Chapter 2476: Want a Cat Whisker Fruit
Walking along the town, Xu Huo once again found himself near the area where the Wan family lived. There were still many people coming and going with gifts, along with shops delivering samples for return gifts ordered by the family. Among them were various kinds of Cat Whisker Fruits, the custom-made ones being more distinctive than those displayed in the shops.
With so many Cat Whisker Fruits around, it was naturally hard to miss the players trying to clear the instance. He even spotted Bubble Bean and Ling Ling, who had each connected with a few other players. Bubble Bean pretended not to know him, but Ling Ling waved at him from a distance.
Xu Huo nodded in response but didn't approach. Instead, he observed the local players around the residential area.
The number of players acting as bodyguards near the Wan family hadn't been large before, but it had nearly doubled in the past two days. Some were in plain sight, others hidden. Most of them were watching those delivering gifts... but honestly, the numbers were a bit excessive.
In reality, most of those sending gifts before the banquet were residents of Cat Whisker Fruit Town or nearby areas. They brought easily inspectable presents, and most were ordinary people—hardly worth such a heavily guarded stance.
Xu Huo selected a player positioned at a certain distance from the Wan family and attempted to use Mental Power to interfere. Unexpectedly, that person was so alert that even at the mere possibility of being affected, he immediately activated a Jamming Device and put on a Compressed Helmet.
Since targeting players wasn't feasible, he turned his attention to the journalists who had arrived in town in the past couple of days.
Although ordinary people also carried devices, they weren't as sharp as players, and their equipment wasn't highly specialized. So Xu Huo easily obtained the information he wanted from a few reporters.
Originally, the Wan family was only influential in Cat Whisker Fruit Town. Logically, a three-day banquet for a newborn wouldn't attract so many media workers. The reason so many had come was that one of the popular candidates in this year's council election had once received a favor from the Wan family—a teacher-student bond. Thus, the Wan family had drawn special attention. As for the numerous players, many were actually from other factions, their motives unclear, but the journalists believed they were trying to dig up dirt on the Wan family or that candidate.
Regarding the Wan family, the journalists who knew something about them confidently stated that there was absolutely no dirt to be found. Whether born into the Wan family or adopted by them, every member had impeccable character and was open and aboveboard.
These words might sound fake to outsiders, but a revenge incident that had occurred with the Wan family fifty years ago indirectly confirmed their integrity.
About fifty years ago, the Wan family had dealt head-on with a lawless out-of-town merchant. Because that merchant came from a well-known big city famed for its incorruptibility, the matter wasn't blown out of proportion. Those with connections were pacified, and the merchant's relatives and friends, mostly implicated, were arrested and imprisoned. Naturally, no one brought it up afterward.
But unexpectedly, a girl who had been sponsored by that merchant under the guise of charity married into the Wan family a few years later. After more than a decade of living together day and night, that girl later became one of the financial pillars of the Wan family. The reason was that most Wan family members didn't care much about money. They weren't short of funds only because of the occasional member with a knack for business. The accounts were certainly a mess, but since everyone had good character, no one tampered with them.
That girl managed the Wan family's finances for five years. After the death of her father-in-law, who had once been the town mayor, she publicly admitted in front of the funeral altar that she had come to seek revenge. Unfortunately, after infiltrating the Wan family for twenty years, she had never discovered any wrongdoing in her bedmate or any member of this family. They wouldn't even accept particularly valuable gifts, not even from students or those who had received their kindness and wanted to repay it.
A phrase the Wan family often said was, "The best way to repay is to spread this sincere heart to more people." They didn't want those they helped to repay them; instead, they hoped that after receiving help, those people would go on to help others. If this spirit was passed down through generations, then the Wan family's descendants would also be among the beneficiaries.
That girl couldn't bear the guilt, and combined with the death of an elder she genuinely respected, she admitted her impure motives.
However, the Wan family easily forgave her. The head of the family at the time gave two reasons.
First, the girl had received a favor and wanted to seek justice for her benefactor—she was a person with a conscience.
Second, although the girl had come with the purpose of revenge, she hadn't been blinded by hatred. She had spent twenty years in the Wan family and managed the household accounts. It would have been too easy for her to manipulate things. She didn't do so but instead confessed openly, proving she was a person with principles.
Having a conscience and principles already made her a good person.
So the Wan family forgave her.
But the Wan family didn't keep her. Not for any other reason, but because she had pursued revenge one-sidedly without first investigating whether that merchant had actually committed a crime. She had wasted time and emotions, and also hurt the Wan family's feelings. Even if both sides reconciled, they couldn't live together without lingering resentment. So she had to leave.
After leaving the Wan family, that girl entered the welfare system. Six months later, her husband also left the Wan family, and the couple reunited.
Time passed, and although they never returned to live with the Wan family long-term, they never cut off contact.
This grudge was resolved in a peaceful manner.
It could be considered a beautiful story, but to protect that girl, those in the know didn't publicize it widely. Although decades had passed, it remained a vivid chapter in the hearts of those who knew.
From this story and the rumors about the Wan family, it seemed their spirit had indeed been passed down. This had even attracted some players to voluntarily protect them—people like that were indeed worth protecting.
"They're like mascots," the Painting Woman, who had been listening to the story, said after a moment of thought.
Xu Huo smiled. The Wan family could indeed serve as a spiritual symbol. Those connected to them naturally felt respect, but in the extension of these relationships, there were bound to be conflicts of interest. Most Wan family members stayed in Cat Whisker Fruit Town and didn't go out. While becoming a symbol, they were also elevated to a higher position. In a sense, they had transcended the category of "human."
"Such pure people are rare, and to have a whole family of them—truly remarkable."
The Painting Woman tilted her head to look at him. "Could the Cat Whisker Fruit you're looking for be in their house? Why don't you go ask them for one?"
If he asked the Wan family directly, they might set up a journey to help him clear the instance.
"That's actually a good idea." Xu Huo clapped his hands, released the journalists from hypnosis, and walked out. "Original instance members assisting players can also lead to clearance."
He had been an instance holder before. Even the Instance Boss could go easy on players, so the people in the instance should be able to as well.
The Wan family was quite surprised by his second visit, but after learning his intention, the young man readily gave him a gift box. Inside, besides the Cat Whisker Fruit, there were other presents.
"This is a return gift for distant guests who can't attend. It just so happens someone needs to deliver it." The young man confessed openly. "But quite a few people have already offered to help send return gifts, so this probably won't help you clear the instance."
"No problem." Xu Huo smiled. "I'm free anyway."