Chapter 62

Ruan Qing, unaware of anything amiss, warmly said, “Grandpa Qi, you must be tired. Come inside and rest a bit—Auntie has hot water ready for a foot soak.” Such a lovely young woman, from the city no less, with absolutely no airs. Even though Grandpa Qi was feeling upset, he couldn’t bring himself to show it and just suppressed his irritation internally.

At that moment, Ruan Xiangyun called, “Ruan Qing, Ruan Qing, come over here.” Being the crucial figure in her whole plan, Ruan Qing quickly went over to him. Ruan Xiangyun’s expression was a bit complicated as he led her over to Vice Mayor Xu for introductions. “This is Ruan Qing, my niece. Her father is Ruan Aihua. And this is Vice Mayor Xu from our county.”

There were a lot of people around, and Ruan Qing wasn’t exactly the main focus, so she couldn’t speak up at first, blending into the crowd. Vice Mayor Xu noticed her, though, feeling she seemed distinctly out of place in the rural setting. Since no one introduced her, he hadn’t asked at the time, but now he realized—she was the person Nian Qi had mentioned.

Vice Mayor Xu shook her hand warmly. “Ruan Aihua’s daughter? I’ve had a meal with your father before. We have so many incentives in the county for folks who return to invest locally! The government provides full support to ensure everything goes smoothly. We must always remember that our roots are here.”

Ruan Qing wasn’t exactly a fan of handshakes, especially with men, but plenty of men, particularly older ones, were fond of it. In this setting, she had to play along, so with a polite smile, she replied, “I’ll definitely let him know. Our family genealogy is still here, and my father often talks about his hometown. He always tells me how quickly it’s developed and praises the leadership, saying he should visit more often and explore opportunities here.”

“Ha ha ha… yes, yes, that would be great,” Vice Mayor Xu replied with a forced laugh, though his gaze shifted toward Nian Qi, who had moved to stand by Ruan Qing’s side as soon as she was brought over. Silent and with an intense look, Nian Qi’s eyes remained fixed on the Vice Mayor’s hand clasped around Ruan Qing’s.

The vice mayor felt a strange pressure, as though he could almost see and feel the intensity radiating from Nian Qi. Suddenly, he had an urge to let go, though just as he was about to pull back, Ruan Qing held onto his hand even tighter.

“Vice Mayor Xu!” The city girl, who seemed so out of place in Lao Mei Valley, locked eyes with him, gripping his hand firmly. “The police were here yesterday to get fingerprints and facial data, and today they confirmed that everything’s clear. When can we resolve the household registration for Nian Qi?”

“Oh, well… soon…” Vice Mayor Xu tried pulling his hand back but couldn’t. “I’ll make sure they hurry up.”

“You know,” he tried again, “we can open a fast-track channel for Nian Qi.”

Ruan Qing, satisfied with his assurance, finally released his hand, and that sharp, knife-like pressure coming from the mountain boy beside her vanished as well.

The previous night, Vice Mayor Xu had shared a room with the village secretary, township head, and county bureau director. They’d spent the whole night speculating, convinced it was simply a mountain boy infatuated with the first city girl he’d ever met—a misunderstanding, perhaps. But seeing things now, they realized it wasn’t just a one-sided attraction from the mountain side after all.

Ruan Aihua’s daughter was not only beautiful and stylish but also warm, charismatic, and a natural in social settings. Even if this young mountain Taoist had met other women, he’d still be enchanted. Frankly, even if the county bureau director were thirty years younger, he might not be able to resist her charm. The county bureau chief leaned in for a look at the young woman they had been gossiping about during last night’s gathering.

“Don’t worry, everything will proceed according to protocol; there shouldn’t be any issues,” he assured. Then, he casually asked, “So we’re registering his household in Lao Mei Valley?”

Ruan Xiangyun quickly interjected, “Yes, yes, he’s one of our own from Lao Mei Valley.”

Initially, Ruan Qing’s plan was indeed to get Nian Qi registered in Lao Mei Valley. While it was a rural household, any form of official identification would be a success for someone like him, who technically didn’t exist. But now, with the county chief and bureau director right there seeking her input, Ruan Qing seized the opportunity.

“I’d prefer if he could have a city registration. Do you think that’s possible?” She even added, “He saved my life—if it requires buying property, I’ll purchase a unit.”

Property prices in the county were low, only a few thousand yuan per square meter, with a small, older apartment costing around twenty or thirty thousand yuan. Since Nian Qi wasn’t actually planning to stay, buying a modest place would be enough.

Just like that, she casually offered to buy a home. The director wasn’t particularly familiar with Ruan Aihua, but after learning last night that Ruan Qing was his daughter, he and the vice mayor had discussed her background—a township businesswoman from Lao Mei Valley.

“No need, no need,” the director laughed. “We can arrange a collective household registration for him through the county.”

Ruan Xiangyun looked a bit disappointed. In reality, who wouldn’t prefer city registration over rural registration? He’d originally hoped that, with an Lao Mei Valley registration, he could allocate a plot of land to Nian Qi. But with Ruan Qing suggesting buying a home in the county, he held his tongue.

Grandpa Qi, overhearing this, sighed and stomped off. If even the village head had no say, there was no way a rural elder like him could weigh in.

At that moment, Daoist Qinghua stepped forward and said, “If you want a city registration, we could arrange for him to be registered in Yan City and attach him to the Dao Association’s collective household.”

