Reborn As Super Heiress

”Oh, it’s Xiao Xiao. So this is the distant relative you were talking about, right? It’s really unfortunate timing today. You mentioned before that your distant cousin wanted to buy up all the old walnut trees in the village, but this Boss Wang also approached me, and the price he offered is more suitable than yours. It’s not easy for the villagers to make money, you understand that, right?”

When the old village chief looked up and saw Cousin Xiao and Liao Song standing in front with others, he understood what was going on. He felt a bit awkward because, previously, Cousin Xiao had personally visited his home to discuss acquiring walnuts, and he had agreed at the time. However, facing a wealthy client, he immediately reneged on his promise. This left the old village chief feeling a bit embarrassed.

But upon further thought, the old village chief realized that such things were quite common, nothing out of the ordinary.

Everyone is after money. A walnut tree is grown for so many years, and it hardly bears fruit in the first decade. It’s hard to finally sell them for money, so who wouldn’t want to earn more?

It’s worth noting that the price offered by Boss Wang is higher than in previous years, which is a great thing for the old village chief and the others. Nobody would complain about making more money.

So the old village chief assumed a righteously confident stance and stopped explaining further to Cousin Xiao. He directly led Wang Zhongwei and Ma Liwen into his own yard.

Wang Zhongwei couldn’t help but chuckle after hearing the old village chief’s words.

Like someone bringing you a pillow right when you’re sleepy.

Judging by the situation, it seems this group is also here to check out the goods and buy walnuts, with the same goal as his.

After observing Huo Sining, Wang Zhongwei dismissed his earlier assumption.

This woman with the surname Huo is quite skilled in stone gambling, so she wouldn’t be interested in the petty profits from these cultural walnuts. It’s likely Zhong Zifan and that man with the surname Liao who are actually involved in the business.

After some mental calculations, Wang Zhongwei understood Zhong Zifan and Liao Song’s intentions.

It seems these two are also eyeing the market in Fuzhou, hoping to capitalize on the rising prices of cultural walnuts to penetrate the Fuzhou market.

This goal coincidentally aligns with his own thoughts.

The reason Wang Zhongwei planned such a large-scale purchase of walnuts was indeed to open up the cultural walnut market in Fuzhou and quickly secure market shares.

He hadn’t expected his idea to coincide so precisely with those of Zhong Zifan and Liao Song.

Nevertheless, the tone of the village chief, and the stern expressions on Liao Song and Zhong Zifan’s faces, evidently indicated they had not succeeded and gained little.

Wang Zhongwei’s gaze showed a hint of derision as if he had just noticed Zhong Zifan and Liao Song; he feigned surprise and said:

”Oh, isn’t this Zifan, Yuejin’s nephew? My dear nephew, what are you doing here? Are you... on a suburban vacation?”

Upon hearing Wang Zhongwei’s words, the old village chief halted his steps, turned around, and gave Wang Zhongwei a puzzled look:

”Boss Wang, do you know each other?”

Wang Zhongwei nodded with a smile: ”Yes, we know each other, all familiar faces. This is the nephew of a friend of mine who does stone gambling business in Fuzhou, and the gentleman over there is his business partner. As for this lady, she’s quite famous—you’re sure to know her. She’s the protagonist of the recent twelve zodiac animal heads incident, Miss Huo Sining. Professor Ma, you should recognize her; you’re in the same circle.”

While speaking, Wang Zhongwei instinctively glanced over at Huo Sining, greeted her with a half-smile:

”Miss Huo, long time no see. Your extraordinary stone gambling skills last time in Fuzhou left quite an impression. I didn’t expect to meet you here today; it’s truly an honor.”

Huo Sining kept her smile intact, nodded, and said coolly: ”Boss Wang, you’re too kind. You generously contributed, allowing me to acquire a rare piece of natural Pigeon Blood Red. That impressed me a lot; even if you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t forget.”

Wang Zhongwei was taken aback by Huo Sining’s sarcasm, and his face darkened immediately.

Meanwhile, Ma Liwen, upon seeing Huo Sining, didn’t look particularly happy, especially after being mentioned by Wang Zhongwei. His expression soured even more, though with so many people present, he couldn’t simply walk away.

Since Huo Sining became prominent at the International Treasure Appraisal Conference, Ma Liwen’s life took a downturn. Many people knew about the animosity between Ma Liwen and Huo Sining, but with Huo Sining’s close ties to Zhou Shitao and her rising popularity, anyone with a bit of sense would know to avoid him, and naturally, their attitude to Ma Liwen would be poor.

To make matters worse, a recent investigation into the Yue Kiln Tea Bowl incident exposed a group of Cultural Relics Bureau experts pocketing funds. He, unfortunately, got implicated.

The forensics bureau found several artifacts in his home that were supposed to be displayed in a museum but, at some point, were swapped out, with the genuine items placed in his home collection.

Because of this matter, Ma Liwen was almost sent to jail; it was only through relentless networking that he finally escaped punishment.

However, the scandal not only cost him his job at the Forbidden City but also earned him disdain from the circle. A humiliated Ma Liwen could only seek other avenues.

Coincidentally, cultural walnuts were popular during this time, and prices were soaring. Ma Liwen turned his attention to cultural walnuts, and during his recent leisure in Fuzhou, he encountered Wang Zhongwei, who was worried about making money. They clicked instantly, deciding to cooperate in the cultural walnut business in Fuzhou.

To procure walnuts in advance, Ma Liwen brought Wang Zhongwei to the suburbs of the Imperial Capital. He happened to have visited this area years ago and knew many households here grew cultural walnuts. Calculating the time, many households should have aging walnut trees with good bear rates.

However, Ma Liwen hadn’t expected to run into Huo Sining here. When enemies meet, they are especially hostile. Seeing Huo Sining reminded him of his current plight, and he attributed all his misfortune to Huo Sining, believing that she was the reason for his downfall.

Huo Sining never had a good impression of Ma Liwen and knew that he no longer worked at the Forbidden City. Now, upon meeting again, she didn’t intend to twist the knife but merely smiled and said:

”Professor Ma, it’s been a while. I didn’t expect you to switch from ancient paintings and calligraphy to the cultural walnut business.”

Although Huo Sining’s words bore no malice, they sounded extremely sharp to Ma Liwen. Especially when he saw her smiling face, he felt a surge of anger, perceiving her expression as mocking him.