After Transmigrating, The Fat Wife Made A Comeback!

by Usui Takumii

not mine, wuxiaworld site. 1126 chapters and ongoing.

23. 401 to 420

Xia Zhe brought over a stool and placed it opposite all the men from the Xia family. Qiao Mei sat down slowly as all the men looked on solemnly.

Qiao Mei smiled innocently and said, "Everyone, don't be so nervous."

Seeing that Qiao Mei had not been frightened by the ordeal, they all felt a sense of relief.

Xia Wen blurted out, "It scared me half to death! I almost wanted to ask the security guards to rush over!"

After learning about the situation at home, he rushed back to his own house to get all his savings, which amounted to 500 dollars. He was about to go to the school to try and get an advance of a few months' salary when the phone rang. When he realized it was He Ning calling, he broke out in a cold sweat.

"He Ning told me that he had come to look for you. He said that since you still had some ginseng, he decided to come and talk to you personally. Then he said we should all go home now, and I was so frightened that my legs went weak," Xia Wen said as he wiped the thin layer of sweat on his head.

The fact that there was another 100-year-old ginseng was not scary at all. The most terrifying thing was that Qiao Mei was alone at home, and He Ning had simply swaggered over to look for her.

Who knew what that lunatic He Ning could say or do to Qiao Mei.

If he threatened or intimidated Qiao Mei, it would at most cause her some mental stress. However, if he really wanted to hurt her, she would probably not be able to get out of it alive.

When everyone received He Ning's call, they quickly put down what they were doing and rushed home. Qiao Mei's safety was more important to them than the money.

They knew that He Ning was not crazy enough to hurt Qiao Mei directly as he still needed to negotiate with her. If anything should happen to her, he would not be able to get what he wanted.

Along the way, Xia Zhe felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife. All he could think of was the worst-case scenario, and even though he kept telling himself that nothing bad would happen, he could not calm down at all. Now that he could see that Qiao Mei was fine, he heaved a big sigh of relief.

Xia Zhe held on to Qiao Mei's hand tightly and did not dare to let go for a moment. No one minded his action.

"Do you still have another 100-year-old ginseng?" Xia Mao asked.

"No, I don't. I was just pretending. However, I don't know if my grandfather managed to dig up any new ones after I left home," Qiao Mei replied.

"Then did you agree to sell other ginseng to him?" Xia Wen asked.

"What are all these questions that you are asking? Xiao Mei, tell us everything that happened from the beginning to the end," Xia Jun said to Qiao Mei.

Qiao Mei nodded and told them in detail about how He Ning came by and what he said. She also recounted her conversation with He Ning word for word.

After she finished, the entire living room was very quiet. The Qiao Mei who was sitting in front of them now did not seem to be the Qiao Mei they knew.

Qiao Mei had also planned to lay her cards on the table with the Xia family and drop all her pretenses. To gain the recognition of the family, she must make them recognize her value and ability. Only then would they respect her.

Everyone in the Xia family felt as if they were getting to know Qiao Mei all over again.

Qiao Mei did not do anything stunning today, but she was calm, brave and clear-headed enough that He Ning was unable to take advantage of her. She even took back control of the situation and put it into the hands of the Xia family. It was really not an easy thing to do for an 18-year-old girl who had grown up in the mountain village.

Such knowledge and composure were rare traits even among the daughters of other wealthy families in the capital.

He Ning was someone who had spent many years in the world of politics and had taken down many people. Many people had fallen easily in He Ning's traps and were tricked into giving up their wealth, and even their lives.

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However, not only did Qiao Mei not get tricked by He Ning, but she even took control of the situation and made He Ning agree to her arrangements. This was not just about being clear-headed anymore. Among the younger generation of the Xia family, only Xia Zhe and Xia Wen were able to do this. Even Xia He did not have that level of tenacity.

Moreover, Qiao Mei put the Xia family first in everything and wanted to respect the Xia family's wishes regarding the matter of the ginseng. This gesture was a pleasant surprise for them.

It was not as if Qiao Mei did not know the value of a 100-year-old ginseng. Before she came to the capital, she might not have known that it was that valuable, but after exchanging one for the Cao family's part of the house, she should have fully understood it by now.

He Ning had made a very tempting offer to her. As long as it was something she wanted, there was nothing that He Ning could not do. Usually, no one would be able to resist this kind of temptation.

However, Qiao Mei had remained unmoved.

The sense of doubt that had been in Xia Jun's heart for many years also finally cleared up at this moment. He realized that there was nothing wrong with letting his children and grandchildren find their own marriage partners. It was his three sons who were blind! Look at how Xia Zhe managed to find such a good wife!

At this moment, the other women of the Xia family arrived home in a rush.

They did not receive any calls from He Ning, but had received notifications to come home while they were still on their way to raise the money.

As soon as Xia He entered, she took out an envelope and placed it on the table. "This is all my savings from all these years. I should still be able to borrow some more money. See if it's enough."

Xia He actually did not have good relationships with people at home and at her workplace. She was also not sure if she would be able to borrow any money from anyone.

Xia He came from a good family, had a good figure, was beautiful and capable, and had a slightly cold personality. People around her actually did not like her very much. At this moment, there were probably many more people who wanted to watch her go through the ordeal rather than help her.

Liu Fen looked at everyone with an embarrassed expression and took out 2,000 dollars. When she reached her parents' house, she had been chased out by them. They said that a few of her nephews were going to get married this year and the family did not have any money left. Her sisters-in-law even asked her for money. She had to hold on to her bag desperately to keep it safe. This was all the money she had at home.

Xu Lan took out 1,000 dollars and placed it on the table. "I borrowed this amount from a few colleagues. I'll go and get the rest of the money we have at home."

Xu Lan went upstairs and took out a mahogany box containing 20,000 dollars.

Xia Mao was earning a good salary of more than 200 dollars a month, and he also had good benefits at the workplace. Usually, all his benefits were more than enough to subsidize the family's expenses. Xia Mao did not socialize much and even when he did, it was usually other people who paid for him, so he was able to save all his money. This box contained his life savings.

Xu Lan hugged the box and sighed. It had not been easy for them to save up this amount through the years, but now she was going to lose everything because of Zhou Hua!

However, no matter how much her heart ached, she still had to take it out. It was more important to save the family first.

Xu Lan had just reached the door when she paused to think for a moment. Then, she turned back and took out all the gold and silver jewelry she kept at home. She felt that she should be able to exchange them for some money.

When Xu Lan went downstairs, she saw that Xia Fang had also arrived and placed down 10,000 dollars on the table. Xia Fang had been promoted to chief physician in the hospital during the past two years, and she had a very good salary and other benefits.

Xu Lan looked at all the money placed on the table and thought that it looked to be enough. She wondered if the old master had 10,000 to 20,000 dollars to spare? No one knew about the old master's financial situation. He did not socialize or spend money often, but he was always very willing to help his old comrades and often sent money to them. Perhaps the old master did not have any money left. It was something that nobody could tell.

Xu Lan suddenly saw Qiao Mei holding a cloth bag and remembered that Xia Zhe had given Qiao Mei 2,000 dollars alongside all his other gifts to her! Then there was also the amount of 2,000 dollars that Xia He had given her to compensate her for her jewelry. That meant that Qiao Mei had 4,000 dollars.

This cloth bag was not big and did not seem to hold much money inside. Would she bear to take out all her money?

As for Tan Jing, Xu Lan did not hold any hopes. She was thankful so long as Tan Jing did not come home to ask her for money. She knew that her eldest son did not have an easy life.

Seeing that everyone was here, Qiao Mei opened the small cloth bag in her hand. As she opened it, she said, "I originally planned to give this to Xia Zhe to keep for emergencies, so I didn't think of it at the first instance."

Qiao Mei placed the opened cloth bag on the table. It contained the 20-year-old ginseng as well as a small piece of ginseng root. The ginseng root was from a king of ginseng that was more than 1,000 years old! However, the Xia family members did not have any medical training and would not be able to tell how potent it was, so she did not want to scare them.

All the women of the Xia family were stunned by what they saw. However, they wondered where they could find a buyer at such short notice?

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"This ginseng is not money. It can't help to make up the 50,000 dollars," Liu Fen said anxiously.

Xia Wen told them in detail about what happened between Qiao Mei and He Ning this afternoon.

After Xu Lan heard everything, she looked at Qiao Mei with a meaningful look in her eyes. She now found this villager daughter-in-law much more pleasing to the eye.

"This ginseng is 20 years old. I don't know how old this ginseng root is. My grandfather had asked me to keep it for Xia Zhe," Qiao Mei said.

Qiao Mei was unwilling to say much about the ginseng root. It would scare people to talk about a thousand-year-old ginseng root. However, the main issue was that Qiao Qiang did not know about this yet and might not be able to corroborate her story when asked.

Xia Wen immediately asked, "Then is this ginseng root something rare and potent?"

Qiao Mei paused for a moment before saying, "I don't know either. My grandfather just asked me to bring it along, so I did."

Xia Wen looked at her and smiled without saying anything. He knew that this young girl was not telling the truth. She was someone who was able to recognize a 100-year-old ginseng, so this ginseng root must be something more valuable than a 100-year-old ginseng.

Xia Wen looked at Xia Zhe but did not speak.

"Are we going to sell this ginseng to He Ning?" Xu Lan asked as she pointed at the 20-year-old ginseng.

"We need to discuss it further." Xia Mao brought all the men upstairs, and asked Qiao Mei along.

After all, this ginseng belonged to Qiao Mei and she also had the right to decide how to deal with it.

The eyes of all the women downstairs followed Qiao Mei up the stairs. Other than Eldest Aunt, no other women in the family had ever participated in family discussions held in the Xia family's study.

Liu Fen was the only one who did not care. She had no interest in participating in such matters at all. She was a person who only wanted to take care of the family and to leave all other decisions to the men. She only wanted to look after household matters.

Now that it seemed like the issue was almost resolved, Liu Fen happily ran into the kitchen to cook.

1

"Xiao He! Come and help! There are too many people at home today and I can't cope!" Liu Fen shouted.

Xia He looked at Liu Fen busying herself in the kitchen and smiled. Maybe it was not too bad to live a life like how Liu Fen did.

