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墨書 Inktalez
County Magistrate Zhou trembled as he took the thick stack of manuscripts, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in his hands, concerning the lives and future of tens of thousands of citizens.
He solemnly bent down and deeply bowed, saying, " Miss Liu, I thank you on behalf of the countless people of Linyi."
"Sir, please do not say that. Qingxi cannot bear such praise."
County Magistrate Zhou stopped her gesture, saying, "No, you deserve it. Without further ado, I will arrange for people to implement your methods. Rest assured, I will certainly advocate for you in the Memorial."
Afterward, County Magistrate Zhou leaped onto his horse with vigor; there was no sign of old age—he was clearly still in his prime!
"Your noble act will not be forgotten by this official."
The swift horse galloped away, carrying the hopes of Linyi's people and the confidence of County Magistrate Zhou. At that moment, they were unaware that a new method of building houses would change the fate of many people.
In the following time, County Magistrate Zhou mobilized all available manpower and resources to initiate comprehensive post-disaster reconstruction efforts in Linyi County. With a leader at the helm, people were no longer aimlessly running around without direction.
While everyone was busy striving for a better life, one family was enjoying a simple meal of porridge and vegetables before taking a nap.
One of the existing houses in Ten Li Pu was located at the eastern end of the village, not far from a cave. It was a courtyard built with Azure Bricks. A woman dressed in a floral red blouse sat under a large tree, fanning herself with a palm leaf to keep cool.
"Oh dear, it's unbearably hot! Thankfully we have our Zhi'er; otherwise, you all would be drinking from the North Wind."
Wang's eyes slightly narrowed as she rolled them upward with a smug expression.
Another woman, slender and dressed in gray cloth, felt a flash of resentment upon seeing Wang's flower-like silk fabric fluttering in the breeze. Hearing Wang's words only fueled her anger.
Her lips moved as if to say something but suddenly stopped short. After mumbling a couple of words, she replied, "Yes, thanks to Sister-in-law," while thinking to herself that if it weren't for the house and benefits, who would have time to flatter her?
Wang was unaware that the main house was built by her, and that she was in charge of the family; now everyone had to listen to her.
While others were cleaning up the ruins, they sat in the yard enjoying the cool breeze, with hundreds of pounds of stored grain at home, living a carefree and pleasant life.
Wang liked to stroll around the village for no particular reason. Whenever she saw others building houses, she would throw in a few sarcastic remarks: "Lucky for us our house didn't collapse; otherwise, we would be just like you."
"Oh dear, all this food came from Zhi'er; is this all you eat?"
The disdain and contempt in her eyes drew constant opposition from everyone, yet she could easily incite public outrage.
However, Wang remained oblivious; it was one thing to act high and mighty in front of outsiders, but she did the same in front of her family.
In stark contrast were Liu Laosi and Liu Laowu's family. Wang insisted on having Yan agree to a division of the family based on the secret that she had been betrothed to Liu Laosan in her youth.
However, before this could be implemented, the earthquake occurred, putting it on hold for the time being.
Unfortunately for Liu Family's Fourth Branch and Fifth Branch, they did not share the same fortune as the First Branch and Second House. The earthquake was most pronounced in the mountains.
The violent tremors caused rocks to shift, and countless stones fell. The already dark and damp cave seemed to experience a catastrophic disaster akin to the end of the world at that moment.
The entrance collapsed instantly, rocks rolled down, and stones from above fell with a crash, burying pots, bowls, bedding, and other belongings within the cave.
Fortunately, the Fourth House and Fifth Branch were relatively diligent; they often worked outside and thus escaped disaster.
With no place to live and no food, both families eventually found themselves at a dead end and came to seek help from Wang, their sister-in-law.
However, after receiving the expected rejection, both families decided to build their own house. Yet, Wang's words and actions completely blocked their way out.
With no other options, the seven members of both families dragged their weary bodies to the new residence, only to find First Branch Second House chatting and Gossip.
"Sister-in-law, Sister Two." The hunchbacked Liu Laosi approached.
"Ah!" Wang suddenly jolted, almost falling off her chair, dramatically patting her chest. "What are you doing? Trying to scare me to death?"
"No, no, no, Sister-in-law, I didn't mean that."
"Hmph!" Wang gasped in surprise. "If you didn't mean it, why did you suddenly appear? I think your family is doing this on purpose."
The people from Fourth House Fifth Branch knew that no matter how they explained, Wang's impression of them wouldn't change. They decided not to explain further.
Wang continued her rant while a few people lowered their heads in silence, suddenly losing interest.
"Alright, alright, look at your long faces. If I didn't know better, I'd think I did something to you. Is there something you want? If not, hurry back."
"Sister-in-law, you know our cave collapsed. We have nowhere to go. We can manage for a day or two outside, but over time the children won't be able to handle it. I was wondering if we could..."
Before Liu Laosi could finish his sentence, he was interrupted: "No way! This is my house. You should go wherever you came from. Why should I support you?"
"Honestly, a grown man should feel ashamed. Look around the house—everything here is mine: the house, the food and drink—how dare you come here and take advantage of me?"
Liu Laosi and Liu Laowu were left speechless and red-faced after Wang's barrage of words.
As Wang's voice slowed down, Liu Laosi quickly seized the opportunity, "Sister-in-law, we adults can manage, but the children can't stand it. Can we let a few of them stay here?"
There was no choice; under the eaves, one had to bow their head. Although Wang's behavior was unreasonable, they had no grounds to oppose it since the house was indeed built by her.
"Hah, I knew you were just here to take advantage. There's no reason for Sister-in-law to support your children wherever you go. I want to see just how thick your skin is."
Wang placed her hands on her hips, spitting as she spoke, and some of her saliva splattered onto Liu Laosi's face, carrying a hint of her bad breath.
A wave of nausea was forcefully suppressed, but another person who had leaned in out of curiosity could no longer hide their reaction.
Turning away abruptly, they retched a couple of times and exclaimed in a sharp voice, "Sister-in-law, please take it easy; that spit is too foul!"
To prove their point, Jiang Clan waved their delicate hand in front of their nose a few times. Their self-proclaimed gentle pout sent chills down everyone's spine.
Wang shot a fierce glare as a warning, and Jiang Clan immediately fell silent. This Sister-in-law didn’t play by the rules; what if she really kicked them out?
Out there, the world was chaotic with no place to shelter.
Turning back to glance at Liu Laosi, Wang rolled her eyes twice. Since they weren't farming now and there was nothing to eat in the mountains, taking in Fourth House and Fifth Branch would mean adding seven more mouths to feed.
Why not???
"Let's take this opportunity to split the family!"
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