ALL NOVEL Chapter 054 – A Belated Apology
Zhao Zhao didn't intend to keep them waiting. She dusted off the stone chips on her clothes and headed to the living room.
Seeing her, the three adults stood up, while a small child sat obediently on the sofa, curiously observing her.
"Please sit down. I only know Mr. Jiang. How should I address the rest of you?"
After she spoke, Wang Mingyang and Chen Jian hesitated, remembering Jiang Jianzhu's treatment after his name was known, then cautiously introduced themselves. The little boy on the sofa also spoke up, "My name is Jiang Panpan!"
Jiang Jianzhu said, "This is my younger brother. We are here to sincerely apologize for our past mistakes. First, for the incident at sea, and second, for the trouble at Chonghai Port. We have already explained everything clearly to the port authorities and assure you that similar incidents will not happen again. We hope Miss Xiong can accept our apologies." The other two nodded in agreement.
Zhao Zhao invited them to sit and curiously asked, "Why did you bring a child along to witness this?"
Before Jiang Jianzhu could respond, the child on the sofa said clearly, "My brother said that if the talk didn't go well, I should beg you for forgiveness. He thought you wouldn't hit a child."
Zhao Zhao: ...
Jiang Jianzhu was visibly embarrassed, "No, it's just... there was no one at home to take care of him. Regarding the incident at sea, it was mainly because Chen Jian spoke carelessly. He had never done such things before. As for the port issue, to be honest, we weren't used to suffering such a loss and found it hard to accept. We assure you it won't happen again. We heard you moved into a new house, so we prepared a gift together and hope you will accept it, putting our past unpleasantness behind us and becoming friends."
He pushed the box on the coffee table towards her, signaling her to open it.
Inside was a painting. As Zhao Zhao unfolded it, she raised an eyebrow. The painting was familiar, "Wang Jingjiang's 'Spring Flowers and Birds on Forbidden Hills.' It sold for over fifty million at the Chunqiu auction. That's quite a generous housewarming gift."
Jiang Jianzhu said, "I got it from a friend of my father's. I'm glad you like it, Miss Xiong."
Wang Mingyang added, "It's the least we could do." Just don't think of me often.
Chen Jian didn't dare to look at her directly. Every time he saw her, he remembered the pain of being kicked into the sea. Last time, he and Wang had healed but then forgotten the lesson.
Zhao Zhao held up the painting against the living room wall and said, "It's quite suitable for this wall. I like it very much, so I’ll accept it. As Mr. Jiang said, we are friends now. As a gesture of reciprocity, I have a gift for you as well. Please wait a moment."
She returned to her bedroom on the second floor and took out some pills she had made while practicing with the Panlong Cauldron. Each portion contained three pills, which she wrapped in an oil-paper pouch.
Yaoguang curiously asked, "Are you really going to forgive them for the incident at sea? Truly forgive them from your heart?"
Zhao Zhao paused and fell silent for a moment.
"I won't forgive them in my heart, but I won't bring it up again now that they've apologized. Yaoguang, did you notice? At the moment on the sea... I had a fleeting thought of killing all three of them to quell my anger. There's a point in those cultivation novels: stepping into cultivation makes you see ordinary people as ants."
"At my angriest moment, I had this thought of letting them all die, mere ants. I could make them disappear silently into the sea... Linzi was fine, and after calming down, I found such thoughts terrifying. This world is full of ordinary people. If I maintain this mindset, it will completely change me, my personality, and my actions. I'm trying to handle the aftermath from a perspective of my old way of thinking, as an ordinary person, someone my age. That means... turning hostility into friendship. These people won't dare to harm Linzi or the people of Jinshi Island again. Why should I dwell on it? It's not worth it. If they don’t change... I probably won't be lenient again. Now they've given a valuable gift. Let's consider the matter settled and give a return gift. Regardless of sincerity, the Chinese value harmony. I don't mind having more enemies, but for Linzi's personality, having more friends is better."
It's not that she sees these three as a real threat; they're not much better than ants. If they were a real threat, it would be a different story. Maintaining a superior mindset while keeping one's original intentions is rare.
Hopefully, she can keep her original intentions for a long time.
