Yun Jianzhou spent a long time pondering over Yun Que'er's words and gradually seemed to understand.
"Don't tell me you never expected to get the timber from here from the very beginning."
Yun Que'er just smiled but said nothing. Although she didn't utter a single word, her silence spoke volumes.
Yun Jianzhou was instantly enlightened. "You set up a smokescreen, right?"
Yun Que'er gave Yun Jianzhou a look, signaling him to keep his voice down.
Yun Jianzhou scratched his head and let out two hearty laughs.
Sure enough, she was their family's little think - tank. This move was truly ingenious.
If Liu Kui really targeted their family, he would be constantly keeping an eye on their every move.
Once he knew they had set their sights on another place, how could he not be anxious?
Soon, he would come here to cause trouble.
By then, the initiative would be in the hands of the Yun family.
As long as they confused Liu Kui, he would be led around by the nose, and naturally, he would have no time to keep an eye on the village.
At that time, they could smoothly go to purchase the timber there.
By this time, the steward and the merchant had almost finished their argument.
They had wasted so much time talking, but still couldn't reach a conclusion. Neither of them was willing to back down.
However, it didn't matter to Yun Que'er how they argued. When she thought the time was right, she patted Yun Jianzhou and motioned for him to step forward.
Yun Jianzhou showed a smooth smile and stepped forward to say to the two of them,
"It seems there won't be a result today. You two can keep arguing slowly. But our family is sincerely here to buy timber. Anyway, please give us an answer. We'll come here for the next few days."
After saying this, Yun Jianzhou took Yun Que'er's hand and left.
When they got back, they happened to meet Ji Chengxuan who was going to the field to pick cucumbers, and told him about this.
After hearing this, Ji Chengxuan was amused by Yun Que'er and burst out laughing.
"Sure enough, it's you. Your methods are so sophisticated. You've easily solved the problem."
"Once bitten, twice shy. We can't be led around by the nose like before, right?"
Yun Que'er scoffed. "But I'm still quite curious about one thing. Liu Kui has been quiet for a while. During this period, he has only been concerned about his own family's affairs and has no time to worry about our side. Especially after the old village head stepped down, Liu Kui has no one to rely on. Why did he suddenly start targeting our family again?"
Yun Que'er looked at Ji Chengxuan, her eyes full of meaning.
"Do you think it's really just because of what happened before, or is there some other reason?"
After hearing Yun Que'er's words, Ji Chengxuan also fell into deep thought.
Actually, people are very vengeful creatures. But if they are struggling to take care of themselves, where would they have the time to take revenge on others?
Unless something that happened recently completely enraged him, making him neglect his most important current affairs, would he go crazy like this.
"I can't think of any other reason either, but you're right." Ji Chengxuan said. "But anyway, the matter of buying timber is urgent. By the way, my parents also went to other villages to inquire. There are also things we can use in other places, but the business is not easy to negotiate. After all, it's not like in the village where there were dead trees that had been burned and were useless."
Yun Que'er nodded. "Okay, then let's make two - pronged preparations. One is a decoy, and the other is an alternative."
Just as they were talking, Dr. Ji was riding a bicycle from afar. The woman sitting on the back of the bicycle was Ji Chengxuan's mother. She was in her thirties but looked like a girl in her twenties. It was obvious how much Dr. Ji doted on his wife on a daily basis.
Zheng Ying jumped off the back of the bicycle and greeted Yun Que'er with a big smile.
"You must be Xiao Que'er. I've always heard Xiao Xuan talk about you. This is the first time I've seen you."
Yun Que'er nodded at Zheng Ying and greeted her politely.
"Hello, Auntie."
Actually, Yun Que'er had seen Zheng Ying twice before, but from a distance.
Because Zheng Ying had a bad reputation when she was in the troupe, Dr. Ji's marriage to her had caused quite a stir in the village.
People said all kinds of things, but the main idea was the same: Zheng Ying was a promiscuous and improper woman.
Although Dr. Ji had protected Zheng Ying very well, it was inevitable that these words would hurt Zheng Ying.
Now that she had returned to the countryside and wouldn't leave again, Dr. Ji was worried that Zheng Ying would be stimulated again. So, the news of Zheng Ying's return hadn't been widely publicized, and he hadn't taken Zheng Ying around the village. That's why today was the first time Yun Que'er had officially met Zheng Ying.
Yun Que'er had thought that people involved in the arts would be a bit arrogant, and she was a little nervous at first.
But when she met Zheng Ying today, she found that Zheng Ying was approachable, just like the beautiful and gentle aunt in her memory.
Zheng Ying had also often heard Dr. Ji and Ji Chengxuan talk about Yun Que'er's "heroic deeds", and she had a good impression of this fearless girl for a long time.
She thought Yun Que'er was very much like herself in the past, so she strongly invited Yun Que'er to stay for dinner.
The four of them chatted and laughed, and the dinner was really pleasant.
After dinner, Zheng Ying asked Ji Chengxuan to send Yun Que'er home. As soon as they got to the door, they saw a man standing outside, peeping into the house.
Ji Chengxuan frowned and walked up. "Uncle, who are you?"
The man was suddenly caught, looking a bit unnatural, but he quickly put on a serious look and adjusted the rimless glasses on his nose.
"Kid, may I ask if this is Dr. Ji's house?"
Ji Chengxuan somehow smelled an unusual odor. He didn't reveal his identity but said first,
"This is the clinic."
The man nodded cheerfully and was about to step in.
Ji Chengxuan suddenly stepped in front of the man and blocked his way. "Are you here to see a doctor? The clinic has stopped seeing patients recently. Don't you know the clinic has moved?"
The man smiled. "I know. That's why I'm here."
Ji Chengxuan's eyes darkened. His intuition told him that this man was Xu Rongda who had ruined Zheng Ying's reputation back then.
"What do you want?" Ji Chengxuan asked again.
The man was blocked by Ji Chengxuan several times and got a bit annoyed.
"Hey, what's wrong with you, kid? What does the matter between adults have to do with you? Who do you think you are to stop me?"
Only then did Ji Chengxuan slowly say, "I'm a member of this family."
Yun Que'er saw that Ji Chengxuan's face didn't look right and roughly guessed who the man in front of them was.
Just as she was about to say something, the man suddenly spoke first.
"Oh, I see. You must be Dr. Ji's son, right?"
He sized Ji Chengxuan up and down, clicking his tongue a few times.
"You look like your father. Only your eyebrows and eyes are a bit like your mother, but you're far from how your mother looked when she was young. Why didn't you inherit any of her good traits?"