Ma Da, leading the members of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society behind him, forced a friendly expression onto his face as they clutched stacks of red envelopes, approaching the still-terrified villagers.
"Dear neighbors, this is a token of goodwill from our young mistress. Everyone will get one—it’s just for good luck!"
But before they could take more than a few steps, a middle-aged man in a tattered padded coat suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Big brother! Spare me, please! My family is dirt poor, and I’m the only one keeping us afloat. I’ve got elders and children to feed—please, have mercy and leave my family alone! I don’t want the money, you keep it, buy yourself some drinks!"
The suddenness of it all sent the others into a panic, and they too began pleading.
"Stay back! Don’t give us money—we didn’t see anything! Wang Degui got what he deserved, we don’t know him, really!"
"Yeah, we didn’t witness a thing!"
"..."
The pleas filled the air, and the scene quickly spiraled into chaos.
Liu Yutong shook her head helplessly and stepped forward to address the villagers directly.
"Uncles, aunties, elders—you’ve misunderstood!"
"They’re not bad people. They’re all employees of my company."
Ma Da immediately nodded in agreement. "Exactly! We’re all employees of the young mistress’s company—the legitimate kind!"
"And our company has a very impressive name too—the Ten Thousand Dragons Society!"
"Doesn’t it sound great? Doesn’t it sound proper? We Chinese folks should have names with grandeur, vision, and a sense of security!"
The villagers: "..."
The fear on their faces didn’t fade—if anything, it deepened, tinged with something close to despair.
Ten Thousand Dragons Society?
That name sounded even scarier than the screams they’d heard from Old Wang’s family earlier!
What kind of legitimate company would call itself that?
It sounded exactly like the kind of name a ruthless, extortionist underworld syndicate would pick.
This confirmed it.
The Liu girl hadn’t just dropped out of college—she’d gone full gangster and become some kind of "young mistress."
Once the villagers quieted down, Liu Yutong pulled out a red envelope.
"Many of you have watched me grow up. You know what kind of person I am."
"And even if you don’t trust me, you should trust my grandfather, right? He spent decades in this village—how much has he done for all of us? Surely you remember."
"Now that I have some means, it’s only right that I do something for the village within my power."
"Inside these envelopes is 500 yuan for each elderly villager—a small token of respect from a younger generation."
To prove her sincerity, she opened one envelope in front of everyone, revealing the crisp bills.
Five hundred yuan might not seem like much, but for these elders who had barely left the village and lived off meager farmland, it was no small sum.
It could cover half a year’s worth of cooking oil and salt—or buy several egg-laying hens.
Liu Yutong’s gaze swept over the crowd before settling on a frail, hunched old woman lingering at the edge.
Granny Liu, the village’s lone widow—childless, surviving on scraps from her tiny plot of land, her life bitterly hard.
When Granny Liu saw Liu Yutong approaching, she instinctively tried to shrink back, but her legs wouldn’t obey.
Before she could refuse, Liu Yutong bent slightly and held out the envelope.
"Granny Liu, this is a New Year’s gift for you. Wishing you good health!"
The old woman stared at the money, hesitating.
The villagers held their breath, eyes locked on the scene.
In a way, Granny Liu’s decision would determine their own fate.
Finally, trembling, she accepted it.
Nothing happened.
The crowd exhaled in relief. The bloody scenario they’d imagined—"You actually took it?!" followed by instant violence—never came to pass.
Not only was Granny Liu unharmed, she even began to cry—though whether from gratitude or fear, no one could tell.
"Granny, keep it safe. Have a peaceful New Year. If you ever need help, just tell my uncle or me."
Straightening up, Liu Yutong turned back to the crowd. "Ma Da, start distributing the envelopes to all eligible elders. Everyone gets one—open them right here!"
"Yes, young mistress!" Ma Da barked orders to his men.
This time, the response was entirely different.
With Granny Liu’s example, the villagers grew bolder.
Of course, many still assumed this was hush money—payment for keeping quiet about the earlier violence.
"Thank you, young mistress."
"Thank you, Liu girl..."
"Wow, it really is 500 yuan!"
"I’ll take one for my mother—she’s old enough."
"Liu girl, don’t worry. We took the money, so we’ll keep our mouths shut!"
"Yeah, we won’t say a word!"
Liu Yutong: "???"
Keep quiet about what?
She wasn’t hiding anything.
Wasn’t Wang Degui’s fate his own doing?
Once the envelopes were mostly handed out, Liu Yutong surveyed the courtyard packed with the dust-covered Ten Thousand Dragons Society members who had suddenly shown up to "pay New Year’s respects." A dilemma struck her.
It was the first day of the New Year. These men had come all this way—it’d be rude not to feed them lunch.
But her home was small, and ingredients were limited. Unless they squeezed into the courtyard for an open-air feast, there was no way to accommodate everyone.
"Ma Da, did you bring any food?"
"Young mistress, how did you know? Nothing escapes you!"
Ma Da immediately waved at his men. "Quick! Get the lobsters, abalone, and crabs from the car! The young mistress is treating us to a meal!"
Liu Yutong: "..."
She’d only asked casually—she hadn’t expected Ma Da to come prepared. Clearly, this was premeditated.
And they’d brought a staggering amount of fresh seafood and delicacies.
Now that ingredients weren’t an issue, a new problem arose: cooking. There weren’t enough stoves or chefs.
But that didn’t stump her for long.
Her eyes landed on the nearest neighbors.
The moment she asked to borrow stoves and helpers, the nearby families responded with "enthusiasm."
"Use our stove—it’s big!"
"We’ve got tables and chairs—we’ll bring them over!"
"We just cooked chicken and fish today—perfect for adding to the spread!"
"We’ve got steamers!"
"..."
In no time, households hauled over tables, chairs, and even their own freshly prepared dishes.
Liu Yutong made sure none of them worked for free—every helper was invited to stay for the meal.
Though every family had meat and fish for the New Year, none could afford lobster, abalone, or crab.
First, it was hard to come by—there weren’t any sold in town, so you’d have to go to the city to get it.
Second, it was expensive, especially since their area wasn’t near the coast.
With everyone pitching in,
a lavish lunch was soon prepared, spread across multiple tables.
And through this interaction, the neighbors grew less wary of the Wanlong Hui members.
The New Year’s Day meal turned out to be quite enjoyable.
As the gathering neared its end, with everyone well-fed and content,
Liu Yutong stood up to make an announcement.
“There’s something important I’d like to share with all of you—grandparents, uncles, aunts—while we’re gathered here today.”
“As you all know, Village Chief Wang Degui has been removed, leaving the position vacant. Our Duan Village can’t be without a leader.”
The villagers nodded in agreement—it was the truth.
Though, wasn’t this your doing in the first place?
Liu Yutong gestured to the man beside her. “My uncle, Liu Jianhong!”
“The kind of man he is—you all know better than I do. Honest, dependable, warm-hearted. Over the years, he’s helped many in the village and never once wronged any of you.”
“Let me be straightforward: My uncle wants to run for the position of Village Chief! He wants to lead Duan Village toward a better future—smoother roads, cleaner water, better schools for our children, and proper care for our elderly.”
“I know he can’t do it alone. It’ll take all of us working together. Today, I’m not speaking as the daughter of Wanlong Hui, but as a girl who grew up in Duan Village. I’m asking—no, pleading—with all of you, when the election comes, to cast your vote for Liu Jianhong.”
“I, Liu Yutong, promise you this: I will do everything in my power to contribute—both financially and through effort—to our village’s progress.”
