Chapter Eight: The Scorpion Woman

Qiangyuan Company, Taohua County, Headquarters.

Liu Meijia sat leaning against a chair in the conference room, her face cold and frosty, her gaze indifferent as she watched the others. Not yet thirty, she possessed a stunning beauty—it was hard to believe that such a lovely woman could be known as the "Scorpion Lady."

She was the Executive General Manager of Qiangyuan Company, the head of the Taohua County headquarters, and held 14.6% of the shares in the parent company, Qiangyuan Group—making her the second largest shareholder.

"A bunch of useless fools, every one of you!" Liu Meijia spat out coldly.

Present in the meeting were Manager Wang Weicheng, Vice President Wan Daqiang, Security Captain Liu Jianming from Liangou Wa, and basically everyone who had appeared in Liangou Wa earlier today.

Liu Jianming's head, swollen like a pig's, was wrapped in layers of gauze, yet he still managed to attend the meeting, a testament to how forceful this woman truly was.

Despite being berated by a woman, not a single man in the room dared to utter a sound.

"Weicheng, have you settled the negotiations with Donghe Town?" Liu Meijia, suppressing her anger, asked. Wang Weicheng was her right-hand man, one of her most trusted aides.

Wang Weicheng hurried to reply, "Director Liu, the contract has been signed, but their asking price is very high."

Liu Meijia cut him off, "Money is not the issue. Today's incident was unexpectedly caught by reporters from the Finance Channel." Turning, her face icy, she addressed Wan Daqiang, "I don't care what methods you use, you must shut them up. If this matter is reported, your days as Vice President of the Group are over!"

Wan Daqiang wiped his sweat and nodded anxiously, "Yes, Director Liu, rest assured, I will take care of it!"

One was a reporter from the Finance Channel, the other was Yutou Village—Qiangyuan Company never imagined Yutou Village could muster such unity.

A newly appointed leader in the county had taken notice of Qiangyuan Company. If the situation with Yutou Village was not handled properly, they would not let them off easily.

"It's just a matter of money. Get me in touch with that stubborn old man from Yutou Village; I'll speak with him myself." Liu Meijia tapped her fingers on the conference table, making a firm decision.

The others exchanged glances.

Liu Jianming mumbled, "That old village chief from Yutou Village has already passed away."

"Dead?"

Liu Meijia was stunned, frowning as she looked up at Liu Jianming, "How did he die?"

Liu Jianming quickly explained, "It had nothing to do with us. The last time he was assaulted, it was only minor injuries. The coroner confirmed it was a heart attack." He paused, then added, "But a couple of days ago, Zhang Kang got drunk, led people to smash up the old man's memorial, dragged him out of the coffin and desecrated the corpse. The villagers broke four of his ribs and one leg."

Liu Meijia's face grew darker. No wonder the trouble from those unruly villagers had suddenly grown so intense.

She asked in surprise, "Yutou Village has a new leader?"

Without someone organizing and instigating, such chaos would never have erupted.

Wang Weicheng said, "I heard Wang Deshun once adopted an abandoned baby, sent him to the army when he was a teenager. He just returned a few days ago!"

Liu Meijia frowned, irritated, "Why wasn’t I told about this earlier!"

Everyone silently thought, You never asked.

"Do you have any detailed information about him?"

Seeing her subordinates shake their heads, Liu Meijia, furious, flung her folder at them. "Useless! If you don’t have it, go and find it! I keep you all around—what good are you?"

In her rage, no one dared provoke Liu Meijia. To make a room full of hardened men so obedient—she was certainly no ordinary woman.

"Arrange a meeting for me with the university-trained village official from Yutou, and the soldier who just returned. I want to speak with them face-to-face!" With that, Liu Meijia rose and strode out.

The county took the conflict between Yutou Village and Qiangyuan Company over Liangou Wa very seriously. The newly appointed county magistrate ordered the relevant departments to form a special investigation team for the incident.

At dusk, a bonfire was lit in the center of the village, and a large pot of fish stew was prepared.

Aunt Yang remarked that such a lively scene hadn’t appeared, even during the Spring Festival, for years. As she laughed, tears quietly gathered in her eyes.

Zhang Xiu'e called Tang Long to the large stone at the entrance of the village. The stone, a meter high and four or five meters long, weighed several thousand pounds. It had been brought back years ago by the old village chief and his men.

"Can we have a frank conversation?" Zhang Xiu'e looked at him seriously.

Tang Long smiled, teasing, "What, you want to date me?"

Zhang Xiu'e blushed and shot him a glare, "I’m being serious." Hugging her knees, she glanced at the villagers around the bonfire in the village center and spoke softly, "Eighty percent of the villagers working outside heard the news and came back. I can tell—they’re all happy to follow you."

Tang Long leaned against the stone, "Working outside is tough, and you have to put up with others’ contempt. It's far more comfortable staying at home."

"You want the villagers to stay?" Zhang Xiu'e turned to look at Tang Long.

Despite his occasional casual demeanor, he carried a hidden charisma—a kind of cohesion that unconsciously drew people in.

"That's not something I can decide," Tang Long shook his head calmly. "If the hometown prospers, no one would willingly leave."

Keeping all the villagers at home wasn’t difficult—the challenge was how to support such a large group. Every household had wives, children, elders—a whole family to provide for.

"So, you want to take Liangou Wa back from Qiangyuan Company?" Zhang Xiu'e blinked and asked.

Tang Long replied calmly, "Liangou Wa originally belonged to Yutou Village. We have the right, why shouldn’t we take it back?"

Zhang Xiu'e thought for a moment, frowning, "What if Qiangyuan Company refuses?"

"They must return it. They have no choice!" There was not a hint of hesitation in Tang Long’s voice.

Refuse?

The property at one's doorstep, and they think a simple 'no' will suffice?

Zhang Xiu'e hesitated, speaking softly, "If the county and town authorities insist that we lease Liangou Wa to Qiangyuan Company, what should we do?"

"If the village disagrees, Qiangyuan Company must leave!" Tang Long's voice was resolute.

How can one allow others to snore beside their own bed?

Liangou Wa might not sustain the entire village, but having it would certainly improve their lives.

No matter who demanded it, Tang Long would never let Liangou Wa fall into others' hands.

With a treasure basin in hand, why lease it out instead of using it oneself?

"Going against the town and county—that might not be wise," Zhang Xiu'e said, worried. Her concern was for the villagers of Yutou.

Tang Long smiled, "We don't want to go against anyone. We just want a good life—clothes to wear, schools to attend, money to spend—it's that simple!"