Qi Zhenzhen pursed her lips, "Aren't you the same? You first thought of snatching the village head's position, and in the blink of an eye, you became someone who cared about the village. It's truly hard to see through you. However, since Grandpa Village Head trusts you, I naturally have no reason to doubt. As for doing our best, Xinghua Village took us in when we were in trouble. This is a great kindness to us, and naturally, we must repay it. Besides, the three of us live here, and our relationship with the village is harmonious, which means we have support and confidence when we do things."
Song Yan stared at Qi Zhenzhen with a half-smile, "So, it seems my thoughts are similar to Miss Qi's. I left the village when I was young, and my parents are no longer around. Even my grandfather is not a direct blood relative. The village allows me to stay, which is also a kindness to me. At first, I just felt the village head was incompetent and the villagers lived a hard life, which is why I had those thoughts. With Miss Qi's help from now on, I naturally don't need to worry about anything..."
Heh, sounds better than it is.
Qi Zhenzhen and Song Yan had never confronted each other alone. Now that they were face to face, neither of them was being polite.
"So, you, who are wholeheartedly thinking of the village's well-being, set your sights on a helpless orphan and widow? Thinking of forcing us to hand over our business?" Qi Zhenzhen's smile disappeared, replaced by a cold expression.
Song Yan put down the feather duster in his hand and cupped his fists in a solemn salute, "This matter, it was my fault. I was a bit too eager at the time. However, Miss Qi, please believe me, although I harbored the thought of snatching your family's business, I would absolutely not harm you. My thought at the time was that the business would belong to the village, and you would receive dividends annually..."
"Then I should thank you for your mercy?" Qi Zhenzhen glanced at him sideways, her eyes filled with undisguised sarcasm.
"Hehehehehe..." Song Yan gave a dry laugh. After his first attempt failed, he knew this girl was not to be trifled with. Now it seemed his assessment was very accurate.
"Forget it, I won't hold this against you." Qi Zhenzhen rolled her eyes, "As long as you don't threaten my interests or provoke me in the future, this matter will be forgotten. If your ambition grows, then we'll settle old and new accounts together, and I'll let you know what happens when you provoke me."
Song Yan shivered inexplicably. The girl in front of him was petite, but she inexplicably gave him a great sense of pressure.
Song Yan concealed his surprise and forced a smile, "Miss Qi, please rest assured. Although I, Song Yan, am not a gentleman, I am definitely an upright villain."
He sounded quite proud. A villain is a villain; what good is being upright?
However, dealing with a true villain is much easier than dealing with a hypocrite.
Having said all that needed to be said, Qi Zhenzhen didn't linger. She left Song's house and ambled back.
On the way, she surprisingly met Er Hei's mother.
She looked exhausted, walking unsteadily.
Upon seeing Qi Zhenzhen, her face and eyes were filled with hatred. If Qi Zhenzhen hadn't been so ruthless, how could Da Hei have ended up like this?
"I know you hate me. But what does this matter have to do with me?" Qi Zhenzhen said calmly, "I have never provoked you. It is your greed and overestimation of your own abilities."
Er Hei's mother was stunned. Qi Zhenzhen was impatient to say more and brushed past Er Hei's mother.
She never thought that they were in the wrong. After this incident, she blamed Jin Ping and Qi Zhenzhen, but never Da Hei.
If Da Hei hadn't provoked Jin Ping in the first place, if Da Hei hadn't harbored malicious intent, no, if Er Hei hadn't bullied Qi Zhenzhen at the beginning, Da Hei wouldn't have resented the Qi family, and when Jin Ping approached him, he probably wouldn't have agreed so readily? That's not right either. If she, as his mother, had strictly disciplined Da Hei from the first time he acted like a scoundrel, would this be the outcome today?
Er Hei's mother's footsteps grew heavier. As the old saying goes, he who commits many unrighteous deeds will surely perish, and good and evil have their retribution; it's just that the time has not yet come. Da Hei was receiving his retribution.
After Qi Zhenzhen returned home, she also helped with the housewarming ritual. The Qi family's house was new, so sweeping the dust was merely symbolic and very easy.
"Mother, I'm going to town tomorrow. Do you want to come along?" Qi Zhenzhen hugged a soft pillow and nestled comfortably against Yun Shi.
"Mother doesn't like shopping. You go by yourself," Yun Shi said with a smile. She not only disliked shopping but rarely even left the house.
"I told Manager Lin last time to help me keep an eye out for experienced fruit farmers and for the large sweet apricot trees for grafting. After the New Year, it will warm up before long. We must prepare everything before it gets warm, otherwise, my vast apricot forest will be wasted," Qi Zhenzhen explained her plan. "I heard from Manager Lin that both these matters can be settled, and I need to go and urge him."
Yun Shi was not interested in these mundane affairs. In her heart, she hoped her daughter would also not be interested in them, but quite the opposite, her daughter was very interested in them and was even planning to build a more luxurious manor, saying she would come here to retire when she was old. At such a young age, she was already thinking about her old age.
"Is Mingyue going with you?" Yun Shi asked.
"I'm going by myself. Aunt Mingyue and my cousin will come tomorrow," Qi Zhenzhen said casually.
Yun Shi's brow furrowed slightly. She got along well with Yu Shi, and they spoke intimately in private. She knew that Yu Shi wanted to marry Mingyue to her nephew. Zhenzhen was only a year younger than Mingyue, sigh...
The next morning, Qi Zhenzhen woke up very early. After running a few laps with Qi Yi, she returned home to cook.
Normally, Qi Yi would go back to sleep for a second round. Today, he surprisingly followed Qi Zhenzhen into the kitchen, skillfully started the fire, and helped Qi Zhenzhen cook.
"What's wrong?" Qi Zhenzhen was a little puzzled.
"Sister, can you tell me about the Marquis's mansion?" Qi Yi asked after a moment of silence.
When they moved from the Marquis's mansion to the manor, Qi Yi was only four years old, and his memories were limited. However, the boy had never asked about the Marquis's mansion. Why was he suddenly asking about it today?
"What do you want to know?"
"Did Father treat us well?"
"What do you think?" Qi Zhenzhen retorted. "If he treated us well, would we be here? If he treated us well, would Mother have escaped from the manor?"
"But, but, aren't these all things the Madam did?" Qi Yi bit his lip.
"Yes, it was the Madam who did it, but the source is Father. If Father had protected Mother, do you think the Madam could have gone so far?" Qi Zhenzhen sneered. The original owner still had a little hope for Changping Marquis and the Marquis's mansion. But after seeking help, she had completely given up. Therefore, whether it was the original owner or Qi Zhenzhen, they had no expectations for the Marquis's mansion or the people there.