Chapter Sixty-Six: Such Courage, Such Admiration

These words left Old Chu utterly speechless—he knew full well the truth of the matter. In their own village, there were scarcely any men who could outperform those from Great Valley Village. Yet the idea of having Cheng Jin’s wife participate in the contest was simply too absurd. She looked rather frail and undernourished—how could she possibly stand a chance against those robust men?

“You lot—are you missing the very thing that makes a man a man? Why are you so hesitant over such a trifling matter?” someone jeered.

“That’s right! If you’re not real men, you might as well cut off what’s between your legs—save the rest of us the annoyance,” another chimed in.

The men of Great Valley Village shouted vulgar taunts, their coarse laughter making the faces of the men from Lotus Village turn a deep shade of green. No man could stomach such insults. Their mouths moved quicker than their minds, and they shot back with barbed retorts of their own.

“A contest it is! Do you think the men of Lotus Village are any weaker than yours?”

“That’s right! In the past we let you win out of courtesy, but now it seems you’ve grown far too arrogant.”

Back and forth the men from both villages went, their words flying so fast that before anyone could intervene, the challenge had already been sealed.

Tang Zhong watched Lotus Village fall so easily into the trap and grinned with unabashed satisfaction, scratching his head. “Very well. The contest will take place tomorrow. Time is precious—if we win this fine land, we must get started turning it over right away.”

Tang Zhong spoke as if the land already belonged to Great Valley Village, and Old Chu glared at the younger men behind him who had let their mouths run wild.

“If our Lotus Village wins, where exactly is this ‘fine land’ you’ve promised us?” Gu Xiaoyao gripped her hoe tightly, her expression serious as she questioned Tang Zhong about the land they stood to gain.

“If you win,” Tang Zhong replied confidently, “do you see those fields across the way? They’ve already been tilled by our village. If you win, those plots will be yours.”

He was so sure of victory that he had no qualms about pointing out truly good land—plots that lay connected to the wasteland on this side. Since the fields were already cultivated, it would be no trouble at all to plant crops. The people of Lotus Village craned their necks to look across at the land, unsure what emotion to wear on their faces.

“They really are fine fields. It seems you’re not trying to cheat us,” Gu Xiaoyao observed. Even without going over, she could tell Tang Zhong was speaking the truth.

Tang Zhong laughed. “Fine land indeed—but I doubt you have the skill to win it. Enough, don’t waste your time digging here today. By tomorrow, this field will be ours.”

With the contest set for the next day, Tang Zhong led the villagers of Great Valley Village away in high spirits.

Old Chu’s fingers trembled as he pointed at his own people, heads bowed in silence. Useless lot! They had let themselves be goaded into accepting the challenge.

“Now what will you do? Do any of you have confidence for tomorrow’s contest?” he demanded.

The men, hearing their elder’s question, lowered their heads in guilt. They had no confidence at all—caught up in the heat of the moment, they had agreed rashly.

“Village Chief, I am confident about tomorrow’s contest. Besides, even if you wanted to back out, they wouldn’t let us,” Gu Xiaoyao declared. She was already eager for the morning to come—winning those good fields was too tempting.

“Cheng Jin’s wife, I know you have some skill, but this is no child’s game!” Old Chu shook his head, not believing she could best the men of Great Valley Village. She was just a woman, after all—how could she possibly compete?