Volume One, Chapter Ten: The Village Chief’s Threat
“Tricycle?”
Ning Jue’s eyes lit up.
Having a vehicle meant no more tiring trips carried by others.
After agreeing to meet three days later, Ning Jue prepared to leave.
Passing by the clothing rack, he paused.
Most of Xiao Lin’s clothes were dresses—impractical for going out and easily attracting attention.
He had moved in haste and hadn’t brought many clothes, so he’d often need to come to the grocery store.
Always smelling bad would ruin her image.
Well, mainly, it was to buy clothes for Xiao Lin, Ning Jue told himself.
“I want to buy some clothes and hats.”
Qiao Yuan waved his large hand. “Clothes and hats are on me.”
“Go check the outdoor gear aisle—sunglasses, sunscreen, hiking boots—take whatever you want.”
“I’m an old man; why would I need sunscreen?” Ning Jue chuckled.
Qiao Yuan rolled his eyes. “Not for you, for your sister.”
Ning Jue immediately understood.
He filled a hiking backpack and carried two more boxes of water.
After setting the next meeting time, Ning Jue entered the warehouse.
The hillside villa sat northeast of Qinzhou City.
As the name suggests, the villa was built halfway up the mountain, inhabited only by the affluent or noble.
The heavy rain had just begun not long ago, and the wealthy had already fled with their belongings.
Thus, most villas on the mountain were now vacant.
Ning Jue opened the hiking bag and took out the clothes.
“All quick-dry sportswear?” Xie An touched the fabric in surprise.
“That female boss is truly our lucky star.” Qi Zheng grabbed a set of clothes and slipped into the bathroom.
Ning Jue handed the clothes and shoes to Ning Lin. “You should change too; dresses aren’t practical.”
Then he took clothes to the small bedroom himself.
When the four emerged again, they exchanged glances.
After Ning Jue had killed four people in succession, the gloomy atmosphere of the afternoon finally lifted.
The four looked at each other and burst into laughter.
It turned out Ning Jue had taken all the same style of clothes, and now they were dressed identically.
Anyone unaware might think they were some sort of gang.
“All right, let’s eat quickly; we still have work after.”
After moving into the villa, Ning Jue and Xie An went to the hardware store at the foot of the mountain and bought lots of wire mesh and tools.
The villa had no yard, so breaking in was too easy. They needed to reinforce doors and windows quickly.
...
...
“Welcome!”
The wind chime at the grocery store’s door suddenly jingled, signaling the owner that a customer had arrived.
---
Qiao Yuan shivered and slammed the metal box shut, placing it under the counter.
“Xiao Yuan~”
The visitor was the village chief, Chen Wei.
Qiao Yuan held no good impression of this chief. When she returned to open the grocery store, he had often made things difficult for her.
This visit...
Surely had some ill intent!
“Uncle Chen, what brings you here?”
From the moment he entered, Chen Wei’s eyes glanced around.
Just as his wife had said, there was indeed something suspicious about this grocery store.
Under his hinting, no villagers came to shop here, yet Qiao Yuan had kept the store open for over two months, even adding two more rows of shelves.
Moreover, his son working at the hospital said Qiao Yuan’s grandfather stayed in a VIP ward.
The kicker was... it was Qiao Yuan’s money!
“Hahaha, nothing, just came to take a look, show I care.”
Hmph! A sleazy old man.
Qiao Yuan cursed him a thousand times in her heart but still maintained proper respect.
As the saying goes, little devils are hard to deal with.
“Take whatever you want, don’t be shy.”
Chen Wei circled the grocery store and finally stopped at the warehouse door.
Qiao Yuan patted her chest in relief—luckily Ning Jue had agreed to come back in three days.
Otherwise, if Chen Wei saw someone suddenly appear out of nowhere, it would be hard to explain.
“Oh, there’s such a big warehouse too?” Chen Wei opened the warehouse door without permission.
