Chapter 120: Are You Making Fun of Me?

The other five troublemakers all looked at Zhang Qiu with grateful eyes.

Chu Xuan thought to herself, “Even after being caught, Zhang Qiu still wants to show off in front of his gang. This guy is really scheming.”

Wei Qiang said sternly, “The rest of them smashed car windows with sticks and resisted arrest. You can’t take the blame for all of them by yourself.”

The other five immediately regretted not surrendering earlier.

Zhang Qiu shot them a look that said, “It’s not that I don’t want to take the blame, I just can’t.”

Chu Xuan and Lin Yong didn’t linger. They drove to the county hospital’s emergency department.

By coincidence, Dr. Zhang was on duty today.

He personally examined and dressed Lin Yong’s wounds. Fortunately, there were no broken bones.

No need for hospitalization—just some herbal pills. For future dressing changes, the village clinic or township hospital would suffice.

About forty minutes later, Chu Xuan returned to the village entrance.

She had already dropped Lin Yong off at his family’s home in the neighboring town, leaving the truck there as well.

The Lin family arranged for a tractor from their village to bring her back.

As soon as she arrived, Chu Xuan spotted Mu Chenze waiting at the entrance, flashlight in hand.

She couldn’t help but recall that rainy night when she’d waited for Mu Chenze in this very spot.

She greeted the tractor driver, waited for the vehicle to stop, then climbed down from the trailer. Only after watching the tractor drive away did she turn to Mu Chenze.

“You waiting here just for me?”

Mu Chenze looked awkward. “Who’s waiting for you? I’m here for my share of the profits! After working so hard, I can’t let my dividend go to waste.”

Chu Xuan smiled mysteriously. “You know, your dividend almost did go to waste.”

“What happened?”

“Let’s talk as we walk. Here’s what happened…”

Chu Xuan recounted everything that had happened that day.

By the time she finished, they were at her doorstep.

Mu Chenze kindly reminded her, “Could it be that someone’s deliberately trying to make things hard for you?”

“Of the people who might want to mess with me, I can only think of the Feng Chunhua family, the Qiu family, and the Qi family. The Qiu and Qi families wouldn’t go as far as cutting off someone’s finger.”

“So you suspect Feng Chunhua’s family?”

“That’s right. But I have no proof.”

In her previous life, nothing like tonight had happened.

This time around, a lot had changed, but Chu Xuan wasn’t afraid. She believed those who meant her harm would slip up sooner or later.

“Chu Xuan, about half an hour before you got back, the city security team took away Qiu Xiang—the stammerer from the Qiu family. Apparently, he’s suspected of robbery. They even found a Plum Blossom brand watch at his house.”

“That was my tip.”

“Nice one! You should get some rest.”

“No rush, let me give you your share first.”

Chu Xuan started to pull out the money.

Mu Chenze quickly stopped her. “I said there’s no rush. It’s late, I won’t go inside. I’ll come by tomorrow morning for the money. Fine, I admit it—I was waiting for you at the village entrance because I was worried, not for the dividend. Go ahead, laugh at me!”

His heart was pounding, his face burning. He hurried off as if fleeing.

Chu Xuan sighed as she watched his disappearing figure.

Even if he hadn’t said it, she could have guessed he’d waited just for her.

Before she could open the gate, Chu Feng had already opened it from inside. “Sis, you’re finally back! Brother Chenze was really worried about you, that’s why he waited at the entrance. Oh, and Brother Dapeng wanted to go too, but his mom wasn’t feeling well, so he went home to take care of her. Aunt Miao is still in the kitchen roasting fish slices…”

“I’ll go have a word with her. You go get some rest, Xiao Feng.”

“Okay.”

Tonight, Miao Dacui was working late, roasting fish slices.

Lately, they’d only been fulfilling pre-orders, but Chu Xuan planned to make some more to sell herself.

