Chapter 21: Villagers' Meeting, Settling the Aftermath

When they arrived at the entrance of Huachi Du Cun Village, Lao Langzhong would not let Gu Xixi continue seeing him off.

"This old blind man has lived here for many years; he remembers all the big and small roads around, he won't get lost."

Gu Xixi really couldn't win against him, so she had to stop her steps and watch him go.

Lao Langzhong walked forward carrying a wooden box, raising his hand to wave.

"When you have any good or bad news and need to find me, come to my home as a guest."

That evening the village held a meeting, the area under the big locust tree was brightly lit by torches.

Gu Xixi had been busy for most of the day, only then could she attend to her experimental samples.

So she and Zhang Shen arrived a bit late, still unaware of what had happened.

She saw Gu Lao San and Liu Shi standing in the middle with their heads lowered.

The villagers stared at them, their expressions solemn, and for a moment no one spoke.

Gu Xixi looked at the scene and already had a guess in her mind.

Just as she was wondering about Zhang Wang, the Village Chief came up to her and said, "The matter of thieves entering your home is known throughout the village."

"This afternoon several people from neighboring villages came to identify the children, and I did not agree to let them go."

"You are the victim, so it's up to you to say how they should be dealt with."

Village Chief Lao Qian is a tall, sturdy middle-aged man; he is skilled not only in farm work, but also has traveled trade routes outside and made some friends.

Therefore, although he is not old, he was elected Village Chief because of his experience and sense of righteousness.

Gu Xixi said, "When I returned home, Zhang Shen and… my distant great-uncle had already tied them up."

"They intentionally took advantage of the fire to loot; if we only give them such a minor lesson, they probably won't remember it, and when they grow up they will become even more of a scourge to the countryside."

The villagers nodded in agreement one after another.

"These little troublemakers are always idle and causing trouble; not disciplining them truly shows they don't know the immensity of heaven and earth!"

"How dare they come to our Huachi Du Cun Village to loot during the fire, bullying us because they think there's no one left?!"

Lao Qian asked Gu Xixi, "Then what do you mean?"

Gu Xixi said solemnly, "Violating law and discipline, naturally they should be handed over to the County Office to be dealt with according to national law."

"If the court needs witnesses, I will certainly come when summoned."

Lao Qian gave Gu Xixi a deep look.

Before, he had paid little attention to this young lady, only retaining a slight impression from others' words.

Now, however, it let him change his opinion greatly.

The elderly people in the village, when mentioning seeing officials, are all timid and shrinking, but this young lady is neither hurried nor agitated, neither humble nor arrogant.

Lao Qian nodded with a smile, "Alright, we'll do as you say."

"However, keeping so many men under watch at your home would be inconvenient."

"Later I will bring a few youngsters to take them all to the Tudimiao and keep watch throughout the night."

"Tomorrow we will hand them over to the County Office in the village's name; what do you think?"

Gu Xixi performed a salute, "The Village Chief has considered this so thoroughly; I will naturally comply."

Lao Qian turned to look at Gu Lao San and his wife, his smile instantly vanishing.

His face darkened like gathering storm clouds, and he shouted in a low voice, "Gu Lao San! Liu Shi! You two, by burning straw, caused a great fire that destroyed eighteen mu of the villagers' good fields, as well as some grain and vegetables."

"Now that both human and material evidence are complete, what else do you have to argue?!"

As it turned out, Gu Lao San's family had just finished harvesting wheat when Gu Tiezhu broke his leg.

Suddenly the household lacked a strong laborer.

Gu Lao San disliked dealing with the leftover straw in the fields, finding it tiresome and slow, so he planned to burn it all in one go.

This morning he took a match and went to the fields to start a fire.

He happened to be seen by a family who had also risen early to fertilize.

Furthermore, Lao Qian's afternoon investigation with others indicated that the initial fire spot was almost certainly Gu Lao San's own two mu of wheat field.

From the ash piled up in the fields, this place also showed the most thorough burning.

All these clues confirmed Gu Lao San's guilt.

That is why tonight they summoned his couple, to settle this account before the whole village.

The villagers, upon hearing what the Village Chief and the witnesses said, were all indignant beyond measure.

Especially the several families who suffered losses from the fire,

Gu Daye angrily pointed at Gu Lao San, "I said you didn't properly put out the fire this morning, and even told me not to listen to Gu Xixi; it turns out it's all your fault!"

"You must compensate me for my cabbage!"

Besides these losses, the fields were scorched black, leaving thick ash; before next year they probably cannot grow anything else.

Liu Shi muttered discontentedly, "Which of your families hasn't had less straw?"

"That stuff is neither edible nor drinkable; even livestock don't like to eat it, it's burned every year, every household burns it."

"This misfortune is heaven's will; if you want to assign blame, go ask the Heavenly Lord!"

Several victim families likewise refused to accept it, and they argued with Liu Shi, talking over each other.

Gu Xixi watched this scene, recalling that the handling of straw had indeed once been an agricultural problem.

Only by turning straw from waste into treasure can the root cause of disorderly burning be resolved.

Besides this, is there no way to remedy the present losses?

Gu Lao San and Liu Shi made clear they wanted "either compensation or their lives," and the two sides argued until the moon rose, still without a result.

The current dynasty's law does not prohibit farmers from burning straw on their own fields; for such a situation that is first man-made then turns accidental, there is no definitive ruling on punishment.

As Village Chief, Lao Qian could only do his best to mediate.

Seeing it was already too late, Lao Qian let everyone disperse first, and another day he would have both sides meet again to discuss.

On the way home, Gu Xixi kept wondering what was suitable to plant on the ashes.

Tea saplings? The temperature is too high for planting now, and even if planted, it would take a year to see results.

In the frigid, ice‑locked winters of Xi Bei, after planting a season's grain, farmers usually continue with radishes, mustard greens and similar short‑term, fast‑growing crops to store for winter.

If we cannot change the crop type, could we instead work the soil and make use of those ashes?

Early the next morning, Zhang Shen went to knock on Gu Xixi's door before having cooked breakfast.

"Xixi, the Government Office has sent people to our village! They'll be at our house soon—get up quickly!"

"Oh…" Gu Xixi sat up, still dazed.

She had barely slept the night before, dark circles under her eyes, she had sleepwalked into putting on two layers of clothing, and then suddenly woke up.

She quickly put on her skirt and outer jacket and ran outside.

"Auntie, you said the Government Office sent people? Do you know why they came? Where are they now?"

Zhang Shen stared blankly for a moment and said, "I don't know why they came."

"Just now the Village Chief sent someone to notify us that the Government Office had sent people; the Village Chief has already gone to meet them, and he also said it would be perfect to hand over the bandits who broke into our house to the Government Office."

"By then, government runners might come to our house for questioning, so get ready early."

Zhang Shen thought a moment longer and added, "However, the Government Office people seem unaware that our village caught fire yesterday, and the Village Chief also said it's best not to make a big fuss externally and cause trouble for the officials."

Gu Xixi stared blankly, and she hardly heard anything Zhang Shen said afterward.

All the surrounding villages are poor, with nothing to gain.

Government runners only go to the village voluntarily when they receive an official dispatch.

If they weren't here for the fire.

Well…

Gu Xixi turned her head toward the west room.

Oh no!

But before she could act, the gate was knocked and Lao Qian's voice came through:

"Gu Clan's eldest niece, the Government Office's runner has come—come out to greet him quickly!"