The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 453 - 424: Dodging, Discovering Contradiction_1

Chapter 453: Chapter 424: Dodging, Discovering Contradiction_1

He Tiantian had finished speaking, wrenched her hand free from Qi Zhenghan’s, and quickly walked towards Qi Zhengmin.

Qi Zhenghan had already made clear his special feelings for her, which He Tiantian had always rejected, but that still couldn’t make Qi Zhenghan give up.

This caused He Tiantian to feel uneasy and even guilty for not being able to reciprocate Qi Zhenghan’s affection.

Qi Zhenghan was lost in a daze, feeling utterly dejected. He was somewhat eager to leave this place now.

Perhaps if he didn’t see He Tiantian, he wouldn’t lose his reason, speak those ungentlemanly words, and offend He Tiantian.

Qi Zhengmin, seeing that her brother was in a bad mood, thought he was angry with her for not liking to study. She carefully walked alongside He Tiantian, keeping a distance from her brother.

When they descended the mountain and reached the bottom, at the edge of the Dark River, they saw Anna with a clipboard in hand, painting, while Qi Shuli watched.

Even though it was only a simple sketch, Anna’s deft hands revealed the beauty of the place.

While Qi Shuli was leading a mundane life with his family, Qi Shuli was chatting at home with two fellow villagers from Qijia Village with whom he had a good relationship.

"Big brother, since Qi Dazhu came back, his branch of the family has been getting stronger, and ours is getting weaker," Qi Shuguang whispered. "Even though I have become the team captain, many people do not acknowledge me, and now many people look down on us."

"Yeah, big brother, you need to think of something," Qi Shuniu said. "Any good thing in the village has nothing to do with us, we can’t even get our hands on nice things."

Qi Shuli was well aware of the current situation, but with so many external forces involved in the village affairs, it was not something he, a mere accountant, could contend with. Apart from the top leaders in the city, he didn’t dare to offend County Chief Niu of Taoyuan County, either!

"Alas, we must not act rashly right now. We had such a good opportunity before and still couldn’t take down Qi Dazhu; now, it’s even less likely," sighed Qi Shuli. He had always been at odds with Qi Dazhu; they used to be civil but internally discordant, and now their relationship had deteriorated so much that they had even stopped caring about face.

If it were not for the fact that their branch still had a fair number of people, he would probably have lost his position as an accountant to Qi Dazhu by now.

"Right, big brother, Qi Shuli is a citizen of Country M. Can’t we denounce Qi Dazhu and Qi Shuli for having overseas connections and for betraying the country?" Qi Shuguang asked. He had heard that in the past, anyone with relatives abroad had to be investigated.

Upon hearing this, Qi Shuli glared at Qi Shuguang and scolded, "You brainless fool, look at how many overseas Chinese return to their homeland to pay homage to their ancestors, especially under such tense circumstances!"

"I was just saying. But Qi Shuli really does have overseas connections, and Qi Dazhu is very close with them. If we report them, maybe we could be commended for doing a great service. If Qi Dazhu falls, Qijia Village will fall into our hands. Then we could get a larger share of everything," Qi Shuguang retorted, unwilling to back down. The village had bountiful grain harvests and game to sell. Now, even the peaches from Peach Orchard had begun to sell at prices comparable to pork.

The income of Qijia Village was increasing, and whoever had the power controlled more resources. Otherwise, how could Qi Dazhu’s family enjoy such delicacies and live so much better than others?

"You brainless fool, did you take to heart anything I just said?" Qi Shuli scolded. "If Qi Shuli can make such a public appearance from Yanjing, and with so many leaders accompanying him, it must mean he’s done something commendable for those above. His actions are sanctioned, so what use is your reporting? Moreover, once it’s discovered that we’re the ones who reported them, can we continue to stay in the village?"

Qi Shuniu also chimed in, "Shuguang, you’re thinking too one-sidedly. Big brother is right, Qi Shuli’s way is clear, approved by the leaders above. If it leaks that we made the report, we’ll be like rats running across the street, everyone shouting to hit us. After all, the villagers are already blinded by the gifts from Qi Shuli, hoping to get more from him."

Qi Shuli nodded and said, "Shuniu is right, Shuguang, you must not act on impulse in the future. Such actions will bring us no advantage."

"But we just sit and watch as Qi Dazhu stays on top, monopolizing the village’s good things!" Qi Shuguang protested, his heart ached for all the village’s good things that were out of his reach.

Qi Shuli, as the accountant, certainly understood the real situation of Qi Dazhu, who truly hadn’t embezzled anything from the village.

"It’s seen," Qi Shuniu said. "I also noticed that Zhang Niansheng sneers at what Niu Peng says, looking very disdainful."

"Big brother, that’s a way in!" said Qi Shuguang. "Maybe we should take this chance to connect with Zhang Niansheng from the county office."

"Don’t oversimplify things. Why would people want to get involved with two farmers like us?" said Qi Shuniu. "Although there’s friction between Zhang Niansheng and Niu Peng, if Niu Peng falls, Qi Dazhu will also be in trouble. But if we get involved, we’ll become pawns, with no good end."

Though he didn’t speak much, Qi Shuniu always hit the nail on the head when he did.

"Yeah, Shuguang, Shuniu is right," Qi Shuli agreed. "While this might be an opportunity, if mishandled, we will become cannon fodder, sacrificial pawns. So, it’s best not to make rash moves and risk getting burned."

There’s no rush; an opportunity will come someday.

"Ah, such a waste of good things," lamented Qi Shuguang. "By the way, will the village organize a hunt this year?"

"Probably not. A lot of the wildlife in the hills behind the village has disappeared; rabbits and wild chickens are no longer seen – they were all killed off the year before last," Qi Shuli replied. "Don’t worry, though. With all the nice things Qi Dazhu has brought in, everyone’s home should be able to share in some."

"That’s true!" The three of them, each with their own plans, contemplated how to best take advantage of the situation.