FID – Chapter 627

Chapter 627: The Villain

This wouldn’t do. If he couldn’t even handle such a small matter, wouldn’t that prove he was incompetent?

A man couldn’t be useless—otherwise, he’d be a laughingstock.

He had to get to the bottom of this. He needed help.

Upon returning to the Liu family courtyard, Liu Zhiqiu went straight to the second courtyard—to Xue Qinglian’s room.

He yanked down the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign hanging at the door, tossed it aside, and pushed the door open.

“The sign literally says, ‘Enter and you die.’ Didn’t you see it?”

“I saw it. And look, I’m still alive.” Liu Zhiqiu was unfazed. He strode in, plopped down beside Xue Qinglian, and pressed down on the contraption the man was fiddling with, stopping his movements. “Qinglian, do me a favor.”

“No. I’m busy.”

“If you don’t help me, I’ll sell all the stuff you’ve been tinkering with. I need money right now.”

Hearing that his precious experiments were at risk, Xue Qinglian immediately flared up, glaring at him fiercely. “Believe it or not, I will poison you!”

“You talk big, but are you helping me or not? Just give me a straight answer.”

“Are you needing help for something this trivial? You’re a disgrace to men. Useless!”

“So that means you’re helping. Help me find out who’s the most suspicious person in the Duanqiao Village brewery.”

Xue Qinglian cursed under his breath.

Since when was Liu Zhiqiu this shameless? When did he ever agree to help? When?!

He had already said he was busy! Help you son of an idle rich!

Carefully gathering up his bottles and jars, he grumbled while ordering Liu Zhiqiu to shut his ‘dog eyes’ and not look.

Once everything was packed away, he finally led Liu Zhiqiu out. Before leaving, he made sure to hang the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign back on his door—and this time, he sprinkled actual poison on it.

This time, it was real. Touch it and die.

He swore to himself: From now on, no more empty threats—only action.

Neither of them knew that the matter they were about to investigate had already been looked into by Wei Hong.

By the afternoon, before the two of them even returned, Wei Hong had already reported everything she had found to Liu Muqiu.

After hearing the details, Liu Muqiu wasn’t surprised. She didn’t show any particular expression, nor did she take immediate action.

“Aunt Hong, when Liu-gege returns, you should find a chance to tell him,” she said.

“I thought you’d rush to deal with it right away.”

Liu Muqiu shook her head. “Brother Zhiqiu wouldn’t like me interfering rashly. If he can’t bring himself to be ruthless, then I’ll step in.”

Wei Hong gave Liu Muqiu a deep look before silently disappearing into the inner courtyard.

Liu Muqiu picked up her embroidery needle again, continuing her work on a partially completed section of fabric.

She was fully focused, though whenever she paused, her thoughts would drift elsewhere.

Despite having only lived here for a short time, she had already come to understand the general temperament of everyone in the Liu family.

Grandfather and Grandmother were wise and insightful, handling matters with generosity.

Uncle Dalin appeared honest and simple, but his heart was as clear as a mirror—deeply intelligent beneath his seemingly naive demeanor.

Aunt Xiulan seemed to be the most delicate member of the household, yet she possessed a hidden strength and a firm sense of right and wrong.

Second Uncle Erlin was the most straightforward in temperament—pure and direct, always speaking his mind without scheming.

Second Aunt Juan, on the other hand, had the fiercest personality—quick-witted and decisive in both words and actions.

Yet despite their differences, they all shared one common trait: they did not play mind games.

And they all had soft hearts. Such people were kind, but also easily taken advantage of.

Not in an obvious, aggressive way—but through subtle manipulation, appealing to their sympathy, and using that to gain benefits from them.

Take this current situation, for example. Though they were hurt by the betrayal, their deeply sentimental nature meant that if the culprit came begging for forgiveness, they wouldn’t be able to harden their hearts.

They weren’t capable of being ruthless. But she was.

The Liu courtyard was her home now, and she wouldn’t allow anyone to scheme against it.

She had always been a delicate ‘Little White Lotus’ in others’ eyes, so even if people started calling her a villain, it wouldn’t matter.

As long as the people in this family didn’t dislike her, she didn’t care what anyone else said.

By the time Liu Zhiqiu and Xue Qinglian returned, the family was already preparing for dinner.

The atmosphere remained cheerful, and while Liu Zhiqiu showed no visible distress when speaking to the elders, Liu Muqiu could sense his mood.

The lighthearted smile was missing from his eyes.

After dinner, Liu Zhiqiu went straight to his room and didn’t come out all night.

The next morning, he left for Duanqiao Village again, and he had left with furrowed brows.

“What are you staring at, standing by the gate like that, Muqiu?” Grandma Liu, holding warm water and crouching by the stove to wash dishes, noticed her standing at the gate, her head down, seemingly lost in thought. She spoke up, asking.

Liu Muqiu snapped out of her daze and walked over to hand the elderly woman the water and cloth. “I wasn’t thinking about anything. Grandma, if someone harmed the brewery’s interests and caused trouble for the family, would you still punish them?”

“Regardless of their situation, that’s no excuse for their mistakes. Punishment is inevitable. If we don’t punish, how will we maintain order? There’s more than just one working in the brewery—countless workers. If we let this slide, the others will definitely follow suit. Then what kind of rules would the brewery have?”

“You’re right, Grandma. Without rules, there’s no structure. If we handle this properly, it will prevent many future troubles. So we can’t show mercy. If we go easy on them now, there will be even more problems for Nannan and Young Master Qian later. It’s better to be decisive this time and deal with it once and for all, to avoid future issues.”

“Goodness, you’re so young, yet you worry so much. Don’t worry, even though your grandfather and I are soft-hearted, we’re not foolish. We’ll do what needs to be done. We certainly won’t let Nannan and Xiao Jinzi face the consequences of this.”

“Mm.” Liu Muqiu smiled as she took the clean dishes from her, stacking them neatly in the basket before carrying it into the kitchen.

In the main hall, the Liu family elders could vaguely hear the conversation between Grandma Liu and Liu Muqiu. They couldn’t help but smile, though their smiles carried a heavy weight.

They understood the meaning behind Liu Muqiu’s words. They were also well aware of their own shortcomings—

Too soft-hearted.

Too easily used by those with ulterior motives.

If they didn’t want to burden the younger generation, they had to change.

But a person’s nature was not so easy to alter. Some things were ingrained. Forcing themselves to harden their hearts was easier said than done.

Zhiqiu had gone to handle the matter and had yet to return. They didn’t know how things were progressing over there, but hearing Muqiu’s words, they had a feeling—this issue wouldn’t end so easily. There would surely be consequences.

Liu Zhiqiu wasn’t gone for long, not even an hour.

With a carriage at home and Duanqiao Village not being far, a round trip didn’t take much time.

“Is it settled?” The moment he stepped inside, Grandpa Liu immediately asked.

He and Grandma Liu had been sitting in the main hall all morning, not busying themselves with anything else—just waiting for the results.

“It’s done. Grandpa, Grandma, have you been waiting here all morning? Don’t you find it boring?” Liu Zhiqiu teased them with a smile. His tone and expression were both relaxed. “What, you don’t have any confidence in me?”