Chapter 604: Chapter 604: Handover
Seeing her expression of not defending herself, the Clan Leader almost couldn’t resist hitting her on the head with his pipe.
Luckily, his survival instinct stopped this terrifying thought.
If he really swung it, it’s uncertain whether he would hit her.
But if he made her angry, he might get a punch and be sent to his grave.
Qin Yao’s temper was notoriously fiery in Kaiyang County. Although she was reasonable, she didn’t have the patience to argue over every single thing.
In just an instant, countless thoughts of persuasion flashed through the Clan Leader’s mind, but in the end, they all turned into a deep sigh.
Accepting fate, he asked, "Is it really so urgent? Does it have to be tomorrow? Can’t it wait a bit longer? At least until after the spring plowing...?"
Qin Yao: "It really is this urgent. We set off in four days."
Clan Leader: "..."
What else could he say?
The Clan Leader said helplessly, "When do you plan to return? If it’s not long, Da Fu and my Liu Yang can temporarily stand in, and there’s no need to elect a new village head."
Qin Yao replied, "It’s precisely because I don’t know how long we’ll be gone that we need to elect a new village head. But don’t worry, Clan Leader; now everything in the village has a procedure. Just follow the procedures, whether it’s me or someone else as the village head. Our village’s goal of prosperity for all remains unchanged."
Moreover, the stationery factory is already on the right track, and with the backbones like Song Yu, Qian Wang, and Qiao Yun, the dividends for village shareholders will only increase.
As for those arrangements in the fields, she demonstrated them in the past two years; now everyone knows how to grow watermelon seedlings. Whether she’s there or not makes no difference.
"Clan Leader, you should head back. Tomorrow evening, there will be a new village head election meeting at the ancestral hall. A new village head will soon take charge, and there’ll be no chaos in the village," Qin Yao sincerely smiled, suggesting they move outside.
The Clan Leader sighed countless times; he understood the logic. But there’s only one Qin Yao. Even if they could elect a hundred new village heads, none would match her presence in the village!
But again, a person like her, how could a small mountain village hold onto someone like her?
"Remember to come back often," the Clan Leader advised with reluctance.
Qin Yao nodded, "Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m leaving forever. This yard, these fields, the manor, and the stationery factory, they’re all here."
This is her retreat and her foundation; even if she leaves now, she’ll return someday.
With the base established, and a retreat prepared, she can now go out and explore.
As soon as Qin Yao sent off the Clan Leader, the people from the old house came over.
The first and second branches, along with the elderly parents, came together, saving Qin Yao the trouble of explaining to the old house. She invited them into the main room, asked Mrs. Li to prepare a sumptuous dinner, and waited for Liu Ji and the children to finish transferring their school enrollment before gathering the two families to eat and chat.
As soon as the dishes were served, after taking a bite, Old Liu couldn’t wait to put down his chopsticks and ask, "Why are you suddenly going to the Capital? Fourth just left, and now you’re also about to leave. Has something big happened?"
Qin Yao glanced at Liu Ji. Whether it’s a big issue depends on perspective.
For her, unless the sky falls, nothing else is a big deal.
The timing was right, so they decided to leave.
But she couldn’t tell the truth, so Qin Yao sighed lightly and said, "Something happened with Mr. Gongliang, and Liu Ji is anxious to visit the Capital. But honestly, Father, Mother, Brother, and Sister-in-law, you know what kind of person he is. I’m not entirely comfortable with him going alone."
"In that case, we might as well all go. Think of it as a chance for the children to see the world and for Liu Ji to prepare for the spring imperial exam. This way, we won’t have to rush at the last minute..."
Qin Yao’s words were flawless, almost making the Da Lang Brothers and Sisters, along with Ah Wang and Yin Le, believe it.
Oh no, Liu San was already moved to tears and excitedly called out, "Dear~"
Qin Yao raised her hand, "Shut up, don’t ruin the atmosphere." She instructed him to bring over the preparations she made.
Liu Ji covered his mouth, nodded, and took a deep breath to avoid crying. He quickly got up, went back to the room, and grabbed the city shop and suburban house deeds they prepared, placing one in front of each branch.
The shop deed went to the first branch, and the suburban house deed went to the second branch.
He and Ms. Qiu exchanged glances, looked to Liu Ji in surprise, and asked, "What does this mean, Uncle Third?"
Anticipating the possibility, He couldn’t hold back a smile.
Liu Ji felt a pang of heartache but smiled and said, "This trip to the Capital is full of engagements, and I fear we lack the energy to manage the shop and house. We’ll need to trouble both sisters-in-law to help watch over them."
"For the shop, whether Sister wants to collect rent or start a small business, it’s all up to you. Whether from rent or profits, it’s yours, Sister."
"And the suburban house isn’t big, but it has everything one needs. If you don’t want to live there, you can rent it out and earn a ten tael income annually."
He rejoiced, "Oh my, I didn’t expect you to trust Big Brother and me so much, Uncle. Then, we’ll accept the shop, manage it well for you, and you can rest easy going to the Capital, knowing the family has us!"
He reached out to take the deed, but Liu Ji pressed it back down, the two subtly tugging back and forth until Liu Ji reluctantly let go after a warning cough from Qin Yao.
Ms. Qiu and Liu Zhong took the house deed in hand, and without a word, they directly offered Qin Yao a toast.
Everyone knew it was Qin Yao’s arrangement. Given Liu San’s stingy nature, he couldn’t do such a generous thing.
As for the ten mu of fine fields in the village, Qin Yao left five to Ah Wang for watermelon, and the other five to Old Liu.
The elder didn’t mind the work; he finally had something to do in the fields.
With the family circumstances improving rapidly, Fourth left a thousand taels of silver before heading to the Capital for building, buying land, and hiring laborers. They seemed to be heading towards a life of wealth and splendor, yet Old Liu felt uneasy.
It wasn’t until he accepted the five mu of entrusted land from Qin Yao that he finally felt grounded.
The meal ended with everyone happy, and they went their separate ways.
Ah Wang took the children to do the dishes, Liu Ji returned to the study to prepare for his visit to the county government the next day for various examination procedures, and Qin Yao got up to tally the silver coins before heading back to her room.
"Master!"
Yin Le followed, and after exchanging a glance, Qin Yao opened the bedroom door, and the two entered together.
Qin Yao lit the candles, the light brightly illuminating the room, and she lazily took a seat at the desk, pulling out an abacus.
Yin Le took a deep breath and said, "Master, I’ve decided. I’ll quit working in the cafeteria tomorrow and go to the Capital with you. From now on, wherever you go, I’ll follow, whether to the Capital or to the frontier. I’ll always be with you!"
Qin Yao smiled with satisfaction, nodded to show she understood, gestured for her to close the door, and continued calculating the village accounts, preparing for a smooth handover to the new village head the next day.
