Chapter 21

The Min River rushes swiftly, surrounded by mountains on all sides. It is only when it reaches the upper reaches of Hongtang that the water flow becomes gentler, and after many years, a large piece of land has been formed in the middle of the river. The fields here are regarded as the lifeline by the people of the two villages, and they are developed to the utmost extent, with no idle land, hence the frequent disputes.

Logically, the Xie surname is not the dominant one in this area, and in terms of population, it is less than the Lin surname in the neighboring village. In a place where there is no law to speak of, having more male members is the way to go. The Xie family should not be able to compete with the Lin family. However, a few years ago, a young man from the Xie family in Miaofeng passed the imperial examination and became a juren, and the entire Xie family rose with him. Now, they are even suppressing the Hongshan Village.

Lin Yanchao, wearing straw shoes, ran along the village's field paths.

When he reached the embankment at the village entrance, he saw people everywhere by the water channel. There were more people on the east side, who seemed to be from Hongshan Village, and fewer on the west side, who were likely from Miaofeng Village. Seeing the people on both sides standing and shouting at each other, Lin Yanchao felt a bit relieved, as it meant they hadn't started fighting yet.

As he walked a few more steps, he saw the elders from both villages in the middle trying to mediate, which made him even more confident.

Since the village elders were involved, the fight was unlikely to break out. It would probably just be a verbal battle, followed by a discussion of the losses, and then everyone would disperse.

Lin Yanchao felt even more at ease and boldly walked into the crowd. The villagers were all tough men who, despite their usual humble and hardworking demeanor, would not back down when it came to land and water rights. If not for the elders from both sides mediating, they would have probably started fighting long ago.

Conflicts over land disputes between the two villages were not new. Villagers always sided with their relatives, not with reason. A group of tough men were standing with their necks stiff, cursing at each other, giving Lin Yanchao a good taste of the depth and breadth of Min dialect.

As a young boy, Lin Yanchao was not noticeable in the crowd, and the adults didn't pay much attention to him. However, he overheard a few adults discussing the matter.

It turned out that yesterday, the third son of the Xie family's head, had opened a gap in Hongshan Village's water channel to irrigate his own fields. Not only that, he had also taken a large piece of land, causing a part of Hongshan Village's riverbank to dry up and destroying the best clam bed in Lin Village.

The clam bed was a riverbed where clams were raised. During the peak season, one could easily catch five to seven baskets of clams, which not only supplied the village but could also be sold in the city. Destroying Hongshan Village's clam bed was like cutting off the villagers' livelihood, which is why they were so angry.

Amidst the chaos, someone shouted, "Xie Laohu is here!"

Suddenly, the villagers fell silent.

Lin Yanchao looked over and saw a group of people walking along the embankment. The leader was a man in his forties, undoubtedly the head of the Xie family. He walked with his hands behind his back, and a dozen men dressed like ruffians followed behind him.

The besieged Xie family members immediately stood up straighter.

A village head was like a god in the surrounding area.

Lin Yanchao had read this in a book: the power of the world flows from top to bottom. Above the village head are the county magistrate, the prefect, the provincial governor, and the six ministers, with the emperor at the top. The administrative levels are village, county, prefecture, and province, with the village head, county magistrate, prefect, and provincial governor forming the hierarchy.

Although the village head is the smallest administrative unit, he serves the emperor and has six powers: 1) to oversee the ten households, 2) to collect taxes, 3) to handle public affairs, 4) to assign labor, 5) to collect taxes for the emperor, and 6) to manage the transportation of grain.

Lin Yanchao had dealt with the village head, Zhang Zongjia, a few times at the Hongtang community school. In Qinghua Village, there were families like the Zhangs who had produced officials for four generations. Even though Zhang Zongjia was the village head, his influence was not as strong as that of the official families, and village matters were not decided by him. Therefore, he usually greeted people with a smile and acted as a mediator.

However, in Yong'an Village, except for the Xie family in Miaofeng, no other village had anyone with an official title. Xie Zongjia was known for his brutality and tyranny. He was the one who handled tax collection and other matters without any leniency, earning him the nickname "Xie Laohu."

Lin Yanchao observed Xie Zongjia, who bore some resemblance to his mother. He had heard that Xie Zongjia was once a hot-tempered young man, but after a member of the Xie family passed the imperial examination, Xie Laohu gained favor with the government and became the village head, which somewhat tempered his temper. However, he still favored the Xie family and the villagers of Miaofeng, causing dissatisfaction among the people of other villages.

"Xie Zongjia, it was your third son who destroyed our village's clam bed."

"Do you need to say that? Didn't our village head see it?"

"It's just borrowing some water and land. We'll fill it back in. What's the fuss about?" the Xie family members shouted.

Xie Zongjia raised his head and shouted, "Old Three, did you do this?"

"Father, yes, but..." Xie's third son admitted.

