SFS Chapter 471
Chapter 471
Old Man Wang had also regained his composure long ago, but he did not say a word. He sat leaning against the man, like a clay sculpture, full of sadness.
It seemed as if someone in the crowd was remembering their family members. First there were sporadic sobs, and then suppressed sobs rose one after another.
The atmosphere instantly became oppressive and suffocating. Luo Shuiyao was filled with regret. She should not have asked any further questions. But if she didn't get to the bottom of things, how could she seek justice for them? Her expression was gloomy, and her eyes were filled with guilt.
Ye Yunzhou observed all of this and silently reached out to pat her shoulder in a gesture of comfort. While he sympathized with the plight of the people in Wangjia Village, he also understood that sympathy alone was not enough; he had to dig deeper to truly help them. Ye Yunzhou calmed himself, turned his gaze toward the man, and said in a deep voice, "What is the relationship between the county magistrate and the town chief?"
He hit the nail on the head. Although he was well aware of the chaotic situation of officials protecting each other, after hearing about the experiences of the people in Wangjia Village, he felt that this matter was even more suspicious. How could a small town chief persuade the county magistrate to protect him without any reason and almost without thinking? Such abnormal behavior was truly incomprehensible.
If there wasn't an extremely special relationship, how could the county magistrate skip even the basic verification and stand on the side of the town chief without hesitation?
The man's expression froze upon hearing this, his eyes filled with confusion. He was just a commoner, toiling in the fields all day to make a living. How could he possibly understand the complex relationships between these powerful figures?
At this moment, Mr. Wang, who had been sitting there like a statue, suddenly spoke up. His voice was as hoarse as sandpaper, but it was clear and audible: "How can ordinary people like us know what their relationship is?"
The old man paused, his cloudy eyes moving slightly, and then he continued, "I only know that they all have the surname Fang. Apart from that, I don't know anything else."
Although his words were vague, he still revealed key information.
Luo Shuiyao subconsciously glanced at Ye Yunzhou, and their eyes met. Seeing his eyes shift slightly, clearly having made up his mind, she stopped questioning him and instead posed another question: "Just now, I heard you keep mentioning Wangjia Village. Does that mean you're all from Wangjia Village?"
The old man was stunned, not understanding why she asked this question, but nodded and said, "We are indeed all from Wangjia Village. I wonder what the girl means by asking this question?"
Luo Shuiyao frowned, her doubts growing. "If the floods were caused by the heavy rains of the last few days, why was Wangjia Village the only one affected? Are all the other villages safe and sound?"
As the saying goes, age makes a person wise. Even if one has been trapped in the fields for a lifetime, the experience accumulated over the years is enough to make one sharp. Old Man Wang almost instantly understood Luo Shuiyao's doubts and sighed, "Don't be surprised, young lady. You look unfamiliar. I guess you are not from Qingshui Town. It is normal that you don't know the inside story. There are no high mountains in our area to block the rain. In previous years, even the heaviest rainstorms would at most flood some crops, not the entire village."
"Other villages are either far from the river or upstream. But Wangjia Village is the lowest and right next to the river dam, like a broken bucket holding water. The river water upstream rises rapidly, and when the flood rushes, the dam breaks, and the whole village is submerged."
…………
After hearing what Mr. Wang said, Luo Shuiyao found some memories from the original owner's mind.
Qingshui Town is called Qingshui Town because it's not far from a river that runs through it. But as she pondered this information, she became increasingly puzzled, unable to resist blurting out, "No! Wasn't that dam built just two years ago? I remember Qingshui Town conscripted a lot of men to help build it. How could it fail to withstand the impact of the flood in just over a year?"
The original owner's deepest impression of the dam construction was that at the time, news of his father's death in battle hadn't reached him, and Niu Dali hadn't yet revealed his true identity. Back then, he was still relatively reliable; although he lacked significant skills, he could still find work to support his family. However, he was forcibly conscripted to work on the dam, unable to work for several days, and his family's financial situation suddenly became tight. As for the money his father had sent, most of it was kept by Mrs. Luo on his behalf, supposedly to save for his dowry. Seeing the family's dire situation and the original owner's laziness, never leaving the house, and never helping Mrs. Luo with household chores, his cousin, upon seeing the family's dire situation and his indolence, stayed indoors all day, and never helped Mrs. Luo with household chores, tensions arose between the two, nearly leading to a brawl.
The two sisters had been arguing for a while. Eventually, unable to stand it any longer, Luo Shi offered some money to settle the matter. The original owner was furious with Luo Shi for this, believing that she had spent her money.
But after hearing the news of the original owner's father's death in battle, Niu Dali seemed like a completely different person. He spent all the money the Luo family had painstakingly saved on whoring and gambling, squandering it all and accumulating a mountain of debt. Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought of trying to arrange a marriage for the original owner and Mr. Li, just to get the fifty taels of silver to fill the hole he was in debt.
.........
Old Man Wang was completely unaware of these past events. At first, seeing their elegant attire, even more impressive than the town's young lady, he assumed they weren't native to Qingshui Town and didn't understand the local scene. But now, upon hearing they remembered the dam construction so clearly, he couldn't help but look surprised: "Could it be that the young lady has been to Qingshui Town before?"
Luo Shuiyao came back to her senses from her thoughts and said calmly, "I am also from Qingshui Town, and I have some impression of the dam construction at that time."
Luo Shuiyao mentioned it casually, then immediately turned the topic back to the previous question: "According to what you said, old man, only Wangjia Village was severely affected? The damage in other villages was not serious? Then why did you run here and not seek help from other villages?"
Hearing this, Mr. Wang sighed heavily, his cloudy eyes filled with helplessness: "Miss, you don't know, it's not that we don't want to settle down somewhere else, but Qingshui Town simply can't accommodate us disaster victims!"
"There's no room for you...?" Luo Shuiyao frowned and asked.
Just as Old Man Wang was about to open his mouth to explain, Ye Yunzhou spoke first. His eyes were gloomy, his tone cold, "The imperial court has already issued a pension. Common sense says that the victims should be provided with food and shelter. But all of this costs money—and the mayor won't spend a cent on you. But he can't just ignore you and let you stay in the town. That would be too much of an eyesore. So he's using tricks and deliberately making things difficult for you, forcing you to leave Qingshui Town and seek a living elsewhere, turning you into refugees."
Luo Shuiyao hadn't considered this possibility, but it was simply incomprehensible—how someone could treat so many lives as worthless just for a small amount of disaster relief money? The mayor of Qingshui Town was truly a ruthless and vicious person. How could such a person be worthy of being the mayor of a town?
Luo Shuiyao clenched her sleeves, her eyes flashing with coldness. "If that's the case, then the mayor truly deserves death. However, you are all just civilians, and the county magistrate and mayor are protecting each other. Fleeing Qingshui Town right now is indeed the wisest option."
She suddenly frowned, her expression solemn. "But I have doubts. How could the mayor, so cruel as he is, allow you the opportunity to escape? Even though the emperor is far away, leaving would be risky. If the news gets out, there's no guarantee it won't alert the court. If he wanted to conceal his true intentions, how could he let you go so easily?"