Chapter 36: Not Worth It

Zhang Lao, feeling anxious about the situation, couldn’t help but come forward to inquire, “Village Chief, didn’t Wang Jinhe want to buy our land? Why haven’t we heard anything?”

The Village Chief looked at the person who had audaciously come to ask, rolled his eyes, and replied, “What do you expect to hear? You agreed on six taels, and suddenly you added two more. Do you think anyone would still want to buy from you?”

“But, you see…” the person was embarrassed. Wang Jinhe’s family was known to be wealthy, so they couldn’t understand why they couldn’t afford the extra two taels of silver.

“Yes, they have money, but you raised the price suddenly by over twenty taels. Why would they give it to your family?” The Village Chief said bluntly.

His words left the person feeling ashamed. The Village Chief continued, “I know what you’re thinking, that Wang Jinhe’s family built a house, sent Jingyu to school, and must have plenty of money. You thought you could raise the price, and they wouldn’t say anything. Do you think they’re fools? Or do you think you’re the only clever one?”

The embarrassed person tried to explain, “Village Chief, my family doesn’t urgently need the money. That’s why I did this.”

“Did you suddenly raise the price like this because you don’t urgently need the money? Is seventy-something taels for thirteen acres of land not enough for your family? Please, don’t come to me for negotiations. Wang Jinhe made it clear that she doesn’t want your land,” the Village Chief said impatiently.

“But Village Chief, can you please help negotiate with her for seven taels? We’ll take seven taels.” Zhang Lao still hoped for a bargain even at this point.

The Village Chief glanced at him and said impatiently, “Don’t talk to me about this. Wang Jinhe has made it clear that even if it were five taels of silver per mu, she wouldn’t buy it. You can’t conduct business this way.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lao became displeased. “What does she mean? Our land is good, why can’t she pay a little extra?”

“You don’t need to tell me that. If you have something to say, go directly to Wang Jinhe. Coming to me is pointless,” the Village Chief replied. “Alright, do what you need to do. I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you.”

Zhang Lao left in a huff, and the Village Chief’s wife came out at that moment. “Does he think their land is a gold mine? They want to sell it for a high price.”

In situations like these, anyone with common sense would know what to do. Wang Jinhe, who seemed to be quite clever, would not make such a mistake.

“Exactly, who does he think he is? Does he think he’s the only clever one here? It’s not just a few pennies; it’s dozens of taels of silver,” the Village Chief muttered.

“Let’s not dwell on it. Talking about him only makes me angry.”

“His family probably wants to sell the land, and this might not be the end of it.”

“Regardless, Wang Jinhe was willing to buy it at the original price. It’s his greed that caused the deal to fall apart.”

The Village Chief’s wife nodded, agreeing with her husband. “You’re right. But why do you think the Wang family suddenly became so wealthy?”

“During that time, Jinhe often went into the mountains. Who knows, maybe they found something valuable like ginseng in the mountains,” the Village Chief pondered, unable to think of any other reasons for the sudden change in the Wang family’s fortune.

“That’s quite possible. Their house is already built. Do you think they might invite people from the village to their house blessing?” the Village Chief’s wife asked. “I’ve noticed that Jinhe has changed a lot ever since she woke up after falling into the river.”

“Are you implying…”

“What I mean is, when their family moves, whether they invite us or not, we should pay them a visit. You’re the Village Chief, so it’s only reasonable for you to go. Building a good relationship with her might be beneficial in the future. Don’t you think so?” The Village Chief’s wife had a keen eye for people, and she had sensed that Wang Jinhe was no ordinary girl from the moment she saw her.

The Village Chief nodded. “I’ll talk to Jinhe about Xie Lin’s matter later. When the time comes, I’ll ask about this as well. Even if they do invite people, it’s likely they’ll only invite the few families they are close to, and others might not be included.”

“That’s what I was thinking too. After all, apart from those three or four families, the rest of the villagers have harbored ill will toward their family since the beginning.”

“Exactly, I’ll go talk to Jinhe now.”

The Village Chief visited Wang Jinhe and explained Xie Lin’s visit and his unreasonable demand. After hearing the story, Wang Jinhe furrowed her brows and said, “Does this person think I’m a fool?”

“I came here today to inform you about this matter. You know what to do. By the way, Jinhe, when your family moves, are you planning to host a gathering? Can I come over for some drinks?” the Village Chief asked with a mischievous smile.

Wang Jinhe looked at the Village Chief in surprise. “Of course, that’s not a problem. I was worried you wouldn’t come.”

“I’ll make sure to be there. My family will host a gathering in ten days. It happens to be my brother’s day off that day, so you can come over early and have some fun,” Wang Jinhe replied with a smile.

“Sounds good.”

After the Village Chief left, Wang Jinhe still found it somewhat unbelievable. Was the Village Chief really trying to mooch a meal from them?

Or was he genuinely interested in building a good relationship?

Wang Jinhe decided to take the Village Chief’s goodwill at face value. Building a good rapport with him would be beneficial in the long run.

“Mom, Dad, the Village Chief is coming to our gathering,” Wang Jinhe said as the family sat down for dinner.

Wang Dagui looked surprised. “The Village Chief is coming too? How did that happen?”

“Today, the Village Chief came to talk to me about Xie Lin’s matter and asked if he could come over for a drink. I couldn’t refuse, so I agreed,” Wang Jinhe replied with a helpless shrug.

Wang Dagui found it quite unusual. Could the Village Chief really be doing this?

“Jinhe did the right thing. Building a good relationship with the Village Chief could be beneficial for us,” Grandpa Wang said after considering the situation.

The whole family nodded in agreement.

…

Meanwhile, the letter that Huang Qi had sent to Su Yu had arrived.

“Master, Huang Qi has sent a letter for you.”

“Give it to me, let me see.” Su Yu was curious about why Huang Qi would send him a letter. Did he find some valuable medicinal herbs?

Taking the letter, he lazily began reading it. However, halfway through, he sat up straight, his eyes filled with disbelief.

After reading the letter, Su Yu read it again, confirming that he hadn’t misread anything.

“What did Huang Qi write in the letter, Master?” his guard asked curiously.

“Huang Qi mentioned that he saw a child who looks remarkably similar to me, and there’s a ninety percent chance that he’s my son,” Su Yu said in a daze.

He remembered the woman from many years ago, the only woman in his life. He had been searching for her for years but hadn’t found any trace of her.

Could this child be from her?

“He’s a little over three years old, and the timing matches perfectly,” Su Yu’s voice trembled.

How had that woman kept this a secret for so long? What had she been thinking?

The guard knew about the woman who was with Su Yu when he was plotted against over four years ago. He had searched for her for a long time but hadn’t been successful in finding her.