The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

"I have to go check on the Chen family. They are the only family missing two taels of silver for the disaster relief. The other families have already paid. We can't let the progress of the entire village be delayed because of one family. I have to go and urge them to pay."

The village chief's wife curled her lips in disdain. This village chief was worthy of the title, with a good reputation but no benefits, and he had to worry all day long.

If the Chen family really can't come up with the two taels of silver, in the end they will have to blame her husband for his incompetence, which is really a thankless job.

The Chen family is living a tight life now. The sumptuous dishes on the table in the past have become a luxury. Instead, they are replaced by a few simple side dishes that can barely keep the family fed and clothed.

The quarrels between Zhou Xuemei and Chen Xi became more and more frequent, especially around the issue of Lin Dabao's education, where she repeatedly ran into a wall.

"Mother, look at our Dabao, he is as thin as a bamboo pole. If our family was not in financial difficulty and could not provide better meals, why would he cause unnecessary trouble and conflict with Dabao and Xiaobao?"

Zhou Xuemei's words were mixed with heartache and helplessness, and her eyes unconsciously drifted toward the window.

Old Mrs. Chen knew clearly that her eldest grandson's behavior was inappropriate, but blood is thicker than water and the love she had for her grandson made it difficult for her to blame him.

"I understand that, but you also know the situation at home. Weren't all our savings robbed by that damn thief not long ago? In my heart, I really want my eldest grandson to live a life of luxury, but right now, I am old and can't do anything about it."

There was a sense of vicissitudes in the old lady's words, and her wrinkles seemed to be deeper. For her, the lost money was not only a material loss, but also the collapse of her spiritual support.

"There is also the disaster relief money that the village chief mentioned earlier. I have not yet repaid that one or two taels of silver. I don't know how many families in the village are in the same situation as me."

The old lady still had a glimmer of hope in her heart. The court's collection of taxes to support the war had already made the people miserable. She secretly hoped that there would be a turn for the better. Perhaps she could take advantage of the people's dissatisfaction and quietly wipe out the one or two taels of silver. That would be enough to buy more meat and improve the family's meals.

Therefore, when Chen Zhenwen and Chen Zhenwu collected the money and gave it to her, she was not in a hurry to hand it over, but was considering various possibilities in her mind.

As the saying goes, what you fear will come to you. Just as the old lady was thinking about it, the village chief knocked on the door unexpectedly, breaking this delicate balance.

"Is Mrs. Chen at home?" The village chief's voice came from outside the door.

Upon hearing the voice, Zhou Xuemei quickly straightened her clothes and went out to greet him with forced calmness.

When she saw it was the village chief, her heart began to beat like a deer, but she still maintained a polite smile on the surface and invited the village chief into the house.

"Oh, village chief, if you have any questions, just call me. Why bother you to come here in person?"

While Zhou Xuemei was apologizing with a smile, she quickly gave Old Lady Chen a look. She knew very well that if she wanted to gain a foothold in Anning Village, she had to be more versatile than Lin Cuicui, so that even if she was really squeezed out of the village in the future, she could win some sympathy and understanding.

"To be honest, I'm here for the disaster relief funds from the imperial court." The village chief said straight to the point.

When Old Mrs. Chen heard this, her eyelids twitched slightly, and she thought to herself: No one would come to see you for no reason. The village chief must have a reason for this visit.

Although I was reluctant in my heart, since the person had come to my door, I couldn't be impolite.

"Oh, village chief, you know that my family was robbed not long ago, and those dozens of taels of silver just disappeared. How could I be short of one tael of silver after all the years of hard work to save up for the coffin? It's a pity that the thief is still at large. Look at our family, we are now penniless and can hardly even afford to cook. How can we afford that tael of silver?"

The old lady's tone was full of helplessness and pleading, and her acting was so natural and smooth that it almost made people believe it.

Upon hearing this, the village chief Xu Gaoping sighed heavily. It was indeed unbelievable that the Chen family was the only one to be robbed in Anning Village.

However, as a subordinate executor, he must follow the instructions of his superiors, cannot be partial, and dare not open back doors without authorization.

"Mrs. Chen, you'd better find a way to raise the money as soon as possible. If you wait until the government comes to collect the debt, and you are the only one who hasn't paid, I can't guarantee what the consequences will be. They might even use your belongings to pay off the debt."

There was a hint of warning in Xu Gaoping's words. The court's laws were ironclad and no one could easily shake them.

When Zhou Xuemei heard this, she became extremely anxious. After her family split up, these furniture and furnishings became her lifeblood. If they were forcibly confiscated, she would have no one to turn to for help.

So she anxiously winked at Old Lady Chen, urging her to quickly hand over the silver that had been prepared in advance, so as to avoid any further complications.

But just as Old Lady Chen was about to open her lips and ask a question, Xu Gaoping raised his wrist and threw another verbal "bomb" out.

"Even Carpenter Zhou's family, who were usually short of money, gathered together the money early, fearing that the official would be unhappy and bring disaster upon them."

These words penetrated Old Lady Chen's heart, causing her originally calm expression to instantly turn into panic.

She knew very well how financially strapped Carpenter Zhou's family was. Even they were able to grit their teeth and hand over the silver, which showed that the government's collection of the money was no joke and was serious.

Xu Gaoping couldn't find the right words for a while, but then an idea suddenly occurred to him, and he realized that the details of Chen Xi helping Carpenter Zhou might not have been widely known in the Chen family.

Chen Xi actually went to help the outsider Carpenter Zhou first instead of his own family. If such behavior were to be spread out, it would inevitably attract criticism and sighs.

"Actually, it was Chen Xi's kid. The two boys in her family got along really well with Carpenter Zhou's kids, and they had a deep friendship, so Chen Xi took the initiative to step forward and help Carpenter Zhou pay the one or two taels of silver."

These words shocked Old Lady Chen's whole body, and her anger quickly spread.

The cane in his hand hit the bluestone slab heavily, making a dull and loud "dong dong" sound, expressing the dissatisfaction in his heart.

"Oh, what a sin! How could our Chen family have such an unfilial descendant who disregards the ties of blood and family and is so treacherous! Helping outsiders instead of helping our own people, they simply don't know how high the heavens are and aren't they afraid of God's punishment!"

Xu Gaoping remained silent. This was not the first time he had heard such harsh accusations from Old Lady Chen.

That girl Chen Xi always gave people the feeling that she was fearless, so why would she care about the rhetoric of whether it was divine punishment or not.

"Now your family is the only one that hasn't paid. I'm telling you in advance that when the government officials really come to investigate, I won't be able to protect you." Xu Gaoping's words were direct and honest.

However, Old Lady Chen and Zhou Xuemei were immersed in anger and confusion about Chen Xi's behavior, so they were not able to listen to Xu Gaoping's advice.

Seeing this, Xu Gaoping could only shake his head helplessly and turn away.