Whether it was because of what Charles Yin said or not, the village chief was now extremely respectful toward him.
Charles Yin didn't say much, but every word hit the mark.
It's true—while Yuanshan Village in Y Province has archaeological value, there are many similar villages throughout the province.
Yuanshan Village isn't the only one!
Any leader would trade a non-unique historical site for trillions in GDP in a year—who wouldn't want such dazzling achievements?
The Mo Family behind Max Mo is deeply rooted in the military and political system, but they don't directly intervene in local affairs.
Especially since Max Mo's grandfather is the commander of the Y Military District—he wouldn't get involved in local matters.
So, the village chief of Yuanshan Village understood one thing very clearly.
Money talks!
Who can argue with someone that wealthy?
Charles Yin was absolutely right—he possessed wealth and status that others could never dream of.
He had every right to look down on everyone else.
And he had the power to handle any consequences that came from his arrogance.
The village chief of Yuanshan Village was left speechless.
So at the dinner table, the village chief was even more cautious and respectful toward Charles Yin.
Neither Charles Yin nor Max Mo were people he could afford to offend.
Either of them could destroy Yuanshan Village with a mere flick of their finger.
Back then, the reason the Yun Family could protect Yuanshan Village was because the Qing Dynasty had just entered the pass and urgently needed to integrate Han culture and win over the southern people.
At that time, the Yun Family practically represented southern civilization, so the Qing court had to beg for their help.
It was thanks to this relationship that the Yun Family was able to protect Yuanshan Village.
During the Japanese invasion, the soldiers were brutal, but they still understood the value of culture.
The ancient books hidden by the Yun Family—unless they revealed the location, no one could find them, not even if they dug through the whole earth.
And the Japanese officer who occupied Y Province actually valued cultural heritage, so he chose to turn a blind eye when the Yun Family protected Yuanshan Village.
After all, to the Japanese, a tiny village was nothing compared to real cultural heritage.
Later, when the country was in turmoil, Yuanshan Village was lucky to escape disaster because it was so remote.
Over the years, the villagers of Yuanshan Village gradually became a bit arrogant.
That's why, at first, the village chief dared to speak so boldly to Charles Yin.
Who is Charles Yin, anyway?
Is he someone to be threatened?
Heh.
Out of respect for Cecilia Gu and the Yun Family, he hadn't razed Yuanshan Village to the ground—that was already giving them face.
If Cecilia Gu hadn't liked the architecture in Yuanshan Village, he would've never tolerated such a thorn in his side.
Cecilia Gu had just sat down when her new assistant, replacing Wendy, immediately brought her a disinfectant towel to wipe her hands.
Cecilia Gu wiped her fingers slowly and gracefully. The bracelet on her cuff shimmered, making her wrist look even more delicate.
Charles Yin noticed the village chief's gaze linger on Cecilia's wrist, and instantly felt annoyed.
But the village chief's next words surprised everyone at the table.
"So this bracelet really was meant for Miss Yun," the village chief blurted out.
Cecilia Gu paused, then smiled and said, "My surname is Gu, not Yun."
The village chief ignored her comment and continued, "This bracelet was given to the Yun Family by the village chief of Yuanshan Village years ago. No matter how much time passes, as long as someone from the Yun Family brings this bracelet to Yuanshan Village, whatever request they make, the village is not allowed to refuse."
Cecilia Gu was stunned.
She reached out and touched the bracelet on her wrist. She'd simply thought it was a gift from Mrs. Yun to her daughter, but never expected it to be...
Both Charles Yin and Max Mo's gazes landed on Cecilia Gu's wrist at the same time.
This bracelet really was quite old.
Its design was simple and unadorned, with no elaborate patterns—just a strong sense of age.
Cecilia Gu accepted Mrs. Yun's gift because she was pregnant and had heard that jade was good for one's health.
She never imagined the bracelet carried such significance.
Could it be that when Mrs. Yun gave her the bracelet, she'd already guessed Cecilia would come to Yuanshan Village?
After saying this, the village chief quickly changed the subject and urged everyone to keep eating.
Lunch was actually pretty simple.
The village food wasn't as fancy or refined as what you'd get outside, but it was authentic, and each dish came in a huge bowl—super satisfying to look at.
Cecilia Gu ate with real enjoyment.
Seeing Cecilia so happy, the village chief's smile grew even wider.
Because Cecilia was enjoying herself, Charles Yin also ate a bit.
For him, that was pretty rare.
Rona Muir lowered her voice as she ate and said to Cecilia, "When someone goes out of their way to please you, they're usually up to something. This bracelet represents a promise—don't use it lightly. Charles Yin and Max Mo can handle things here, so don't make any decisions about Yuanshan Village's promise on your own."
For a moment, Cecilia Gu really did consider using the bracelet to ask Yuanshan Village to cooperate with the project.
But after hearing Rona Muir's advice, Cecilia agreed it made sense.
If Charles Yin and Max Mo couldn't handle something this small, they really shouldn't be in the business.
Cecilia Gu nodded to show she understood.
Charles Yin gave Rona Muir an approving look.