Cecilia Gu slowly followed the group outside.
Sure enough, there was a large orchard behind the house.
Cecilia couldn't help but say, "It's really not easy to preserve an orchard in a location like this!"
Mrs. Julia Zhu, the hostess, said proudly, "Our family has owned this land for many years. Although my husband mainly works in real estate development, we never developed this plot. We turned it into an orchard instead. Being able to grow fruit trees in the middle of the city is a real luxury. Mrs. Yin, I heard your home is full of greenery too—is that true?"
Cecilia smiled and nodded.
Nowadays in the city, the most valuable thing isn't how fancy your house is, but how much greenery you have.
"But compared to the Yun Family, we're still far behind," Cecilia said leisurely.
The Yun Family's green space definitely covers more than seventy percent of their property.
Basically, as long as there's an open space, unless it's a walkway, they'll always plant trees instead of grass, and grass instead of pavement.
That's why the air at the Yun Family's place is just amazing.
This orchard covers about two acres.
That's nothing special in the mountains.
But in the heart of the city, that's a big deal!
That's why Mrs. Julia Zhu is so proud of it.
No matter how nice someone else's home is, so what?
Either there's barely any greenery in the city center, or it's out in the suburbs and inconvenient to get to.
Cecilia is pregnant now, so she wouldn't travel far and tire herself out.
And she definitely wouldn't go anywhere too noisy.
So, of course, Mrs. Julia Zhu ended up hosting this gathering.
Cecilia walked in front, with all the other ladies and young misses following behind.
Cecilia happily picked a few strawberries, while her assistant Xiao Wang held a plate behind her to catch them.
"Mrs. Yin, maybe I should do the picking. Bending over all the time isn't good for the baby," Xiao Wang said anxiously. "How about I pick and you hold the plate?"
Cecilia thought about it and agreed—it was a good idea.
The picking area was pretty big, so everyone gradually spread out.
Several people eager to curry favor surrounded Cecilia, constantly showering her with compliments.
Seeing that Xiao Wang had already filled a plate, Cecilia said, "That's enough, Xiao Wang. Don't pick any more—leave some for the other ladies!"
The other ladies immediately chimed in flatteringly, "As long as Mrs. Yin is happy, we can come pick strawberries any time!"
Cecilia just smiled and said nothing.
Xiao Wang couldn't help but praise, "Mrs. Julia Zhu really has great taste and design. Turning such a big area into all kinds of orchards—not only is the environment nice, but you get exercise and can eat fruit you grew yourself. It's really a win-win!"
Mrs. Julia Zhu heard Xiao Wang's words. Even though it wasn't direct praise from Cecilia, it was enough to make her beam with pride.
"Oh, it's nothing, really. This is just a little hobby of mine. I'm not good at anything else!" Mrs. Julia Zhu replied modestly.
Xiao Wang kept picking fruit while walking backwards, not noticing she had crossed the boundary and stepped right onto a beautiful green chrysanthemum.
"Oh, I'm sorry—I didn't mean to!" Xiao Wang quickly apologized.
Mrs. Julia Zhu's expression changed slightly and she quickly said, "That green chrysanthemum isn't ours. We'd better head back. I'll pay for the flower..."
Before Mrs. Julia Zhu could finish, a dog barked loudly.
Cecilia looked up and saw a fierce-looking large dog charging straight at her!
Xiao Wang instantly jumped in front of Cecilia to shield her.
The next second, Cecilia heard Xiao Wang let out a muffled groan!
Cecilia looked down and screamed, "Ah..."
The big dog had bitten into Xiao Wang's leg!
All the women present were startled by the scene.
At that moment, Miss Zhao quickly picked up a wooden stick from the ground and struck the big dog hard on its side!
The dog yelped and let go.
Cecilia immediately supported Xiao Wang, seeing her face pale with pain, and felt a wave of guilt.
Xiao Wang got hurt protecting her. How could she be so useless?
Miss Zhao kept swinging the stick, and the dog finally got scared and ran off.
"Send her to the hospital, quick!" Mrs. Julia Zhu immediately called for help and tried to escort Xiao Wang away.
"I can't go, I need to stay with Mrs. Yin..." Xiao Wang said anxiously. Her job today was to protect Cecilia. If she left, what if Cecilia got hurt?
Cecilia said seriously, "Enough. This isn't the time to argue. There are bodyguards with me—go to the hospital and get your wound treated! By the way, Mrs. Zhu, whose dog is this?"
As soon as Cecilia finished speaking, an angry voice came from behind: "Let me see which idiot dared hit my baby! Are you tired of living?"
Cecilia turned around and saw a woman striding over in twelve-centimeter heels, dressed scantily and with a curvy figure, cursing loudly as she marched up.
"Let me see, who dared hit my dog? Julia Zhu, we've always minded our own business, so why did you hit my dog?" The woman stood with her hands on her hips, furious, practically jabbing her finger at Mrs. Zhu's nose!
