Little Ger, Slow Life in Another World

Chapter 29.1

Melancholic Loss

Translated by Coke
Edited by Coke

Do one thing but says another

Miao Liang had a weird feeling. Brother Yuan mentioned that Dahe Restaurant’s business performance dropped due to Yangshui Teahouse’s new menu. Everyone in the restaurant was eager to uncover the origin of the dishes, let alone the vegetables used, but never once succeeded. Yangshui Teahouse received boxes of vegetables all day, which were all sent directly into the building. As a result, they never found out who delivered it. 

Miao He and Yang Dalang were delivering food to LIang Mansion, yet the latter even let workers of Yangshui Teahouse carry boxes of unknown contents out. This, wasn’t it a bit odd….

For this suspicion, Miao Liang waited relentlessly for the following morning. His legs had become so sore only to realize that the box seemed only to be exclusive to Liang Mansion. Most of the things carried out from the Liang Mansion were adorned in such packages. This made his conjecture just now have a huge loophole. 

But this kind of loophole… does not eliminate the possibility of what he thought might not be, right?

When calculating time, weren’t the dishes of Yangshui Teahouse not the same anymore after Miao He started delivering vegetables to the Liang Mansion?

Sure, most links were still missing, but his suspicions could not be said to be baseless!

So he might be able to persuade the village chief through Miao Yuan or Miao Jue on the pretext that he would rather kill by mistake than let it go. If that box carried out that day was indeed from Miao He, the coercion of Miao He to move houses would undoubtedly end their relationship with the teahouse! Because transplanting their crops in this intense heat would result in only a few crops surviving, it would also be too late to replant at the new vegetable plot! And through this hiccup in work, Dahe Restaurant would make a way to unravel the true identity of this enigmatic vegetable farmer.

The more he thought about it, the more Miao Laing felt that this plan was plausible. Not only was it favorable for him, but it also gave Miao Jue’s family additional motivation. On top of that, he had the opportunity to climb to the ranks of the Liang family, which also benefitted the workshop. As for the village chief, so long as Miao Jue’s family persuaded him, the latter would give in!

Miao Liang’s eyes glistened excitedly, and he zoomed out of the scene. 

***

So, a few days later, the village chief visited Miao He’s house in the evening with an apologetic demeanor. 

An old couple accompanied him behind, and the man of the couple carried a fowl in his hand!

Miao He had a dubious expression on his face. ‘What sort of bribing and battle is going on here?’

After the three of them were invited into the main hall to sit down, the village chief doused on the water Miao He had served before saying, “I am truly sorry to disturb the two of you so late. I presumed that the two of you were hard-pressed in the new land, so I could not dare come early. As a result, I had come at this time.” 

The evenings in the village were so dark, and everyone only wanted to go out if a significant event interested them, which was what the village chief’s words meant. 

Yang Dalang was also in doubt. “It’s nothing. A few of you came here on purpose. What’s the matter?”

Miao Li and his wife were the old couples who came with the village chief. This Miao Li was Miao Liang’s father and Miao Min’s soon-to-be father-in-law. He also had familial ties with Miao Jue’s family and was close to them, but he never had any interaction or relationship with the Yang family.

The village chief said in a heavy tone, “I am also confused as you do. I made a mistake, and thus, I came to apologize to Yang Dalang.”

Yang Dalang frowned. “Village chief, please speak.”

With a long sigh, the village chief said, “Previously, didn’t I encourage everyone to grow soybeans during the village meeting? Your Uncle Li here is too good for the village as he actively cooperated at once. He outlined a piece of land and said it was perfect for cultivating soybeans. I, the village chief, was delighted to see it. Without checking it thoroughly, I effectively employed the prerequisites to clear the land and granted it to Uncle Li, with finished deeds and land transfer.”

Yang Dalang’s expression darkened. He already guessed what it was. Yet, Miao He was still confused. Noticing the tiger-looking head creeping in to smuggle the tied chicken, Miao He quickly embosomed the sad thing and listened attentively. 

“Who would have imagined this land encapsulating the entirety of Dalang’s family homestead?! This, I, the village chief, was truly muddled! To do such a stupid thing! So, I had no choice but to come and apologize to Dalang,” the village chief sighed.

Miao Li, the old man beside him, sporting a wrinkled face, also sprang up and apologized, “Yes, Dalang, I am also at fault for this matter. I-I ran my mouth too fast and made the village chief screw up the measurement of the land as he wrote it down and impressing your property. I am here to make amends today, Dalang! Please accept this chicken. Accept it!”

Miao He finally caught on to the severity of things. It turned out that there was also a situation of selling one piece of land twice at this time! It was essential to know that after the homestead was leased, the tenant was tantamount to getting the privilege to buy the lot property first. After all, people were building houses on it, so driving people away would be tough. There had never been a case of being kicked out unreasonably and sold to others!

So, he could not help but speak up, “Even so, why not let Uncle Li dock off our land? We could simply requite him with money and let him transfer the land to us?” After speaking, he looked at Yang Dalang, ‘Wouldn’t it be better to deal with it like this?’ 

Yang Dalang’s frown entrenched further deep, already knowing things would not be easy. 

The village chief wrung his hands. “It’s regrettable that your residence, which was already avast, lay in the middle of the land Miao Li intended. And even if the land is to be docked off, the remaining area for growing soybeans would be curtailed, which is not cost-effective. My point is, haven’t you just acquired a new land? If you move there, there won’t be any land shortage to build houses. Plus, there would be any shortage of soybeans in the future if you give this land to Uncle Li, right? Not to mention, your Uncle Li gave up his yard to the construction workshop before, and that was such a meritorious service to our village!”

When the village chief was aggrieved on one side, Miao Li and his woman, Auntie Li, had already snooped at the house with pairs of jealous eyes. And even more went as far as to ask Miao He with great interest, “Brother He, Auntie will go to the kitchen to look, ah. Don’t worry; I won’t touch your things!”

‘Do you think you already have claimed this as your own?’ Before answering, Aunt Li proceeded to the back room, rendering Miao He speechless. 

Yang Dalang remained silent, but his eyes bore more scrutiny on the guests. They gape at the village head first, then shift to Miao Li. Miao Li was afraid of speaking against his convictions, so his guilt started seeping through, and he dodged the scrutiny. But for the sake of his son’s future, this old father bit the bullet.

When the village saw them unspeaking, he gritted his teeth to urge them more. “Dalang, don’t blame the village chief for being on your Uncle Li’s side. You don’t know how important the workshop and soybeans are to our village! Even if I, the village chief, have to admit negligence, I will still help Miao Li. He supports us like this and took the lead in our village. If I, the village chief, don’t help him, then in the eyes of the villagers, wouldn’t I be branded as someone who does one thing but says another?!”

It was as if the village chief’s previous blunders were errors not to be counted and make the victim patch his reputation.

Yang Dalang suddenly said, “How many taels? Let’s buy all the land.” It meant buying all the land that Miao Li bought, so Miao Li and the others could use the money to buy another wasteland to grow soybeans.