Chapter 183: A Leopard Can’t Change Its Spots
Chapter 183: Chapter 183: A Leopard Can’t Change Its Spots
A wide smile spread across Wang Yuan’s face when she saw Zhao Nuanyue.
"Nuanyue, did you get any mail?" Wang Yuan asked. She had sent a letter to Jincheng City after the Moon Festival and expected a reply by now. That was why she was more eager than anyone every time she saw the mailman.
"I did!" Zhao Nuanyue waved the envelope in her hand. "My stepfather’s family might be a bunch of scoundrels, but my own mother hasn’t forgotten us. She sent something for me and Nuanyang."
"Nuanyue, you’re so lucky," Wang Yuan said with a sigh. "Your family is well-off. My parents are just ordinary workers, and with so many mouths to feed at home, there’s no extra money to send me. Sometimes my mom even writes to ask me to send money back."
"Well, life is disappointing nine times out of ten, but we can’t be ungrateful for that one time it goes our way," Zhao Nuanyue said, playing along. "Actually, you’re very lucky to have a family that cares about you. You should go look, I just saw a letter for you. Once you get it, we can walk back to the Dragon King Temple together."
Wang Yuan nodded. "Okay, I’m going in."
Wang Yuan got the letter from the mailman, signed for it, pressed her thumbprint, and hurriedly tore it open.
The letter contained only a few short instructions: continue observing, note the person’s reactions, and report back by mail. It also reassured her about the job, telling her not to worry.
After reading it, Wang Yuan’s heart leaped with joy. As long as something happened to that old man behind the Dragon King Temple, she could go back home.
Oh my God!
’Just thinking about it is so exciting.’
’A good job and a bright future are waiting for me!’
Seeing Wang Yuan come out, Zhao Nuanyue smiled. "Ready to go? Is everything okay at home?"
"Everything’s fine," Wang Yuan said with a smile. "As long as my family is safe and sound, I don’t mind if life is a little harder here. I hope I can return to the city soon so I can properly be a good daughter to my parents."
"Yeah, let’s work hard together," Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile, trying to feel out the situation.
From Wang Yuan’s smile, Zhao Nuanyue could see her good mood. They had probably told her to keep observing Elder Gu. Once she noticed his condition acting up or worsening, she was to report it in another letter.
Back at the Dragon King Temple, Zhao Nuanyue handed the letter to her brother so he could also read what their mother had written.
Even though they were disappointed in their mother, the weak woman was, after all, their mother. Although Xia Yingyu hadn’t fulfilled her motherly duties in her past life, in this life, she was trying her best to be good to her and Nuanyang.
She could resent Xia Yingyu, she could even hate her, but she couldn’t deny that fact.
"As long as she and her son are doing well, that’s enough," Zhao Nuan Yang said softly, putting the letter away. He wasn’t happy, or excited, and certainly not indignant.
It turned out that not only had Zhao Nuanyue let go and was able to face it calmly, but Zhao Nuan Yang had also let go. This was actually better for everyone.
Seeing that the siblings weren’t affected by the letter, the Little Red Carp was happy too and ate its dinner with great gusto.
This year, the amount of salted fish finally met the quota to be turned over to the county, so Nianqiao Village officially stopped fishing. Of course, the villagers would still privately catch fish to salt for themselves. Everyone had been doing this for years, so people just turned a blind eye.
Even though Wang Dadan and Li Siming wanted to use this to report the young people and other villagers, they couldn’t. Their own families didn’t have enough food, so to keep from going hungry, they also had to go fishing on the sly.
It wasn’t just the villagers who saw them; the young people from the city saw them too.
"Hey now, the fish quota has already been met. Why are you all still fishing?" Hua Yusen asked with a chuckle. "If you’re secretly eating it, aren’t you digging at the nation’s foundation?"
Li Siming’s anger flared when he heard this. If he were still the village accountant, he could have easily scrounged up enough to eat without having to personally catch fish, let alone be seen doing it.
"Hua Yusen, so we’re fishing on the sly. You think you’re not? You don’t just fish—you go hunting in the mountains too. Unless you run into something big like a wild boar that you can’t hide and have to turn over to the village, all the other wild pheasants and ducks end up at the Dragon King Temple. You think we don’t know?" Li Siming retorted. "Life is hard for everyone, so don’t stand there making sarcastic remarks."
Wang Dadan shot Hua Yusen a sideways glance. This guy had ruined his plans time and time again. Although there was no proof that Hua Yusen was in league with those old geezers, he could guess a thing or two from what his cousin’s husband had said.
Even if they were connected, he couldn’t find any evidence. Besides, his cousin’s husband had already been removed from his post, so he had no chance of turning the tables. If he wanted to survive in the village, he had to avoid a direct confrontation with Hua Yusen.
If he tried to stir up any more trouble, forget his cousin’s husband being unable to help—that bastard Miao Dahai could immediately have that son of a bitch Wu Dazhu arrest them.
"Heh, so you know life is hard now, do you?" Hua Yusen shot back. "It’s clear you skimmed plenty when you had your village post. Tsk, tsk. Honestly, Uncle Miao was too merciful. Even after finding out your hands weren’t clean, he didn’t expose what you did. He really went easy on you."
When Wang Dadan and Li Siming heard this, they felt like they were about to cough up a few mouthfuls of old blood.
"Enough. We know you have some shady dealings with those old fossils, we just don’t have any proof," Wang Dadan sneered. "Things are quiet in the county now, so let’s stop with all this pointless nonsense. We won’t cause trouble for you if you don’t cause trouble for us."
Li Siming was taken aback, but he realized Wang Dadan was right. Fighting with these volunteers like they were bitter enemies brought them no benefits; on the contrary, it only made their situation in the village worse.
"That’s right, Hua Yusen. We’ve had our disagreements in the past, but we were forced into it. We had no choice," Li Siming said with a placating chuckle. "But now we’ve gotten to know each other through conflict. We’ll all be living in the same village from now on, seeing each other every day. There’s no need to make things so ugly."
Hua Yusen listened and chuckled. "Fine. As long as you don’t start anything, I won’t start anything. But if you’re looking for trouble, heh, I have plenty of ways to deal with you."
"Of course, of course. We’ve learned our lesson and will change our ways," Li Siming said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, trying to smooth things over. "To be honest, the two of us didn’t mean to give you a hard time. We’ve been punished and have suffered for it. You should be the bigger person and not hold it against us."
"Heh, good. Let’s hope you keep your word," Hua Yusen replied, also with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He accepted their truce on the surface, but deep down, he didn’t believe them one bit.
’A dog can’t be taught not to eat shit!’
’These people just don’t have a way to deal with us right now. The moment they get a chance, they’ll surely strike back.’