"Let's just prepare the ingredients. Then when Qiao Mei comes down, she can do the cooking straight away. Let's not waste the ingredients given that she makes such delicious food. It's so rare that everyone is gathered together," Xia He asked.

Liu Fen had tasted Qiao Mei's cooking before. It was indeed more delicious than what the two of them could make. Moreover, Liu Fen's cooking skills were on a level that was comparable to Xia He's. The food she made could only be described as being edible.

"I just don't know if the food is made by Qiao Mei or Xiao Zhe. You have to talk to your younger brother. How can a grown man enter the kitchen? Which other man in the Xia family helps out in the kitchen?" Liu Fen said as she held Xia He's hand.

"Alright, Second Aunt-in-law, I'll talk to him when I'm free," Xia He said vaguely. Whether or not she talked to him later was another matter for another day.

Tan Jing sat in the living room and looked at the empty corridor in a daze. Everyone had gone out today to raise money to help the family. She was the only one who did nothing.

She had not managed to save much money herself. No, it could be said that she did not manage to save even a single cent. Every month, she had to ask Xia Wen for money to subsidize the expenses of her maternal family, and it had been like this for so many years. When she telephoned her maternal family today, they told her they did not have a single cent to spare.

When she first married into the family, she did not feel much pressure. She knew that the Xia family was a wealthy and prestigious family and they would not mind that she could not contribute much as her meager contributions would not make any difference to them. When Qiao Mei joined the family, she thought that Qiao Mei would be in the same situation as both of them came from humble backgrounds.

In the end, she did not expect Qiao Mei to be able to solve the Xia family's problem singlehandedly.

When she saw the relaxed smile on Xia Wen's face earlier, she found it especially glaring. Things were not supposed to be like this.

1

In the study, everyone kept quiet. Xia Wen helped Xia Jun to sit on a chair slowly.

Xia Jun looked at Qiao Mei kindly and asked, "Mei Mei, tell grandfather the truth. Tell me what you want. Whatever the He family can do for you, so can our Xia family."

Qiao Mei had prepared all these ginsengs for Xia Zhe. Now that she was contributing them to share the family's burden and solve their problem, they did not want to take this gesture for granted and wanted to treat her well.

Qiao Mei shook her head and said, "I'm thinking about going back to the village soon. I've been away for quite a long time and I want to go back to see my grandfather. In the future, I still have to stay at home and take care of the children. I want to keep an eye on the children when they are young, so I don't really want to go out to work. As for money… I still have a lot of ginsengs back at home."

All the men in the room fell silent.

Initially, they all thought that Xia Zhe had married a villager wife because he wanted a hardworking woman to take care of his family. They did not expect this girl to be actually richer than all of them…

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1

Xia Jun nodded to indicate that he understood what Qiao Mei meant. He turned around and discussed with the rest about how to best use the ginseng.

It was definitely a worthy trade if it meant that they could use it to exchange for He Ning's agreement not to cause trouble for them anymore.

He Ning was not a scary person, but he was very difficult to deal with and was willing to do things that would cause trouble for others. The Xia family members were dutiful people who only did what they needed to do and were unwilling to participate in other things. They preferred to have a peaceful and quiet life.

Although He Ning had not done anything that would rock the Xia family's foundation, it was still very annoying to them.

Based on what the Xia family members knew about He Ning, he would not give up until he got what he wanted. At this moment, they did not know what else he would do to get his hand on this ginseng. It was not a bad idea to use this ginseng to exchange for a peaceful time. It would be a good deal for them.

They agreed to do it that way.

Xia Wen sighed and said, "Would it make us look like we're easily bullied?"

He Ning had already attacked them three times and created a big fuss each time. Yet, in the end, they were going to use the ginseng to "make peace" with him. Those who did not know better would think that they were afraid of the He family.

Xia Jun laughed loudly and said, "Xiao Wen, his life is in our hands. Who do you think is the weaker one?"

Xia Wen paused and thought that it made sense. If Qiao Mei did not give him the ginseng, he would not have long to live.

They also did not intend to give him the ginseng for free. Their price for it was 100,000 dollars, with the additional condition of leaving the Xia family alone in the future.

The transaction would be fair and just and there was no such thing as to who was weaker. However, this ginseng was a consumable item. At this moment, they were taking what each of them needed and it was mutually beneficial, but what about the next time?

Would He Ning do the same thing again?

The Xia family truly did not lack anything. If there was a next time, it could only be He Ning coming to beg the Xia family again.

"Mei Mei, come here. Tell grandfather the truth. How many ginseng do you have left? Do you still have any more 100-year-old ginseng?" Xia Jun asked.

He wanted the information so that he knew how to approach any future negotiations with He Ning. He did not want to reach any settlement that Qiao Mei would not be able to fulfill, as that would be like playing a trick on He Ning. If He Ning was angered enough to go all out to destroy the Xia family, it was not something that they could handle.

Qiao Mei blinked. Well… she could not say that she could actually have as much as she wanted.

"My grandfather has a big box that he uses to specially store ginseng. He treasures that box very much, so I don't know how many ginsengs there are inside. But there should still be a few 100-year-old ginsengs. When I left back then, I saw him take one out of a bunch of them," Qiao Mei said.

The Xia family fell silent again…

Was it really that easy to find 100-year-old ginsengs?

"Then when your grandfather is feeling better and comes over to the capital, I'll ask him myself," Xia Jun said.

Not long after that, the doorbell downstairs rang. It was He Ning and a stranger at the door.

Xia Jun asked Qiao Mei to put away the ginseng root and went downstairs with the 20-year-old ginseng.

At the moment, he was only going to use this small ginseng to negotiate with He Ning. However, he still did not know how to thank Qiao Mei for the ginseng.

Qiao Mei carefully put away the remaining ginseng root. When Xia Wen saw what she did, he smiled again. If this young girl did not know the value of the ginseng root, why would she treasure it so much?

Qiao Mei pretended not to see Xia Wen looking at her and quietly absorbed one-third of the energy from the 20-year-old ginseng. She definitely could not give such a good ginseng to He Ning.

She had already intended to sell this ginseng so that she would have money for emergencies, thus it did not matter who she sold it to and how much energy it contained.

However, if it was going to be sold to He Ning, then there was no need to give him any additional benefits.

Xia Wen personally went to open the door to let He Ning and the stranger in. All the womenfolk of the Xia family went upstairs to avoid the visitors while Qiao Mei went to the kitchen to cook. She did not want to eat the food made by Liu Fen and Xia He.

When Qiao Mei entered the kitchen, she realized that the two women had very strong self-awareness and had prepared all the ingredients for her so that she could just proceed to do the cooking. Given that Liu Fen had gone to the market this morning, there was even a fish among the ingredients. The fish was already cleaned and gutted and ready to be cooked.

Liu Fen and Xia He had nothing else to do and went upstairs as well, leaving Qiao Mei alone in the kitchen.

In the main living area, Xia Wen took out the cloth bag containing the ginseng and placed it on the table. He Ning asked the man beside him to take a look.

"This is ginseng that's about 20 years old. The quality is also much better than ordinary ginseng," the man said.

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"You must be Senior Huo," Xia Wen said with a smile.

Huo Gao looked at Xia Wen in surprise. He did not think that there were still people among the younger generation who remembered him. Ever since he went into the He family's employment and became He Ning's doctor, he had retired from active work for many years and had not had any other patients.

"Very few young people remember me," Huo Gao said with a smile.

"Senior Huo's name is so well-known. Please don't be so humble," Xia Wen said.

After the two men exchanged a few pleasantries, He Ning spoke slowly, "Why is it only 20 years?"

"Xia Zhe's wife said that you didn't specify the age of the ginseng you want and there were no other details. This is all we have to offer," Xia Mao said.

Sitting in the Xia residence, He Ning's headache eased a lot. He could smell the same fragrance from earlier.

After his visit in the morning, he had a splitting headache half an hour after leaving the Xia family's house. Now that he was sitting inside the house, his headache had eased a great deal. It seemed that the Xia family really had some form of treasure in their house.

He Ning looked closely at the Xia family's corridor, balcony, corners and backyard. Although there were flowers and plants placed at all these places, they were the same types he had in his house before and were just ordinary plants. Could these plants here be so form of mutated versions?

"20 years is too short," He Ning said with a frown.

"But you also heard from Senior Huo that the value of this ginseng is much higher than what's available on the market," Xia Wen said.

He Ning glanced at Huo Gao, who nodded and said, "Indeed, it's even better that those 50-year-old ones in the market."

He Ning urgently needed ginseng to save his life at the moment. If it was really good ginseng, he would have to take it even if it was only a 20-year-old ginseng. From what the Xia family said, they seemed to have better ones in their possession.

"What's the price?" He Ning asked directly.

"It's 100,000 dollars, plus you have to leave the Xia family alone in the future," Xia Wen said.

Xia Wen and He Ning used to be classmates and were considered to be peers. Although they never really got along, Xia Wen was the person most suitable to conduct this negotiation.

He Ning was still too junior to speak with Xia Jun.

"I see… You want to ensure peace for your entire family for a lifetime with just one ginseng…" He Ning said as he gently tapped his knee with his fingertips.

Seeing this, Xia Wen leaned back on the sofa and spread his hands out. "In that case, if you're not satisfied, then forget it. After all, your whole lifetime is not very long."

He Ning raised his head and gave Xia Wen a fierce look. This was the reason why he had never liked Xia Wen since he was young. Everyone said that Xia Wen was a perfect gentleman, but in reality, he was the one with the sharp tongue and evil heart.

1

"The amount of 100,000 dollars is not a problem, but to tie my hands for your entire lifetime… This won't do. If you come and find trouble with me, do I then have to endure it? Besides, you're only giving me a 20-year-old ginseng," He Ning said.

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"Our Xia family does not attack others," Xia Wen said.

He Ning smiled and said, "People change."

He had yet to welcome Xia Zhe into his fold, so he was not going to let the Xia family off so easily. He did not want to give in on this matter.

"For 20 years then," Xia Wen said.

He Ning shook his head and said, "One year."

"What exactly are these flowers that manage to catch your eye?" Xia Wen walked over and carefully looked at the pots of flowers. These were all common flowers that one could find everywhere, the type that anyone could grow by simply watering them every day. Xu Lan was usually not at home, so she would not have any flowers and plants that needed a lot of care.

