"Give me a moment."
With that, Madam Zeng went in again. Soon, the courtyard door opened again and a man in his fifties or sixties walked out.
Even though Madam Zeng had mentioned it just now, the man was still shocked when he saw the scene at the entrance. "I'm the village chief of this village, Song Tiegen. Why are you looking for me?"
Madam Li took a step forward and said, "We're from the Song family in the capital. We'll be staying in this village in the future. I want to ask if there are any empty houses in the village that can be sold to us. It doesn't have to be too big."
The family had already discussed these things before coming.
The old house had been originally given to Song Dahai's family. The two families had not interacted for so many years, and there was a feud between them.
Naturally, they wouldn't go to the other family to complain.
"The Song family in the capital?" Song Tiegen was so shocked that his voice rose a few octaves. He asked again in disbelief, "Song Daniu's family?"
Shen Yijia was curious about who this Song Daniu was and looked at Madam Li.
Madam Li was also stunned for a moment. It took her a while to remember that her father-in-law's name was Song Daniu.
When he fought alongside the former emperor, the former emperor found the name ugly, so he changed it to Song Kunhong.
She nodded and said, "Yes, I'm his daughter-in-law…"
"Could it be that what they said a while ago was true?" Song Tiegen muttered and looked up at the people in front of him.
After some thought, he said, "My old house is still empty. There are three rooms that can accommodate people. Do you want to take a look? If it's suitable, I'll give it to you for ten taels of silver."
Shen Yijia thought for a moment. They could stay in the three rooms even if they had to squeeze together. Besides, they would definitely have to rebuild the house in the future. This was just a temporary solution. Ten taels of silver was not expensive, so she wanted to pay up.
A stern voice suddenly sounded. "We can't let them stay in our village."
Shen Yijia paused and frowned. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw a large group of people walking over.
The leaders were a few old men in their fifties, but what caught Shen Yijia's attention was a shrewd-looking middle-aged man walking among them. The man was supporting an old man who was holding a cane.
Those words came from that man's mouth.
When he saw them, Song Tiegen quickly went up to them. "Clan Leader, why are you here?"
The old man who was being supported was the most senior clan leader in this generation.
The clan leader snorted. "I heard that Daniu's family is coming back to stay in our village?"
'Aye, right, we're not talking about that. It just so happens that my old house is empty …'
"You fool." Clan Leader Song struck his cane against the ground several times. His white beard trembled and his spittle flew. "I heard from the three boys of the Dajiang family that Song Daniu's family was chased out of the capital by His Majesty for committing a crime. How can such a family live in our village? You may be the village chief, but don't forget that Xiagou Village belongs to all of us. Have you asked the opinions of the others in the village?"
"We disagree with this decision."
"Exactly. We don't agree…"
"That's right, Chief. If we let them stay here, no girl will be willing to marry into our village."
The village chief stayed silent.
As soon as Clan Leader Song finished speaking, the villagers behind him began to feel indignant. They started talking over each other, expressing their opposition.
Some people even wanted to rush up and push them away, and the scene suddenly became chaotic.
Uncle Yang, Lin Mu, and the others hurriedly stood in front of Madam Li and Shen Yijia.
When Brother Hao and Sister Huan saw this, they also shrank behind Madam Li in fear.
Shen Yijia narrowed her eyes and did not miss the gloating look in the middle-aged man's eyes.
She wondered who this person was and if he had a grudge against the Song family. Shen Yijia ignored him for the time being.