Chapter 545: Chapter 532: Benefits and Grudges Over a Handful of Rice

“Football” sounded fresh, and the kids loved to play it. At this age, children had nothing to do and would cause trouble everywhere. Kicking this ball might get them a reward. Every family that had half a child sent their child out to kick this ball.

After establishing some simple rules and giving a brief lesson, the children picked it up quickly and soon got the hang of it.

Zhuang Qingning, seeing they were almost ready, let them try it out to see how it went.

Believe it or not, it looked quite professional.

However, Zhuang Qingning couldn’t tell Chu Jinnian all this. Instead, she explained, “I saw the children playing Cuju here and had the idea of having a leather ball made for them to play with. Since it’s a ball that you kick, we’ll call it ‘football’.”

“In the winter, when there’s nothing to do in the village, people tend to gossip, which does more harm than good as it can cause conflict. Doing something like this not only strengthens the body but also provides us all with some fun.”

“Hmm, not bad,” Chu Jinnian approvingly nodded.

When people gather, the more idle chatter there is, the more they tend to think. Giving them something to do helps keep their minds away from troublesome thoughts.

Chu Jinnian admired Zhuang Qingning’s unique way of thinking and laughed, “This football is really fun. Miss Zhuang, why don’t you tell me the rules? When I return to the capital city, I can share this interesting game with others.”

Cuju required a high degree of skill because the goal was high off the ground. Football, on the other hand, was played on the ground, so anyone could play. Furthermore, the vast field required extensive running, which was a significant test of endurance.

It could be said that any novel game would attract people’s interest.

And this also gave him another opportunity to converse with Zhuang Qingning, didn’t it?

“Master Chu, if you’re interested, I can explain it to you. But I must warn you, I came up with this game on the spur of the moment and probably didn’t think it through completely. If any adjustments need to be made, we’ll have to add them later.”

Although Zhuang Qingning had watched football games in her previous life, she wasn’t really a die-hard fan. She knew little about the specifics of the rules, so she decided to make this clear from the start.

“No problem. Many things develop over time. You don’t need to worry…”

“Goal!”

Cheers immediately erupted. Some, caught up in the excitement, even started clapping their hands and shouting praises. The area quickly became lively.

Zhuang Jingye, seeing everyone so enthusiastic, couldn’t help but nod frequently.

As expected of Qingning, always able to think out of the box.

During the winter, quarrels often arise from the endless gossip about others. As the village chief, these conflicts always fell on him to resolve, which was bothersome. Discontent could also emerge if someone felt the issue wasn’t managed fairly, leading to further trouble…

This seemed to be a never-ending cycle!

But now, with something to do, everyone’s attention was focused on football. Being occupied meant fewer problems.

In his view, this football tournament could be held annually.

Not only would it decrease the number of disputes, but as word spread, the fame of Enji Village would grow even more.

As Zhuang Jingye thought about this, he became increasingly excited. He couldn’t help but say to Zhuang Qingning, “Qingning, could we possibly have this football tournament every year?”

“Of course,” Zhuang Qingning replied with a smile. “When the time comes, we’ll invite neighboring villages to make the competition more exciting. If there are enough participants, we could even rank them and give rewards. I guess that would make everyone even more enthusiastic.”

“But if that’s the case…”

If they proceeded this way, the costs would increase significantly. While Zhuang Qingning could afford it, even though she didn’t mind and wasn’t short of money, all the expenses couldn’t just fall on her shoulders. That just wouldn’t be fair.

Zhuang Jingye thought for a moment and said, “In that case, we can draw some money from the ancestral hall funds.”

Over the years, more money had gone into the ancestral hall than had come out, creating quite a stash. Using it for this purpose seemed reasonable, and he believed the villagers wouldn’t object.

When Zhuang Qingning heard Zhuang Jingye say this, she immediately understood his intention. She smiled and said, “Uncle Chief, there’s no need to take money from the ancestral hall. This isn’t a big deal.”

“Even if it’s not a big deal, you shouldn’t bear all the costs.”

Zhuang Jingye said earnestly, “I’m not being stingy on your behalf, Qingning. I know you’re a good person and you don’t take advantage of others. But no matter how honest and upright you are, you have to understand the saying ‘a favor begets gratitude, a grudge begets enmity’. If you always take everything upon yourself, those who know their place will appreciate it, but if you meet an ungrateful person, they may take it for granted and complain that you’re not giving them enough.”

“Qingning, remember this: we cannot encourage such behaviour.”

Uncle Chief, don’t worry, I understand this principle. When I said earlier that this isn’t a big deal, I didn’t mean that I would cover all the costs.”

Zhuang Qingning explained, “As the football tournament gets more frequent and our reputation grows, more people will come to watch. At that time, we can announce that anyone who wants to advertise can offer some of their signature products as prizes. In return, we can set up signboards and flags near the field, ensuring that all who come to watch the game can see them.”

“If the match is well-run and attracts many spectators, the advertising will be more effective. Those who have sponsored prizes will receive recognition, especially new businesses. This can help everyone know about them. This method could be beneficial for everyone and solve everyone’s problems.”

Zhuang Jingye nodded repeatedly as he listened, “Not bad, not bad! This is a good idea. It doesn’t put too much burden on us, it makes the event grand, and it doesn’t neglect either side.”

“With the football tournament held annually, within two or three years, it should become quite famous. By then, I suppose whichever village wins the championship will have reason to celebrate for a year!”

“If all else fails, we could mention this to the Pavilion Chief. Perhaps we could make this competition a town-wide event, or even county-wide. Imagine, all the competitions happening in our place, now that would be grand!”