A second-class stonemason in a short jacket raised his eyebrows, pretending to be unaware, and asked in a harsh voice, "Brother Sang, who are these people? Why are they all gathered here?"
With his bulging eyes and exaggeratedly muscular physique, he looked quite fierce.
The villagers of Wuxing and Hegou Village were startled by the harsh shout.
They never dreamed that Sang Xuanqing, a woman with no power, influence, or money, could attract renowned craftsmen of all ranks in Fu County to help her build a house.
Even the village head (village official) doesn't have this kind of prestige and influence.
Oh no, oh no, oh no!
They must have accidentally messed with someone they shouldn't have.
They were filled with regret and anger, but seeing so many craftsmen coming to help Sang Xuanqing, they could only swallow their resentment and dissatisfaction.
"I...we..."
Zheng Quchi saw that their faces were all red, but they couldn't utter a single complete sentence. Their expressions were so comical that they made people laugh.
She composed herself and said, "Oh, they've come to apologize to my eldest brother and youngest sister for the offense they caused during the previous argument, and also for their past slander against the Sang family, right?"
Is it right?
Their faces froze. Thinking of what they had said to Sang Xuanqing in front of the villagers of Hegou Village, they were filled with deep regret.
But what's done is done, and they've been thoroughly outmaneuvered by this little black-haired guy.
The five prominent families all lowered their heads and awkwardly replied, "Yes, yes."
The young worker's usually gentle face turned serious at this moment: "Our Fuxian County never excludes outsiders. Now that you have registered here, you are fellow villagers. It is best to be harmonious and friendly."
Someone nearby whispered, "That must be Yi Shangqinggong."
"Yes, it's him. I heard a while ago that the village head had visited him several times to ask him to build a Seven Star Table, but he was refused each time. I never expected that he would come to build a house for the Sang Cripple's family."
The five prominent families were shocked to hear this, for they had certainly heard of the renowned Yi Shangqing Gong.
But this was the first time I had ever met him.
Qinggong is a fourth-level craftsman. In Ye Kingdom, craftsmen who have been rated as this level are always respected and have a different status from ordinary commoners.
They were rendered speechless by the reprimand, unsure of what to say in response, and could only wipe the cold sweat from their brows and reply, "Yes."
"We apologize." Old Wu's wife was also a shrewd woman. She quickly led the troublemaking women forward and said, "We didn't ask clearly about what happened before. My brat said that he bullied the girl first. When we see her next time, I will make them apologize to her properly."
Their attitude has now completely changed.
Speak softly and gently, with lowered eyes and meek demeanor.
Seeing this, their men also came out, cupped their hands to Brother Sang, and said with red faces and thick necks, "Eldest brother of the Sang family, we were wrong before. We shouldn't have spoken carelessly or called you a cripple. Please forgive us. From now on, the affairs of your Sang family are the affairs of our five families. We will never let something like yesterday happen again."
After finishing his sentence in one breath, he blushed and tried to pull his wife away hastily.
Brother Sang looked at Zheng Quchi blankly: "Brother Qing, this..."
"Brother, is their apology not sincere enough, or do you have something else to say?"
Her casual remark froze the five prominent families who were halfway there, leaving them unsure whether to go or not.
Seeing how frightened they were by Qing Ge'er's words, Brother Sang felt both amused and bitter: "No, it's not like that."
They breathed a sigh of relief and ran as fast as if they were being chased by a ghost.
Other villagers who were watching the commotion were also afraid of being caught in the crossfire, so they hurriedly ran away as well.
After dealing with the local bullies and establishing his authority, Zheng Quchi turned around and noticed that Brother Sang was acting strangely: "Brother, what's wrong with you?"
Brother Sang looked at her, and although he tried to keep his composure, his reddened eyes betrayed his true feelings.
There was relief and gratitude, but also guilt and self-blame.
"It's nothing, I just feel like I'm a burden to you... Having a useless older brother like me, who makes you shoulder everything and bear all the burdens, I really..."
“Brother,” Zheng Quchi said with a bitter face, “If it weren’t for getting justice for you, I wouldn’t have been willing to spend so much money to hire people to build a house. Now I finally understand what it means to be proud in public but suffer in private.”
Brother Sang was still in shock.
He felt that Sang Xuanqing was so radiant and outstanding now, as if the sun's rays had gilded her, making her seem so far removed from a useless person like him. But after she acted silly and played the victim, he forgot all the barriers and distance he had just built up in his heart.
"Don't talk nonsense. These people... can't be hired with just a little money."
Zheng Quchi thought to himself.
How can it not be money? Favors are worth more than money. And she spent it on such a small thing... Oh dear, she's going to start feeling the pinch again.
"What exactly happened to you in the camp?" he asked her, frowning.
Everything changed, it seems, after that trip to the camp.
Zheng Quchi thought this matter should not be discussed. Given his anxious nature, he would definitely feel so guilty and remorseful that he wouldn't be able to sleep if he told anyone.
"Let's talk about this later."
After calming his elder brother down, Zheng Quchi had to hurry up and get down to business.
"Young worker, and Uncle Li, thank you so much for speaking up for me earlier. Otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to repair my house."
"It's nothing, nothing at all. Compared to what Brother Sang did, what we did is nothing."
"Yes, Brother Sang, just tell us how you want your new house renovated. We'll just help you out and won't take any money from you."
They had all heard her complaining to her brother about being poor, and they found it all quite amusing.
Although Zheng Quchi was greedy for money, he didn't believe in taking advantage of others for nothing.
She said mysteriously, "I can't let you help me for nothing. Once the house I designed is built, you will definitely feel that your trip was worthwhile."
They looked completely bewildered when they heard this.
Houses... The people present have built plenty of houses, not to mention ordinary thatched houses, they've even built many courtyard houses in the county. How could she think that repairing one of her houses would make them feel that their trip was "worthwhile"?
Is this just a way of being mysterious, or does she have some unique craft she wants to demonstrate?
——
On the banks of the Mohe River, crimson blood stained half of the river.
On the canal, a two-story ship was moored in the harbor. All the people on board had been cleaned and their bodies thrown into the river. An elite team quickly infiltrated the area.
"Report—A large number of goods sealed in wooden crates have been found in the warehouse."
On the deck, Yuwen Sheng tapped the railing lightly with his fingertips, while Wei Yao's face broke into a wide, excited smile: "General, we've had a very fruitful trip."
"Report—An injured woman in white has been found in the cabin. She says her name is Gongshu Lan."
"Oh~" Yuwen Sheng turned his head, a meaningful smile on his face: "Interesting, very interesting."
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