Qiao Yuan curled her lips. “Business isn’t good; the warehouse is empty. I don’t plan to stock any more.”
“Xiao Yuan…”
“Our village is repairing the ancestral hall. Each household must either contribute labor or money. You’re a young lady; Uncle Chen surely wouldn’t want you to work hard…”
So that’s it, he was here for money.
Qiao Yuan sat behind the counter, clipping her nails. “Uncle Chen, you said every household is responsible. If so, you can just ask Qiao Zhenyun. He’s the head of our family.”
Chen Wei paused, then his face darkened.
Everyone knew Qiao Yuan was the adopted child of the Qiao family, unloved by father and mother.
As for Qiao Zhenyun, of course, he had been approached, but for some unknown reason, that family had mysteriously disappeared.
“Xiao Yuan, think carefully. Repairing the ancestral hall is a good deed. If you don’t contribute, the ancestors might not bless your grocery store.”
With his hands behind his back, Chen Wei left the grocery store arrogantly.
His words were subtle but clear: if you don’t pay, I’ll make sure your store can’t stay open.
Hmph! Does he think I’m still short of their trifling demands?
Qiao Yuan locked the grocery store door, put the metal box into her space, and immediately lay down to sleep.
[ Ding Dong! Daily Blind Box ]
The system’s voice sounded promptly; Qiao Yuan knew it was 6 a.m. without checking the clock.
---
There were still three blind boxes. She squinted and randomly picked one.
[ Congratulations, you’ve received 1 nail clipper ]
After opening the blind box, a pink cartoon nail clipper dropped into her hand.
After waiting a few minutes, the system did not explain how to use the item.
Qiao Yuan inspected the nail clipper from all angles, concluding it was just an ordinary nail clipper.
Crazy! What kind of joke was this?
Qiao Yuan cursed a few times and got up for breakfast.
Selling all these treasures at once would attract too much attention.
The Green Mountain Pawnshop had come three times already. Their prices were fair, and the people were reasonably reliable.
Qiao Yuan took the jade bracelet and returned to the pawnshop once more.
Seeing Qiao Yuan again, Wang Xin was as steady as an old dog.
“Miss Qiao, good morning.”
He put on gloves and handed over a velvet tray with smooth, practiced movements.
“Two bracelets.”
Qiao Yuan casually took the treasures from her jacket pocket and placed them on the tray.
“Do I need to call the boss?”
Wang Xin glanced briefly and pressed the call bell.
Xu Qiuyun carefully picked up the jade bracelets, turning them in every direction.
“Twisted jade bangles. Look at the jade quality, look at the translucence—top-tier, top-tier!”
“Xiao Wang, today we’re lucky. Check this safety bangle.”
“Rare flawless ice jade. Though not fully green, the green color in this bracelet seems like immortal energy drifting inside, more captivating the longer you look.”
Qiao Yuan didn’t understand the jargon but was certain the two bracelets were worth a fortune.
Xu Qiuyun swallowed hard. “Miss Qiao, still pawned indefinitely?”
“Mm.”
“Miss Qiao, may I ask... where did these come from?”
Qiao Yuan looked like an ordinary girl, but her actions grew more formidable each time, making Xu Qiuyun suspicious.
“If you don’t take them, I’ll try another shop.”
“Hey, wait, wait, we’ll take them! We will!”
Xu Qiuyun quickly stopped her. Such jade bracelets were auction-level treasures; not buying them would be a lifelong regret.
“Miss Qiao, two jade bracelets pawned indefinitely for seventy million. How about that?”
Seventy million! Qiao Yuan was stunned as if struck by lightning again!
Feigning calm, she nodded.
Such a large amount was cumbersome to transfer, but by noon, her bank balance was close to a hundred million.
Hold tight to Ning Jue’s leg! I’ll get rich in no time!
Watching Qiao Yuan’s figure disappear around the corner, Xu Qiuyun took out his phone and made a call.
“Hello, boss? Yes, yes, she came again today. Mm... yes.”