Chapter 46: Argument

Jing Xi sat behind Liang Chen, carefully analyzing his words.

First, he claimed that this was a decision personally approved by the Long family, something no one could change.

Then, in the next sentence, he proposed a vote—where the minority must obey the majority.

Jing Xi felt that this was nothing more than a test of obedience. Those who agreed would receive benefits in the future, while those who didn’t—well, they would have to deal with the consequences themselves.

There were many implications behind this, and no one truly knew the Long family’s real intentions.

After Liang Chen finished speaking, the meeting room fell into silence.

Xiao Jie was the one who finally broke it. “Village Chief Xie, what do you think about the vote? Is it feasible? Should we step out and give you all some space to discuss it?”

Xie Aiguo nodded and glanced at Jing Xi, who was silent behind Liang Chen. “Then, please, our two esteemed guests, take Jing Xi with you and step outside. Let us old folks discuss this matter among ourselves.”

Xiao Jie nodded, and Jing Xi followed the two of them out.

As soon as they stepped out of the meeting room and into a more distant room, they could already hear the arguments breaking out inside.

Except for Xie Aiguo, Wu Jun, and Liu Jianchang, who remained neutral, the majority of the villagers were against the proposal.

Jing Xi didn’t really care.

She wanted to earn money from the Long family, but whether she could actually get it—and whether it would be easy to earn—was still uncertain.

However, she had come to a realization just now: even if she couldn’t make money this way, it wouldn’t matter. She had no deep ties to this village to begin with. She could always start her own business.

She agreed to get involved in this mess because she wanted to challenge herself.

To train her ability to assert herself in a male-dominated environment—to hone her skills in handling situations.

She still felt that she was too weak and needed to grow as quickly as possible.

If she wanted to make a name for herself elsewhere, she first had to abandon the idea of simply escaping this place. She had to establish a foothold here first.

She was curious about the Long family, but she was not yet at the level where she could negotiate conditions with them.

Jing Xi sat by the stove, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jie and Liang Chen were playing their roles—one as the “good cop,” the other as the “bad cop.”

She had to admit—they were both excellent actors.

She recalled her last encounter with Liang Chen. Even when dealing with that brute Hong Qifu, Liang Chen had remained polite and courteous. Yet today, he had taken on the role of an impatient and ruthless figure.

“Mr. Liang, did you guys all receive training at a performing arts academy? Your acting skills are quite impressive,” Jing Xi remarked.

Liang Chen burst out laughing. His usual unruly handsomeness was now tinged with a bit of goofiness.

But he played along, saying, “Miss Jing Xi, you’re absolutely right. We all trained in acting!”

Jing Xi knew he was joking. “But are you so confident that they’ll let me handle the money?”

Liang Chen nodded. “Right now, they’re all saying they’re against it. But when we go back in, the majority will be in favor.”

Xiao Jie agreed with him.

Neither of them seemed the least bit anxious—they were completely certain of the outcome.

Jing Xi, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure.

She couldn’t even guarantee that Liu Jianchang, who was closest to her, would agree.

But since she was already here, she might as well go with the flow.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a packet of deep-fried peanuts wrapped in newspaper. “Do you two want some?”

The two men glanced at her hand, then exchanged a look before reaching out for the peanuts.

The three of them sat around the water-boiling stove, drinking tea and finishing half a jin of peanuts.

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Inside the Village Committee Meeting Room

Xie Aiguo and Wu Jun were speaking quietly on one side, while Liu Jianchang and Zhang Qiang remained seated, not moving or discussing anything with others.

Meanwhile, a man surnamed Zhou had pulled a few familiar neighbors and younger villagers into a corner of the room.

Zhou Wenwu spoke up, “Brothers, let’s be honest here. I’m making my stance clear—I do not agree to let that girl handle the money. No matter how I think about it, this isn’t something a woman should be doing!”

A man surnamed Meng quickly chimed in, “I’m with you, Brother Zhou. That Wu Dazhuang, even though he’s a bit of a sleazeball and has embezzled funds before, at least he always balances the books by the end of the year. Either way, the person managing the money should be someone we know and trust!”

