to see who dares to touch me!"

Seeing Wang Chenglin's aggressive stance, Hu Lao San really didn't dare to touch him. After all, Wang Chenglin was a scholar, and scholars had privileges. For example, they could receive a small salary, be exempt from agricultural taxes and corvée, and not have to kneel before county officials. They could also carry a long sword and travel around the country (under the guise of studying). More importantly, if a commoner attacked a scholar, it was a serious crime, and the yamen would impose a heavy sentence.

Just as Hu Lao San was at a loss, a voice rang out beside him, "I dare to touch you!"

PS: Please recommend and follow!