C16 Provocation!

Zong Qinghui felt like his heart was bleeding over the house. Wouldn't it be better to spend that money on himself rather than giving it to some girl?

"Dad, Uncle has always been generous to Cousin. Saying things like that might upset him," Zong Hailan added fuel to the fire.

Being a daughter of the Zong family herself, she was born into the eldest son's household, yet she always seemed to fall short compared to her cousin. The growing disparity made her nearly mad with jealousy.

Zong Qinghui snorted, "I'm his brother. He should take whatever I say, or else he'd be known for disrespecting his elders. How could he keep his position as village head then?"

Qi Haipeng and his mother exchanged glances, sensing an opportunity. He approached Zong Qinghui, "Uncle Zong, what a coincidence!"

"Haipeng," Zong Qinghui's face softened slightly at the sight of him.

Among the many villagers, he got along well with Qi Qianshan and had a good impression of the young man before him.

"Uncle Zong, you all did a great job. Everything looks so neat!" Haipeng remarked sincerely, observing the neatly planted rice seedlings in the field.

Zong Hailan stood silently by, her father taking advantage of his position as the village head's brother, but what did that have to do with her?

Zong Qinghui's face showed pride. "We're seasoned workers. You young folks can't compare."

Seeing the praise going to Zong Qinghui's head, Haipeng wisely stopped the flattery. "Uncle Zong, I heard from the villagers that your niece, Fulai, is getting married with a house as a gift. She's really lucky."

Mentioning this made Zong Qinghui furious all over again.

"Zong Qingshan is such a fool, stingy with his brother's son but overly generous with that girl!"

Haipeng noted the self-righteous tone and remained cautious. He knew Zong Qinghui had taken plenty from Zong Qingshan over the years, not to mention the money and grain he demanded under the guise of filial piety. Such a person was useful but not trustworthy.

With a dismissive attitude inside but a warm smile on his face, he said, "It's just like Uncle Zong said, how can you let your own brother go hungry while you squander the family fortune?"

"Haipeng gets it, that's exactly it. I think he's forgotten he still has parents to take care of," Zong Qinghui said, eyes gleaming with the thought of persuading his parents to hand over the money meant for buying a house.

Qi Haipeng, not yet fully engaged, already saw through his antics and was internally speechless. "An elder brother is like a father, even if the village chief makes mistakes, haha."

"Dad, maybe there's something going on with Uncle that we don't know about," Zong Hailan said softly, but it had the desired effect.

Zong Qinghui put down the seedlings he was holding and tossed them aside carelessly. "I'm going to find him."

"Uncle Zong, if there's something between brothers, talk it out calmly. Don't be rash," Qi Haipeng advised half-heartedly, already laughing inside. No wonder his father was eager to win over this person; he was like a tool, and a very useful one at that.

Zong Hailan watched her father being easily swayed by a few words and felt disdain. Remembering his countless brainless antics, she was eager to see the commotion he would cause.

Hmph, we're both daughters of the Zong family, why should she have what I don't? She thought to herself.

As Zong Qinghui stormed off, Qi Haipeng's face showed a hint of concern. "Hailan, your dad won't get into trouble, will he?"

"My dad's just going to talk to Uncle, what could possibly happen?" Zong Hailan replied, her smile as bright as a spring blossom.

Truth be told, compared to Zong Fulai, he found himself more fond of the girl in front of him. She was not only pretty but also smart. But thinking about her father, he quickly dismissed any thoughts of pursuing her. He couldn't afford to have such a troublesome in-law.

Despite his inner refusal, his body betrayed him with a charming smile on his face.

"You’re right, there's plenty of work to do in the fields. I'll get to it. Just call me if you need anything!" After boosting his popularity a bit, he quickly made his exit.

Hailan felt his gaze on her, and her face turned crimson. Why couldn't he be a bit more subtle if he liked her? It was truly embarrassing.

Even though she didn’t think Haipeng was the best match, having a smart and capable guy admire her was a huge ego boost. "He’s got good taste, but too bad he’s just a country boy!"

Yes, Haipeng habitually took every chance to flirt with her, making her mistakenly believe he genuinely liked her. Otherwise, why would he team up with her to outsmart her cousin?

Helping those she liked and outsmarting those she didn’t—that’s how she rolled! Although their plan didn’t succeed, her cousin ended up in a mess of his own making, which was even better than she expected.

After trying to show weakness and being ignored, she disliked her cousin even more. Why was she still so arrogant? She decided to stop trying to please her.

With a fire burning inside her, she spotted her younger sister slacking off. "Get to work! Of all the things to learn, you choose laziness? You’ll never get married at this rate."

Her sister rolled her eyes. "If you can get married, then go ahead!"

"You little brat, how dare you talk back to me? I’ll teach you a lesson!" Feeling her authority challenged, Hailan rolled up her sleeves, ready to set her sister straight.