Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 179

Zhao Tingming roared at Qian Bin several times, and Qian Bin was so frightened that his body went limp and he knelt down before Zhao Tingming. However, Qian Bin was still a man who cared a lot about his reputation, and he stammered, "I... why should I listen to you? You tell me to gamble and I'll gamble? Who are you to me? Why should I listen to you? Besides, I was just telling the truth. Why are you so agitated, village chief? Could it be that I hit a nerve and you're angry because you're embarrassed?"

As he spoke, Qian Bin became more and more confident. After all, he was in the right, so what did he have to be afraid of?

Qian Bin's stubbornness only made Zhao Tingming angrier. He didn't hold back and punched Qian Bin in the face.

With a scream, a deep red mark appeared on Qian Bin's face, and blood from his nose fell to the ground like blooming lotus flowers. Qian Bin felt a burning sensation in his nose, and when he touched it, it was covered in blood. In that instant, Qian Bin's head felt dizzy, and he almost fainted.

"Blood, it's all blood..." Qian Bin cried out in terror. Seeing Zhao Tingming's furious expression, he finally felt afraid and yelled, "Help! The village chief is really going to kill someone! Help!"

Grandpa Liu couldn't stand it anymore and went over to pull the two apart, but he couldn't budge them no matter how hard he tried. He was a little embarrassed and looked at Zhao Tingming, who was about the same age as him, and thought to himself, "We're about the same age, so how come Zhao Tingming is so strong and powerful? The difference between people is too obvious."

Seeing that he couldn't pull Zhao Tingming away, Grandpa Liu squatted down and squeezed between the two of them. He stood up and faced Zhao Tingming directly, shielding Qian Bin behind him. Grandpa Liu said to Zhao Tingming, "Hey, Old Zhao, what are you doing? How old are you? Why are you still arguing with the younger generation and even hitting them? It's not good if word gets out."

Zhao Tingming was so angry that his veins bulged. He pointed at Qian Bin, then at me, and retorted, "Don't you even look at the nonsense this brat is spouting? What do you mean I issued the ban so I could monopolize the cheap chickens, ducks, and geese from that 'scholar' next door and make a fortune? I've lived an honest life. When have I ever cheated the common people out of a single penny? Besides, he's just drunk and spouting nonsense. What if some unfortunate soul gets sick from eating it? Who's going to take responsibility? Or... I'll quit being the village chief and let you do it... Whoever wants to do it can do it. If any problems arise, come to me. Don't come to me. I'm too lazy to deal with these village affairs."

No one dared to respond. This tedious job was something few people were willing to do. It was thankless work, and involved dealing with a lot of unnecessary disputes and conflicts. The older folks couldn't handle it, and the younger ones had no one to talk to. So, nobody dared to say anything else.

Seeing that no one was responding, Zhao Tingming grew increasingly angry. He not only pointed at Qian Bin and cursed him, but also at those who spoke up for Qian Bin, saying, "Since you all covet the chickens, ducks, and geese from the next village so much, fine, go ahead and buy them. But if you all get sick from eating them, don't come crying to me for money. I won't listen to a word of advice that's truly for your benefit, only to those who spout nonsense. You can't even tell right from wrong. Use your brains! The scholar's cane from next door is sold for such a low price because you're all good-looking... Have you all lost your minds? Do you think a pie will fall from the sky and hit you? You're all brainless."

With Grandpa Liu around, Qian Bin broke free from Zhao Tingming's grasp. He immediately hid behind Aunt Li, who had been speaking up for him, and shouted at Zhao Tingming, "Anyone can say nice things. Who knows if you have ulterior motives?"

It was fine if Qian Bin didn't interrupt, but as soon as he did, Zhao Tingming got angry again. Luckily, Grandpa Liu had sharp eyes and quickly grabbed Zhao Tingming, preventing him from running over and beating up Qian Bin.

Others tried to persuade him, saying, "Hey village chief, is this really necessary? It's not a big deal, why are you getting so angry? It's not like the sky is falling... Why are you arguing with a junior? I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill. It's just two sick chickens. I even asked Xiangzi to buy a few more from Jurenzhangzi today. It's nothing serious. I think you're just scaring yourself."

