Chapter 35: A Truly Devouring Temptress

"Well, he said that if I were to be with him, he would help me collect the other shares. It’s a complete pipe dream. I’d rather find a pig’s head to marry than become his mistress!"

Liang Jiyong listened, gritting his teeth, "That’s a bit harsh. Between me and a pig’s head, there’s still a Zhu Bajie in the way!"

Jiang Lan giggled at this, sticking out her tongue.

"I wasn’t talking about you. I... I was thinking, if we can’t settle this, our family will leave Longshan County, even if it means leaving Yunzhou..."

"Is there any evidence for what he has done? Real, solid proof?"

"Of course there is. Many people in Longshan County have been bullied by the Wen family, and quite a few have filed reports, but there’s been no response."

"Someone who has retired to the second line shouldn't have that much power. What other connections does the Wen family have?"

"I don’t know. It seems they have connections, but for us ordinary folk, we can’t find out. I have the whistleblower materials regarding the Wen family right here. If a case could be opened and investigated, a single magazine of bullets might not even be enough to pay him back!"

"Let me see them!"

Jiang Lan got out of bed to retrieve the items. Her gait was slightly stiff; the torrential storm of last night had been more than she could handle.

It was a thick stack of documents—some were contracting agreements, others were formal complaints, along with photographs, receipts, and even blood-stained handprints.

After reading through them, Liang Jiyong clenched his fists. In his past life, he had spent ten years in public security and had seen countless criminal cases. While the Wen family’s actions enraged him, his expression remained steady. It was exactly as he had expected: bullying men and oppressing women, ruining families, seizing properties, and grabbing anything profitable through despicable means.

"What is Wen Chongshan's daughter's name?" Liang Jiyong suddenly asked.

"Wen Jing!"

"Bang!" Liang Jiyong slammed the table.

"Heh, 'the iron shoes were worn out in the search, yet it took no effort to find it!'"

"What do you mean? You know Wen Jing?"

"Wen Jing’s husband is Wang Deli, and his father is a man of great power!"

"Ah!" Jiang Lan felt a wave of despair. How could they possibly win a case against them?

"It’s alright, don’t worry. All you need to do is keep hold of Mumian Mountain; you don’t need to topple Wang Maosheng."

"Forget it, I don't want to bring you any trouble!" Jiang Lan lay back down, looking desolate, her back to Liang Jiyong.

Liang Jiyong stroked her hair, "I haven't helped you yet. Do you have any regrets?"

Jiang Lan shook her head. "Although this isn't the romance I once fantasized about, and I even know that what happened between us is a mistake—not even a one-night stand, at most, it was me being clever—I have no regrets. I find you quite agreeable, and you’re a fool!"

"Before dawn, you belonged to me. Now, hold me. If you still want to, I can give you more. After dawn, let’s pretend nothing happened. I won't affect your life."

Liang Jiyong lay down and pulled her into his arms.

"Fool, you’re also a fool. When two fools meet, no matter how it started, you are my woman now. Although I can’t give you any promises, within my capabilities, I will definitely help you. Never mind a mere 'Skinner Wen,' even Wang Maosheng—in this life, I will ensure he has no place to be buried!"

"You... do you have a grudge against him?" Jiang Lan could sense the anger and resentment in his tone.

Wen Jing, Wang Deli—he had more than a grudge against this pair of wretches. In his previous life, the very people he had targeted were the Wang Deli couple. Initially, Liang Jiyong hadn't known that the "Uncle Li" behind Yunzhou's gray market was Wang Deli. Wang Deli hadn't gone to Pingzhou after leaving Changzhou; he had come to Yunzhou, his wife Wen Jing’s hometown. At first, Liang had thought it was just the local Yunzhou associates obstructing him, but after he was framed and forced to leave, he realized it was the work of Wang Maosheng.

"You could say that. Let's not talk about it now; it's too early. Don't worry about the clothing factory; I can solve it. Even without Mumian Mountain, I can find a way out for the factory. If I couldn't even do that, your 'beauty trap' would be a complete failure, wouldn't it?"

"Thank you. Whether you can do it or not, the gesture is enough. Do you want more?"

"Aren't you tired?" Liang Jiyong felt she should be exhausted; he hadn't shown her any mercy earlier and had thoroughly worn her out.

"I'm not tired. Haven't you heard that women like me are succubi who devour men?"

"Is that so? Why don't I believe it?"

"It’s because you’re in good shape and young, and you drank so much of that soup tonight! Otherwise, you’d be dead tired!"

"That soup was really good. It doesn't have any side effects, does it?"

"No, it's all natural—wild soft-shelled turtle, wild mountain mushrooms, and some Chinese herbs from our mountains here!"

"There are treasures in these mountains. Why hasn't anyone thought of developing them?"

"If we developed them, it would just end up benefiting those bastards in the Wen family. Anything profitable in Longshan County, they have to have their hands in it."

"Those bastards won't be jumping around for much longer!"

"Don't put your energy into this!"

