Hearing this threat, Shen Ershen and Liu Shi turned around abruptly and lunged at each other, looking as if they wanted to kill each other.
"If you dare to hurt a single hair on my son's head, I'll fight you to the death."
"You have such a venomous heart, trying to harm my man, I'm not done with you."
The villagers also threatened Shen Ershen. They didn't expect Shen Ershen and her daughter-in-law to rush over and were so scared that they turned and ran: "Shen Ershen, if you don't help us, your son will know when he gets back."
Shen Ershen was about to chase them, but Liu Shi stopped her: "Mother, chasing them will only bring us trouble. Let's go back and discuss it with Father."
In the current situation, the villagers were truly capable of such things.
Shen Ershen, distraught, wiped her tears and hurried with Liu Shi to find her husband.
So, when Tao Lengshuang and Mo Lingxi returned, they saw the worried Shen Ershen's family and the anxious Wang Sanshen's family.
"What happened?" Tao Lengshuang asked.
Shen Ershen, sobbing intermittently, explained the situation: "The villagers have such venomous hearts. Seeing that I refused to help, they threatened to harm my son. How could they do this?"
Tao Lengshuang was not surprised that the villagers would do such a thing. In times of scarcity, human nature was most clearly revealed.
"Shen Ershen, don't worry too much. If they come back, I will inform you in advance."
After a pause, she added, "The villagers wouldn't dare to completely offend you. If they truly alienate you, who will help them?"
Shen Ershen and the others felt a bit more at ease. As Mo Jia said, if the villagers truly offended them, no one would help the village in the future.
"Mo Jia, thank you so much. If my son and the others return, please inform us in advance so we can go pick them up."
Tao Lengshuang nodded in agreement, her brow furrowed. Looking at the current situation, she feared the villagers would come to her family for trouble again.
"Mo Jia, are you there?"
Suddenly hearing the villagers' voices, Tao Lengshuang's thoughts stirred. She exchanged a look with Mo Lingxi, and they walked out.
They saw more than a dozen villagers, men and women, standing at the entrance. Many held bowls and basins, appearing to be begging.
"Mo Jia, we know you have surplus grain, sell some to us at a low price," said an elder villager shamelessly.
Tao Lengshuang understood and said with a sneer, "I really want to ask, with such shamelessness, do your ancestors know? Are you afraid your ancestors will come back to life from anger?"
Seeing that the villagers' expressions remained unchanged, she admired them: "Just a few days ago, you ran to my house to steal things, and now you shamelessly want me to sell you rice and flour cheaply. Do you think I'm a great philanthropist?"
"Mo Jia, you can't say that," the elder villager said, sucking up and rubbing his hands. "We're all from the same village, there are no grudges that last overnight. Besides, we're just trying to survive. You can't just watch everyone die, can you?"
Tao Lengshuang had truly witnessed what it meant to be shameless and invincible: "Do you think I would sell surplus grain to you? Not to mention that we don't have any surplus grain at all."
"Aunt, you can't say that."
Tao Dahua, dressed in a cotton and linen jacket, walked out with a pretense of sincerity: "Aunt, everyone in the village knows your family has surplus grain, and you even have a lot of meat."
"We're all from the same village, we see each other every day. Please help everyone."
Tao Lengshuang knew why the villagers dared to come to her; it turned out that the first branch of the Tao family was causing trouble.
It seemed Tao Laoda hadn't learned his lesson and dared to instigate the villagers to cause trouble for her.
"Oh, isn't this Tao Dahua? Look at your clothes and how much weight you've gained; it's clear your family is living very well."
She smiled without warmth: "Since your family is so rich, why don't you help the villagers and come to poor people like us?"
Tao Dahua cried out, acting like a young lady: "Aunt, what you're saying is that our family is much worse off than yours."
"Aunt, please be kind and help the villagers. When everyone's lives improve next year, they will repay your kindness."
The villagers chimed in, promising to repay her.
"Mo Jia, we're all from the same village, you can't stand by and watch us die. Sell us some rice and flour at a lower price."
"Mo Jia, if you're truly so heartless, don't blame us for being heartless too. Your family is in the village, and who knows what might happen."
Tao Lengshuang's expression turned cold upon hearing this.
Before she could say anything, she saw Mo Lingxi decisively send several villagers flying with a palm strike.
The fierce palm wind stirred up a large amount of snow, which fell on Tao Dahua and the others, chilling them to the bone and turning their faces deathly pale.
'Thump.'
Tao Dahua and the others fell to the ground, looking at Mo Lingxi as if he were a demon. Their previous arrogance vanished.
"If there's a next time, you won't be alive. Scram!" Mo Lingxi yelled expressionlessly.
Tao Dahua and the others scrambled away, as if afraid Mo Lingxi would kill them if they were any slower.
Tao Lengshuang's brows furrowed, and she sighed, "This situation is not sustainable."
"You can deter the villagers for a while, but not forever. When they are truly starving, like those refugees, they will do many things without regard.
We need to find a way to keep these people from bothering us."
But what method could be found to keep these villagers from coming to her house?
Mo Lingxi also understood that this was a temporary fix; they needed a way to stop the villagers from coming to their home, but he couldn't think of a good solution for the moment.
As they discussed this matter, they walked towards the main hall.
As soon as they entered the hall, they heard Xiao Feng's words.
"Is the royal villa beautiful? Is it especially large?"
This question made Tao Lengshuang and Mo Lingxi exchange a look, both seeing a spark in each other's eyes. How had they not thought of this excellent idea!
"Xiao Feng, you are truly mother's good宝贝," Tao Lengshuang said, kissing Xiao Feng with a smile.
This made Xiao Feng's cheeks flush. Mo Lingxi's gaze darkened slightly.
"Mother, what did Xiao Feng do?" Xiao Feng asked, smiling and hugging his mother's leg. He loved his mother so much.
Tao Lengshuang didn't answer and nudged Mo Lingxi: "Aren't you going to get it done quickly? The sooner it's resolved, the sooner we can be at ease."
Mo Lingxi gave her a dark look and turned to leave.
A question slowly appeared on Tao Lengshuang's head. She looked at his retreating figure with confusion. Why did she feel he was acting strangely?
"Xiao Feng, what were you talking about with everyone just now?" she asked, hugging Xiao Feng as she sat on the heated brick bed.
Xiao Feng said they were discussing the royal villa: "Grandma Shen said the royal villa has been under construction for a very, very long time and still isn't finished. Xiao Feng is curious how big the royal villa is, to be under construction for so long without being completed."