Volume One, Chapter 15: The Stingy Woman

Meng Xiaohan came home! Early in the morning, she wore a sullen face and didn’t even eat breakfast. Meng Tianming was dumbfounded by this. While eating, he watched his daughter sulk quietly. Who could have upset his daughter at this early hour? He exchanged a glance with his wife, deliberately placed his chopsticks on the table, and chuckled. “Xiaohan, what’s going on? Did someone bully you?”

As soon as he spoke, Meng Xiaohan nearly burst into tears. “Who else could it be? That Guo guy!” In Xiantao Village, everyone’s surname was Meng except for one family named Guo. If it wasn’t Guo An, then it must be Guo Dong. Exchanging another glance with his wife, Meng Tianming sighed. A father knows his daughter best. “You mean Guo Dong? That guy bullied you?”

Meng Xiaohan shook her head. “Dad, how can he be so stubborn like a mule? I just wanted him to earn more money and boost the village’s work spirit, but he doesn’t understand at all. If it weren’t for the villagers who helped his family back then, do you think they could have made it through?”

Hearing this, Meng Tianming finally understood the situation. “This is easy! Leave it to me to handle. Don’t worry about it!” “Dad, I’ve already talked to him. He absolutely refuses and even gave me attitude!” Meng Tianming laughed. “You have to strike where it counts. If you haven’t found his weakness, how can you convince him? I’ll take care of it. Just watch—once he sells all the peaches, he’ll come to me willingly!”

Meng Xiaohan had no idea what her father was plotting. But the more she thought about it, the angrier she grew. She went inside to change clothes and rushed out again. Watching his daughter fret, Meng Tianming smiled wryly. “What’s so good about that guy? Why can’t I see it?”

Xu Jie, who had been quietly eating breakfast nearby without a word, suddenly laughed. “What do you know? Stay out of young people’s business!” “How could I not know? He’s my daughter’s partner. Don’t worry, I’ll settle this! Otherwise, with that silly look Guo Dong has, he’ll never get it!” “Don’t mess things up, or everyone will lose face!”

Meng Tianming grabbed a sun hat and changed his shoes before leaving the house. “Rest assured, I’ve been village chief for so long, nothing in this village escapes my notice. When it comes to our daughter’s matter, it really needs me to handle it!”

...

The staff from Lexiang Supermarket arrived a bit late. Xie Minmin didn’t show up either. This business deal, brokered by Xie Minmin, was clearly stalled by her absence—she was scared off by yesterday’s article! Though the tactics were unsavory, they were effective. The villagers once again joined the peach-picking brigade. There was one more Li Tianhu, but one less Meng Xiaohan. Such a petty woman!

Guo Dong knew his refusal must have upset her, which explained her absence. Li Tianhu, standing beneath the peach trees, wasn’t there to help pick peaches. His job was to cause a stir. “Guodong, where did you find such a big buyer? Thirty yuan per jin? This isn’t business; it’s just giving money away!” He held a peach in his hand, eating it while praising.

“I found them myself. Ever heard of Lexiang Supermarket?” Li Tianhu certainly had. As someone who often traveled around Hongwu County, there wasn’t a place he hadn’t been to. “That’s Xie Jingrui, a wealthy man. I heard he’s shifting focus away from our county to expand elsewhere. Very rich! Don’t tell me your partner is that Xie family?”

He had been out drinking for just a day, yet his childhood friend had changed so much. Thirty yuan per jin for peaches in a single day—how could anyone argue with that? “It really is the Xie family, but it’s his daughter, Xie Minmin!” Guo Dong chuckled, carrying a box of peaches as he walked. “We got lucky. Yesterday, Xiaohan and I went to the county to find buyers. She happened to try one of our peaches and followed us here.”

Recalling this made Guo Dong feel it was almost surreal. Hearing this, Li Tianhu nodded, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, and said, “You better watch your back working with that woman.”

“What do you mean?” Guo Dong was puzzled. Did she eat people or something? “She has a record. A few years ago, there were rumors she was about to marry a man. I was in the county at the time. The man who was supposed to marry her was in a car accident—I saw it with my own eyes.”

Li Tianhu looked around nervously, as if afraid someone might overhear. “And then?” “Nothing. But rumors say she had a hand in it; they just couldn’t find proof.” Guo Dong laughed lightly, not paying it much mind.

“Hey, Guodong, I’m serious, how do you—” He suddenly stopped talking. Nearby, Meng Xiaohan stood in a long dress, seemingly waiting for someone. Li Tianhu swallowed nervously, instinctively wanting to greet her.

He had long coveted Meng Xiaohan. In the surrounding villages, almost no young man didn’t like her. But her high status and repeated rejections made her seem unapproachable. “Hey, Xiaohan!” Li Tianhu wiped his hair back, straightened his posture, and walked toward her. But Meng Xiaohan didn’t even glance at him; she looked at Guo Dong with a scowl.

Guo Dong, for his part, seemed not to notice her and carried a box of peaches toward the truck. “Guodong, I need to talk to you!” His tone was resigned. If he had a choice, he would surely agree. “Xiaohan, it’s not that I don’t want to, but... I have other ideas!” Guo Dong stammered, unable to explain, while Li Tianhu watched helplessly from the side.

In the end, Li Tianhu shamelessly stepped forward. “Xiaohan, if you have something to say, tell me. What’s there to discuss with this guy? You know what he’s like. If you have problems, tell me. Around these villages, there’s nothing I, Li Tianhu, can’t handle!”

“Go away!” Li Tianhu was immediately met with a fierce glare from Meng Xiaohan. “You’re everywhere! How can you be so shameless? What does our village’s business have to do with you?” Li Tianhu was stunned. Why was she angry now? They used to joke like this without any issues.

He glanced at the still-standing Guo Dong, then back at himself, about to say something more when Meng Xiaohan snapped, “If you don’t leave, standing here, what do you want?”

Uh-oh. The situation felt off. Li Tianhu guessed these two must have some problem. Could it be that Guo Dong had done something to her? Otherwise, why was he so timid?

Just then, Guo Dong suddenly handed the box he was carrying to Li Tianhu. “Help me load this onto the truck. I need to talk to Xiaohan.”