Even if the county magistrate of Hecheng County was a little greedy, he only accepted bribes from businessmen. Jiang Zhen did not follow this practice; after all, when the water was clear, there was no fish. Some officials would help large families in oppressing the masses for money and even massacre people . . . Jiang Zhen still had this hope that the imperial envoy would arrest those officials.

After leaving Zheng Yi, Jiang Zhen was about to head home when he was suddenly stopped. It was Shen Anxin, who stopped Jiang Zhen. He stood in front of him, clenched his teeth, and said, “Jiang Zhen, I have something to say to you.”

Zheng Yi could stay in the south of the Yangtze River without an accident. However, Shen Anxin and Feng Jingyuan were different. In a short while, they would return to the capital. Shen Anxin had been unable to find the opportunity to get along with Jiang Zhen these days, but he was more and more interested in Jiang Zhen. He was unwilling to let go.

Obviously, he was better than Zhao Jinge in every way, so why did Jiang Zhen not even look at him? Why was it only Zhao Jinge who was good in his eyes?

Shen Anxin grew up getting everything he wanted. But he was losing out here. How could he lose to a man who was inferior to him in every way . . . How could he be willing?

He received a good education from an early age, so he could not use any drastic means, but even so, he still wanted to give it a try.

“What do you have to say?” Jiang Zhen asked.

Shen Anxin had not come to his house these days, so he was calm when he faced Shen Anxin.

“Let’s talk somewhere else,” Shen Anxin said.

“It’s all right here. If you don’t want to tell me, I will just go home,” Jiang Zhen said.

There was no one around, so Shen Anxin gritted his teeth and finally said, “Jiang Zhen, I admire you very much, I—”

“Then what?” Jiang Zhen looked at Shen Anxin. Did this man want to cooperate with him like Zheng Yi?

“I . . . Jiang Zhen, would you marry me if you hadn’t met Zhao Jinge?” Shen Anxin blurted out and then looked at Jiang Zhen nervously.

Jiang Zhen was stunned.

In modern times, it could be said that he had no love experience at all. At first, he didn’t understand his own sexual orientation, and later, he did not find the right person. He was bent on finding someone who was willing to spend the rest of his life with him. But in that circle, many people were just having fun. Also . . . as a matter of fact, he was not very good at socializing with people, so he had never met the right person.

He hadn’t even met the right person, let alone experience being confessed to. He had also never confessed his love to anyone. He had never done it before. As for after he came here . . .

Zhao Jinge was pursued by him at his own initiative, but being confessed to like this . . . he had never gone through it it either. Even Liu Qianqian and Zhao Lingxi did not say such things to him.

It was the first time that Jiang Zhen had encountered such a thing. He was stunned, but then he quickly responded, “I don’t want to.”

Assuming that such a thing meant nothing to Jiang Zhen. After he took a fancy to Zhao Jinge and planned to spend the rest of his live with him, he never thought of anyone else. If you already have a wife, why will you need to think about what other people do?

Jiang Zhen refused mercilessly, but Shen Anxin felt even more embarrassed . . . He had already put down his pride to look for Jiang Zhen, but he was mercilessly refused.

“Is Zhao Jinge that good?” he couldn’t help asking. “He’s obviously inconsistent, and he set me up!”

“Don’t force me to hit you.” Jiang Zhen interrupted Shen Anxin’s words. “I think no one knows better than me what Zhao Jinge is like. In my eyes, he is the best.”

When Jiang Zhen said this, he was very angry, so after he finished speaking, he gave Shen Anxin a cold look. “Shen Anxin, I didn’t know you were a person like this . . . Now that I know it, it would be better for us if you stayed away from me in the future. And don’t come to me again. “

Jiang Zhen left without waiting for Shen Anxin to speak.

Although Shen Anxin said bad things about Zhao Jinge in front of him and made him angry, he didn’t do anything else, so Jiang Zhen didn’t hit him. He just made up his mind to stay away from this man in the future.

“Jiang Zhen!” Shen Anxin called again, but Jiang Zhen, from the sound of his footsteps, did not even pause.

He wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeves and then saw that his sleeves were wet.

Shen Anxin had no face to stay in the street any longer, so he turned around and left. After he left, two people appeared at the corner of the street.

One of them was Feng Jingyuan, and the other was one of Feng Jingyuan’s men brought with him from the capital.

“I said there was something wrong with Shen Anxin these days, but I didn’t expect him to have this idea again,” Feng Jingyuan said.

“Master, is he trying to get Jiang Zhen’s support?” Feng Jingyuan’s men asked.

“Of course not,” Feng Jingyuan said. “He is just a child who is fooling around . . . Obviously having no skills but wanting to go out to do business . . .”

“The host, Master Zheng, is biased towards him, and he is also full of resentment against our Wanlong business, which is disadvantageous to our future development,” the man next to Feng Jingyuan said again. Feng Jingyuan also knew what this man said. He even knew that Zheng Yi preferred Shen Anxin because he wanted to use him to restrain him.

Zheng Yi hoped that they would balance each other, so naturally, he had to support Shen Anxin. There was nothing he could do about this, but he was reluctant to be in such a situation.

Shen Anxin lacked experience and everything else, but after several years of gaining experience? Was it possible for him to not grow up?

Shen Anxin had always held a grudge against him. If the Shen family became prosperous in the future, he would certainly go against his Wanlong business.

Feng Jingyuan was reluctant to see such a situation.

