Exile after Divorce? Empty the Scumbag Husband First!-Chapter 254 - 249: "Miss, Do You Have a Grand Plan in Mind?
She lowered her gaze, feeling a little embarrassed by Ruan Mian’s praise.
"Since I chose to stay by the young lady’s side, tasks like accounting certainly require my effort to do well. You can rest assured on this matter." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
"I certainly trust you with it. By the way, how are things at the Mulberry Silkworm Forest?"
Ruan Mian roughly calculated the days in her mind; it’s about time for the silkworms to spin cocoons.
Taking advantage of the moment she had time, she decided to personally visit the Mulberry Silkworm Forest to check on the situation.
Some villagers responsible for raising the silkworms were doing it themselves, changing shifts daily to take care of them, and had collected quite a number of cocoons by now.
Seeing the bountiful harvest in the baskets, Ruan Mian rewarded each of them with a token of their hard work.
These mulberry trees were irrigated with spiritual spring water by him, so naturally, the silkworms living off these trees were plump and large, with even the silk they spun being of superior quality.
Extremely strong and exceptionally glossy.
At this moment, the Mulberry Silkworm Forest was filled with silkworms spinning cocoons, and seeing this, it seemed certain that there would be a big harvest in a few days.
However, what Ruan Mian didn’t expect was that after inspecting the Mulberry Silkworm Forest and deciding to leave, she saw a familiar figure.
"Governor?"
Ruan Mian furrowed her brow, surprised to see Chen Bozong here.
"Why would the Governor be here?"
Chen Bozong smiled faintly, his hands behind his back, his eyes closely gazing at Ruan Mian, his gaze containing indescribable emotions.
"Miss Ruan mentioned the great value of your village, and as the governor, I naturally heard about it and specially came to see your achievements."
"I heard it’s Miss Ruan who discovered that the silk spun by these mountain worms can be woven into a special fabric and hired quite a few villagers to weave it, even preparing the tools."
"Miss Ruan, it’s truly the first time I’ve met a woman as wise as you." As he approached Ruan Mian, his handsome face, full of grace and charm, radiated appreciation and nobility.
"Such a witty and intelligent person, truly admirable. Unfortunately, as a man without fortune, our acquaintance came too late, but since I became the governor of Wuheng, and you have made such contributions to Wuheng, there’s indeed a connection between us."
"In the future, if Miss Ruan encounters any trouble, feel free to come to me."
After saying this, he took out the Jade Pendant from his waist and handed it to Ruan Mian.
Ruan Mian’s eyebrows and eyes moved slightly, and after glancing at the Jade Pendant, she quickly stepped back a few steps, politely refusing.
"Thank you for your kindness, Governor, I accept it wholeheartedly. It’s getting late now; the Governor should return to the mansion sooner, otherwise, it would be challenging to walk the roads at night under the heavy dew."
Without waiting for Chen Bozong to speak, Ruan Mian left the place without a backward glance.
His expression changed slightly as he coldly chuckled while looking at his hand hanging in mid-air.
The attendant next to him quickly approached, speaking in a low, annoyed voice.
"Governor, this Ruan Family woman truly lacks intelligence, ignoring your intentions completely!"
Chen Bozong put away the Jade Pendant, his slender eyes revealing a touch of gloom.
His hands rested on his belt, showing amusement: "Conquering such a woman is interesting. After all, she is favored by that Xie Huai’an, and isn’t an ordinary person."
"Prepare the carriage."
...
Three days later.
Shaoxi and Cui Zhu, having just finished attending to matters at the Mulberry Garden, prepared to return to the house, only to hear a few women gossiping behind a tree.
"I heard someone said the Governor is fond of our Miss Ruan?"
"I heard Aunt Zhang mention it early this morning too. Do you think this is credible? After all... that Mr. Xie and Miss Ruan are separated by distance, while the Governor has been visiting us frequently these days; it’s likely unusual."
"I find the Governor quite good, even sending us food supplies. If Miss Ruan could be with him, it wouldn’t be impossible. We certainly stand with Miss Ruan; this place doesn’t observe the same strict rules as the Capital City."
