Volume 3: The Richest Man in the World Chapter 19 Apology
The news had already reached the charity cemetery before the ship arrived.
Tan Sanniang said seemed very calm, but Bihe was very happy. She pulled Tan Sanniang and wanted to dress her up and change her clothes.
Tan Sanniang said, "Why dress up? It's not New Year or any other festival, so why bother? Let's just leave it as it is."
Bihe said, "No, it's different!" She still forced Sanniang to dress up.
Tan Sanniang half-heartedly agreed and let Bihe comb her hair and put on a silk dress - after she came to the charity cemetery, she only wore linen clothes on a daily basis.
Bihe selected many pieces of jewelry, while Dan Sanniang only picked a hairpin and matched it with a light green silk shirt. Her style was still plain, but it was no longer as dull as when Yu Lian'er came to see her.
Wu Chengjian hadn't been to the charity village for several months. Now he saw that the village was different from before. The whole village had been built. It was no longer full of construction sites like the last time he came. Fish farmers were coming and going on the fish rafts. It was obvious that the fishing village had officially started operations. From a distance, the rows of mulberry trees had grown much taller. Even the people around had changed. When he came last time, most of them were laborers helping to build houses. Now he saw many old women basking in the sun. It was obvious that the charity village had entered a state of living.
Wu Chengjian said to Tietou Junba, "Zhuangzi looks solid, but there's nothing fancy about it. It's just a little gray and ugly."
Tietou Junba said, "Sanniang is very thoughtful, so she didn't make the manor too beautiful. Everything is based on practicality. This place is quite far from the provincial capital. If we really make it look rich and luxurious, it will be easy to be robbed."
Wu Chengjian said: "During this period, I didn't have time to look after this place, but Sanniang still managed to build the manor. It was hard for her."
Tietou Junba said: "Sanniang is really an extraordinary woman. Not to mention Shenxianzhou, even in the whole Guangzhou Prefecture, there is no one else like her."
"Yeah," Wu Chengjian nodded, thinking, "She is indeed an amazing person. In the eyes of others, they just think that I support her, but in fact, she can still live without me. Not only can she survive, but she can also help others. On the contrary, Youyu, others think she is so glorious, smart and strong, but in fact, she is very weak inside."
When we entered the charity cemetery, Tan Sanniang had already led two groups of people to greet us outside the gate.
In terms of affection, the two have known each other for many years and this is a reunion after a long separation. In terms of righteousness, Wu Chengjian is indeed the greatest benefactor of the charity cemetery. This is his first visit since its completion. Therefore, not only Tan Sanniang, but also the old and weak people in the charity cemetery heard that Haoguan had arrived and came out to welcome him.
When Wu Chengjian looked at Tan Sanniang, he noticed that she was less worldly-wise and dazzling than when she was still in Shenxianzhou, but her demeanor was more stable. When he thought of the fact that she was not only independent but also able to save and help others, he couldn't help but respect her more.
The old and weak in Manyi Village all bowed to Wu Chengjian, and several children jumped and shouted, "The Hao official is here! The Hao official is here!"
Wu Chengjian said with a smile: "Is this the whole village coming out to welcome you? I can't afford it."
Tan Sanniang smiled and said, "How can I not be able to take on the responsibility? Half of the beams and pillars here were built by you. You are the benefactor of everyone here."
Wu Chengjian said with a smile: "I have been giving money away since I was a teenager, and this is the most meaningful thing I have done."
Tan Sanniang said: "In the future, you should help with more of these things. There are many people in the world who need help, and doing these good deeds will not only accumulate merit but also blessings."
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Bihe was standing nearby and saw that although the two hadn't seen each other for a long time, they were still talking and laughing as soon as they met, so she felt relieved.
Under the guidance of Tan Sanniang, Wu Chengjian went to the ancestral temple to burn incense, where Lord Guan Zhong, the Bodhisattva Guanyin and the Goddess Mazu were enshrined. Because there were many old prostitutes in the village, Guan Zhong was the deity that should be in charge of them.
After paying his respects, Wu Chengjian chatted with the elderly and weak in the village for a while. Most of the people living here were old and faded prostitutes who were most observant of people's words and expressions. So they didn't keep Wu Chengjian for too long and got up to say goodbye.
Wu Chengjian then followed Tan Sanniang into her room and looked around the room. He saw a bed in the room, with a three-foot space behind the bed for changing clothes. Next to the bed, there was a corner for a shrine. Apart from that, there was only room for a wooden table and a few bamboo stools. He shook his head and said, "It's too simple. Sanniang, you should go back to Huachahao."
Tanka Sanniang didn't respond to this statement.
Bihe brought two bowls of sweet soup and placed them on the wooden table, and the two of them sat on the stools.
Tan Sanniang then took a closer look at Wu Chengjian and thought to herself, "After not seeing him for a few months, his demeanor has changed a lot, and he is less careless than before. Now he has the demeanor of a big merchant in the Thirteen Hongs."
Wu Chengjian saw her looking at him and said with a smile, "Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you recognize me after not seeing me for a few months?"
After Bihe served the sweet soup, she pulled Wu Qi out to give them a chance to talk privately.
