Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 417 Vigilance (1)_1

Chapter 417: Chapter 417 Vigilance (1)_1

Despite the punishment of "expulsion from the village" not being harsh enough for Wang Dali, Mo Qingze also knew that Yang Bao had acted in accordance with the newly established village rules, and had been quite fair. Thus, he felt it inappropriate to say more. Hence, Wang Dali’s punishment was settled, only awaiting the village meeting to announce the village regulations and to officially publicize the matter, thereby serving as a warning to all the villagers of Liu Yang Village.

As for the dozen or so villagers who had colluded with Wang Dali to extort the Mo Family, Yang Bao also offered suggestions for penalties. These individuals would be warned verbally once, and in case of a repeat offense, they too would be expelled from the village. In addition, each of them had to work for the Mo Family for half a month without pay as a way of making amends.

Having heard about the punishments for these people, Mo Yan had no objections, and the younger children were even excitedly clapping their hands and shouting in approval.

The night Wang Dali and the others came to cause trouble, they had slept soundly and were not awakened. They only learned of the incident the next day, and were so angry that they had been hopping mad. Now that the wrongdoers were about to be punished, they naturally felt a sense of satisfaction.

Seeing the children happy, Mo Qingze, who had been feeling quite depressed, also put aside his discomfort and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Mo Yan, struck by a thought, casually asked, "Dad, the New Year is only a few days away, is the street lively? Did you see anything interesting?"

Mo Qingze’s smile paused, and upon recalling the person he had seen that day, his expression turned complex, and he vaguely remarked, "Dad was only focused on making purchases and didn’t pay much attention, but there were indeed a lot of people on the street."

"Oh, it must be very lively then. If there’s nothing pressing before New Year, we should all go for a stroll!"

Mo Yan did not miss the unusual tone of her father and knew the matter was not simple. However, with so many people around, it wasn’t appropriate to delve further, so she changed the subject and got up to bring out the food from the kitchen.

With several little ones and Little Flower and Mao Tuan playing around, the atmosphere at the dinner table was very lively, yet Mo Qingze did not engage as usual, which weighed heavily on Mo Yan’s heart.

"Dad, tell your daughter the truth, who exactly did you meet in the jewelry shop during the day?"

After dinner, while the others were warming themselves in the small kitchenette, Mo Yan found an excuse to invite Mo Qingze to the study and directly asked him about the concerns that had been troubling her.

It wasn’t that she was overly curious, or that she wanted to pry into her father’s privacy. It was just that her father was known for being straightforward and guileless, and if he had inadvertently offended someone formidable outside, she was deeply worried that he might suffer for it.

Caught off guard by his daughter’s question, Mo Qingze’s expression stiffened, and without thinking, he denied it vehemently, "That’s not true, Dad didn’t meet anyone!" Perhaps realizing his tone was too harsh, he forced a smile and tried to suppress his frustration as he said, "Over the years, the three of you have followed me through many hardships. Now that our lives have improved, I intended to pick out some ornaments for you. It’s just that today I didn’t bring enough silver with me, so I didn’t go in. Don’t overthink it."

Knowing that his eldest daughter was concerned about him, he wasn’t angry that she had inquired about his whereabouts but secretly rebuked himself for giving himself away.

Mo Yan truly hoped she was overthinking it, but her father’s intense reaction and contrived explanation only made her more anxious, "Dad, your daughter is grown up now and can help uphold this family. I only hope that you won’t carry everything on your shoulders and that you will share the burden, as keeping it to yourself only makes me worry more."

"Yanyan, dad, dad..." Mo Qingze’s face showed signs of struggle. It wasn’t that he refused to speak; he simply did not know where to start. He even regretted why he had impulsively decided to visit that jewelry store and had encountered those two people he never wanted to see again.

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