"But it’s ultimately bad for Miss Ruan’s reputation, I think let’s not..."
Before they could finish speaking, Cui Zhu immediately stepped forward.
"How can you speak such nonsense!? Our lady treats everyone well and is pure as snow with that damn Governor! Where did you hear all this?!"
The few women were so scared they quickly bowed their heads, repeatedly explaining.
But none could say exactly where these rumors came from; it seems everyone in the village heard something.
This made Cui Zhu extremely angry, and when Ruan Mian and her aunt returned from the orchard, she couldn’t wait to tell them about the absurd claims.
The great aunt burst out laughing angrily upon hearing it, rolling her eyes dramatically.
"In a pot of good porridge, there are always some bad grains! How can there be people chewing their tongues behind our Mianmian’s back? Isn’t it obvious they want to ruin Mianmian’s good reputation!"
"Let me find out which bastards they are; if I catch them, I’ll skin them alive!"
Ruan Mian’s eyebrows moved slightly, whispering to herself.
It’s said that rumors don’t arise without reason; the past few days, she only saw Chen Bozong once in the Mulberry Silkworm Forest, how could such ugly words suddenly spread?
Chen Bozong wasn’t a good person to begin with, but his recent behavior almost made her wonder if she remembered the plot incorrectly.
There’s likely something complicated behind this.
Ruan Mian remained alert and signaled Cui Zhu over: "Zhu’er, tomorrow, go and inquire nearby about the Governor’s specific whereabouts in our village."
Cui Zhu immediately nodded.
Upon seeing this, her aunt leaned close, whispering softly: "Mianmian, could there be something off with Chen Bozong?"
She was about to speak when suddenly someone came rushing outside the house, shouting.
"Miss Ruan! Miss Ruan! Something terrible has happened to our Mulberry Silkworm Forest!" Hearing this, they all stood up; the person was the villager on duty at the Mulberry Silkworm Forest today.
"Miss Ruan, some wretched person poisoned all our silkworms, the silkworms... are all dead."
"What?"
The great aunt’s eyes widened fiercely, anger boiling, and a group quickly headed to the Mulberry Silkworm Forest.
When they arrived, the forest was filled with silkworm corpses; the silkworms that should have been spinning silk on the leaves were all dead bugs fallen to the ground.
At a glance, the green dead bugs carpeted the ground, almost causing the aunt to faint from rage.
"These damned people!"
Cui Zhu and the others were also extremely angry: "Lady, we’ve carefully raised these mountain worms, just waiting for them to spin cocoons, and now our efforts are wasted; we’ll have to wait until next spring for the next batch of young worms to mature and spin."
"Won’t that delay the stock for our clothing shop?"
Though not yet officially selling, this wasn’t the main issue; the key was the efforts of so many people over such a long time, completely wasted.
Everyone present expressed sighs of regret.
Ruan Mian saw the gray powder on the mulberry leaves, touched some in her hand, and smelled it.
At the same time, Chen Bozong’s voice suddenly came from behind: "This is Mirage Ash, originating from the Liao Sea border; it’s harmless to humans, but its properties make it poisonous to these small worms."
"Governor."
Others saluted him, and Ruan Mian only then realized he was here to deliver food supplies and came over to see because he heard about the incident at the Mulberry Silkworm Forest.
Now seeing the dead worms scattered across the ground, he couldn’t help but feel sorry: "Such targeting cannot be tolerated! Miss Ruan, since I witnessed this, I won’t spare the wrongdoers."
"The production of Mirage Ash isn’t high, and within Wuheng City, those with access to it are few. I could go back and trace the purchase records, and surely investigate thoroughly for everyone."
With Chen Bozong’s words, it brought some comfort to the others, and they all expressed their gratitude.
"Then we’ll have to trouble the Governor!"
Ruan Mian withdrew her hand, remaining silent, only giving Chen Bozong a few more glances.
Others were relieved that when the incident occurred, the Governor happened to be present, sparing them an extra trip since the Governor would thoroughly investigate the matter.