Cecilia pulled everyone else back a few steps, watching how the situation unfolded.
Mrs. Julia Zhu's face turned pale, but she quickly fired back, "Zhang Li, what are you so aggressive for? You've caused trouble for our honored guests today—let's see how you explain yourself!"
Zhang Li?
Cecilia thought for a moment and quickly remembered.
This fierce woman was Zhang Li, who played the third female lead in that palace drama!
She actually lives next door?
Wow, you really couldn't tell!
On TV she looks so delicate and gentle, but in real life her attitude is honestly hard to look at.
Cecilia noticed Julia Zhu's expression—it seemed a bit restrained, but also hinted at a satisfied smirk.
(End of this section. Please click next page for more exciting content!)
Cecilia raised her eyebrows slightly.
Was she just being used as a pawn?
She couldn't shake the feeling that Julia Zhu and Zhang Li had a complicated relationship...
Just then, Mrs. Joanne Zhao, known for her big mouth, reached out and tugged on Cecilia.
Cecilia stepped back, and Mrs. Zhao quickly whispered, "Mrs. Yin, just ignore them. Those two have been fighting forever. You're a guest—just enjoy the show."
Cecilia couldn't help but find it funny.
She hadn't planned to get involved anyway.
At that moment, the bodyguards arrived and made sure Cecilia was safe.
"Honored guests? You mean this bunch of women? What kind of honored guests could they be? Julia Zhu, you're just getting old, and even if you round up a bunch of women to back you up, it won't work!" Zhang Li snapped. "You stepped on my flowers and hit my baby—this isn't over! I'm not letting this go!"
With those words, Zhang Li offended every woman there.
The mayor's wife immediately sneered, "Oh really? So in Miss Zhang's eyes, I'm just another useless old woman?"
The mayor's wife had been standing at the edge of the crowd, so Zhang Li hadn't noticed her.
When the mayor's wife spoke, Zhang Li's expression changed!
Zhang Li was arrogant, but she wouldn't dare openly offend the mayor's wife.
But Zhang Li was used to being stubborn, and with so many people watching, she couldn't back down.
So she changed her tone, sounding much more polite but still sharp: "Mayor's wife, I'd never dare say that about you! You're so distinguished—how could someone like Julia Zhu, a country bumpkin, compare? Today I'm just here to settle things with Julia Zhu over my flowers and my dog. This has nothing to do with you! Mayor's wife, please don't get involved! It's a family matter—no one else needs to interfere!"
Nothing to do with anyone else?
Is that so!
Her dog bit someone, and she still refuses to admit it?
Cecilia spoke gently, "Your dispute with Mrs. Zhu is none of my business. But your dog bit my assistant—don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
Zhang Li shifted her gaze to Cecilia.
Zhang Li thought for a while but couldn't recall seeing such a person around here before.
If she was unfamiliar, she probably wasn't anyone important.
If she wasn't important, why should Zhang Li be afraid?
Zhang Li arrogantly said to Cecilia, "My dog bit someone? What a joke! You're just trying to scam me because you see I have money, aren't you?"
Everyone present burst out laughing at Zhang Li's words.
She has money?
To dare claim she's richer than the Yin Corporation—woman, you've got guts!
Cecilia raised her eyebrows and looked coldly at Zhang Li. "Are you going to pay or not?"
"No way! Who do you think you are? In K City, even if I'm not untouchable, I'm not someone just anyone can scam!" Zhang Li retorted, her chin raised. "And another thing, I haven't even settled with you yet! My dog bite someone? Ha! My dog would never do that! But you, did you hit my dog? If you dare lay a hand on my baby, you must be tired of living! If you don't leave compensation here today, you can forget about leaving!"
Cecilia hadn't expected her to be so unreasonable and couldn't help but laugh.
Mrs. Julia Zhu saw Zhang Li confronting Cecilia and quickly said, "Mrs. Yin, don't worry. Your assistant was hurt in my home—even if Zhang Li refuses, I won't just stand by! I'm truly sorry! Someone, please escort the ladies back to rest!"
Cecilia nodded.
This was Julia Zhu's territory, so it wasn't her place to intervene.
Just as Cecilia was about to leave, Zhang Li suddenly rushed over to block her way.
A bodyguard quickly stepped in, blocking Zhang Li.
Trying to get close to Cecilia? No way!
Zhang Li hadn't expected Cecilia to have bodyguards and was stunned. Then, she dramatically flopped to the ground, rolling and crying, "Oh no, someone's hitting me! It's outrageous! Julia Zhu, you old hag, not only are you fooling around with men, but you even have your lover attack people! Everyone, come and see!"
Zhang Li was an actress, so her performance was especially dramatic and attention-grabbing.
Cecilia just shook her head speechlessly and turned to leave with the others.
It was better to let Julia Zhu handle things here.