Reborn in the Great Northern Wilderness in 1982, I farmed and hunted to support my whole family.

The next day, Li Chuzi arrived at Li Mu's house early in the morning, looking somewhat hurried: "Muzi, something terrible has happened!"

Li Mu was coming out of the house when he saw Li Chuzi's appearance. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, "What's wrong, Brother Chuzi? Don't worry, tell me slowly."

Li Chuzi took a breath and said anxiously, "Fourth Brother, he, he went to the village chief's house early this morning, saying he wanted to ask the village chief to settle a score, saying that you deliberately gave him less money yesterday."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu asked, "Didn't I give him all the money yesterday? Why would he go to the village chief to reason with him?" Li Mu was puzzled and frowned.

Li Chuzi scratched his head: "I don't know either, Muzi. I just heard it from the aunt at the village entrance. Fourth Brother went to the village chief's house early this morning, saying he wanted to find the village chief to teach you a lesson."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu felt a surge of anger. He hadn't expected Li Siming to be so unreasonable; he had already given him the money yesterday, yet Li Siming was still making a fuss.

"Okay, I understand. Brother Chuzi, you go back first, I'll go check on the village chief." Li Mu said, and then walked towards the Tao family's house.

Li Mu kept thinking about this matter throughout the journey.

Tao Yimei stood anxiously at the door, pacing back and forth. When she saw Li Mu approaching, she quickly went to greet him: "Muzi, you've finally arrived. Uncle Siming is inside talking to the village chief about you."

Li Mu glanced at the tightly closed door, and his anger surged even higher.

When did he arrive?

"I just arrived, and my dad is listening inside. There are also people from the inspection team inside; I don't know what they're here for."

Li Mu couldn't understand why things had been fine yesterday, but this morning they'd suddenly caused a scene at the village chief's house, even attracting the attention of the inspection team.

Mu understood that Li Siming, being an elder, was definitely dissatisfied and felt he was in the right, wanting to use the village chief and the inspection team to seek justice for him.

“Come here, Mu Zi, let me say something to you first.” Li Chuzi pulled Li Mu aside, took out a cigarette and lit it before slowly speaking: “Mu Zi, I know you’re a sensible child. We all saw what happened yesterday, and you did give the money to Siming. But you also know that Siming is a proud man, and he usually acts arrogantly in the village. He definitely can’t swallow this insult.”

Li Mu felt helpless listening to Li Chuzi's words.

He nodded: "Uncle, I understand. But I'm afraid things will escalate if the inspection team comes."

Li Chuzi sighed: "Yes, that's what I'm worried about too. But we can't break the rules in our village, and everything has to be reasonable. When you go in, talk to the village chief properly, and explain things clearly to the inspection team. They will understand the situation and won't favor either side."

"Although your fourth brother is concerned about his reputation, he is not an unreasonable person. As long as we talk things out, he should be able to understand."

Li Mu shook his head: "Brother Chuzi, are you sure? I call him Uncle. The way he acted yesterday, and today he made a scene at the village chief's house and even alarmed the inspection team. He doesn't seem like someone who wants to reason with people."

Li Chuzi took a deep drag on his cigarette, threw away the butt, and crushed it with his foot. He said helplessly, "Muzi, I know this is a difficult matter, but he is still family with you. He is a brother who is connected by blood. We have to try to resolve this conflict and not let outsiders laugh at us."

Li Mu wasn't unaware of this principle; he was just feeling frustrated.

If this matter is not handled properly, it will not only affect his reputation in the village, but also bring shame to the Li family.

Tao Yimei called to him softly, "Brother Mu, aren't you going in?"

"Go in! Why wouldn't I go in!" Li Mu had never been afraid of anyone!

Li Mu gathered his thoughts, took a step forward, and pushed open the door. Inside, the room was filled with smoke, and the village chief, Tao Qingshan, sat in the main seat, smoking a pipe with a serious expression.

Two members of the inspection team stood to the side, taking notes.

Li Siming stood opposite the village chief, hands on his hips, his face full of anger, shouting incessantly.

As soon as Li Mu entered the door, Li Siming's eyes immediately locked onto him, as if he had found an outlet for his anger: "Village chief, you have to stand up for me! This Li Mu deliberately gave me less money yesterday, and when I came to argue with him today, he even tried to hit me!"

Upon hearing this, Li Mu was furious.

"Uncle Tao, don't listen to Fourth Uncle's nonsense. What happened yesterday was like this..."

Li Mu recounted the details of yesterday's money distribution to the village chief and the inspection team, including how Li Siming was dissatisfied with receiving less money, how he explained the situation, and how he gave him an extra 500 yuan.

After listening, Tao Qingshan's expression softened. He turned to Li Siming and said, "Siming, I understand what happened. Mu Zi and the others divided the money according to the quality and quantity of the fish yesterday. This was a rule that everyone agreed upon. You can't make a fuss just because you received less money."

Upon hearing this, Li Siming immediately became anxious: "Village chief, you can't side with him! I'm someone you watched grow up, and Li Mu is still a junior! How can you speak up for him!"

Tao Qingshan frowned: "Siming, what are you saying! Call everyone who was there at the time! Talk to them one by one! Only then can we get to the bottom of things! The inspection team is here, they will handle it fairly, don't worry."

A member of the inspection team stepped forward, looked at Li Mu, and said politely, "You took some people to fish in the Xiaohetao area yesterday?"

Li Mu nodded: "Yes, we went fishing in the small river yesterday, and that can be used as evidence."

The team member then turned to Li Siming and asked, "Did you get your share of the money yesterday?"

Li Siming felt a little guilty, but he still forced himself to say, "I got a share, but it was too little! Li Mu is deliberately targeting me!"

The team member frowned: "Did you receive any extra money?"

Li Siming was taken aback, not expecting the other party to ask such a question. He stammered, "Well, that was given to me voluntarily, it doesn't count!"

"You gave it to me voluntarily? Then why did you come to the village chief's house to cause trouble? And even alerted our inspection team? You're disturbing public order, do you know that?"

Li Siming was speechless. He had heard his wife say that Li Mu was holding a grudge about the poisonous mushrooms, otherwise why would she give him less money for no reason and even give him an extra 500 yuan? She must be trying to buy him to shut up.

He thought that by making a big fuss about this and getting the village chief and the inspection team to take charge, he could make Li Mu lose face in the village.

But to his surprise, things took an unexpected turn.

Tao Qingshan looked at Li Siming and said earnestly, "Siming, I'm not trying to criticize you, but what you did was really inappropriate. Mu Zi and the others divided the money according to the rules yesterday. Why didn't you make that clear then? You had to make things this way and embarrass everyone."