Chapter 12

Fang Ke

Noticing Ye Ling’s contemplative expression, the village chief coughed. “Actually, it would be a good thing if you moved there. After your incident, there have been many rumors in the village. It would be better for you to wait until the rumors settle down before returning. Moreover, because you reported the incident to the police, Wu De has been arrested and will soon be imprisoned. Lin Fang has been emotionally unstable lately, and I’m afraid she might do something harmful to you. You should avoid her for now.”

As expected of someone who has been the village chief of Stone Village for so many years, he had considered various aspects of the situation. Ye Ling was almost convinced by the village chief’s words.

Besides, this suggestion came from Dai Wei, so the village chief would cooperate with Dai Wei to make all the necessary arrangements. She didn’t need to worry about it herself.

“Alright, then I will move there,” Ye Ling agreed.

“Great. Pack your things. If everything goes well, I’ll have the person in charge from Willow Village come to pick you up tonight.” The village chief was highly efficient, displaying his value and concern for Ye Ling.

Ye Ling nodded. Just as she was about to turn around and go back to her dormitory to pack her belongings, the village chief called out to her.

“Oh, by the way, Ye Ling,” the village chief’s tone softened. “You have suffered unfairly this time. Don’t worry, from now on, I will keep an eye on things, and this kind of situation won’t happen again. You can also relax and not pursue the matter any further.”

Ye Ling blinked, quickly understanding what the village chief meant.

Although the main culprits behind her ordeal were Wu De and Wu Bai, she was a knowledgeable youth from the city, and her status was not ordinary. If she continued to pursue the matter and caused a commotion at the county level, it could potentially damage the village chief’s reputation.

The village chief seemed to be nearing retirement and certainly didn’t want to deal with anything that would tarnish his reputation before leaving.

“Yes, I understand,” Ye Ling responded, showing a docile smile. “As long as Wu De and Wu Bai receive the appropriate punishment, that will be enough.”

The village chief let out a sigh of relief and didn’t say anything further.

Upon returning to her dormitory, Ye Ling began packing her things. She didn’t have many personal belongings, and with someone’s help, she could finish moving in a single trip.

She took out a few old clothes from the wardrobe, folded them, and placed them into a worn-out box with some noticeable damage. She rolled up her blanket and bedsheets, securing them with a rope.

Ye Ling’s family background was not bad. Before her father, Fang Ke, married into the Ye family, he had been a medicinal herb merchant with a sharp business sense, accumulating a considerable amount of wealth over the years.

If it weren’t for these conditions, Fang Ke wouldn’t have received Ye Ling’s grandfather’s approval back then.

After Ye Ling’s mother’s death, the management of the Hundred Herb Hall fell into Fang Ke’s hands.

Originally, the rightful heir of the Hundred Herb Hall should have been a descendant of the Ye family. However, due to Ye Ling’s young age and the need for capacity management in the various operations of the Hundred Herb Hall, Fang Ke initially claimed to be taking temporary control. But gradually, he replaced the core personnel of the Hundred Herb Hall with his trusted associates, effectively transforming the Hundred Herb Hall, which originally belonged to the Ye family into his own business.

Three years after Ye Ling’s mother passed away, Fang Ke began planning to acquire Hundred Herb Hall while also marrying He Yue. He brought He Yue and He Huan to a villa in the city center that originally belonged to the Ye family.

After Fang Ke and He Yue got married, He Huan changed her name to Fang Huan and became Ye Ling’s sister.

For some reason, Fang Ke was not close to his biological daughter, Ye Ling.

While Ye Ling’s mother was still alive, Fang Ke would pretend to be a loving father. However, ever since Ye Ling’s grandfather and mother passed away, Fang Ke’s attitude towards Ye Ling became extremely cold.

In contrast, Fang Ke adored Fang Huan greatly. He would give her a large sum of pocket money every month, and on Fang Huan’s birthday, he would set aside his busy schedule to personally celebrate with her.

On the other hand, Ye Ling never received such treatment. Since her mother’s death, her father had even forgotten her birthday and never gave her any pocket money. At home, she felt like an invisible person.

When she arrived in the countryside, Ye Ling boarded the train alone with numerous packages. There was no one to see her off, and Fang Ke only handed her ten yuan before sending her away.

Ten yuan, which wouldn’t even cover the cost of one of Fang Huan’s earrings!

In her past life, Ye Ling had experienced sadness and anger, unable to understand what she had done wrong to receive such cold treatment from her father.

Now, Ye Ling opened her wallet and let out a sigh as she gazed at the remaining small bills inside.

To outsiders, she appeared as a bright and glamorous urban youth.

But who could know that she was so impoverished, with barely any savings, and hadn’t bought new clothes for several years?

Ye Ling carefully put away her wallet and packed the books on the table into a box.