She led the whole village to prosperity by raising koi fish.

Chapter 72 Requesting Help

For Master Nangong, his eldest daughter had become the prominent Lady of the Alliance, and his second daughter was even more revered as the Empress. However, the only thing that pained him deeply was his youngest daughter's resolute choice to become a nun. This situation was truly unbearable, and he spent his days in tears, looking utterly miserable. His current wife, seeing this, felt the pain in her heart and finally responded helplessly, "Why don't you go and talk to your first wife about this? Perhaps our Nangong Xiawu will heed her advice."

Upon hearing this, Master Nangong's eyes widened, and he looked at his wife with suspicion, tentatively asking, "Do you really agree to let me meet her?" His wife smiled slightly and nodded gently, indicating her agreement.

Seeing his wife's understanding and compassion, Master Nangong was moved to tears, his eyes overflowing with emotion. He choked out, "You are truly a kind and understanding woman. To have such a virtuous wife is the greatest blessing of my life!"

Filled with anticipation and trepidation, Master Nangong hurried to Madam Nangong's door. Upon entering the courtyard, he immediately saw Madam Nangong sitting upright on a cushion in the center, eyes closed, quietly meditating. He approached quietly, but inadvertently disturbed her, instantly shattering her tranquil state of mind. Madam Nangong frowned slightly, slowly stood up, and without a word turned and walked into the house, clearly not wanting to acknowledge this uninvited guest.

Seeing this, Master Nangong hurriedly followed, entering the house as he pleaded in a low voice, "Ex-wife, please help me. Please, you must help me find my daughter." At this point, Master Nangong had no regard for saving face; his tone was full of pleas.

Madam Nangong remained silent, walked to the table and sat down, poured herself a cup of tea, and slowly took a sip.

Seeing this, Master Nangong was extremely anxious and hurriedly pleaded again, "I really beg you, as long as you are willing to help, I will give you any amount of silver without hesitation."

"You can handle your daughter's matter yourself. We've separated. From now on, please don't bother me anymore," Madam Nangong said expressionlessly, her voice so cold it seemed like ice shards could fall from it. With that, she gracefully turned and walked to the dressing table, sitting down in the exquisite chair.

She skillfully opened her makeup box, took out an exquisite lipstick, and gently applied it to her luscious lips. Then, she picked up a powder brush and meticulously applied foundation to her face, making her already fair skin appear even more delicate and smooth. Every movement was so practiced and natural, like a beautiful painting slowly unfolding.

Standing to the side, Master Nangong stared wide-eyed at Madam Nangong, who was meticulously dressing up. His face grew increasingly grim, and the jealousy in his heart was about to erupt like a volcano. Finally, he couldn't help but shout, "We've already separated, and you're still dressed so extravagantly? Who are you trying to impress? Can't you be a little more low-key? Can't you be a little more modest?!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Nangong merely raised the corners of her mouth in disdain, a slight smile playing on her lips. Her laughter was clear and melodious, yet tinged with sarcasm: "Hehehe, you know we've already separated, don't you? Since that's the case, who I'm with and how I dress are none of your business anymore, right? We're just two complete strangers now. So, I can dress however I want, as long as I'm happy!"

Master Nangong trembled with rage at these words. He raised his right hand high, poised to slap Madam Nangong. However, just as his palm was about to strike her cheek, he seemed to suddenly remember something and abruptly stopped. Finally, he slowly lowered his arm, letting out a long, helpless sigh: "Alas! I really can't control you anymore... But even if we're no longer husband and wife, we can't just abandon our little daughter, can we?"

"Little Cardamom?" Madam Nangong frowned slightly, gently placing the delicate eyebrow pencil she was holding on the table. She then slowly stood up, looking at Master Nangong with surprise, and asked anxiously, "Isn't she studying diligently at school? Has this child gotten into some serious trouble again?"

Master Nangong looked extremely troubled. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said softly, "Madam... she... she has become a nun at Jingci Temple."

Upon hearing this, Madam Nangong's eyes widened instantly, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Then, her body swayed, her eyes rolled upwards, and she fell straight backwards, crashing heavily to the ground, instantly losing consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, when Madam Nangong slowly awoke again, her head felt heavy and a faint smell of medicine filled the air. She struggled to open her eyes and looked around, only to find herself in an unfamiliar clinic. Her former husband, Master Nangong, who had shared so much with her, sat by the bedside, watching over her with concern.

"You're finally awake! How are you feeling? Are you hungry? If there's anything you want to eat, tell me and I'll go out and buy it for you right away." Seeing that his wife had woken up, Master Nangong finally felt relieved and quickly stepped forward to ask her in a soft voice.

Madam Nangong gently shook her head, offering no reply. She gritted her teeth, strained to support her weak body, and slowly got out of bed. Once steadied, she turned to look at Master Nangong, her voice slightly hoarse, and replied, "I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me." With that, she turned and walked towards the door without looking back, her steps somewhat unsteady, yet revealing a stubbornness and determination.

Seeing this, Master Nangong quickly got up and followed behind her, still asking anxiously as they walked, "Madam, are you sure you've really fully recovered? Why don't you stay in the hospital for a few more days for observation?" However, Madam Nangong seemed not to hear Master Nangong's concern, and simply walked home with heavy steps.

Madam Nangong gave a bitter smile and said slowly, "My daughter has already become a nun. What use is it for me to lie in that clinic? No, I must find her and bring her home. I must make her understand the ways of the world!" After saying this, her eyes were firm and resolute.

