Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

These bloodsucking relatives again.

"Third Uncle?" He asked indifferently, his grip on the money pouch tightening.

The man turned his head, saw Shen Huaide, and his eyes immediately reddened.

"Huai De..." He opened his mouth, his voice choked with emotion.

"I...I've come to beg you."

Shen Huaide's heart tightened. "Third Uncle, let's talk this out. Don't do this."

The man wiped his face, took out a cloth bag from his pocket, and opened it shakily.

Inside were several bundles of fresh vegetables and several jars of pickled vegetables.

"This is what I brought from the village, nothing fancy..."

As he spoke, he handed the cloth bag to Shen Huaide.

"Huai De, I know your family is having a hard time right now, but this year's clan offerings haven't arrived yet... The village really can't hold on any longer."

His voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a plea.

"This year's corvée labor has doubled again; all the able-bodied men have been conscripted, leaving only the elderly, women, and children at home. Taxes are heavy, and many families are starving because they can't pay their grain bills..."

Shen Huaide's heart tightened, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

He knew that whenever the people from Shenjia Village came, they either wanted money or grain.

Shen Huaifeng was soft-hearted and always gave in, but what about these people? They just took it for granted.

Now that my cousin has fallen from grace, they've actually come knocking on my door.

"Third Uncle, let's talk this out, don't do this." His tone was stiff, and he had already secretly hidden the money bag behind his back.

The man gave a wry smile.

"It's all because of the war on the border. The imperial court demands grain and manpower, and the pressure comes down layer by layer. When it reaches us ordinary folks, it's a matter of life and death."

He paused, his voice becoming even more bitter.

"Li's eldest daughter is only sixteen years old. A couple of days ago, she went to the border military camp with some women... They said she was going to do laundry and cook for the soldiers, but actually..."

He didn't say anything more.

But everyone understood what he meant.

The courtyard fell silent.

Shen Qiongju stood to the side, her brows furrowed.

Her third uncle's words, "Go to the border military camp to do laundry and cook," suddenly reminded her of the vague yet cruel rumors she had heard at the Wen family mansion in her previous life—

It is said that some soldiers on the border are ruffians who love to find "entertainment" near their garrison.

If widows or village women who couldn't survive went to "wash clothes," they would only pay a few coins each time, and could do so in the haystacks behind the military camp...

She remembered Wen Xiujie telling her this as a joke: "Those women offered themselves up, who can they blame?"

Shen Huaide had a stern face ever since his third uncle entered the door.

My cousin has donated a lot of money over the years; these people have gotten into a habit.

Now that their cousin has fallen, they've come looking for Qiongju again.

This girl is already in dire straits herself, why would she care about these things?

He took a deep breath, about to refuse, but Shen Qiongju spoke first.

"Third Uncle," she suddenly spoke.

The man turned his head and looked at her.

How many people are left in the village?

The man was taken aback.

"There are... about thirty more households. All the able-bodied men have been conscripted; what's left are the elderly, women, and children."

"How many of them are capable of doing the work?"

"Those who can work?" The man thought for a moment, "Among the women, there are about ten who can still work in the fields. Among the children, there are seven or eight who are over ten years old."

Shen Qiongju nodded.

"Third Uncle, please sit down and have some water."

She turned and went inside, poured a glass of water, and handed it to him.

Third Uncle took the water cup, but didn't drink it; he just held it in his hand.

"Qiongju, I know your family isn't having an easy time right now... Your father had an accident, and the distillery was vandalized..."

As he spoke, his eyes reddened again.

"But the village really has no other choice. In previous years, your father would donate some money and grain to the village, but this year... this year he didn't have time, so I... I shamelessly came here."

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head deeply.

"I know this is inappropriate, but... but if we don't find a way, the women and children in the village really won't be able to survive."

Shen Qiongju looked at the thin old man in front of her.

His back was hunched, his hands were covered in calluses and chilblains, and his face was etched with the marks of time.

He didn't come for himself.

He came for the people in the village who were about to starve to death.

"Third Uncle," Shen Qiongju squatted down to look the man in the eye, "Don't worry, I have a way."

The man suddenly looked up. "Really?"

"Really." Shen Qiongju stood up and looked at Shen Huaide.

