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Wang Jinhe had never seen a woman like this before, someone who could say such things and then blame others, accusing them of being heartless and forcing her to die. What more could they say?
“I don’t care; you people are heartless and trying to force me to my death,” Lin Shi declared, ignoring whether these words came from her own mouth or not. She only knew she couldn’t let them decide not to buy her family’s fruit today.
If they couldn’t sell the fruit next year, how would her family survive in the coming years?
Su Yu couldn’t be bothered with Lin Shi; some people only had thoughts when their interests were threatened.
“Village Chief, after we finish picking the peaches today, we plan to harvest the melons that Xiao He planted tomorrow. We’ll come to pick the fruit the day after tomorrow. I wanted to inform everyone in advance,” Su Yu addressed the villagers present.
“Alright.”
Lin Shi realized that no matter how much she threw a tantrum or acted stubborn, nobody paid her any attention anymore. She couldn’t create a scene anymore.
Her sudden silence surprised Wang Jinhe. When they went to pick fruit in the afternoon, Lin Shi was sitting at the entrance of the orchard, refusing to let anyone in. She said they could enter only if Su Yu retracted his decision not to buy their fruit.
“Tear down a portion of the fence from the side,” Su Yu suggested. This was the last family to collect from, and it wouldn’t take long to finish even individually.
Everyone moved to open a section of the fence, leaving Lin Shi utterly dumbfounded.
“If you want to block us, go ahead. I don’t mind tearing down the whole fence. We’ll pick the fruit first and deal with it when we return home,” the orchard owner declared, unapologetic.
Lin Shi trembled, pointing a shaky finger at him, her anger palpable.
“Village Chief, our family is now part of Hululu Village. You can’t just stand by and let us be bullied,” realizing her tactics weren’t working, Lin Shi shifted her focus to Hu Lin.
He was the Village Chief; he couldn’t just allow his villagers to suffer like this, right?
Hu Lin glanced at Lin Shi, his expression firm. “This is all of your own making. When you were trying to harm other people’s children, did you ever consider this outcome?”
Attempting to harm other people’s children not once, but twice, all because they refused to buy her fruit—she was already getting off lightly.
“What if Young Master Su gets upset and decides not to buy from our village anymore?” Hu Lin retorted, frustration evident in his voice. “Lin Shi, our village’s fruit sales depend on Young Master Su and Miss Jinghe. You know this very well. Yet, you insist on stirring up trouble. What are you trying to achieve but your own misery?”
After spending over half a month together, they had all gotten acquainted with Su Yu and Wang Jinhe. They knew the two were easy to get along with and reasonable. Yesterday, when Lin Shi caused a scene, they pretended not to notice. But today, she was pushing it too far.
“Lin Shi, if someone doesn’t want to buy your fruit, it’s your own doing. Don’t blame others,” one villager chimed in.
“Indeed. Lin Zhi’s imprisonment for three years was his own doing. Instead of acknowledging his mistakes, you blame our Village Chief. That’s unreasonable,” another added.
“Coming here today and bullying Young Master Su is just asking for trouble. If we don’t put you in your place, who will?” yet another villager said firmly.
The villagers continued to voice their opinions, leaving Lin Shi with an increasingly grim expression.
“You’re only siding with them because you benefit from them. Just because they’re wealthy, does that mean they can buy our fruits and do whatever they want? Why should our family be punished? Should we just listen to the whims of children?” Lin Shi remained defiant, refusing to acknowledge her own faults and instead shifting blame onto others.
Wang Jinhe couldn’t help but think that something was seriously wrong with her mindset. Only a person with serious mental issues could utter such irrational words.
“Let’s all hurry up and pick the fruits. This is the last batch for today. Once we’re done, everyone can take a day off,” Su Yu intervened, signaling the others to ignore Lin Shi and focus on their tasks.
The villagers immediately entered the orchard and started picking fruits. Lin Shi had the intention to destroy the fruits, but upon seeing her thoughts, Su Yu spoke with a half-smile, “You can destroy my fruits if you want, but you should think carefully. For every fruit you destroy, you’ll have to compensate me accordingly.”
Upon hearing the compensation condition, Lin Shi hesitated.
“You will face retribution,” she said before getting up and stumbling away.
Watching her leave, Wang Jinhe couldn’t help but find the situation amusing. “Su Yu, do you think this lesson will make Lin Shi realize her mistake?”
“With her actions just now, do you think it’s possible?” Su Yu replied, looking at Wang Jinhe.
Wang Jinhe stayed silent, realizing that she might be overthinking things.
As the last day came to an end, Su Yu took the two kids back home. On the way, both Xiao Bao and Zhang Zhilin were overly excited.
“Daddy, look at this big peach the uncle gave to me and brother!” Xiao Bao proudly showed a large peach to Su Yu.
Even Zhang Zhilin had one in his hand; indeed, the peaches were unusually large.
“You two can’t finish them on your own,” Wang Jinhe teased. Nonetheless, he didn’t hesitate to take one for himself.
“I can share it with my brother. Right, brother?” Xiao Bao turned to Zhang Zhilin, looking smug.
Zhang Zhilin nodded enthusiastically, his eyes filled with amusement. “Xiao Bao is right; we’ll share it.”
When they arrived home, they noticed a familiar carriage parked outside. To their surprise, it was Su Jiu who had come over.
Raising an eyebrow at his brother, Su Yu inquired, “Brother, what brings you here?”
“When was the last time you sent melons over?” Su Jiu asked sternly, his expression serious. But as he was about to continue, he noticed the little boy in Su Yu’s arms, holding a large peach tightly.
“That’s not the point. The point is that this child looks exactly like you,” Su Jiu remarked.
“You rascal, finally found someone and didn’t think to bring them back. Is he my nephew? What’s his name?” Su Jiu was quite fond of children who resembled his brother.
“Xiao Bao, his full name is Wang Ziqin. He’ll change his surname after I marry Xiao He,” Su Yu casually replied. “Xiao Bao, this is your uncle.”
Curious, Xiao Bao looked at Su Jiu and said, “Hello, Uncle.”
He remembered his father saying that Uncle was very good to him. Xiao Bao liked anyone who was kind to his father.
“Your son is so well-behaved,” Su Jiu said, approaching Xiao bao and reaching out to pick him up. Xiao bao obediently allowed Su Jiu to hold him.
“Uncle, this is for you, the big peach,” Xiao Bao handed the large peach to Su Jiu.
“Really for me? You’re not sad to part with it?” Su Jiu was utterly surprised by Xiao Bao’s gesture. The child was incredibly adorable.
“Yes, you’re good to my daddy, so I want to be good to you too,” Xiao Bao said earnestly.
That statement melted Su Jiu’s heart. “Xiao Yu, when do you plan to get married?”
Such an adorable little fellow had to be taken back home as soon as possible.