Chapter 149 With a father around, you're not an orphan

Xishan Village, a small stream at the village entrance

'Thump!'

'Thump!'

'Thump—!'

In the dead of winter, a hole was carved into the ice of the river, and Tian Wu and several troublemakers jumped into it.

As soon as they jumped, the guys' faces turned blue and purple from the cold.

Tian Wu, in particular, had already been beaten quite a bit, and now his whole body was frozen stiff after being submerged in icy water. He felt like he was not far from death.

The village chief watched in horror, his fingers clenched tightly. "Isn't that enough? It's so cold. If they stay frozen any longer, someone might die."

Jiang Zhizhi stood on the shore looking at the group of people and let out a disdainful snort, "This is nothing! My brother was injured, so they should pay back tenfold. Don't worry, it's not even three minutes, no one will die."

At most, I'll suffer a little and catch a bad cold when I get home.

But they deserved it all!

“My daughter said so, so of course nothing will happen.” Jiang An crossed his arms and looked down at the people in the river.

Ma Jianhua was the first to go down; he was forced into it.

It's all because Zhizhi just said that he was the mastermind behind it all. Although someone else spilled the water, it was done under his orders.

If someone intentionally does evil, that's the most deserving of death; even from a legal perspective, they're the principal offender!

Jiang Anchao looked at the group of people, whose teeth were chattering, and his smile became even more wicked. "You made my son get splashed with cold water, so I'll let you wash yours with cold water too. Is that fair? It's not like I'm bullying you, is it?"

He said it on purpose, and none of Tian Wu, Ma Jianhua, or the others dared to refute him; they all shook their heads.

Ma Jianhua was the first to give in. He stammered and begged for mercy, "This water is too cold. It could really kill someone."

"Then do you believe I can kill you right now?!"

Ma Jianhua remained silent. Although his eyes were filled with resentment, he was a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong, and dared not put up any real resistance.

Jiang Anchao turned his head to look at the village chief, then glanced at the people behind him who were looking this way.

"Once the agreement is signed, it will be legally binding. No matter where Gansu's household registration is located in the future, it will not be subject to the allocation by your village. Your village is where it is today because of the military merits earned by Ma Jianguo and his wife at the cost of their lives. Therefore, they are your benefactors, not your enemies. You should treat their children well. Do you understand?"

The village chief nodded, his face ashen. "Understood."

How could he not understand?

When Ma Jianhua first proposed to take over his deceased brother's house, he felt it was a bit unfair, but since Ma Jianhua had given him gifts, he couldn't refuse.

Thinking that since there's only one child in the family, they might as well go to the city to enjoy a better life.

They probably won't care about this house anymore.

Even if he cared, as the village chief, he could easily quell the matter and it would be over.

But no one expected it to escalate to such a huge extent.

He was filled with remorse. He should have never agreed to Ma Jianhua's underhanded scheme; it almost ruined the entire village!

The sound of the riverbank rising in the morning reached the ears of every villager present.

"If you want to contract land and have the right to your own homestead, then protect the Gansu family well. If their family is doing well, then Xishan Village will be doing well. But if even one brick of their family is missing, then no one in Xishan Village will have a good time!"

He watched as the villagers nodded.

Jiang Anchao walked up to his son and half-squatted down to be at eye level with him.

“Jiang Gansu, remember this: when you are weak, everyone will try to kick you while you're down. But as long as you are strong enough to protect yourself from harm, then everyone around you will be a good person, a friend. This is the first thing your father has accomplished for you. In the future, there will be many more villains like today in your life. Remember, don't be a coward! With your father here, you are definitely not a child without family.”

Jiang Gansu burst into tears and rushed towards his father.

Jiang Anchao paused for a second, then smiled helplessly and patted his son's back.

"Is this matter settled? Young Master... Can you come home with me now?"

*

After saying goodbye to the village chief of Xishan Village.

Jiang Anchao grabbed the eldest son and prepared to leave.

The six people returned to the car. Su Xuetong waited for a long time before finally rolling down the window impatiently. "Are you done? Shall we leave now?"

She looked around like a curious child. "The air in the countryside is so fresh, unlike the capital city which is always gloomy and even drier in autumn and winter, with sandstorms everywhere. Shall we take a stroll?"

Ji Yanjing glanced at the boundary marker outside the village, pursed his lips, and suddenly said, "Let me drive on the way back."

"Huh?" Jiang An raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why do you suddenly want to drive? Do you want to take Xue Tong sightseeing?"

There are several villages around here. Xishan Village is considered to be in relatively good condition. The villages next to it are blocked by mountains and are extremely poor. What's there to see there?

Zhizhi tugged at her father's sleeve and shook her head at him.

Then she sweetly suggested, "Since Auntie wants to go shopping, let Uncle drive, and Dad... we can all sit in the back!"

Although I don't know what my uncle is up to, I can tell from the fact that this is a remote village.

She always felt that... her uncle's arrangement might be for something he wanted to do.

Ji Yanjing drove out of the village. Although he came from the capital, he knew the roads here as if he had been there before. He drove 30 kilometers with ease. The roadsides were lined with white poplars, but in winter only the bare trunks remained.

But the vast expanse of mountains stretching to the farmland, offering a wide and open view, is still very pleasing to the eye.

Su Xuetong sat in the passenger seat, watching him drive into a remote little village.

"The Village of Fainting?"

What a strange name!

“This is a notoriously impoverished village,” Deng Qiu suddenly said, her expression complex. “When I first went to the countryside, none of my companions wanted to come here.”

"Why?"

"Because once you come, you can't leave."

After Deng Qiu finished speaking, Su Xuetong was even more confused. She turned to her husband and asked, "Why did you bring us here? Do you know anyone in this village?"

Ji Yanjing rolled down the car window, turned his head to look out the window, and his gaze gradually drifted into the distance.

He parked his car not in the center of the village entrance, but outside a row of rural houses in the southwest corner.

From this angle, you can see the gates of the two or three houses in front.

Ji Yanjing pointed to the dilapidated house in the middle, "Look over there."

Su Xuetong curiously peeked over and said, "There's nothing there."

Ji Yanjing's smile was icy. Xue Tong didn't see it, but if she looked closely, she could see a person behind the crack in the door lock. The person had disheveled hair, and she could vaguely make out a little dress that seemed out of place in the countryside, as well as a pair of eyes filled with numb pain...

The little cub raised an eyebrow.

ah... ...

So it was her?