CHAPTER 1027: CHAPTER 1025: THE CONTRACT SIGNED BACK THEN

Wang Yongzhu fixed his gaze and saw among the twenty-some people, there was Loo Xiaoshan who dared not face him, and Li Dashan whose face was ashen but couldn’t hide his worry.

There was also Yang Zhaodi, holding Gu Yu, with a swollen belly.

And a few children, too young to understand why they had to be separated into two groups, trying to break free of the adults, wanting to go over to the other side, their mouths covered by adults, held tightly in their arms.

"Very well! Have you all decided?" Wang Yongzhu looked around the whole scene.

No one spoke, and the cave suddenly fell silent.

"Is everyone from Yingzi Gully here?" Wang Yongzhu asked again.

Still no one answered, and Wang Yongzhu looked at Loo Xiaoshan, who kept his head down, lost in thought.

It was instead Li Dashan whose hand, resting beside his leg, moved slightly, unnoticed.

Wang Yongzhu had a sense of what was going on. Although she couldn’t remember everything perfectly, when she first came to Yingzi Gully, most of the people were grateful to her, and some were trying to curry favor; eight or nine tenths of them had passed before her eyes.

Even though she couldn’t name them all, she knew there were several people missing.

She could also guess what those people were doing, and the last bit of sympathy she had for them faded completely.

"Alright then, Zhang Quan, did you bring the contract that was signed back then? Read it to them." With a cold expression, Wang Yongzhu turned back to signal Zhang Quan.

Zhang Quan responded affirmatively, pulled a contract from his coat, and began to read aloud. The gist was that the villagers of Yingzi Gully had signed a ten-year contract with the Hengchang Commercial Firm, stating that within these ten years, all villagers of Yingzi Gully, except for those who signed apprentice contracts, must stay in Yingzi Gully to manage the Tea Mountain for Hengchang Commercial Firm.

As compensation, Hengchang Commercial Firm would provide several dwellings for each family in Yingzi Gully and distribute ten percent of the profits from the Tea Mountain to the villagers each year.

If the tea business collapsed within ten years, Hengchang Commercial Firm would continue to provide each household with ten taels of silver annually until the ten-year period was up.

There was a special note that the villagers of Yingzi Gully could not back out for any reason within ten years or request early withdrawal of profits. If they did, it would be considered an automatic forfeiture of ten years of profits, and they would not be allowed near the Tea Mountain in Yingzi Gully.

The later part scattered with detailed rules and restrictions, mostly targeted at the villagers of Yingzi Gully.

In summary: work obediently for Hengchang Commercial Firm, and not a penny of your profits will be lessened in ten years. But if you try something funny, the consequences will make you question your existence!

After Zhang Quan finished reading, the people of Yingzi Gully were dumbfounded.

They looked at each other, not quite sure if they had placed their fingerprints on this very contract.

Some frowned, trying to recall. They’d heard that they could get profits for ten years, and someone even did the math, telling them that in one year, a family could at least get a dozen taels of silver. They got dizzy with excitement.

It seemed they had heard something about what would happen if they backed out.

But at the time, everyone thought, who would be stupid enough to back out of such a good deal? Just sit at home and count silver every year, right?

Especially after they got the silver, they forgot all about this.

Now that it was brought up, they were all in a panic.

Someone protested, "Why? These tea trees belong to our Yingzi Gully—"

Wang Yongzhu glanced at the person, calmly saying, "You’re wrong. These tea trees are naturally wild and never belonged to Yingzi Gully. Now they belong to you even less, Zhang Quan?"

Zhang Quan stepped forward with a smile, raising his voice, "Two months ago, the Tea Mountain near Yingzi Gully, and the mountains within ten miles surrounding it, including Yingzi Gully where you live, were bought by our Family Head, and it’s been filed in the Government Office. Strictly speaking, you’re standing on our Family Head’s land right now!"

"This, this can’t be! This is the land of our ancestors—" someone exclaimed, not believing it.

Zhang Quan still smiled, "If any of you don’t believe it, you can have the Government Office verify it yourselves! So according to the contract each of you signed with us, pack your bags tonight, and leave Yingzi Gully tomorrow morning!"

"I don’t believe it! We can’t leave! This is our land!"

"Right! This is our land, passed down from our ancestors!"

"Nobody’s going to drive us away—"

...

The cave was filled with wailing and lament.

Zhang Quan, however, remained unmoved, still wearing that businesslike smile. "You say this is your land? Call out to Yingzi Gully and see if it answers you?"

"I advise you all, the current Emperor is a wise ruler, deeply hating banditry. Are you trying to take over the mountain and become bandits? This Tea Mountain was bought by our Family Head with fair prices. If you try to seize it by force, don’t blame us for not warning you. Our Family Head is law-abiding, and for bandits like you, it’s certain that he’ll report you to the authorities for suppression!"

Upon hearing terms like bandits and reporting to the authorities, even the dull inhabitants of Yingzi Gully knew that if reported, none of them might leave there alive.

Regret filled their hearts; some, unable to hold it in, buried their heads and cried.

The silver not yet in hand, no house to speak of, and now not even a cave to live in. What were they to do?

When one person cried, it triggered empathy in many, and they glanced at one another. For a while, the sound of weeping echoed.

Especially as night fell, it was mostly women and the elderly crying, their sobs resounding within the cave, sounding particularly tragic.

Wang Yongzhu, however, remained unmoved, only instructing, "Watch them, and make sure they leave early tomorrow morning!"

With that, she turned and left.

Gu Yu saw Wang Yongzhu leaving and hurriedly said a few words to Yang Zhaodi before running to catch up.

Back in the previous house, Gu Yu followed, barely daring to breathe.

Seeing Wang Yongzhu sit down and reach for tea, she rushed forward, "Scholar’s Lady, let me handle this. The tea has gone cold. I’ll go boil some fresh water."

Saying this, she emptied the teapot and went out with it.

Wang Yongping brushed past Gu Yu at the door and came in fuming, "Such kindness wasted on dogs! Dear sister, never be too kind-hearted again—"

Before finishing his sentence, Loo Xiaoshan appeared at the door, and upon hearing that remark, couldn’t help but blush with shame.

But remembering the women and children still crying in the cave, he gritted his teeth and entered, kneeling before saying anything.

"Scholar’s Lady! This whole ordeal is entirely our fault, and we deserve to be punished as you see fit. But please, have mercy and spare us this once! If we’re driven out, we have no place to go, the old and young, how will they survive?"

"We’ll forgo the profits; we don’t need anything else, just ask the Scholar’s Lady to spare them! At least show them a way to live!"