Chapter 533: Reward (II)

Silence fell over the courtyard like a mountain collapsing.

Meng Yunhan’s jaw dropped so low it looked like she had dislocated it. She looked at the newspaper, then at Han Ruochen, who stood unmoving; her face was calm, and her eyes were deep like the ocean.

Han Ziyan also stumbled backwards; she was clutching her stomach, her smug face draining of all colour as she realised the Shen family was not even in the race that Han Ruochen won, which meant that the gap between her and Han Ruochen had increased once again!

When Han Xuehan heard that her sister had cleared such a difficult channel, her eyes could not help but turn blurry. Her sister...how many risks was she taking because of them? Just because they were not capable enough, Han Ruochen was taking such risks even though she didn’t have to.

Han Yong was just as stunned. He could not help but turn to look at his little sister in shock. However, there was no happiness in his eyes because, in his heart, he knew that Han Ruochen did it because of their lack of capability.

Han Yichen, on the other hand, turned to look at Han Ruochen. He raised his trembling hand and touched the newspaper that Village Head Xiao had handed him. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked up at Han Ruochen; his voice turned hoarse and cracked with emotional weight.

"Ruo...Ruochen..." the old man whispered; he took one strained breath and whimpered. "Why did you do this? Was it because of me? You actually cleared this channel because of me. How...how can I ever repay this favour that we owe you?"

Han Ruochen shook her head. She said to her father, "It’s alright. Even if I had to clear this path because I had no choice, the good thing is that I was able to clear it. Now that I have cleared it and become the disciple of Old Master Xu, I believe that no one would be willing to look down on us."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Meng Yunhan and Han Ziyan. When she saw their horrified faces, she was filled with a hint of satisfaction. Now that she had a big official behind her, she wanted to see how these two women would scheme against her family again.

"You–" Meng Yunhan had a feeling that there was something amiss with Han Ruochen. Because when she said those things, she was looking at her. What did she mean by people wouldn’t look down on her? So what if she became the disciple of the old master? She was still her daughter! No matter what she said, she would have to listen to it.

However, before she could scold Han Ruochen, two sleek black government sedans, escorted by police motorcycles, pulled right up to the gates of the Han family’s courtyard. The red silk banners draped over the hood of the lead car fluttered in the breeze, bearing bold yellow characters: ’Provincial Maritime Hero and Economic Contributor.

The gates were pushed open wide, and county magistrate Zhang stepped inside the yard, followed by the local reporters holding flashbulbs and bulky video cameras. Behind them, half of the village stood on tiptoes over the stone fence, craning their necks to catch a glimpse.

"Old Han!" Magistrate Zhang walked over to Han Yichen with the air of someone who knew Han Yichen for quite some time. As for Meng Yunhan, he did not even glance at her, nor did he look at Han Ziyan. Instead, he shook hands with Han Yichen, as if he had known him for a long time. "What a miracle! I have to say that you have raised quite a good girl. Your daughter has opened a vein for our province’s economy that foreign fleets could not touch for more than fifty years!"

A junior officer stepped forward, carrying a heavy, red, lacquered wooden box. Inside lay five thick stacks of crisp, uncirculated yuan notes. Though no one could count the amount of money that was inside the box, they knew that it was more than twenty thousand. There was also a heavy bronze medal and a framed, gold-embossed plaque signed by the provincial governor.

Flashbulbs popped, blinding the quiet courtyard in bursts of brilliant white light.

Meng Yunhan stood frozen against the kitchen wall, her hands twitching uselessly at her sides. Her face turned ugly, and her complexion turned a mottled shade of grey. The fifty thousand yuan sitting on the table was more money than the entire village had earned in five years. And it had been handed directly to the daughter; she had spent the morning cursing as a thief.

Beside her, Han Ziyan clutched her belly; her knees were trembling beneath her flashy skirt. She looked frantic, her eyes darting toward Chief Xiao.

"Chief Xiao...Chief Xiao..." Han Ziyan stammered. "What...what is the meaning of this reward? What is going to happen?"

Chief Xiao glanced at her sideways. He gave her a cold snort. "What else? Since your sister has cleared the devil’s teeth channel, the city bureau cancelled Old Chen’s dock lease. His fleet was impounded for tax evasion, and Old Chen is now hiding in the county to dodge the gambling debts that he had gained. Now that there is no one to take care of the dock, it has been handed to Han Ruochen."

The words hit Han Ziyan like a slap across her face. She stumbled back against the doorframe, her eyes wide with terror, realising that the woman she wanted to step on had gotten stronger and stronger. She turned to look at Han Ruochen, who was receiving the award. This...this was not right; she had a feeling that these things belonged to her!

Neither Magistrate Zhang nor Han Ruochen had even the slightest bit of an idea what was going on in her mind. The two of them were busy discussing the channel. "Comrade Han, the bureau has already arranged your private office at the deepwater port. Whenever you are ready to assume command of the docks, the county will facilitate every permit you need."