All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

Tian Fuxian didn't react at first, but it took him a while to realize that Bai Jiaxuan was cursing him, and that he was cursing him, calling him a dog!

Tian Fuxian flew into a rage and roared at the two people behind him.

"Arrest this traitor!"

Upon hearing this, the two lackeys immediately stepped forward and reached out to pull Bai Jiaxuan's shoulders.

Bai Jiaxuan snorted, without moving his hands, but with a slight twist of his shoulder, the two men's arms were pushed by Bai Jiaxuan's shoulder, causing them to lose their balance and fall to the sides.

Everyone was stunned by this scene. Tian Fuxian was also taken aback. He then pulled out his Mauser pistol from his waist, pointed it at Bai Jiaxuan, and scolded him.

"Bai Jiaxuan, you led the resistance against taxes and dared to rebel! The 'County Magistrate' said he would take you to the county government office to be beaten with a rod and imprisoned for a few years. I pleaded with him, saying that Bailuyuan would guarantee to make up for the grain tax. The 'County Magistrate' gave you a chance to redeem yourself, but you didn't cherish it and dared to lead the trouble. You're courting death!"

Bai Jiaxuan snorted, straightened his back, and slowly approached Tian Fuxian's gun muzzle. He stopped when he was only half a meter away from the muzzle and said the last word.

“Tian Fuxian, I said you're a dog, and you are a dog. You have to admit it. How did the county know that Bailuyuan hadn't paid taxes for three years? If it wasn't you, you dog, who else could it be? Now that you've changed masters, you've sold off the place where you were born and raised, and you're planning to sell it for a good price, aren't you?”

Tian Fuxian was so angry that his hand trembled slightly. His finger trembled a few times on the trigger, but he still didn't dare to fire. Finally, he roared fiercely.

"Bai Jiaxuan, do you know who you're talking to? I represent the National Government! You're going to rebel! Believe me or not, I'll kill you!"

As Tian Fuxian spoke, his four lackeys behind him also picked up their long guns and aimed them at Bai Jiaxuan!

Bai Jiaxuan stared straight ahead and snorted coldly.

"There are over a thousand people in Bailu Plain. What are your few broken guns worth? Go ahead and try firing! Listen up, everyone, if Tian Fuxian dares to fire, we'll beat these bastards to death with sticks and feed their corpses to the dogs!"

Bai Jiaxuan's imposing presence upon entering deeply shocked the group of young people in the village. Coupled with his final words, the group of passionate young people stepped forward and pressed Tian Fuxian and his companions in front of them.

Chinese farmers are strange like that. When no one takes the lead, they are the softest persimmons, and anyone can squeeze them. But once someone takes the lead, many of them become the toughest warriors.

As a group of young people stepped forward, the atmosphere inside the ancestral hall immediately became tense.

Lu Zilin was originally standing at the front watching the excitement. He was also a little excited by what Bai Jiaxuan had just done, but he was always clear-headed.

Because he was standing at the very front, the young people behind him pushed him forward, and his body unconsciously followed his steps, causing Tian Fuxian's lackey to instinctively turn his gun towards Lu Zilin's head.

Lu Zilin was startled, and the surge of enthusiasm he had just felt vanished instantly. He instinctively wanted to retreat into the crowd.

But at this point, he had no way out. He was only twenty-five years old, still considered a young man. With a group of young people pushing him from behind, he ended up right next to Bai Jiaxuan.

Lu Zilin was so frightened that his face turned ashen, and he was covered in cold sweat. He gritted his teeth, cursing Bai Jiaxuan in his heart, and prayed silently.

"Bai Jiaxuan, you son of a bitch, don't be impulsive! I'm still waiting for you to die so I can succeed you as clan leader!"

However, Bai Jiaxuan was unaware that Lu Zilin was behind him. His eyes were fixed on Tian Fuxian's finger. He could read people's faces and knew that Tian Fuxian dared not fire at this moment, and that the other party was not prepared to fire either.

But there's always a chance of something going wrong. If someone gets a shock, their finger might tremble, and they might suddenly pull the trigger without realizing it, and then they're done for.

In reality, he was 90% confident he could dodge the bullets and even snatch the gun from the other person, but if there was even a 1% chance of failure, he would be finished.

Tian Fuxian was sweating profusely, and his hands were soaked. He never expected to encounter this today, nor did he expect Bai Jiaxuan to be so tough. This was completely different from the Bai Jiaxuan he remembered!

The atmosphere remained tense for a full minute. The old men, whether frightened or pushed around by the group of young people, had retreated to a corner. They weakly shouted for everyone to stop, but no one listened to them.

Finally, Tian Fuxian felt his heart couldn't take it anymore, and his voice trembled slightly as he called out to Bai Jiaxuan.

"Bai Jiaxuan, what...what exactly do you want to do!"