He Ning was well-known in the capital for not being able to keep flowers and plants alive. He was as fussy about flowers as he was about people, so it was strange that he was interested in these ordinary flowers and plants.

"Hmph, these few pots are azaleas, those few pots are peonies, and these are jasmine and those are bush lilies. Are you able to recognize what kind of flowers they are?" He Ning looked at Xia Wen mockingly.

Xia Wen did not take it to heart. He really did not understand such things. He knew that the jasmine was only newly bought last month to replace the previous pot of flowers that died. However, now that he observed the flowers and plants carefully, they looked to be growing much better than before.

Was it Second Aunt-in-law or Third Aunt-in-law who took such good care of these flowers? After all, they often came over so it must be due to their efforts.

"Then… look at this…" Before Xia Wen could finish speaking, Qiao Mei walked out of the kitchen with a plate of fish.

"Dinner is ready. Everyone, come and eat!" As she spoke, Qiao Mei turned towards the balcony and blinked. Xia Wen immediately understood what she meant.

Actually, she had finished cooking a while ago. She knew that He Ning had designs on the flowers and plants at home, so she was just waiting for Xia Wen to speak before she came out to serve dinner.

She already knew about He Ning using floral fragrance to treat his illness. In the morning, He Ning had reacted strangely when he was at the door. At first, she did not pay much attention to it, but now that she saw He Ning being especially interested in the flowers at their house, she understood why.

It was because Qiao Mei had a special fragrance on her body.

Previously, Qiao Mei did not even know that there was such a smell on her. It was only after Xia Zhe talked about it every day and even licked and bit her non-stop yesterday that she knew.

2

He Ning thought that the smell was the fragrance of flowers and that was why he wanted to take away all the flowers in their house. However, the source of the smell was actually Qiao Mei, so it was useless even if he emptied the house of all the plants. Qiao Mei felt angry and upset every time she thought about how He Ning had ruined the courtyard house, so she did not want He Ning to have an easy time.

It was not impossible for him to take all the flowers if he wanted, but he had to pay a price for that. He could not take them for free.

As Qiao Mei brought out all the dishes, she asked Xia Wen, "Elder brother, are you talking about the flowers at home? I also took a fancy to them a couple of days ago. Mother promised to let me move them over to the courtyard house after the repairs are done."

"Ah, then these flowers are yours. It's not for me to make the decision on this matter," Xia Wen said as he glanced at He Ning.

He did not believe what Qiao Mei said about Xu Lan giving the flowers to her. Xu Lan had not even said more than three sentences to Qiao Mei in the past few days, so he was very sure they did not speak about the flowers.

Besides, he knew Xu Lan's temper very well. Previously, Xu Lan had made it very clear that she did not like Qiao Mei. It was not possible for her to have suddenly accepted Qiao Mei and even given her gifts.

Could there be something special about these flowers? Qiao Mei was not a petty person. There must be some kind of secret if she did not want to give away a few pots of ordinary flowers.

He Ning sat at one end of the dining table silently. He took his seat in such a natural manner that the Xia family was stunned.

3

When Huo Gao came in with the money bag, he was so shocked to see it that he accidentally dropped the money bag on the ground. The bag containing 100,000 dollars in cash was very heavy.

When Qiao Mei brought out the last dish from the kitchen, she was also stunned to see He Ning sitting at the table. She thought that this He Ning was really thick-skinned.

"I wonder if Miss Qiao will be willing to sell those flowers? I like those flowers very much," He Ning said to Qiao Mei with a smile.

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"I'm not willing to sell. If the price is too low, I'll feel that it's a loss to me. If the price is too high, someone may lodge a report against me. It's really not worth the efforts, so I'm not selling," Qiao Mei said.

The market price of these few pots of ordinary flowers was less than 10 dollars in total. If Qiao Mei asked He Ning for more than 100 dollars, he may get someone to report her and say that the Xia family was indirectly taking bribes. If that happened, it would be difficult for anyone of them to get out of it.

"Then what do you want?" He Ning asked.

He could tell that Qiao Mei was willing to do a sale, but since she did not want money, then what did she want? Did she want something else or did she have something that she needed done?

Qiao Mei smiled at He Ning. It was just so easy to communicate with smart people. He knew what she wanted based on just a few words from her. It was something to be expected of the scheming Third Master He.

"I want food stamps," Qiao Mei said as she placed down the bowls and chopsticks.

Xia Zhe quietly tugged at the corner of Qiao Mei's sleeves and said, "I have those."

He felt a little uncomfortable seeing He Ning and Qiao Mei having a conversation. Moreover, he knew that Qiao Mei was a little money-grubber and he could already feel her eyes about to light up if they continued with this topic.

1

"Those you have are not even enough to feed yourself!" Qiao Mei gave him a look, telling him not to interrupt her.

When Xia Wen heard this, he almost laughed out loud. It was still acceptable if anyone should say that he did not have enough food stamps. However, to say that Xia Zhe did not have enough food stamps was treating He Ning like a fool who would believe that.

Xia Zhe had more than enough food stamps to feed the entire Xia family. However, he understood that Qiao Mei was plotting against He Ning and held back his jealousy as he sat at one side without saying anything.

"I don't want ordinary food stamps. I want the national food stamps from the years 53 to 55 in all kinds of denominations. I want them in equal bundles and I want new ones. Let's say… 100 sets. I won't take advantage of you. I'll exchange local food stamps worth 1,000 catties with you. Let's consider the difference of 20 catties to be your discount," Qiao Mei said.

Looking at Xia Zhe next to her, Qiao Mei asked, "Do you have food stamps worth 1,000 catties?"

Qiao Mei suddenly remembered that it was actually illegal to buy and sell food stamps in private, but exchanges were allowed. Of course, no one would use national food stamps to exchange for local food stamps. If someone was willing to do that, he would be called a fool.

Xia Zhe's work took him away from home all year round. The food stamps they used at home were mainly Xia Mao's food stamps. Xia Zhe had no use for his food stamps over the years and had saved them up.

"No problem," Xia Zhe nodded and said.

He Ning frowned and looked at Qiao Mei. He really could not understand why she would make such a ridiculous request. It was not as if the Xia family could not give her what she wanted, so why did she ask him for it? Moreover, she even wanted to use local food stamps worth 1,000 catties to exchange for national food stamps worth 980 catties. Did Qiao Mei not know that she was making a loss?

She even specified the years of issuance and wanted brand new ones. What kind of requirements were these?

Moreover, it was not as if national food stamps could get more food than local food stamps. What was the use of exchanging for them?

To He Ning, it was not a big problem except for the part that Qiao Mei wanted brand new food stamps. This was the difficult part because he would need to send someone to go to a special warehouse to find them.

Could it be that the Xia family was setting a trap for him?

He Ning sized Qiao Mei up suspiciously.

After Qiao Mei finished setting the table, she sat down and said, "I only have this request. You can take the flowers away when you bring the food stamps."

Qiao Mei had no intention of setting a trap for He Ning. These food stamps would be worth between 30,000 to 80,000 dollars per set in the future. If they were brand new, they would be worth more, and the value would just continue to increase every year. After all, these were rare items that could not be reproduced.

"Don't tell anyone about the exchange of food stamps," Qiao Mei added.

Actually, if the Xia family wanted to gather these food stamps, they would definitely be able to obtain a lot as well. However, when people eventually realized the value of these food stamps in the future, they would talk about it. By then, people might say that the Xia family was in possession of the country's resources and that would not sound good. Furthermore, these 100 sets would eventually be worth tens of millions of dollars in the future.

If He Ning was the one who handled this matter, even if someone found out about it later, the matter would fall squarely on He Ning's shoulder. It would have nothing to do with the Xia family.

After some consideration, He Ning agreed to Qiao Mei's request. From what Qiao Mei said, there was nothing inappropriate about her request, so he decided to tentatively agree.

Qiao Mei happily took a separate portion of the dishes upstairs to eat with the womenfolk of the Xia family.

During this era, many families had different dining areas for the menfolk and womenfolk to eat separately, especially when there were visitors in the house. Moreover, they had a particularly unlikable guest today who refused to leave even when he should.

Huo Gao found himself in a very awkward position. He did not know whether to sit or stand or to go elsewhere. He was so embarrassed that his ears turned red.

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Should he sit at the table? He did not dare to do so.

He knew all about He Ning's plans and that He Ning would not be easily restrained by this three-year agreement. He Ning would definitely think of all kinds of methods to secretly create trouble for the Xia family.

He was also there when He Mei and He Ning made their plans. They spoke freely in front of him and had never hidden anything from him. He knew very well what He Ning was going to do to the Xia family next.

Despite what He Ning had planned, he still had the cheek to dine at the same table as the Xia family.

This was not just being thick-skinned anymore, this was simply being totally shameless!

He Ning beckoned to Huo Gao and said, "Put the money to one side, then come and have dinner."

He Ning was behaving like he was the master of this house. He went about it so naturally that even Xia Wen was too embarrassed to criticize him and could only feel awkward.

Even Xia Mao found it difficult to say anything, being an elder. Moreover, in the past, Xia Jun and Old Master He could be considered to know each other quite well. He felt a tinge of regret as he thought of Old Master He. Back in the days, he was a very wise and capable person. Unfortunately, his health was poor and he passed away early. Without their father around to bring them up properly, his sons had all grown up with questionable morals.

Gradually, the He family and the Xia family became strangers.

Feeling embarrassed, Huo Gao walked over and greeted the Xia family members before sitting down next to He Ning.

It was only when Xia Jun asked everyone to dig in that they all lifted their chopsticks. Then, It was as if a whirlwind had swept past the dining table. The Xia family members were all from the military, so they had a habit of eating fast. They ramped up their speed intentionally at this moment.

2

He Ning had only finished half a bowl of rice when all the Xia family members finished eating and put down their chopsticks.

He Ning looked at his surroundings and put down his chopsticks with some regret. No matter how thick-skinned he was, he could not bring himself to continue eating while so many people from the Xia family were staring at him.

"Mmm, this is really some culinary skills," He Ning said as he took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of his mouth.

Xia Zhe looked at He Ning proudly and said, "You're welcome."

