Newborn 1927

Taking advantage of the situation, Yang Jiefang shouted, "Changming, Changgen, your two families originally owned land, which was also taken away by Zhao Jinyuan's family. Here are your land deeds and sales contracts; take them back! As for how you lost your land, go back and ask your elders or the village elders. Don't believe Zhao Jinyuan's lies." Zhao Changming and Zhao Changgen were overjoyed and stepped forward to take the land deeds from Yang Jiefang. Then, Yang Jiefang took out the original land deeds of those who participated in the operation last night, such as Zhao Changgui, Wang Dali, and Chen Ergou, or the land deeds of the land they were currently renting, and handed them to them. These people beamed with envy, making the others regret not participating in last night's operation.

Yang Jiefang observed everyone's expressions and pointed to the wooden box beside him, saying, "There are many land deeds and sales contracts in here. These land deeds and sales contracts were not registered with the government; that is to say, in the government's eyes, these lands do not belong to Zhao Jinyuan's family, but still belong to their original owners. If any of you have lands that were seized by Zhao Jinyuan's family through trickery or force, speak up in public. If what you say is true, I will return the land deeds to you."

These words immediately caused an uproar. Who wouldn't want their lost land back? Who wouldn't want to own a piece of land of their own? No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone rushed forward, loudly denouncing Zhao Jinyuan and recounting how their land had been lost, weeping as they spoke. Yang Jiefang offered a few words of comfort while handing the land deed to the man. Soon, the platform was filled with people, a large group of them shouting insults at each other. As Yang Jiefang listened, he sensed something else was amiss; many were taking advantage of the situation.

This was actually quite normal. While Zhao Jinyuan had certainly seized land through trickery and force, some of it had been acquired through legitimate means. Some people, who had squandered their fortunes through idleness, were now accusing Zhao Jinyuan's family of plunder. Some landowners had died out, yet the tenants claimed the land as their own, falsely claiming ancestry. Seeing the crowd's outrage, Yang Jiefang didn't bother with detailed arguments; his goal was simply to fight the landlords and redistribute the land. Soon, all the land deeds in the box, except for Yang Jiefang's own, were returned to the farmers. Zhao Jinyuan watched, his heart aching, wishing he could tear Yang Jiefang to pieces.

After settling the land deed, Yang Jiefang picked up the IOUs and promissory notes and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, in life, we inevitably encounter times of illness, natural disasters, and man-made calamities. We can't be completely selfless; it's only natural to borrow and repay, and paying a little interest is acceptable. However, everything has its limits. Exceeding those limits is against the principles of Heaven, and Heaven cannot tolerate it." Everyone nodded in agreement, and some even praised, "Truly a learned man, his words are reasonable."

Yang Jiefang paused, then continued, "When Zhao Jinyuan's family lent out grain, they always used a small measure for lending and a large measure for borrowing; the grain they lent out was old and mixed with sand, while the grain they received was required to be clean and new; and the interest rates were outrageously high. Any family that lent grain could never repay it all. It wasn't that they couldn't afford to, but that if they repaid it this year, their grain reserves would be less, and they would have to borrow again next year when the harvest was scarce. So, they borrowed and repaid year after year, and never finished paying it off." These words resonated deeply with many people.

Yang Jiefang shouted, “This box contains many such IOUs and promissory notes, and the ledger shows the accounts of each household's repayment of grain and loans. For every pound of grain you borrow, you must repay at least three pounds—that's three times the profit! A sage once said: Some wicked people fear no profit or too little profit; with a 10% profit, they'll use it everywhere; with a 20% profit, they become active; with a 50% profit, they take risks; for a 100% profit, they dare to trample on all human laws; with a 300% profit, they dare to commit any crime, even risking execution. Tell me, aren't such people hateful?” Everyone gritted their teeth, staring at Zhao Jinyuan, and shouted, “Hateful!” Yang Jiefang continued, “Are these IOUs reasonable?” “No!” “Since they're unreasonable, why keep them? Dali, Ergou, bring the brazier!”

Wang Dali and Chen Ergou, having already received instructions, immediately brought the brazier to the platform. Yang Jiefang tossed the IOUs and promissory notes into the brazier one by one, reading their contents aloud as he did so. Seeing his own IOUs burned to ashes on the spot, he was naturally overjoyed, even weeping with joy. Once all the IOUs and promissory notes were burned, Yang Jiefang pointed at Zhao Jinyuan and said, "These wicked IOUs have been burned. Can this evildoer be allowed to live?" At this point, the crowd, already swayed by Yang Jiefang, immediately answered, "No!" "Then what should be done with him?" "Kill him!" "Yes, kill him!"

Although the crowd shouted "Kill Zhao Jinyuan!", no one dared to make the first move. Yang Jiefang frowned slightly, about to prompt Zhao Changgui to attack. Suddenly, Wang Sanlaizi rushed forward, shouting, "I'll beat you to death, you wicked Zhao Jinyuan!" and kicked him to the ground. The other henchmen of Zhao Jinyuan's family reacted at this moment, immediately rushing forward and kicking him repeatedly while cursing. Seeing that someone had made the first move, the farmers below no longer hesitated and immediately rushed forward, showering Zhao Jinyuan with kicks and punches. Zhao Jinyuan's screams only fueled the crowd's excitement, and they hit him even harder until they had vented all their anger. By this time, Zhao Jinyuan had already been beaten to death.

Yang Jiefang stood aside, watching coldly, but felt little excitement. Zhao Changming, Yan Donglai, Sun Zhiyong, and the others were all dumbfounded; none of them had expected Yang Jiefang to take revenge in this way. Looking at Yang Jiefang again, a hint of awe unconsciously crept into their eyes—this man was not to be trifled with!