"Oh, then where should I put it?" Liang Jiyong asked.

"On me. That is your true nature!"

"Heh, perhaps. Men all have a beastly side. I’m usually very rational, but you completely destroyed my reason. The potion you fed me was too potent!"

"Who told you to drink so much? I’ve never used it myself, how was I to know it would be like that! If you need it in the future, I’ll prepare it for you. It’s just that these wild turtles are hard to catch!"

"Let's talk about catching turtles later. Right now, I just want to catch you!"

"Is this the most fascinating part of me, right?" Jiang Lan asked.

"One of them. Your eyes, and everything else, are fascinating. You really are a man-eating succubus!"

That night, there was no sleep at all!

...

The next morning at seven, a group gathered in the courtyard's dining room. The others hadn't been nourished by the turtle and mushroom soup, so they didn't share Liang Jiyong’s vigor. Jiang Lan arrived early and sat down, appearing normal, but only Liang Jiyong knew that she had undergone a fundamental change.

He didn't know why, but having almost crossed the line with Di Yutong had left him feeling deeply guilty. Yet, at this moment, having had an actual intimate encounter with Jiang Lan, he felt surprisingly at ease. Perhaps it was because he knew he had been "set up" by her.

Whether out of pity for her or his own desires, he told himself this would only happen once; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to face Wanqing. He felt a bit stifled thinking about how he had struggled to keep from crossing the line with Yutong. He didn't know if he had succeeded, but at least he hadn't crossed that final red line. Yet, he had been caught by Jiang Lan—a succubus, a man-eating succubus.

Jiang Lan remained charming and conversational, explaining the history of Hongyun Ancient Town, the scenery of Red Leaf Valley, and her father’s garment factory. The breakfast was unique, filled with pure, natural wild delicacies from the Longshan mountains.

"These are Longshan medicinal dishes. For example, this okra and mushroom soup has beautifying and anti-wrinkle properties. Ladies, don't miss out! As for this dish, it’s for men only..."

"What is it?" As Jiang Lan introduced it, Zhao Guodong used a spoon to scoop out the contents.

"Turtle soup! Now, this is something I can get behind!" Zhao Guodong chuckled.

"You really need to supplement your health. Look at those dark circles, brother. Take it easy, watch your lower back..." Fang Zhan patted Zhao Guodong on the shoulder, teaching him with the air of an experienced man.

"A bunch of bad guys! Ladies, the okra and mushroom soup is for beauty and skin nourishment..." Wei Min steered the conversation away, not wanting to hear any more of their suggestive remarks.

There were other wild delicacies, such as wild boar and venison, all foods one couldn't easily find outside.

"Are these medicinal dishes common in Longshan?" Liang Jiyong asked.

"Except for a few rare ingredients, the rest are quite common. You aren't thinking of using these medicinal dishes as a basis for a restaurant business, are you?"

"Is it difficult?"

"To make authentic medicinal dishes, you need at least ten years of experience, and some of the rare ingredients are scarce. Without them, the dishes become quite ordinary. People have come to buy the other ingredients before, but the market response was mediocre—mostly just adding a few wild vegetables. If you grow these things artificially, they lose their original flavor, so they are really just an occasional treat."

"There is good food, beautiful scenery, and beautiful women here. Running a mass-market restaurant would be a waste. You could follow a boutique route, like a private kitchen or a leisure resort!"

"Others have tried what you’re suggesting. There is a Red Leaf Villa in Red Leaf Valley, but business is miserable. It’s basically running at a loss because too few people come here. It takes at least three hours from Yunzhou, while it only takes about an hour from Qingzhou. But Qingzhou has a developed economy, and there are already many high-end clubs there with better transport and better locations. There’s no need to come here. They thought tourism would attract visitors, but the situation isn't ideal." Jiang Lan shook her head helplessly.

"The ancient town here, the Red Leaf Valley you mentioned, and even the natural resources of Longshan are excellent. The problem is a lack of development and branding. Secondly, the positioning of your tourism is off. Your feature is 'small and refined,' which is perfect for a boutique route. The target audience should be high-spending individuals—white-collar elites who drive here on weekends with a few friends to taste Longshan medicinal cuisine and admire the red leaves. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

As she listened, a glint appeared in Jiang Lan's eyes. What Liang Jiyong described was not a fantasy. Without realizing it, her gaze toward him became misty, and her blue eyes grew even more enchanting.

"Jiyong, you should come and be our town mayor. I feel that if Hongyun Ancient Town were in your hands, it would definitely develop!"

Liang Jiyong laughed, "Mayor is too small. I’d at least need to be a county head. Last time, someone even said that with my level, I could be a district head!"

Fang Zhan chimed in, "There’s food, scenery, and beauty here. Forget about being a mayor; even being a commoner here would be a blessing!"

Chen Puer shook his head, picking up a piece of wild meat, "I’m afraid the annual salary of an ordinary person wouldn't even cover a meal like this!"