“I will not give him the opportunity to develop,” Feng Jinyuan said, and looked at his own men. “I asked you to search for people in Hecheng Country. Did you find them?”

“Master, I have already found seven or eight people,” the man said.

“They don’t know your identity, do they?” Feng Jinyuan said again.

“I asked others to find them, so they don’t know my identity.”

“That’s good . . . You find a few people, and the next time Shen Anxin is alone outside, kidnap him . . . He is a ger and will make these people feel good,” Feng Jingyuan said calmly.

No matter how harmless he behaved, Feng Jingyuan himself was not a kind person; otherwise, he would not have taught his son to become like this. If he kills Shen Anxin, Zheng Yi would definitely investigate this matter thoroughly so he must not get involved himself and let others do that to Shen Anxin . . .

With Shen Anxin’s temper, he certainly would not dare to make this matter public, so he had to grit his teeth and swallow it. Not to mention that, in the future, after already falling for a man, Shen Anxin would be in a trance all day long. So after losing his chastity, he might not want to live.

Feng Jingyuan didn’t like people like Shen Anxin, but he was glad that Shen Anxin was such a person since he could not be easier to deal with.

“Yes, master,” the people around Feng Jingyuan responded.

“Coming to an unfamiliar place, Young Master Shen did not even know to bring more people with him he he . . .” Feng Jingyuan shook his head, feeling more and more that Shen Anxin was too naive.

About Feng Jingyuan’s vicious mind, only the two of them knew; at least, Jiang Zhen did not think of it at all. By this time, Jiang Zhen had returned home and said to Zhao Jinge, “Jinge, stay away from that Shen Anxin in the future.”

“What’s the matter?” Zhao Jinge asked, puzzled. Shen Anxin didn’t have much contact with them these days, and Jiang Zhen never mentioned Shen Anxin . . . Why are you suddenly mentioning him today?

“His heart is not right,” Jiang Zhen said.

Before that, Shen Anxin came to see Zhao Jinge every day, but he still did not know that he had in mind. If Shen Anxin told Zhao Jinge about his confession, it would only make Zhao Jinge unhappy, so Jiang Zhen asked him to be careful around him.

Zhao Jinge nodded and said, “Jiang Zhen, in ten days or so, my mother will be fifty years old. My father told me privately that he wanted to do something lively for her.”

Zhao Fugui turned fifty years old a few years ago and ate an egg on his birthday, but Zhao Liu was very lucky. She only turned fifty this year, but she was already living a good life.

“Jiang Zhen, according to our custom here, you should buy my mother pig hooves, a chicken, a fish, and a bag of noodles,” Zhao Jinge added.

On this side of Hexi Village, some people celebrate their birthday, and their relatives and friends would send something. Those who have no money might bring some eggs and flour, and those who have money would buy chicken and pigs.

“All right. I will be ready by then.” Jiang Zhen smiled and thought it was best to kill a pig to give Zhao Liu a face.

As for the pig, they might not be able to finish it . . . but it was nothing. After cutting two hooves, he could send the rest to the canteen. Anyway, the pig hooves could also be kept as he liked eating them.

In the evening, Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge went back to Hexi Village as usual. These days, he stayed in the country town during the day but always go back at night. Sometimes he even stayed at the county for half a day but he still recognized Hexi village as home.

Seeing Jiang Zhen and Zhao Jinge coming back, Zhao Liu immediately welcomed them, but she was not the first to pay attention to Jiang Zhen.

“Grandma Mingzhu . . . Ouch! Grandma missed you so much!” As soon as Zhao Liu came close, she hugged Zhao Mingzhu.

Zhao Mingzhu also missed her, so she stretched out her hand as grandma and granddaughter became intimate.

Since there was no hurry in finishing Qingfeng House in Fucheng, Jiang Zhen felt very relaxed. The next day he had nothing to do; it was the country town, so he simply did not go there and went to see his men training. Gradually, he handed over the training to others, but he still went to see it from time to time.

When Jiang Zhen went to see his men’s training, he took Zhao Mingzhu with him and made a comparison with her, which made Zhao Mingzhu giggle incessantly.

At nearly noon, Jiang Zhen took his daughter to go home, but he did not expect that by just walking through the hallway he would unexpectedly met Shen Anxin again.

Shen Anxin seemed to be out of his mind. When he saw Jiang Zhen, he rushed over. “Jiang Zhen, Jiang Zhen.”

Jiang Zhen subconsciously stepped aside, frowned, and asked, “What are you doing here?” He made it very clear yesterday, so why did Shen Anxin come to find him again? “I have nothing to say to you. I’ll go back first,” Jiang Zhen said to Shen Anxin and then left quickly. He did not want Zhao Jinge to misunderstand.

Looking at Jiang Zhen leaving this way, Shen Anxin’s face showed despair.

“Master Shen, are you all right?” Zheng Baoning asked anxiously when he saw Shen Anxin.

“I’m fine.” Shen Anxin whispered that it was nothing, but he didn’t seem to be all right.

“Master Shen, do you want me to arrange for someone to take you to the county town?” Zheng Baoning was worried about what was happening to this man, so he asked again.

Shen Anxin shook his head, but Zheng Baoning was still worried. “I’m going to the county town, so why don’t you come with me? Master Shen, are you a ger? It’s not safe to walk outside alone . . . “

Zheng Baoning has come into contact with a lot of women in the past, so he could naturally see through Shen’s identity.

Zheng Baoning said it casually, but Shen Anxin froze.

 

Edited by: Faro

Proofreader: XLB

 

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