Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 604 - 562: There’s a Problem with the Wei Family (2)
The noon meal was arranged by the Wei Family.
Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu accompanied Li Yuwen, Pei Shenyan, and the others for lunch.
After lunch, Pei Fusheng stayed at the Wei Family to accompany Pei Shenyan while he recuperated. The old servant Pei Ji took Li Yuwen and her maid, along with Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu, to find the Wei Family, requesting to inspect the fields again.
With the reduced field size, the Wei Family couldn’t escape responsibility. They also wanted to find out the reason, so they readily agreed.
The fields tended by the Wei Family were about four miles from the village, not a short distance.
Wei Dalang rode a mule leading the way, while Li Yuzhu, Li Yuwen and her maid, Mu Yuanxiu, and Pei Ji followed in a carriage.
The carriage reached the edge of the fields but couldn’t enter further.
Because the paths between the fields were only three feet wide, they could only accommodate a wheelbarrow.
Li Yuwen instructed Pei Ji to guard the carriage at the edge of the field while she, with the young maid Cui Xi, along with Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu, followed Wei Dalang into the fields.
Li Yuwen specified the field where the two families’ lands bordered.
Wei Dalang didn’t say anything and nodded in agreement.
He led the group another two miles to the area of the fields in question.
"To the left is Mr. Pei’s field, and to the right is another family’s," Wei Dalang pointed to a large expanse of fields ahead and said.
"The right is the Yang Family’s field, right? Your family even had a fight with theirs," Li Yuwen said, glancing at Wei Dalang.
Wei Dalang said angrily, "It’s the Yang Family’s! That whole family is full of scoundrels! I bet the reduced field area is most likely their doing!"
Li Yuwen asked, "How did their family tamper with it?"
Mu Yuanxiu also asked, "Wei Dalang, how can you tell?"
Wei Dalang pointed at the two adjacent fields, "Look, these are all paddy fields, separated by just a narrow field ridge. If their family shifted the ridge towards us while we weren’t around, wouldn’t it reduce our field?"
Li Yuwen nodded, "Makes sense."
Mu Yuanxiu said nothing, took a look around, and walked towards the field ridge.
Li Yuzhu also followed.
Seeing them move over, Li Yuwen, too, led Cui Xi to follow.
In early spring, the paddy fields had no water; it wasn’t yet planting season for rice. Now, the fields were planted with rapeseed seedlings.
However, the framework of the fields hadn’t changed, and the ridges were a narrow one foot wide.
Walking on such narrow field ridges required balance; those accustomed to mountain paths and field paths could walk with ease, like Li Yuwen, Mu Yuanxiu, and Wei Dalang. But Li Yuwen had only taken the main roads during her year in the mountain village. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Now on the narrow field ridge, she wobbled as she walked.
Cui Xi occasionally supported her, "Young mistress, if you’re not used to walking on this ridge, you can walk below in the field."
Li Yuwen pointed to the rapeseed seedlings planted on both sides, "These are all young seedlings; stepping on them would kill them."
Cui Xi sighed, "Then, young mistress, walk a bit slower."
Wei Dalang, walking at the end, also said, "Mrs. Pei, the path between the fields is tough to walk; you should rest where you are and let others inspect."
"These are my family’s fields; of course, I have to see for myself," Li Yuwen refused to leave.
Seeing that persuasion was futile, Wei Dalang stopped trying.
The group walked a bit further and reached a resting spot.
This was a water cistern between the fields.
The cistern was a small pit about a person’s depth, dug into the field to reserve rainwater for watering the seedlings and lined with stones around.
However, after a dry winter and spring, the cistern had no water and was dry to the bottom.
Grass had grown both inside and outside the cistern.
Cui Xi helped Li Yuwen sit on the stone enclosure of the cistern to rest.
Mu Yuanxiu walked around the cistern and asked Wei Dalang, "Wei Dalang, whose cistern is this?"
Wei Dalang said, "It’s been here for many years. This cistern was already here when our family rented Mr. Pei’s field."
Li Yuzhu also examined the cistern with Mu Yuanxiu, finding that the rectangular cistern was just in the center of the narrow field ridge.
Looking ahead, there seemed to be another cistern a mile away; she pointed to those stone mounds and asked Wei Dalang, "Is that another water cistern up there, also belonging to the Pei Family?"
Wei Dalang replied, "That one isn’t. That’s the Yang Family’s. Each family uses their own cistern; they won’t lend it out. It’s far from the pond, and even the water we store isn’t enough for our irrigation, so how could we lend it out?"
"When was the cistern built?" Mu Yuanxiu asked.
"I’m not sure; it was there since I was very young," said Wei Dalang.
"Your family has only rented the Pei family’s fields for eleven years, and you’re just over twenty years old. Yet you said you saw that cistern when you were very young. Does that mean the cistern was built at least twenty years ago?" Mu Yuanxiu looked at him and asked.
"Almost more than twenty years," Wei Dalang said.
Mu Yuanxiu said to Li Yuzhu, "You wait here for me, I’ll go ahead and check out that water cellar."
