Chapter 53: Fellow Villagers

At this moment, inside Sunset Village, the area in front of Heifu's house was surrounded by a dense crowd of several dozen people — all villagers from the village, with more women than men.

By rights, although there was no farm work in winter, the farmers were hardly idle. Because Qin law stipulated that after the second month of spring, cutting timber in the mountain forests was forbidden, and the ban was not lifted until the seventh month. Only felling trees to make inner and outer coffins for the dead was exempt from seasonal restrictions.

So the grown men of every farming household had to take advantage of the winter, when there was no ban, to chop enough firewood for the coming spring. Those with a special skill could also head into the hills to set traps and nets for birds and beasts, or go down to the river to catch fish and turtles to supplement the household income.

As for the women, apart from weaving, they stayed at home gripping wooden pestles, pounding away all day at grain that seemed as if it would never be finished.

This afternoon, which should have been routine as always, was disrupted when the village chief's wife came calling.

The village chief's wife told the farm wives busy at home that she had heard the Zhong family, living in the east of the village, had newly made a grain-pounding device that could greatly reduce the time needed for pounding grain, required little strength, and spared one from aching arms.

"This all slipped out when the artisan Qiu's wife was chatting idly with a neighbor. I heard it was finished by the middle of the month and placed in the Zhong house. They've been using it for over half a month now and have pounded dozens of dan of grain!"

"Is this true?"

The moment they heard of such a fine thing, the village women instantly erupted. One after another, they threw down the wooden pestles in their hands and clamored to go and see.

Just as they were chatting and laughing their way out of their homes, preparing to go knock on the door and pay a visit as they usually did, the village chief appeared.

With a grim expression, the village chief told them that he had just gone to find Qiu, who had made the device. But contrary to all expectations, Qiu was adamantly unwilling to make the item for anyone else, and had even taken his wife and fled to the Zhong house!

"Qiu said," the village chief addressed the gathered men and women of each household, "that he swore an oath he would not make this item for others!"

Upon hearing this, quite a few women immediately began to clamor.

"This is truly outrageous!"

"As one of the Hundred Artisans, isn't it his duty to properly make tools for us soldier-farmers? The village chief gave an order — how dare he refuse!"

Seeing the crowd's indignation and that the moment was ripe, the village chief raised a hand and stirred them up: "All of you, hear me out. For generations, the folks of Sunset Village have been like one family. We offer sacrifices to the ancestors together in the twelfth month, and when we gather to drink in the village community, every household brings out its food to share. Whenever there is something good, it ought to be shared with everyone in the village! This is a rule set down in our village long ago!"

"Right."

"Exactly!"

The crowd chimed in one after another, even though no one had taken this so-called rule seriously for a long time.

"But now, Zhong and Qiu refuse to hand over this item. They are unwilling to let the women of the village save a bit of effort in pounding grain. Even as village chief, I can do nothing about them. Since I cannot persuade the two of them, I hope you will all come with me and have a good talk with them. Let us persuade Zhong to hand the item over. If it truly works well, then have Qiu make one for every household. What say you?"

"The village chief speaks well!" When the crowd heard that the village chief wanted every household to get that fine device, they were immediately delighted and voiced their approval in droves.

And so, before long, the half-mu mulberry grove outside the Zhong house, usually empty, was packed with people, the ground trampled into a mess. Some were even standing on tiptoe, peering over the wall into the yard.

Even more village women were clamoring outside:

"Zhong, come out and say something!"

"Is that grain-pounding device that saves effort and time real or not?"

"Qiu, if such a thing really exists, you are one of the Hundred Artisans — why won't you make it for the villagers?"

The wooden door of the Zhong house was tightly shut, and the people inside remained utterly silent. Only the faint sound of a child crying could be heard from within...

Watching the entire Zhong family trapped inside their door, subjected to the villagers' interrogation, the village chief of Sunset Village felt more gratified than he could say.

Though the post of village chief was minor, he was still the head of a village, responsible for managing household registrations, inspecting for lawbreaking, and urging the payment of taxes and corvée labor. On ordinary days, whoever met him had to bow respectfully to him, did they not?

Yet ever since that Heifu went to the county seat to serve, won merit, and returned with a title, his family had grown more and more arrogant, showing no regard for him. That little brat Heifu — when he met others on the road on ordinary days, he would greet them amiably, but when he saw the village chief alone, he would not even deign to nod his head. Did that wretch truly think that just because he had won the title of Gongshi, he was something special?

Because Heifu had ordered his family to keep their mouths tightly shut and not reveal his plan to become a precinct chief before the matter was settled, no one in the village, including the village chief, knew a thing...

The village chief already had some old grudges with the Zhong brothers. He had already made up his mind: when spring plowing came this year and Zhong and Heifu came again to borrow the ox, he would make sure they learned who truly called the shots in this village!

