After Mingjing finished speaking, he took a sip of rice wine, and everyone else followed suit, sparking some discussion at the table.
"Meow!"
The meowing of a cat in the distance attracted everyone's attention.
"Hey, isn't this the cat that Ming Xingwang's sister-in-law brought? How did it get into such a mess?"
“My second uncle’s? I saw it lying in the grass yesterday, almost dead, and I saved it,” Mingjing said, turning her head.
Half of the island's residents were invited, but naturally some weren't. Everyone squatted in front of Mingjing Gate to watch the spectacle, and gossip was inevitable.
Those who used to be enemies with the Ming family are now standing at the door making sarcastic remarks, seeing the Ming family's prosperity, saying that Ming Jing just wants to form cliques to compete for the position of women's director.
Others said this family was just showing off their wealth; they'd earned tens of thousands of yuan and were now swaggering around like everyone else did.
The gossip at the gate was even more lively than inside the courtyard.
Mingjing continued drinking and said some nice things, which made everyone very happy.
The banquet lasted for two or three hours. Mingjing and Fan Yuliang talked more, while Ming Dahai and Mingliang acted as assistants on the side. No one mentioned anything important.
Old Wang is incredibly confused.
Could it be that he misunderstood?
After the banquet, Mingjing's family gave all the remaining beer from the logistics box and the locally brewed grain liquor to Lao Wang.
Old Wang, still dazed, was carrying the wine and heading home when he was stopped by Ming Xingwang, who was waiting for him.
“Xingwang, you’re overthinking it. Mingjing didn’t think about the women’s director’s matter. She said it herself, and she didn’t mention it today either.”
Upon hearing this, Ming Xingwang immediately sensed something was wrong.
What mischief is that little devil up to now?
Are you sure she didn't say anything?
Old Wang's eyes darted around, and he slapped his forehead. "Look at my brain! She said she was going to town to see the leaders and asked me to prepare cigarettes and alcohol for her."
"Leader? What leader?"
"I don't know, maybe it's related to the women's director?"
Upon hearing what Lao Wang said, Ming Xingwang clearly panicked.
Unconvinced, he went home and asked his wife to find another loudmouth in the village, a woman named Fatty, whose husband, Fan Yuliang, always knew something when he went to banquets.
The answer he received was that Mingjing hadn't said anything, which made him even more confused.
Could it be that Old Wang is lying to him?
...
In the morning, the sun pierced through the clouds, and Mingjing opened his eyes and went to the fishing tackle shop. His luck value was still fifty.
strong!
After washing up, Mingjing rode her electric bike out. Mingdahai asked her if she was going to go beachcombing, but she only said she had something to do.
The electric scooter was deliberately parked at the village entrance. Mingjing screamed and got off, "Oh dear, what happened to the scooter? I still need to go to town to see the bureau chief. Isn't this a waste of time?"
The old lady at the village entrance was Ming Xingwang's neighbor. Curious, she asked, "Mingjing, which leader are you going to see?"
Everyone was already curious about whether Mingjing was really going to run for Women's Director, and Mingjing's words made them even more curious.
"It's nothing." Mingjing got on the bike, twisted the handlebars, and hey, it's working again.
Mingjing drove to the seafood restaurant in town.
"My dad went to deliver seafood to the restaurant. They'll be opening a little later today. Do you have any goods, or do you just want to come see me?"
Xie Junan came out and opened the sign hanging on the door that read "Closed for Business".
"No, I just need your help," Mingjing said as she entered the room.
Xie Junan poured water. "What is it?"
The matter that Mingjing asked him for help must be quite significant.
"Go and contact Song Yugui from our village. Set the price at under 500 yuan and buy his boat. You can keep him hanging on even if the deal isn't finalized."
Xie Junan smiled faintly, "I know about what happened in your village. If you ask me, I'd just buy it and give it to you. Five hundred yuan isn't expensive."
His family runs a fish restaurant, so they know about the fish catches in the surrounding villages.
Moreover, he remembered that Bai Xiaoye had given Mingjing a fancy boat, and he could give one too, he could just secretly add a little something extra.
"No need, I want a deal that doesn't cost me anything."
"You're getting it for free?"
"Well, don't worry about it, just decide whether to help or not."
