Chapter 283: 279. It's Just Borrowing Money, How Can You Speak of Gratitude? (Please Subscribe, Monthly Tickets!)

Chang Meilan looked at her husband, who was so angry, and asked curiously, "What's wrong? Did something happen over at Brother Zhang's side?"

Chang Meilan certainly did not think that Xia Zhangqing was cursing Zhang Ran.

Xia Zhangqing let out a long sigh and looked at her with some hesitation; Chang Meilan became even more curious, "Why are you looking at me like that? Could it be related to me?"

"In a way, yes. Zhang Ran called me to say that I was being unkind, that something someone gave to me was said to be a gift for him, which made him very embarrassed." Xia Zhangqing spoke somewhat euphemistically.

However, having been by Xia Zhangqing's side for so many years, Chang Meilan had heard and seen enough to understand what he meant.

"What exactly is going on?" Chang Meilan asked nervously.

"I don't know the specifics either, but it definitely has something to do with your village, and it also has something to do with the jade bracelet," Xia Zhangqing said in a deep voice.

Even if he didn't know the sequence of events now, he could still guess a few things.

Xia Zhangqing also knew that Zhang Ran wasn't calling to curse him, but simply to notify him.

How could Xia Zhangqing not know that this jade bracelet was meant for him?

It was true that it was originally intended to be given to Zhang Ran, but just as Zhang Ran thought, when the jade bracelet was sent back again, it was no longer for Zhang Ran.

At that time, Xia Zhangqing didn't want it, but he couldn't resist the good excuses they found, and the fact that his parents-in-law pleaded with him, so he ultimately accepted it.

And the reason Xia Zhangqing wanted to give this jade bracelet to Zhang Ran was not for his own sake, but for the people of Tianjiashan.

He knew very well that the reason Tianjiashan was living so comfortably now, besides the fact that he had indeed looked after them a little, was largely due to the path to survival that Zhang Ran had found for them back then.

The biggest economic source for Tianjiashan was planting medicinal herbs and then selling them to Yaotian Pharmaceutical; this had been going on for over thirty years, and the prices were also significantly higher than those of other herb merchants.

Even with how Tian Yaohui was, he had never touched this interest, nor had he made things difficult for these people; in fact, he had even taken extra care of them.

Now that Yaotian Pharmaceutical had returned to Zhang Ran's hands, and with a trend toward further growth, what Xia Zhangqing had thought of at the time was to help these people from Tianjiashan reconnect with Zhang Ran.

Xia Zhangqing understood Zhang Ran and knew that he valued relationships; if the matter of the jade bracelet came up, then one could fully expect that Zhang Ran would definitely help the people of Tianjiashan in the future.

But Xia Zhangqing's good intentions seemed to have had the opposite effect instead.

"If nothing unexpected happens, I suspect Zhang Ran must have gone to Tianjiashan today," Xia Zhangqing said.

This was already him thinking in the best possible direction.

"By the way, have you mentioned the matter of the jade bracelet to your family?" Xia Zhangqing asked with some worry.

Chang Meilan shook her head and said, "Not yet, I was originally planning to talk about it when I went back to visit in a while."

She also understood what Xia Zhangqing meant; if those people had taken the initiative to go find Zhang Ran to ask for the jade bracelet, she didn't even dare to imagine how embarrassed Zhang Ran must have been at that time.

"I'll call to ask about the situation." Chang Meilan couldn't sit still; one was her family, the other was her savior, so she was naturally very anxious. At this moment, she hoped so much that these were all misunderstandings!

The call was connected quickly, and Chang Meilan also turned on the speakerphone, using Mandarin when she spoke so that Xia Zhangqing could hear clearly.

"Lanlan, when are you coming back to visit?" On the other end of the phone, Chang Meilan's mother said with a smile.

Chang Meilan said, "I'll see about that. I want to ask you something, and you must answer me honestly."

"What a thing to say, could I possibly lie to you?" the old lady said.

"Is Brother Zhang in the village right now?" Chang Meilan took a deep breath and asked.

The old lady quickly reacted to who she was asking about, "How did you know?"

"Never mind how I know. And what is going on with the jade bracelet?"

"Did he go to complain to Xia? That man is really something," the old lady muttered.

At this moment, Chang Meilan was suddenly angered to the point of laughter. Zhang Ran complaining? Did Zhang Ran need to complain to Xia Zhangqing?

"Do you know how your daughter survived back then?"

"We didn't even bring up the jade bracelet; he was the one who wanted to return it himself, it has nothing to do with us." Hearing the anger in Chang Meilan's tone, the old lady hurriedly distanced herself from the matter.

"And he even said that the people in our village aren't good people and told us not to associate with those children. Is that any way to talk?" the old lady said with dissatisfaction.

"Fine, let's not talk about my affairs now; that is something I personally owe Brother Zhang. But do you still remember the days back then when our village was so poor we couldn't even afford to eat?

Back then, let alone meat, we couldn't even get two full meals a day. At that time, who was it that helped us out of our predicament, not only giving us a path to survival but also helping us build our wealth, and even considering the current situation—the fact that the village can host tourists now is all thanks to the plans Brother Zhang gave us back then.

Brother Zhang hasn't done anything to wrong us, has he? On the contrary, they are the saviors of our entire village. How could you all do such a thing?"

Chang Meilan's voice was somewhat sorrowful; she truly hadn't expected when her own family had become like this.

Being spoken to like this by her, the old lady was suddenly speechless, but in the end, she still muttered, "We'll just pay him back the money he lent us back then."

Once these words were out, not only was Chang Meilan stunned, but even Xia Zhangqing, who had been listening from the side, was angered to the point of laughter.

At this moment, Xia Zhangqing also understood why Zhang Ran had called; it meant that he truly had no feelings left for Tianjia Mountain Village.

These people in Tianjiashan thought they no longer needed to rely on Zhang Ran; they had Xia Zhangqing, and there was a second noble person coming next.

Who is Zhang Ran?

They had long since forgotten in their hearts!

Xia Zhangqing had been busy with work all these years and rarely visited his in-laws, and even when he did, their hospitality and attitude were always very warm, so he hadn't felt that much had changed.

But now, Xia Zhangqing knew he was wrong; these people had completely changed their faces. The grace of saving their lives back then had become a matter of borrowing and repaying money in their mouths.

"Hang up," Xia Zhangqing said flatly.

Chang Meilan still wanted to say something, but seeing Xia Zhangqing's expression, she hesitated for a moment and hung up the phone.

"Wife, I know you're in a difficult position, but if you intervene now, things will only get worse," Xia Zhangqing sighed and said.

"Then what should we do now?" That was her maiden family after all; although she also felt some disdain for her family's behavior in her heart, it wasn't something she could just let go of.

"Let's wait and see. They made their choice, so they must bear the consequences themselves," Xia Zhangqing said flatly.

Chang Meilan opened her mouth, but in the end, she could only sigh and stop speaking.