Chapter 1497: The Fox Shows Its Tail

His words sounded better than a song.

He even brought out phrases like "stability and unity."

Could Sheng Hanyu possibly not know what his son was thinking?

He just wanted to be a cook and had no interest in the Clan business at all; it was like that before, and it is still like that now!

But Zichen didn't have the final say in this matter; it was up to him, for he was the head of the family!

In the past, he felt Zichen lacked the ability, which was why he started cultivating Zirui.

But now he discovered that Zichen's ability was sufficient, and he was excellent in every aspect; Sheng Hanyu had to admit that he had indeed misjudged, and the only time he had ever misjudged was with his own son!

Yet he felt gratified.

Sheng Hanyu still hoped his eldest son could inherit Top Sheng and become the future Chairman.

But the eldest son refused; he had no interest in power whatsoever.

In other families, people fought tooth and nail from a young age over inheritance, but in their family, up until now, there had been no sign of any discord arising from this.

Sheng Hanyu ended the conversation with one final sentence: "Let's talk about it after you graduate. It's still early, and no one knows what the future will hold. What if you change your mind by then?"

"Dad, you can't do this."

Zichen was anxious: "I've liked cooking since I was a child. It's innate, and I won't be able to change it for the rest of my life..."

"Go back to school, enough nonsense." Sheng Hanyu hung up first, and the conversation ended.

Gu Zhihao always seemed like mud that couldn't be plastered onto a wall. Sheng Hanyu didn't want to deal with him, but he was his son's master; if he didn't deal with him, his son would have to, so for his son's sake, he had no choice but to deal with him.

Gu Zihao was released and returned to the village, where the villagers were as enthusiastic toward him as before.

The glass that Ergouzi had sent people to smash at his home had already been replaced by the villagers of their own accord, and they had also helped him repair the perimeter wall and used paint to remove the writing on the wall.

The children who had fought with Yulong and Meiyin also came with their parents to apologize!

Everyone's intention was clear—they all hoped that under Gu Zhihao's leadership, he would continue to lead everyone in making money.

Chen Xiang had been arrested, and many people were rubbing their hands and eager to try for the position he had vacated, but Gu Zhihao was disheartened and no longer wanted to be the Village Chief.

Shi Yuke had been living in fear these past few days, having tasted cold words and the cold shoulders of the villagers.

She also agreed with her husband's point of view.

"Right, let's not be the Village Chief anymore. It's thankless work; you can't make much money, but if something goes wrong, it's all your responsibility."

"We should just honestly live our own lives; that's fine. I'll keep livestreaming to sell goods, and you can cook at home, doing what you like."

The couple hit it off immediately.

Gu Zhihao's original intention was good; he wanted to be the Village Chief to seek benefits for the villagers, and he himself could also hold his head high and be respected... but reality was different from what he had imagined.

The difference was quite large.

He just wasn't cut out to be an official; he wanted to satisfy everyone, but in the end, it was impossible.

He exhausted himself physically and mentally, yet it was thankless. If this incident hadn't happened, he might have persisted, but this event made Gu Zhihao completely lose heart, and he didn't want to be this Village Chief no matter what.

His wife's support was the best and greatest motivation for him. Gu Zhihao wanted to resign from the position of Village Chief, but the villagers wouldn't have it.

These past few days, Gu Zhihao's house had been very lively.

Villagers came to the door one after another, saying nice things, apologizing, and bringing eggs, fresh pork, and fresh melons and vegetables picked from their back gardens.

There were also dried fruits they had dried themselves, and the things they said were all much the same.

"Village Chief, it's all our fault. You are a big person who doesn't hold grudges against small people; don't lower yourself to our level."

"We were deceived by Ergouzi at the time. Now that he has received his punishment, don't take it too much to heart."

"Right, the worst person is Ergouzi. If it weren't for you, the people in the village wouldn't have the happy life they have now. You still have to lead the people in the village."

"You can't abandon us. You have the skills and the ability; you can make a living doing anything even if you aren't the Village Chief, but what are we supposed to do when we're old?"

"If you don't look after us, the young people will have to go out to work..."

Gu Zihao's originally firm heart was now wavering again.

This time, he was truly heartbroken. He had served the villagers wholeheartedly, but when he was in trouble, those villagers who usually called him brother and treated him like family only kicked him while he was down.

Now that he was out, they turned back to apologize. What was the use of an apology?

Not every "I'm sorry" should be met with "it's okay."

But for Gu Zhihao, it could!

His "good guy" attribute started to take effect again, swaying back and forth. His wife reminded him in his ear to stay firm in his resolve and not be soft-hearted.

But he just couldn't make up his mind. In the end, the Old Village Chief gave him a good idea: adopt a compromise.

Contract the Resort to someone capable, and the villagers would receive dividends.

He would still be the Village Chief of Chen Family Village; the benefit of doing this was that there would be much less Village Chief business to handle.

Gu Zhihao gladly agreed, and the villagers had no objections either, so the matter was settled.

Just as the matter was decided, Huo Zhenteng arrived.

He wanted to contract the Resort.

As the Chairman of the Gourmet Association, it was actually quite appropriate for Huo Zhenteng to contract the Resort, but the price he offered was too low—so low that even a "good guy" like Gu Zhihao couldn't accept it.

This price was basically giving it away for free.

Seeing Gu Zhihao's incredulous expression, Huo Zhenteng was not surprised by his reaction; any normal person would have such a reaction. He began to paint a big picture for Gu Zhihao.

"Brother, I also know this price is indeed a bit too low, but I don't have that much money on hand right now. However, rest assured, if I make money, I will distribute dividends to everyone. I'll eat the meat, but I won't let the villagers just drink the soup; we'll all eat meat together..."

The originally extremely low price, under his glib tongue, sounded as if it made a lot of sense.

Gu Zhihao was moved. Just as he was about to agree, his wife quietly nudged him.

So, the words already on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down. Gu Zhihao changed his tune: "Let me think about it. I can't make the decision on this kind of thing alone."

"Fine, no problem. I'll wait for you to make a decision."

Huo Zhenteng took his leave.

Gu Zhihao had a habit: he would fall asleep once he drank alcohol.

He had drunk quite a bit just now and was currently fast asleep on the bed; Shi Yuke wanted to discuss things with him after seeing the guest out, but upon seeing him asleep, she began to clear away the bowls and chopsticks.

As Shi Yuke cleared the bowls and chopsticks, she recalled the scene of their conversation; the more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt, and she felt this matter was not very reasonable.

How could there be so many coincidences?

When her husband was in the detention center, Huo Zhenteng had visited once, and at that time, he had shown a keen interest in the Resort and the Gu Family's recipes.

He didn't come when her husband was just released, but he came when they were preparing to contract out the Resort; how was his information so well-informed?

She could not figure it out, so she called her younger sister Shi Youxuan to seek her opinion.

"Brother-in-law hasn't agreed yet, right?"