"This intelligent and beautiful young lady must be the fifth daughter of the Zhen family!"
When Liu Wei saw that Zhen Mi had finally stepped forward, his expression immediately turned serious, and he pretended to be surprised.
"I am Zhen Mi, and I request that the esteemed master move into the manor!"
Zhen Mi stepped forward, bowed, and extended an invitation.
"Since you are so kind, young lady, it would be impolite to refuse!" Liu Wei smiled slightly, straightened his clothes, and led his horse ahead.
Zhen Mi immediately summoned her personal maid and followed.
"Little sister, you mustn't fall for his tricks! This man has shifty eyes; he's definitely not a good person. Invite him to the manor; be careful not to let a wolf into your home!"
Zhen Yao found it hard to accept that he, a mere servant, had been defeated by Liu Wei in one move.
What's even harder to accept is that his own sister was actually confused by this person's few words.
He quickly pulled Zhen Mi back.
"Third brother, this man has a dignified appearance. Although he is dressed in plain clothes, he exudes a heroic spirit and speaks eloquently. He is clearly a man of exceptional talent."
"If he wants to make things difficult for us, with his skill that can defeat ten of our servants by himself, he can easily enter our Zhen Family Manor."
Zhen Mi looked at Liu Wei's retreating figure as he led the horse and said.
"But why would he do that? One minute he says we're just trying to gain fame by giving out porridge, the next he says we've missed out on immense wealth, and he even has the audacity to say he wants to marry you!"
"This guy looks respectable, but he's definitely up to no good!"
"Your father is not at home, and only you and your two widowed sisters-in-law are left in the village. You must be careful!"
Zhen Yao continued to persuade him.
"Just invite him to the courtyard for tea, ask him why he said that, and offer some guidance. It's nothing!" Zhen Mi said dismissively.
Seeing how stubborn the girl was, Zhen Yao didn't say anything more.
"You lot are all useless. More than ten of you can't even beat one person. What use are you to me?"
Zhen Yao pointed at the noses of the ten servants who had just gotten up from the ground and gave them a good scolding.
The servants were also covered in dirt, their faces flushed, and they were speechless.
Regardless, it was incredibly humiliating that ten of them were taken down by one person in a single move.
"That man just spoke ill of our Zhen family; I'd like to hear his opinion as well!"
"If he makes any improper advances toward my little sister, I will protect her even if it costs me my life."
After cursing, Zhen Yao stroked his chin and thought for a moment before deciding to go back to the manor as well.
"Continue distributing porridge!"
......
"Sir, please have some tea!"
Inside a pavilion in the Zhen Family Manor, Zhen Mi had a servant brew tea and bring it over. "Please don't take offense, sir. There are mostly women in the household, so it's not convenient to invite you inside."
"I would be honored to have your guidance right here, sir. Someone of your great talent surely won't mind!"
Since you've already said that, even if I mind, what good will it do?
Liu Wei inwardly grumbled, but outwardly remained calm and composed, taking a sip of tea with feigned profundity: "It's alright, young lady, please ask whatever you wish!"
"Sir, you just said that our Zhen family's act of distributing porridge is a publicity stunt. How would you explain that?"
The idea of distributing porridge to relieve famine was proposed by Zhen Mi, and she naturally paid special attention to it when she heard someone say it.
"Hehe, I knew the young lady would ask that first!" Liu Wei smiled slightly. "To say she's just seeking fame and fortune would indeed be a bit of an exaggeration!"
"You...you're really talking nonsense, spreading alarmist rumors, just trying to grab attention!"
Zhen Mi's emotions were thrown into turmoil by him.
If a woman's emotions are swayed by you, she will either fall in love with you or hate you to death!
Zhen Mi must now have mixed feelings of love and hate towards Liu Wei.
"If it weren't for that, how could I have attracted your attention! Hehe!" Liu Wei said bluntly.
Zhen Mi was about to angrily rebuke him as a scoundrel, but Liu Wei immediately followed up, saying, "Providing porridge to help refugees is indeed a good deed."
“I have observed these refugees, and they are very likely to refuse to leave because your Zhen family has provided them with porridge and food.”
“If they never leave and keep waiting for your relief, and spread the word about your Zhen family’s good deeds everywhere, wouldn’t that attract even more refugees to flock here?”
"At that time, will the Zhen family continue to distribute porridge, or will they stop?"
Upon hearing this, Zhen Mi immediately frowned.
Honestly, she hadn't thought about that question.
She saw only the plight of these refugees and couldn't bear it, so she set up a shed on the roadside to distribute porridge.
"If you stop, won't some of them harbor resentment and slander the Zhen family? Or even, knowing that the Zhen family has grain, might they harbor malicious intentions and attract thieves?"
Liu Wei spoke earnestly and meaningfully.
Moreover, there are thieves roaming around Zhongshan and Changshan.
A family like the Zhen family, which can still produce grain, would certainly attract thieves.
In chaotic times, few people care about propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame in order to survive.
"How can you portray people's hearts as so treacherous?"
Zhen Mi heard Liu Wei's words, which made a lot of sense, but they were not applicable.
"In chaotic times, the first priority is to protect yourself!"
Liu Wei guessed that Zhen Mi grew up in a sheltered environment and was unaware of the dark side of society, believing that everyone in the world was as kind-hearted as she was.
"There are all kinds of birds in a big forest. I believe that most of the refugees are good people, but there are always some ungrateful people whose wickedness is unimaginable."
Zhen Mi frowned: "If, as you say, our Zhen family has already performed this good deed, what should we do next?"
Liu Wei did not directly answer her question: "What will the Wuji government think of your Zhen family's good deed?"
“Your ancestors in the Zhen family were Grand Protectors, your father was once the Magistrate of Shangcai, and your two deceased elder brothers were both recommended for the civil service examination.”
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