New ink fragrance in old times

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere at the scene instantly plummeted to a freezing point. The villagers looked at each other, some glaring, others keeping their heads down in silence, but they could all sense the tension and dissatisfaction that permeated the air.

At this moment, Manager Zhu stepped forward again and said, "Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me. I know everyone is upset and every family is having difficulties. But we are neighbors, and we are related. Why should we damage the harmony over such a small matter?"

He looked around and saw that everyone had gradually quieted down, so he continued, "I understand everyone's difficulties. Let's find a compromise. How about we hand over all the food before the end of the month? That way everyone will have time to prepare and it won't be too difficult."

As soon as Manager Zhu finished speaking, some people started to discuss in low voices.

Some worried about not being able to gather enough food by the end of the month, while others felt this was the best solution at the moment. Although Granny Fang was still somewhat dissatisfied, she couldn't say anything more after seeing Steward Zhu's decision.

"Manager Zhu, you're right. We need to be considerate of each other," an elderly villager said. "We'll do our best to gather food before the end of the month and won't put you or the Du family in any difficult position."

"Yes, yes, we will try our best!" Others echoed and the atmosphere gradually eased.

Lin Mo looked at the villagers' gradually dispersing backs, feeling mixed emotions.

Although the dispute over food and rent had subsided temporarily, it had stirred up ripples in his heart. He turned to look at Lin Wenhong, and seeing his unsurprised expression, Lin Mo felt that Lin Wenhong had long expected things to develop this way.

"Grandpa," Lin Mo said softly, with a hint of confusion in his tone:

"I always thought the Du family was pretty nice. After all, they only charged us 30% rent, which is quite generous compared to the surrounding villages. But after hearing what Granny Fang said today, I realized there are actually families that only pay 10%. What's going on here?"

Lin Wenhong patted Lin Mo's shoulder gently. "Sanlang," he said slowly, "things in this world are often not as simple as they seem. Our relationship with the Du family is far from as simple as you think."

Hearing this, Lin Mo became even more curious. He stared at Lin Wenhong's eyes, afraid of missing any details.

"Grandpa, please tell me quickly, what happened that caused our rent to go from 10% to 30%?"

Lin Wenhong sighed softly, as if he was recalling a long-forgotten past.

"Sanlang, you are still young, you will naturally understand these things in the future."

Seeing that Lin Wenhong's eyes revealed a bit of fatigue and reluctance to talk about the past, Lin Mo wisely chose to change the subject.

"Grandpa, is the yard we just passed by the Du family's?" he asked curiously.

Lin Wenhong looked up into the distance, where he could vaguely see an imposing blue brick and tile house.

"Yes, the Du family used to live here. A few years ago, they moved to the county."

Lin Mo nodded thoughtfully, and thought to himself: No wonder Manager Zhu just said that everyone is related to the Du family. It turns out there is such a historical connection here.

The two walked and talked, and before they knew it, they had returned to the Lin family courtyard. When the other members of the Lin family saw them return, they gathered around and asked what had happened.

"Everyone, listen to me," Lin Wenhong cleared his throat.

"The Du family is here to collect rent. We need to work hard today and tomorrow to prepare the food as soon as possible. We'll deliver it to the Du family the day after tomorrow morning."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the Lin family nodded in agreement and continued to work.

Just as Lin Wenhong expected, as the 23rd passed quietly, only the Wan family went to the Du family alone to pay the rent, and the scene seemed a little lonely.

By the 24th, the situation had improved slightly, and another farmer mustered up the courage to walk through the morning dew and deliver his harvest to the Du family's door.

After the Lin family had breakfast, Lin Mo helped load the heavy bags of grain onto the ox cart. Old Mrs. Lin carefully checked each grain to ensure that they were the fullest and cleanest.

Everything was ready, and the Lin family set out for the Du family.

The ox cart moved slowly along the country road, its wheels squeaking through the dust, as if adding a bit of solemnity and anticipation to the journey.

After arriving at the Du family, Lin Wenhong paid the rent due this year in full as per custom.

However, just as Lin Wenhong was about to say goodbye, Manager Zhu suddenly called him.

"Uncle Lin, please wait a moment."

Lin Wenhong stopped and looked back at Manager Zhu, a hint of doubt rising in his heart. "Manager Zhu, is there anything wrong?"

Manager Zhu shook his head and quickly explained, "No, no, no, Uncle Lin, you misunderstood. The truth is, the master praised the grain you grow, saying it tastes excellent. So, the master specifically asked me to buy some more from you to try."

Hearing this, Lin Wenhong pondered in his heart.

"Manager Zhu, I appreciate your kindness. But..."

Lin Wenhong hesitated to speak, frowning slightly, as if looking for the most appropriate words.

Seeing this, Manager Zhu quickly asked, "Uncle Lin, have you sold all the grain? It's okay. If that's the case, then forget it."

Lin Wenhong said slowly, "I did sell seven dou of beans yesterday, hoping to get some money to help my family."

After hearing this, Manager Zhu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Uncle Lin, how about this? The master said he won't let you suffer any loss. How about giving you one ounce and two qian of silver for one dan of rice?"

Lin Wenhong sighed and said, "Manager Zhu, I won't hide it from you. After paying taxes and rent, there are only 20 dan of rice left. It's really not much to share."

Manager Zhu looked troubled, clearly realizing the difficulty of this problem. After pondering for a moment, he asked:

"Uncle Lin, I have indeed heard about your family's situation. However, this is the master's order, and I am just following it."

His tone was somewhat embarrassment, as if he was weighing the interests and relationships of both parties: "Uncle Lin, you are right. I was abrupt."

Lin Wenhong quickly waved his hands, "It's okay, it's okay."

Manager Zhu smiled and exchanged a few more words with Lin Wenhong, then personally escorted Lin Wenhong and his family out of the Du family's gate.

Lin Mo on the side observed all this quietly, with wisdom shining in his eyes.

He thought to himself, "Grandpa is such a wise man. He's polite when he refuses people, yet he makes them feel their difficulty. This way of doing things is something I should learn from."

Chapter 88 Finally a big thing is done