Everyone tilted their heads up.
Mouths agape, they looked at Su Ning in disbelief with dumbfounded expressions. Even those smart people who thought they had seen through the situation reacted the same way, or were perhaps even more surprised.
Moreover, did they understand?
How could anyone understand this? What did she mean by saying their only value was to make that wretched old man, Half-Immortal Su, happy? They were living, breathing human beings, thousands of poor and suffering people, yet in Su Ning's eyes, they could not even compare to her uncle's happiness!
The Su family did not know what to say at this moment.
They were certainly moved. The other two barely managed to keep their facial expressions steady, but Half-Immortal Su was already secretly wiping away tears... Oh, his eldest niece.
How, how could she be so good?
It made his heart melt.
But this attempt to clear her name had fallen short of success. Let alone restoring her previous reputation, it would probably plummet even further. Thinking of this, Half-Immortal Su felt both deeply touched and extremely anxious, even blaming himself.
He knew perfectly well that his eldest niece cared about them and could not bear to see them suffer even a little bit. How could she be willing to see them use their own reputations as a stepping stone for her?
They should have let Lin Sen and his men do it!
A miscalculation.
What a huge miscalculation.
A system projection appeared in front of Su Ning. The line graph representing the rewards from nameless NPCs, which had originally hit rock bottom... was now shooting straight into the sky.
She curled her lips slightly.
This time, it was not a fake smile. Anyone with eyes could feel that this smile was genuine, full of joy and delight, yet it also sent a chill straight into the bones of the onlookers...
Finally, a brave person risked being beaten and shouted, Miss Su, aren't you afraid of being reviled by thousands for doing this?
Su Ning's smile remained. Her dark black eyes and pale white face formed a serene picture as she softly repeated:
Reviled by thousands?
By whom? Where are these thousands of people? I am standing right in front of you now. This is the only chance in your lives to curse me to my face. Anyone who wants to curse me can speak up. I am listening.
A minute passed.
It was dead silent. Let alone anyone cursing, there was not even the slightest noise. They were afraid of being misunderstood and dragged out for a beating by the fiercely glaring, vicious subordinates standing nearby.
They already understood Su Ning's meaning.
No one dared to curse her to her face.
As for what happened behind her back, she did not care at all... This woman, this woman was so cold-blooded, so arrogantly imperious!
The line graph rose even faster and higher.
Su Ning took out a handkerchief, turned sideways to wipe Zhenzhu's tears, and said in a casual tone:
Is it worth crying over this little matter? You look like a little stray cat, not pretty at all. You are not allowed to do this again.
Hearing this, how could Su Zhenzhu not understand? Her older cousin knew what they were trying to do, but she did not like it and did not approve of it.
She felt a little disappointed.
Yet, a massive surge of joy welled up from the bottom of her heart, like a flooding mountain stream, coming from nowhere but gushing uncontrollably.
Mhm, I will never do it again. Her eyes, washed by tears, were exceptionally bright and dazzling. Just like her name, she truly looked as beautiful as a pearl.
Su Ning nodded casually.
She smiled coldly at the crowd. What, now you know how to be tactful? How did every single one of you dare to open your mouths and curse my uncle and family just a moment ago? It is truly ridiculous.
It was the same old saying... you cannot be a good person, for someone will always push their luck.
In the crowd.
Some felt ashamed, some felt humiliated. Unconsciously, all those raised heads lowered.
Their morale dropped to rock bottom.
What did my uncle do wrong? If he had not specified those conditions and benefits, a group of precarious refugees like you wanting to become my employees would be nothing but a pipe dream. He allowed you to survive. This is a life-saving grace, and you should be grateful!
When these words reached their ears, they initially felt absurd.
Then, the refugees thought about the situation with the foreigners just now, it seemed that this was actually true.
Everyone looked at Half-Immortal Su with complex expressions.
Half-Immortal Su was also stunned.
Uh, was he really that noble? He just wanted to act like a wicked, rotten-to-the-core royal relative to help his eldest niece cut down on expenses...
Before he could react, he heard Su Ning say in a chilling tone:
To my surprise, not only were you ungrateful, but you actually bit the hand that fed you. How ungrateful. Since you are so unappreciative, I see no need to hire anyone here. Let me not hinder you from finding work in places with better conditions and benefits... Uncle, what do you think?
