The fruits that Lan Er had eaten before were simply worlds apart compared to this fragrant melon.
He Zhiran knew that Lan Er was a knowledgeable maid.
"Compared to the fruits you've eaten before, how is this?"
"My Lady, the melon is absolutely the king of fruits."
As Lan Er spoke, she had already raised her thumb up high.
He Zhiran understood in her heart and had Lan Er pick some more melons to bring back for her family to taste.
At the same time, she sent Liang Hao to the city to look for Tang Mingrui to come to Xiling Village in person to discuss cooperation matters regarding the melons.
He Zhiran only wanted to be a supplier. She currently only trusted Tang Mingrui with the sales issue.
Tang Mingrui's business was now vastly different from before. Relying on the Cold Rabbit Meat from the Mo family shop, he had opened restaurants in several nearby towns that specialized in this Cold Rabbit Meat dish.
Because he opened the restaurants himself, the Cold Rabbit Meat was no longer sold to other restaurants. Moreover, the cooking method for Cold Rabbit Meat was a secret Mo family recipe, and the exclusive sales rights were fully handed over to him.
Even so, the Cold Rabbit Meat was still not enough to meet demands in his several restaurants. At the same time, it also brought his restaurant business to a peak.
Other restaurants were envious of his booming business and tried to get their chefs to make Cold Rabbit Meat as well.
But the taste they made was barely palatable, without even a hint of the original flavor.
Firstly, the most important seasoning for Cold Rabbit Meat, chili peppers, they did not have. So how could they produce a similar taste?
In the end, those who tried to imitate the Cold Rabbit Meat ended in failure.
Yet they did not give up and wanted to obtain the Cold Rabbit Meat through other means.
It was unknown which restaurant owner got wind of the news and found out that the Cold Rabbit Meat at Tang's Restaurant came from the Mo family in Xiling Village. He then secretly sent someone to Xiling Village.
Just as she had sent Liang Hao to look for Tang Mingrui, He Zhiran took Lan Er to her in-laws' courtyard.
Nowadays, Mo Qing was in poor health and always needed someone by his side. Old Lady Mo stayed in her own courtyard every day to take care of him.
As someone who valued filial piety greatly, He Zhiran naturally brought the melons to the elders first for them to taste.
It was scorching hot currently. Mo Qing was moved to rest under the grape trellis in the yard to enjoy the breeze.
Just as a few people were enjoying the delicious melons, they suddenly heard a chorus of barking and hurried footsteps.
These footsteps did not sound very familiar to He Zhiran.
Because they sounded very heavy when running, completely different from the light steps of the Mo men.
Yu Er cleverly walked towards the entrance.
Upon opening the door, she saw a man from the Zhao family standing there panting heavily, together with several dogs.
Before the Zhao man could speak, the dogs barked again the moment they saw He Zhiran and kept looking back towards the village.
He Zhiran knew that something had happened in the village and these dogs came to report it.
But the dogs' ability to communicate was necessarily limited. She first asked the Zhao man.
"Brother, did something happen?"
"Old Nine's family, where are your men? Go check out the village quickly. Some people came looking for the Mo family's whereabouts.
Seeing their malicious intentions, I rushed here to warn you so you can prepare."
Seeing the Zhao man's flustered appearance, He Zhiran instantly felt the gravity of the situation.
Coincidentally, Mo Jiuye and Sixth Elder Brother also heard the dogs barking and rushed back.
Tao Ran and others came back together with them.
Judging by their speed, He Zhiran concluded that they must have used Qinggong (lightness skill), otherwise with the distance from the animal farm to their residence, it would not be possible to return this quickly without using Qinggong.
Having just heard the Zhao man's words, Mo Jiuye and the others also understood.
At this time, Mo Qing under the grape trellis also spoke.
"Jinyean, Jiuye, take some people to the village to see what exactly is going on."
It was not that Mo Qing was being paranoid. Since returning to Xiling Village, he had been worried that Emperor Shunwu would make a move.
Now, he did not dare let his guard down whenever anything was amiss.
Mo Jiuye left two people to guard the elders and headed to the village with Sixth Elder Brother and the others.
Just as the group reached the village outskirts, they heard cursing.
"Get the hell away from me, I'm here for the Mo family. If you continue being obstructionist dogs, don't blame my stick for being merciless."
Although afraid, Village Chief Zhao saw the aggressiveness of these people and worried that something might happen to the Mo family. He wanted to buy them as much time as possible to get prepared.
"Sir, the Mo family are all women... It's not appropriate for you to lead so many people there..."
Zhao hoped that by emphasizing that the Mo family were originally mostly women when they first arrived, he could dissuade those people with this plea.
But his idea, albeit beautiful, was futile because those looking to make trouble for the Mo family did not care at all whether they were men or women.
Seeing that man becoming impatient and about to push Village Chief Zhao aside, Mo Jiuye dashed forward and fiercely grabbed his wrist.
"Who are you? What business do you have with the Mo family?"
Feeling the pain in his wrist, the man turned to look at Mo Jiuye.
"You dare lay hands on me. Looks like you're tired of living."
Mo Jiuye stared at him coldly with no intention of letting go.
This man was dressed in silk but made into casual shorts, which gave off an inconsistent vibe.
Moreover, he had vicious features. Especially with his arm hurting from Mo Jiuye's grip, his distorted expression appeared even more hideous and terrifying to ordinary folks.
Following him were over twenty men, each holding a wooden staff.
Their clothes were made of regular cotton and it was apparent that this man Mo Jiuye grabbed was their ringleader.
Judging by their looks, they resembled local ruffians.
Seeing their boss at a disadvantage, someone immediately pointed his wooden staff at Mo Jiuye.
"You've got guts grabbing Second Master's arm. Looks like you're tired of living."
As he spoke, someone had already swung the staff down towards Mo Jiuye's head.
Seeing this, the villagers who ran over had already closed their eyes in fear.
If that strike really landed on his head, would this man still live?
But what the villagers feared did not happen at all. Mo Jiuye did not show any intention of dodging either.
Only to see Sixth Elder Brother stride forward aggressively. It was unclear how he exactly moved but he sent those ruffians who wanted to harm his younger brother flying several meters away with a kick before anyone even realized it.
The ruffians fell on the ground yelling nonstop. They were used to being arrogant and had never suffered such humiliation before.
Even having witnessed the other party's might, they remained defiant.