Bai Jiaxuan did not answer Tian Fuxian's question immediately. Instead, he stared coldly into Tian Fuxian's eyes and spoke slowly after a full three seconds.

Chapter nine

Bai Jiaxuan gave Tian Fuxian a cold look for a few seconds before speaking.

"It is only right and proper for farmers to pay grain and taxes, but you want to pay three years' worth of grain all at once? That's absurd! Your Republic of China government was only established this year. The year before last, you were still under the jurisdiction of the Qing Dynasty. Do you still want to collect taxes from the Qing Dynasty?"

Upon hearing Bai Jiaxuan's words, Tian Fuxian's extremely tense emotions finally eased somewhat, and he spoke in a consultative tone.

"I didn't expect Brother Jiaxuan to know about our Nationalist government. Everything is negotiable. So, Brother Jiaxuan, what do you suggest?"

Bai Jiaxuan coldly stared at the gun still pointing at him. Tian Fuxian then realized what was happening, quickly put away his pistol, and shouted to the people behind him.

"Quickly put it away, quickly put it away!"

The henchmen quickly put away their Hanyang rifles. Their previous arrogance vanished, and they all lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

Bai Jiaxuan kept his hands behind his back, maintaining the same posture from beginning to end. Unbeknownst to him, a child outside the crowd had vaguely witnessed the entire incident through the throng. The child's eyes shone brightly, and he secretly vowed that when he grew up, he would be as imposing as Uncle Jiaxuan!

Bai Jiaxuan then spoke slowly.

"We will only pay this year's grain tax. Don't even think about paying last year's or the year before's grain tax. That's my decision!"

Tian Fuxian glanced at the young people surging forward, then at Bai Jiaxuan's back, swallowed hard, and suppressed the urge to draw his gun. He had already decided to settle this matter later and get through this first!

Tian Fuxian pondered for a moment before speaking.

"This is negotiable. Since Brother Jiaxuan has said so, let's all hand over this year's grain first!"

Upon hearing Tian Fuxian's words, everyone's eyes lit up, and they cheered excitedly.

Bai Jiaxuan wasn't happy. He turned his head, glanced at Tian Fuxian, and then finally stretched out his hand from behind his back. He waved his hand to stop everyone from cheering before speaking to Tian Fuxian.

"You can't make that decision yourself, can you? I think you should go back and discuss it with your master, and bring over the proper official documents first!"

Upon hearing Bai Jiaxuan's words, Tian Fuxian cursed Bai Jiaxuan inwardly for being such a shrewd person, and quickly put on a brave face again, pretending to be calm.

“Brother Jiaxuan, how could I, Tian Fuxian, go back on my word? Everyone, hand over this year’s grain today, and then come with me to the county government office. Once the grain is handed over, I’ll put in a good word for the county magistrate, and the matter will be settled!”

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed that it made sense and began to chime in. Just as Bai Jiaxuan was about to say a few more words, several old men who had just disappeared squeezed into the crowd. As they approached, one of the old men quickly spoke.

“Good, Fu Xian is right. As expected of people from Bailuyuan, we are all our own people. We can’t possibly lie to our fellow villagers. I think we should do as Fu Xian suggested. Everyone should go home now and move the grain. If you have a horse-drawn cart, hitch it up and come to the ancestral hall. This afternoon, we will all go to the county town with Fu Xian to get this done!”

The other old men nodded repeatedly, and they all shouted to the crowd.

Upon hearing the old man's words, everyone rushed back to fetch the grain.

They were unwilling to pay three years' worth of grain, and many families didn't even have that much grain.

The year before last, our grain was looted, and we didn't pay it last year. Luckily, we had some surplus grain, which we sold for some money. This year, the harvest has just started, and after paying a year's worth of grain, we have enough left to feed our family.

The reason these villagers are so enthusiastic is that they have an inherent reverence for the government. Now that they hear that the grain tax payment for three years has been reduced to one year, everyone is afraid that things might change and something unforeseen will happen.

These old guys had roughly the same idea. Bai Jiaxuan was able to negotiate from three years to one year, which was enough. If Bai Jiaxuan said he wouldn't pay this year either, these old guys wouldn't agree. This is perfect!

They were also afraid that Bai Jiaxuan might cause some more trouble, so they decided to settle this matter first!

Seeing the gun barrel leave his head, Lu Zilin finally breathed a sigh of relief. When he heard his uncles telling them to go home and move the grain, Lu Zilin didn't say a word and was the first to respond. He hurriedly walked out of the ancestral hall while shouting.

"Everyone, don't delay Fuxian's return to the city, hurry home and move the grain!"

As he spoke, Lu Zilin left the house, and the others scattered and went home, leaving only Bai Jiaxuan and a few old guys, as well as a group of children watching the commotion at the door.

