Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhihe's face flushed red, showing a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance.
He recalled how he had secretly mocked Xu Kuo backstage when Xu said he was going to perform magic, thinking it was childish and not respectable.
And what happened? Xu Kuo not only got on stage, but also amazed everyone with his skills, and even managed to extricate himself from the predicament by exposing the fake master!
This is truly... utterly shameful!
Zhang Zhihe rubbed his hands, his face pale and ashamed. He stammered, "Um... Comrade Xu Kuo, I was wrong before... I was blind and shouldn't have doubted your abilities... I... I apologize to you!" As he spoke, he actually bowed slightly to Xu Kuo.
Xu Kuo was somewhat surprised to see him like this, but he didn't really take that little thing to heart.
He waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Comrade Zhang, you're too kind. It's just a small matter; it'll be over soon."
The more nonchalant he seemed, the more guilty Zhang Zhihe felt.
Xu Kuo was not only highly capable, but also broad-minded!
He gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind, and a warm smile appeared on his face.
"Comrade Xu Kuo, you see... an apology alone isn't sincere. How about this, another day, another day I'll treat you to a meal! Consider it an apology! And by the way... hehe, could I... ask you for your special skill again? That magic trick is amazing!"
Inviting you to dinner? And also asking you to teach me magic tricks?
Xu Kuo instinctively wanted to refuse, as he disliked pointless socializing.
But then I thought about it again. This Zhang Zhihe seems to have a good relationship with Sheng Xu. Although Sheng Xu seems to be friendly to me so far, he is ultimately an official. It wouldn't hurt to learn more about his attitude and thoughts.
Through Zhang Zhihe, perhaps we can subtly probe Sheng Xu's intentions...
In a flash, Xu Kuo smiled and said, "Comrade Zhang, you're too kind. There's no need for a meal..."
"Yes! Absolutely!" Seeing that he seemed about to refuse, Zhang Zhihe quickly interrupted, his enthusiasm overflowing. "It's settled then! Comrade Xu Kuo, whenever you have time, just come find me in the neighboring Hongqi Town! My home is in the compound next to the town government, the second house in the third row, there's a big locust tree in front of it, it's very easy to find!"
Fearing that Xu Kuo might change his mind, he quickly gave him the address.
Sheng Xu watched from the side without intervening.
Seeing his insistence, Xu Kuo didn't want to refuse him any longer, so he nodded and said, "Alright, I'll definitely bother Comrade Zhang when I have time."
"Alright! I'll be waiting!" Zhang Zhihe said contentedly. He gave Sheng Xu a few more instructions on maintaining market order before happily leaving. Sheng Xu nodded to Xu Kuo and led the security team on their patrol.
The bustling market finally quieted down a bit. Xu Kuo took Jiang Xiuying's hand and said softly, "Come on, let's go home."
The two left the market and headed towards the village.
Before even reaching the village entrance, a large group of people could be seen blocking the way, craning their necks to look towards the town and discussing amongst themselves.
These past few days, Xu Kuo has been making quite a commotion moving those strange and unusual prop boxes in preparation for his magic show at the village festival. The villagers already knew that Xu Kuo was going to town to perform his "magic tricks"—a completely new and exciting event for the village!
The town's central square has limited space; how could it accommodate so many villagers to watch the spectacle?
Those who couldn't squeeze in simply waited at the village entrance, eager to know the result as soon as possible.
At this moment, seeing that Xu Kuo and Jiang Xiuying had returned so early, and that Jiang Xiuying's wrist seemed to be wrapped with strips of cloth, the crowd immediately erupted in a commotion!
You came back so early, and you're injured?
They definitely messed up!
"See? I told you he couldn't do it! What kind of high-class stuff can he make with that junk?"
"They must have botched the performance and been booed off the stage, right?"
"What happened to Xiuya's hand? It looks injured. Oh dear, could it be that some audience members threw something at her?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, what a disgrace! He's really brought shame to the whole town! He's completely disgraced our Xu Family Village!"
A barrage of sarcastic remarks and gloating comments followed.
Niu Erbao and Tan Wang were also in the crowd. They were genuinely worried about Xu Kuo, and when they saw the two return, they quickly squeezed forward.
"Master! Mistress Xiuya! Are you alright? How did the performance go?" Niu Erbao asked anxiously, and Tan Wang also looked concerned.
Xu Kuo's face instantly turned cold, and his gaze swept over the villagers who were chattering and mocking him.
He scoffed, "The performance was a great success. We just had to come back early."
"Success?" A villager with a pointed face chuckled maliciously. "If you succeeded, why did you come back so early? And with injuries no less? Who are you trying to fool?"
"Exactly! I bet they got beaten up! And they're still being stubborn!"
"Oh dear, young people like that, they're too proud to admit their mistakes!"
Hearing these harsh words, Jiang Xiuying turned pale with anger and couldn't help but defend Xu Kuo: "You're talking nonsense! The master's performance was clearly wonderful! The town leaders all praised him!"
"Oh, so this little brat is still protecting her lover?"
"Wonderful? How come Wonderful got injured? Do you think we're stupid?"
The villagers' mockery became even more unrestrained and filled with malice.
Xu Kuo pulled back Jiang Xiuying, who was still arguing, his eyes cold, not bothering to give these boring gossips even a second thought.
He ignored all the noise and, with Jiang Xiuying in tow, walked straight through the crowd towards his home.
The more dismissive he was, the more the villagers felt their sore spots were touched, as if they had been greatly insulted.
"Hey! Look at his attitude! He really thinks he's someone important!"
"Stop pretending! You're so cocky you're practically strutting around!"
"Just wait and see if he'll still have the face to stay in the village after this!"
Xu Kuo and Jiang Xiuying did not pause for a moment and soon disappeared at the end of the village road.
...
The next day, early morning.
Just as rumors were spreading like wildfire in the village that Xu Kuo's performance had failed and he had been sent back, becoming an undeniable fact, a bullock cart painted with the words "Township Committee" slowly drove up to the entrance of Xu Family Village.
Two people dressed in cadre uniforms got out of the car, carrying a bright red certificate and a tray covered with a red cloth, which was bulging as if it contained a lot of things.
The two men were standing at the village entrance, about to ask someone where Xu Kuo's house was, when they ran into Niu Erbao and Tan Wang, who had just returned from the fields.
"Comrade, could you please tell me where Comrade Xu Kuo's house is?" One of the cadres, who looked a little older, asked Niu Erbao and Tan Wang with a friendly smile.
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