Chapter 217 -209: Human Nature

“And please remember this: I hoarded rice not to sell it, but for my own convenience. When I saw how difficult it was for everyone to buy rice, I kindly decided to spare some for you. It was also to save you from being ripped off by the rice shops in town. But I never imagined that doing a good deed could lead to such trouble. Do you really think I, Bai Zhi, am some government granary, here to hand out food?”

“Let me tell you, from this moment on, you won’t be buying a single grain of rice from me. And don’t try to scare me with that nonsense about ‘leaving a way out.’ Just remember, walls have ears. If you dare to do anything you shouldn’t, you’d better hope I don’t find out. As everyone knows, I have connections at the government office. If I catch anyone stepping out of line, don’t blame me for forgetting we’re from the same village.”

‘I never wanted to use Meng Nan to scare anyone, but now that it’s come to this, why not use the backer I have?’

People are just inherently perverse; they’d rather be forced than persuaded. Perhaps it’s because being forced feels more exciting.

After Bai Zhi finished speaking, the crowd of villagers fell silent, not daring to say another word. Besides, it seemed they had no ground to say anything more. She had made herself perfectly clear. What else was there to say?

Hu Feng glared at them coldly and snapped, “Still not leaving? Do I need to *help* you leave?”

“No, no! We’ll go ourselves, we’ll go.”

The crowd immediately scattered like birds and beasts, vanishing without a trace. Who didn’t know how formidable Hu Feng was? Last time, he had casually snapped Bai Dazhu’s arms as easily as if they were two unsightly, dead branches.

None of them wanted a taste of that. If they hadn’t seen that Hu Feng wasn’t home today, they never would have dared to surround Hu Changlin and Zhao Lan so arrogantly.

Once everyone was gone, Zhao Lan tugged on Bai Zhi’s sleeve. “Zhi’er, that messy business about Xu Laosan’s and Xu Laosi’s families… was that true? Or were you just making it up?”

Bai Zhi laughed. “They’re allowed to spout nonsense, but I’m not? Let them have a taste of what it’s like to be slandered.”

Zhao Lan didn’t know whether to be angry or amused. She poked her daughter’s forehead. “You, honestly. Don’t forget you’re still a young lady.”

Hu Changlin chuckled. “I actually think Zhi’s temperament is excellent. You have to be fierce when the situation calls for it. Otherwise, the villagers will see that she’s young and think she’s an easy target. It’s human nature to bully the weak and fear the strong. The only way to protect ourselves is to be strong.”

Hu Changlin’s words made Bai Zhi immediately give him a thumbs-up. “Uncle Hu, I never would have guessed. You usually seem so quiet and honest, but when you speak, every word is right on the mark.”

Her praise made Hu Changlin blush. He waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t poke fun at me. I’ve just seen a lot over the years and was speaking my mind.”

Take Zhao Lan, for example. If she had been more assertive with the Bai Family, she wouldn’t have been bullied so horribly, to the point where she almost lost her daughter’s life.

The family went inside. Zhao Lan turned to Bai Zhi again. “Zhi’er, I went to our field today. The potatoes are growing incredibly well. It’s been less than half a month, and they’re already flowering. They look different every day, like someone’s pulling on them to make them grow faster.”

Bai Zhi smiled knowingly. “It’s all thanks to the Purple Silk Vine Leaves. That stuff is amazing. You can even grow out-of-season vegetables with it, and they grow even better than they would in-season. After we harvest the potatoes, we can plant something else. Whatever we plant will grow.”

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