I Got Rich in Period Fiction-Chapter 372: Losing Face in Public

"Uncle Li, you’re being too polite now, don’t sell yourself short, each person from our Qiao Family Team stands out wherever they go—who would dare look down on that?"

"Although you say that, without you, Qiao Qingyu, could our Qiao Family Team be where it is today?"

"Uncle Li, you keep throwing these high hats, is there something you need?" Qiao Qingyu asked, laughing.

Li Tie’s face was dark, and he was also wearing a military coat, which was pretty stylish those days.

But standing in front of Qingyu, despite his tall stature, his smiling face couldn’t help but look like he was trying to ingratiate someone.

Qiao Zhihai couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

Normally, Old Li wasn’t like this to him.

His big brother was right; Li Tie came to him only because he had his eye on Qiao Qingyu and her grandfather.

But he didn’t think it was strange—it was normal to curry favor with relatives in the eyes of others, right?

Li Tie had a thick skin, perhaps his dark complexion concealed any blush.

He spoke frankly, "Qingyu, Uncle Li means every word. Nowadays, doing something outside isn’t easy, it’s so hard without someone to rely on."

Especially for country folks going into the city, the city dwellers look down on them; if you can’t make a living with a skill, you might as well be begging.

Qiao Zhiyuan interjected at the right moment, stomping his feet and asking, "Old Li, have you had lunch?"

Of course, Li Tie understood what the brigade leader meant and quickly replied, "I won’t hold you up any longer, I need to head home for lunch too." Then he looked at Qiao Qingyu, "I’ve been in the village these past few days, Qingyu, when will you have time to come over to your uncle’s house for a meal?"

"Uncle Li, I appreciate your kindness, but I’m a bit busy recently, I’ll come over when I have the time," Qiao Qingyu declined with a smile.

"All right, all right," Li Tie said, still grinning, then turned to Qiao Zhihai, "Second brother, stay in the village for a few days; we’ll go back together later."

Qiao Zhihai blinked and opened his mouth, mumbling and nodding, "Sure... sure."

Qiao Qingyu walked home with her elder uncle, and Li Tie was, after all, an upfront person; he didn’t hide his intention to please her.

Her grandfather had once said, the world is full of people with insidious thoughts, but there was no need to draw a line against someone who honestly tells you they want to use your influence.

But in reality, things aren’t black and white, not every issue is clear-cut.

And at this moment, Qiao Zhihai had shed his earlier sarcastic and pompous demeanor; his head was filled with what Qingyu told him about fixing roads and building villas.

Even though he’d been in this business for just over half a month, he really liked it and knew that it was lucrative when done right.

So, he shamelessly followed Qiao Qingyu to the old house.

He didn’t expect to be chased out by Old Lady Qiao with a stick, who told him to come back when he repaid his debts.

Naturally feeling guilty, Qiao Zhihai slunk away, and seeing Da Niu standing at the door, his irritation found its outlet as he snapped, "Look at you, so timid, either go in or roll back home, don’t stand here and disgrace me."

Da Niu had been sent by her grandmother to call her grandfather home for a meal and was unjustly scolded out of the blue. She felt so wronged and, without following him back, turned around the corner, crouched down, and began to sob softly.

Qiao Qingyu happened to be standing in the courtyard when she heard someone crying to the west. She peered over the wall and, to her surprise, saw it was her second uncle’s granddaughter Da Niu.

It was quite cold outside, and the wind was blowing her tears, which hung on her face, making her cheeks a bright red as she rubbed them. Looking at her hands, they didn’t resemble those of a sixteen-year-old girl at all. But to tell the truth, the hands of village girls who work in the fields rarely fare well; they’re always cracked and extremely rough.

Da Niu’s hands were rough as well, rubbing her face red. When she saw Qiao Qingyu, she quickly stood up but then glared fiercely at her.

Qiao Qingyu was puzzled. She and Da Niu hadn’t played together much, and though she was a few years older, she was still an elder to her. Da Niu should be calling her "little aunt."

"You, child, why are you glaring at me? What have I done to provoke you? Also, this place is drafty. Why cry here? Do you not care about your face?"

"Why are you scolding me?"

"When did I scold you? Look at your face, it’s all red. Hurry home and wash with warm water. Didn’t I give your family a bottle of gallnut oil? Don’t be reluctant to use it."

"I don’t need your fake kindness here, and don’t talk to me in that tone..."

Qiao Qingyu’s expression grew somber, and she said coolly, "Da Niu, don’t be ungrateful!"

Da Niu wiped her tears with her sleeve, quite forcefully, and still glared hard at Qiao Qingyu. Qiao Qingyu frowned and said, "You’re sixteen now. As the eldest granddaughter of your second uncle, you should start behaving like a proper young lady."

Da Niu’s face turned red with anger, and she stomped her foot. "Behaving? What kind of behavior? When you were sixteen, you were even worse than me. Don’t think just because you have some clout now and everyone flatters you, you don’t know what people say behind your back in the village?"

Qiao Qingyu’s expression calmed, and she spoke gently, "Da Niu, what do the villagers say about me?"

"What they say about you, you should know better than I do. Even when you were a year younger than me, you’d run up to any good-looking educated youth, cling to their sleeves, and strike up a conversation. When they ignored you, you still pushed forward, and there was that Lan from Beijing. Despite him clearly having a partner, you just had to meddle..."

Qiao Qingyu was completely calm now, with a hint of contemplation in her brow. She didn’t need to ask; she had already known about it.

Da Niu was only sixteen after all; it must have been the villagers or her second uncle’s wife who told her.

That’s how unpredictable people’s hearts are!

Qiao Qingyu sighed inwardly. She had been working so hard for the Qiao Family Team, preparing to apply for reward funds, planning to fix the concrete roads and build villas in the village, and then establish factories and seed breeding bases. She even wanted to make this village the first Xiao Kang (moderately prosperous) Village in Huaxia.

And using this model, she planned to promote it across the country as a center.

After all she had done, it still hadn’t stopped the incessant gossiping.

There was no help for it; Han Liuya, in her body, was hell-bent on rising from the ashes to become a Phoenix, aiming to marry into a good family with her beauty.

If her mother hadn’t been so strict, who knows what might have happened.

She didn’t have the memory of that time, but that didn’t mean it didn’t happen.

Of course, the villagers only talked behind her back.

So, in this matter, it was all about who had the thicker skin.

After all, no one dared to confront her about it.

Qiao Qingyu sighed again, "Da Niu, you really can’t always listen to your grandmother. You know what kind of person she is. You’re not young anymore. I heard your second aunt talking about finding a match for you. You should be aware..."

Da Niu was stunned for a moment. She hadn’t expected her little aunt not to get angry or explode but to speak to her so sincerely and earnestly.