Chapter 355: If You’re Done Talking, Get Lost!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Lu Ming felt that he was wrong, but it was already too late.
Zhao Chuchu did not care about the Xia clan at all. His previous confidence was gone.
A single glance from Zhao Chuchu had already made him tremble in fear.
He did not know how Zhao Chuchu had honed such a frightening killing intent. Was this something a young maiden should have?
“Miss Zhao, the Xia clan does have its faults. Isn’t that precisely why it should be restructured? Your mother used to manage the Xia clan well. Now, Old Mr. Xia hopes that you will return to help him do the same. As a butler, I am already old. There are many things beyond my ability to handle. We need a person like you to properly manage the clan…”
“Have you said enough?” Zhao Chuchu interrupted Lu Ming’s grand speech.
“If you have said enough, get lost. Don’t wear out my patience here. Go back and tell Xia Songquan that I will go back, but only if he hands the entire Xia clan over to me and your lot leaves the clan. Otherwise, there is nothing to be discussed.”
“You…”
Lu Ming was furious.
With a cold smile, he said, “Just because I called you Miss Zhao, do you think that you are the master of the Xia clan? Even if you are the daughter of the young mistress, your surname is Zhao and not Xia. The time has not yet come for a person with the surname Zhao to be directing the Xia clan!”
Zhao Chuchu retorted, “Then why did you come here? My surname is Zhao. Since when can a person with the surname Xia order me around? The saying “age without wisdom” refers to people like you!’
Lu Ming nearly died on the spot in anger.
Xia Chenglan was elated to see Lu Ming deflated for reasons unknown.
As long as she was not the only one who was embarrassed, she felt better.
However, this excitement was no match for her rage at the disrespect Zhao Chuchu showed toward her.
“Do not forget that your mother’s surname is Xia!”
“There are so many people with the surname Xia. How do you have the audacity to claim that your clan is the only one with that surname? Have you consulted the other Xia clans?
“Zhao Chuchu, do you wish to be against us until the end?”
“Look at what you are saying. I merely do not wish to conspire with you. We do not see eye to eye, so any more discussion is meaningless. I still allowed you to spout nonsense for so long. You should feel honored.”
“You…”
Zhao Chuchu looked at Niu Tongsheng. Ever since she appeared, the others could only watch from the sidelines.
Zhao Chuchu told Niu Tongsheng, “Chief, I suspect that they came to our Lengshui Village to cause trouble. They must be jealous of our watermill workshop’s business being so good. So why don’t we banish them from the village? Otherwise, if the recipe for tofu skins is stolen, that would spell trouble.”
Right now, the watermill workshop is the lifeblood of the villagers of Lengshui Village. So when the villagers heard Zhao Chuchu say this, they were riled up.
A villager said, “Chief, we must cast these people out of the village. They must be here to steal the recipe.”
Another chimed in, “The way I see it, that old fart from the Zhao clan is also in this. He has come to the watermill workshop countless times. He is envious of our monthly wages while they cannot benefit at all from our business.”
“Why don’t we chase all the Zhao clan members out of the village? Otherwise, they might turn around and stab us in the back. Worst comes to worst, we will draw a clear line between them and us. In the future, we had better not approach anything related to the Zhao clan.
The villagers went on and on.
The villagers all prioritized the human touch. Whenever someone had a funeral or a wedding, everyone would come together to help out. Compared to relatives, neighbors were more important.
Once the Zhao clan was excluded, with just a few families remaining, nothing much could be done.
Hence, when the villagers made such suggestions, the other members of the Zhao clan began to panic.
The first to panic was Madam Yang.
Madam Yang rushed to defend herself, saying, “Chuchu, you can’t blame me for this. I already said that I would not meddle in your affairs. They were the ones who came to my house to force me. I have done nothing to wrong you. I also do not know them. Please judge objectively.”
The other members of the Zhao clan also rushed to clear their names.
“This is their family’s idea. We were completely in the dark. If we didn’t see someone from the Xia clan, we wouldn’t know why we came to Old Man Zhao’s
“That’s right. We have already learned our lesson. Chuchu, we wouldn’t dare scheme against you. But, Chuchu, if you want someone to blame, blame him. As the clan head, he made this decision on his own. We know nothing about this, right?”
“Their family has been scheming all along. A few days ago, strangers were seen coming and going from their house. They must have planned out their scheme then. We were busy with the autumn harvest. When would we find the time for scheming?
Their excuses followed one after another.
The Zhao clan head was instantly pushed to the cusp of making a tough decision by the Zhao clan members.
Of course, those people only said those things because they wanted to protect their interests. In reality, they knew about this matter.
The Zhao clan head was enraged.
with his trembling finger, he pointed at the Zhao clan members and chided,
“What nonsense are you speaking of now? Don’t you remember what you
agreed to? Now you’re putting the blame squarely on my shoulders? Aren’t
you afraid of being struck by lightning because of karma? Don’t test me. I
might just remove all your names from the Zhao clan genealogy!”
A member of the Zhao clan retorted, “Do you think that you’re the only one capable of being the clan head? If you dare, just remove all of us from the Zhao clan. We could just set up a new ancestral hall without you. We have long thought of you as an eyesore. You abuse your authority, believing that everyone should listen to you just because you’re the clan head. Nah!”
To the side, Zhao Chuchu quietly witnessed the Zhao clan’s infighting. She was not at all perturbed by it.
However, it was true that Madam Yang hadn’t invited any trouble for her so far.
Of course, Zhao Chuchu would not treat her differently just because of that.
Truth be told, Madam Yang behaved accordingly because she could read the room. She knew that she was no match for Zhao Chuchu, so she chose not to go against the latter.
If a greater backer came along, would Madam Yang jump ship?
As for Lu Ming and Xia Chenglan, when they saw the Zhao clan head arguing with the others, their rage burned inside them.
They had considered many possibilities, but infighting was the only one they had not considered. They could not cause Zhao Chuchu any harm, and even what they believed to be their most helpful leverage was useless. Zhao Chuchu had instead threatened them.
Lu Ming was an experienced butler. However, now that he had lost to Zhao Chuchu, for a moment, he did not know whether he was angry or resigned.
Nevertheless, he did not dare to do anything.
If he angered Zhao Chuchu, she might actually break his leg and then heal it again.
Lu Ming was already of ripe old age. He did not wish to suffer like that. While the members of the Zhao clan argued, Zhao Chuchu signaled Niu Tongsheng to lead the villagers away.
Niu Tongsheng understood that she would settle this matter on her own. Hence, he gestured for the other villagers to leave.
Just now, he had overheard some things. There was a lot of information to take in. Niu Tongsheng did not wish for any bad rumors to make their way around the village, even It they were about her mother.
Once Niu Tongsheng and the others left, there were much fewer people in the courtyard.
Zhao Chuchu crossed her arms and looked at Lu Ming. Then she asked, “What other scheme do you wish to use against me?
Lu Ming glared at her. He said, “The mighty will fall.. Miss Zhao, are you sure you will not regret your decision today?”
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