Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 383 - 383 384 Is It Really a Coincidence _1

Chapter 383: Chapter 384: Is It Really a Coincidence? _1 Chapter 383: Chapter 384: Is It Really a Coincidence? _1 Muniang looked at him calmly, “Do you have anything you want to say now?”

Zhong Yulang pursed his lips, but merely said, “It was wrong of me to hide some things from you, but I never thought of colluding with Mrs. Luo to deceive you.”

Muniang stared into his eyes steadily, yet what she saw was his honest gaze directly meeting hers, without the slightest hint of concealment.

Actually, Muniang wasn’t someone who couldn’t discern right from wrong. She had been purely confused by her anger earlier, but upon further reflection, she realized something was amiss. Zhong Yulang was a man she had dealt with often. If he had truly intended to harm her, why bother warning her to leave quickly at the end to avoid Mrs. Luo’s trap?

Seeing that Muniang was no longer speaking, Zhong Yulang thought she didn’t believe him and stood up straight, saying, “This matter was indeed my fault. If you still do not wish to trust me, I can only leave myself at your mercy.”

But suddenly, the door was slammed open, and Shen Dong rushed in, anxiously saying, “Lady, my elder brother truly did it unintentionally. He has always despised the fact that he became someone’s servant, so he never spoke of it, who knew Mrs. Luo could be so cunning. My brother never thought of harming you, Lady. When you proposed the new suggestion to cooperate with Mei Garden, my brother was very happy, feeling that with a boss like you, the Mei Team would eventually become very successful. With such thoughts, how could he have wanted to harm you, Lady?”

Zhong Yulang frowned, “What are you doing here? Get out!”

Shen Dong, in his alarm, said, “I won’t leave. Lady, please don’t misunderstand my elder brother. If you must punish him, punish me instead, he truly didn’t do it on purpose.” As the eldest brother of the Mei Team, Zhong Yulang always took great care of the members, especially the youngest Shen Dong, who received a lot of his care and naturally felt grateful.

Muniang waved her hand, “Did I say I would punish him?”

Shen Dong was taken aback, “Ah?”

Muniang glanced at Zhong Yulang and then said, “I will choose to trust you this time regarding this incident, so I will let bygones be bygones. However, you need to understand what my bottom line is. Betrayal is something I absolutely will not tolerate even slightly, once it happens. I can forgive you this time, but that does not mean I will be merciful next time. This is definitely the last time. Do you understand?”

Zhong Yulang, watching the fierce look in Muniang’s eyes, felt a chill in his heart. Qiao Muniang was clearly giving him a warning; she was more calculating than anyone else.

Muniang continued, “You will still lead Mei Garden. I’m wary of newcomers’ inexperience, and since you have led them for so long, I’m afraid they most respect you.”

Zhong Yulang looked at Muniang in astonishment, finding it hard to believe that she would entrust him with the leadership again so confidently.

In fact, Muniang’s principle had always been to trust those she employs and not to employ those she distrusts. Since she had decided to keep Zhong Yulang, it was naturally due to her trust in him, and she wouldn’t hold any prejudice against him because of past events.

Shen Dong was even more shocked; he couldn’t grasp what was happening at all. Muniang had changed her attitude too quickly.

“Tell everyone that I do not wish to hold onto your Servant’s Certificates just for the sake of it. Such matters are of little interest to me. But I’m also not going to simply hand them over for nothing. Everyone should work hard and do their jobs well. For those who perform impressively, I will naturally return their Servant’s Certificates,” said Muniang.

Zhong Yulang could hardly hide his excitement as he exclaimed, “Thank you, Lady!” Although he understood that Muniang was simply motivating everyone, seeing such an understanding and reasonable owner made him feel hopeful about his life for the first time.

After Shen Dong and Zhong Yulang left, the assembled actors were surprised to see not only that Zhong Yulang emerged unscathed, but that he was also continuing as the leader of the troupe.

As for Qiao Muniang being compassionate, the warning she had just issued was indeed frightening. The fact that Qiao Muniang had let Zhong Yulang off the hook was certainly for another reason. No one dared to underestimate Muniang’s tactics anymore; otherwise, how could she have come to own Mei Garden?

“Our boss is really something else, definitely not just some ordinary village woman. Remember when Mrs. Luo tricked her? She knocked down that huge man in a few moves and then left a threatening remark, ‘This isn’t over.’ What kind of normal woman could be so ruthless?”

“But don’t you find it strange? Right after Lady put out those harsh words against Mrs. Luo, Mrs. Luo suffered such misfortunes. All of a sudden, she was betrayed by her own people and lost all her wealth. Is it really just a coincidence?”

“It’s too eerie. Mrs. Luo’s people would not usually dare to do such a thing. The more I think about it, the more I feel something is off. Do you remember her husband? I’ve met him once, and he exuded a particularly fierce aura, almost as if he’s warding off strangers. I’d bet that he is definitely connected to this affair.”

Everyone was discussing energetically, but Zhong Yulang abruptly interrupted, “Talking about your master behind her back, you had better watch your own skin!”

Frightened, everyone immediately fell silent.

“Stop talking and get back to rehearsal! Tomorrow is the grand reopening, and if you botch it, Lady will not let you off easy. Keep your mouths shut. Knowing that Lady’s methods are uncommon, you should realize she will not be lenient with you either. If she hears about the gossip you were just spreading, do you think she’ll let it slide?!”

“Yes, yes, yes, we were wrong. We’ll never speak out of turn again. We’re going to rehearsal right now!” With that, they swiftly dispersed, each still harboring a deep respect and fear for Muniang in their hearts.

Still curious, Shen Dong couldn’t help but whisper to Zhong Yulang, “Big brother, do you think what happened to Mrs. Luo is really related to Lady Yu? Is Lady Yu truly that powerful, even able to outmaneuver Mrs. Luo?”

Zhong Yulang replied sternly, “It’s not our place to meddle in Lady’s affairs. It’s our good fortune that Mei Garden has fallen into her hands. Just stop thinking about those matters. Knowing too much isn’t good for you.”

Shen Dong shrank his neck and acknowledged the point.

In truth, when Zhong Yulang found out that Qiao Muniang was their new owner, he was certain that she was behind Mrs. Luo’s downfall. But he did not utter a single word on the matter, aware of its sensitivity and that it was not to be dealt with recklessly. Instead, his respect for Qiao Muniang deepened; she was certainly not just any ordinary village woman.

Early the next morning, Mei Garden was alive with the crackle of firecrackers, the scene ablaze with festivity and drawing many onlookers. After all, the reputation of the Mei Team in Chatu Town was quite illustrious, and the renovation had also attracted a lot of attention. Consequently, the reopening day was bustling with excitement.

The bright red silk that covered the signboard was pulled down, revealing the gilded characters “Mei Garden” once again to everyone’s eyes. Zhong Yulang stood at the entrance, his face beaming with joy.