Chapter 76: Safe from Wind, Rain, and Fire

Jing Xi finally understood.

Meng Fanxin setting her house on fire was probably instigated by Zhou Shu.

But why would Meng Fanxin commit murder? And on his own people?

Speaking of the fire, Zhang Rui was concerned about where Jing Xi would stay. “Xiao Jing, how about this? You can stay in the side wing of my house for now. I’ve already tidied it up. The room is a bit small, but you can make do for a while.”

Jing Xi thought about it—she really had nowhere else to go. “Auntie, let me rent it from you then. I’ll pay you ten yuan a month.”

Zhang Rui blushed. “What rent? There’s no need!”

Jing Xi refused. “Auntie, if you won’t take the money, then I won’t stay. You and Uncle have already taken care of me so much. I can’t keep taking advantage of you.”

Zhang Rui got anxious. “You’ve helped our family plenty too! If we’re talking about favors, just with what you did for Liu Chun alone, we’d never be able to repay you in a lifetime!”

Jing Xi sighed. Here we go again—bringing up Liu Chun.

Fine, she’d take a step back.

“Auntie, how about this? I won’t pay too much—just five yuan a month. If you really refuse to take it, I won’t feel comfortable staying.”

“You child!”

“Alright, we’ll do it this way. In the meantime, make sure to check in with the village office about your homestead land. Otherwise, how will you build a house? It’d be best if you clean up your aunt’s old plot and build a new house there. Besides, once this whole ordeal blows over, the land inspections will probably start up again. You won’t have much free time. Use this time wisely to get things done!”

Jing Xi agreed.

Zhang Rui then took her to see the side wing, which was right next to Liu Yan and Liu Chun’s room.

Though she called it small, it wasn’t actually tiny—it was at least over ten square meters.

The small kang bed was already set up with bedding. The cement floor was spotless. There was even a desk and chair, along with a few sets of clothes—most likely Liu Yan and Liu Chun’s—prepared for her to wear.

Jing Xi was just about to thank Zhang Rui for being so thoughtful when Liu Jianchang walked in from outside, saying that Xie Aiguo had arrived and wanted to see her.

Jing Xi quickly followed him out and saw Xie Aiguo looking anxious.

The moment he saw her, he let out a relieved sigh. “As long as you’re alive! Xiao Jing, I heard you came back from the Taihang Mountains. What on earth happened? Why did you end up there?”

Jing Xi had no choice but to repeat the same story she had told Zhang Rui.

The listeners were left bewildered.

Well, explaining was her responsibility. Believing it or not was theirs.

Xiao Jie and Liang Chen were just as stunned, and Jing Xi wondered if she had actually managed to convince them with her story.

After that, they started chatting in the courtyard about sleepwalking, discussing where they had heard about it before and the strange things that had happened to people who experienced it.

Jing Xi simply listened in silence.

Better to keep quiet than accidentally slip up.

Besides, she had a feeling that Xie Aiguo hadn’t just come to check if she was alive.

Sure enough—

Less than half an hour later, Xie Aiguo got to the point. He didn’t even avoid the others. “Xiao Jing, I came today not just to check on you, but also because of the money.”

After a fire like that, people were lucky to be alive—let alone money surviving it.

Even though Xie Aiguo had already prepared for the worst, he still wanted a definite answer.

Everyone turned to look at Jing Xi curiously.

Jing Xi smiled faintly. “The money is safe. It didn’t burn.”

Xie Aiguo looked at her in disbelief. “Xiao Jing, are you saying the money is still there? All of it?”

Jing Xi nodded. “I told you before—when you entrusted me with the money, I promised I would return it exactly as it was. So, I didn’t keep it at home. I hid it somewhere only I know. You can all rest assured. That place is safe from wind, rain, and even fire. And I’m the only one who knows where it is!”

Xie Aiguo looked like he wanted to bow to her on the spot!

He had been under immense pressure these past few days.

Some people had even whispered in his ear that, looking back, maybe they shouldn’t have let Jing Xi handle the money at all.

But now, everything was settled!

Xie Aiguo finally felt relieved.

“Xiao Jing, you’re incredible! Now I can rest easy! Don’t worry about your house. I plan to discuss with the others about officially granting you the land where your aunt’s old house used to be. I’m telling you in advance so you can start planning and find a construction team as soon as possible!”

Good news indeed.

Jing Xi nodded in gratitude.

To be honest, she had grown attached to the small house she had lived in for five years. But if she had the chance to build a new house and live in it, why wouldn’t she?

=====

Xie Aiguo moved quickly, approving the land for her within just two days.

When Jing Xi went to the village office to sign the documents, she noticed that Xie Aiguo had a significant amount of money in his drawer—fines collected from several households for land violations.

Xie Aiguo took out the money, counted it, and then had Jing Xi count it again.

“This money still needs to be kept by you. Since you have a place that’s safe from wind, rain, and even fire, I feel at ease leaving it with you. Also, Wu Jun has been sick lately and isn’t in good health, so the village accountant position is now completely vacant. Would you be interested in officially taking on the role?”

Jing Xi thought about it. She still wanted to go into business, but she hadn’t decided what kind of business yet.

“Village Chief, I can temporarily help out, but I might not be able to do it long-term. I have other plans, so you can start looking for a replacement. Once you find the right person, I’ll step down.”

Xie Aiguo sighed. “Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider? This is a stable government job in our village, and the salary isn’t bad either.”

Jing Xi shook her head. “I already have other plans. I want to either go back to school or start a small business.”

Xie Aiguo was surprised. “School? That’s important. I remember you finished middle school, right?”

Jing Xi nodded. “Yes, but times are changing, and people are progressing. I need to keep up. I couldn’t continue studying before because I didn’t have the money. Now that I don’t have to worry about basic needs, I want to either start a business or go back to school.”

Xie Aiguo gave her a thumbs-up.

“I’ll help you collect the money the Zhou family owes you. You can rest assured about that.”

Jing Xi nodded. “I didn’t expect the village chief to remember that.”

Xie Aiguo smiled. “I may be getting older, and my memory isn’t as sharp, but if I keep something in mind, I won’t forget it.”

After that, Xie Aiguo handed over all the necessary accounting documents and explained the work involved.

Jing Xi had a good memory and was also highly capable.

As soon as she got the documents, she already knew how to begin the work.

She spent a few hours checking the accounts and found that Wu Jun had done a decent job. At least, she didn’t see any obvious discrepancies.

The next day.

News about Wu Dazhuang, which hadn’t been heard in a long time, spread throughout the village.

The local radio station reported on Wu Dazhuang’s sentencing.

As expected, he was charged with multiple crimes—theft, illegal gambling, loan sharking, and suspected human trafficking, among others.

In the end, he was sentenced to thirty years in prison.

Still young, yet destined to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Wu Jun and Wu Dazhuang’s uncle shut their doors tightly and refused to step outside.

Jing Xi figured that Wu Jun resigning from the accountant position was probably, at least in part, because of Wu Dazhuang’s situation.

After Meng Fanxin was captured, he was immediately transferred to a more secure and heavily guarded prison, awaiting legal punishment.

Zhou Shu, suspected of inciting criminal activity, was also taken into custody again.

Zhou Wenwu and Li Fenghua no longer dared to act arrogantly in the village.

A few days later, Jing Xi heard that Li Fenghua had fallen ill.

It was said that she had been so overwhelmed by Zhou Shu’s situation that her heart condition nearly took her life.

Before she had the chance to confirm whether the news was true, she ran into Chen Xiaowen walking toward her on the street.