They felt ashamed that Master Gu had saved them time and again, but what else had they done besides being grateful?
It seemed as if nothing had been done. Instead, Master Gu risked his life to go up the mountain to hunt and sold the meat to them at the lowest price possible. The reason why everyone is so well off these days is all thanks to Master Gu.
Li Jianghe's words woke them up at once and reminded them that giving is a two-way thing. If they took it for granted that they were enjoying themselves, how could they keep Master Gu? The most important thing is what Master Gu said just now, if you are good to me, I will be good to you, but how many of them really take it to heart. They kept saying that Master Gu was their savior, but they did nothing to repay his savior. For a moment, everyone was ashamed and no one dared to look at Gulan.
Among these people, Village Chief Li was the most ashamed. In fact, there were some things he had not thought of, but because of his selfish motives, he pretended to be ignorant. As expected of Li Jianghe, he is very good at seeing things. No matter he was young or now, his mind works quickly, otherwise he would not be able to support such a large family. Although the words were directed to Gulan, they were more of a reminder to them not to forget that Gulan did not owe Lijia Village anything, but it was Lijia Village that owed Gulan too much. People could have simply not taken them to Yunzhou City, but the funny thing is that they are still hesitating about whether to go to Yunzhou or not. After figuring it out, Village Chief Li looked at Gulan with shame. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by Gulan.
"My uncle is just feeling sorry for me. You don't have to worry about it, village chiefs. I am a member of Li Village now, isn't it? And it was my suggestion to buy a carriage, so it's understandable that I pay for it. I won't change my mind now that I've said it."
Gulan looked at the village chief, then at the others, and spoke seriously, but her gaze became noticeably softer when it came to Old Man Li and the others.
How could the village chief not see that Gulan was giving him face again? He felt even more guilty. He had been the village chief for decades, and in most of his life he had not been as insightful as a young man. I couldn't help but sigh in my heart. Jiang He was right. I couldn't let Gulan pay for the car himself.
He looked at Gulan with a complicated expression and said, "Li Jianghe is right. I didn't think it through. You really can't be the only one to take the money for the trip."
Village Chief Li looked at everyone and asked, "Do you think I'm right?"
"Li Shan's family is willing to pay." Li Shan and Old Man Li have always had a close relationship. Old Man Li took the lead in paying the money, so Li Shan naturally did not want to fall behind. The important thing was that what the old guy said made so much sense.
"My family is willing to help too," Li Mu's father also spoke up.
"It's the same in my family," Li Xiaozhu's father also said.
"We are willing too," Li Kui also stood up.
"Village chief, we are all willing." Someone took the lead and everyone stood up one after another.
Village chief Li smiled with satisfaction at everyone's reactions. The people of Lijia Village had never disappointed him.
Old man Li was also satisfied with the result, and it was worth all his efforts. No matter what, Gulan was his distant nephew as he claimed to the outside world. How could he watch his nephew being bullied? Old man Li has always been a protective person. Everyone in Lijia Village knows this, so he is not afraid.
Gulan was even more moved. She had never thought that Uncle Li would do this much for her. He protected her like this without considering other people's face at all. It was really heartwarming. In this strange world, Gulan felt for the first time that she was cared for by her family, and it felt really good.
Village Chief Li looked at everyone with satisfaction and said, "In that case, let's each contribute some money to buy a carriage together."
"We all listen to the village chief," everyone said in unison.
"Okay, then I, Li Jianghe, will be the first to express my opinion. I, Li Jianghe, am willing to pay one tael of silver to buy a carriage. But everyone, please don't follow my example. We have many sons and daughters-in-law who are capable. We have indeed earned a lot these days."
Having obtained the desired result, Old Man Li was in a good mood and joked about himself. Of course, he said this to leave room for others.
This made everyone laugh. To be honest, even if he didn't add the last sentence, no one could compare to him. Everyone in Lijia Village knows that Li Jianghe's family is very prosperous. There are more than ten boys, big and small, in the family, which is more than other families. Only a person with a mental disorder would compare himself with him.
None of his sons are easy to mess with, especially Li Da. This guy is a natural fighter, and he will not hesitate to hurt himself when he gets angry. No one dared to mess with him in Lijia Village before, and now that he has learned martial arts from Master Gu, even fewer people dare to mess with him.
"My family is really short of money, we can only pay 200 coins," Li Shan said with a smile, pointing at Old Man Li. There are only two sons in their family and only two grandchildren, so they are indeed incomparable to Old Man Li.
"I'll also contribute 200 coins," Li Kui also spoke up. Although he was the only one working on the road, he got a lot of money after defeating the bandits. In addition, he also participated in the trip around the mountain and received an ingot of silver and an ingot of gold. It can be said that he had some savings. But he couldn't surpass Uncle Li Shan, so two hundred coins was just right.
"We'll give a hundred coins," Li Mu's father also said. Their family has few people and earns little, so they gritted their teeth and paid a day's wages. Their benefactor was willing to spend a lot of money on them, so why wouldn't they be unwilling to pay this small amount of money?
"My family will give 100 coins"
"My family has two hundred coins."
"…"
Upon hearing this, the village chief quickly asked his son to take out a pen and ink and write down on paper the amount of money everyone was willing to contribute. Li Youzhi calculated quickly, recording all the fifty-seven households, and the total amount was ten taels and one hundred coins. Everyone was about to go home to get the money but was stopped by the village chief.
"Don't worry, the money will be deducted from the banknotes later. You don't need to use your cash."
Everyone agreed when they heard this. Since they didn't need to use the family's money, the little bit of regret they had felt was completely gone.
"Then I'll take care of the rest. I guess the uncle village chief won't refuse." Gulan didn't insist. It's good this way. Only when you have given something, you will know how to cherish it. This is all thanks to Uncle Li. Gulan remembers his protection of her. There is still a long time to come, so there is no need to rush.
Hearing the word "uncle", Village Chief Li's discomfort instantly disappeared, and he smiled and said, "Of course not, but thank you anyway."
"Uncle Village Chief is being polite again, isn't he?" Gulan also smiled.
When she smiled, everyone laughed along with her, and the atmosphere became harmonious again.
"Okay, there's nothing else to do. But before we go, there's one thing I want to explain in advance. For the time being, both the horse and the carriage will belong to the village and everyone will raise them together. Once things settle down, if anyone wants to buy them, they can, and the price will be 60% of the market price."
Everyone understood what the village chief meant. This arrangement was the best and would also save some people from having inappropriate thoughts. However, many people were quite interested in what the village chief said next, especially the young and middle-aged people.
Li Da was one of them. He had earned a lot of money by himself during the days he was stuck on the mountain road, so he could earn enough money to buy a horse. Li Da really likes horses. These days, he and his younger brothers take turns riding Gulan's two horses, and they have mastered the riding skills a long time ago.
He also had the idea of buying a horse, and thought that he would definitely buy one when he settled down. The village chief's words were exactly what he wanted. If something really happens, the horse will run faster.
Everyone nodded, agreeing with the village chief's opinion. There was really nothing else to do next, and everyone dispersed at the village chief's wave of his hand.