If Xia Zhe were to criticize them, then they would offer to pay rent. It was not like they were asking to live there for free. He would not be able to kick up any fuss once they paid rent.

When Xia Zhe reached home, he said, “The Cao family is behaving like we expected. They don’t plan to move away anymore.”

Qiao Mei said angrily, “I just know that they want to cheat me of my ginseng!”

Xia Zhe pinched Qiao Mei’s little cheeks and said with a smile, “Don’t be angry. I have plenty of ways to deal with them.”

Qiao Mei’s eyes lit up and she asked curiously, “What solution do you have?”

“Cao Da had encountered a problem previously but it was suppressed by He Ning later. Since he can suppress it, I can revive it again and make him leave quickly,” Xia Zhe said.

At that time, the Cao family could go to the countryside, the suburbs, and the wilderness. They could go anywhere they wanted!

The people from the Cao family were all useless. The only pillar of the family was Cao Da. If Cao Da failed, the Cao family would be finished. Therefore, Old Master Cao would definitely leave quickly to protect his son.

If Xia Zhe wanted to stir up trouble, he would inevitably encounter He Ning. As long as it was something He Ning had promised, there was nothing he could not do. Therefore, when the time came, He Ning would definitely do his best to protect the Cao family. This was why He Ning had been able to survive until now. Even though he had harmed many people, those who had been helped by him would still remember his kindness.

“It’s my fault for thinking too simply of this matter. I should have asked them to move away immediately and not given them time,” Xia Zhe said apologetically as he patted Qiao Mei’s head.

“It’s not your fault. It’s the Cao family who didn’t keep their word. What has it got to do with you? You just need to learn from your mistakes and don’t be so soft-hearted anymore,” Qiao Mei comforted Xia Zhe.

Xia Zhe smiled and looked at Qiao Mei. The anger in his heart had lessened a lot. He had also guessed He Ning’s motive over the past few days. He Ning wanted to see the Cao family fight with the Xia family so that he could reap the benefits.

Xia Zhe wanted to go out to run errands, but Qiao Mei hugged his arm and refused to let him go.

Qiao Mei said in a pitiful manner, “It’s already so late, don’t go out. I’m scared to be alone. Look at the weather, it’s probably going to rain soon.”

Xia Zhe looked up at the sky and thought that it might be better to wait until tomorrow. It was not appropriate to leave Qiao Mei at home at a time like this, and he did not want to trouble his aunt and sister to come over.

“Alright, I’ll stay at home with you,” Xia Zhe said.

If he went out and He Ning’s men came to the house to take revenge, it would be terrible if Qiao Mei got caught in the situation. These days, he did not dare to let Qiao Mei leave his line of sight for fear that something might happen. It would be better to bring Qiao Mei along to run his errands tomorrow and forget about going out tonight.

Not long after, it started to storm heavily. The bean-sized raindrops pattered on the roof tiles, making it too noisy to fall asleep. When Xia Zhe kept groping around under the blanket, Qiao Mei sat up angrily and slapped his stomach.

“I’m going outside to take a look.” Qiao Mei still had something important to do tonight.

“It’s my fault, my little ancestor. What if you catch a cold if you go outside so late at night?” Xia Zhe thought that it was his fault and quickly apologized.

Xia Zhe kept stopping her from going out. Qiao Mei was so angry that she reached out, grabbed his hands and pinned them above his head, pressing him onto the bed. Then she sat on him and looked at him.

This posture seemed to be exactly the same as what happened when they first met. Xia Zhe looked at Qiao Mei with a deep gaze. Seeing that the situation did not seem right, Qiao Mei hurriedly got out of bed and ran towards the toilet in the side room.

“Don’t follow me! I’m going to the toilet!” Qiao Mei shouted towards the bedroom.

Xia Zhe was still slowly reliving the feeling he felt in bed just now and gradually recalling what had happened that very first night.

When Qiao Mei reached the side room, she did not go into the toilet at all. She stood by the window and quietly scattered some vine seeds, slowly inducing their growth. The vines quickly crawled along the wall to the window.

Qiao Mei reached out to hold the vines and said softly, “My little darlings, whether we succeed or not depends on this! Tonight, it will depend on your performance! If you perform well, you will be greatly rewarded!”

When the vines heard what Qiao Mei said, they became even more active.