Chapter 199 - 126: The Saintess Is No Longer Saintly

Chapter 199: Chapter 126: The Saintess Is No Longer Saintly

"Alright!"

The old man was silent. ’Does this young man’s family own a gold mine?’ he wondered.

Just then, the wooden door creaked open. Su Ran turned to look, and his eyes lit up. Xie Yiren had changed into a traditional Miao Clan outfit adorned with silver and walked out. "Su Ran..." She lowered her head, a little shy. "Haven’t you seen a Miao girl before?"

"No, I haven’t. It’s beautiful. Is this all pure silver?"

"Of course. Long ago, our Miao Clan was often on the move, so we would convert all our valuables into silver, which we’d forge into jewelry to wear. Over time, this became our traditional attire. Why don’t you try on a Miao men’s outfit?"

"You have one?"

"Yes. It’s Ah Weng’s."

"Great."

Seeing the hungry look in Su Ran’s eyes as he stared at his Yiren, the old man’s suspicions flared up again. ’Is he really here to develop our village, or is he just using that as an excuse to develop... something else?’

While Su Ran was changing inside, he heard voices from the courtyard. It sounded like a young man had come to see Xie Yiren, and they were having a very cheerful conversation.

"Yiren!" Su Ran’s stern voice called out from the room. "How do you fasten these clothes? I can’t figure it out. Come in here and help me!"

"Just try to figure it out yourself," Xie Yiren said, then went back to chatting with her childhood friend, Ah Hu.

"Yiren!" Su Ran’s stern voice called out again. "I can’t figure it out! I give up!"

"Ugh..." Xie Yiren shot a glare at the window, forcing herself to stay calm. "Ah Hu, wait a second." With that, she spun around and stormed back into the room, throwing the door open and then slamming it shut. She strode up to Su Ran. "Are you a child? You can’t even get dressed? Get over here!" She grabbed his sash and yanked him closer. "You’re so annoying! Can’t I even chat with a friend for a bit?"

Su Ran glanced through the window at the dark-skinned Miao youth outside—Ah Hu—then turned back to the Miao girl before him. "I never said you couldn’t talk to him. I just can’t figure out this sash and asked for your help. Hiss—are you trying to strangle me?"

Xie Yiren placed her hands on his shoulders and explained earnestly, "Young Master Su, don’t get the wrong idea, okay? Ah Hu is just a childhood playmate. He saw I was back and came over to say hi. There’s nothing more to it. He has a girlfriend." As she finished speaking, she saw Su Ran break into a smile, an incredibly radiant one. He said magnanimously, "It’s fine. You have your own friends. It’s perfectly normal for you to catch up with a childhood buddy. You don’t have to explain it to me."

Xie Yiren rolled her eyes at him. ’Sure,’ she thought, ’after he was just shouting "Yiren!" so gravely a moment ago.’

"Yiren, I’m heading out now. We’ll talk more at dinner tonight," Ah Hu’s voice called from outside.

"Okay," Xie Yiren replied, then turned to Su Ran. "Satisfied now? I mean, Young Master Su, you’re so rich, powerful, and handsome. How can you be insecure? I know I’m not your girlfriend, but are you really worried someone’s going to steal me away?"

"I’m just worried you’ll be deceived."

"Pfft. Ah Weng always says city folk are full of tricks. It’s the men from the outside who are the real deceivers. Come on, I’ll show you around." Xie Yiren instinctively took Su Ran’s hand, then quickly let it go. "Ahem, walk on your own, so people don’t see us." With that, she hurried out of the room.

News that the big boss Xie Yiren had brought back was going to build a road for the village spread like wildfire. As Su Ran strolled around taking pictures, the simple, honest villagers were incredibly friendly to him. Since it also happened to be New Year’s Day, it was a double celebration. The village slaughtered sheep and stewed meat, preparing a grand banquet to welcome Boss Su that evening.

「Meanwhile.」

Xie Yiren led Su Ran along a mountain path. She walked in front with him behind her, the pale skin of her thighs visible beneath her Miao Clan dress proving exceptionally alluring.

When they reached a mountaintop, Xie Yiren said, "Su Ran, about that garbled message I sent before... it really wasn’t on purpose. The reception is terrible around here. This is the only spot where I can get a signal. Last time, it was cutting in and out, and that’s why the message got so scrambled."

Su Ran patted her on the head. "You’ll have reception soon enough."

"Mhm..." Xie Yiren nodded. "I overheard you and Ah Weng earlier. Is it really going to cost that much money?"

Su Ran replied, "It does. So, what do you think I’m after, spending all that money?"

Xie Yiren shook her head. "I don’t know what you’re after."

Su Ran said, "I’m after... MMPH, MMPH!"

"Don’t say it!" Xie Yiren covered Su Ran’s mouth. "Don’t say it out loud! You have to remember, your goal is ’to have the prosperous lead the less fortunate.’ " She let go of his mouth and added, "Actually... when I heard how much money you were going to spend, I felt really guilty. It’s so much money."

Su Ran teased, "Well, if you feel so guilty about me spending all that money, I guess I just won’t invest. Then you wouldn’t feel guilty anymore, would you?"

"If you did that, I would..." Xie Yiren took both of Su Ran’s hands and led him closer to the cliff’s edge. She said with a beaming smile, "I’d just jump off with you and we could die together."

Su Ran glanced down at the cliff, then pulled her back by her arm. "I really don’t get why you’re so determined about this. And why does everyone here respect you so much?"

"Uh... well... I’m the granddaughter of the village’s Party Secretary, so of course I have to take on this responsibility. Besides, I’m a college student. Since I’m in a big city, it’s natural that I should find ways to help my hometown develop. The villagers really respect college students."

"Oh."

"It’s true."

"Oh."

"Fine, don’t believe me then."

Xie Yiren turned to leave, but Su Ran caught up to her. "Alright, alright, I believe you. Come on, let’s go check out that grove."

"I’m not going to any grove! Stop pulling me, I’m not going to the grove!"

「As night fell.」

In a small tribe nestled deep in the mountains, Miao songs echoed around a bonfire. The people were warm and unpretentious, all of them talented singers and dancers.

Xie Yiren, full of innocent liveliness, danced hand-in-hand with several of the women, occasionally glancing over at Su Ran, who was being plied with rice wine. The people were incredibly hospitable, and the rice wine flowed freely. Su Ran barely managed two bites of food; the rest of the time, people were constantly coming up to offer him toasts. It was just as the saying goes: you walk into a Miao Village on two feet and crawl out on all fours.