Free Web NovelChapter 403: Chapter 401: Catering
"That Zhou Mei just can’t keep quiet for a second. Isn’t she already married?"
Gu’er hadn’t expected Zhou Mei to be the one spreading gossip. ’But then again, it makes sense,’ she thought. Now that Zhou Fugui was back, she was probably getting cocky again. Gu’er remembered hearing in her past life that Zhou Mei hadn’t initially been with Zhou Fugui. It seemed her relationship with her husband was rocky, and then somehow she’d ended up getting involved with Zhou Fugui. They were first cousins, and when the affair came out, it was a huge scandal. Gu’er couldn’t fathom what Zhou Mei had been thinking. It was clear from this that Zhou Fugui was no good, either.
"What is Zhou Fugui doing in the city now?"
Gu’er thought for a moment before asking Sun Jiaming. In her past life, she’d heard Zhou Fugui had done well for himself, but she never knew what he actually did.
"He came to me saying he wanted to rent a space in our mall to start a business. He said since we’re from the same village, he was hoping I could look out for him. I don’t really like the guy, but I figured we are from the same village. If he was really in a tight spot, struggling with funds or something, I thought I could help him out a little as long as it wasn’t too much. As long as he followed the mall’s rules and worked hard, it would be a good thing if he succeeded. But I didn’t agree right away. I told him I needed to come back and discuss it with you and the others. And then he said all that stuff to me. He was trying to drive a wedge between us. I think there’s something wrong with his character. Forget about him asking for special treatment. Even if he had enough capital and all the right products, I wouldn’t let him into our mall."
Sun Jiaming didn’t hold anything back and told Gu’er everything. When Zhou Fugui saw that he didn’t believe him, he had even mocked him, saying it was a disgrace for a grown man to be so wrapped around a woman’s finger. He told him to dump a woman like Gu’er, saying there were plenty of good women out there and asking why he had to be with her. He’d said that since he wasn’t short on money, he could just remarry if he wasn’t happy. He even offered to introduce him to some good women if he broke up with Gu’er.
’Pah! I’ll never be apart from Gu’er, and I certainly don’t need him to introduce me to anyone. The nerve of him! He even had the gall to say that although Zhou Mei was married to someone else, she was still thinking of me. That if I was willing, Zhou Mei would leave her husband for me, and that she’d be happy to even be my mistress.’
He had never met such a shameless person, to be able to say such things out loud. It really showed the character of the Zhou family. That was why he didn’t believe a word he said. However, he was still worried about the issue with the child, which was why he brought it up with Gu’er.
"Exactly. We can’t let someone like that into our mall. Even though we’re from the same village, there are people you should help and people you shouldn’t. In any case, I don’t like the Zhou family. If they do well, that’s on them, but they can forget about getting any help from us. And you’re not allowed to help him either."
Gu’er said, pointing at Sun Jiaming. She was utterly sick of the Zhou family.
"Don’t worry. It’ll be good enough if I don’t try to sabotage him, how could I possibly help him? Relax, I dislike the Zhou family just as much as you do."
Sun Jiaming couldn’t help but laugh. He found Gu’er adorable—she was so direct, saying exactly what she liked and disliked.
"Mhm, mhm. Right, that Zhou Da Kui is still the village chief. Don’t you think that ever since he became chief, only his family and a few others are doing well in the village, while everyone else is just getting by? He’s always trying to monopolize power, wanting everyone to listen to him, but he never does anything for the community. When trouble arises, he only helps people with the surname Zhou and never upholds any real justice. I really don’t think he’s a very good village chief."
Just talking about the Zhou family made Gu’er’s stomach churn with anger.
"Don’t you worry. Ever since you set up that shop and started helping the villagers sell mushrooms and other mountain goods, your standing in the village has risen quite a bit. Later, when Uncle Zhao took over, everyone started counting on it to make money. Very few people bother sucking up to the Zhou family anymore. Plus, we’re hiring villagers to make the Dalieba bread and Gewasi, so they can all earn money. Now, whenever people in the village mention you, me, or Uncle Zhao, they genuinely like and praise us. Our words carry more weight than Zhou Da Kui’s. I’m afraid his time as village chief is running out; he probably won’t last another two years. It’s only because Uncle Zhao and I aren’t around much, otherwise..."
Sun Jiaming didn’t finish his sentence, but Gu’er understood. If they were living in the village, the chief would have been replaced long ago. That’s just how people are. If you can bring them benefits and tangible rewards, they’ll naturally support you and vote for you.
Zhou Da Kui had been the village chief for so many years, but he had never brought any benefits or advantages to the village. On the contrary, he just made everyone listen to him and fear him, demanding the final say in everything. Before, people had no other choice. They had no way out, so they could only bottle up their dissatisfaction. After all, the Zhou family was large, and he’d been chief for so long that people were intimidated. Now that everyone could make money from selling mountain goods, they had more backbone and didn’t take Zhou Da Kui as seriously anymore.
"I hope Zhou Fugui’s business fails. Then, when the time comes, we can elect someone who’s on good terms with us and has some integrity to be the new village chief. Once Zhou Da Kui is out, let’s see how the Zhou family can keep showing off."
Originally, Gu’er felt that since she didn’t go back to the village much, she couldn’t be bothered with whatever trouble the Zhou family stirred up. Out of sight, out of mind. But she never expected Zhou Fugui to show up at their door, trying to drive a wedge between her and Sun Jiaming. On top of that, Zhou Mei had falsely accused her of having an affair with Li Zhi, trying to make Sun Jiaming divorce her. Zhou Fugui wanted to get benefits from Sun Jiaming while also trying to get rid of her—the nerve of him.
’The Zhou family targeted me from the start, and Zhou Mei tried to ruin me. And now they’re still playing tricks? Well, they shouldn’t blame me for what comes next. Zhou Fugui wants to do business, does he? Fine, I’ll have someone keep an eye on him. We’ll see if his business can get off the ground, or if it runs smoothly.’
’Once the village chief is replaced, what face will the Zhou family have left to throw their weight around the village? They’ll have to learn to keep their tails between their legs.’
"You’re right. Zhou Da Kui really isn’t fit to be village chief. The last time I went back, someone told me he wants to collect all the mountain goods from the village himself and then bring them to the city. He claims it’s for everyone’s convenience, but he actually wants to take a cut from their earnings. Everyone’s unhappy with him. I’ll talk to Uncle Zhao later and ask him to make a trip back to the village to talk about it. I reckon Zhou Da Kui can forget about being re-elected next term."
Sun Jiaming agreed with Gu’er’s idea.
"Mhm, mhm."
Gu’er nodded repeatedly. The couple got more and more animated as they talked, plotting for a good while. It wasn’t until Sun Jiaming’s hand slipped inside Gu’er’s clothes, caressing her smooth skin, that she snapped back to reality. His fingers had just found and pinched the cherry on her left breast. She swallowed the rest of her words and gave Sun Jiaming a light smack.
"You’re... awful. I was talking about something serious. Stop messing around."
Gu’er’s voice was delicate and alluring.
"This *is* the serious business."
As Sun Jiaming spoke, he sealed Gu’er’s protesting mouth with his own, while his other hand snaked downward.
Gu’er’s playful reproach turned into moans. In that moment, she had no time to think about anything else. All she knew was to embrace Sun Jiaming’s strong back and meet his advances.