Li Yuzhu nodded, "Okay, we’ll wait for you."
She also sat down on the stone block of the water cellar to rest.
Wei Dalang said he wanted to take a look as well, so he followed along.
Mu Yuanxiu walked on the narrow field ridge, striding swiftly without wobbling, even better than Wei Dalang.
Li Yuwen admired and said, "Third sister, look quickly, Mu Yuanxiu is amazing, he doesn’t even wobble when walking."
Li Yuzhu laughed, "He grew up walking such paths, of course he’s good at it."
Li Yuwen frowned, "I was boasting I could do it, but it seems I was overestimating myself." Thinking for a moment, she looked at Li Yuzhu with a serious face, "When we get back, don’t you dare tell your brother-in-law about me walking in the field."
Li Yuwen’s prideful habit was never going to change, Li Yuzhu held back her laughter, "I know, I won’t say."
"You better not say either," Li Yuwen also warned the little servant girl Cui Xi.
Cui Xi waved her hand repeatedly, "I belong to the young mistress, of course I stand by the young mistress."
"Good, good, so obedient." Li Yuwen nodded with a smile.
Mu Yuanxiu and Wei Dalang returned after examining the water cellar in front for a moment.
"Yuanxiu, is there a problem with that water cellar?" Li Yuzhu walked towards him and asked.
Mu Yuanxiu said, "There’s no problem, I just took a casual look. The Yang Family’s water cellar is half longer than this one, and there’s still some water stored in it now."
Li Yuwen, having rested enough, also stood up, "What’s so interesting about a water cellar, let’s have a look at the fields instead."
She took out the copied map given to her by Pei Shenyan, looking ahead, "Wei Dalang, come and see, where all these fields are."
Wei Dalang walked over, glanced at the map, and then looked at the fields.
He explained everything to Li Yuwen.
But Li Yuwen still didn’t understand what the actual problem was.
Li Yuzhu also listened with half understanding, frowning in thought.
Only Mu Yuanxiu, after glancing at the map, said, "Let’s go back first and then ask the village chief to measure it again, just looking at it won’t reveal anything."
Li Yuwen said, "Your brother-in-law said it’s been measured already, even if measured again, the data will certainly be the same. This is about two acres of land, not just a fraction of an acre."
Wei Dalang also said, "That’s right, measuring again won’t change anything."
"Then tell me, where exactly is the land missing?" Mu Yuanxiu looked towards Wei Dalang.
Wei Dalang’s eyes flickered, pointing to the neighboring Yang Family’s field, "The Yang Family must have quietly moved over this small field ridge, taking over Mr. Pei’s land. This ridge is only a foot wide, and in summer, it becomes just a pile of wet mud, easy to shift."
Li Yuwen looked at the fields on both sides, "Yuanxiu, what he said is very possible. Let’s go back and tell your brother-in-law."
Mu Yuanxiu didn’t say anything more, only said to go back first and talk later.
The group started to head back.
Pei Ji, who was guarding the carriage, saw them return and immediately asked, "Young mistress, Miss Li, did you find out anything?"
Li Yuzhu glanced at Mu Yuanxiu; she had a feeling Mu Yuanxiu had figured something out, but with Wei Dalang around, Mu Yuanxiu didn’t say anything, so she didn’t ask either.
"No, we’ll go back and discuss it with my brother-in-law," Li Yuzhu shook her head.
Li Yuwen also frowned, "Let’s talk about it when we get back."
Seeing the expressions on the sisters’ faces, Pei Ji understood it was a wasted trip.
Everyone returned to the Wei Family.
Wei Dalang followed them to meet Pei Shenyan; Mu Yuanxiu suggested inviting the village chief to measure the fields again.
Pei Shenyan frowned, "It’s already been measured, the village chief’s method of measuring is not prone to error, even if measured again, it would still be the same."
Wei Dalang said, "True, it would be the same regardless of the number of times."
Mu Yuanxiu glanced at him without saying anything.
Pei Shenyan said to Wei Dalang, "Dalang, you go back first, we’ll think of other reasons."
After Wei Dalang left, Pei Shenyan called Pei Fusheng outside to the courtyard to guard the house and immediately asked Mu Yuanxiu, "Brother Yuanxiu, did you find any issues?"
Earlier, Mu Yuanxiu glanced at Wei Dalang, his eyes darkened, wanting to say something, but Pei Shenyan didn’t ask further and sent Wei Dalang away.
Mu Yuanxiu said, "Yes, the Wei Family is definitely lying. They surely know the reason for the missing land. While we were examining the fields, he kept saying it was because the neighboring Yang Family moved the field ridge during the summer, taking over the water field, which led to the missing two acres. But I noticed, it’s impossible for the Yang Family to move the ridge there. It’s as impossible as stealing the main gate of the Wei Family and attaching it to the Yang Family’s gate. It’s clearly an impossible thing to do."
Li Yuzhu was shocked, "The Wei Family is crying thief to catch a thief?"