As she entered the kitchen, before she could say anything, Miao Dacui smiled and said, “Xiao Xuan, I can tell—both Mu Chenze and Liu Dapeng like you. But I’m more in favor of Mu Chenze. Not just because of his family background, but in terms of personal ability, he’s way better than Liu Dapeng.”

Chu Xuan blushed, but quickly composed herself. “Auntie, I’m not planning to get married. Even if I do, it’ll be after Xiao Feng is grown up. If anyone tries to arrange a match for me, please help me turn them down.”

“Silly child, why think that way? You can still take care of Xiao Feng after getting married. There aren’t many families as open-minded as the Mu family. You won’t get another chance like this.”

“If I wanted to get married, I would have done it already. Chenze and I are just friends—it has nothing to do with marriage. Auntie, I’m going to rest. We can talk about this another time.”

Miao Dacui could tell Chu Xuan was avoiding the topic. “Alright, go get some rest.”

She sensed that Xiao Xuan had her own difficulties, but didn’t want to talk about them.

No point in pressing, so she said nothing more and went back to watching the oven.

The next morning, everyone came to work. Miao Dacui went home to rest, and Mu Chenze took over watching the oven.

Liu Dapeng, carrying two full buckets of water into the yard, felt a bit sour. He thought Mu Chenze got to watch the oven because Chu Xuan trusted him more.

But to his surprise, Chu Xuan spoke up, “Liu Dapeng, do you want to learn how to roast fish slices?”

When the village fish slice factory opens in October, they’ll need several people to watch the ovens. Liu Dapeng was hardworking and reliable, so Chu Xuan wanted to give him a chance and train him early.

Liu Dapeng was thrilled. “I’d love to! And I promise to keep it a secret.”

He felt that, in Chu Xuan’s eyes, he was definitely on equal footing with Mu Chenze.

Chu Xuan had no idea what he was thinking. “Once you finish fetching water, learn from Mu Chenze. When you’ve got the hang of it, you’ll take over from him.”

Liu Dapeng was overjoyed. If he could take over from Mu Chenze, didn’t that mean he’d outrank him?

He agreed enthusiastically and worked even harder.

After several trips, the water tank was full.

He walked into the kitchen, feeling proud. “Mu Chenze, Xiao Xuan asked you to teach me how to roast fish slices. You’d better teach me well.”

He couldn’t resist showing off in front of Mu Chenze.

But Mu Chenze wasn’t one to let others get the upper hand. He snorted, “You call her Xiao Xuan? You should call her Boss Chu! Or use her full name.”

Liu Dapeng retorted, “Then how come I never hear you call her Boss Chu? And what business is it of yours how I address her?”

“You talk to your soon-to-be teacher like that?” Mu Chenze said irritably. “I may not call her Boss Chu, but I do use her full name. Besides, do you really think your relationship with her compares to mine?”

Liu Dapeng stiffened his neck. “What’s your relationship with her, anyway? It’s not like you’re dating! If you don’t want to teach me, fine, I’ll have Xiao Xuan teach me herself!”

Mu Chenze had actually learned oven-watching from Miao Dacui and Chu Feng, so Liu Dapeng’s words hit a nerve.

He didn’t hold back anymore, though he kept his voice low. “Chu Xuan is my good buddy and business partner. Don’t forget, I help her sell goods in the city and she gives me a share of the profits.”

Liu Dapeng lowered his voice too. “So what? I don’t think you’re any better than me, Mu Chenze.”

But his tone lacked confidence.

Mu Chenze whispered, “Once you learn to watch the oven, at most you’ll get some wages. You say you’re helping Chu Xuan, but really, you’re just letting her take care of you. Think about it—hasn’t your family been doing a lot better since you started working here? Don’t think I don’t know—the village hasn’t given tractor drivers any work lately, so you haven’t been paid. You’re only here because you need the money! Don’t act all high and mighty. If you’re so capable, stop relying on a girl to feed you!”"