HLnovel Chapter 124 Everyone has their own plans
Chapter 124 Everyone has their own plans
On the other side, in Ningshui Village.
Because she used grain from another private granary to settle the debt, Wu Guizhi temporarily escaped this calamity, which was considered to have given some explanation to the village and eased the suspicion and anger of many people towards her.
Although Lü Jiquan and his men didn't quite believe the truth about this private granary and felt that there were still problems with what Wu Guizhi said, they had no other evidence and didn't know if Wu Guizhi had other places where she had hidden grain. This put Lü Bowen and Lü Jiquan in a passive position once again.
Lu Jiquan had actually secretly sent people to check on the Wu family, but they couldn't find any useful clues. They didn't know if the Wu family had received any grain from Wu Guizhi, so they had to give up for the time being.
Even though they had seen that the Wu family members were in good health and seemed to have a food supply, they couldn't find any trace of food after checking and tracking them. They only saw them digging for wild vegetables and peeling tree bark.
Knowing that the Wu family was extremely cunning, Lü Jiquan and his group did not expect to discover anything so quickly. They could only continue to stall with the Wu family and Wu Guizhi.
However, Lü Jiquan and his men still needed to ensure their immediate interests first. They first tallied the total amount of grain and figured out how to allocate it.
Even though they promised Wu Guizhi that they wouldn't distribute the grain for the time being, they needed to know the total amount of grain and the amount Wu Guizhi took each time, to ensure that Wu Guizhi wouldn't pocket the grain.
Knowing where the grain was hidden, they could keep an eye on it from time to time and intensify their surveillance of Wu Guizhi, trying their best to find evidence to prevent her from enriching herself.
But now, there doesn't seem to be much grain left. After taking the count, the faces of Lu Bowen, Lu Jiquan, and their group all turned terrifyingly dark.
If they only have this little bit of food, they probably won't be able to last long.
Even if they hardened their hearts and only supplied food to a few families, it would not be a long-term solution.
Moreover, the entire Lü family has already left Ningshui Village. Just as Wu Guizhi said, the Yuan family might blame them for how these things were handled and demand the return of the grain they had given them, which would put them in an even more passive position.
With many problems, Lü Jiquan and his team had no choice but to arrange for people to continue keeping an eye on Wu Guizhi in order to try to find out if she had any other places where she had hidden grain.
Furthermore, they also sought opportunities to get involved in the cooperation with the Yuan family, or even to replace Wu Guizhi, in order to reach a new cooperation with the Yuan family and find more ways out.
If they could, none of them would want to flee Ningshui Village; they would rather stay in their hometown and not become refugees and wander outside.
If they really become refugees, they will encounter even more dangers along the way, which is really not worth it.
The entire village left Ningshui Village to escape the famine. Where should they go, and how could their safety be ensured on their escape route? These were very serious questions, making the village chief, Wu Youcai, and the others very reluctant to choose that route.
It was precisely because they did not want to flee the famine that Wu Youcai and Lü Jiquan targeted Lü Daquan's family, allowing Wu Guizhi to bully Xie Shulan and the others, hoping to win the favor of the Yuan family and obtain more benefits, especially food and water.
Knowing these circumstances, Lü Jiquan and his group deeply regretted their actions yesterday.
They personally saw off Lü Daquan's family, even revealing part of the truth about Lü Daquan's background and providing him with various documents he needed. Looking back now, Lü Jiquan and the others felt it was a miscalculation with very serious consequences.
Now that things have escalated to this point, it won't be so easy for them to get food and drinking water from the Yuan family anymore.
They did not want to leave Ningshui Village to escape famine, but the most important prerequisite for them to do so was that they needed to have enough food and water.
Only with such guarantees would they have a chance to stay in Ningshui Village and rely on food and drinking water to wait for the severe famine to pass.
The situation was already very unfavorable for them, so Lü Jiquan had no choice but to arrange for people to keep a close eye on Wu Guizhi, hoping to uncover Wu Guizhi's true colors and find the grain that Wu Guizhi had hidden.
However, they will not target Wu Guizhi for the time being. They hope to lower Wu Guizhi's guard and try to find out the truth about these matters, which is the key to deciding their next plan.
After all, whether they could get more food and drinking water from the Yuan family was the most important prerequisite for them to survive in Ningshui Village and avoid having to flee the famine.
Since the Yuan family is preparing to send people over, they can take the opportunity to replace Wu Guizhi and communicate with the Yuan family, handing over the benefits to them.
Having already planned and discussed it in hushed tones, Lü Bowen and Lü Jiquan had no choice but to temporarily abandon their plan to deal with Wu Guizhi and first stabilize her before proceeding with their subsequent plans.
Wu Guizhi was fully aware of what Lü Jiquan and his group were planning.
However, she certainly wouldn't do as Lü Jiquan and the others wanted.
Maintaining contact with the Yuan family and obtaining valuable items from them is how Wu Guizhi secures her position in the village and keeps people working for her just to have food. This is the foundation of her livelihood in Ningshui Village, and Wu Guizhi will not give it up easily.
If even this is taken away by Lü Jiquan and his group, she probably won't have a good ending.
Lu Bowen and Lu Jiquan are all petty and ruthless people. The fact that they tolerated her holding the power to distribute grain in Ningshui Village for so long, and that she gained a certain prestige in the village, with many people trying to please her and beg her for a bite to eat, is almost pushing their limits.
Once she loses these supports and her connection with the Yuan family is severed, then people like Lü Bowen and Lü Jiquan will no longer care about past relationships and will probably want to drown her as a form of revenge.
Knowing the stakes involved, Wu Guizhi would certainly not easily let Lü Jiquan and his men discover her method of contacting the Yuan family, nor would she allow her life to fall into the hands of Lü Bowen and Lü Jiquan.
Only by managing her relationships with the Yuan family can she better protect herself.
If she gets replaced, I reckon she won't have a good ending.
Everyone knew the truth, but Wu Guizhi still needed to think more about her own future.