Wufu walked to the piece of cultivated wasteland, the so-called reclamation was nothing but the removal of some grass and the digging of a few pits here and there with a hoe, it was, however, the extent of the boundary, marked by a large circle of withered grass and tree branches, meant to declare ownership—hmm, staking claim.
With hands clasped behind his back, Wufu walked a full circle, then snorted through his nose.
"Miss, how should we handle this situation?" Liu Jin, who was by her side, couldn’t help but ask.
Wufu had several methods to get this land without paying a penny, and the most effective was undoubtedly to bully others with power.
Power and influence, in any era, are useful tools. Countless people aspire towards them, stopping at nothing. Power can grant you much more.
Farmers have no strength to contend with people of power because commoners should not fight with officials—the result would be like eggs striking a rock.
Although Wufu had come here, she had yet to cling to the thighs of a few major figures. She knew only of Ah Jiu, whose status was still unclear, and then Shopkeeper Lin, along with his backer, Wen Congrui.
However, one Wen Congrui was enough, for he was none other than the Lord County Magistrate of Huayang County, and Wozi Village laid within his jurisdiction, making him the parental official of this area.
To suppress Lady Chen, using the parental official would suffice; Wufu couldn’t believe the Zhang family would dare openly oppose the Lord County Magistrate.
But why use a cleaver to kill a chicken? For a small piece of wasteland, involving the Lord County Magistrate would be overkill and the laughing stock of onlookers.
Moreover, favors are difficult to owe, and once owed, they are not easily repaid.
Lady Chen wants to extort silver from her? Hmph! Wufu would rather throw her silver into the river to hear it splash than give it to her.
"Let them just wait and see if they can endure the wait," Wufu said with a sly smile, kicking a small pebble with the tip of her shoe.
"Miss, what about the house-building?"
Wufu shook her head: "Not urgent, let’s put it aside for now."
If her mother willing to move into the center of the village, then building here was irrelevant. Choosing a plot for a homestead and building a big new house would be far better than dwelling in an old, decrepit one.
But before that, she needed to have a proper ’discussion’ with Lady Chen, lest they think she was afraid of the Zhang family.
No one could plot against her and come away unscathed.
"What are you doing on my family’s land?" a duck-like voice bellowed from behind Wufu.
Turning around, Wufu saw a ferocious-looking little fatso glaring at them with a predatory gaze.
"That’s Zhang Er, the second son of the Zhang family," Liu Jin whispered.
Wufu sized up the little fatso, asking, "Aren’t they supposed to be so poor they can’t even lift the lid off their cooking pot? This figure doesn’t seem to match the claim."
Liu Jin laughed and said, "The others are skin and bones; it’s as if all the meat has gone to his body instead."
Wufu chuckled, "That’s good, it won’t hurt the hand to hit him."
Liu Jin was stunned, looking at his young lady, wondering what she meant by that.
It means she was ready to use violence. Lady Chen had aggravated her, and she had to vent somehow. Just then, an unfortunate soul appeared, perfect timing indeed.
"Your land?" Wufu walked over, eyeing the rotund lad who was about fourteen or fifteen years old, so fat that his eyes were just slits.
Zhang Er felt a sense of foreboding; he found Wufu’s smile terrifying, and his back started to tingle with fear, but there was no helping it; it was his turn to guard the land, or there would be no food for him.
His mother had said that if this family paid the silver for the land, he would get a chicken leg!
"Of course, we cleared it last night," Zhang Er said defiantly, puffing out his chest.
"Very good!" Wufu clenched her fist, making her knuckles crack, and moved closer to Zhang Er.
"You, what are you going to d...ow, ow, ow..."
Screams of pain echoed to the heavens.