Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 168

"The solution is to act!" Zhao Da'e said.

Upon hearing the word "acting," Xiangzi was completely bewildered. He asked, "Little Aunt, what do you mean? What kind of play can solve this problem?"

Seeing this, Zhao Da'e slowly explained, "Are you stupid? The only solution to your current problem is to put on an act. Let me put it this way. You can pretend to be sick. You transported chickens, ducks, and geese with fowl plague, right? Then you can say that you were affected by the fowl plague and got sick, like having an allergic reaction, stomach pain, and vomiting. Before the villagers come looking for you, you can pretend to be sick, explain the reason in front of everyone, and then ask those people who made you take the chickens and ducks back from the cane for compensation. That way, they will probably only want to get rid of you and won't think about asking you for compensation for the chickens and ducks."

Zhao Da'e's idea was simple: first, have Xiangzi feign illness to scare the villagers, letting them know the consequences of eating chickens, ducks, and geese infected with fowl plague. This would instill fear in them, largely preventing the tragedy of their past lives and also resolving the potential compensation claims against Xiangzi. If Xiangzi's act was convincing enough, and they enlisted Dr. Chen's help, the charade would be a sure thing, solving most of the problem. That was Zhao Da'e's plan. Fowl plague doesn't spread through the air to humans, but people can still get sick from eating spoiled meat. Zhao Da'e was doing this for the good of the villagers.

Moreover, people are pragmatic. If Xiangzi isn't assertive, they'll only pick on the weak. When they see that they can't finish the chickens and ducks they bought, they'll cause trouble for Xiangzi, who helped them buy the goods. They don't want to suffer a loss, so they'll try to make Xiangzi swallow this bitter pill.

Xiangzi's job involved dealing with all sorts of people, from all walks of life. If Xiangzi didn't compensate them, those people would definitely cause trouble. So, sometimes, striking first isn't unreasonable. Let Xiangzi take the initiative to demand compensation from those people, exaggerate the problem, and ask for a higher amount. Those people would definitely deny it, and might even prefer to accept that the chickens and ducks they bought were infected with fowl plague, accepting that Xiangzi wouldn't compensate them for their losses, rather than pay Xiangzi's exorbitant medical expenses.

That's human nature; they only choose what's more advantageous to themselves. So, to defeat those troublesome villagers, you have to do something even more outrageous than them, and then they'll accept the initial conditions.

Xiangzi's eyes widened after hearing this, looking somewhat bewildered. Zhao Da'e, watching anxiously, asked, "Hey, did you even understand?"

Xiangzi swallowed hard, then looked around. Seeing that no one was around, he felt relieved. He then lowered his voice and said to Zhao Da'e, "Little Aunt, please don't say things like that. You mean you want me to fake illness to deceive people and then ask for medical expenses? That's... that's a bit... not very honorable. Let's think of some other ways. Let's talk to the villagers and ask them to be understanding. I think that's fine, but I really can't do this kind of deception."

Xiangzi was too timid to do such a lying and deceitful thing, so after thinking about it, he still refused.

Zhao Da'e sighed and said, "Xiangzi, if that's what you think, there's nothing I can do. But do you really think that if you say a few nice words to those villagers, they'll let you off the hook? They won't ask you for that hundred or so yuan in compensation? I don't think that's very likely. It's not that I think those people are so bad, but that's just how reality is. If it were you, you might not want the compensation, but others aren't as easy to talk to as you are. They might care about whether they get compensation or not. Maybe some of them are easy to talk to, but if one of the five people who bought the chickens, ducks, and geese doesn't get compensation, but the other four do, do you think the remaining person won't feel unbalanced? Won't they also come to you demanding compensation?"

You can't guarantee everyone will be as easygoing as you. Either all five of them will refuse your compensation, or you'll have to compensate those five. It's unlikely you'll only compensate a few troublemakers. If even one of them is petty, it will encourage the other four to be petty as well—that's an undeniable reality. Xiangzi, are you willing to gamble?