When Qian Bin saw that someone was speaking on his side, he straightened his back and looked at Zhao Tingming with an expression that said, "See? I wasn't wrong." This made Zhao Tingming so angry that his hands trembled and he almost couldn't catch his breath.

The other villagers echoed this sentiment, but dared not speak loudly.

Everyone thought Zhao Tingming was probably just getting old and increasingly confused. Like Qian Bin and Aunt Li said, what could possibly be wrong with chicken plague? It was just a matter of adding more water and cooking it a little longer. Some people had even eaten diseased pigs, cattle, and sheep, let alone dead chickens.

Some people have even eaten the meat of dogs that died of disease. Over the years, no one has been heard of dying from eating meat from dead animals. At worst, you just cook it a little longer… Most dumpling restaurants in the county town still use meat from dead animals; people eat it anyway, don't they? At most, they get a stomachache, nothing serious. Now that they've finally found chicken, duck, and goose being sold at such low prices, everyone's a little tempted. And then there are the older people, those who experienced the Great Famine, who know what it's like to be hungry. Back then, when there was nothing to eat or drink, they'd eat anything—wild vegetables, elm bark—let alone something with a minor problem like meat.

“We’ve eaten dead rats before. Back then, we couldn’t get enough to eat, so we’ve eaten anything. We still made it through, didn’t we?” someone in the crowd muttered under their breath.

Speaking of the past, Zhao Tingming's expression softened, because life had truly been hard back then. During the Great Famine, his family was so poor they couldn't even afford to cook. The rice and other food they had saved up were cooked in a large pot of well water, and they ate porridge that was as thin as it could possibly be. At that time, he was also growing, so he ate a lot and was often hungry, but his family didn't have enough food for him. Besides, he had so many younger siblings, so he couldn't possibly eat that much. Therefore, he could only go outside and pick at wild grass, eating a bite or two of whatever he saw. If it gave him diarrhea or a stomachache, he wouldn't eat it next time. But if it didn't give him a stomachache, he would eat a lot until he was stuffed, because he was afraid that when he was hungry again, he wouldn't be able to find anything to fill his stomach.

Those days were unforgettable for him, and he could never forget them. Even today, Zhao Tingming couldn't help but sigh at how quickly time had passed, and how old he had become. He had been in university, but halfway through, classes stopped, and he had to go to the countryside. The village was short-staffed, and they asked him to come back and become the village head, so he obediently returned. At his age, most people went to the countryside to suffer, but he came back and became the village head—that was a sign of success. Besides, his family's circumstances were considered quite good in Dongtaizi Village. While they weren't extravagantly wealthy enough to eat meat every day, they could eat fine rice and have meat every few days, which was still manageable. Moreover, his children were filial, at least more so than his younger brother Zhao Tingxu's children. Zhao Tingming was quite content with himself.

As people get older, their pursuits change. Zhao Tingming is more interested in reputation and fame, wanting more people to understand his goodness and to be a good village chief.

After all, he is the village chief, and his fate is intertwined with the village's. He can only prosper if the village prospers, and he can only suffer if the village prospers.

If the villagers suffer from illness after eating too many chickens, ducks, and geese infected with the fowl plague, then as the village head, he would be highly likely to be held accountable by his superiors. He was afraid of getting into trouble, so it would be best if nothing happened. He didn't want to ruin his reputation by getting involved in such a thing when he was already on his deathbed. Zhao Tingming didn't dare to gamble; he was afraid. So, after much thought, he decided to issue a ban, strictly prohibiting villagers from buying chickens, ducks, and geese from Jurenzhangzi. This would be the least costly way, and the villagers would all stay healthy.

But when Zhao Tingming looked at the group of people who opposed him, he was at his wit's end. He had expected that many people would disagree after he issued the ban, but he had not expected that there would be so many people, and that there would be such difficult troublemakers. How was he supposed to deal with them?

The villagers were all ignorant and foolish, naively believing that as long as they cooked the chickens, ducks, and geese infected with fowl plague for a longer time, everything would be fine. They didn't want to waste a single grain of food, and even thought they could profit from it. Zhao Tingming was almost in tears. What could he possibly want? He just wanted the village to be alright, to not get into so much trouble, and not to ruin his reputation.