He Ning looked at Xia Zhe and said, "Actually, my family's Xiao Mei has better culinary skills."

Huo Gao glanced sideways at He Ning and wondered how he could say something like that against his conscience. One time, He Mei had almost poisoned her dog to death when she cooked at home.

1

He Ning might not know it, but Xia Zhe had actually tasted He Mei's cooking. One time, He Mei had made a lot of food for Xia Zhe but it was not during a private meeting between the two of them. He Mei knew that Xia Zhe did not want to see her, so she brought the food to the camp for Xia Zhe and his comrades to eat together.

At that time, no one knew that the food was made by He Mei. They thought that the enemy had sent spies to infiltrate the camp and they scolded the cookhouse staff for it.

2

Later on, when the cookhouse staff said aggrievedly that the food was from the He family's He Mei, everyone suppressed their anger and stopped talking about the matter. No one wanted to offend the He family over a meal.

That day, everyone had no choice but to starve for the entire day. The entire troop still remembered the incident till this day.

1

"Oh? I see. If it's so delicious, you should eat more then," Xia Zhe said while holding back his laughter.

When He Ning saw how Xia Zhe answered him, he knew that he did not manage to fool Xia Zhe and the joke was on him instead. He thought that when he returned home, he should really find a professional chef to teach He Mei so that she could learn how to cook well. Her culinary skills should not be too far off from Qiao Mei's. Otherwise, when Xia Zhe and He Mei got married in the future, it might affect their relationship.

3

He Ning had never planned to give up on making Xia Zhe the son-in-law of the He family. As long as He Ning wanted to do something, he would never give up halfway.

As for Qiao Mei… after she got a divorce, she could go to his place to replace the cook at his house and make medicinal cuisine for him every day. He felt that this was really a good idea, one that would kill two birds with one stone.

4

At the thought of this, He Ning's mood improved and he left the Xia family with a smile.

As Xia Wen watched He Ning leave, he frowned and said, "He must be up to something since he's smiling so widely. He Ning doesn't give up on anything."

Xia Wen also knew that the three-year agreement was only a temporary measure. The agreement was not enough to hold He Ning back and prevent him from attacking the Xia family. At most, he would just avoid brazen attacks that directly targeted the Xia family.

If the He family had such intentions, so did the Xia family.

The Xia family also did not intend to let He Ning off just like that. They had yet to settle scores with him with regard to the earlier incidents, so they had no intention of sitting back and leaving it. After getting bitten by a vicious dog, even if they did not want to beat the dog to death, they would have to punish it and teach it a lesson. How could they let the vicious dog go home in perfect condition?

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Otherwise, the Xia family could forget about staying in the capital. They would become a joke in the eyes of others and be laughed at before their backs.

"How's the situation over there?" Xia Mao asked.

"Eldest Aunt is on her way back. She'll be here soon," Xia Wen said.

Xia Mao looked at the big bag of money from He Ning and said, "Xia Zhe, take half of the money and give it to your wife, then send the other half back to the He family. Tell your wife that we'll owe her 50,000 dollars first and we'll give it to her later."

"Yes, I understand," Xia Zhe said.

The ginseng was sold for 100,000 dollars and this amount of money belonged to Qiao Mei. However, Zhou Hua would not tell them where she kept the 50,000 dollars she took from He Ning. Although it was Zhou Hua who took the money, the family would have to pay it back on her behalf if she refused to do it. They could not let this matter taint the Xia family's reputation and make them seem like people who default on their debts.

Once Zhou Hua revealed the whereabouts of the 50,000 dollars, they would retrieve it and give it to Qiao Mei. The money did not belong to the Xia family. Their part of the payment was the three-year agreement.

Xia Zhe carried the money bag upstairs. The women of the Xia family had not finished their meal yet, but when they saw the big bag of money, they immediately lost interest in the food.

They had never seen so much money in their lives.

An amount of 100,000 dollars was not something that any ordinary family could ever have. Many families would never see so much money in their lives.

"Wow, Mei Mei. You're the richest person in the family now. When I have time, you must also bring me into the mountains to dig for ginseng!" Xia He said as she laughed.

"Sure, come and look for me when you're free." Qiao Mei agreed readily.

Tan Jing took a look at the money bag and then turned away with much difficulty. She stared fixedly at her rice bowl. Qiao Mei was clearly only a villager…

Qiao Mei counted the money happily. As she counted, she felt that something was wrong, as if she had forgotten something.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Xia Zhe looked at Qiao Mei in puzzlement.

Xia Zhe's attention was always on Qiao Me and he could even notice the slightest change in her expression.

They had already checked the authenticity of the money in the bag. Out of trust for He Ning, they did not check on the amount. They thought that even if there was any shortfall, it would not be too much, probably in the range of tens of dollars.

Qiao Mei did not answer Xia Zhe and quickly ran to the window instead. Seeing that He Ning had not gone far, she opened the window and shouted, "Wait a minute!"

Qiao Mei's sweet voice was easily recognizable. He Ning raised his head to look at Qiao Mei on the second floor.

"Come back! I have something to tell you!" With that, Qiao Mei closed the window and ran downstairs with the money bag.

Xia Zhe followed closely behind, not knowing what Qiao Mei wanted to do. The other women in the family were also confused by what was happening and stood in the corridor on the second floor to watch the commotion.

He Ning walked back leisurely and asked, "What's the matter?"

"There's something wrong with your money," Qiao Mei said.

The Xia family was stunned. He Ning was also confused and did not know what was wrong. He turned to look at Huo Gao.

"I've counted the money. It's definitely real, and the amount is correct," Huo Gao said.

He was not the one who prepared the money, but he did not want to look bad. He was a person who cared about his reputation.

"I'm not talking about the authenticity or the quantity. I want new money, not old money," Qiao Mei said.

He Ning looked at Qiao Mei helplessly. Was she trying to torture him?

"And not just any new money. I want specific banknotes." Qiao Mei took out pen and paper and wrote down the denominations that she wanted.

Currently, the currency that was in circulation was the country's third version. Among these, there were a few denominations that would see their values appreciating in the future and becoming very valuable. The real value of an amount of money could be very different after taking into account the denominations it was made up of. An amount of 100,000 dollars consisting of varied denominations might only be worth a little more than 100,000 dollars after 50 years. However, if the currency was changed to the designated denominations she wanted, the future value might even become 10 million dollars.

She had learned this piece of information in her other life from a friend who was a collector. He had told her that even an old dime could be worth 70,000 to 80,000 dollars!

He Ning took the list from Qiao Mei with a smile. He thought that Qiao Mei was just deliberately making things difficult for him, that after what he had done to the Xia family back then, Qiao Mei was using this opportunity to take revenge.

However, she was using such a small matter as a method of taking revenge? She was really just a village girl. Her methods were so childish.

"Alright, I understand," He Ning said. This was not a difficult task for him. He could just send someone to get it done.

"Do you have any other requests?" He Ning asked.

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Qiao Mei thought for a moment and said, "You can just deduct 50,000 dollars from the 100,000 dollars so that I don't have to send it back to you. I only want brand new currency. The banknotes must be in their original bundles. Don't cut the currency straps."

Banknotes in the original bundles with running serial numbers and the bank's exclusive currency straps around the notes would be even more valuable.

After a few decades, if He Ning found out that he had helped Qiao Mei earn nearly ten million dollars, would he feel distressed?

The Xia family members looked on as Qiao Mei talked to He Ning. They did not know what Qiao Mei was planning, but she must have her reasons for doing all these.

"Alright," He Ning said and turned to leave. However, he did not pick up the money that was on the ground. He could do the exchange tomorrow. Otherwise, it was such a hassle to keep moving the money around.

Back at the nursery, Huo Gao went to brew the medicine personally.

"If you're worried about security, you can get an iron cage to keep the ginseng. Don't lock it in your safe again," Huo Gao instructed as he brewed the medicine.

He Ning rubbed his stomach and agreed in a casual manner.

He thought about the meal he had at the Xia family's house. He had a craving for the food again, it was as if he could never have enough of it.

It had been a long time since he felt this way. The medicinal cuisine he ate at home tasted terrible. If it was not for someone supervising him at mealtimes, he would not eat any of it at all.

In addition, his medicine was very bitter, so he was never in the mood to eat anything and never felt hungry.

He did not expect to suddenly develop an appetite now and felt that it must have something to do with the meal that Qiao Mei made. Could it be that someone with good culinary skills could treat his illness?

"Little Uncle! Did you manage to get the ginseng?" He Mei rushed into the courtyard and asked He Ning excitedly.

"Yes I did," He Ning said.

"That's great! Little Uncle, then you will feel much better soon!" He Mei said agitatedly.

He Ning was the backbone of the He family. If anything should happen to him, the He family's prestige would definitely be affected. Her father had said so, and so did everyone else. She also knew that without He Ning, she would definitely not be able to marry Xia Zhe. Therefore, she truly hoped that He Ning would stay healthy and be able to live a long life.

"Little Uncle, the men are ready. When do we start?" He Mei asked.

He Ning was stunned for a moment. Huo Gao, who was preparing the herbs, was also stunned and quickly stole a glance at He Ning. He also wanted to know exactly how shameless and ruthless He Ning could be. He Ning had only just eaten the food made by that person and now he was able to break up her family.

In any case, anyone else with a conscience would not be able to do it.

If not for the fact that the He family and the Huo family were old friends and he had known He Ning since they were young, he would not have become friends with He Ning.

After a moment of silence, He Ning said to He Mei, "Get rid of those people you found. If needed, use money to dismiss them."

He Mei was shocked. Why was he going back on his word?

"Why! Little Uncle, didn't we agree on this!" He Mei screamed.

The ear-piercing sound made He Ning very unhappy. He frowned and stared at He Mei.

He Mei immediately lowered her head and hunched her shoulders. She whispered, "I'm sorry, Little Uncle… I didn't mean to be so loud. I was just a little surprised."

He Ning closed his eyes and ignored her.

"I'll go and get them to leave now." He Mei dawdled as she made her way out of the house.

He Ning suddenly opened his eyes and looked at He Mei intently. "Wait."