Xiangzi was caught in a dilemma. He wasn't sure if the villagers would be easygoing and not hold his losses against him, but Zhao Da'e was right. If even one person insisted on compensation, things would get messy. Who knew when this would end? Not only would he lose money, but he'd also miss work. The villagers were fine, and Xiangzi had to work every day to earn money. Based on that alone, Xiangzi couldn't rely on them.

A game that was destined to be lost.

Xiangzi was upset. It wasn't his fault; he was just following the customer's instructions to buy chickens and ducks. The customer told him to buy them from Jurenzhangzi, so he went. Who knew that there was an outbreak of fowl plague there, and the chickens and ducks he bought were also infected? Whose fault was it? Shouldn't it be the villagers' fault for telling him to buy chickens and ducks from Jurenzhangzi in the first place? How could it be his fault? To put it mildly, he could say that the villagers told him to buy chickens and ducks with fowl plague; it was their problem, not his.

But now, even though it's not his fault, he has to bear the consequences, which is incredibly frustrating for Xiangzi.

Zhao Da'e saw what Xiangzi was thinking. She sighed and slowly said, "Xiangzi, I know what you're thinking, but human nature is unfathomable and complex. You're thinking from your own perspective, but the other person is thinking from theirs. If I were a villager, I would think, 'I've worked hard for two or three days, finally saving up some money. The New Year is almost here, and I need to prepare some goods. I don't have time to go out and prepare, so I pay someone to buy chickens and ducks for me. But that person brings back chickens and ducks with fowl plague; they can't be eaten.' I would get this news..." "The sky is falling after this! This means all my money is wasted. All my hard-earned savings are gone just like that. Who should compensate me for this loss? Only you, Xiangzi, should compensate me, because you bought these chickens and ducks. I don't care about any chicken plague outbreak in the village; it's not my fault. Isn't it the fault of the person who bought them? If he had bought from a cleaner family in the village, wouldn't he have gotten healthy chickens and ducks for the New Year? This isn't my fault; it's your fault, Xiangzi. I have to get compensation from him, get back the money I paid for those chickens and ducks. I absolutely cannot accept this loss."

Zhao Da'e put herself in the villagers' shoes and slowly spoke out what she, as a villager, wanted to say.

It's a very realistic and harsh reality. Even if Zhao Da'e didn't say it, Xiangzi had a feeling about what the villagers would think.

This put Xiangzi in an awkward position. He had his own difficulties, and the villagers had their own suffering. So, who should be blamed for this mistake, or who should bear the responsibility?

“Auntie, I…I don’t know what to do. You’re right, how could those villagers not pursue this? If they come and argue with me, I won’t be able to do anything all day, I’ll be too busy serving them. But…asking me to act out a show and then try to extort money from them for medical expenses, my conscience…I can’t quite get over it!”

Xiangzi has always been an honest person; he has never actually done anything like lying. So he carries a heavy psychological burden.

Zhao Da'e grinned angrily and said, "You... what am I supposed to say to you? Xiangzi, are you stupid? Why don't you send these sick chickens to them? If they get sick from eating them, they'll come back and ask you for compensation. Nobody can guarantee how serious the consequences will be if they eat these things. What if someone dies?"

In reality, there are many people like Xiangzi in the world who tend to overestimate others' kindness. In rural areas, sometimes people might even think, "It's just a matter of a few dollars, why are they arguing about it?" For example, neighbors in the same field might fight over a few crops. Everyone is the type who won't let themselves be taken advantage of, no matter how trivial. This is partly because they are indeed poorer, and partly because they have no other way to make money.

If you are overly generous, others will think you are easy to bully and will take advantage of you. This is a lesson learned from decades of life experience.

Are people inherently good or bad? No. All people are good, simple, and kind. However, never encounter trouble, for encountering trouble will expose you to the coldness of human relationships. Let alone something like Xiangzi's experience where the goods he bought were defective. Even family members—in Zhao Da'e's previous life, when his mother was dying, none of his aunts sent him a single penny.

Xiangzi had little say in the village, so it's no wonder that people would try to extort money from him after something happened.

Xiangzi didn't want to compensate the villagers for their losses, nor did he want to abandon his morals and put on a show. Wasn't this obviously trying to have it both ways? There was no such thing as a free lunch. Zhao Da'e guessed that if Xiangzi honestly told the truth, they would all sit on their kang (heated brick bed) and try to extort money from him.