"I'll take you to find it," Master Nangong nodded hurriedly, his expression full of concern and anxiety.

However, Madam Nangong neither nodded in agreement nor refused. She silently boarded the carriage, while Master Nangong quickly jumped onto the shaft, cracked the whip, and set off. Throughout the journey, the two remained silent, the atmosphere unusually oppressive.

Meanwhile, in Xinghua Village, Su Yuning's factory was bustling with activity. Workers were busy moving between the various workshops, some doing rough processing of bamboo, some weaving mats, some edging the mats, and others transporting the finished products. As they worked, they sang songs, their voices echoing throughout the village.

Just then, Su Yuning suddenly returned, causing quite a stir. Many villagers put down what they were doing and quickly gathered around to greet her.

"Yu Ning, why did you suddenly come back? We all missed you!" the village chief's wife asked with a smile.

Seeing this, Su Yuning playfully replied, "Haha, I missed you all too, so I took some time to come back and visit you all."

"That's right, that's right. You are truly a great benefactor to the people in our village! If it weren't for your generous provision of valuable employment opportunities, we would probably still be living lives separated from our elderly parents and children." Da Zhuang's wife responded earnestly with deep gratitude.

"It's all I should do, no need to be so polite!" Su Yuning replied with a smile.

Immediately afterwards, Su Yuning gently pulled the village chief's wife aside and said in an exceptionally soft tone, "Auntie, I wonder if anyone in our village is willing to go to the city to work? To be honest, I want to transfer some workers to my branch factory, and right now we are in dire need of manpower!"

Upon hearing this, the village chief's wife looked troubled. After a moment's hesitation, she slowly replied, "Well, the reason everyone chooses to stay in the village to work is simply to be able to take care of the elderly and children at home. I'm not trying to be sarcastic and discourage you, but it's true. I doubt we can find anyone in our village willing to go to the city to work. In my opinion, you'd better give up that idea as soon as possible."

"Oh?! Is that really the case? I was really looking forward to recruiting some workers from the village to help with the work." Upon hearing this, Su Yuning became extremely anxious. She continued to ask with a worried expression, "If no one wants to go to the city, what should we do next?"

Just then, the village chief, with steady steps and a kind smile on his face, arrived to bring the lady a sumptuous lunch. He carefully handed the elegantly packaged food to her, then cheerfully resumed the previous conversation: "This mountain, if it blocks our path, it won't move, but we humans are flexible; we can choose to change our direction. By simply changing our perspective, those seemingly intractable problems can often be easily solved."

Upon seeing this, Su Yuning quickly smiled and gave the village chief an elegant bow, saying sweetly, "Hello, Uncle Village Chief!"

The village chief nodded slightly in response: "Yes, everyone is doing well."

Immediately afterwards, Su Yuning asked in a voice as gentle as a spring breeze, "Uncle Village Chief, what profound meaning does what you just said contain? I feel that I am rather dull and cannot fathom its deeper meaning. I hope that you can enlighten me."

The village chief, still smiling, patiently explained, "Actually, the reasoning is very simple, young lady. Why don't you try recruiting some workers from the city or the surrounding areas to help? That way, the villagers won't have to worry about being separated from their families for long periods because of working away from home; at the same time, you'll have enough manpower. Isn't that a win-win situation, something that pleases everyone?"

After listening to the village chief's explanation, Su Yuning felt as if a bright light had illuminated her path in the darkness. She excitedly gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed sincerely, "Uncle Village Chief's words are so true! It truly makes me feel like 'a single conversation with a wise man is worth more than ten years of study!'"

The village chief nodded slightly, a kind smile on his face, and said, "Miss Su, you are too kind. This is just my duty."

Then, Su Yuning turned and walked towards the warehouse to check on the finished products. When she stepped inside, her eyes widened in astonishment. The old man who usually managed the warehouse was nowhere to be seen; in his place stood a young man. Upon closer inspection, she realized that this young man was none other than Jun Dong, the young man who loved fishing!

Su Yuning stared at Jun Dong in disbelief, her mouth agape in astonishment. It took her a while to recover before she stammered, "Jun... Jun Dong, what are you doing here? I remember you got married in the city before."

Upon hearing this, Jun Dong's face instantly turned somewhat awkward. He scratched his head, forced a bitter smile, and replied, "Alas, Miss Su, you must be mistaken. Actually, that Miss Yingzi mistook me for someone else. She always mistakenly believed that she and I were destined by heaven, but who would have thought that she was betrothed to someone else back then! Because of this, the owner of the escort agency kicked me out of his house. Now, not only have I lost my wife, but I've also lost my job. I'm truly ashamed and sorry to have made you laugh at me."

Su Yuning quickly waved her hand and comforted him, "Don't think like that, Jundong, it's not your fault. Besides, you're still young. As long as you're willing to work hard and do your job well, you'll definitely be able to make a name for yourself and achieve great things in the future!" As she spoke, she stepped forward and gently patted Jundong's shoulder to show her encouragement and support for him.

At this moment, Jun Dong seemed to suddenly remember something and asked curiously, "By the way, Miss Su, did you come here today to collect this batch of goods?"

Yu Ning smiled and replied, "No, I'm only responsible for inspecting the finished products. Someone will come to collect the goods in a few days."

"Alright then, I'll take you there." Jun Dong made an inviting gesture, and then led Su Yuning to carefully inspect the prepared mat.