But the opportunity came faster than the village chief had anticipated. Two days ago, when his wife went visiting in the north of the village, she brought back a piece of news: the artisan Qiu's wife — that is, Heifu's elder sister Huan — had let something slip while chatting idly with a neighbor, boasting that Qiu had helped Heifu and Zhong make a foot-treadle grain-pounding device that could cut the time for pounding grain in half, and required no strenuous effort...

The village chief was somewhat skeptical, but unable to resist his wife's nagging, he went to Qiu's house today to get to the bottom of it.

Who would have thought that Qiu would hem and haw, clearly hiding something!

Growing suspicious, the village chief pretended to go to the latrine, crept into Qiu's backyard, and actually saw a grain-pounding device that closely resembled a well-sweep!

Now Qiu had no defense. The village chief ordered him to make an identical one for himself and deliver it to his home the day after tomorrow. Who would have thought that this Qiu was ruthless enough to refuse the village chief on the spot, and then smash the thing to pieces! Then he took his wife and daughter and fled to the Zhong house...

Having failed to get his way, the village chief flew into a rage, and thus came today's scene.

Unable to obtain it himself, he feigned impartiality, determined to make the Zhong family, young and old, lose face and incur the enmity of the entire village!

"Let's see how your family expects to hold a place in this village from now on!"

Just as the village chief was watching the Zhong house being surrounded with smug satisfaction, the field clerk came over. In a low voice, he urged the village chief to reconsider, saying that times were not what they used to be — Zhong's younger brother Heifu was not a man to be trifled with, and his name was known throughout the county. Who knew what the future held? He must not push things to the absolute limit!

"And what if I do push it to the limit?"

The village chief was indignant. He was a stubborn small landholder to begin with, proud of his family's former status as "servicemen," and obsessed with safeguarding his own standing in the village.

By this point, the matter was no longer about a grain-pounding device; it concerned his prestige in the village. If even a lowly Hundred Artisan dared defy him, and he could not even handle the Zhong brothers, how could he go on being village chief? That old village gatekeeper, whose title was higher than his, was eyeing this position covetously at all times!

So the village chief stubbornly persisted, telling the field clerk: "Save your breath. Today, I will make the Zhong family bow their heads and obediently hand over that device!"

The field clerk shook his head and left. Before departing, he said that in this matter, he would help neither side.

"Your daddy doesn't need your help! I am the master of this Sunset Village!"

Watching the field clerk's cowardly manner, the village chief was utterly contemptuous. He continued spouting words to stir up the villagers, making their resentment toward the Zhong family grow even stronger, as if the Zhong family's refusal to hand over the device meant they owed the villagers something.

Such was life in the village — a small place where you constantly ran into people whether you looked up or down, so friction was plentiful. Among neighbors, though they were normally cordial, the moment your family had something theirs did not, and they wanted what you possessed, it led to envy and jealousy.

Ever since Heifu returned, the Zhong family's fortunes had been improving day by day. Not only had they newly repaired their gate and walls, but every few days they could also eat some fish and meat. What's more, to keep the secret of the treadle pestle, they had stopped inviting the neighbors over to sit for quite some time...

Gradually, the surrounding neighbors began to harbor some grievances against the Zhong family. All sorts of feelings began to brew, and there were quite a few who gossiped behind their backs, calling them arrogant and disdainful. Now, with the village chief adding fuel to the fire, those ignorant village women whose husbands and sons were away, leaving them alone at home to pound grain, were more than willing to follow the village chief and watch the excitement...

Some even maliciously threw clods of mud at his family's brand-new gate, venting their jealousy.

Seeing that the moment was about right, the village chief hypocritically stopped the crowd. He parted the people, raised his arrogant head high, and stood at the very front. Arms akimbo, he shouted loudly toward the Zhong house: "Zhong, if you still refuse to come out, we will have to go in ourselves! When the time comes and your mother, your children are frightened, don't blame us for disregarding the bonds of our fellow villagers!"

He knew that although that Heifu was a ruthless character, he was not at home today.

As for Zhong? Ha, the village chief had watched him grow up. From childhood to adulthood, Zhong had been an honest and dutiful child. After injuring his leg on the battlefield, he had become even more self-effacing in front of others, never disputing anything, yielding at every turn. In the past, when the village chief made things difficult for Zhong over borrowing the ox, borrowing farm tools, or land allocation, Zhong would only smile helplessly and dare not voice any objection.

So the village chief was utterly certain: Zhong would bow his head to him!

No sooner had his words faded than the dark wooden door of the Zhong house creaked open.

Zhong stepped one foot outside the threshold, keeping the other foot inside. His left hand braced against the door, while his right hand was hidden behind his back.

He looked at the dense crowd of fellow villagers outside, at the swaggering village chief, his face somewhat pale. That injured leg of his, still inside the threshold, seemed to be trembling faintly...

(End of chapter)