Surviving In Another World With My Three Cups!

Chapter 183: Wrong -

By the time Fu Sheng and I returned to the Fu residence, the sun was already beginning to set.

The events of the day had left everyone exhausted.

As soon as we stepped into the courtyard, we realized the entire family was still awake and waiting for us.

Grandfather Fu and Grandmother Fu were seated beneath the veranda. Master Fu and Madam Fu sat beside them while Fu Li, Fu Fei, Zhao Yue, and Zhao Yin occupied the remaining seats.

Not far away, Bai Ming sat with her twins, Fu Qin and Fu Lin. The two children were running around the courtyard while little Fu Jun and Fu Jin chased after them. Every now and then, laughter would erupt when one of them tripped over their own feet.

The moment everyone saw us enter, they immediately became alert.

Madam Fu stood up first.

"You are finally back."

Before either Fu Sheng or I could say anything, Fu Li rushed forward.

"We already know what happened!"

Fu Sheng raised an eyebrow.

"You do?"

Fu Li pointed toward Fu Tong, Han Fuji, and Fu Teng, who were sitting nearby.

"The three of them came back earlier and told us part of the story."

Fu Fei nodded eagerly.

"They said the entire unit fought against the soldiers."

Grandmother Fu looked both worried and curious.

"We have been waiting for hours."

Grandfather Fu nodded.

"Come and sit down. Tell us everything properly."

Everyone immediately made room for us.

The children even stopped playing and gathered nearby.

Fu Qin climbed into Bai Ming’s lap while Fu Lin sat beside his mother, both listening attentively.

I exchanged a glance with Fu Sheng before taking a seat.

Then Fu Sheng began explaining everything from the beginning.

He told them about the soldiers arriving in Unit 50.

He explained how they had started dragging away young men and boys.

As he continued, the expressions around the courtyard gradually became uglier.

Madam Fu’s face darkened.

"Those officials have become more and more shameless."

Grandmother Fu sighed heavily.

"The barren lands have never been treated fairly."

Master Fu nodded.

"To them, our lives have never mattered."

No one disagreed.

The atmosphere became quiet for a moment.

Then Fu Sheng continued.

He explained how the villagers had gathered together and how the people of Unit 50 had finally fought back.

The children listened with wide eyes.

Even Fu Qin and Fu Lin looked fascinated.

When Fu Sheng described the villagers charging forward, little Fu Jun practically jumped to his feet.

"Did Uncle Han fight too?"

Han Fuji immediately puffed out his chest.

"Of course I did."

Fu Tong rolled his eyes.

"You almost got hit in the head by a shovel."

The entire courtyard burst into laughter.

Han Fuji immediately looked offended.

"That happened once."

"It happened twice," Fu Teng corrected calmly.

The laughter became even louder.

Even Bai Ming struggled to hide her smile.

After the laughter settled, Fu Sheng finished explaining how the commander had eventually released the captured young men and left Unit 50.

Everyone finally relaxed after hearing the outcome.

At least nobody had been taken away.

Then I placed my teacup down.

"There is something else I need to tell everyone."

The courtyard immediately became quiet.

All eyes turned toward me.

I looked around before speaking.

"Today, I announced in front of the people of Unit 50 that I will be running for the position of leader."

For a moment, silence filled the courtyard.

Then Grandmother Fu smiled first.

"I was wondering when you would decide to do that."

I blinked.

"You are not surprised?"

Grandmother Fu chuckled.

"Child, after everything you have done, becoming a leader seems natural."

Grandfather Fu nodded in agreement.

"You care about the people."

Master Fu folded his arms.

"And unlike many people, you actually take action."

Madam Fu smiled warmly.

"I think you would make an excellent leader."

Fu Fei immediately nodded.

"I agree."

Fu Li raised her hand.

"So do I."

Bai Ming smiled softly.

"If anyone deserves that position, it is you."

Even Han Fuji grinned.

"I would vote for you."

Fu Tong nodded.

"Same here."

Fu Teng looked at me calmly.

"You already have my support."

One by one, everyone voiced their approval.

Not a single person opposed the idea.

Seeing their support warmed my heart.

Then Fu Li suddenly frowned.

Everyone immediately noticed.

"What is it?" Madam Fu asked.

Fu Li rested her chin on her hand thoughtfully.

"The people like Sister-in-law."

Several people nodded.

That much was true.

"After today, they probably admire her even more."

Again, everyone agreed.

"But admiration alone is not enough."

The courtyard gradually became quiet.

Fu Li continued.

"People need a reason to vote."

She looked directly at me.

"They need something that makes them believe you are the best person to lead Unit 50."

The smiles around the table slowly faded.

Because she was right.

Respect was important.

But elections required more than respect.

For a few moments, nobody spoke.

Everyone seemed lost in thought.

Then suddenly—

"I think I have a solution."

A voice came from outside the gate.

The entire courtyard froze.

Everyone turned at the same time.

Three familiar figures stood at the entrance.

A young man dressed in dark robes, a beautiful young woman standing beside him.

And another young man with a relaxed smile on his face.

The moment I saw them, I was genuinely surprised.

"An Li?"

A smile appeared on his face.

Beside him, An Nuan waved excitedly.

An Yu grinned.

"Looks like we arrived at the perfect time."

Chapter 42: The Idea

The moment the three siblings stepped into the courtyard, everyone’s attention shifted toward them.

