Chapter 1783: Phoenix Village 1

The young man offering the ride had a look of "sincerity," as if asking for two hundred and fifty was doing him a huge favor.

"One hundred and fifty. If you won't go, I'll find someone else." Zirui bargained, getting straight to the point.

The young man immediately grew anxious: "Don't be like that, brother. You're cutting the price way too hard. We can't make that much money, and it's not easy for us to earn a living..."

Since he didn't refuse outright, it meant the trip was possible.

The young man began to chatter on, playing the victim, which was nothing more than wanting a bit more fare.

If this were before, if he asked for two hundred and fifty, Zirui might have given him three hundred.

Spending a little more money would buy better service; spending a little money to buy time was completely worth it!

But not now; now his status had changed.

His title was no longer the third young master of the Sheng Family, nor the Heir of Dingsheng, but the soon-to-be-appointed Village Chief of Phoenix Village. What a Village Chief has to manage isn't just leading the whole village to prosperity, but also countless trivial matters—it's all small stuff.

Since he had to be calculating about small things, he might as well start with bargaining.

Last night he asked his second brother many questions, including how to get from the airport to Phoenix Village and what the fare should be.

Litian had also been asked for high prices several times before he summarized the experience—a price of one hundred and fifty was the most appropriate.

Zirui wouldn't budge; it was a flat price—one hundred and fifty. If he wouldn't go, he'd switch vehicles!

Finally, the young man compromised: "Fine, you carry your own luggage."

If he had to carry it himself, he'd carry it himself; it was only a few steps anyway.

After getting in, the three-wheeler bounced and rattled onto the road.

Along the way, Zirui was almost bored to death by the chatter.

The young man was too talkative, asking this and that like a "hundred thousand whys."

"Brother, where are you from?"

"What are you going to Phoenix Village for?"

"A big guy with a face as fair as a young girl's; your family background must be very good, right? You've never done farm work, have you?"

"Are you visiting relatives or seeing friends?"

If this were before, Zirui would have told him to shut up.

But now he wouldn't; he held his patience and answered by avoiding the important points.

He first answered a few of his questions simply, then asked him more questions in return.

The young man was a local, born and raised there, and knew more and more comprehensively than Litian did.

Coincidentally, the young man's home wasn't far from Phoenix Village, and he even knew Litian and Lu Feifei.

Because the two were chatting so "congenially," the young man kindly offered Zirui some advice.

"When you get to our place, you can trust the people here; most of them are good..."

"But just don't be a fool with your kindness, don't donate money. The Teacher Lu and Teacher Sheng who used to be at the town school were the best people, but later they were bullied until they left in disgrace. It really wasn't worth it for them..."

When he mentioned his second brother, Zirui didn't say a word, nor did he explain the relationship between the two; he just listened quietly.

Thus he learned that after his second brother and second sister-in-law left Phoenix Town, the people who had bullied them didn't end up well either.

Those students and families who had received their kindness never met teachers as responsible as them again, so they turned all their pent-up anger into resentment and unleashed it all on those shrewish women.

They couldn't do it openly—they couldn't out-curse the shrews—but couldn't they do it in the shadows?

The fields of several families were often sabotaged; either the nearly mature wheat was pulled up, or the dogs in their yards were poisoned.

And they couldn't find anyone; they didn't know who had done it.

The shrews would cry and scream with disheveled hair, but it became the biggest joke.

People hid in their own yards and snickered; the nastier the curses, the harder they laughed.

They deserved it.

Usually, they were the only ones bullying others, never the other way around; now, let them taste what it's like to be bullied.

This taste isn't easy to swallow, is it?

The bitter wine one brews, one must drink oneself.

The young man spoke with great animation, and Sheng Zirui listened with a refreshed spirit; this was what they called the cycle of heaven—who has heaven ever spared?

He must tell his second brother and second sister-in-law about this; their good deeds were not in vain. Even if they didn't take revenge in person, someone would take revenge for them.

As the two talked, time passed quickly, and soon they arrived at Phoenix Village.

Zirui had the vehicle stop at the entrance of the village; he planned to walk the rest of the way, taking the opportunity to familiarize himself with the village situation.

He took out two hundred yuan, thought for a moment, then added another hundred and handed it over, telling the young man driving: "No need for change. Your story is very exciting; I liked it."

"Oh my, thank you, big brother, thank you, big brother." The young man smiled like a blooming peony, thanking him repeatedly without pause.

It was just idle chatter to pass the time on the road; who knew there would be an unexpected bonus.

He didn't take Zirui's extra story-telling money for nothing, and before leaving, he kindly warned: "Among those shrews, the most difficult one lives in Phoenix Village. Be careful; it's that white house up ahead."

"Okay, thank you."

The young man drove off, bouncing and rattling away, and Zirui dragged his suitcase toward the village.

The Village Office was in the middle of the village, and he would pass by the white house.

As he walked past, someone happened to come out to pour water.

The woman was in her thirties, wearing an apron and twisting her water-snake waist; her eyes lit up when she saw Sheng Zirui!

She waved at Zirui and greeted him enthusiastically: "Hey, young man, whose house are you looking for?"

Zirui didn't stop his pace, nor did he speak; he just pointed forward with his finger.

Seeing him not speak, the woman muttered: "I thought another college student village official had come; turns out he's a Yaba." After saying this, she splashed a basin of water on the ground, carried the empty bucket, and went back, twisting her water-snake waist.

Yaba?

Fine, if I'm a Yaba, then I'm a Yaba; she'll find out soon enough that I'm not.

Zirui dragged his suitcase and continued walking forward, not encountering another person along the way.

He found it a bit strange; it was six o'clock in the afternoon, and logically, the streets shouldn't be completely empty. The nearby houses didn't look uninhabited either, so where had everyone gone?

Very soon, he knew the answer.

He arrived at the Village Office, where people were surrounding the building, three layers deep inside and out, all watching the commotion.

Inside, there was arguing, the sound of things being smashed, and loud shouting and cursing...

Zirui was in no rush to go in, mainly because he couldn't get in even if he were in a hurry.

He asked a villager nearby who was watching the commotion: "Big brother, what are they arguing about inside?" The villager glanced at him; he was a stranger, and he was dragging a large suitcase.

Instead of answering his question, the villager immediately guessed his identity: "Are you the new Village Chief?"

"Hehe..."

"The new Village Chief is here, everyone come and see, the new Village Chief is here..."

With that shout, everyone knew.

"Hurry and go in, we've been waiting for you."

"You've come at just the right time!"

The suitcase in Zirui's hand was snatched away by someone to carry, and two villagers grabbed his arms, one on the left and one on the right, as if afraid he might run away, while a large crowd followed behind him, marching grandly... no, walking openly and honestly into the Village Office.

The inside was in a complete mess, and the man standing in the very center was a few years older than Zirui, looking refined and wearing a pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose.

I Like My Wife Always Trying to Anger Me