CHAPTER 1017: CHAPTER 1015: THOSE MATTERS IN YINGZI GULLY

After they left, the chicken soup was finally brought in, filling the room with a fragrant aroma.

Wang Yongzhu couldn’t help but swallow her saliva. She hadn’t eaten meat for several months, avoiding meat and fish, and she was craving it.

She ladled a bowl of soup for Old Granny Zhang, motioning for her to drink quickly.

Old Granny Zhang felt sorry for her daughter. "Why don’t you secretly take a few sips, daughter? After all, it’s just us two, and no one will know. Besides, filial piety isn’t measured by a few sips of chicken soup. When I’m gone, you don’t have to mourn for three years. Wouldn’t that wear you out? Just a hundred days to show your respect is enough. How could a mother bear to see you go without meat?"

As she spoke, she fed the chicken soup towards Wang Yongzhu’s mouth.

Wang Yongzhu resisted the damn temptation of the chicken soup, "Mother, you drink it. I need to go talk to the shopkeeper about some matters."

She hurriedly went downstairs, afraid that if she didn’t leave, she would end up drinking the whole pot of chicken soup.

Downstairs, her confidant was already waiting by the side. Seeing Wang Yongzhu come down, they invited her aside, served some hot tea, and then whispered, "The shopkeeper’s letter mentioned that the matter at Yingzi Gully still requires Scholar’s Lady to help come up with a plan—"

Wang Yongzhu sat down, took a sip of hot tea, and asked, "What exactly is going on over there in Yingzi Gully? Aren’t you and the people left by Boss Zhang in charge here? Can’t you manage it?"

The confidant looked troubled, "If there was a big dispute, we could step in, but right now they haven’t openly fought. The people in Yingzi Gully are divided into two groups—"

It turns out, after the tea was transported to the Capital City, both the Lee Family and Zhang Family sent people to oversee the follow-up matters at Yingzi Gully.

These tasks included selecting people from families who had promised to learn tea-making to become apprentices and teaching the people in Yingzi Gully how to care for tea trees.

Of course, some people stayed in Yingzi Gully, surveying the terrain and finding a good spot nearby to build houses for the people there.

The conflict arose from the house building, or more bluntly, from the proposal Wang Yongzhu made in the first place.

Back then, Wang Yongzhu suggested giving a tenth of the tea profits over ten years to the hunters of Yingzi Gully for their benefit.

Now, the money for building houses also came from this profit.

Although the tea hasn’t completely sold yet, building houses for these hunters at Yingzi Gully and giving them some stipend and shares to ease their financial burdens is not a big deal for Lee Family or Boss Zhang.

Especially because of Wang Yongzhu’s concern, Zhang Yinbao, being so considerate, directly instructed his subordinates to advance most of the silver coins beforehand.

He had good intentions, thinking since Wang Yongzhu cared about this matter, he should handle it nicely. Why wait until all the tea is sold to settle the dividends and then start building houses for the residents of Yingzi Gully? Wouldn’t that seem stingy?

That’s not at all in line with how Boss Zhang operates.

With his instructions, the subordinates of the Zhang Family acted swiftly. Not only did they allocate silver for the houses at Yingzi Gully, but each family also received a bonus of ten taels of silver, with the promise of more after the year-end settlement.

How could the hunters of Yingzi Gully have seen so much silver at once? Shiny silver ingots!

Moreover, with their houses being built, news spread far and wide, and soon everyone in the nearby town knew the hunters of Yingzi Gully had struck it rich.

In the town, there were ruffians who specifically prey on those who suddenly come into wealth without much sense, using every trick in the book to swindle their money.

These guys were seasoned in their ploys, taking advantage of the hunters when they came to the town to buy things and lured them into gambling dens.

Inside the gambling dens, there were lots of traps. They let the hunters win first, giving them a taste of success, and then they started losing more than winning, slowly getting caught in the web.

One by one, not only did they lose all ten taels of silver, but they also owed the gambling dens a heap of debt.

Now, those gamblers showed their true colors, demanding either the debt be repaid or lives forfeited!

How could these hunters know the tricks of these outsiders? Scared, they immediately agreed to repay, but they didn’t have enough silver!

The gamblers then slyly suggested, wasn’t it simple, just cash in all the future ten-year dividends to repay?

The hunters from Yingzi Gully initially understood the seriousness, acknowledging that these were contracts paid annually and insisted it was not possible, pleading for the gamblers to be lenient, promising that after the year-end accounts, the debts would be settled naturally.

But the gamblers, like blood-sucking leeches, once they targeted these fat cows, how could they let go?

They asserted that gambling debts accrue interest upon interest, and at year-end, even ten years’ worth of dividends might not clear the debt.

If they valued their lives, it was better to cash in the dividends early, pay the gambling debts, and perhaps have some left.

Some were tempted, others realized they’d been duped, refusing to give in, yet were beaten half to death by the gambling den’s thugs.

Finally, no one dared dissent anymore. After placing their signatures on the gambling den’s documents, they were allowed to return to Yingzi Gully.

Upon returning with the news, Loo Xiaoshan exploded furiously, wishing to give those people another beating.

But those who owed the gambling debts, each bruised and battered, kneeled and admitted their mistakes, but claimed they had no choice, lest they lose their lives.

They asked Loo Xiaoshan, could he bear to watch them all lose their lives?

Plus, with their families being elderly and young, crying and begging together, what could Loo Xiaoshan say?

Of course, some remained clear-minded, firmly against it, pointing out that Scholar’s Lady had paved a bright path for Yingzi Gully. In just a few months, was all her hard work to be wasted? Shouldn’t people have more conscience?

If it wasn’t for Scholar’s Lady, the people of Yingzi Gully would still be struggling to fill their stomachs.

By tearing up the contracts, wouldn’t this put Scholar’s Lady in a difficult position?

Thus, Yingzi Gully was divided into two factions, stuck in a stalemate.

Of course, they kept the Lee Family and Zhang Family employees in the dark about this news.

But those sent by the Lee and Zhang Families were no ordinary people. They sensed something was amiss, picked up bits and pieces of conversations, and soon figured out everything by discreetly inquiring around.

This matter was immediately reported, and both Ninth Master Lee and Zhang Yinbao were informed.

To them, it was a minor issue. What did the hunters of Yingzi Gully have to do with them? It was merely a favor for Wang Yongzhu.

If they truly wanted to resolve it, it would just take the flick of a finger, but they were wary of breaking the jade bottle.

So they let Wang Yongzhu take charge and see what she planned to do.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yongzhu understood immediately.

No matter what she thought, she didn’t show it on her face. She simply nodded, "I understand this situation. You’ve been working hard. I’ll come up with a plan when I get back, and then coordinate with your Ninth Master and Boss Zhang for further discussions."

But the confidant added, "Our Ninth Master instructed that you, Scholar’s Lady, just need to make a decision. There’s no need to consult with him. He trusts that you will handle it well! Boss Zhang also sent word that they share the same stance. Once you have a plan, just instruct us, and we’ll take care of it!"

Wang Yongzhu’s eyes flickered, and she solemnly said, "I understand. Leave this matter to me!"