Chapter 198: What a Big, Thick Thigh

Chapter 198: Chapter 198: What a Big, Thick Thigh

"They were husband and wife once, after all. That Yao Hui Zhen is despicable, but you can see her husband is no good either." After walking the Shao family to the village entrance, the Zhang Family headed back. Wen Xiu sighed and shook her head.

"Birds of a feather flock together. That’s why those two are a perfect match," Gu Nuan Nuan said with a cheerful grin. She really couldn’t bring herself to feel any sympathy for people like them. ’A whole family of scoundrels, all in one rotten pile.’

She couldn’t help but smile, thinking of how Mr. Shao had repeatedly insisted on being invited to their house-raising ceremony for the new building.

When she saw Mr. Shao’s eldest son today, she was stunned to realize he was none other than Shao Qingfeng—the man who, in her past life, had brought the Shao family to prominence and eventually become the leader of the Alliance.

’That’s the future leader of the Alliance!’

’Tsk, tsk. What a powerful connection to have.’

She wanted to laugh out loud at the thought. In this life, she and her uncle had, purely by chance, saved the father and only son of Shao Qingfeng—the man who, in her previous life, had been an illustrious leader of the Alliance but ultimately faced the tragic fate of having no one to succeed him. With this debt of gratitude owed to them, she could already foresee that their lives would be much smoother than most, even if they never actively called in the favor.

’Good deeds are rewarded. Mmm, I guess I should focus on doing more good things and avoid causing trouble from now on.’ Gu Nuan Nuan resolved silently.

As the saying goes, "Good deeds stay indoors while bad news travels a thousand miles." But that depends on the kind of good deed. An act of great merit like this was certainly an exception.

In any case, after this incident, Zhang Wei Qiang became famous throughout the entire region. He was only the second person from Zhang Family Village to ever achieve such renown. The story of him leaping off a cliff alone to save lives was on everyone’s lips. This was especially true because most of the passengers on the bus that went over the cliff were from the local town, including two from Lihua Village itself. Now that everyone knew their savior lived so close, many made special trips to his home to express their gratitude...

To mark the occasion, the Zhang Family Village clansmen summoned his family back. They chose an auspicious day to open the ancestral hall, where the Clan Leader personally took up a brush and solemnly recorded the event in the clan’s genealogy.

What also pleased the Zhang Family was how this incident changed their standing in Lihua Village. The villagers, who had previously kept a cautious, wait-and-see distance, now seemed to have accepted them completely, almost overnight.

The two who felt this change most keenly were the brothers, Zhang Su and Zhang Kai. They had suddenly acquired a small following of "little brothers" among the village kids. Having studied Martial Arts with Zhang Damei for a while, they were now figures of admiration. The direct result was that the brothers found new motivation for their tedious daily training. Not only did their occasional slacking and complaining vanish, but they even started adding extra practice time on their own initiative.

The busy days flew by. In the blink of an eye, their house in Lihua Village was finished. Once the date for the roof-raising ceremony was set, the Zhang Family called the Shao family in the city. Even though it was their housekeeper who answered, not Mr. Shao or Shao Qingyang, both of them still showed up bright and early on the appointed day.

Young Shao Zhiheng, however, didn’t come. Gu Nuan Nuan had been scheming to cozy up to the future "Crown Prince" while he was still young, so she was quite disappointed by his absence. When she asked, she was told that Shao Qingfeng and his wife had already taken him back to Beijing.

"Nuannuan, wake up." Gu Nuan Nuan was shaken awake from a deep sleep. She blearily opened her eyes, saw that it was still dark out, and immediately closed them again, wanting to go back to sleep.

"Don’t you want to go scout the mountain path with your grandpa and your uncle?" Zhang Minzhen asked, amused, as she watched her daughter’s eyes flutter shut again.

"Oh, right!"

At those words, Gu Nuan Nuan was instantly wide awake. She leaped out of bed and started to get dressed. ’How could I have forgotten about that?’

"Hurry and get dressed. Your grandpa and uncle are already eating. If you dawdle, they might leave without you," Zhang Minzhen teased before leaving Gu Nuan Nuan’s room. After the new house was built, Gu Nuan Nuan had finally gotten her own room, just as she’d insisted. She usually locked the door from the inside when she slept, but not on mornings when she knew she’d need to be woken up.

"They would not! I trust Grandpa and Uncle to keep their word!" Gu Nuan Nuan called back. Even so, she quickened her pace, throwing on her clothes in a flash before rushing out into the courtyard to draw water from the well to wash up.

"Oh, stop that! There’s hot water in the kitchen. Bring it out and mix it with the well water," said Lin Qin, who was also washing up nearby. She quickly stopped Gu Nuan Nuan and chided her with a huff. "You’re a girl; you have to be especially careful not to get chilled. If you don’t, you’ll pay for it later."

"I know, Auntie! I was just in a rush. It’s not like I do this all the time!" Gu Nuan Nuan said, sticking her tongue out playfully. She darted into the room beside the kitchen to grab her personal wooden washbasin, towel, and toothbrush cup, then popped into the kitchen and emerged a moment later carrying hot water.

"Even when you’re in a hurry, you can’t be careless. Don’t think it’s a small thing. Back in my village, there was a girl who wasn’t careful when she was young. When she grew up, she had fertility problems. Other women had several children, but she couldn’t conceive a single one. If her husband hadn’t been so devoted, his family would have sent her back home." Seeing that Nuannuan was listening, Lin Qin’s expression softened, but she continued her gentle lecture.

"I understand. It won’t happen again." Gu Nuan Nuan knew her aunt meant well, so she nodded with a patient smile. Satisfied, Lin Qin went back to the kitchen and remarked to the others, "Our Nuannuan is so good about this. No matter what you try to teach her, she always listens and never gets impatient."

"That’s true," Zhang Minzhen agreed with a nod. "As long as she knows we have her best interests at heart, she’s usually very receptive. She won’t argue just for the sake of it. Not many kids are as reasonable as she is." Then she gave a wry smile. "But when she does dig her heels in, she’s impossible. She won’t quit until she gets what she wants."

"What’s wrong with that? Every child has a stubborn streak," Lin Qin said dismissively. As she spoke, she noticed that Zhang Wei Qiang, who was eating nearby, had already finished most of his bowl. She gave him a little nudge. "Slow down, will you? If you eat that fast, you’ll make Nuannuan anxious when she comes in."

"What’s the rush? It’s not like we’re going to leave without her. Dad’s still eating, see? It’s just a habit, I can’t help it. Besides, I still need to pack our things."

Zhang Wei Qiang paid her no mind, quickly finishing the rest of the rice in his bowl. Then, looking at the three women of the house, he added with a hint of concern, "The three of us will be gone for at least two or three days on this trip, maybe even five or six. You all be sure to lock the doors and windows at night. Stay safe."

"Don’t you worry," Zhang Dazhuang said with a laugh as he ate. "It might be a bit remote out here, but nothing really bad has ever happened in this village. Besides, a few days ago I set up some snares both inside and outside the courtyard walls and even left them a few traps. They’ll be fine even if there’s a little disturbance."

"I still think we should get a dog. They’re great for guarding the house," Zhang Wei Qiang said. He made a mental note to ask around later and see if he could find a good, well-trained dog to bring home.