Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 562: Chapter 292: Displaced Anger

He knew, of course, that the Lord County Magistrate would look down on these items. But he absolutely could not offer money or valuables—not that he had any to give. The moment he set that precedent, that damn official would extort them by the same standard forevermore, whether or not Qingnan Village could afford it.

Sure enough, County Magistrate Li looked at the large pile of things and sneered inwardly. ’They think they can get the girl back with this junk? This Scholar Li’s father is utterly clueless.’

He had come today specifically to extort money, and also to size up this ”rich village” that Huang Yan’er had told him about. It wasn’t his style to be too obvious, so he had deliberately let the families with married daughters off the hook. He was just using Yan’s case as a pretext, waiting for Li Gengtian to take the bait. Who knew the man was such a complete skinflint.

He smiled nonchalantly and said, ”Village Chief Li, what is the meaning of this? Am I the sort of official who extorts the common people? While these things aren’t valuable, they could still cost me my official’s post!”

Li Gengtian froze for a moment, then forced a smile. ”It’s just some local produce. Things folks saved up to sell, things they couldn’t even bear to eat themselves. Today, the Lord County Magistrate has graced our humble village with his presence, so naturally, we must offer them to you, my lord.”

Seeing that Li Gengtian pleaded poverty with every sentence, County Magistrate Li grew even more annoyed. He turned to Huang Yan’er and smiled. ”Since Village Chief Li is being so courteous, it wouldn’t be right to refuse him completely. But I cannot violate imperial law by accepting these things myself. Why don’t we let the government officials who came along divide it among themselves? Consider it a reward for their hard work.”

Huang Yan’er was overjoyed. As he and the others accepted the goods, he didn’t forget to shoot Li Gengtian a look, signaling him to prepare a separate gift for the Lord County Magistrate.

Bitterness welled in Li Gengtian’s heart. ’How could I not understand what County Magistrate Li means? But where would I get my hands on the kind of ”valuable” things the Lord County Magistrate is talking about?’

Zhang Huai’s eyes flickered. He stepped forward and asked with a look of regret, ”The Lord County Magistrate doesn’t want these? This is the best our village can offer right now. It’s not like winter, when we could give you a few pounds of cured meat. Village Chief, what should we do? We can’t let the Lord County Magistrate go back empty-handed. How about I go get some shrimp paste? My mother makes it. It’s great with rice and really whets the appetite. The Lord County Magistrate will definitely like it.” After speaking, he looked eagerly at County Magistrate Li, hoping he would deign to accept it.

County Magistrate Li was furious, but he had nowhere to direct his anger. He turned, got into his sedan chair, and waved his hand to signal his men to lift it, not even bothering to reply.

Li Gengtian was anxious, wanting to beg for Yan’s release but not knowing how to ask. Just as he was panicking, he saw Yan’s mother rush forward to block the sedan chair. She began to kowtow, crying loudly, ”My Lord, please release my Yan! She’s still so young! Please let her go, I’ll set up a longevity tablet in your name!”

The scene instantly descended into chaos. The shouts of the government officials, the wails of Li Laoer’s family, the hushed whispers of the onlookers... Li Gengtian and the others feigned trying to console the family while taking the opportunity to plead with County Magistrate Li. A dozen or so able-bodied young men, including the brothers Li Changxing and Li Changming, Zhang Huai, Qingmu, and Sun Tiezhu, completely surrounded the sedan chair, facing off against the government officials. Beyond the crowd, even a pack of dogs had gathered, barking incessantly.

County Magistrate Li was trembling with rage. Just as he was about to erupt, he caught a glimpse through the curtain of his sedan chair. He saw several tall, sturdy villagers staring at his chair, their gazes like those of predatory beasts about to devour their prey. A shiver went down his spine. He hastily yelled at Li Gengtian, ”Li Gengtian, are you trying to stage a rebellion? Get her away from here! For the sake of her ignorance, I will not pursue the matter. When her daughter becomes successful in the future, she will naturally understand that I did her no harm.” He shot a look at Huang Yan’er, signaling him to get them out of there quickly.

Li Gengtian didn’t dare push things too far either—his eldest son was still in Qinghui.

Seeing that the situation was irreversible, he could only grab Li Laoer and tell him to go console his wife. He whispered in his ear, ”Laoer, you can’t fight an opponent stronger than you. Just endure it for now. We can talk again once my Changfeng makes something of himself. Making a scene now will only get more people dragged into this.”

Li Laoer tearfully pulled his wife away, but inwardly he was screaming, ’Why should I be the one to endure it? Your daughters are all married and safe, so why is my daughter the one being taken away?!’

Once the woman was pulled away, the attendants lifted the sedan chair and drove the carriage away in a hurry. After they had gone some distance, Huang Yan’er looked back and saw that a large crowd was still gathered there. He couldn’t help but wipe away a bead of sweat, thinking to himself, ’That was a close call.’

Inside the sedan chair, County Magistrate Li also wiped sweat from his brow. He cursed inwardly, swearing never to come here in person again. He wasn’t afraid of people like Li Gengtian—at least he understood some reason and wouldn’t act recklessly. Besides, both of his sons were currently in Qinghui. What he feared were those ignorant villagers. If he provoked them and ended up getting killed here, it would be a tremendous loss.

This place was far from the Qinghui County Government, and also far from Linhuzhou. If something happened, it would be difficult to handle. If you really tried to call in the local army, they would probably just hide in Little Qing Mountain. Where would you find them then? A dead County Magistrate would just be a dead County Magistrate.

Never mind the terrified County Magistrate Li, who departed vowing never to return while already plotting how to punish the foolish villagers and vent his rage. Back in Qingnan Village, all hell broke loose after he left.

When Yan’s mother saw that Yan had been taken away, she despaired. Like a madwoman, she threw herself at Li Gengtian, ramming her head into his waist and relentlessly pounding his chest with one hand. She sobbed and cursed nonstop, smearing snot and tears all over the front of his shirt.

People came forward to pull her away and calm her down, but in her fury, how could they possibly separate them!

Just then, Li Gengtian’s wife, Mrs. Fang, rushed out of the house—Li Changyu had seen that things were going badly and had told her to come out and console her sister-in-law. She said to Yan’s mother, ”Yan’s mother, I know you’re hurting, and I feel terrible too, but how can you blame my Gengtian for this? He’s just a village chief. What do you expect him to do?”

Hearing this, Yan’s mother raised her tear-streaked face, ignoring Mrs. Fang completely. She grabbed the front of Li Gengtian’s shirt with both hands and screamed in his face, ”There are so many girls in the village, so why did they have to take my Yan? You’re not human! You’re not her uncle! You’re inhuman! All the other girls in the village are fine, but you just had to send away your own niece! Now everyone will praise you, won’t they? How you’ve saved face!”

Li Gengtian didn’t blame his sister-in-law for losing control in her rage—’if venting like this lets her let off some steam, then let her,’ he thought. However, when he heard Yan’s mother accuse him of sending his own niece away just to earn a good reputation, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger. ’This is truly a thankless task!’

He grabbed Yan’s mother’s hands with both of his, pulled her off him, and asked Li Laoer with a grim face, ”Gengyun, do you also think I’m the one who sent Yan away?”