Chapter 689 - 688: Secret Moving
Xia Wanqing did it secretly, but Xia Wenjin still found out.
Nowadays, her channels of information are no less than those of Haotian Village. Moreover, this concerns Haotian Village and her father, so she paid even more attention. It wasn’t very easy for Xia Wanqing to hide it from her.
After learning about her father’s secret instructions, Xia Wenjin breathed a sigh of relief. Her father used to trust Huangfu Yuxuan implicitly, but through her relentless efforts and Huangfu Yuxuan’s numerous small actions, which finally revealed a bit of the fox’s tail, her father also began to have some doubts.
As long as Uncle Bai is willing to investigate, the things Huangfu Yuxuan has done can’t escape his eyes.
It’s only a matter of time before Father knows the truth!
As long as Father no longer stands firmly by Huangfu Yuxuan’s side and doesn’t meddle in her marriage, persuading Father not to enter officialdom could at least save Father and most of the uncles from Haotian Village.
As for people like Uncle Hua and Uncle Gu, since they’ve already made their choice, sooner or later they will be used by Huangfu Yuxuan. What happens to them in the future is not something Xia Wenjin can control.
The mansion was brightly lit, and Xia Wenjin was a bit surprised. What was going on with all the lights on inside and outside the courtyard?
Getting closer, she could see people moving boxes.
Looking closely, was that Second Aunt and Third Aunt? They were directing the maids and servants to pack things into boxes.
Seeing Xia Wenjin walk in, the two busy women exchanged a glance. Hua Yuanming’s wife greeted her with a big smile and said, "Oh, Wenjin is back. You came at just the right time. Your Second Uncle and Third Uncle want to bring your Fourth Uncle and them to stay with us. So, Third Aunt and I brought the servants over to help move things."
Xia Wenjin frowned and said lightly, "Second Aunt, is moving them your Second Uncle and Third Uncle’s idea, or is it Uncle Zhuo’s idea?"
Gu Hongxin’s wife immediately laughed and said, "The brothers want to gather more often, and with Big Brother not in the Capital City, staying here is inconvenient. Let your Fourth Uncle and the others come to ours, so you, a young girl, don’t have to constantly play host, and they won’t feel they’re burdening you and feel uneasy. Anyway, we’re all family, so it doesn’t matter where we stay!"
Xia Wenjin felt a bit of disdain; Huangfu Yuxuan’s intention to win over Haotian Village for himself had never diminished.
Yesterday he personally came over with Uncle Gu, doing everything possible to win them over.
Gu Hongxin now clearly sees Huangfu Yuxuan as his master? Yesterday he brought Huangfu Yuxuan over as a persuader, and today he sent his wife over to start moving things directly?
Second Aunt came too, which means Hua Yuanming and Gu Hongxin are now in the same camp.
No, I didn’t see Uncle Hua or Uncle Gu, nor did I see Uncle Zhuo and the others, clearly there is something else going on?
Xia Wenjin asked, "Where are Uncle Zhuo, Uncle Li, and Uncle Hu?"
Gu Hongxin’s wife said, "Those brothers went out drinking!"
Xia Wenjin understood, Gu Hongxin came yesterday without getting a definite answer from Zhuo Pengju, so today’s move involved bringing Hua Yuanming along. The brothers went out drinking but sent their wives over to move things.
By the time they finished drinking, everything would have been moved, and naturally, they would stay over there.
What a preemptive tactic; they are set on convincing the three to stay there, making persuasion more convenient?
If it were just Hua Yuanming and Gu Hongxin seeking official positions to shed the Jianghu identity and become a military officer for a better future, it wouldn’t have much impact.
Even if brothers of many years occasionally want to take different paths, they are of course supportive.
But if all the Village Chiefs take this path, even if Xia Wanqing doesn’t want to enter officialdom, given the bond of brotherhood, keeping in mind the shared goals, he would certainly enter officialdom too.
If Xia Wanqing enters officialdom altogether, wouldn’t that mean the entire Haotian Village goes along?
Wouldn’t that fall right into Huangfu Yuxuan’s cunning plan?
Hua Yuanming and Gu Hongxin now think Huangfu Yuxuan values and respects them, which is why he spares no effort to elevate them. They don’t realize that Huangfu Yuxuan is after the entire strength of Haotian Village.
Xia Wenjin’s face darkened slightly, "Second Aunt, Third Aunt, moving things in my courtyard without my consent isn’t very appropriate, is it?"
Second Aunt Hua smiled and said, "Wenjin, we didn’t move your things. We’re moving your Fourth Uncle’s things. You’ve been so considerate letting them stay here. They’ve been here for several days now; it’s time for them to stay with us a few days too. Once Big Brother returns, they can move back."
Third Aunt Gu also said, "Yes, Wenjin, you should come over more often too. Since arriving in the Capital City, you’ve hardly visited. It’s much more distant compared to when we were in the village!"
Xia Wenjin smiled, "Perhaps it’s Second Aunt and Third Aunt who have become distant from Wenjin? I’ve invited you several times for a small gathering, but you’ve always said you’re busy. Yet, today you have time to move things?"
At this, Second Aunt Hua and Third Aunt Gu felt a bit embarrassed, and Second Aunt Hua said, "Wenjin, that’s really not an excuse. You know we just arrived in the Capital City, and there were so many miscellaneous things to settle. We’ve just gotten everything sorted out, so now that we have time, we decided to bring your Fourth Uncle and them over. We shouldn’t just let you, a child, run around while we stand by, right?"
Xia Wenjin said, "Second Aunt is thoughtful. However, since Uncle Zhuo is staying here, I’m the one hosting guests for my father. If my father returns and finds that Uncle Zhuo was staying well here but suddenly moved out, he’d think it was because I didn’t host them well! If you want Uncle Zhuo and them to stay with you, wait until my father returns and then discuss it!"
Her eyes swept over the Xia mansion’s servants, saying indifferently, "What are you all standing around for, don’t you know what to do?"
Though there were a few from Haotian Village among the Xia mansion’s servants, Xia Wenjin had also placed a batch she bought from a broker later.
These people knew who their real master was.
When Zhuo Pengju and the others moved in, Xia Wenjin instructed them to treat her uncles like her father and brothers and to serve them well.
In the mid-afternoon, Hua Yuanming and Gu Hongxin finished their duties, and both brought their families over. The servants recognized these two as the old master’s sworn brothers, with whom he had life-and-death bonds, so they dared not neglect them.
They chatted for a while, and then Hua and Gu took the three for a drink at the restaurant, while their wives stayed behind, saying they were helping them move out.
Some of the servants raised doubts.
Second Aunt Hua said, "We are Wenjin’s aunts, and Master Zhuo and the others are our brothers. We just agreed with them to take them over to stay, and they agreed. We’ll discuss with Wenjin about this, don’t worry!"
The servants didn’t dare to stop them at first due to not knowing Xia Wenjin’s attitude, but now that the attitude is clear, they know what to do.