Chapter 591: Selecting a Vice Village Chief
Chapter 591: Chapter 591: Selecting a Vice Village Chief
Initially, Shen Ningning and Xie Suzhi were talking from behind a folding screen.
The father and daughter had been speaking in hushed tones at first, but Shen Ningning couldn’t help but raise her voice for that last sentence.
In the outer room, the members of the Xie family and Mo Lingwei, who had been quietly sipping their tea, heard every word.
"Pfft." Xie Ming’an sprayed out the tea in his mouth.
Xie Mingxu shot him a disdainful glance and tossed a handkerchief at his younger brother.
For Shen Ningning to say such a thing was, by the standards of royal etiquette, an act of outrageous disrespect.
He was the Crown Prince. How could she talk about striking him dead with lightning?
Just as they were about to try and smooth things over, Mo Lingwei quietly nodded. "A fitting punishment."
The Xie family was stunned. This time, even the composed Xie Mingxu was taken aback.
Mo Lingwei lifted his teacup, a faint smile gracing his otherwise stern features.
"If I were to let her down, being struck dead would be no great loss. To put it another way, if she didn’t care for me, why would she only want to strike *me* and not anyone else?"
The Xie family: "..."
The Black Wolf King, watching from the side, narrowed its eyes. It had just slapped the label "sycophant" on this Mo Lingwei fellow.
In the wolf’s eyes, Mo Lingwei was just like Lang Si, who wagged his tail whenever he saw Grandma Qin.
Second Master Xie chuckled nervously. "Good... that’s good. The Crown Prince isn’t offended, and you two are so close. The fact that you’re so willing to indulge her puts me, her second uncle, greatly at ease."
Mo Lingwei lifted his teacup and sipped his tea, his expression mild.
Meanwhile, behind the screen, the father and daughter stared at each other, neither willing to back down.
After a long moment, Xie Suzhi was the first to yield. He sighed, shaking his head with a smile.
"You’re a child with a mind of your own. I can’t win an argument with you."
Shen Ningning hurried to her father’s side and took his arm.
"Daddy," she said, her voice taking on a wheedling tone. "I wasn’t wrong, was I? If I can’t protect myself, what good does it do to rely on all of you?"
Xie Suzhi nodded slowly. "That’s true. Your father and your brothers can’t protect you forever."
At this, he couldn’t help but raise a hand to stroke his daughter’s jet-black hair.
"Ningning, you didn’t grow up with us, and for that, your father has failed you greatly. You’re also my only daughter, and in my eyes, raising a daughter requires a more delicate touch than raising sons."
Xie Suzhi sighed. "Your mother passed away so early, and by the time you came home, you were already old enough to understand the world. I feel like I haven’t done much for you, which is why I’m even more reluctant to see you marry so soon. But my daughter is the most exceptional of all. I trust that once you’ve made a decision, you won’t regret it. No matter what, your father will always have your back."
Shen Ningning was deeply moved, her eyes welling with tears. "Daddy..."
She rubbed the tip of her nose, which was beginning to sting. ’There are so many family members outside,’ she thought. ’I can’t start crying in here.’
So she brought up with a smile, "I had a dream about Mother a few days ago. She told me she’ll be able to come back very soon, and that she wants Father to keep waiting patiently for her."
Xie Suzhi laughed, though a hint of sorrow lingered deep in his eyes.
"Oh, I’ll wait. Of course I’ll wait. I’ll wait until the day I go to my grave, and then I’ll go wait for her on the Naihe Bridge. My only hope is that one day, I can truly be reunited with her."
...
News of Mo Lingwei and Shen Ningning’s engagement quickly spread throughout the Capital City.
Aside from congratulations, the most popular topic of gossip was speculation about the Lu family’s reaction.
After all, everyone in the Capital City knew that Princess Funing had nearly been engaged to Second Young Master Lu. But after that... incident... involving him, their engagement was called off.
Many people who weren’t privy to the details speculated that it was Shen Ningning who had scorned Lu Shaoyuan.
However, it wasn’t long before people in the Capital City spotted Lu Shaoyuan out and about with Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei.