Ruan Qing’s eyes lit up. Yan City was perfect—she was registered there, and while her family had properties in the provincial capital, her parents currently lived in Yan City.

“That’s doable,” the director said. “We’ll prepare a statement and have the Dao Association process his registration on their end.”

Registered with the Dao Association? Ruan Qing hesitated and glanced at Nian Qi, who gave a barely perceptible nod. She decided not to object, and the registration was settled.

With the inspection complete, the next steps involved submitting project proposals to the county, which would lead to more detailed assessments. But for now, there was nothing more to do at Lao Mei Valley. Vice Mayor Xu and his team prepared to depart. Daoist Qinghua reminded the media team, “Remember, no full-face shots. Blur out any side profiles if necessary.”

Yesterday, this Daoist had been quite inconspicuous among the officials, but today, Ruan Qing’s impression of him improved significantly. After seeing the group off, Qinghua turned to her, looked her over, and said, “Shall we have a chat?”

“Uh…?” Ruan Qing responded, a bit surprised.

“Nian Qi has decided to transfer Wild Hermit Temple to the Dao Association. The details still need to be discussed,” Qinghua said, casting a sidelong glance at Nian Qi. “He said he’ll listen to you.”

Ruan Qing looked over at Nian Qi, who took her hand. “I’ve told everyone—I’m going with you. We’ll be together from now on.”

Since the news was already out, and he’d seen an elderly man hold Ruan Qing’s hand without raising any eyebrows, Nian Qi boldly took her hand too. Clearly, something had happened over the past few days in the mountains that Ruan Qing didn’t know about. She squeezed his hand back. “Alright, let’s discuss this together. Uncle Xiangyun—where did Grandpa Qi go?”

Ruan Xiangyun, who had been hovering nearby, chimed in. “Let’s head home to talk.”

Back home, they found Grandpa Qi sulking. When he saw them, he grumbled, “So, the registration will be with the county?”

“No,” Ruan Qing replied brightly, clearly in high spirits now that the main issue was resolved. “It’s set for Yan City.”

Then Grandpa Qi noticed they were holding hands! She had just taken the heir of Wild Hermits’ Temple right along with her. He felt a pang in his chest; it was hard to breathe. It wasn’t just that he was overreacting—he had spent his life yearning for something he never had, only to watch it so easily slip away to someone else.

Hearing they were about to discuss Nian Qi’s situation, Grandpa Qi sat back down. “I want to hear this too.”

Ruan Xiangyun joined in as well. They had brought Nian Qi out of the mountains, and while he wasn’t as simple as they initially thought, there was still a sense of familial duty. Especially now, if he really intended to be with Ruan Qing, as his elders, they should be part of the conversation.

Ruan Qing started, “Did everything go smoothly?”

Nian Qi nodded and filled her in on yesterday’s events so she’d have the full picture.

“Qingqing, why don’t you ask Nian Qi to reconsider?” Ruan Xiangyun couldn’t wait, ignoring Daoist Qinghua’s presence as he continued, “Vice Mayor Xu has already approved the Wild Hermits’ Temple development plan. They’ll repurpose the temple and provide a good compensation package, plus a share of the future earnings. Giving it all away would be such a loss.”

The Wild Hermits’ Temple held considerable value. If Nian Qi transferred it to the Dao Association, wouldn’t they take all the benefits? Ruan Xiangyun couldn’t interfere with young love, but if Ruan Qing truly cared about Nian Qi, she should protect his interests. The legacy left by his forebears shouldn’t just be handed over.

What he didn’t know was that the temple wasn’t Nian Qi’s true inheritance, and his “ancestors” weren’t really his ancestors. Nian Qi, in reality, had simply borrowed the temple’s reputation. It wasn’t the Dao Association that would take advantage of him; it was actually fitting for the temple to be returned to them. Only Ruan Qing and Nian Qi understood this fully.

Ruan Qing said, “Well, it’s his decision. If he’s okay with it, I respect that. Besides, working with the government is complex, and he’s inexperienced with such negotiations. The Dao Association would be better equipped to manage it, wouldn’t they?”

Both Qinghua and Ruan Xiangyun exchanged glances, puzzled. Inexperienced with negotiations? They hadn’t witnessed how, just last night, Nian Qi’s statement, “If it doesn’t work, I’ll lock up the temple on my way down,” had rattled everyone at the table, forcing them to reassess the whole conversation.

Grandpa Qi, who’d been silent for a long time, finally couldn’t hold back. “These fools!” he shouted, slapping the armrest of the wooden couch. “You’re just going to give up on the temple passed down by your master and forefathers? Your grandfather dedicated his whole life to it, raised you there, and now that you’re grown, you’re running off? Just like that, it’ll be someone else’s! It won’t be Wild Hermits’ Temple anymore!”

Ruan Qing blinked, then cautiously asked, “So, Grandpa Qi, are you saying…?”

“He raised you, taught you to read, recite scriptures, and even the skills that make you so strong!” he shouted. “We disciples should guard the temple! What’s so great about the outside world, or those cities? Living in the mountains and protecting the temple—what’s so bad about that?”

He bit his tongue just before saying, “Girls outside are all trouble!” Instead, he settled on, “What’s wrong with staying put and looking after the temple?”

Ruan Qing raised an eyebrow, speechless for a moment, and thought, Yeah, right.