There was no third person in the room, and Tan Sanniang said softly, "Drink some sweet soup. You haven't tasted Bihe's hand gestures for a long time."
Wu Chengjian took a sip and said, "Mm, not bad, the sugar content is just right, it suits my taste very well."
Tan Sanniang also accompanied him and drank most of the bowl of sweet soup.
Wu Chengjian was a little surprised to see that she didn't have any left. "You only drank one or two sips before. Did you miss breakfast today?"
"No," said Tan Sanniang, "It's because we can't waste anything. This is the rule of the charity cemetery. You can't expose any food to the sun.I have to follow the rules I set first."
Wu Chengjian was stunned for a moment, then he realized that her status was different: she used to be a pampered courtesan, but now she was the head of a charity house. A courtesan had to take care of her body and skin, and even show off her extravagance, but the head of a charity house had to set an example and endure hardships. He couldn't help but look at Tan Sanniang's hand.
Tan Sanniang noticed it immediately and stretched out her hand without trying to hide it. Her hands, which were as soft as frost in the past, were now quite rough. It had only been a few months?
Tan Sanniang laughed and said, "You are the one taking the lead in doing the rough work here, and your hands have become rough. They are not good-looking anymore, right?"
Wu Chengjian couldn't help but say, "This... I know life here is not easy, but I didn't expect it to be this hard."
Tan Sanniang smiled lightly and said, "What kind of hardship is that? I have food and drink here. The so-called rough work is just washing and drying clothes, washing rice and cooking occasionally. You are a young master who has been living a life of luxury since birth, and you have never seen real hardship. I experienced it all when I was a child, and I will not forget the basics just because I have lived a life of luxury for a few years."
"You don't need to do this." Wu Chengjian said, "You should be careful. After a while, when the charity cemetery is back on track, you should come back. Life here is too hard."
Tan Sanniang whispered, "Back? Back where?"
"Hua Chahao." When this matter was mentioned, Wu Chengjian sighed: "I was in prison at that time. That matter... That matter was not done properly by Yu. I came here today to apologize to you on her behalf."
Tan Sanniang had been smiling all the time, but after hearing this, her expression changed drastically: "What did you say!"
"Yi Jin wanted to come up with a plan that day, and there was a hurdle that he couldn't get past, so he needed the Huachahao. You should have guessed most of it afterwards." Wu Chengjian said, "Although I didn't know about this at the time, it was Yi Jin and You Yu who discussed it. But... anyway, I also have a responsibility that I can't shirk. You have reason to be angry."
Tan Sanniang seemed to have not heard what he said. She stood there in a daze for a long time and said, "You...you apologize to me on her behalf?"
"Well..." Wu Chengjian said, "If you still don't calm down, I'll bring her here to apologize to you in person, but it'll take a year or two until things cool down. We can't let outsiders see this..."
Whatever Wu Chengjian said next, Tan Sanniang felt her ears buzzing and could not hear anything. Her face became paler and paler.
"Sanniang, Sanniang!"
Tan Sanniang came back to her senses and listened to Wu Chengjian saying, "The Huacha is still in its original state. I saw it on board before I came here. It has not changed at all from when you left. You can go back anytime. It's fine to come to the charity cemetery occasionally. Do you really want to stay here every day? Look at you, your complexion is much worse than before."
Tan Sanniang lowered her head and murmured, "Oh... OK."
Wu Chengjian talked to her for a while, and seeing that she was distracted, he thought she was exhausted, and said with distress, "If the affairs of the charity cemetery are so heavy, I will send a few people to help. You look so tired..."
As if something had touched her, Tan Sanniang said immediately, "No! No need! I can handle the affairs of the charity cemetery, you don't have to worry about it."
Wu Chengjian said, "Then I'll ask you to transfer some of the expenses and you can hire a few more people to help you. You can't live like this."
Tan Sanniang said, "No need. What I want is that even without you, this charity estate can still run on its own. If this estate can't survive without you, then my efforts would be in vain."
"It's just that, you're too tired..."
Tan Sanniang seemed to have calmed down. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, I can handle these things. You don't have to worry."
It was almost noon, and Yizhuang had already prepared food. Unlike the last time when they were in a hurry, this time they had some extra preparation. Although it couldn't compare to the exquisite food in Xiguan, it was not much worse with Bihe's preparation. Yizhuang already had fresh fish, meat and vegetables. Bihe had prepared a lot of dried scallops a long time ago, and she also found a good chef she knew before and made a sumptuous meal. Except for the two crazy people in the backyard, everyone in the village was seated.
There was hardly any big business man in the Thirteen Hongs who did not do good deeds, building bridges and roads, saving the young and supporting the elderly, and all kinds of charity occasions. When Wu Guoying and Wu Chengjun were in charge, they would experience these every year. Wu Chengjian had seen a lot of them since he was a child, and last year when the situation was a little stable, he also went to a disaster-stricken village in Zhuxi to provide relief, so he was not unfamiliar with such occasions.
He immediately raised tea as wine, greeted the oldest woman in the village, showed concern for the youngest disabled child, and recommended dishes to everyone. After the meal, the whole village felt like they were in spring breeze, and their impression of Wu Chengjian changed greatly. They all thought, "We have always heard that Haoguan is a playboy, but today it seems that the rumor is not true."