"Little Uncle, have you changed your mind?" He Mei looked at He Ning, hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

The displeasure on He Ning's face became even more obvious. He said sternly, "You'd better not play any tricks behind my back. Get rid of all the people you found. You must not carry out the plan. Don't even dare to give me any excuse."

"Don't ruin my plans, or else…" Before He Ning could finish, He Mei already understood what he meant.

He Mei had never seen He Ning speak to her in such a harsh manner as she was usually the most favored person in the family. She was so frightened that her face turned pale and she could not even speak properly.

"I… I'll go now… Going now. I definitely won't let them go and look for Qiao Mei!" He Mei hurriedly ran out to put a stop to their original plan.

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They had the same goal, and that was to break up Xia Zhe and Qiao Mei.

There were many ways to do it and there was no need to take action now.

Previously, He Ning had asked He Mei to find a few men to find an opportunity to take a few photos together with Qiao Mei. There was no need to capture Qiao Mei. They just needed to isolate Qiao Mei and take a few photos with her while she was alone.

These men were told to approach Qiao Mei and talk to her, and then to take photos of the entire encounter. No one would know exactly what they were talking about but the photos would show a man and a woman behaving in an ambiguous manner. When the time came, Qiao Mei would definitely have a hard time explaining herself.

They wanted to create an impression that Qiao Mei had improper relationships with many men. When they released the photos in public, Qiao Mei's reputation would be tarnished and the Xia family would become a laughingstock. After that, the Xia family would most likely ask Qiao Mei to leave for the sake of their reputation.

By doing this, He Ning would be able to reach his goal without violating the three-year agreement.

It was Qiao Mei who did not have a good upbringing. The Xia family only suffered embarrassment, but not any substantial damage. Was this considered an attack against the Xia family? Of course not.

As long as the Xia family chased Qiao Mei out, the family's reputation would still be preserved. This way, there would be no harm at all.

This was originally a flawless plan, but He Ning no longer planned to carry it out.

When he met Qiao Mei in the morning, his impression of her was that she was a very scheming person. Tonight, his impression changed when he saw how innocent and naive her revenge method was.

People from the countryside were just so lacking in knowledge and experience. If the young lady felt wronged and then hurt herself, where could he find such a good chef?

4

After tasting Qiao Mei's cooking, it was no longer possible to eat the food made by the helper at home. The food at home tasted like poison!

At the thought of this, He Ning felt a little frustrated. He did not know how long he would have to wait to be able to eat food made by Qiao Mei again.

He Mei came back after settling the matter and said, "Little Uncle, I've asked all the people outside to leave."

He Ning nodded, then he suddenly thought of something. He looked He Mei up and down.

"You should handle this matter yourself. There's no need to get someone else," He Ning said to He Mei.

He Mei looked at He Ning in confusion. She did not quite understand what He Ning was saying.

"Huh? Me?" He Mei asked.

He Ning nodded in satisfaction and said, "Yes, you. The safest thing is to attack Xia Zhe directly."

He Mei still did not understand what He Ning meant. Previously, He Ning had said that if she targeted Xia Zhe directly, he was afraid that they would anger the Xia family and both families would suffer losses as a result. That was why they decided to target Qiao Mei in the end.

"I went to the Xia family's house today and realized that Qiao Mei had a very high status in the Xia family. Just a few photos alone will not be able to affect her position in the hearts of the Xia family. Even if they see the photos, they will still choose to protect her," He Ning said.

After all, the ginseng in Qiao Mei's hands was a treasure to keep him in check. They would definitely not give up on this granddaughter-in-law, so it was better to make a move on Xia Zhe.

"Find a way to spend time with Xia Zhe. It's best if you can get pregnant, then I'll think of a way to make Xia Zhe take responsibility," He Ning said.

He Mei blushed and muttered to herself, "I… Little Uncle, what are you talking about… Even if I take the initiative, Xia Zhe won't take the bait…"

He Ning looked at He Mei in puzzlement and asked, "You have tried it before?"

He Mei stomped her feet. How could he ask a young lady like her to speak about something like this? However, if she wanted He Ning to help her solve this problem, she had to tell him.

"There was a time when he went to a mountain villa to settle some matters and I followed him there. When it suddenly rained, we ran into a pavilion to take shelter from the rain. I was drenched and wanted to get close to him for warmth, but he pushed me away. He even ran out alone in the rain to get away from me…" He Mei said embarrassedly.

2

There was nothing wrong with her doing that, but the main point was that she did not manage to succeed!

He Ning was even more puzzled. Although He Mei was not as beautiful as the current Qiao Mei, she was still slender and elegant. She had countless admirers in the capital and had received many marriage proposals all this while.

In the past, Qiao Mei used to weigh more than 200 pounds. Even if they met at night, was Xia Zhe blind? Even if he was blind, did he have no sense of touch? Was he unable to feel such a huge mass of flesh?

Could it be that… Xia Zhe had been drugged at that time?

However, the army trained soldiers to be able to know how to resist the effects of drugs and to have a certain level of tolerance for drugs.

What kind of drug could make a man be able to function normally even when he was unconscious? Or was it a drug that gave Xia Zhe hallucinations that made him unable to control himself?

He had never heard of such a drug before.

Or was it because Xia Zhe liked that kind of size in women? His taste was different from others? Yet, now that Qiao Mei had fair skin, was beautiful and had a delicate figure, Xia Zhe did not love her any less.

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No one could work out how Qiao Mei had gotten her hands on Xia Zhe back then, not even the Xia family members.

He Ning looked at He Mei and said, "You should eat more and try to increase your weight to more than 200 pounds. You won't be able to succeed now."

3

He Mei looked at He Ning in shock. She wondered if her Little Uncle was joking with her. If she increased her weight to more than 200 pounds, even the other families would ignore her, not just Xia Zhe.

This was simply asking her to die!

He Ning paced around the room and He Mei did not dare to disturb him. She knew that her uncle was thinking of a solution.

"You didn't manage to succeed because you weren't bold enough! You have to be more proactive!" He Ning said to He Mei.

He Ning felt that Xia Zhe did not seem to have that kind of special taste in women. The reason why Qiao Mei could succeed was definitely because she was proactive enough. Xia Zhe did not look like a lecherous person at all.

Although Qiao Mei also did not look like she was a lusty woman, it was possible that the young lady, being inexperienced, knew no fear. She might have used some tricks that made Xia Zhe unable to resist her, which allowed her to succeed.

Yes, that must be it.

"I'll find an opportunity to make Xia Zhe lose his mobility and be unable to fight back. When the time comes, you must take the initiative. Once the deed is done, this matter will be settled," He Ning said.

Seeing that He Mei did not respond for a long time, He Ning asked, "You… you know what to do, right? The thing that can make you pregnant?"

He Mei's face was so red that it looked as if it could drip blood and she nodded rapidly. She only wanted to quickly move on from this topic and stop talking about it.

Huo Gao also did not dare to raise his head as his ears turned red. Could it be that He Ning could not see that he was there? He had known He Ning for so many years, but he did not know that He Ning was so audacious. He could even bring up such a topic so casually, and it was even to his own niece.

However, if He Ning did not feel embarrassed, there was no use in others being embarrassed for him. Furthermore, He Ning thought that it was a very good plan and that it could be executed flawlessly as long as He Mei tried hard enough.

If He Mei could also manage to get pregnant, then the Xia family would definitely have to give up on Qiao Mei. One of them was a rich young lady whose family had the same status as the Xia family in the capital, and the other was just a girl from an unknown village.

Was it not obvious who was more suitable?

At most, he would just give Qiao Mei more compensation when that happened. Moreover, as long as this matter was resolved by the He family and Xia family in private, there would not be any problem. Xia Zhe would not be criticized for having a messy private life and it would not affect his career. He would still be able to contribute to the He family in the future.

As for Qiao Mei, her reputation would also not suffer any damage. After she gave birth and left her child with the Xia family, she could come to this house to be his chef.

4

This plan would kill two birds with one stone. It was such a good plan, so long as He Mei did not screw it up…

"You'd better don't mess it up! Go and learn more about what to do! Go back and wait for my news," He Ning said.

He Mei hurriedly agreed and ran out of He Ning's house.

Huo Gao also finally got all the herbs ready and ran to the pharmacy to brew the medicine.

He Ning watched Huo Gao leave and then looked at the time. It was already two hours later than usual, but he did not feel any headaches or heart palpitations today. He felt much better than yesterday.

He Ning took out the piece of paper Qiao Mei had written from his pocket and looked at it carefully from beginning to end. The handwriting on the paper was neat but there were still some incongruities. Occasionally, a prominent stroke would ruin the overall beauty of the handwriting, but one could clearly see the style of the person who wrote it.

He Ning looked at the words on the paper and felt a little emotional. He heard that Qiao Mei had never gone to school, and that Qiao Qiang was also not very educated and only knew a few words. It seemed that this village girl had really put in a lot of efforts to improve herself. The reality was quite different from the results of his investigation.

He Ning called out to his attendant and instructed, "Prepare everything according to what's written here. It must be brand new banknotes in the original bundles. The food stamps also need to be brand new. And get some specially issued food stamps as well. Get as many as you can."

He Ning was afraid that his attendant would not be able to remember the instructions, so he wrote down Qiao Mei's verbal requests on the back of the piece of paper and handed it over.

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His attendant was very efficient and completed the task in the time it took to brew the medicine. He came back in a large truck, with all the required items filling up the entire truck.

The attendant was not able to find many new banknotes in the original bundles, but he managed to find a lot of dimes which occupied a lot of space.

"Why is it so full?" He Ning asked as he looked at the truck parked at the door.

"I can't find many banknotes that can meet the requirements. The truck is full of dimes which take up a lot of space," the attendant said.

He Ning briefly looked at the different items and confirmed that whatever Qiao Mei wanted was there. He then asked his attendant to count the quantity again. He was somebody who could not allow any mistakes.

"Third Master, come and drink your medicine," Huo Gao shouted from the room while holding a bowl of medicine.

He Ning's medicine had to be taken while it was still hot. Otherwise, the effect of the medicine would not work that well.

He Ning frowned as he looked at the medicine in Master Huo's hands. The smell was pungent and bitter. It was worlds apart from the food he just ate tonight.

"Just bear with it." Huo Gao handed the medicine to He Ning.