Jiang Lan shook her head, "It’s not that expensive. The cost of these ingredients is at most three hundred yuan, and at Red Leaf Villa, a table is priced at five hundred. The annual income of a first-line worker at our Hongyun Garment Factory is about fifteen hundred."

A monthly salary of about 150 for a worker wasn't low. Liang Jiyong remembered his mother, a primary school teacher with thirty years of experience, only earned 186 yuan a month.

"Where we come from, this table would cost at least two or three thousand!" Chen Puer estimated.

"This rice wine is really good. I was drunk yesterday, but today I don't have a headache or a sore back!" Zhao Guodong remarked.

"Guodong, we all understand headaches after drinking, but a sore back? That doesn't seem right, does it?" Fang Zhan was the experienced driver, and Zhao Guodong, being a novice on the road, became the subject of his teasing. Sun Xiaoyue lowered her head, blushing, while Zhao Guodong laughed foolishly.

"One must not fail to appreciate good food and beautiful scenery. I propose we drink a bowl!" Liang Jiyong raised a bowl of rice wine.

"And beautiful women!" Chen Puer added with a smile.

The others couldn't help but laugh, wondering if anything strange had happened after Chen Puer got drunk last night, especially since there were two beautiful women in the outer suite!

"One must not fail to appreciate good food, beautiful scenery, and beautiful women. A toast to the ladies—I’ll finish mine, you all do as you please..." Fang Zhan downed his bowl in one go.

"Come on, a toast to the ladies!" Liang Jiyong clinked his bowl with Di Yutong on one side, and then with Jiang Lan on the other.

In Jiang Lan's eyes, a blue light shimmered, like the sky—beautiful and distant...

After the meal, they visited the garment factory. It was a decent size, with four or five hundred employees. However, having seen state-owned factories with thousands of people in a single workshop, this scale didn't exactly shock Liang Jiyong. What was unique was the work; some equipment was self-made, and they used ancient dye extraction methods. The embroidery on the clothes was purely handmade. The male workers were mainly responsible for heavy printing and dyeing, while the female workers handled cutting and embroidery.

Liang Jiyong looked at the clothing styles; they had strong ethnic characteristics, though he couldn't name the specific group. The quality seemed good, but the styles were a bit monotonous, even if the patterns were exquisite. Chen Puer had visited many garment factories, but this was his first time seeing such traditional processing.

"This is very distinctive and the quality is good, but the work efficiency is too low and the styles are too limited. If you don't make changes, you will be completely eliminated within three years. The current market is all about cost and efficiency."

Chen Puer was blunt, and Jiang Lan's expression darkened; she knew this, of course.

Jiang Lan's father was a man in his mid-forties with a square face, appearing steady and honest. Jiang Zhihong sighed, "Our specialty here is traditional craftsmanship. If we don't preserve the authentic traditional techniques, we lose our uniqueness. We can't compare to others in terms of capital or technical equipment!"

That was his helplessness. Keeping tradition meant efficiency couldn't be improved and costs would rise, but if they abandoned tradition, they had nothing to compete with.

"These clothes still have a market for now; getting some orders isn't hard, but the price point certainly won't meet your expectations. You must cut costs and increase efficiency. Otherwise, you’ll end up losing money because market products are becoming more diverse. Your current styles don't align with fashion trends, making it hard to take the boutique route; you can only take the mass-market route, so you lack competitiveness. You have two years at most. If you can't change, there is no other way but to be eliminated!"

"We’ve considered this and tried some things, but the results weren't great. Adding trendy elements made it look awkward. We’re just a small factory; we can't afford high-end fashion designers, so we have to focus on tradition. As for production processes, we are improving, but that requires capital and time. The factory is currently in a difficult spot with significant capital pressure because those canceled orders have tied up a lot of cash!"

"Uncle Jiang, you are an old friend of my father, and Jiang Lan is my senior. I can find some orders for you to solve the immediate stagnation, but business is business—this isn't a long-term solution. Also, these orders won't have high profit margins; they will at most revitalize your working capital."

"Good, good, thank you so much..." Jiang Zhihong thanked him repeatedly. As long as this batch could be shipped, he didn't care about profit—just breaking even was enough. Once the capital was back in, he would have the energy to solve other problems.

"Uncle Jiang, I just took a look, and of these traditional processes, only a few really need to be kept authentic. For the rest, the self-made equipment you have could easily be manufactured with current industrial technology. By increasing production efficiency, you could save a lot on labor costs at the very least!"

Jiang Zhihong sighed slightly, "The equipment we need can be manufactured now, but it has to be custom-made, and the design and manufacturing costs are too high for us to bear. Furthermore, if we replace the equipment, we’d have to lay people off. It’s not easy for them to find work after leaving the factory. Longshan doesn't have suitable enterprises, and going to the coast to work means leaving home—not to mention that the benefits aren't any better than our factory!"

"Uncle Jiang, I understand what you’re saying, but the factory must survive first. Only if your factory survives can it develop, and its future scale will expand, requiring even more workers!"

"Development... ah, it’s hard!" Jiang Zhihong lacked confidence.