After venting their anger, the crowd returned to the stage, all staring at Yang Jiefang, seemingly waiting for his next move. Zhao Changgui checked Zhao Jinyuan and, confirming he was dead, ordered him to be carried away. He, along with Zhao Yinyuan, Zhao Changren, and Captain Li, were taken to the mountain for burial.

Yang Jiefang continued presiding over the criticism meeting, saying, "Fellow villagers, now that you have land and your long-standing debts are gone, you have hope for the future. However, the only drawback is that some families don't have enough grain stored up. Next year, when the harvest is scarce, we might run out of food again. To help you solve this problem, I've decided to take some of Zhao Jinyuan's grain and distribute it to everyone." The crowd cheered again; this was incredibly thoughtful. Yang Jiefang continued, "Wait a moment. Each household will send one able-bodied person to his backyard to collect the grain. Regardless of age or gender, each person will receive thirty jin. Everyone should calculate the number of people in their household, and I will distribute the grain according to the number of people. We're all fellow villagers, so don't try to take advantage by overreporting or lying, or you'll regret it!" Then he adjourned the meeting. Everyone rushed home to get baskets to collect their grain.

Yang Jiefang instructed Zhao Changming to quickly lead men to maintain order, and then rushed to the Zhao family's backyard to personally oversee the distribution of grain. The grain distributed to the villagers consisted mainly of millet, corn, sorghum, and other miscellaneous grains; not a single pound of wheat was given out. For these villagers, as long as it was grain, they were happy; they weren't picky. Their eyes were now fixed on Yang Jiefang. After distributing the grain, Yang Jiefang gave bonuses to those who participated in the operation the previous night, 100 pounds of wheat to each person, making Zhao Changzhi and the others beam with joy and profusely express their gratitude. The Zhao family village had a total of five or six hundred people, and with each person receiving 30 pounds of grain, plus the bonuses, the total was less than 20,000 pounds. There were still over 30,000 pounds of grain remaining, mostly wheat.

At this moment, Wang Sanlaizi and two other henchmen of Zhao Jinyuan's household walked in with their heads down. These three were Zhao Jinyuan's lackeys, who usually bullied and tyrannized people in Zhao Family Village. They were the first to be subdued by Zhao Changming and his security team during last night's operation. At the criticism meeting this morning, Wang Sanlaizi was the first to strike Zhao Jinyuan, an act that was naturally despicable. However, this was considered a meritorious act by Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang decided to distribute grain to them as well, at thirty catties each. In view of Wang Sanlaizi's outstanding performance, he was awarded an additional one hundred catties of grain. When Yang Jiefang saw the three men, he knew something was amiss and took the initiative to greet them.

Wang Sanlaizi said with a forced smile, "Young Master Yang, the three of us have some things to discuss. Could you please help us out?" Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "Don't call me 'Young Master' or 'Young Master,' just call me Yang Jiefang. What is it?" Wang Sanlaizi nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, yes... Well, the three of us used to work for Master Zhao's family, and our wages were only settled at the end of the year. Now that Master Zhao is gone, we haven't had time to settle our wages for this year." The three of them didn't farm, nor did they rent land from Zhao Jinyuan's family. Yang Jiefang allocated land according to the principle that rented land belongs to the lessee, so none of the three families received any land. Unable to get land, they naturally wanted more money, so they approached Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang asked calmly, "How much money should the Zhao family give each of you?" Wang Sanlaizi and the other two were overjoyed and quickly replied, "We each earn two silver dollars a month, which adds up to twenty-four silver dollars a year. Adding the unpaid wages from previous years, Master Zhao should give each of us fifty silver dollars. Although Master Zhao is no longer here, the Zhao family still has a considerable fortune. We beg Brother Yang to help us and give us some money to offset our wages!" As they spoke, the three looked at Yang Jiefang with fawning expressions.

Yang Jiefang shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that's not right! I checked the Zhao family's account books, and it's clearly recorded that the three of you were paid 100 catties of millet per month. The person who received two silver dollars per month was that deceased Captain Li." Two silver dollars had a high purchasing power in the countryside. People in the countryside usually settled their wages with copper coins or millet, rarely using silver dollars, and ordinary families simply couldn't find silver dollars. Yang Jiefang exposed the three men's lies with a single sentence. Before the three men could argue, Yang Jiefang continued, "Although your wages are settled at the end of the year, you all receive advances during the year. Otherwise, what would your families eat on a daily basis? Moreover, the amount of advances you receive each year exceeds your wages. Every year when the accounts are settled, you end up owing the Zhao family. And the house you live in now is also Zhao family property. Do you want me to take out the account books to check? Hehe... the Zhao family's account books weren't all burned." The three men immediately lowered their heads, unable to find any words to refute him. Wang Sanlaizi said sheepishly, "Hehe, maybe we remembered wrong." Then, under Yang Jiefang's unfriendly gaze, he slunk away. Yang Jiefang watched the three of them leave and sighed; in truth, the three of them were also exploited, humbly serving as servants to the Zhao family, not only unable to support their own families, but also owing the Zhao family; this world is truly ironic.

Sun Zhiyong and Yan Donglai, standing behind Yang Jiefang, spat and said, "We despise people like that the most." Yang Jiefang turned around and asked, "Brothers, how much grain can we take away?" Sun Zhiyong replied, "If we harness our horses and the Zhao family's mules to the carts, we can take away ten cartloads of grain, about 20,000 jin!" Now there are still more than 10,000 jin of grain left. What should we do with it? Yang Jiefang still needs to think about it.