He Ning finished the medicine in one gulp and then sat in the rocking chair, thinking about everything that happened today. Although he had promised Qiao Mei that he would see her tomorrow, he could not wait that long. He had always liked to do things earlier than needed.

He could not stop thinking about the mysterious fragrance in the Xia family's house. It was a scent that he had never encountered before. He must bring it home as soon as possible so that he could smell it every day.

"Men! Let's go to the Xia residence now! Immediately!" He Ning put on a trench coat and called out to his subordinates to drive to the Xia family's house that night.

The Xia family did not find it strange that He Ning had returned to their house so quickly. That was the kind of person he was and he never dragged things out. Whoever offended him would definitely face revenge on the spot. He did not leave things undone overnight.

There were only womenfolk in the Xia family's house now. The men had all been called away by Xia Jun in a mysterious manner. Xia Zhe had guessed that He Ning would definitely return tonight and had instructed Qiao Mei to be careful before he left with Xia Wen.

Qiao Mei asked the rest of the women to help her count the money. She told them that it was enough to just count the number of bundles. If it had been possible, Qiao Mei would have wanted them to wear gloves to do the counting. After all, the future value of touched and untouched bundles were different.

However, doing so now was simply too unconventional. It would not be worth it if it aroused He Ning's suspicion.

Qiao Mei counted the food stamps patiently. They were worth 980 catties in total, no more no less.

Qiao Mei also took out Xia Zhe's food stamps worth 1,000 catties and handed them to He Ning. The attendant went forward to receive the things that Qiao Mei handed over.

"Did you manage to find the special food stamps for use on planes and trains?" Qiao Mei asked He Ning with a smile.

She was not shy about demanding things from He Ning. Not long ago, this person had tried to ruin her reputation and even got someone to dig up the foundation of her family house. He had even sat down uninvited at the table for dinner. She did not feel embarrassed at all about asking for a few food stamps. Moreover, what she asked for were useless stamps that were not worth much.

The attendant returned to the truck and brought back a large sack. When Qiao Mei saw the sack, her eyes immediately lit up.

Was it really that many or was it her imagination… Could it really be the food stamps that she had dreamed of!

He placed the sack on the ground and opened it up. It was filled with special food stamps for use on trains, ships and planes. These were things from more than 10 years ago and had not been in use for a long time.

He Ning looked at the excited Qiao Mei and felt very puzzled. These things were not like the national food stamps that could still be used anywhere. It was just a pile of waste paper.

"You… Do you know that these stamps are useless? They can't be used. You know that, right?" He Ning reminded her in a kind manner.

Qiao Mei nodded and said, "I know. I'm going to use them as burning materials. Why?"

He Ning looked at Qiao Mei in silence. He did not believe her at all. There was something strange about this matter and he decided to pay more attention to it in the future. This young lady was really strange. She was indeed different from others.

It was like the issue of the money for the payment. She insisted on getting the amount in small change, although others would have been overjoyed to see the banknotes that he originally prepared. She had been so excited to see the pile of dimes but had turned up her nose at the earlier money bag containing 100,000 dollars

Could it be that she was once a fatty and so she liked everything that was big?

Looking at the strange look in He Ning's eyes, Qiao Mei knew that he was up to no good. She picked out a few pots of flowers for him to take away, without even asking him which pot he was most interested in.

Qiao Mei looked at He Ning and said, "What you wanted earlier are these 10 pots of flowers on the ground floor. I'll give them all to you. The flowers upstairs are not included though."

He Ning sniffed carefully. The smell was very faint, so it definitely could not be coming from the second floor.

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"No need to include those upstairs," He Ning said.

"Then do a check on these 10 pots of flowers to make sure they're the ones you want. Just to be very clear that we haven't swapped them out." Qiao Mei pointed at the flowers and checked with him.

He Ning took a glance at Qiao Mei. This young lady was really quite meticulous.

"That's right, these are the ones." He had already checked these pots of flowers carefully and confirmed that they had not been swapped.

"Good. In that case, since you've confirmed it, then we're square now. Money in exchange for goods. We've also counted the money. There's 50,000 dollars here," Qiao Mei said with a smile.

The other womenfolk of the Xia family were also in the house. Her mother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt-in-law and Xia Zhe's elder sister were all there. He did not expect that she, the youngest among them, would be the one to negotiate with him.

He could see that Xu Lan and Liu Fen both wanted to say something, but could not find a way to take part in the conversation. Qiao Mei handled this matter in a manner that was neither servile nor overbearing, and with a sense of propriety. They could not find any fault with how she handled him and their help was not needed at all.

This was what a daughter-in-law of an aristocratic family should be like. Even He Mei had not learned the tiniest bit from him after learning from him for a few years.

He Ning was now even more determined to break the couple up. If Qiao Mei stayed in the Xia family, the family would go from strength to strength very soon and there would be no place for the He family in the future.

After everything was settled, He Ning left. Actually, He Ning did not want to leave. He could smell something cooking in the kitchen. The Xia family must be making supper.

"What are you having for supper?" He Ning asked.

His words stunned everyone in the room. Qiao Mei had never seen such a thick-skinned person.

"Whatever we're eating tonight has nothing to do with Mr. He. This is our private matter." Qiao Mei pointed at the door and said, "Take care, Mr. He. It's not convenient for us, so we won't be sending you off."

In her other life, Qiao Mei was quite a charming woman and there were many men who tried to woo her. Therefore, she was very skilled at rejecting people. If the other party had the cheek to ask for something, she also had the cheek to reject him heartlessly.

He Ning was also stunned. This was the first time in decades that someone did not give in to his whims.

"Alright then. Goodbye." He Ning left the Xia family regretfully.

The other party had already rejected him forcefully. It would be too shameless for him to insist on staying. Moreover, there were only women in the house and it would not be good if word got out.

"Wait a minute! Mr. He!" Qiao Mei shouted as she looked at his retreating back.

He Ning thought that Qiao Mei had felt that her words were too harsh and that she had offended him, and so she wanted to ask him to join them for supper.

"Are you still eating fish tonight? Or did you make a new dish?" He Ning immediately turned around and looked at Qiao Mei with a wide smile.

The speed at which he changed his expression even stunned his attendant.

"No… I just want to say that I'll give you all the flowers upstairs as well," Qiao Mei said.

Qiao Mei did feel a little sorry, but not about rejecting his request for supper. Instead, she felt uneasy about exchanging so many food stamps for only 10 pots of ordinary flowers and plants.

Furthermore, if He Ning returned home and then concluded that the smell he wanted did not come from the flowers on the first floor, he might return to ask for the flowers and plants on the second floor. She might as well give him all the flowers now, rather than run the risk of that happening.

He Ning looked at Qiao Mei in disappointment and asked his attendant to deal with the flowers while he returned to the car. He did not expect Qiao Mei to really reject him.

Qiao Mei asked He Ning's attendant to wait downstairs while she and Xia He went to the second floor to bring down the flowers and plants.

Xia He was already starting to be full of admiration for Qiao Mei. Due to He Ning's reputation, she did not really dare to deal with him. Although they were around the same age, she could not deal with He Ning the way that Xia Wen did.

She felt as if they were not on the same level. If He Ning had told her that he wanted to stay for supper, she would not have dared to refuse. She did not expect Qiao Mei to be so unrelenting.

There were only three pots of flowers upstairs which were similar to the flowers downstairs. There were some peonies and jasmine and there was nothing special about them.

Qiao Mei had not taken any "special care" of these flowers in the Xia family's house. Perhaps the energy that Qiao Mei unintentionally emitted had been absorbed by these flowers and plants, so they bloomed well. However, they only looked a little better than flowers everywhere else and did not have any special powers.

Qiao Mei did not feel any pinch in giving them away. If Xu Lan wanted to grow flowers, she would go and buy a few pots of nice ones for her.

After the flowers were given away, the Xia family's house quieted down. Everyone was tired after a long day. It was all because she would rather have dimes than banknotes. There were so many that the truck almost could not hold all the coins.

Could it be that Qiao Mei wanted to use the dimes to buy candy and ice cream?

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Then there were also so many food stamps. Although they would have a little advantage by exchanging local food stamps for national food stamps, was the Xia family lacking these food stamps worth a few hundred catties?

Could it be that she really planned to use the bags of food stamps as burning materials!

Qiao Mei was unable to explain these things to them and just moved everything into her room. She stood at the door and looked at the room that was filled with sacks of food stamps and money. These things would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the future.

Just thinking about it made her very happy.

Let's eat braised pork tonight! It's a reward for everyone!

He Ning and his attendant did not go far. Instead, they stood just outside the wall of the Xia family's house. Not long after, they could smell a nice fragrance coming from the kitchen.

The attendant secretly swallowed his saliva. Now he understood why He Ning was unwilling to leave the Xia family's house. However, did He Ning intend to just stand outside the wall and smell the fragrance?

Of course, He Ning did not just want to smell it. He was waiting for the men of the Xia family to return home and then follow them in to eat with them. The men would be too embarrassed to reject him, right?

3

However, by the time the sky was completely dark and they could hear the sound of dishes being washed inside the house, the men of the Xia family still had not returned.

After being in He Ning's employment for so many years, this was the first time that the attendant felt that He Ning was behaving illogically. The situation was so awkward that he did not know what to say. The night air was chilly and it would be disastrous if He Ning fell sick.

"Sir… they probably have something on and won't be coming back tonight. Or perhaps they're just ganging up to bully you! Why don't we go back?" the attendant said mindfully.

He Ning shook his head and said, "Forget it, let's go."

The two of them silently got into the car parked at the corner and went home.

He Ning left in a state of exasperation.

The first thing he did when he reached home was to smell the 13 pots of flowers one by one to see which one contained the smell he wanted.

However, even after he checked them carefully a few times, none of them had what he wanted.

"As expected…" He Ning looked at the flowers and smiled.

He knew that Qiao Mei would not be so compliant as to hand over what he wanted. She must have hidden the pot of special flowers. No wonder she was so meticulous when he was about to leave.

However, she did say that she had already given him all the flowers in the house. Could it be that the smell was not from flowers but from spices?

Qiao Mei must have known where the smell he wanted came from and how important it was to him. Yet, she deliberately asked for food stamps in exchange for the flowers so as to distract and mislead him.