Zhao Tingming, having seen the world in the city, understood that the more serious the situation, the more crucial it was to prevent the villagers from being left unattended. Otherwise, if things went wrong, it would lead to many irreversible consequences, and he would lose his position as village chief. His reputation would be ruined.

Zhao Tingming patiently continued, "Listen to me, everyone. I can't forget any of the famines we suffered back then. Those days were incredibly difficult; we were always hungry, constantly thinking about how to fill our stomachs. We wouldn't even let a single grain of rice that fell on the ground go to waste. But times have changed. Now, many children can eat their fill and are capable of supporting themselves. They can leave the mountains, see the world, and learn many things we don't. But what will sustain them in the long run is their health. Health is their foundation." It determines how far we can go. Once our health is affected, or we get sick, no matter how talented or capable we are, we won't go far. For us older folks, it just means living longer, living until our children and grandchildren are married and have children, living until we can see our little grandchildren—that's true happiness. It's not good to leave this world prematurely, without ever having lived to see any of that, just lying in a coffin, without even having properly enjoyed life. That would be such a waste.

"Listen to me, once this storm passes, eat as usual. We can't do it now; I reckon it won't last much longer, maybe a month or two. I'm doing this for everyone's good. If we get sick, especially as we get older, we might not be able to stay healthy and just close our eyes and be gone. Those of you who are getting older, think about your children, even if you don't think about yourselves. If you really leave, what will happen to your sons and daughters? Can you rest easy with them?"

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Liu immediately spat out several times, "Old Zhao, what nonsense are you talking about? Let me tell you, don't say these things to curse me. I'm just opposing your ban, is it necessary for you to say such things? Let me tell you, I, Old Liu, can definitely live to be a hundred years old, until my grandson gets married and my great-grandson is born. I will live even longer. I've only been enjoying my life for a short time, don't lie in your coffin. Don't curse me, and stop saying such things, it doesn't make me happy."

Zhao Tingming shook his head helplessly. He had expected this all along, but he still sighed, "Sigh! I knew it."

Zhao Tingming couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. These older people weren't just bad at talking; they were genuinely stubborn. The older they got, the more trouble they became. If you said something was no good, they'd always have a follow-up, right or wrong, they had to say it first.

Sometimes, even if you just say one plus one equals two, they can spout countless arguments about it. The main thing is, you say yours, I say mine. Whether it's right or wrong isn't important; what matters is the argument.

They think they're too old to do things that others can't, so they act like they've seen more than anyone else. They talk about being knowledgeable and experienced, but they've lived a mediocre life, never even left their village, yet they think they're amazing and very capable.

If you tell them they're incompetent or useless, they'll feel insulted and rebel against you. If you say they're right? Then, if trouble comes, they'll run faster than rabbits. Sometimes Zhao Tingming even wants to hit these old guys with a stick, or smash their mouths with a rock to see just how tough their tongues really are.

What's most infuriating is that they always say things like, "I'm not afraid of dying."

This is the most annoying thing. If they're not afraid of death, why don't they just end it all themselves? They're not afraid of this or that. Yet they never miss a meal, and they never miss a word. Like last year, Old Yang from the village, he's old and his legs aren't good. He had some corn drying on his roof. It was about to rain, and he wanted to go up onto the roof. Everyone said, "Don't go up there, you're old and your legs aren't good, what if you slip?" But Old Yang wouldn't listen, saying, "I'm not afraid of death." And sure enough, he fell and broke his back. Everyone asked him, "How are you this time? Does it hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Old Yang cried and shouted that he had to go to the hospital, saying that if he didn't go, he would really die…

That's just how things are in the countryside. Lots of people, lots of issues, it's hard to manage. But you have to be patient. Zhao Tingming is in that position, he has no choice but to do it. That's just how it is.

Although I felt uncomfortable, I had to hold back and explain the situation clearly. Otherwise, if these people got sick from the food and took the person to their own homes, saying that the village chief hadn't done a good job, it would be even more troublesome.