Yaoguang changed the topic, "Tsk tsk, they each paid twenty million, and you're giving them just three health pills?"
"My pills are made from spiritual medicine, good for kidney and health, and you can't find them elsewhere. Wealthy people would fight over them, so they're getting a bargain!"
Yaoguang felt sympathetic towards modern humans, "True, the medicine in the outside world is quite outrageous, and people are quite ignorant. I've heard they even sell one-year-old ginseng."
She handed each of them a paper package, "These are Tianjia Health Pills made by my master. Each package contains three pills. Take one pill per person, no more." She then reminded Jiang Jianzhu, "Don't give these to children."
Wang Mingyang curiously asked, "Can I take them?"
"You can, go ahead and take them. Don't worry that just because of our relationship you shouldn't take the pills I gave. I'm giving you a good deal. Alright, you should head back. When my guesthouse opens, you're welcome to come and visit. I have work to do in the backyard today, so I won't keep you."
Jiang Panpan, who didn't get anything from the visit, was given an apple from the fruit plate by Zhao Zhao. "Little one, you're welcome to come play on the island next time."
Jiang Panpan took it, "Thank you, sister. You're really beautiful, like a princess. You don't look like someone who can fight. My brother is lying again!"
Jiang Jianzhu quickly pushed him forward by his head, "Then we'll be going now. When the guesthouse opens, we'll definitely come."
Actually, after two days of investigation in Chonghai, Zhao Zhao found that Jiang Jiamzhu's parents and company had good reputations. Although he was an arrogant, spoiled third-generation rich kid, his character wasn't too bad. Zhao Zhao was satisfied with their apology and their effort to come in person.
As the yacht left the dock, the group couldn't help but take out the paper bags. Wang Mingyang opened his and took a deep sniff, smelling a unique medicinal aroma. "What's going on? I feel refreshed just from smelling it."
Jiang Jianzhu took out a pill and put it in his mouth, then reached for some mineral water. "I'll try it. Hmm, it's not bitter."
"You just ate it? So casually? It's medicine!" Chen Jian thought Jiang Jianzhu was being too reckless.
"She's been out at sea for two months. Not only her, but I've also checked out Jinshi Island thoroughly. We gave her a painting worth sixty million; she wouldn't give us poison that would harm our families. Her master is definitely not an ordinary person, someone beyond our reach. Trust me, befriending her will definitely be beneficial."
Though he said this, Wang Mingyang and Chen Jian didn't eat theirs right away, deciding to observe his reaction first. What if it was a prank that caused diarrhea?
The three of them fell silent for a moment, then heard crunching sounds nearby. Chen Jian sniffed, "This apple smells amazing. Panpan, give Chen brother a bite!"
Jiang Panpan hid behind his brother, "No! The princess sister gave me this apple, and it's the best in the world!" Unfortunately, his brother wasn't kind either. He grabbed Panpan's hand and took a bite. Panpan stomped on his foot and ran out of the cockpit with the apple.
"It really is delicious."
Trouble at Sea Again
This day was destined to be busy. Not long after the apology group left, Da Linzi ran in shouting, "Something bad happened, Zhao Zhao!"
"What could possibly happen? Can you be more composed?" Zhao Zhao reluctantly stopped chiseling stone. Recently, she found joy in carving, designing, and creating her own pieces. It gave her a sense of accomplishment. Could they stop interrupting the artist at work?
"Seriously, something happened! Da Qi's father got into trouble! He was beaten by people from Liu Jiaji!"
"Da Qi's father? Isn't that Xiong Quan's father?"
"Yes!"
"How did the fight start? Is he alright?" She had to intervene; Xiong Quan was out at sea fishing for her.
"How the fight started isn't important. You need to come with me quickly. Da Qi and I just came down from the mountain and heard that his uncles have already taken some people to Liu Jiaji! Aren't you the village chief now? Are you coming? I'm taking Da Qi on the Poseidon to chase them. He's going back to get weapons!" Da Linzi said as he headed to the foyer to grab the keys.
She had forgotten; she was still the damned village chief.
"Wait, taking weapons? How many people went? Do you think you can gain an advantage by taking weapons to another village?"
