Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Although Li Gengyun, also known as Li Laoer, was utterly devastated, he couldn’t bring himself to make a scene. He knew in his heart that this had nothing to do with Li Gengtian or anyone else in the village. Who could he blame? It was just bad luck that his daughter Yan was so young and pretty.

He fought back his grief, went forward, and pulled his wife to her feet to leave. Yan’s mother’s wails faded into the distance as they walked away. The people left behind all looked grim, but no one blamed her for being irrational. After all, anyone in her shoes would likely be driven mad.

Just then, Mr. Zhou came over and ushered Li Gengtian into the house, beckoning for Qingmu, Zhang Huai, and the others to follow.

Once they were all seated, he said to Li Gengtian, "There may yet be a way to resolve this."

Li Gengtian was overjoyed to hear this and hurriedly asked, "How can we do that?"

Li Changyu and the others also stared at him intently, hoping he would offer an ingenious solution.

Mr. Zhou sighed. "This County Magistrate Li will be serving as Qinghui’s magistrate for three years. Directly confronting him is the worst possible strategy—even if you manage to intimidate him for a moment, you’ll pay for it in the long run. These girls he’s rounding up are undoubtedly meant for the Capital City, but they’ll be sent to the State Mansion in Huzhou first. When the time comes, have Changfeng go and plead with his mentor to find an opportunity to have her held back. After all, Yan isn’t some unparalleled beauty. For someone of his stature as the State School Governor, asking to keep one village girl is hardly a major issue. From what I saw, County Magistrate Li had another agenda today. When that fell through, he just took Yan on his way out."

Qingmu and Zhang Huai exchanged a look; it was crystal clear to them now. Qingmu asked gloomily, "Sir, do you have a way to deal with this County Magistrate Li? Judging by his behavior today, none of the surrounding villages can expect to live in peace. No, I doubt the whole of Qinghui will know a moment’s peace."

Mr. Zhou’s gaze sharpened as he looked at the group. "You must not act rashly, lest you bring disaster upon your families. Let me be pessimistic for a moment. As long as he isn’t too excessive, you should be able to endure it. Your village is much better off now than in years past, so you can handle some extra levies. For now, it’s best to be patient; there is nothing to be gained from a direct confrontation. Take what just happened. It wouldn’t have been difficult for you to keep Yan here, but what happens next? Would you never leave the village again? What would you do if he sent men to arrest villagers or their relatives and threw them in jail?"

Zhang Huai sensed there was a hidden meaning in Mr. Zhou’s words and quickly asked, "But what if he gets too greedy and makes it impossible for us to live? Sir, you must have seen it yourself. He completely scoffed at the gifts we offered. He’s clearly expecting a huge haul!"

Mr. Zhou smiled faintly. "This is where you must find the right balance. If he just increases the levies a bit, everyone can grumble, even cry and make a fuss, or delay payment. But in the end, you must pay what’s due. You have to make him understand that squeezing money from this place won’t be easy. However, if his extortion becomes severe, you must raise a huge ruckus. Put on a show of desperation, as if you’re ready to fight to the death. Make him understand that if he pushes any further, he’ll risk inciting a popular revolt and costing lives."

Li Gengtian was confused. "Mr. Zhou, what exactly are you suggesting? First, you tell us not to act rashly and endanger our families, but now you’re telling us to raise hell?"

Mr. Zhou sighed. "I was observing County Magistrate Li from the shadows just now. I believe he’s a man who values his own skin. He’s also smart, or rather, cunning—not the kind of greedy fool who throws all caution to the wind. A moment ago, you all clearly startled him. He was afraid you’d brazenly detain him. After all, when country folk get pushed too far, they don’t give a damn about the law. That’s why he retreated in such a hurry. Levies and extortion are a certainty from now on. If you don’t let him squeeze *some* profit out of you, he won’t let it go. But if he gets too greedy and you show you’re willing to fight to the death, he won’t dare to push things too far. From now on, you’ll just have to fight this battle of wits against him."

Everyone finally understood what he meant.

Li Gengtian said, "That’s why I didn’t dare make him any promises earlier. The village’s two workshops seem prosperous, but with the profits split among dozens of families, there isn’t much for anyone. Right now, we’ve just found a different way to sell the pigs we raise. At the end of the day, we’re still just making money from raising pigs and growing vegetables."

Mr. Zhou nodded. "You are all farmers at heart, so of course you’re not as experienced in business as true merchants. A slow and steady approach is the safest. For now, just keep things as they are—don’t try to expand. With this County Magistrate Li around, the more money you make, the more you might end up losing."

’If they registered their fields under Li Changfeng’s name, they wouldn’t have to worry about this,’ he thought. ’But no one would willingly become a tenant on their own land, so it’s better not to say anything. Besides, most of them should be able to manage.’

For a time, everyone was silent.

Zhang Huai spoke up. "If those government officers dare come to our village to extort us, we’ll gather all the men, arm ourselves with knives and hoes, and scare them off. We just have to make sure no one actually gets killed. The best thing would be to make those officers’ hearts pound in their chests at the mere mention of our village, so they won’t even dare to show their faces here. From now on, we should also travel to the market in larger groups."