叭哒漫画

The moment the villagers saw these men, they stopped in their tracks.

In those days, anyone who could ride a horse was not someone the villagers could trifle with, let alone those who presented themselves with such grandeur and momentum, unmistakably of an official background.

In an instant, the villagers who had been fierce towards Wei Ruo moments before became suddenly docile, even the village leader, Mr. Wang, donned a gentle smile, humbly.

He approached the man leading the group, bowing before the man’s horse and respectfully asked, “Sir, this is Wang Village, may I ask where you are heading?”

The man at the lead was wearing a wide bamboo hat, his face obscured, yet his tall and upright stature and the mysterious aura from his black robe were unmistakable.

Ignoring Mr. Wang, he turned to Wei Ruo and asked, “Are you in any trouble?”

Hearing the hoarse voice, Wei Ruo recognized the man.

It was Zhu Zongyu, the man who had been living on her farm for over a month.

“Indeed, I encountered some trouble. I no longer wish to buy their village land, yet they refuse to let me go,” Wei Ruo answered directly.

“How do you want me to help you deal with these troublesome villagers?” Zongyu asked.

“No need, your presence here has solved my problem,” Wei Ruo responded.

Wei Ruo did not want to owe Zhu Zongyu any favors. She had received his compensation for the medical treatment provided to him. If she sought his assistance now, she would be the one in debt.

Hearing the conversation between Wei Ruo and the mysterious man, Mr. Wang became anxious.

Previously, he had dared to be forceful towards Xu Heyou, thinking of him as merely a merchant and in case of a conflict reaching the Government Office, they, as the farming majority, could deal with a deceptive merchant.

However, if Mr. Xu had connections with the official family, then he would certainly not dare to offend him.

The villagers were similarly panicked. Initially, they had thought little of Mr. Xu, hedging their bets, which is why they dared to stand alongside Mr. Wang in the forceful acquisition of the land.

And so, the villagers started defending themselves in succession.

“It’s not our fault, ah, the village head is the one who told us to do it!”

“Yes, yes, we were originally having a good negotiation, it was the village head who got greedy, he was the one who instructed us to act this way!”

“We were all just acting on the orders of the village head!”

The villagers shifted all the blame to Mr. Wang.

Mr. Wang, with heart pounding in his chest, hurried forward to pacify Wei Ruo. “Mr. Xu, it was a misunderstanding, all of it.”

“Misunderstanding? Do you need me to remind you of everything you said?” Wei Ruo responded firmly.

Mr. Wang’s face turned pale, then flushed. He looked miserable.

Wei Ruo turned to the villagers and suggested, “You should consider getting a new village head.”

The villagers were silent, filled with mixed feelings.

Soon after, Wei Ruo left with Xiumei and Manager Yu.

Seeing this, a few hopeful villagers caught up, asking, “Then, Mr. Xu, regarding the matter of purchasing the mountain land we discussed earlier…”

“Not buying,” Wei Ruo responded.

Hearing this, the villagers eagerly tried to humbly persuade her:

“We’ll stick to the original price, we won’t raise it any more!”

“Yes, yes, we will stick to the original price, we won’t raise it!”

“The village head’s words don’t represent us, we are willing to sell it to you at that price!”

“I’m sorry, if something doesn’t start smoothly, I won’t continue with it.” Wei Ruo asserted, unwavering.

Having said that, she didn’t linger any longer. She left Wang Village with Xiumei and Manager Yu without a backwards glance, while the villagers were left filled with regret.

Zhu Zongyu hesitated for a moment before having his men follow. When he reached Wei Ruo’s side, he dismounted.

“I originally came here to get medicine from you today. The people at your manor said you came here, so I wanted to check on you,” Zhu Zongyu volunteered his reason for coming here to Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo didn’t respond to him and kept walking expressionlessly.

“What’s the matter?” Zhu Zongyu asked, noticing that Wei Ruo’s attitude towards him was much colder than before.

“Nothing.” Wei Ruo replied indifferently.

“You’re hiding something,” Zhu Zongyu said with certainty.

“Mr. Zhu, are there some things that I need not say explicitly? You previously told me that you come from a family of merchants, but from what I see now, your attire is not something anyone from a merchant family would dare to wear,” Wei Ruo said with a stern face.

Though she had already been wary of this man, in the end, she was still deceived by him.

Of course, no one was to blame for this except for her own softheartedness in saving people.

Hearing her words, a hint of guilt and remorse flashed across Zhu Zongyu’s face, but it was shielded by his hat, invisible to Wei Ruo and others.

“I’m sorry,” Zhu Zongyu apologized.

He had rarely apologized to anyone in his life, but this time, he felt he should sincerely apologize to Mr. Xu.

His circumstances at the time forced him to hide his true identity for his own protection.

“Forget it, I’ve treated you and have taken your money already, blaming you now is pointless. However, after you take your medicine today, let’s not interact anymore,” Wei Ruo said.

“Why? Is it because of my status? You don’t like people from officialdom?” Zhu Zongyu asked, puzzled.

“Rather than saying I don’t like them, it’s more accurate to say that I can’t afford to associate with them. I’m a mere merchant and you hold high status and power, further interaction would be inappropriate,” Wei Ruo explained.

“You are not just an ordinary merchant. During the plague, you risked your life to treat the people alongside many doctors in the city; your contributions were significant.”

Xu Heyou’s name was on the proclamation in the government office; Zhu Zongyu had seen it.

“Whether I’m an ordinary merchant or not is irrelevant. Our relationship is one of doctor and patient, there’s no need for more interaction,” Wei Ruo said.

Having finished speaking, Wei Ruo walked away without looking back.

After returning to the manor, Wei Ruo handed over the ointment she had prepared the previous night to Manager Yu, instructing him to deliver it to Zhu Zongyu at the gate.

“After this round of medication, if he still doesn’t recover, ask him to assign an underling to come here next time. He needn’t come here personally,” Wei Ruo instructed.

“Yes,” Manager Yu acknowledged and left.

At the entrance of the manor, Manager Yu handed the medicine to Zhu Zongyu: “Master Zhu, our master suggested next time, for collecting the medicine, you could send your servant. There’s no need to make this journey yourself; it must be tiresome.”

Zhu Zongyu frowned. He had come today not only to collect the medicine but also to meet Xu Heyou in person. He had expected Xu to be slightly upset but hadn’t anticipated such a strong reaction.

Did his true background really make that much difference to him?

Zhu Zongyu stared at the manor in front of him for a while before choosing to leave.

Manager Yu returned to Wei Ruo to report: “Boss, Master Zhu has taken the medicine and left.”

Wei Ruo: “Hmm.”

Manager Yu: “Boss, there’s something I don’t understand.”

Wei Ruo: “Ask.”

Manager Yu: “You’re on good terms with Princess Jingmin, so you shouldn’t dislike the privileged class.. So, why is your attitude toward Master Zhu undergoing such a drastic change?”