What, no more hiring?
The refugees completely panicked. Where else was there a place with better conditions?
Beiping was relatively stable, sure.
But that was only relative. Even locals starved to death, let alone them, who were unfamiliar with the place and the people, with no savings and no connections!
Please don't.
It was our greed and ignorance. We didn't know our place and offended Master Su. We beg you...
Yes, please, Master Su, give us a way to survive.
We beg you, Master Su.
Half-Immortal Su had seen grand scenes before, but he had never seen a grand scene like this. For a moment, he was at a loss for what to do. He looked at Su Ning, only to find his daughter Zhenzhu giving him a meaningful glance.
Suddenly, inspiration struck him.
He lifted his head, puffed out his chest, clasped his hands behind his back, and let out a snort from his nose:
You lot, you really won't shed a tear until you see the coffin. Now you know fear? But putting myself in your shoes, I also have to consider my eldest niece. You do need that many people under you, and the advantage of these refugees is that they are cheap. How about we hire them anyway?
A glimmer of hope rose in the refugees' hearts.
There's no need.
Su Ning's tone was indifferent:
I am not short of the money to hire people. Besides, hiring locals means knowing their backgrounds, and they can start work immediately. Who knows what diseases these people might be carrying? I might even end up having to collect their corpses.
The line graph surged upward again... only this time, the speed had noticeably weakened.
It seemed that this group of fresh NPCs had been just about squeezed dry, Su Ning thought with some regret.
However, this was just an appetizer.
Once today's news spread, her reputation for being cold-blooded and harsh would return. That was the greatest harvest. She really had to thank the Su family; without these twists and turns, the effect would not have reached this level.
Over here, the Su family was already moved to the extreme.
Half-Immortal Su almost choked up, only managing to steady his expression and continue cooperating after his daughter glared at him:
Uncle knows you have a large business and vast wealth, but saving a penny is still saving a penny. Besides, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Although these guys don't know what's good for them, they are still human lives. It is a great virtue to correct one's mistakes.
After this lesson, they probably won't dare to do it again. Just give them a chance.
As his words fell.
The refugees chimed in with guarantees:
Yes, yes, yes, we absolutely won't dare to do it again. Anyone who says another bad word about Master Su and his family will be struck by lightning and is worse than a pig or dog.
Please show mercy.
Thump, thump, thump.
This was the sound of people kneeling and kowtowing on the ground.
However, the high and mighty Miss Su remained completely unmoved. Instead, she frowned: So noisy. Who gave you permission to speak?
Then she sighed at Half-Immortal Su:
Since even you, Uncle, have forgiven them, what else can I say? I'll just listen to you... However.
Those last two words nearly scared the refugees half to death.
"We cannot let them off easily either. Let's deduct another month's salary. This money will be given to Uncle; good intentions should be rewarded."
"Is anyone unwilling?"
Of course not. After making a fuss for so long, the refugees only felt the relief of surviving a disaster. Even if they felt the sting of regret, their anger was directed solely at the person who had just stepped out and shouted. In the end, nothing had changed, and they had even lost an extra month's salary!
Su Chen: "..."
It was a pity he did not possess a Rich and Heartless System, otherwise the rewards for this stunt would definitely have been massive.
"My dear niece," Half-Immortal Su's tears finally fell. "How did I get such a wonderful niece? The heavens are truly too good to me."
Others assumed he was weeping tears of joy.
Only he knew the real reason... Well, that was not entirely true. Su Zhenzhu and Su Chen knew as well.
"We are family," Su Ning smiled.
The recruitment process finally resumed. This time, the refugees were incredibly well-behaved, doing exactly as they were told. Surprisingly, after thoroughly checking their backgrounds, they actually found quite a few skilled and capable talents who could be put to use immediately.
Naturally, regardless of who they were, the compensation was the same.
Except for food and lodging.
They would not receive a single cent of salary for at least half a year. Yet, no one complained. They only felt fortunate to be alive, filled with gratitude toward Half-Immortal Su for repaying their hostility with kindness.
And what about Su Ning?
The refugees dared to be angry but did not dare to speak out, only able to secretly spit in contempt within their hearts.
...
Su Ning, Half-Immortal Su, and the others were perfectly aware of this. And then... Su Ning was entirely drowned in his tears.
