Shortly after seeing off Ma Youwei and his party, Su Huaiyue and Wei Che received a letter from Lord Li.
The breeze outside the window blew gently, blowing a few dead leaves onto the bluestone slabs, making a slight rustling sound.
The letter was concise and contained some not-so-good news - people from the Hu Mansion asked the governor to take them to Wangjia Village.
Su Huaiyue sat by the window, concentrating on thinking, playing with the letter paper in her hand, gently twisting the paper between her fingertips.
Her slightly furrowed brows seemed to depict a hint of worry. The setting sun outside the window gradually sank to the west, and the golden afterglow reflected on her face, as if adding a hazy halo to her.
The Hu family's reputation is not as clear as Ma Youwei's.
Even the people living deep in the village often heard unpleasant rumors about the Hu Mansion.
The stretched shadows of the willow trees swayed on the ground, as if telling some uneasy message.
She sighed softly, a trace of worry flashed in her eyes, and handed the letter to Wei Che: "It doesn't look like a good sign."
Her voice was calm, but her worry was evident.
Wei Che took the letter and read it quickly. His brows gradually furrowed and his expression became more solemn.
He raised his eyes to look at Su Huaiyue, his eyes were bright, yet deep: "The Hu family has always been fond of competing for fame and fortune, and those who come here have bad intentions."
His words were low and deep, like a stone dropped into water, stirring up invisible ripples.
Su Huaiyue nodded, her gaze passing through the swaying shadows of the trees outside the window, her heart becoming even more uneasy: "What preparations should we make?"
As they were talking, the sky had darkened and the mountains in the distance turned into endless silhouettes in the twilight.
Wei Che pondered for a moment and whispered, "Let the village chief know first, so the villagers can be prepared. Why not gather them tonight for a discussion?"
His voice echoed in the main room, steady and firm.
The night gradually enveloped the village. The bright moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves and fell onto the bluestone path, leaving mottled light and shadows on the ground.
Su Huaiyue and Wei Che welcomed the village chief and some villagers in the main hall.
Without exception, their eyes revealed an indescribable determination and calmness.
Everyone sat around the oil lamp, worried about what was mentioned in Lord Li's letter. The oil lamp in the room emitted a warm light, which was reflected on everyone's face. You could see that they all had deep eyes.
"There's been a lot of activity in the Hu Mansion lately. Just hearing the news that they're planning to come makes me a little nervous."
An elderly man spoke slowly, his tone calm yet weighty, as if every word was engraved on everyone's mind.
The entire hall fell into a brief silence, with only the chirping of insects outside the window adding a bit of liveliness to this uneasy night.
Another person took over the conversation: "Yes, after all, our small village doesn't have much savings. If they have any plans, it would be difficult to deal with them."
"If they ask about anything related to the village tomorrow, everyone should keep silent and not reveal too much information to them." Su Huaiyue reminded everyone.
Wei Che swept his resolute gaze over everyone present, and at the same time comforted them, "Don't panic, everyone. We gathered everyone here tonight to remind you not to say the wrong thing. We will do our best to protect the safety of the villagers. Lord Li can also provide some help if necessary."
After hearing these reassuring words, everyone dispersed.
The next day, Su Huaiyue and Wei Che stood at the entrance of the village, watching the carriage coming from afar slowly drive in.
The leader of the group was a young man. Although he had a smile on his face, there was a hint of arrogance in his expression.
"That person must be Hu Qiu."
Su Huaiyue said softly, with a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone.
Wei Che nodded, his eyes full of alertness.
Hu Qiu walked forward, surrounded by a group of servants and officials from the provincial government.
He looked around, his eyes resting on the vast field.
"I heard that the fields here are fertile, and it really lives up to its reputation."
Su Huaiyue smiled slightly and greeted him warmly: "Master Hu, you have come from afar, what brings you here?"
Hu Qiu smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. I'm very interested in your village's farmland, so I'd like to make a suggestion. If the villagers are willing, I can pay a large sum of money to buy this land. This large sum of money is enough to provide food and clothing for the entire village for three generations."
As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers couldn't help but talk about it.
Some people were impressed by the huge amount of money and began to talk in low voices.
Su Huaiyue looked at the wavering crowd and said softly, "We appreciate Mr. Hu's kindness, but the land of Wangjia Village is everyone's lifeblood. The harvest here is not only ours, but also the hope of the entire Dongzhou."
Seeing this, Wei Che added, "We are not simply looking for profit. We hope to use this land to benefit other people in need. Can Mr. Hu understand?"
Hu Qiu was speechless when he heard this, but he was still unwilling to give in: "If the villagers really don't have enough money, then just tell me, I'm willing to add a few percent."
"We appreciate Mr. Hu's kindness, but we firmly believe that the value of this land far exceeds any money." Su Huaiyue looked back at Hu Qiu firmly.
Hu Qiu stopped talking, but his expression was clearly unhappy.
He glanced at the villagers coldly, snorted, and said no more nonsense, but left with his men.
When the villagers saw Hu Qiu leaving, they gathered around him. Someone said worriedly, "Miss Su, Master Wei, Master Hu doesn't seem very happy. Will your refusal lead to endless trouble?"
Su Huaiyue soothed him softly, "Don't worry, no matter how powerful the Hu Mansion is, as long as we are united, we will definitely protect our land."
Wei Che also nodded: "And Lord Li will not stand idly by. He will continue to collect evidence of the Hu family's crimes. We must believe that justice will be served."
The villagers finally calmed down a little and expressed their support.
As night fell, the village returned to its former tranquility.
Su Huaiyue and Wei Che both knew that this was just the calm before the storm, and they needed more thorough plans to face the next challenges.
Su Huaiyue stood in front of the window, looking at the starry night sky, but her heart became more determined.
The next morning, the sun shone gently on the fields of the village.
However, for some reason, Su Huaiyue felt as heavy as the dark clouds that were about to gather in the sky.
The vague uneasiness in her heart after yesterday's negotiation with Hu Qiu was now quietly spreading in her heart.
"Miss Su, come and take a look!"
A villager came running over, looking nervous.
There was a hint of fear and helplessness in his cry.
Hearing the sound, Su Huaiyue hurried out the door, followed closely by Wei Che.
The two men walked past the gossiping villagers and came to the edge of the field.
It was a devastating scene: many unripe crops were uprooted and scattered all over the ground, their green stems and leaves standing out against the soil.
The traces of trampling were clearly visible, as if mocking the villagers' helplessness.
"Who did it?"
Su Huaiyue's voice was a little choked. She looked around angrily. Faced with this heartbreaking scene, she felt a helpless indignation.
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