Chapter 541 - 535_1
In the end, the Zhao Wufu family was not driven out of the village. The village chief still remembered the kindness of the deceased uncle and, despite the pressure from everyone, decided to keep the Zhao Wufu family in the village. However, to explain his decision to the rest, he made the Zhao Wufu family swear in front of their ancestors’ tablets at the ancestral hall that they would never again do anything that would harm the village’s reputation or interests, otherwise, they would definitely be driven out next time.
At first, the Zhao Wufu family had been somewhat defiant, thinking that throwing tantrums would suffice, but as the situation developed and it became clear that this was not merely about them—the majority of the families in the village had come to insist on their expulsion—Mrs. Zhao didn’t dare to make a peep. She obediently took the village chief’s reprimand. If they were truly driven out of the village, they would have no way to survive.
As for the abode of the Zhao Wufu family, the village chief didn’t leave them to shelter and dine in the open. He took out one tael of silver and twenty pounds of grain from his own savings to give to them, allowing them to take their belongings and leave, either to rent someone else’s house or to find another solution. Now that the snow had stopped, they wouldn’t actually freeze to death. They were still wearing the cotton-padded clothes they had gotten from Zhao Erhu’s house. He had done all he could; he had repaid the debt of gratitude he owed to the late uncle and didn’t owe their family anything more. If anything else happened to the Zhao Wufu family, he wouldn’t get involved.
After dealing with Zhao Wufu, the village chief made another visit to Zhao Erhu’s house. First, to communicate the outcome of the handling of Zhao Wufu’s family and the reasons behind it, hoping Zhao Erhu could understand; and second, because he had been the one to bring the Zhao Wufu family into Zhao Erhu’s home. Now that they had done such a disgraceful thing, he felt responsible and wanted to offer an apology to Zhao Erhu.
"Uncle Youfu, look at what you’re saying, there’s no need for this. Even though they were brought in by you, you were just fulfilling the village chief’s duty to help everyone. Zhao Wufu’s family’s actions were not something you could have foreseen. Moreover, they have already been punished. There’s no need for you to dwell on this matter any further," Zhao Erhu consoled.
"It is you, Erhu, who has the broader heart. Ah, I had no choice; otherwise, I would have driven such people out of the village long ago. But in any case, they are still of Zhao’s bloodline. When the old Uncle An was around, he took good care of me and many people in the village. I owed his family a favor, so it was difficult to take too harsh an action. It’s comforting that you understand my position," the village chief said with remorse but was still forthright in expressing the reasons behind his actions.
Zhao Erhu actually agreed with Zhao Youfu’s approach. Though he had driven the Zhao Youfu family out of his home, he had no intention of entirely destroying them. In fact, there were reasons for this.
"It’s only human nature. Speaking of which, Old An was truly a good man. When I was a child, I had nothing to eat and starved for two days. It was Uncle An who gave me a steamed bun. Not long after, when Old An’s age caught up with him, he passed away, and I never had the chance to repay his kindness. That’s why I had my wife take extra care of Zhao Wufu’s family when they moved in, never expecting Old An’s descendants to be so unworthy—lacking not only success but even good character. It was in a fit of anger that I drove them out, but I hadn’t thought of driving them out of the village; I still left them some leeway," Zhao Erhu recalled these memories.