Even before Lin Caisang had a chance to utter a word, the voice of Lin Laogeng began to echo in everyone’s ears. Lin Caisang looked at her grandpa in bewilderment, wanting to ask him: when had he ever discussed anything with her? Why didn’t she know anything about it?
"Now, nobody is wealthy in our village. It would be impossible for everyone to come up with a large sum of money. Sangsang and I have discussed this matter and decided that it would be best if we charged each household one coin per day. We won’t haggle over the rest."
"What? One coin per day?!"
The patriarch of the clan was so shocked by Lin Laogeng’s words that he almost jumped up.
How many households were there in Ya Village? Charging one coin per household per day, how much money could Lin Caisang make just by selling water? This grandfather and granddaughter, why didn’t they just rob people outright?
"What? Do you think it’s too little?" asked Lin Laogeng, looking at the patriarch and raising his eyebrows.
"Indeed, one coin a day is too little. But we are all villagers here, and it would not be proper for us to ask for too much. After all, we have to see each other every day. Don’t you agree, patriarch?"
The corners of the patriarch’s mouth twitched violently, his eyes fixed on Lin Laogeng as if they were coated with venom.
But what could he say? Should he defend his fellow villagers? Or chide Lin Laogeng and Lin Caisang for their greed? None of these were viable options.
"I do feel it’s a bit inadequate, slightly so."
He could only lower his voice and grumble.
"Patriarch, one coin a day is enough. As my grandpa said, we are all villagers here. We, the Lin Family, shouldn’t take advantage of everyone. Otherwise, people will accuse us of being too greedy, right?"
Lin Changhong looked at the patriarch and said one sentence.
Lin Changhong, he is not a good person either.
Looking at his words, wasn’t he implying that he, the patriarch, was greedy? How was he greedy? For these years, didn’t he have a good reputation in the village?
Also, if you’re really treating us like ’fellow villagers,’ why do you still want our money? Wouldn’t it be better, and more justifiable, to not charge anything at all? Talking about not being obsessed with money, in fact, nobody loves money more than the Lin family!
"Laogeng, to be honest, charging a coin per day, you might as well not charge anything. As you said, we’re all villagers living in the same village after all."
He said sarcastically to Lin Laogeng.
"That can’t be possible, can it?"
Before Lin Laogeng could respond, Lu Qiubo spoke.
"Patriarch. Although we are all villagers, as they say, even brothers keep clear accounts. When Sangsang wanted to dig a pond, no one did it for free. Now that you want to use water, you expect us not to charge anything? That won’t hold up, would it?
Moreover, what about the next time, and the time after next? What if in the future, everyone comes to Sangsang’s Mount Manghuang for water, won’t all the water on the mountain be depleted?
Sangsang dug this pond for her own fields, not for the entire village to use every year. It’s okay for villagers to help each other, but we can’t keep helping all the time. Who isn’t using their own things? When we have to give it away for nothing, we aren’t happy about it.
Patriarch, put yourself in our position. If we asked you to give away your stuff for us to use, would you be willing?"