Chapter 208: Circuitous Tactics

When Old Man Chen heard Old Lady Chen talk about building a house with green bricks and tiles, he felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.

Back then, their family was one of the richest in Nanshan Village. If it weren't for the third child's studies, they would not have sold their nice brick and tile house and moved into a thatched hut.

He had had enough of the villagers' cold stares and ridicule over the years.

The villagers flattered and were polite on the surface, saying that the third son would have a bright future, but behind his back they pointed fingers at him, saying that he was just daydreaming.

Instead of living a good life, he had to support a scholar, and ended up making his life a mess...

Listening to these gossips, Old Man Chen held his breath in his heart, firmly believing that even if he didn't rely on his third son to pass the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official, his family's life would get better and better.

Now that the opportunity has finally come, he is very excited.

"Old woman, you are absolutely right. We must not let that damned girl outlive our family. Three tiled houses are too small. If we want to steal, we should steal a two-story house. Wouldn't that be more comfortable? But..."

Old Man Chen paused, looking troubled. "But where are we going to put all these bricks after we steal them? If that damn girl finds out, it'll be bad news. With her stubborn nature, if she really charges us with theft, we'll go to jail."

Old Mrs. Chen blinked her eyes and thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped her thigh and said, "It's okay, just go ahead and steal back without worry. There's plenty of space in our house. As long as we don't let outsiders in, no one will find out."

"Yes, yes, that's a good idea. As long as the rumors die down, we can build a house openly."

"That's right, but you have to be more diligent these days."

"Don't worry, I will take away the pile of bricks in front of the door tonight, and I will try to fill our house with bricks in ten days or half a month." Old man Chen patted his chest and promised.

Old Mrs. Chen frowned as she listened. "I beg you to stop being angry with me, please. Can you please use your brain for everything?"

Old Man Chen was confused. "How did I offend you?"

"Could you please not chisel at the door? If you clear out the bricks at the door, that damn girl will come knocking on your door tomorrow.

As the saying goes, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. To be safe, you have to steal separately, stealing a little from this pile and a little from that pile. Only in this way can you avoid being discovered."

"Right, right, right. Fortunately you told me in advance, otherwise I really wouldn't have thought of this." Old Man Chen nodded repeatedly, "I've taken note of it. Just wait and count the bricks at home!"

"Just remember it. Go back to the house and drink some porridge to refresh yourself so that you can take action in the evening." Old Mrs. Chen pulled Old Man Chen back to the house.

******

Seeing that the matter had been resolved, the Luneng brothers became busy again.

Chen Qingqing knew that the old couple Chen were wicked and had bad intentions, so she thought they would wait until they built the house before causing trouble.

But I didn't expect them to be so impatient and come up with bad ideas as soon as they started unloading bricks.

Fortunately, Wu Baoan arrived in time, otherwise today the old couple would have known the consequences of offending her.

With a thought, he put the prepared insanity poison into the space, smiled and said to Wu Baoan,

"Thank you, Uncle Lizheng. Thanks to your help, otherwise the old couple wouldn't have left so easily."

"You're welcome, little girl. These two old fellows are getting more and more stupid as they get older. Don't bother with them. After all, you have their blood in you."

"They have never considered me a relative, so why should I care about that little bit of blood relationship?" Chen Qingqing laughed at herself.

Wu Baoan shook his head helplessly and sighed, "Qing girl, I know it seems a bit hypocritical to advise you like this. After all, I haven't experienced the pain you have endured, but I also don't want you to become a narrow-minded person. After all, living in hatred will not bring happiness."

"I understand your good intentions. As long as they don't provoke me, I won't do anything to them. If they still want to bully me, I won't be polite either."

Chen Qingqing smiled faintly and changed the subject. "Uncle Village Head, my house is a bit too big. I want to build a sugar mill as well. Next spring, I want to mobilize everyone in the village to plant sugar beets. Sugar beets are not picky about the soil, even sandy or arid land. The yield is several times higher than that of crops. I will be responsible for purchasing them all."

After hearing this, Wu Baoan's eyes were filled with smiles. "That's a good idea. Most of the land in our village is barren. Growing sugar beets can bring in profits. That's a good thing that will benefit everyone. Uncle supports you."

Chen Qingqing understands that win-win cooperation is the key. After all, individual strength is limited. Only by benefiting the entire village can her business grow bigger and stronger.

If only her family became richer while the villagers remained poor, she would inevitably become the target of public criticism, attracting jealousy and resentment.

Only when everyone can live a good life can the atmosphere in the village be harmonious and her career can develop stably and long-term.

She comes from the modern era, and God gave her a chance to be reborn here, which should bring changes to this village...

"Okay, next time Zheng Zhong comes to deliver beets, I'll ask him to bring some extra beet seeds. Then I'll rely on you to help me mobilize the villagers."

"Okay, okay, don't worry, Qing girl, I'll take care of it."

Wu Baoan's eyes were filled with excitement. He thought, "After becoming rich, he still remembers his fellow villagers. How could he not be moved by this love?"

******

Several days passed, and Old Man Chen hid during the day and went out at night. He knew the behavior pattern of Erdanzi, who was on guard at night, very well. He would find the right opportunity to move bricks into his home. In just a few days, he stole several thousand yuan.

Looking at the blue bricks all over the room, Old Lady Chen was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. She waved to Old Man Chen who had just entered the room and said, "Old man, come on, sit down and have a rest. Don't get too tired."

Old man Chen put the brick in his hand on the ground, sat down on the edge of the kang, and took a few deep breaths. "Old woman, why haven't you slept yet? Go to sleep quickly, otherwise it will be dawn soon."

"I want to sleep, but I'm so happy looking at this room full of blue bricks that I can't fall asleep. At this rate, you can finish the three large tiled houses in less than a month."

"You're right, old lady. That's what I thought at the time. That's why I worked so hard to move bricks home. But it's been a bit difficult to start these past two days."

Old Mrs. Chen trembled with distress, "What happened? Someone noticed that something was lost."

Old Man Chen shook his head. "No, it's just that Erdan, the night watchman, is more energetic than me. He's been like a chicken with blood these past few days, staying up all night and wandering around all the time. I have to play hide-and-seek with him."

"I thought it was just something wrong. It's no big deal." Old Mrs. Chen shook her head and smiled. "Even tigers have time to nap. I don't believe there won't be a chance to attack. Besides, you don't know how to use roundabout tactics with him!"

.......