Li Qingshan laid down on the pile of hay in satisfaction. He stretched out his limbs and fell asleep before he knew it.
That night, he did not dream of his past life again.
In the hut near the cowshed, the elder Li and his wife tossed and turned restlessly due to the smell of meat. They only fell asleep in the middle of the night as well.
The next morning, right after the rooster crowed three times, a short, plump man in emerald-green silk robes arrived at the fields. He was none other than the largest landlord in the tiny Crouching Ox village, old master Liu, who was also the caretaker Liu that the elder Li's wife mentioned. Because he had once served as a caretaker for a large clan in the city, he received the blessing of the clan when he grew old, allowing him to return to his hometown in glory.
However, he still wanted to be referred to as caretaker Liu so that he could display his completely different status from these bumpkins and distinguish himself from regular bumpkin landlords. And because most of the land in the village had been annexed by him through various methods, he gained the elegant name of "Half-village Liu".
If Half-village Liu had any ambitions, it would obviously be to become Liu Quancun. However, he could not rush this. Using the words he had heard from the mister in the city, it was to take it slow. He believed he would definitely be able to fulfil this wish within his lifetime. By then, everyone in the village would be his workers, and he would be the local tyrant of the village. He could do whatever he wanted.
However, caretaker Liu was rather displeased right now. He saw that there were not a lot of workers working on his land. He waved his plump hand. "Why are there only a few people? Where are the others? "
A worker smiled along. "Caretaker Liu, they've all gone to help Li Er build a house."
"Li Er? Which Li Er?"
"That cowherd!"
"Of course I know. Where did he get the money from?"
"That kid got lucky. He picked up a huge wild boar for free. As long as anyone in the village is willing to help him build a house, they'll be given a large piece of pork. It's right below the Crouching Ox hill. It's very popular right now."
"Then why aren't you going?"
"I've fallen out with him," the worker said awkwardly. He was extremely reluctant. That was meat. How could he eat it normally?
Caretaker Liu fiddled with his mustache. "Let's go and have a look too."
As soon as he woke up, Li Qingshan began to work on the separation of the family. The most important thing was to build a decent house for himself. He couldn't live under someone else's roof anymore.
In the past, he did not have such an ability, but with this big wild boar, many things were easily solved. With a slight call, many people came to help, and he could say that he had seen the magic of pork in this world.
The scenery below the Crouching Ox hill was picturesque. If this were his past life, a place like this would either be a tourist attraction or a residential area for wealthy people. Why would he have the right to occupy it? Moreover, this place was far away from the village, so it was convenient for him to keep secrets. He could communicate with Oxen without worry.
Li Qingshan stood among the crowd and gave out commands. He was in an indescribably good mood, and he somewhat understood what Oxen meant by eating meat. It wasn't just to strengthen one's body.
If it was a person without food and clothing, he would spend all day in order to fill his stomach. How would he have the mood to do other things, let alone see his true nature?
Caretaker Liu stood in the distance and glanced over. He muttered to himself, "In other words, the brothers are going to split up." However, he just happened to see the eldest Li couple watching from afar as well. Not only were they unhappy when they saw their brother move to a new house, but they even ground their teeth in resentment. As a result, he came up with a plan and walked over with a smile.
In less than a dozen days, a new house was completed. Everyone collected their pork and dispersed.
Li Qingshan gazed at his new residence in satisfaction. It was just a regular mud house with a thatch covering it. He stood in a small courtyard surrounded by a fence. He stood in a small courtyard surrounded by a fence, but this was his new home. It was the first step for him to settle down in this world.
Over the past few days, he had been eating meat every day, so his complexion had recovered a healthy glow. He had gained some confidence as he stood there. Although it had only been around a dozen days, he seemed to have grown a few inches out of nowhere.
Just as Li Qingshan was feeling happy, an old woman with white hair and wrinkled skin walked into the courtyard. She seemed to be startled, "Li Erlang, your house is not well built. It's very ominous!"
Li Qingshan frowned. This was the witch who gave him the water talisman when he was young. All day long, she played tricks and fooled these ignorant and backward villagers. He never had a good impression of her. However, she had great prestige in the village. If there were any weddings or funerals in the village, they would ask her for divination. Of course, during the divination, there was no lack of offerings to worship the gods.
Li Qingshan did not dare to be negligent. He bowed and said, "Why are you here?"
The witch did not even look at him. She looked around the house and said, "There's Yin Qi and evil spirits here. Luckily, I'm prepared." She held a jar in one hand and a willow branch in the other. She dipped the willow branch into the water in the jar and sprinkled it around the house and yard. She shouted, "Go, go …"
Li Qingshan could not stop her. He could only let her do whatever she wanted. Although he already believed in ghosts and gods, he did not believe that there was any Yin Qi or evil spirits here. There was a real monster following him. If there was really something wrong, Oxen would naturally tell him. It would not be her turn.
After the witch sprinkled the water, she seemed to have done Li Qingshan a great favor. She nagged a lot more. It was nothing more than that Li Qingshan could only have this luck because of the god's gift. Now it was time to return the god's gift. The best thing to worship the god was naturally the big pig head left behind by the wild boar.