1

This young lady was really scheming and he found that interesting.

After drinking his medicine, He Ning prepared to go to bed. He already felt much better after taking the ginseng. As for the 13 pots of flowers, they actually smelled quite good and he decided to leave them around. They looked better than his original flowers anyway.

Xia Zhe only managed to rush home in the middle of the night. After quietly washing up downstairs, he returned to his room and carefully crawled into bed.

Qiao Mei woke up immediately and sat up to ask, "Hurry up and give me a report. Where did you go and what did you do?"

1

As she sniffed carefully, she could detect the smell of soil and muttered softly, "Did the three generations of you go digging a tunnel?"

When Xia Zhe heard this, he was so amused that he laughed. He pulled Qiao Mei into his arms and said, "Are you a puppy? Why is your nose so sensitive?"

"You really went to dig a tunnel! Did you guys go to shift everything under the house?" Qiao Mei asked as she looked at Xia Zhe in shock.

"No, those people won't be able to come by anymore. It's all our own people at the house now," Xia Zhe said.

Recently, many people had gone digging at the courtyard house at night. After digging for a few days without finding anything, many of them had left. They were also afraid of causing the front yard to collapse or that they would dig out the groundwater again.

Now, there were only their own people at the house. They had sent people in disguise to hide among the crowd.

"Then where did you guys go?" Qiao Mei asked curiously.

Xia Zhe smiled proudly and said, "We went to dig under the He family's house!"

4

Qiao Mei did not know how to express her feelings for a moment. So it turned out that Xia Zhe's grandfather had asked them out in such a hurry to dig under the He family's house while He Ning was not at home?

"So it's a diversion tactic. Then what did you dig up?" Qiao Mei looked at Xia Zhe with bright shiny eyes.

If the Xia family had so many hidden treasures, then the He family must have a lot more.

However, Qiao Mei got it wrong this time. They did not dig up He Ning's house. Instead, they had gone to the He family's ancestral home, where they knew they would be able to find interesting things.

There were many hidden guards looking after He Ning's house and it was very difficult for people to enter. He Guo had long moved into his own house and no longer stayed in the ancestral home. The He family's ancestral home was vacant at the moment.

"There's nothing in He Ning's own courtyard. We went to their ancestral home," Xia Zhe said.

Qiao Mei asked, "Then did you manage to dig something out?"

"No, we put something inside," Xia Zhe said.

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Qiao Mei was even more shocked when she heard this. It made sense to her though. If they really had gone digging around, they would definitely not be able to find anything valuable within such a short period of time.

Xia Zhe's hand wandered all over Qiao Mei's body. During this period of time, Qiao Mei's figure had filled out more and more. Xia Zhe enjoyed the feel of her smooth skin, gentle curves, as well as her voluptuous bosom.

1

Xia Zhe leaned against Qiao Mei's neck and sniffed greedily at the scent that only belonged to Qiao Mei.

"We didn't go there to investigate. Instead, we thought of a way to give him something," Xia Zhe said.

Qiao Mei slapped away the hand that was wandering all over her body. Her heart ached at the thought that they might have given away some treasure that would be priceless in the future. Xia Zhe and the others did not understand how things would develop in the future and would not know the value of the things they sent. What a pity.

"Is whatever you sent very valuable? Is it something from our house? Which master's calligraphy and painting is it, or is it antique porcelain ware? Tell me quickly, I'm getting so anxious," Qiao Mei said with heartache.

Even if these things were dug up, He Ning would definitely do a careful check on whether the soil on the surfaces had been touched by anyone else. If the soil on the items was not old soil, then this matter would be exposed.

Even if He Ning did not manage to investigate this matter in time, the items would still be kept away. Yet, items that seemed worthless now might be worth millions or even tens of millions of dollars in the future.

In a few years' time, everything that was seized would be registered. If the items managed to survive those few years, they would be returned to their rightful owners when they were found later. With the He family's ability, it would be easy for them to be able to retain their things. At that time, He Ning would be sitting on a windfall.

Qiao Mei tossed and turned in bed. She had just ripped off a large sum of money from He Ning, but in the blink of an eye, Xia Zhe and the others had gone off to send money back to He Ning.

"What's wrong? Who made our Mei Mei so angry?" Xia Zhe reached out and gently tapped Qiao Mei's nose.

Xia Zhe reached out and hugged Qiao Mei gently. He took a deep breath to calm his restless heart and said slowly, "Are you thinking about what we sent?"

"Yes. What if the things you sent turned out to be quite valuable?" Qiao Mei pouted and said.

Previously, when Qiao Mei was actively buying up antiques, Xia Zhe had asked her about it once. Most of the antiques for sale on the market were officially registered and approved for sale and purchase. Even if such things were kept at home, as long as the owners had receipts, it was not a big deal and no one would report it.

Xia Zhe had wondered why Qiao Mei seemed to think that all those worthless things were treasures. Could it be that she bought them and took them home just because they looked pretty?

Qiao Mei patiently explained to him what it meant for things to appreciate in value over time and what it meant by value being driven up by scarcity. Xia Zhe listened but did not quite understand the concept. After all, he thought that there was nothing good about old things. Was it not a fact that people only like new things? However, he thought that whatever Qiao Mei said was always right.

"Don't worry, we're only sending a few old items that He Ning is familiar with. The things are not from our family," Xia Zhe said.

A long time ago, the Jiang and He families were both in the military, just like the Xia family. At that time, the three families got on very well. However, as Old Master Jiang and Old Master He had grown up together, they were particularly close to each other. Later on, during the tumultuous times, the He family had found it hard to retain their official status, so they decided to retire and start some business.

The Jiang family was also weak and had no backing, so they retired as well to work together with the He family. Later on, the relationship between the two families became better and better. They enlisted together again later and donated their assets together.

Unexpectedly, He Ning's father suddenly passed away one day, and the harmonious days came to an end. After having his son die earlier than him, Old Master He also passed away not long after.

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At that time, out of the three children in the He family, the eldest child was still in school and the youngest was still learning how to talk. There were very few people in the He family, and they did not have many relatives as well.

Old Master Jiang could not bear to see the children being without their parents, so he helped them out in every way possible. However, he could only solve the problems in their daily lives. As the days passed and the children were about to start working, an argument broke out.

"Why would there be conflicts? Don't we all rely on our own abilities? Besides, if I'm helping you out of goodwill, I don't owe your family anything," Qiao Mei asked curiously.

Xia Zhe stroked Qiao Mei's head and explained, "At that time, the Jiang family was not a prominent family. They just had a bit more money than others. The Jiang family only had that much resources, and the children and grandchildren from both families were about the same age, so the Jiang family must have made arrangements for their own children first."

The children of the Jiang family were not close to the children of the He family. As Old Master Jiang doted on the He family too much, the children and grandchildren of the Jiang family were jealous and unwilling to befriend them.

"The Jiang family rendered help for so many years. Even if they didn't achieve much, they still deserved credit for their efforts. Don't tell me the He family turned on them because of work issues? Are the He family members all ingrates?" Qiao Mei scolded indignantly.

"People die in pursuit of wealth, like how birds die in pursuit of food. People always want to get the share they think they deserve. Moreover, the He family kept feeling that there was something strange about the death of He Ning's father," Xia Zhe said.

"Didn't they say he died of illness?" Qiao Mei asked Xia Zhe in surprise.

Xia Zhe did not understand everything that happened either. At that time, he was still young. However, Xia Wen had told him before that He Ning's father did not pass away at home, but that he had an accident on a business trip. Old Master Jiang was originally supposed to be the one going on this business trip.

"We don't know what exactly happened. At that time, the news was very strictly suppressed. Even my grandfather doesn't know the exact details. Probably only the Jiang family and the He family know how He Ning's father died. All we know is that something suddenly happened to the Jiang family after that and their family was broken up overnight. Old Master Jiang was also beaten up until he was on his last breath. Later on, he passed away as he was too badly injured to be saved. The rest of his descendants also suffered serious injuries and they later fled to different places," Xia Zhe said.

1

At that time, Xia Zhe and Xia Wen were at the scene in person and saw with their own eyes the realities of human nature.

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Qiao Mei was stunned. She could not believe that Old Master Jiang had been beaten to death. Was there no law and order in place?

Qiao Mei sat up in disbelief and looked at Xia Zhe as she asked, "Doesn't anyone care that this happened? And they just let these people do whatever they want."

Xia Zhe shook his head. Too many people had rushed in then and no one knew who was involved. In addition, everyone felt that the Jiang family deserved their fate and was unwilling to testify, so there was no investigation done on the matter.

"Someone reported that the Jiang family colluded with the enemy and committed treason in the past, and that they even engaged in opportunistic speculation. Each one of these accusations is a serious crime on its own," Xia Zhe said. Opportunistic speculation meant the act of buying and selling items in private, which was not allowed in that era.

Qiao Mei pondered over the details. What happened to the Jiang family was exactly the same as what happened at their courtyard house not long ago. They were both cases of wrongful accusations.

"This matter… was done by He Ning?" Qiao Mei asked hesitantly.

Xia Zhe nodded and said, "That's right. He was the one who reported it. At that time, everyone was looking for the person who reported the Jiang family. By right, if the Jiang family was doing something like that, they would have covered up their tracks very well. Furthermore, they did not have any enemies. Who would be willing to offend someone like that for no reason? Later on, it was He Ning himself who came forward and admitted that he was the one who did it."

"The Jiang family raised them for so many years and yet they've turned around to bite the hand that feeds them and return kindness with ingratitude. Aren't they afraid that the neighbors will gossip behind their backs? How dare he admit to it?" Qiao Mei said.

"Compared to being criticized, he's more willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals," Xia Zhe said with a sneer.

"That's true." Qiao Mei could see He Ning's character more clearly now.

"At that time, he described in detail what he saw at the Jiang family's house. He even said that the Jiang family gave him a sum of money to keep quiet about this matter, and that he reported them out of a guilty conscience," Xia Zhe said.

As if he could have a guilty conscience?

He Ning would probably think that he had executed the move well and even felt smug about it.

"So you're going to do the same thing now? Let He Ning suffer the consequences of his actions?" Qiao Mei asked.