Xiangzi was almost in tears. "Auntie, I didn't want this to happen either, but I feel that faking illness is too immoral, and even asking the villagers for medical expenses. I thought about it and realized that everyone has a hard time. How about I compromise and only compensate them for half of their losses? What do you think?"

Zhao Da'e sighed and shook his head, clearly indicating that it wasn't going to work. Xiangzi lowered his head in disappointment when he saw this.

However, after a while, Zhao Da'e sorted out Xiangzi's words, and suddenly seemed to realize something. He raised his head and looked at Xiangzi with a look that said, "Oh, wait a minute. This doesn't seem to be about money. I mean, I want you to go and perform in a play."

Xiangzi was a little confused. He stared at Zhao Da'e, then pointed at Zhao Da'e and said, "Didn't you say that, Auntie, that I should pretend to be sick and ask for medical expenses so that the villagers would only think about getting rid of me as soon as possible and wouldn't think about asking me for compensation again?"

Zhao Da'e sighed and facepalmed, "I told you to pretend to ask for medical expenses, not to actually ask for them!"

Xiangzi exclaimed "Huh?" as if he hadn't quite come to his senses yet.

Zhao Da'e was almost furious and said directly, "Are you stupid? I meant you should pretend to be sick and ask for medical expenses, just to scare those villagers who would ask you for compensation. Those villagers definitely won't agree and won't pay for your treatment. Then they'll settle for not having to compensate you for the losses caused by the infected chickens and ducks. I didn't mean you should actually ask for the medical expenses, just pretend to be sick to scare them. You misunderstood!"

As soon as the words were spoken, Xiangzi completely understood and grasped Zhao Da'e's meaning. "So, Auntie, you mean that as long as I pretend to be sick, just acting out symptoms like allergies, dizziness, or vomiting, and pretend to ask the villagers for medical expenses to scare them a little, that's fine. I'm not really asking for medical expenses, and then they'll let me go and won't bother me anymore, is that what I'm thinking?"

Xiangzi finally figured it out, and Zhao Dage breathed a sigh of relief. "He's teachable," she thought. "It wasn't a waste of all my time and words to him before he finally understood. "That's about it. Think about it, aren't the scholars around here suffering from a chicken plague?"

Xiangzi nodded, finally understanding. It turned out the villagers knew there were sick chickens there, yet they insisted he buy them. From then on, he vowed never to take on any more jobs buying chickens, ducks, or geese. It was a complete loss-making proposition. Even if they offered him more money, he wouldn't be tempted to buy chickens, ducks, or geese from the vendors again. He was afraid of accidentally incurring losses. Besides, this was his "boss," Zhao Da'e; if he secretly took on jobs buying sick chickens, his "boss" would definitely be unhappy.

Zhao Da'e continued, "The New Year is just around the corner, and every household is preparing for it. Chickens, ducks, and geese are the three essential items on the dinner table every year. But hasn't the chicken plague spread to Jurenzhangzi? Jurenzhangzi is incredibly close to our Dongtaizi Village, and many households there rely on raising chickens, ducks, and geese to make a living by selling them. For convenience, the villagers of Dongtaizi Village usually go to Jurenzhangzi to buy their chickens, ducks, and geese. Some people are busy with work, but they will ask others to buy them for them, just like you took this order and ran errands for someone."

"However, the fowl plague has already spread. I estimate that nine out of ten chickens, ducks, and geese that came from Jurenzhangzi are unhealthy and have been infected with fowl plague. Let me explain to you how terrible the consequences can be if you eat animals infected with fowl plague. First of all, fowl plague carries a lot of viruses and bacteria. These viruses and bacteria can enter your body and make you very susceptible to illness. Colds and coughs are minor illnesses. Mild ones might cause allergies, vomiting, or other adverse reactions, which can be cured with a few doses of medicine from the clinic. But more serious ones can cause kidney problems, which require hospital treatment. In a better case, it can be cured for a few thousand yuan. In a worse case, you might have to spend tens of thousands of yuan to have a kidney transplant. In short, once you go to the hospital, it will cost a lot of money."