An Nuan looked exactly the same as before, full of energy and confidence. Beside her, An Yu wore his usual lazy smile, while An Li appeared calm and composed as always.

However, not everyone reacted calmly.

The moment Fu Teng saw An Yu, his entire body stiffened.

His expression changed so quickly that it almost made Zhao Yue think she had imagined it.

Fu Teng immediately stood up.

"I just remembered something."

Everyone looked at him.

Fu Tong frowned.

"Remembered what?"

Fu Teng cleared his throat.

"I have something I need to do."

Without waiting for anyone to respond, he turned around and started walking toward the inner courtyard.

The speed of his retreat was suspicious enough to make several people stare.

Zhao Yue blinked in confusion.

"What is wrong with him?"

Nobody answered.

Meanwhile, An Yu watched Fu Teng’s disappearing back with a smirk slowly spreading across his face.

"Oh?"

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"What a coincidence."

The smile on his face became even wider.

Then he looked toward the family.

"Excuse me for a moment."

Before anyone could stop him, he followed after Fu Teng.

The courtyard fell silent.

Everyone watched the two disappear.

Fu Li looked between the doorway and the courtyard.

"...What just happened?"

"I have no idea," Zhao Yue admitted.

Han Fuji suddenly looked interested.

"Something strange is definitely going on."

Fu Tong immediately nodded.

"For once, I agree with you."

Meanwhile, another person seemed unusually nervous.

The moment Fu Tong’s eyes landed on An Nuan, he immediately looked away.

An Nuan didn’t seem to notice.

Or perhaps she noticed and simply pretended not to.

Fu Tong sat perfectly straight in his seat.

Too straight.

He suddenly found the table in front of him very interesting.

Extremely interesting.

Interesting enough that he refused to look anywhere else.

Fu Li looked at him strangely.

"Brother, why are you staring at the table?"

"I am not staring at the table."

"You have been staring at it for a full minute."

"I like this table."

The courtyard immediately became quiet.

Even Han Fuji slowly turned toward him.

"...You like the table?"

Fu Tong looked offended.

"There is nothing wrong with appreciating good craftsmanship."

Nobody believed him.

Absolutely nobody.

Fortunately for him, An Nuan had already rushed toward me.

"Su Long!"

She hugged me tightly.

I laughed helplessly and hugged her back.

"It has only been a short time."

"It felt much longer."

An Li walked over afterward and gave me a brief hug as well.

When he stepped back, there was clear amusement in his eyes.

"You have become quite famous."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Famous?"

An Li nodded.

"Right now, you are the most talked-about person in the barren lands."

That immediately caught everyone’s attention.

"Really?" Fu Li asked excitedly.

An Li laughed.

"Of course."

He pulled out a chair and sat down.

"People are talking about how you stood against the soldiers. They are talking about how Unit 50 fought back. Some are even calling it a miracle."

I rubbed my forehead.

The last thing I wanted was attention.

Unfortunately, attention seemed determined to find me anyway.

An Li’s expression gradually became more serious.

"Actually, that is one of the reasons we came."

The atmosphere immediately shifted.

I noticed the change.

"You didn’t come here just to visit."

An Li shook his head.

"No."

His gaze swept across everyone seated in the courtyard.

Then he looked back at me.

"I heard you want to become the leader of Unit 50."

I nodded.

"That’s right."

An Li folded his hands together.

"Then I may have a way to help you."

The courtyard instantly became quiet.

Even Fu Tong stopped pretending to admire the table.

Everyone focused on An Li.

He leaned back slightly before speaking.

"News arrived this morning."

His expression darkened.

"It concerns Tiger Alley."

The name immediately caused several people to frown.

Master Fu’s face became serious.

Han Fuji’s smile disappeared.

Even Grandfather Fu sighed.

An Li continued.

"Tiger Alley has started collecting forced taxes again."

The atmosphere grew colder.

Everyone knew what that meant.

Tiger Alley wasn’t an official government organization.

They were little more than powerful thugs backed by people with influence.

Every year, they found new excuses to squeeze money out of the poorer units.

And anyone who refused quickly found themselves in trouble.

An Li’s expression remained calm, but there was irritation in his voice.

"The leader’s wedding is approaching."

Fu Li blinked.

"What does that have to do with taxes?"

An Li laughed coldly.

"According to them, the entire barren lands should contribute gifts."

The courtyard immediately erupted with complaints.

"What nonsense is that?"

"They are forcing people to pay for someone else’s wedding?"

"That is outright robbery."

An Li nodded.

"Exactly."

He looked at me.

"Right now, they are moving from one unit to another collecting money."

His voice lowered slightly.

"And soon..."

His gaze sharpened.

"They will arrive at Unit 50."

The courtyard fell silent.

Everyone understood the problem immediately.

The people of Unit 50 had already suffered enough.

Many families barely had enough food.

If Tiger Alley came demanding money, countless households would suffer.

I leaned back slowly.

"What happens if people refuse?"

An Li looked at me.

"They get beaten."

Nobody spoke.

The answer was exactly what everyone expected.

Then An Li smiled.

Not a warm smile.

A calculating one.

"If you can protect Unit 50 from Tiger Alley..."

His words hung in the air.

The entire courtyard became silent.

Everyone was already beginning to understand where he was going with this.

An Li continued calmly.

"If you can stop them from exploiting the people..."

"If you can protect the villagers’ money..."

"If you can stand against them and win..."

He paused.

Then finished quietly.

"I don’t think the people of Unit 50 will need any more reasons to support you."