FID – Chapter 569

Chapter 569: Striking Back Directly

Grandma Liu’s words turned out to be prophetic.

It didn’t take long before the rumors escalated—now, the talk around town was that the county magistrate’s daughter was cursed by fate, doomed to bring misfortune to her husband and children, and that anyone who associated with her would be struck by bad luck.

“It’s Liu Yusheng! She’s the one who ruined me! That wretched woman did this to me!”

In the inner courtyard of the Xiangshan County Office, Kang Ziyu went into a frenzy, smashing everything within reach. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes bloodshot. “She and Fu Yuzheng must have slandered me in front of the Ding family! They deliberately sabotaged my engagement! They can’t stand seeing me happy! They’re both despicable!”

Kang Shiming and his wife sat nearby, utterly exhausted. They didn’t even react to the mess around them.

Ever since their daughter returned from the Yunzhou tea party, she had been throwing tantrums like this every single day.

They had tried scolding her, reasoning with her—nothing worked.

Watching her continue to rage hysterically, Kang Shiming finally stood up and left. Compared to dealing with his daughter, he now preferred to bury himself in government affairs at the county office.

“Father, where are you going? Your daughter is being humiliated like this, and you’re just going to ignore it? Are you even my father?”

“And what exactly do you want me to do?”

“Shut down the Liu family’s winery! Seize their liquor so they can’t sell it! I want their business to suffer constant losses until they can’t even afford to pay their workers! When their employees turn against them and the people start condemning them, let’s see what reputation the Liu family has left! And when their name is tarnished, Liu Zhixia’s position as prefect will become unstable! Father, helping me means helping yourself—the position of prefect was supposed to be yours in the first place!”

“What nonsense!” Kang Shiming took a step forward without looking back. “Within half a month, arrange for her to be married off! If she resents it, then she can sever ties with this family for all I care!”

Kang Ziyu’s face turned deathly pale. She stumbled back in disbelief.

Never before, no matter how much she acted out, had her father ever spoken to her with such ruthlessness.

Was he… abandoning her now?

“Mother?” Finally feeling a pang of panic, Kang Ziyu turned to look at Mrs. Kang.

“Listen to your father,” Mrs. Kang said weakly, closing her eyes. “I will find you a suitable match. You’re not young anymore. If you marry before these rumors spread beyond the county, it will be better for you.”

Mr. Kang was truly furious this time. He was also completely disappointed.

After decades of marriage, how could she not understand his temperament? 

Once he put down his words, there was no turning back.

The rumors outside were growing wilder by the day. Public opinion was terrifying. Marrying early was the best way to minimize the damage.

Otherwise, if the gossip spread too far, even if Ziyu wanted to marry, no one would dare to take her.

Would they have to keep her at home forever?

If they did, resentment would only fester.

She was just a woman—her whole life depended on her husband, not her daughter.

Since the matter had some connection to Liu Zhiqiu, Qian Wanjin paid close attention to the county office whenever he visited town.

He never missed the slightest sign of trouble.

And whenever he returned, he made sure to tell Liu Zhiqiu all about it—deliberately provoking him just to get a reaction.

His childish antics left the Liu family both amused and exasperated.

“Nannan, I bet you have no idea what big news just broke in town today!” After teasing Liu Zhiqiu, Qian Wanjin headed straight for the inner courtyard to find Liu Yusheng.

Perching on a stone bench, he watched the young girl flipping and drying medicinal herbs, deliberately keeping her in suspense.

With his chin raised, he had a look on his face that practically shouted, ‘Ask me! Ask me!’

Liu Yusheng chuckled in response. “What big news could possibly catch the attention of our Young Master Qian? Go on, let’s hear it.”

“Kang Ziyu is engaged again. This time, it’s to a wealthy merchant from the neighboring county. I heard his family owns a rice business.” At this, Qian Wanjin shrugged and stifled a laugh. “She picked and picked, and in the end, she dropped the watermelon and grabbed a mung bean instead.”

His analogy was so amusing that everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

After the laughter died down, Liu Yusheng said, “Her affairs have nothing to do with us. Stop paying so much attention to her. Now that the first phase of the winery is on track, we should start planning for the second phase. I’ve written up a proposal—it’s on the table. Take a look first, and we can discuss any issues later.”

“You already finished the proposal?” Qian Wanjin was surprised. He picked up the document from the table and started reading through it carefully.

Not a single word was overlooked.

This wasn’t the first time Nannan had written a proposal—he had read her previous one too. That time, it had left him in absolute awe.

Anything that came from her hands was bound to be top-tier, whether it was medicine, wine, or even a business proposal.

He spent nearly an hour reading it over three times before finally closing the document.

“Nannan, I have zero suggestions.” His face was stiff.

Her proposals were made to slap people in the face with their perfection.

There was no chance for him to give any suggestions.

The proposal was thorough, meticulous, and covered every detail—there was simply no room for him to shine.

Discuss what?

Just get to work!

“Since you have no objections, then like before, you’ll be in charge of implementation. The six wineries in Xiangshan County are already at capacity—let’s pick a new location.”

“Got it. Whatever you say. I’m just your laborer—tell me where to go, and I’ll get it done!”

He was more than happy to be this ‘laborer.’

The pay was too good!

One day, his bedroom was going to be made entirely of gold!

Liu Yusheng smirked.

You can’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Yunzhou governed sixteen counties, so expanding the wineries gradually was the smart move.

If they concentrated everything in Xiangshan County, it wouldn’t be ideal. She trusted Magistrate Kang Shiming, and their business relationship had always been smooth. But his daughter was Kang Ziyu.

A ticking time bomb. No one knew when she might explode.

So, they had to be cautious.

In the end, they chose Xianju County, which neighbored Xiangshan.

When Kang Shiming heard the news, he said nothing—just let out a long sigh.

A rift had formed between him and the Liu family.

And he had no one to blame but himself.

They had seen his daughter’s true nature far too clearly.

After finalizing the location, Qian Wanjin took over the execution. Liu Zhixiu, already experienced with the process, provided support.

By the end of the month, every winery turned in impressive results.

The village chiefs in charge of managing the wineries brought over the accounts, all grinning from ear to ear.

This month, the profits from each winery had increased significantly compared to before.

“Nannan, you should double-check the accounts first and see if we made any mistakes. I can hardly believe it myself—the sales of healthy wine and nourishing tea have gone up so much!” The village chief of Shangpo Village chuckled, his face glowing with joy.

After becoming more familiar with her, the village chiefs all started calling Liu Yusheng ‘Nannan’ instead of ‘Boss.’

It felt much more natural and affectionate.

Liu Yusheng smiled. “There shouldn’t be any mistakes. Our wineries now hold a significant share of the tea market, and the health series has become a sensation across the entire Nanling region. With results like this, it’s only natural.”

Ever since the Liu family in the capital collapsed, a huge gap had opened up in the market. Before other major merchants could fully divide up that share, Qian Baihao had stepped in and secured the majority of it for the Qian family.

With such an extensive sales network, if their revenue had not increased, she would have seriously needed to reflect on what went wrong.

“Nannan, if the accounts are correct, does that mean the winery workers can receive a bigger bonus this month?”