"You scoundrel." Xie Zongjia cursed and kicked his son off the embankment. The crowd quickly helped Xie's third son up, but he was covered in mud.

"Since you've destroyed someone's property, you should pay for it. The Xie family can afford the money, but we can't afford the loss of face. I, Xie Laohu, am respected by the villagers and serve the court. I can't let the villagers point at my back and say I'm unfair."

What! Xie Laohu had actually changed his ways.

Xie's third son looked miserable and said, "Yes, yes."

Several elders from Hongshan Village quickly said, "Xie Zongjia, we all respect you. Old Three did it unintentionally. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared, let's all go home and not delay the farming work."

The people of Hongshan Village thought it was a good outcome and were about to leave when Xie Zongjia squinted his eyes and moved his lips.

"Hold it! Did I say you could leave?"

The crowd stopped, and the elders from Hongshan Village smiled and said, "Xie Zongjia, do you have any other instructions?"

Xie Zongjia narrowed his eyes and said, "Old Uncle Lin, the autumn flood is coming, and the Min River will soon overflow. I received a notice from the government to increase the number of dam workers to patrol the river. Your village's embankment must not have any problems. This time, your village must provide at least twenty men as dam workers."

The elders quickly replied, "Where will we find so many people? The dam workers have to be on the embankment all day. The autumn flood is coming, and the harvest is also approaching. What if the farming work is delayed?"

"You fools, you have no foresight," Xie Zongjia scolded. "If the embankment breaks and the water floods in, will the rice be harvestable? If your village is flooded, will you let the entire Yong'an Village be flooded too? Who is being unreasonable here?"

The elders' faces turned red, and they pleaded, "Xie Zongjia, please be lenient. Twenty dam workers are too many for our village. Why don't we let all the villages in the area take turns? That way, everyone benefits."

Xie Zongjia bent down and squatted on the field ridge. "You fool, you're being clever. The embankment is in your village. Do you want people from other villages to stay on your embankment? Will you provide food and lodging? Even if you do, will they agree? If you can manage it, then you can be the village head."

One of the elders, seeing Xie Zongjia's relentless approach, said, "Xie Zongjia, you're being too tyrannical."

Xie Zongjia's face turned red. "Tyrannical? Which eye do you see me being tyrannical? If I were tyrannical, would I kick my own son into the ditch and make him apologize? You old fool, if you anger me, you'll have to patrol the embankment yourself."

Xie Zongjia's authority intimidated the elder, who dared not say more.

Another elder tried to mediate. "Village head, this is sudden. I'll find Lin Gaozhe and discuss it with him before giving you an answer. Is that okay?"

Lin Gaozhe was one of the most capable people in Lin Village and was related to Xie Zongjia. Although there had been recent conflicts, they were not irreconcilable. The elder hoped that Lin Gaozhe could help ease the situation. However, he didn't realize that Xie Zongjia now hated Lin Gaozhe intensely.

"Lin Gaozhe? He's like a clay Buddha crossing a river, barely able to save himself! Don't waste time. No matter what, if your village is short one dam worker, I'll skin you alive." Xie Zongjia sneered.

Xie Zongjia's tyranny frightened the elders of Hongtang Village, and the other men in the village dared not speak up.

At that moment, a clear and loud voice rang out.

"Xie Zongjia, if you have any issues, address them to my grandfather. Don't use public affairs to settle personal grudges and make life difficult for my fellow villagers!"

Xie Zongjia shouted, "Who's talking behind my back? If you have the guts, come out and face me."

Lin Yanchao stepped forward from the crowd and glared at Xie Zongjia.

"It's you, you brat. Your grandfather wouldn't dare speak to me like that. What are you, anyway? Go back and suck your foster wife's milk." Xie Zongjia laughed, and the Xie family members joined in. After his mother was expelled from the family, anyone who complained to Xie Zongjia was accused of being manipulated by Lin Yanchao. However, Xie Zongjia didn't believe that a twelve-year-old could come up with such a plan, thinking it was an exaggeration.

But today, he saw the boy's strength. Xie Zongjia had planned to use the dam workers to target the people of Hongshan Village, and he had more severe plans for the Lin family. However, the boy's words linked the two issues, making it seem like Xie Zongjia was retaliating against the entire village because of his conflict with the Lin family.

This made the entire village stand with the Lin family against him.

Lin Yanchao showed no anger at Xie Zongjia's insults and just stared at him coldly. Xie Zongjia felt uneasy under Lin Yanchao's gaze, thinking that the boy was not to be underestimated. A less brave person would not have dared to stare him down.

"What are you, anyway? And what am I? As the village head, you ignore the law, allow your son to alter the water channel, take land, and destroy people's livelihoods. This is breaking the law! I ask you, can you say you are not at fault?"

Lin Yanchao pointed at Xie Zongjia's nose and accused him.

It had been a long time since anyone in Yong'an Village had dared to confront Xie Laohu like this. Xie Laohu's veins bulged, and he was furious.