Chapter Sixty-Four: Let's Make a Bet

After wiping the spit from his face, the man shook his sleeve in anger, astonished that there could be such a shameless woman.

“I say it’s your Lotus Village that’s truly shameless! You have the fewest people, yet insist on hogging the best land.”

“You have so few villagers—even if you only had a few patches of barren ground, as long as you worked hard, you could still grow enough to eat.”

In his eyes, it was the people of Lotus Village who were truly without shame. They knew full well that Great Valley Village had a large population, yet still clung stubbornly to the fertile fields.

Who in the surrounding villages didn’t know that Great Valley Village grew more populous with each passing year, while Lotus Village grew ever more desolate?

“Pah! Just because you have more people doesn’t mean you can seize our land! And you call us shameless? I’d say you’re the one with a face as thick as a city wall!”

In truth, Dahua was not the only one arguing with the people of Great Valley Village; other villagers had joined in the shouting match as well.

It was an odd thing—every man from Great Valley Village wore the same brazen look, all convinced that Lotus Village was in the wrong for keeping the good land.

In the end, Tang Zhong from Great Valley Village spoke with a cold, menacing tone, threatening that if Lotus Village refused to hand over the fields, then when the weather warmed and the great hunt began, they need not expect to take part.

“Don’t think I’m joking. If I decide to play dirty, your Lotus Village will suffer for it.”

“If your men can’t join the great hunt, you’ll have no choice but to let your strongest be conscripted instead.”

At these words, Old Chu’s angry expression became tinged with sorrow. This was the price for being weaker than others.

If only Lotus Village were prosperous like Great Valley Village, if only they had enough men, they would not be forced to endure such threats.

In recent years, the borderlands had been in constant turmoil, and this place was not so far from the frontier as to escape its troubles. Every spring, when the weather turned mild, they not only had to pay all manner of taxes, but their able-bodied men were also at risk of being taken away.

During the annual great hunt, each village sent its strongest youths to hunt together. The spoils were divided evenly and then sold at market for silver.

With silver in hand, they could avoid being conscripted to the borderlands. The men of Lotus Village were already too few; no family was willing to lose another.

“Tang Zhong, you go too far! To use such threats against us—it’s truly despicable!”

Old Chu was so furious his head spun, and he staggered back two steps. If the villagers hadn’t caught him, he might have collapsed on the spot.

The argument between the two villages raged on, but at Tang Zhong’s words, the men of Lotus Village fell silent. They all knew how much the spring hunt meant to them.

“I’m not an unreasonable man,” Tang Zhong continued. “If you think I’m being overbearing, you’re welcome to challenge my villagers to a contest.”

“We can each send men to compete. If Lotus Village wins, not only can you reclaim these fields, but Great Valley Village will grant you several more plots. And I swear not to play any tricks during the spring hunt.”

Tang Zhong, in truth, did not think himself overbearing. He only saw the indignation on the faces of Lotus Village’s men and tossed them a little bait to see if they would bite.

The powerless scrambling about was, to Tang Zhong, a source of great amusement.

Hearing his proposal, the people of Lotus Village eyed the tall, broad-shouldered men of Great Valley Village, cursing inwardly.