Dali Linzi wasn't sure, "We met Xiong Jie’s wife, and she said many men on the island went. Da Qi said he needs to get..."
Right, she had forgotten she was the village chief.
Zhao Zhao asked Da Linzi to get the keys while she called Secretary Liu to see if he knew about the situation. He was still in Chonghai attending a wedding and became anxious upon hearing the news: "Da Quan's father is an honest man, he must have been bullied by those brats from Liu Jiaji. How many people from our side went? This is like sending sheep into a tiger's den! You need to stop them; they'll suffer for sure! Take all the men at home with you!"
Yaoguang immediately flew to her shoulder, indicating it wanted to go watch.
By the time Zhao Zhao, Da Linzi, and Yaoguang reached the dock, they saw three iron boats already filled with people, with more still on the dock. A middle-aged man was trying to dissuade Da Qi, who was holding a fish spear: "Put it down, if you bring the spear, you can't go. Taking weapons into the village changes the nature of things! Listen to me!" He then turned to the people on the dock, "What's taking Liu Yuan and the others so long? We've almost reached them, can't you hurry up?!"
Zhao Zhao approached him, "How many people have gone? What kind of injuries does Da Qi's father have?"
The middle-aged man, Da Qi's uncle, replied, "Village Chief, my second brother was beaten badly, head broken and bleeding. Two boats with over twenty people have already gone. There's no room for negotiation on this; Liu Jiaji needs to give us an explanation! We've gathered three more boats, but many people and boats aren't home!"
"And where is Da Qi's father?" Zhao Zhao asked.
"They carried him to Liu Jiaji."
"Why not take him to the hospital first? What a big heart! Alright, everyone get on the Poseidon now, who are we waiting for?"
"They went north to call Liu Yuan and the others. The Liu brothers are like iron towers, they can fight!"
But can they fight better than me?
"These people are enough. Switch to the boat now. Da Qi, leave the spear here. Don't worry, they can't beat me. Da Linzi, you drive."
Hearing they were switching to the yacht, people began moving from the iron boats. For many, it was their first time on a yacht, and they were quite pleased. This was the biggest yacht in the area, and they were benefiting from the new village chief. Previously, they hadn't borrowed the yacht from the east shore because no one knew how to operate it.
The yacht could carry one to two hundred people if the coast guard didn't intervene. Zhao Zhao stopped after about sixty people boarded, not needing too many.
Despite their usual small-mindedness, when trouble arose, no one backed down. For all its poverty, Jinshi Island had a strong sense of unity.
Once everyone was settled, Zhao Zhao gathered more details.
It turned out that Da Qi's father and uncle had gone fishing in a small iron boat. They got lucky and hooked a nearly two-meter-long cobia, a strong fish that they struggled to reel in. Just as they were tiring it out, Liu Jiangxi's boat from Liu Jiaji passed by, deliberately used a trawl net to steal the fish.
Even the honest Da Qi's father couldn't take this lying down. Liu Jiangxi, a notorious troublemaker, got into a fight with the two elderly fishermen, reportedly even knocking Da Qi's uncle into the water. When they returned to the village, Da Qi's remaining three brothers gathered men and carried the two injured men to Liu Jiaji to demand an explanation.
"Why not take them to the hospital first?" Zhao Zhao thought they had their priorities mixed up.
"My second brother said it wasn't serious, just superficial injuries. He wanted to get the medical expenses first."
"..."
"Shouldn't everyone go together for strength in numbers? Two or three dozen people went first without considering the danger? Why split into two groups?" She didn't understand this part.
She wasn't surprised they hadn't called the police. Rural areas often handle things internally, especially in poor places like theirs.
Da Qi's uncle explained sheepishly, "Da Qi's fourth uncle has a quick temper. Seeing his two brothers bullied like that, he couldn't wait. The boat was filled with our family members, many women, to start with diplomacy first. I was sent to gather some able-bodied men to follow..."
So that's how it was.
"When we get there, no one should act rashly, especially don't start any fights. Let's assess the situation first," she instructed everyone.
From the chatter in the cabin, it was clear that Liu Jiaji didn't have a good reputation.
