The secretary's face instantly darkened, looking at Xu Rongda with evident displeasure in his eyes.
Yun Que'er would swear that if the secretary weren't sitting in his position, he would probably be scolding by now.
Poor Xu Rongda. Having just been beaten up, his face all bruised and swollen, he still had the nerve to show off.
Little did he know that his haughty demeanor failed to strike the slightest bit of fear in others; instead, it just made him look ridiculous.
The secretary remained silent for a long while before finally interrupting Xu Rongda's self - glorification.
"Yeah, I know you. But what are you doing in our village?"
Xu Rongda was quite unhappy about not getting the chance to show off.
He tidied up his dusty clothes, coughed lightly, and said, "It's all about the health center. Dr. Ji is an experienced doctor. We really don't want to lose such a talent. So we came all the way here to invite Dr. Ji to work at our health center."
Yun Que'er listened to Xu Rongda's pretentious way of speaking and really suspected that he would start spouting archaic phrases any second.
Xu Rongda kept rambling on, "I came here out of good intentions to invite him, but what did Dr. Ji do? He incited his son to beat me up, and he even got physical with me. How can they be like this, huh?"
The secretary was getting a headache. "Stop, stop, stop. You've said so much but haven't gotten to the point. I don't care how you plan to invite him away, but you need to explain why you were beaten."
The secretary looked seriously at Xu Rongda. "I don't believe people would start a fight for no reason. There must be a cause."
As soon as the secretary said this, Xu Rongda suddenly fell silent.
Only he knew best what he had done.
Could he bring up the things from the past? That would put him in the wrong.
But some things couldn't be hidden. The old folks in the village more or less knew about Zheng Ying's past. Seeing Xu Rongda fall silent, they all subconsciously thought of those things and started whispering among themselves.
The secretary wasn't originally from Yuhe Village and was unaware of those things. But after overhearing a bit, he more or less understood.
He gave Xu Rongda a serious look.
It was all in the past. If they were to bring it up and discuss it now, it would be a bit embarrassing, especially since he was an outsider.
But the secretary knew that Xu Rongda deserved the beating.
So he said vaguely, "It seems to be a private matter between you. From what you've said, you've known Dr. Ji's family for a long time. In that case, I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment. How about this? Let's all go to the village committee. We'll find a quiet place there, and I'll mediate for you."
Hearing what the secretary said, it was obvious that he was going to handle it lightly. After all, it was someone from his own village who had been bullied. It would be inappropriate for the secretary not to stand up for them.
Only that stupid Xu Rongda thought the secretary was going to side with him. He turned to Dr. Ji and the others and snorted.
Although he didn't say anything, his expression clearly said, "Let's wait and see!"
Dr. Ji didn't say a word. He just protected Zheng Ying and walked towards the door first.
He instructed Ji Chengxuan, "You stay at home. Go to sleep if you're tired. Don't come along."
Then he turned to look at the Yun family.
This look was not only to thank them for their help but also for arriving in time to stop his crazy thoughts.
Otherwise, he might really have killed this arrogant Xu Rongda.
It didn't matter if something happened to him. He would even think it was worth dying.
But he had a wife and a son. He had to stay safe first and then protect them.
The Yun family was not convenient to listen to the rest of the matter, so they didn't follow.
Yun Que'er turned around and saw that Ji Chengxuan still looked very upset. She greeted Yun Fujin and stayed behind to accompany Ji Chengxuan.
Even after the crowd had dispersed, Ji Chengxuan still stood there.
He didn't move or say a word.
Seeing this, Yun Que'er tentatively spoke up first.
"I have to say, you were really cool today. It's the first time I've seen you just punch someone without saying a word!"
Ji Chengxuan turned his head and gave Yun Que'er a listless look.
"But it was too impulsive. It not only caused trouble for my dad but almost led to a big disaster, didn't it?"
Yun Que'er awkwardly scratched her nose.
That was true. If Ji Chengxuan hadn't started the fight today, things probably wouldn't have escalated to this point.
"But you did it for your mom, right? Just like when my dad got injured last time, I also wanted to kill those who hurt my dad."
People are emotional creatures.
Sometimes, the feelings accumulated over time can even surpass blood relations.
Ji Chengxuan didn't say a word. He slowly walked towards the door.
Yun Que'er followed closely behind, keeping a close eye on Ji Chengxuan all the way to the river.
Looking at Ji Chengxuan's somewhat desolate back, Yun Que'er suddenly understood why Ji Chengxuan had lost his composure today.
"Do you miss your biological mom?" Yun Que'er asked softly behind Ji Chengxuan.
Ji Chengxuan's back stiffened for a moment. Yun Que'er knew she had guessed right and quickly comforted him.
"It's okay. Maybe one day we can go back."
"No." Ji Chengxuan stopped. "I don't have a mom."
Yun Que'er looked at Ji Chengxuan in surprise. "Are you an orphan too?"
Ji Chengxuan looked at Yun Que'er suspiciously. "Too? It seems we're in the same boat. This is the first time I've heard you talk about your background."
Yun Que'er gave a bitter smile. "There's really nothing worth talking about regarding my past."
She walked up to him. "By the way, which city were you from before? Maybe we were in the same orphanage."
But Ji Chengxuan didn't seem to want to talk about this topic. He directly changed the subject.
"Actually, I wasn't born an orphan."
"Of course not." Yun Que'er didn't understand what Ji Chengxuan meant. She shrugged. "Everyone must have parents. We can't just pop out of a rock, right?"
Ji Chengxuan seemed to find Yun Que'er's words interesting and chuckled twice.
But in an instant, his expression became desolate again.
"When I was a kid, I lived with my parents."
"My dad was rarely at home. Mom said he was busy with work. So in my memory, Dad was no different from a strange uncle. In the first few years of my life, I didn't even get a clear look at his face, let alone remember what he looked like."
"By the time I could finally remember what he looked like, Dad stopped coming home. Some neighbors said my dad had passed away. I asked Mom, and she said Dad was really just working and would definitely come back when the time was right."
"Later, he really did come back, in an urn. After he was buried, there was no name on his tombstone, and there were no photos of him at home. My dad in my memory went from a hazy shadow to a small box."
Hearing this, Yun Que'er suddenly widened her eyes.
"Could your dad be..."