She felt that such a plan was a little inappropriate and too crude. A meticulous person like He Ning would not fall for it. Besides, this was He Ning's usual trick and no one was more familiar with it than him.

"We're not the ones doing it. We're just helping to make the arrangements," Xia Zhe said with a smile.

"I'm guessing that you must have made an anonymous report, but will He Ning let someone into their house? Elder brother told me before that He Ning was involved in politics when he was still in good health. He still has a lot of connections." Qiao Mei was a little worried.

"We found the descendants of the Jiang family from back then," Xia Zhe said.

"Who is it? Isn't everyone from the Jiang family in hiding? How did you find them? This must be something you've been plotting for a very long time!" Qiao Mei looked at Xia Zhe in surprise. It seemed that they had long made preparations to counterattack the He family.

"Back then, the Jiang family also helped us a lot. We've always wanted to help them secretly, but they've managed to hide themselves very well. There was no news from them at all and we only found them recently," Xia Zhe said.

If He Ning could make up a story back then, then so could the Jiang family. They just needed to reverse the roles of the characters in the story.

Qiao Mei's eyes lit up. "Then are they willing to come out and testify? After hiding for so many years, they should be living a peaceful life now. Why would they give up their current peace and quiet to fight the He family for us?"

"If they don't come out to testify, then their descendants will all have to continue to live their lives hiding like rats in the gutter. The Jiang family will come forward for the sake of their descendants," Xia Zhe said.

It made more sense for the Jiang family to make the accusation and submit the report. Every injustice had its own perpetrator.

"Then who's the one coming forward this time?" Qiao Mei asked curiously.

This person must be a heavyweight.

"It's the son of Jiang Yan, the eldest son of the Jiang family. His name is Jiang Shu. Eldest Aunt was the one who made the arrangements. They all just returned yesterday and he's probably already in the courtyard of the He family's old house." Xia Zhe seemed a little emotional when he said this.

The reason why Xia Xiu remained single was also related to this matter. Xia Xiu joined the army when she was very young. One year, she met the second son of the Jiang family, Jiang Jin.

The two of them helped each other out on the battlefield and subsequently developed feelings for each other. At that time, Xia Xiu was already very outstanding and decisive at work and did not behave like a 19-year-old girl at all. She would only lower her guard and reveal her innocent side when she was with Jiang Jin.

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"Then did Eldest Aunt end up with him?" Qiao Mei asked.

"No, Eldest Aunt also had no choice at that time," Xia Zhe said regretfully.

Later on, Jiang Jin's family arranged for him to go home and inherit the family business and the two young people could only correspond via letters. Xia Xiu had only just managed to receive the blessing from Xia Jun and Wu Min to get married when that disastrous event happened to the Jiang family not long after.

At that time, the Xia family was still a family of nobodies and did not have the ability to help the Jiang family. Moreover, the entire issue was so serious that no one could fully protect them.

Xia Xiu had no choice but to give up on this marriage and she remained single for the rest of her life. Over the years, she continued to secretly investigate Jiang Jin's whereabouts.

If it was not Xia Xiu who had gone to look for them, the Jiang family would not have dared to make an appearance so easily. The crimes that they were accused of were very serious ones. With such charges hanging over the Jiang family, they would be looked down upon for the rest of their lives. The foundation and reputation that their ancestors had built up over the years had been destroyed in one day.

Not only did this matter affect the reputation of their ancestors, even the descendants of the Jiang family were affected. They would never be able to join the military or enter politics, and could only do odd jobs to support their families.

In exchange for their reappearance this time, the Xia family had offered to do their best to ensure the safety of the Jiang family members and give them the chance to tell the truth about what happened back then and to seek redress. Even if that could not be done, the Xia family would ensure that the Jiang family members could escape unscathed and start their lives afresh elsewhere with new identities.

Part of the reason why the Jiang family was willing to testify was also because of Xia Xiu. Back then, they were the ones who had let Xia Xiu down. For the sake of being with Jiang Jin, Xia Xiu even almost had a falling out with the Xia family. She even asked Xia Jun to remove her from their family tree so that she was no longer a member of the Xia family. Xia Mao was so angry that he knocked Xia Xiu out on the same day of the Jiang family's incident, marking the end of her marriage plans.

It was hard to say if it would have been a good marriage, but to the rest of the Xia family, it was an ill-fated relationship.

In order to make it up to the Jiang family, Xia Mao and Xia Jun had gone around asking for information about them but both of them gave up in the end as they could not find anything. Only Xia Xiu persisted over the years.

This time, the Jiang family had brought along some strong evidence from back then.

The things that were currently buried in the He family's courtyard were from the same batch as what was dug up from the Jiang family's house back then. In those years, the Jiang family had kept their things in many places and only one place had been dug up.

This time, when the Xia family went to look for the Jiang family to discuss countermeasures, they had brought out another thing to "return" to He Ning.

Qiao Mei finally figured out the ins and outs of this matter. He Ning really deserved what he got. She had thought that He Ning was only ruthless but not to the extent of killing people. She did not expect him to be worse than she imagined.

In accordance with the plans of the Jiang and Xia families, there were already people at the He family's old house, getting ready to start digging.

Qiao Mei ran barefoot to the wardrobe to find a set of thicker clothes to wear. It was still early in the morning and the dew was heavy, so it was still a little cold.

Xia Zhe frowned and lifted Qiao Mei in his arms. He said sternly, "You're not wearing shoes! What if you catch a cold like this! It's the middle of the night, why are you looking for clothes instead of going to sleep?"

Of course it was to join in the fun!

Qiao Mei put her arms around Xia Zhe's neck obediently and said, "I… I want to go and watch… watch the sunrise! Yes! To watch the sunrise!"

Xia Zhe carried Qiao Mei back to the bed helplessly. What sunrise was she talking about? She clearly wanted to go and catch the show!

Qiao Mei suddenly remembered that the Xia family had just made a three-year agreement with He Ning earlier today. Were they going back on their word by doing this?

Moreover, if they turned up before the news spread about the He family, He Ning would definitely deduce that this matter had something to do with the Xia family. In the future, He Ning would definitely use this matter as a basis to take revenge on the Xia family. He would even use the fact that there was a three-year agreement to talk about the Xia family being treacherous people.

However, she really wanted to see He Ning's expression when he encountered such a situation. He was usually the one who plotted against others. She wondered how he would feel to be the one plotted against.

Even in the dark night, Xia Zhe could see the sparkle in Qiao Mei's eyes, making him yearn for her. He could not help himself from leaning down to kiss her gently, behaving like he was her most devout follower.

During such a romantic moment, Qiao Mei's mind was preoccupied with the drama that she wanted to watch and she did not care about what Xia Zhe was doing.

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Xia Zhe looked at the non-responsive Qiao Mei and pursed his lips. "Young girl, what are you thinking about? Hurry up and go to sleep. It's almost dawn. I'll go over to the He family's house after you fall asleep."

Qiao Mei leaned forward and planted a kiss on Xia Zhe's face and said fawningly, "Big brother~ Just bring me along~ I'll think of a random reason to explain why I'm there. Just say that I lost my way! Or that I want to take a walk! Otherwise, how about I just watch from afar?"

Xia Zhe remained silent. Things would get very serious later and he might not be able to watch out for Qiao Mei. The Xia family members needed to be there to lend support to the Jiang family.

"Please~ Just bring me along~" Qiao Mei held Xia Zhe's arm and rocked it gently.

This was the first time Xia Zhe had seen Qiao Mei acting so coquettishly with him, but this was not a reason to give in to her request. What if something unexpected happened? However, he could not bear to reject her coldly.

"Believe me, I can definitely take good care of myself. I won't go in and I won't even stand at the door. I'll just stand a distance away or even at the door of the He family's next-door neighbor! What do you think~" Qiao Mei looked at Xia Zhe eagerly. As long as she was in the area near the He family's house, she would be able to see what was going on inside.

Even after He Ning moved away, the He family still maintained the habit of growing flowers and plants at the house. Every year during the new year period, He Ning would come back for a gathering with his two eldest brothers. For the sake of He Ning's health, they had always maintained the house based on what He Ning needed. They were worried that any changes might cause He Ning to fall ill if he suddenly came for a visit.

Qiao Mei had found out that she could now use plants to see things within a six-kilometer radius. However, if she wanted to see clearly, she had to do it within a range of 500 meters. Otherwise, she would not be able to see or hear clearly as there would be very serious noise interference.

Xia Zhe said gently, "What if what's going to happen today turns out exactly the same as what happened to the Jiang family 10 years ago? Be good and stay at home. I'll be back to accompany you soon."

"I'm not that weak! I wasn't even afraid when the earthquake happened back then! This is such a small matter!" Qiao Mei said.

Xia Zhe frowned and said, "This is different from what happened that time. The last time, it was an unavoidable natural disaster and there were very few people around. I was also by your side. This time round, if there are many people fighting in the He family's house, how can I protect you? What if you get pushed around and fall down? What if He Ning holds you hostage?"

Xia Zhe could already imagine countless scenarios where Qiao Mei could get injured and did not dare to think further. He would not bring Qiao Mei along so that she would not get hurt at all.

"But if I don't face these things, how can I protect our children?" Qiao Mei said as she looked at Xia Zhe with a serious expression.

"Second Aunt-in-law and Third Aunt-in-law just take care of their children by staying at home. Even my mother never cares about such things. They're all doing fine! We've all grown up well!" Xia Zhe felt so anxious that he stood up.

Qiao Mei looked at Xia Zhe and felt a little shaken. She was not a helpless woman who could only stay at home to take care of the family.

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Xia Zhe also realized that he had spoken too harshly and quickly explained, "That's not what I mean… I'm just worried about you…"

Qiao Mei also understood that Xia Zhe had said those words in a moment of anxiety. She held Xia Zhe's hand and said, "You can't protect me all the time. Besides, He Ning is eyeing us covetously now. You know very well what he wants to do, so I must develop the ability to protect myself and our children. Only then can you feel at ease."

He would be returning to the army in half a month's time. Given Qiao Mei's current condition, she would not be able to join him as a military spouse yet. When she eventually returned to Foshan Village to look for her grandfather, there would also be no one around to protect her.

"Alright, I'll bring you there." Xia Zhe gave it some consideration and finally decided to bring Qiao Mei with him.