Another man, surnamed Zhou, named Zhou Ming, spoke up: “Brother Meng, you can’t put it that way. What if Wu Dazhuang never returns the money? And besides, he stole from Old Zhang’s family to pay it back. You can’t defend a thief! If he had stolen from your family, would you still be okay with it?”

The man surnamed Meng retorted, “What, Zhou Ming? Do you actually agree with letting a woman manage the money? Letting a woman have a grip on your lifeline?”

Zhou Ming scoffed, “Those are two separate matters—don’t mix them up! Besides, the Long family has already made the decision. What good is it for us to object? Even if they didn’t give us the security deposit, so what? We wouldn’t receive the money until the end of the year anyway! Who manages the funds makes no difference to us.”

Hearing this, the man surnamed Meng wavered. “Zhou Ming, explain it to me. You’re the most educated one among us.”

Zhou Ming sat down. “Alright, everyone, take a seat and listen to my analysis. Think about it—why did the Long family choose Jingxi to handle the money? Isn’t it because she’s all alone, making her easy to control? Plus, she’s not on good terms with Old Zhang’s family or Old Wu’s family right now. The Long family must have taken that into consideration!”

“Besides, the security deposit is just a reassurance for us farmers, but we wouldn’t receive the money until the end of the year anyway. So it doesn’t matter who manages it. All we need to do is farm properly, harvest at the end of the year, and wait for the Long family to pay us after they sell the goods.”

Some of the men started to understand his point, but Zhou Wenwu wasn’t convinced. “Zhou Ming, why are you defending Jingxi? What, did the Long family bribe you too?”

Zhou Ming replied, “I’m just analyzing the situation objectively. What do you mean by ‘defending’ her? Our houses aren’t even in the same part of the village, and I’ve barely run into her on the road. What reason would I have to defend her?”

Zhou Wenwu snorted, “Hmph! Maybe you’ve got something going on with that girl. She clearly likes cozying up to men like you. She’s nothing but a worn-out shoe!”

Zhou Ming adjusted his glasses, his face flushing slightly. “I have nothing to discuss with someone like you who spews nonsense. Anyway, when the vote happens, I’m voting for Jingxi. If anyone is managing the money, it sure as hell won’t be your son!”

Zhou Wenwu, exposed for his real intentions, turned furious and lunged at Zhou Ming, but the others quickly pulled him back.

The man surnamed Meng hurriedly intervened, “Brother Zhou, calm down! We’re all from the same village—why get angry over an outsider?”

Zhou Wenwu hated when people talked about his son. He did, in fact, want his son to manage the money, but how had Zhou Ming figured it out?

“Hmph! Brother Meng, listen to me—you absolutely cannot vote in favor of this. We must not allow a woman to handle the money, especially not money belonging to the entire village! Do you really think she’s capable?”

The man surnamed Meng nodded. “Alright, alright, let’s calm down and talk this over properly.”

Meanwhile, Zhou Ming shifted to sit next to Liu Jianchang.

Liu Jianchang was calmly gazing out the window, sipping his tea, seemingly uninterested in the heated debate. Zhou Ming grew curious.

On a whim, he asked, “Jianchang, do you agree with letting that girl Jingxi manage the money?”

Liu Jianchang had just taken a sip of tea. Hearing the question, he nodded. “I do.”

“Why? Just because she helped save your second daughter?”

Liu Jianchang shook his head. “Not entirely. Everyone in the village knows that my wife has been spending a lot of time with Jingxi lately. After observing her myself, I’ve found that she’s a smart and decisive person. I’d feel at ease letting her manage the money. Besides, if the Long family trusts her, that’s reason enough.”

Zhou Ming nodded thoughtfully, then glanced toward a few of the older men, who were whispering among themselves with their heads down. The village chief and the accountant were also discussing something, both looking rather unhappy.

He had a bad feeling about the upcoming vote.

Twenty minutes later, after Xie Aiguo called for a decision, the discussion finally came to an end.

They sent someone to bring Jingxi, Xiao Jie, and Liang Chen back to the meeting room.