Su Hai took a step back, and although his smile remained gentle, a frown appeared between his eyebrows. A flicker of disgust passed through his eyes.
Out of good manners, he didn’t let it show, but the office director following behind was sweating profusely. He had heard that this man didn’t have a good temper.
His ruthless methods were a bit unlike the Su Family’s style; merciless to the point of being deadly without taking responsibility.
"What do you know? I haven’t heard about it," Xu Laodi wasn’t pleased to be overshadowed and pulled Zhang Fang to ask.
"What do you know? Do you know a few of the big names in the village?" Zhang Fang said, full of pride.
"Humph!" Most of the villagers had nicknames, and she was used to calling those instead.
"Elder sister-in-law, do you really know Qin Youde’s family?" Su Yun asked skeptically.
As soon as Zhang Fang heard the term elder sister-in-law, she became displeased. Was she that old? She was clearly younger than this wealthy woman. It was just lack of means to care for herself that made her look so unrefined.
Although displeased in her heart, Zhang Fang’s face still bore a warm smile. "That’s right, I do know him—it’s Qin Laoer!"
Su Yun nodded toward Su Hai, indeed Qin Youmin’s brother was nicknamed Qin Laoer.
"Thank you, please lead the way," Su Hai said, his hands in his coat pockets, slightly bending forward in a gesture full of unintentional mature charm.
"Sure, sure..." Zhang Fang hurried to lead the way.
Su Hai gradually slowed his pace, squinting his eyes as he surveyed the village.
Typical of a Northern rural village, the air was filled with a dry and cold scent, giving the place a somewhat desolate look. The village had suddenly become lively with their arrival as every household came out to join the bustle.
There were also the village children, with dirty noses, shyly watching the people.
Su Hai gently smiled, as the children, like startled little rabbits, hid behind their elders. He lost interest and turned his head, only to take a second look at a household with its door tightly shut.
The office director noticed his gaze and remarked, "Huh? How come Sheng Laosan isn’t home today? Where can he go in this deep winter?"
The surrounding villagers, hearing his voice, laughed and said, "Sheng Laosan has gone to Little Yama’s place; the two families are busy arranging a marriage."
"That’s great!" the office director smiled as well.
The union of the two was a rare stroke of fate.
Hearing the names Sheng Laosan and Little Yama, Su Hai couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows. "Sheng Laosan? Little Yama?"
"That’s right! They’re celebrities in our county," the office director said proudly.
"It’s Xu Qigang, right?"
"Exactly! It’s him, him. He’s our county’s pride, the youngest rescue team Captain."
"He’s not just a sub-captain anymore; to my knowledge, he’s already been promoted to Captain."
"Really? That’s fantastic, I must quickly inform Xu Xianxiong. When we go back, we will pass through their village; can we stop by?" It was a piece of great news that must be shared.
"Sure!" Su Hai was a reasonable man, "The one engaged to Xu Qigang? Isn’t that Sheng Ning?" Lately, he had been particularly attentive to the name Sheng Ning; his dad’s photo had subtly cemented the matter in his mind.
He just hadn’t investigated personally yet, so he couldn’t be too hasty. Little did he expect that the village where his sister had been sent down years ago was precisely where Sheng Ning lived.
"Exactly!" the office director explained, "Sheng Laosan and I go way back. He and Qin Youmin joined up together back in the day; the pair have always had a great relationship."