Bai Jiaxuan was speechless. These old guys were really dreaming. If Tian Fuxian, that old fox, were to give in so easily, everything would be fine.

This is bound to cause more trouble, and maybe the grain we handed over this time will go down the drain again. Those bastards never do anything right!

However, after thinking about it, he decided to let the old guys do what they wanted. He then gave Tian Fuxian a cold look, put his hands behind his back, and went home.

Back home, Bai Jiaxuan didn't prepare any food. Instead, he wiped himself down and had Xiangcao give him the leftover steamed buns from lunch to tide him over. After that, he felt a little better and started playing with his son in the yard.

Just as he was playing with his son, he saw Lu Zilin standing at the door looking inside. When he saw Bai Jiaxuan looking over, Lu Zilin at the door quickly called out to him.

"Jiaxuan, what are you still dawdling about? Everyone's waiting for you to oversee the grain delivery. Why haven't you moved your grain out yet?"

Bai Jiaxuan glanced at Lu Zilin calmly and said indifferently.

"My family doesn't have enough food. I'll go buy some more in a few days to deliver it. I won't go this time to deliver the grain. If you want to go, you can take them with you!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zilin paused for a moment, then shouted.

"I'm telling you, why are you planting flowers and grass on such good land instead of growing grain? In such a good year, you still have to buy grain. You really have money to burn, don't you?"

Bai Jiaxuan ignored him and continued to play with his son.

Seeing that Bai Jiaxuan ignored him, Lu Zilin felt bored and hurriedly went to the ancestral hall.

Outside the ancestral hall, more than a dozen donkey carts and horse-drawn carriages were already loaded with grain. Tian Fuxian was inspecting them one by one. When he saw Lu Zilin arrive, he quickly asked him questions.

"Zilin, why hasn't Jiaxuan arrived yet? His family owns the most land on the plain, why hasn't his grain been delivered yet!"

Lu Zilin shouted angrily.

"What a load of rubbish! They don't have a single grain of food. They've planted all the irrigated land with flowers and grass, and the dry land with corn and cotton. This year, they didn't harvest a single grain of wheat!"

Tian Fuxian was also angered by Lu Zilin's angry words and glared at him.

Lu Zilin then remembered his identity, and immediately bent over, speaking with a fawning expression.

"Fuxian, Jiaxuan, we're out of grain at home. We even used up our old grain reserves to buy him a wife. He said he'll buy some grain in a few days and take it to the county to deliver it himself. Never mind him, it's getting late, let's get going!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Fuxian was immediately annoyed. If Bai Jiaxuan didn't go, the show would continue as it was. However, after looking at the sky, the dozen or so carts of grain, and the dozen or so farmers accompanying the carts—all good laborers from Bailu Plain—he suddenly felt more confident.

Tian Fuxian cleared his throat and said.

"Oh, okay then. I think this way, Zilin, go and call a few more young men to go with you. You all should unload the grain as soon as possible and go home!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zilin immediately nodded and bowed, shouting to the young people watching the commotion outside.

"Stone, Gouwa, come up here, I'll take you to the city to see the sights!"

Upon hearing this, the young people's faces lit up with joy, and they quickly climbed onto the vehicle. Even the lazy Bai Xing'er, amidst the bustling crowd, squeezed into the throng and shamelessly sat down.

Seeing the twenty young people in the fourteen cars, Tian Fuxian nodded in satisfaction and said.

"That's enough, let's go!"

As he spoke, he led a few men, riding horses, and followed the grain delivery team, heading towards the county town!

chapter Ten

The next day, the member of the grain delivery team who was released was Shi Tou. He cried and shouted as he entered the village, having run for nearly fifty miles, and his body was covered with whip marks.

Shi Tou was short and thin, with a red welt on his face from being whipped. His voice was filled with fear and hatred as he knelt in the ancestral hall, kowtowing to Bai Jiaxuan while shouting.

“Chieftain, chieftain, they’re not human! They lied to us! Waaah… Waaah! As soon as we arrived at the county office, that bastard Tian Fuxian and his troops detained us, along with our cart. We were thrown into jail and whipped! Waaah… Tian Fuxian told me to come back and tell you that we have to pay three more years’ worth of grain tax, not a single grain less! Waaah… Otherwise… Otherwise they won’t be able to come back! They won’t be able to come back! Waaah!”

As soon as Shi Tou said this, an uproar broke out inside and outside the ancestral hall. Several women went limp and could not stand up straight when they heard this!

The old men sitting above the ancestral hall were also trembling all over. They stood up, wanting to curse but unable to find the words. They all looked like Parkinson's patients, shaking with anger.

Only Bai Jiaxuan sat in the chair, legs crossed, looking relaxed and carefree.

When the old men saw Bai Jiaxuan still in this state at this point, they were heartbroken and slapped their thighs, roaring in anguish.