'Hah, do you think I'm an idiot to fight you head-on?',an evil smirk formed on Jiho's face as she looked at Uncle Cheng.
It's not like Old Jiho doesn't try to collect rent from them, but they always shout at her for being disrespectful to her elders.
Even the villagers called her greedy for not caring about her own villagers. Jiho still remembers the memory of the original owner when she asked for the village chief, and he also called her an ungrateful fool.
Now it's time to make them feel what it's like being disrespected.
As the village chief stared at her with unpleasant eyes, he frowned and asked, "What do you mean by this, Scholar Li?"
Seeing his expression, Jiho scoffed inwardly but looked at him like a pitiful girl while wiping her non-existent tears.
"Village chief, when my parents were still alive, they rented out half of the land at a lower price for villagers, but it's been two years since I have received any rent."
When onlookers heard that, they were a little shocked. The village chief glared at Uncle Cheng with menace and nodded at him and then he looked at Jiho.
Seeing his signal, a bright light shone on Uncle Cheng, unbeknownst to both of them that Jiho was already watching their signals and smirked.
'These old hags, let's see what you can do.'
"But Jiho, I... don't even have the money. How can I pay the debt now?" When Uncle Cheng saw everyone looking at him, he put his hands on his face, covering it, and spoke in a crying voice.
Seeing him like that, villagers again looked at Jiho like looking at an ungrateful person.
'Hah, do you think I am a fool?', Jiho smirked inwardly, thinking, 'Acting? Let me show you who is the queen.'
As she started to shed tears, she looked at him with red eyes. "Yes, you are right."
Uncle Cheng was a little dumbfounded before, but now seeing her like this, a mocking smile formed on his lips. 'I knew it, how can this girl become smart all of a sudden.'
"But..." Suddenly Jiho's voice interrupted his thoughts. In the middle, he looked at her with a little surprise.
Soon, he saw an evil smirk on Jiho's face, making him feel a chill run down his spine as a bad premonition arose in his head.
'No, I have to stop her,' he thought, a cold sweat dripping from his head. Seeing this, Jiho sneered at him and moved her lips, speaking without a sound, 'Too late.'
"You said there is not enough money to eat, but you can eat meat every two days, and your eldest daughter always visits the brothel in the county and loses money in gambling," Jiho said in a pleasing tone as she wiped her tears with her sleeves.
The people around were shocked when they heard Jiho's words, and a loud murmur echoed among them. People looked at Uncle Cheng with hatred.
"Old Cheng, how can you be so selfish?" a woman shouted from the crowd. Hearing her, other people also started to make a scene.
"Yes, yes, how can someone be so greedy?"
"Really outrageous," as people taunted him more and more, Uncle Cheng, who had already lost his worth of respect, tried hard to explain himself.
Seeing this, Jiho smiled inwardly. She already knew how greedy these villagers were. They didn't hate injustice; they just couldn't stand anyone living a better life than them.
As the village chief saw Uncle Cheng like this, he looked at Jiho with a frown. His voice carried a tone of hatred.
"Even Uncle Cheng is wrong. You cannot talk to your elder like this. Go home; we will discuss it later," the village chief said, waving his hand and turning around to leave.
'Ha, trying to escape so easily? Not so fast, old man,' Jiho thought, looking at the village chief with a sly grin. Her crimson eyes grew darker, giving her the appearance of a wolf eyeing its prey.
Jiho scoffed inwardly as she looked at the village chief, who was trying to appear like a good elder.
Everyone in the village was well aware that the village chief's son had married into the Cheng family. That's why, despite Jiho's previous struggles, she couldn't reclaim her land or rent.
'But I am different',A confident smirk played on Jiho's lips as she locked eyes with him.
"But I don't even have a single bit of grain at home for the villagers, I even opened a school at the lowest price for them. Is this how you guys repay me?" A big drop of tears rolled down from her eyes and fell on the ground.
After hearing this, the villagers felt guilty because it was true that she taught their children at the lowest price.
"Fine," her hoarse voice interrupted their thoughts as they looked at her in unison. Jiho raised her head while looking at the village chief straight.
"If you guys cannot give me justice, then I have no choice but to... go to the yamen." Jiho looked at them with her crimson eyes, which had already turned red due to crying, making her appear like an injured wolf that was already at its limit.
As the word 'yamen' echoed in the atmosphere, people's eyes widened. They looked at each other with fear in their eyes and then at Jiho.
"Li Jiho!" the village chief shouted at her, his face turning black as he looked at her with rage, making the villagers tremble, but only the villagers, of course.
'Wanting to scare me? Dream on.' Seeing him like this, Jiho sneered inwardly. From childhood to adulthood, Jiho was used to it, thanks to old Master Ji, who hated her the most
(here it means in her original world, her grandfather, the head of Ji family).
Jiho stared back with her teary eyes, a wronged expression, making him feel guilty. He rubbed his face and sighed.
"I mean, it's a village problem. How can you take it out of the village?" He said in a pleasing tone as he tried to hide his rage-filled eyes.
"Yes, village chief, I have faith in you. That's why I came to you first, and I know you won't disappoint me." She looked at him as she wiped her tears and smiled slightly, making others feel guilty, yet the village chief could find the hidden meaning behind her pleasing words.
If he didn't help her, she would go to the yamen. Even though she was now only a farmer, she was one of the best scholars in the nearby villages, becoming a scholar at the age of sixteen when it took others a lifetime to achieve. If not for her parents' sudden death, she might have already become a jinshi.
Village chief: 'You.'
Jiho: ಠ∀ಠ, 'What can you do?'
(A/n :I hope you guys like it and comment to let me know your opinions (≧(ｴ)≦ )