"Uncle Shen, take ten taels of silver and exchange it for grain for Third Uncle to take back."

Shen Huaide almost jumped up.

"Qiongju!" He couldn't hold back any longer, his voice shrill. "Ten taels of silver! Your father is still lying in bed, the shop is in this state, and you...you still want to give these people money?"

He trembled with rage: "Do you even know how much money your father gave them over the years? Have they ever paid back a single penny? Now that your father is gone, they're coming after you again!"

Shen Qiongju looked at him calmly.

"Uncle Shen, this isn't a gift, it's a loan."

She turned to her third uncle: "Third uncle, this ten taels of silver is the advance payment from the distillery to the villagers for their wages. I will go to the village to recruit workers later. Everyone who comes to work at the distillery will receive wages, but this ten taels of silver will be deducted from their wages."

Third Uncle's eyes widened.

"Qiongju, are you...are you serious?"

"Of course it's true."

Shen Qiongju looked at him.

"However, I have one condition."

He stood up shakily immediately.

"Tell me your conditions, and I'll agree to anything!"

"Everyone who comes to work at the distillery has to sign a life-long contract."

Shen Qiongju spoke slowly and deliberately.

"The distillery's affairs are not to be revealed to outsiders. Especially the brewing recipe; you will bear the consequences."

The man nodded without hesitation.

"Of course! The Shen family has been kind to our village. Anyone who dares to betray them, I'll be the first to not forgive them!"

Shen Qiongju nodded in satisfaction.

"Then it's settled. Third Uncle, please go back to the village and tell those who are willing to come that they can sign the contract when I go to the village in a few days."

The man was so excited he couldn't speak.

He opened his mouth, but in the end he just slowly knelt down.

"Qiongju, you are a great benefactor to our village!"

Shen Qiongju quickly helped him up.

Only then did he sling his cloth bag over his shoulder and leave, turning back every few steps.

As Uncle San's hunched figure disappeared into the distance, the courtyard fell silent once more.

Shen Huaide stood there, his hand tightly gripping the money bag, his knuckles turning white.

He stared at Shen Qiongju, his lips trembling for a long time before he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Qiongju... do you... do you know what you're doing?"

"I know." Shen Qiongju turned to look at him. "Uncle Shen, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"You know what you're talking about?" Shen Huaide was almost in tears. "What do you know? Ten taels of silver! Just like that, it's gone! And you still want to hire workers? Of all those villagers, which one knows how to brew wine? Which one can make a living? You're...you're going to lose your entire fortune!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke: "Your father has been kind to me, I can't just stand by and watch you squander the family fortune! This shop, this distillery, is your father's life's work! You can't... you can't be so reckless!"

Shen Qiongju looked at him quietly, and only spoke slowly after he finished speaking: "Uncle Shen, Jingbianchun needs to be brewed in large quantities, and it's not enough for just a few of us. The women and children in the village can be used."

She paused.

"Moreover, they signed a contract and are members of our Shen family, making them much more reliable than people hired from outside."

Shen Huaide stomped his feet in anger: "Reliable? Those people only care about money! You give them ten taels, they'll ask for twenty! You give them twenty taels, they'll ask for a hundred! I've seen it all over the years!"

He took a breath, his voice lowered, filled with deep exhaustion: "Qiongju, it's not that Uncle Shen doesn't want to help you, it's just... he really can't stand by and watch. If you keep messing things up like this, this shop will collapse sooner or later. Then, when your father wakes up, how am I supposed to explain it to him?"

Shen Qiongju walked up to him and gently placed her hand on his trembling hand.

"Uncle Shen, trust me this once."

Her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable firmness.

"I will make the Shen Family Tavern even more glorious than when my mother was alive."

Shen Huaide looked at her, at the burning fire in her eyes, and suddenly didn't know what to say.

crazy.

This girl has really gone mad.

But what else could he do?

Shall we go?

He looked at the money pouch in his hand, then at the dilapidated courtyard, and finally just sighed deeply.

"...Never mind, never mind."

He turned around and walked heavily toward the warehouse.

"I'll go buy the grain and yeast first... As for hiring, you can handle that yourself."

After saying that, he walked away without looking back, his back hunched, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.