Xie Junan stuck his face out and pointed to his cheek with his finger. "Look, here."
"What?" Mingjing blinked, confused.
"Give me a kiss, and I'll help you."
Mingjing: ...
"You're not going to help, huh? I'm going to find Brother Bai." Mingjing stood up angrily.
After saying that, Dong Li's pickup truck stopped at the door, and Mingjing turned to leave.
"Help, help, my little darling!" Xie Jun'an said helplessly.
"Help with what?" Dong Li asked as he entered, smelling a sour, foul odor.
Just as Mingjing was about to speak, his mobile phone rang.
"Mingjing, I'm your cousin. Where are you? I need to talk to you about something."
"Oh, then let's have the seafood at the Grand Hyatt restaurant in town."
Mingjing hung up the phone and asked Dong Li for a small private room.
There aren't many private rooms in the seafood restaurant, just two on each side, and the prices are naturally different from those for dining in.
Ming Xingwang brought Mingzhu to the Grand Hyatt Hotel and stood at the entrance looking inside.
Upon seeing Xie Jun'an, Mingzhu stopped in her tracks, her eyes practically glued to him, before Ming Xingwang forcibly pulled her into the private room.
Upon entering, Mingjing sat in the main seat and smiled when she saw Mingxingwang.
"Cousin, what made you suddenly decide to ask me out to dinner?"
Ming Xingwang sat down with a fake smile, and Mingzhu sat down next to him affectionately.
"Sigh, it's not that our two families don't get along. Actually, I've wanted to invite you to dinner for a long time. My dad has done a lot of wrong things in the past, and as his son, I can't say anything to him."
As Ming Xingwang spoke, he got up and poured wine for Ming Jing.
"If you ask me, we're just a family, why did it have to turn out like this? I'll definitely have to talk to her once my dad recovers."
Ming Xingwang acted very affectionately, and Ming Jing nodded with a smile, but inwardly she was disdainful.
That won't be the case later.
“Mingjing, I know you’re capable. I heard you didn’t get into college in the inland area. Don’t you plan to go to a university in the city? A capable person shouldn’t be stuck in a small place.”
"I gave up. The island is great. I'm happy to be with my parents. It's not safe for a girl to go out. It's better to stay at home."
Mingjing nodded and retorted.
Eager to achieve his goal, Ming Xingwang asked impatiently, "Mingjing, are you now interested in the Women's Director...?"
"Cousin, let's eat."
Xie Junan happened to come in to serve the dishes, but Mingjing interrupted him.
It's easier to talk about serious matters when you're keeping the audience in suspense.
Ming Xingwang rolled his eyes. "Eat up, it's on me today."
"Then I won't be polite."
Mingjing never suffered a loss, so he replied and immediately picked up the meat with his chopsticks.
During the meal, Mingjing didn't mention the women's director's affairs at all; instead, she chatted about village gossip.
What? Widow Li was seen sleeping with a stranger yesterday. Old Wang's wife was kidnapped and sold into slavery. She gave birth to a son and ran away. He said his wife was dead.
Then Ming Xingwang started complaining that his wife was not as pretty or gentle as his sister-in-law.
When she got excited, Mingzhu nudged her brother, Ming Xingwang, who then shut up because he knew he had said too much.
"Oh dear, my brother just likes to talk nonsense when he's drunk. Come on, let's eat."
Mingjing knew that Mingxingwang was treating, so she ordered the most expensive dishes. The three of them ate six dishes and a soup: a plate of braised sea cucumber with scallions, a pot of braised mutton, a plate of garlic shrimp, a plate of steamed wild perch and braised pig's trotters, plus a plate of soup with basil.
Ming Xingwang couldn't stand it any longer. He picked up a piece of mutton and put it in his bowl, then hurriedly said, "Mingjing, we all have the same ancestor. I won't beat around the bush with you."
I know that if you were elected as the women's director, Mingzhu would have no chance, but Mingzhu is the village head, she knows every household, and she's a high school graduate.
“If anything happens, our family can help her. You know our family has some standing in the village.”
Mingjing was somewhat taken aback that Ming Xingwang could say such a thing.
Not only did they clearly express their own meaning, but they also conveyed another layer of meaning.
Mingzhu is more powerful than you in the village.
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