The three of them were talking and laughing, as if there had never been any misunderstanding between them.
It was only later that the truth came out: the Lu family had been the one to call off the engagement!
In an instant, the tides of public opinion in the Capital City shifted once more.
Everyone was saying that Second Young Master Lu had long sensed that the Crown Prince and the Princess were in love with each other.
Therefore, he had gracefully stepped aside to allow the couple to be together.
Furthermore, Mrs. Meng had spent a fortune on a gift: a pair of twin lotus statues crafted from red gold, each half the height of a person. She presented them to Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei to congratulate them on their impending nuptials.
Everyone in the Capital City praised the Lu family for their grace and magnanimity.
With this, people were finally convinced that Lu Shaoyuan had indeed withdrawn of his own accord to unite a pair of true lovers.
Many young ladies began to see Lu Shaoyuan in a new light, secretly hoping to get closer to the incredibly wealthy and handsome Second Young Master Lu.
After the recent incident, Lu Shaoyuan had also become more mature and composed.
He had all but taken over Mrs. Meng’s businesses and was quickly making a name for himself in the Capital City.
The major merchants all knew that Mrs. Meng’s younger son was a natural at business—a true rising star.
Since Jiang Shanglong had no connection to the previous case, he chose to continue doing business with Lu Shaoyuan once the misunderstanding was resolved.
He even cleared up the old misunderstanding with Mrs. Meng.
While Lu Shaoyuan’s business was booming, Shen Ningning wasn’t idle either.
Mo Lingwei helped Xiangyun Village merge with Xitai Village. Because the village’s territory had expanded and the old village chief was getting on in years, they needed to elect a vice chief to help out.
Shen Ningning was highly respected in the village, so the villagers all wanted her to make the decision.
But everyone in the village was a familiar face, a friend or neighbor. They were all good people, and it wouldn’t be right for her to play favorites by choosing one herself.
In the end, she decided to have everyone cast an anonymous vote. The person with the most votes would become the vice chief.
Unexpectedly, Uncle Liu and the mad scholar ended up with the exact same number of votes!
When the results were announced, the mad scholar himself was stunned.
"What does this have to do with me? Who wrote my name down? I’m not going to be some vice chief! It’ll get in the way of my studies!"
The villagers burst into laughter.
Uncle Liu tried to persuade him, "You’re literate. If you become the vice chief, you’ll be in a better position to lead the village children in their studies."
The mad scholar waved his hands dismissively.
"I can teach, that’s fine. But manage the village? I can’t do that. Brother Liu, it should be you."
Uncle Liu was a man of few words but had a warm heart. He was generous and stood up for what was right, and many in the village had benefited from his kindness.
Sister-in-law Liu was standing to the side, handing out homemade loquat candies.
"Please cast a vote for my husband," she said with a smile. "I thank you all in advance!"
Shen Ningning was tallying the votes. She counted them over and over, but kept finding an extra ballot.
"There’s one extra vote in Uncle Liu’s ballot box."
The old village chief, who had been chuckling to himself while chewing on a tea stem, suddenly sat up straight. "An extra vote? Let me see."
Shen Ningning handed it over. The old village chief took one look and saw the name of his grandson, Deng Fugui, written in the bottom right corner of the paper.
Someone had cast a vote for Uncle Liu in Deng Fugui’s name.
The old village chief froze.
It had been a long time since anyone had mentioned that name in front of him.
Ever since his son, Deng Jixiang, had married Dong Sanhua and they’d had a son of their own, everyone felt the family had moved on to a new Chapter.
The past, along with Wang Qiao’er and Deng Fugui, had become history that no one brought up anymore.
But seeing his grandson’s name, the old village chief’s eyes still grew hot. He quickly wiped them twice with the back of his wrinkled hand.
He turned and glared sternly at the villagers.
"Wang Qiao’er brought bandits to our village. I made it clear after that day that she and the son she bore are no longer part of this village. Now, which one of you forgot my warning and dared to cast a vote in Deng Fugui’s name? Step forward!"