Volume One, Chapter 14: The Conduct of Petty Men

The next day, before dawn, Guo Dong set off up the mountain carrying a bucket of medicine.

Without disturbing the still-sleeping Li Tianhu, he and Hei Zi, who had woken early, began spraying water on the fruit trees.

It was just past five in the morning, and the village was completely silent; everyone was still fast asleep at home.

As he sprayed, Guo Dong hummed a tune, feeling happier than he had in years.

In less than an hour, he had sprayed water over all the fruit trees.

No sooner had he finished than a figure came running up from the foot of the mountain—wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, athletic shorts, and headphones—calling out to him.

"Jelly, you're up pretty early!"

Morning runs were a daily routine for Meng Xiaohan.

At this hour, the village was usually deserted, so it was unexpected to run into Guo Dong today.

She pulled off her headphones and wiped the sweat from her face, a gesture that caught Guo Dong off guard.

Meng Xiaohan was undeniably beautiful, a fact no one disputed.

What surprised Guo Dong even more was her stunning figure.

Embarrassed, he quickly averted his gaze and said, "Sister Min is coming to pick the peaches at noon, so I thought I’d spray some water while there’s time."

Meng Xiaohan found a nearby rock and sat down, wiping sweat from her brow as she caught her breath.

"Speaking of Sister Min, I actually saw some news about her last night," she said, pulling out her phone to scroll through.

"News?" Guo Dong, having set down his bucket, looked at her cautiously, keeping his distance.

"It’s a very interesting article—I thought you’d find it fascinating!"

She stood beside him and held out the phone.

Curious, Guo Dong took it and began to read.

He didn’t notice how close she had moved; she was almost leaning against him.

As he read, his brow furrowed.

The so-called news was clearly targeted, aimed directly at Xie Minmin.

Xie Minmin, manager of the Le Xiang supermarket and daughter of Xie Jingrui, had purchased a large quantity of peaches at an exorbitant price of thirty yuan per jin.

Her business partner was a young, handsome man in his twenties.

There was even a photo attached.

The picture showed Xie Minmin and Guo Dong together, discussing a contract.

Beneath it were comments about Xie Minmin and her background.

It recounted the tragic death of Xie Minmin’s ex-husband.

He had died in a car accident on their wedding day.

A photo from the accident scene was included.

At the time, rumors had swirled that the crash was no accident but a deliberate act.

All suspicion had fallen on Xie Minmin.

However, due to lack of evidence, the matter was eventually dropped.

If Guo Dong didn’t understand after seeing this, he truly was foolish.

“Zheng Weiguang?”

“You suspect him too?”

Meng Xiaohan suddenly laughed, pointing to one of the photos.

“Not gonna lie, the angle of this shot is pretty good. If you didn’t know better, you’d think you and Sister Min were really close.”

Her words hinted at something more, though Guo Dong didn’t catch it.

“When we were picking fruit, he never left. He was hiding nearby, secretly taking photos.

Besides him, I can’t imagine who else would be so petty as to post this online.”

Guo Dong smiled bitterly.

He never imagined that selling peaches would stir up such trouble.

Who had he offended?

Releasing these photos alongside the story made the insinuations unmistakable.

It was clearly trying to link the incident to the death of Xie Minmin’s ex-husband.

The implication was that Xie Minmin had killed her ex deliberately because she had a lover.

And that lover was who?

The first photo was the evidence—Guo Dong himself.

This was how things went sometimes; when netizens gossiped, they tended to follow the narrative set by the article’s author.

Rumors and speculation pieced together little bits of truth until it all seemed real.

No surprise, then, that the top comment below the article echoed this sentiment.

“Don’t even talk about netizens; I’m starting to think you and Sister Min knew each other beforehand!” Meng Xiaohan joked half-seriously.

“No way. You know how well I know her? Before selling peaches, I didn’t even know who she was!” Guo Dong laughed bitterly.

“I know the truth. The netizens don’t!”

Meng Xiaohan muttered under her breath, “That Zheng guy sure is sneaky.”

Guo Dong chuckled and returned the phone to her.

“If he wasn’t so sneaky, maybe he’d be the one partnering with her.”

Meng Xiaohan took back the phone and looked at Guo Dong intently.

After a long pause, seeing he didn’t seem bothered at all, she asked, “Aren’t you angry?”

“What’s there to be angry about? I’m nobody famous. Who even knows me?”

“But what if, when you go on a blind date someday, the girl happens to see that article? What then?”

Guo Dong was speechless.

He had no plans to go on any blind dates anytime soon.

No amount of persuasion would change that.

He’d focus on growing his peaches first.

Once he made some money, built a new house, and bought a new car, who would doubt he’d find a wife?

“Thinking about it won’t help. What’s meant for me won’t slip away. Right now, I’m just focused on growing my peaches and making money—that’s the real path.”

With that, he lifted the medicine bucket and called out toward the distance.

“Heizi, let’s head home!”

Seeing his reaction, Meng Xiaohan seemed a bit displeased.

“Jelly, I still have something to discuss with you!”

“What’s that?”

Guo Dong stopped and glanced her way briefly, then quickly looked away.

“I’m here on behalf of the village to talk about your peach farming.”

Meng Xiaohan pointed to a nearby rock and, unusually coquettish, said, “It’s a bit complicated. Sit down, and let’s talk it through.”

What was there to discuss about growing peaches?

Guo Dong couldn’t understand.

His peaches grew well because of an ancestral gourd.

Without the special water he sprayed, planting peaches would only lead to a total loss.

He simply wasn’t cut out for it.

Still, seeing Meng Xiaohan’s slightly annoyed expression, he obediently sat on the rock.

Her face brightened, and she crouched beside him with a smile.

“Last night, I told my dad about you.

He thinks that since you have the skills, why not plant more?

He doesn’t expect you to make the whole village rich, just to set an example.

Once people see you making money, they’ll naturally want to learn, and then…”

Before she finished, Guo Dong stood up abruptly.

Shaking his head vigorously, he said, “That won’t work!”

“Why not?” Meng Xiaohan felt a little hurt.

“I can’t explain it well, but that path won’t lead anywhere.”

With that, he grabbed his medicine bucket and started walking away.

After a few steps, he turned back.

“Tell your dad not to let the villagers follow my example. They won’t make money that way.

I need to think this through properly.”

Meng Xiaohan stomped her foot in frustration, powerless against him.