Chapter 296: Embarrassed
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
After hearing this, Liu Neng’s face turned a bit unsightly. No wonder Liu You was unwilling to come. This Zhao Wan was truly hard to deal with, like a slab of rock.
Su Zhen also chimed in, “Uncle Liu, you don’t need to worry about this. I will definitely arrange everything for my godmother. How could the Zhang family not find a village to settle in?”
When Su Zhen spoke, Liu Neng had to give him some respect.
Su Zhen was the largest buyer for all the hunters in the mountains. Without him coming up every month to buy the wild animal meat, the hunters might not starve, but they wouldn’t be as prosperous as they are now, occasionally affording to shop in the market.
The first time Su Zhen came up the mountain to buy wild animal meat, Liu Neng looked down on him for being a kid, showing him a cold face, and even chased him away.
Su Zhen remembered the grudge. The next times he came, he simply ignored Liu Neng’s family, making them strangers.
Later, the merchant who usually bought from Liu Neng claimed he could no longer afford to buy all of Liu Neng’s wild animal meat. Only then did Liu Neng realize the scale of the market Su Zhen controlled, big enough to absorb the wild animal meat from all the households on the mountain.
Each family of hunters was quite skilled, and the wild animal meat they caught was about the same in quantity.
Liu Neng was fortunate to find a buyer due to his good luck, which is why he became wealthier than other hunters first.
Now, Su Zhen has taken all the goods from other hunters, but Liu Neng couldn’t find a buyer for his game. Comparing the two situations, Liu Neng became anxious.
He sought out Su Zhen and invited him for meals with lavish dishes and drinks. However, even though Su Zhen was young, he was mature in mind and didn’t easily fall for traps.
Out of options, Liu Neng painstakingly invited him over for meals numerous times, treating him well and even offering gifts every time Su Zhen went to the mountains. Finally, he managed to persuade Su Zhen, but he still had to accept a price slightly lower than what other hunters were getting.
Liu Neng was extremely frustrated, but he felt helpless.
Moreover, it’s worth noting that the day Zhao Wan saved Su Zhen was the same day Liu Neng had driven him out of his house. Su Zhen had gotten lost in a bamboo forest due to a snowstorm and the darkness of the night.
As fate would have it, Liu Neng not only offended the most significant buyer but also inadvertently elevated the Zhang family to the highest status among mountain hunters. Whenever other hunters encountered men from the Zhang family, they would courteously offer their wild animal meat to them.
Su Zhen had said he would handle things; what else could Liu Neng say?
This young man, although youthful, had profound insights and cunning. If he were to work against Liu Neng behind the scenes, the wild animal meat at Liu Neng’s home would surely rot without a buyer.
Reversing his approach, Liu Neng shifted the conversation, saying, “Zhao Wan, I know you’re not keen on your son marrying my daughter. But now it’s your son, Zhang Hu, who’s fond of my daughter. As parents, our primary concern is our children’s happiness, everything else is secondary.”
Such emotional manipulation! By saying this, if Zhao Wan continued to object, it would seem as if she didn’t care about her son’s feelings.
Zhao Wan wouldn’t be easily deceived. Since Liu Neng came to discuss relocating, she wouldn’t conflate the issues of marriage and moving.
Calmly, Zhao Wan said, “I’ve been considering moving to the village for some time. Since our families are here today, why not discuss it? I plan to move to Pushan Village. This way, Jiang Qing would be closer to home and can visit us more easily. I wonder if you would agree?”
After finishing, Zhao Wan looked towards Jiang Chuan.
Of course, Jiang Chuan was thrilled. His primary goal for visiting the Zhang family on the mountain was to persuade them to relocate to Pushan Village.
He had been concerned about Zhao Wan being difficult to negotiate with, but she took the initiative to bring up the move, so he gladly went along with it.
“In-law, to be honest, our trip to the mountains was to invite you to settle in Pushan Village. This is also the wish of our village. Since Zhang Ling has married into Pushan Village, she can, by rules, bring her family over. Don’t worry about the paperwork; I’ll make sure everything is taken care of.”
Jiang Chuan’s sincere words reassured Zhao Wan even more that her decision was right. She had previously resented the Jiang family because Jiang Qing didn’t have a dowry, but seeing their recent attitudes towards both Jiang Qing and the Zhang family, Zhao Wan finally let go of her grievances and embraced them..