Li Qingshan finally understood why she came. He said, "I'm afraid it's not the god who wants to eat it. It's you who wants to eat it, right?"
Faced with Li Qingshan's little rudeness, the witch flew into a rage. She straightened her body and said in a different voice, "Li Qingshan, if you don't listen to my advice, there will be a disaster."
Li Qingshan knew that this was the witch's trick of inviting the god to possess her. If an ordinary villager saw this trick, they would be scared pale and kneel down to kowtow. Even the original Li Qingshan did not dare to completely ignore it. But now was different from the past. He crossed his arms as if he was watching a joke. He said, "There is no door to fortune or disaster. Only people can bring it on themselves. What does it have to do with the god? Please!"
Seeing that this trick did not work, the witch returned to her original state and said gloomily, "Just you wait!"
Not long after the witch left, the disaster really did come.
A villager came to invite Li Qingshan to the ancestral hall. Although the village was small, there were many rules. The separation of the family from his brother should have been done in the ancestral hall in front of the village elders. However, he should have been the one to bring it up first. Did his brother beat him to it?
Li Qingshan felt rather uneasy, but Oxen was nowhere to be seen, so he could only brace himself.
The so-called ancestral hall was just a small house with a very deep doorway, but it was a rare brick building in the village. Inside, the ancestral tablets of the ancestors of the Li and Liu families were enshrined.
In the pitch-black house, a few old people stood to the left and right. At the very front was the village head of Crouching Ox village. He was in his sixties and had a crooked back. He was also a member of the Li family. According to seniority, Li Qingshan had to call him grandfather.
The Li couple were already waiting there. As soon as they saw Li Qingshan, they glared at him viciously, as if Li Qingshan had harmed them somehow. There was a hint of delight from revenge in their gazes.
Li Qingshan ignored them. He only bowed to the old people before beginning the separation under the village head's supervision.
Originally, Li Qingshan thought that all he would get was Oxen and a few acres of farmland. He never thought it would actually be much more complicated than he had imagined.
The village head was stern and impartial. He gave many miscellaneous items to Li Qingshan, such as a spoon and a pair of chopsticks.
With each item, the sister-in-law's heart would twitch painfully. Her gaze towards Li Qingshan became more and more vicious.
Li Qingshan remained unfazed. He remained composed. Moreover, the miscellaneous items were all useful, so he did not have to buy them all again.
After a whole hour, the village head stopped Just Now. He looked around with his murky eyes, "Do you have any objections?"
The Li couple accepted it, but Li Qingshan felt that something was off, "Grandfather, what about those acres of farmland?"
"What farmland?"
Li Qingshan was stunned. When his father and mother passed away in the past, they had said it clearly in front of this person. They were afraid that his elder brother would bully him, so they wanted this esteemed old man of the village to uphold justice for him.
The sister-in-law had already spoken, "You're still young and ignorant. Those two old things didn't return the money they borrowed. They've already paid them back."
Li Qingshan flew into a rage, "What did you call my father and mother? Say that again!" Although he did not have any particularly deep feelings for them, they were still his birth parents in this life. How could he allow someone to humiliate them in public?
Brother Li had already stood in front of the sister-in-law. A few men also walked in from outside the ancestral hall. It was obvious that they were prepared.
Li Qingshan also noticed that these people were all scoundrels and scoundrels from the village. Normally, all they did was steal from others and bully others. They did not care about the camaraderie of fellow villagers at all. They would never show mercy when they laid their hands on them.
The village head secretly cursed the stupid woman and sighed, "I've already checked the receipt."
"Where is the receipt?"
Brother Li replied, "We've already burned it when we got it."
"May I know who he owes money to?"
The sister-in-law proudly said, "The village's Steward Liu. If you have the guts, go and ask for it. See if Steward Liu doesn't skin you alive. What's the matter? I'm just bullying an ungrateful little bastard like you." Those acres of farmland were all fertile farmland. They were sold for some money. It could be considered as making up for not being able to eat pork. She made up her mind that once she got home, she would buy a chicken to eat.
Li Qingshan was so angry that his whole body trembled. His nails pierced into his palms.
Based on his two lives' worth of experience, how could he not know the inside story? Farmers regarded the land as their lifeblood, how could they casually compensate other people? His parents also dug in the soil for food all their lives, how could they possibly borrow money from other people?
This was clearly an alliance to bully him. After losing the land, if he wanted to eat and live, he could only go to Steward Liu's farm and work as a long-term worker. Even if he was angry, he would have to endure it. What a good plan.
At home, Li Qingshan was treated coldly by his brother and sister-in-law. It was only because of his poor food and clothing. He could still accept it. However, it was different to distort the truth like this. In his previous life, he mingled on the internet. He thought that he had seen all the dark sides of society and was angry because of it. However, when this kind of thing happened to him, he found it hard to bear.
If he agreed, it would mean that he accepted the village's distribution. He would not have a chance to appeal.
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