idyllic tranquility

As the team progressed, more and more people's watermelons were inspected by the people, and the discussion among the judging seats and the surrounding crowd became louder and louder.

The leader of the team, Li Dashan, heard the most praise and admiration for his family from his surroundings, and he couldn't help but feel proud when he was in his prime.Even the old man he was supporting was no longer hunched, and his steps were much lighter.

Suddenly, whether it was an illusion, Li Dashan felt that the jury behind the team was much quieter, maybe he had seen the last watermelon.

But gradually, Li Dashan felt a little strange. They walked around half a circle, and most of the people in the circle became quiet.Until he completed a full circle and returned to his seat to sit down, the entire venue was silent, and almost all the people made the same movement in unison - rubbing their eyes.

The entire Watermelon Appreciation Conference was very short, but the ups and downs and reversals of the plot made Li Dashan unforgettable in this life.For the rest of his life, he couldn't understand why the He family, with average farming skills, could grow watermelons twice or even three times the size of his family at one time?

That afternoon, the housekeeper of Landlord Li’s house announced that the winner of this year’s Watermelon Appreciation Conference was the He family, and the winner of the 50 taels prize was also the He family. The three awards, the second prize and the third prize can also get 30 taels and ten taels respectively.

Li Dashan's family won the second prize, and also won an unexpected bonus of 30 taels, which is actually a very good harvest.However, the gap between expectations and reality is too great for anyone to deal with it with a normal heart.

Praise and envy don't belong to them anymore, and the 50 taels bonus doesn't belong to them anymore. Even the pride and pride before have become a joke. Li Dashan felt that he must be very angry at that time, but the last words of the He family made him even angry. No idea was born, only surprise and disbelief remained.

In order to establish a good image of being trustworthy and keeping promises, the Li family decided to fulfill the promise of bonuses on the spot.When the real gold and silver were brought out on a tray in front of almost all the villagers, all the villagers in the audience were excited. After all, most of the farmers did not necessarily see it when they lived to sixty or seventy. So much silver.

From then on, the Li family was rich and generous, and the reputation of keeping promises was spread.

Let’s not mention these later things, and let’s say that the He family sent the head of the family, Uncle He, to accept the award. When he gave his acceptance speech, he dropped a blockbuster to the crowd.

"Old man, I'm here to tell you the truth. Our He family can be counted among the best in Beili Village in terms of the level of woodwork. However, the level of this kind of land is obvious to all. Our most That is, the average level. The ability to grow such good melons is thanks to our good grandson who has a smart head who has studied."

Uncle He has no speaking experience and doesn't know how to mobilize the enthusiasm of the audience. He was still a little nervous, so he directly answered the biggest question in the hearts of the villagers with a few words.Before everyone could think about it, Uncle He continued.

"Our He family is not the one who accepts death. We are willing to disclose our melon growing technology to the folks in Beili Village. I believe that our folks will be able to grow watermelons bigger than our He family next year."

This decision was made by the He family after discussions last night. Until now, the He family women's alliance headed by Mrs. He still disagrees.However, the idea was proposed by He Ning, and Uncle He, the head of the He family, agreed after careful consideration, and the brothers He Dazhu and He Daxing did not question the old man's decision.

In this way, the men of the He family made such a stupid decision in the eyes of most people.

Whether everyone believed it or not, the Watermelon Appreciation Conference did end with such an unexpected ending.

It is worth mentioning that after the meeting ended, Li Nengfu sent a housekeeper to He's house to collect "dividends", and very friendly asked if he had any intention to sell the remaining watermelons.

The He family kept their own food, and picked up a few more to give away. Seeing that there were still some leftovers, they sold them directly to Butler Li.

In the next few days, the He family was not very peaceful. There was an endless stream of people who invited Uncle He and He Dazhu brothers to have a drink. Keep asking questions.

Uncle He knew these abnormal phenomena in his heart.He also knows that even if there is still a year before planting watermelons next year, as long as he does not disclose the technology of growing watermelons, their He family will not be able to calm down for a day.

Thinking about it this way, the attitude of the villagers is nothing more than wanting to dig out the "planting secrets" from the mouth of the He family as soon as possible, which is not surprising.

On the contrary, it is strange that Uncle He didn't act openly and publicly.Even at the risk of being sarcastic behind others' backs, he didn't reveal anything at the wine table.

In the eyes of the villagers, Uncle He's thoughts seemed to be repentance, but in the eyes of caring people, it had another meaning.

Village head Li Jiaxing's home.

"Father, what do you mean by the He family? It was agreed to announce the planting technology of watermelons, but why is it so hard to talk about it?" Because of the attitude of the He family, Li Jiaxing was very distressed for the past two days, so he had to run over to ask Ask the father who is the elder of the clan in the ancestral temple.

"Jia Xing, why is the village head so impatient after being the village head for the past few years? Use your brain more when you encounter problems!"

The village head, Li Jiaxing, was criticized as soon as he came up, but he didn't take it seriously.In front of my father, what kind of village head is not the village head, who has no face, no matter how smart I am, can I still be as smart as my father?

"Father, no matter how much I move my brain, I'm not as flexible as you are!" Li Jiaxing is in his middle age, and his skill of sycophancy has improved a lot.

"Hmph, don't even think about it. If this watermelon planting technology is really made public, it will be the ability for the whole village of Beili Village to make a fortune. With such a great merit, you, the village chief, have no attitude or expression. Don't you like it!" The son's flattery made him feel comfortable as a father, so he didn't like it anymore.

"Oh~ I've been doing it for a long time just to get something out of it. Let's be honest, why bother to make people panic." After understanding what the He family meant, Li Jiaxing felt a little blocked.

"Hey, you idiot, haven't you figured out what's going on up to now? The watermelon planting technology was drilled out by others. I won't tell you. How much I tell you is in their hands. If you don't come up with some Sincerely, who would be willing to treat you without reservation! How big of a man you are, please grow up." The old man really hated that iron can't be turned into steel.

"Father, don't be angry. I understand the truth. It's just a matter of complaining to you. As a family with a foreign surname, it is not easy for the He family to gain a firm foothold in the village. They will not deliberately do things that provoke people." It's about complaining. What I'm worried about is what do they want, can't they want to get back the clan land they donated before?" Seeing that his father was about to be pissed off by himself, Li Jiaxing quickly got serious.

"From my point of view, they probably won't take back the things they gave away. After all, it's really bad for their reputation. But another thing is quite possible."

"What's the matter?"

"Establish a ancestral hall."

"!"

Li Jiaxing was taken aback by his father's assumption.This is not a trivial matter. Setting up an ancestral hall in a foreign country means taking root. Although there are precedents, none of them are easy.

In feudal dynasties, the roots of the family were very valued and had special significance, and they would not be relocated unless there were catastrophes such as natural disasters*; in contrast, most villages rested in one place for dozens or even hundreds or thousands of years , I am afraid that it is difficult for them to regard people with other surnames who have settled down as their own people, and the concept of xenophobia is common and somewhat taken for granted.

If the He family wants to exchange watermelon planting technology for the opportunity to set up an ancestral hall in Beili Village, it is likely to be strongly opposed by the elders.

In fact, in Li Jiaxing's view, it is not impossible for the He family to set up an ancestral hall, as long as they are frank enough, and even disclose the watermelon planting technology without reservation.But this is only Li Jiaxing's opinion as a village chief, not the elders who have the right to appoint and dismiss the village chief.It is easy for the He family to deal with him, but it is a long way to go to deal with the elders with an average age of over sixty.