svetikya Page 267
Page 267
Han Dahe was furious.
"Dazhuang, when did you hear the villagers say I'm a scumbag?"
Wan Ping'an's anger surged.
He was certain that it was the work of beasts.
It could be Jia Zhangshi, Yi Zhonghai, or even the deaf old lady; they are the prime suspects. Of course, it could also be the work of a love rival.
Qin Huairu was the most beautiful girl in the dozen or so villages around.
Even before Qin Huairu came of age, many people came to propose marriage to her; many people had their eyes on this beautiful flower!
She has a boyfriend.
Everyone who's watching her sees her boyfriend, Wan Ping'an, as a rival.
Wan Ping'an and Qin Huairu got together, but the price was a bunch of rivals in love, and who knows, it might have been one of those rivals who did it.
"It seems like it was about two weeks ago."
"At first only a few people said it, but soon the whole village was saying it."
"Qin's parents even had a fight with those people, and when they got home they locked Qin up. There are people watching Qin every day."
Wan Ping'an's problem.
Li Dazhuang answered them one by one.
However, he had limited information. He didn't know who spread the rumor or who first said it. He was practically clueless.
"Dazhuang, thank you!"
"It's almost noon, why don't you stay for lunch!"
"Silly Zhu, stop eavesdropping! If you keep eavesdropping, I'll make you work the night shift. Hurry up and make lunch!"
Wan Ping'an glared at Sha Zhu, who was not far away.
Sha Zhu gave an awkward laugh.
Go catch chickens!
Wan Ping'an never shortchanged his subordinates; they always had a meat meal every day.
"No need, I'll go back and eat!"
Li Dazhuang was a little shy.
"It's almost noon. You must have gotten home in the afternoon, and you've already missed lunch."
"Here, take this!"
Wan Ping'an gave Li Dazhuang another five yuan.
Li Dazhuang was stunned; that was five yuan!
Their family of six works themselves to the bone, and they can only save twenty or thirty yuan a year, even if the weather is good and the harvest is plentiful.
In years of famine, not only will you not be able to save a single penny, but you will also go hungry!
"I can't have it!"
"When I arrived, Sister Qin gave me fifty cents!"
Li Dazhuang dared not accept it.
It's not that I don't want to accept it.
"I'll give it to you, so just take it!"
Wan Ping'an stuffed it into Li Dazhuang's hand.
"Go back and tell Huai Ru to stay home and relax, as if she's on vacation. I'll resolve this as soon as possible!"
Wan Ping'an gave his instructions.
Li Dazhuang was overjoyed to accept the money, carefully hiding it close to his body, and touching it every now and then. This was the first time he had ever received such a large sum of money!
"Ping An, I have an old friend in Qin Family Village who's quite capable. Should I ask him to help me investigate?"
Han Dahe slapped his thigh.
"Row!"
Wan Ping'an nodded.
"Little guy, do you know Liu Mazi?"
Han Dahe looked at Li Dazhuang.
"know!"
“It’s good that you know him. Go back to the village and tell him that Han Dahe is looking for him and ask him to come over tomorrow.”
"Okay, I will definitely pass on the message."
While the three were talking.
Lunch is ready.
Wan Pingan, Han Dahe, Cai Quanwu, and Li Dazhuang sat at a table.
Sha Zhu sat at a table with another person.
It's just been served.
Li Dazhuang was stunned. Was this a stewed chicken?
He couldn't even remember how long it had been since he last ate meat; it must have been several months, right?
Even when we ate meat during holidays, we could only eat a tiny bit to satisfy our cravings, unlike now where we can have a big pot of stewed chicken!
This life is too good!
He is now certain that what is circulating in the village is a rumor.
Is Wan Ping'an really as rumored? How could he possibly eat a whole chicken so casually?
"Come on, don't be shy!"
Wan Ping'an hosted Li Dazhuang.
The next morning.
There was a little old man about the same age as Han Dahe, with many pockmarks on his face. He found six acres of land and chatted happily with Han Dahe.
"Liu Mazi, let me introduce you. This is Wan Ping'an, the owner of the six mu of land. I'm now living off Ping'an!"
Han Dahe explained.
Liu Mazi gave Wan Ping'an a strange look.
He had certainly heard the rumors circulating in the village. There were many versions, but they all boiled down to one sentence: Wan Ping'an was a scoundrel who committed all sorts of evil deeds.
But he's a shrewd and experienced man.
The moment he saw him, he knew it was a rumor, that someone was trying to smear Wan Ping'an.
A person's eyes.
A person's temperament.
It's hard to fake!
"If you don't mind, you can just call me Liu Mazi, just like Lao Han does!"
Liu Mazi spoke first with a smile.
"That won't do, I'll still call you Grandpa Liu!"
Wan Ping'an responded with a smile in return.
"Ma Zi, I'm sure you've guessed it, the reason I called you here is to find out who's spreading rumors and to reveal the truth to Ping An!"
Han Dahe didn't stand on ceremony with Liu Mazi and went straight to the point.
"No problem, Lao Han. Now that you've asked, I'll definitely find the person spreading the rumors."
Liu Mazi patted his chest and guaranteed it.
It's clear that the two have a very close relationship.
When Han Dahe asked Liu Mazi for a favor, he simply asked without discussing any conditions.
"Grandpa Liu, I want to expand my planting and breeding scale and need more manpower. Would you be willing to come?"
Wan Ping'an extended an invitation.
He realized that Liu Mazi was no ordinary person.
He wants to do great things, and he needs a large group of capable people to assist him.
Liu Mazi is old and can't do any specific work anymore, but he still has experience. As long as he can take the lead, that's enough.
"I'm too old to keep going through all that trouble."
“My grandson, Liu Erdan, has nothing to do at home and isn’t married yet. Do you think we could let him come?”