Chapter 1623: It's Master Qian Again (Patreon)

Chapter 1623: It's Master Qian Again

Shu Yu's hand paused, "Master Qian from Donggu County?"

"Yes," Dazhuang nodded, "Zhang Qing is easily intimidated. After the village chief interrogated him, he confessed directly. Master Qian gave him money to steal the sunflower seeds. It's not the first time; he did it last time too. Zhang Qing said that Master Qian had tried to plant the stolen seeds, but they didn't grow well. Recently, there have been many rainy days, and the batch of sunflowers they planted was on the verge of dying. So, he had this idea again."

Dazhuang was particularly upset when he mentioned the sunflowers being ruined. He knew how good sunflowers were to grow. They didn't demand much from the environment, and they had a good harvest when planted on land originally used for growing crops.

But somehow, Master Qian managed to kill the crops on several mu of land. Obviously, he had no idea how to grow sunflowers.

And yet, he didn't bother to learn but instead had people steal seeds at a critical moment. Although the sunflowers had started to bear fruit, they hadn't fully matured, so what was the point of stealing seeds?

Not only couldn't he grow them, but he also damaged their sunflowers in the process.

Such a person who didn't cherish crops was truly despicable.

Shu Yu sneered. Of course, he couldn't grow them. The land was too damp, with no nearby sunlight. Planting them during the hottest and sunniest time of the year would undoubtedly harm the sunflower sprouts. Who could withstand such torment?

What was even more infuriating was...

"He stole from me once before, and now he's back for more. Does he think I'm an easy target to fleece?!"

Zhao Xi stroked his chin and said, "Master Qian is from Donggu County after all, and he doesn't know much about you. Although you're the village Lord, you come from a farming background. In his eyes, there's probably not much to worry about."

Dazhuang was indignant, "Boss, we can't let him off easily this time. What do you suggest we do?"

"Report to the authorities."

Dazhuang immediately agreed, "Okay, I'll go to the county yamen and report it."

As he turned to leave, Shu Yu stopped him, "Wait."

Dazhuang was puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Shu Yu frowned, "Reporting to the county yamen won't be enough. The person is from Donggu County, and if we want to catch him, we have to negotiate with the Donggu County Magistrate. Wu Fengyuan once told me that Master Qian's family used to be in the tea business, so they should have good connections with the Donggu County Magistrate. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so daring. The Donggu County Magistrate may not give me face in this matter."

Zhao Xi nodded, "Moreover, although he had someone like Zhang Qing steal the seeds, the fields in Shishi Village belong to the villagers. I only has a purchasing agreement with them. In essence, this is a lawsuit between Master Qian and the villagers of Shishi Village."

If the Donggu County Magistrate sided with Master Qian, he could easily downplay the issue. He could treat it as an ordinary theft case, and at most, Master Qian would pay a small fine.

Upon hearing this, Dazhuang's expression changed, "That's too light a punishment for Master Qian."

Shu Yu narrowed her eyes, "Exactly. That's why we can't report it to the county yamen. It's better to go to the prefecture yamen. However, theft cases in the county town may not be enough to catch the Prefect's attention. We need to make a big fuss about this matter and make it closely related to me. Only then can I have a reason to get involved in this case."