Chapter 34: Message

Chen Jin’s work was finalized. It only took half a day to fix some small issues pointed out by Professor Jiang and rewrite a new version. The final version of the thesis was finally complete.

Without waiting, she drove to the college the very next day with her thesis to find Professor Jiang. This time, it wasn’t sent back for revisions, and Chen Jin had almost completed her college tasks.

Professor Jiang didn’t mention her campaign for the position of college counselor but asked her to remind Yang Qian and Chen Lu to submit their theses as soon as she saw them.

Chen Jin nodded in agreement.

In reality, she hadn’t seen her two roommates in a long time. She had seen Chen Lu once when she returned to school last semester, but as for Yang Qian? Even though she lived on campus, it was rare to see her once a year. After all, in their fourth year, those who had completed their credits didn’t need to attend classes.

With her thesis submitted, a major task was completed. Chen Jin drove straight to Qiaoxi Village.

The weather was gradually warming up. She had worn a light jacket when she left in the morning, but by the time she arrived at Qiaoxi Village, it was already past 11 a.m., and wearing the jacket felt too warm.

This time, she noticed big changes in Qiaoxi Village. The garbage pile at the entrance had been cleared, and a row of large garbage bins had been placed there. A sign next to it read: “Littering will cost you your relocation share!”

Chen Jin slowed the car, chuckling at the sign. What a clever idea! They even came up with such a “vicious” slogan. No wonder the garbage bins were overflowing but not a single piece of trash was on the ground. However, the word “share” was written wrong—it should be “Point,” not “Share.” How could they leave a typo uncorrected? It must have been bothersome to see.

She drove into the village and parked in the open space in front of Old man Liu’s house. As soon as she got out, she noticed that Qiaoxi Village felt different: it was much cleaner and more hygienic than before. She used to always smell a foul odor like a drainage ditch, but now there was no unpleasant smell at all—there was even the faint scent of floral air freshener.

The village was quiet, and every household’s doors were closed. Not a single person, not even a dog, was in sight.

Yesterday, her grandfather had said that there was a village meeting at 8 a.m. today, but how could she make it that early? So, she had entrusted her cousin Meng Chong to attend on her behalf, and she only arrived at this time.

Just as she was wondering whether to go check the situation at the ancestral hall, she heard voices coming from up the village path. It was quite noisy, and people were talking about the issue of homestead land. Chen Jin stood still for a while, but the crowd hadn’t come closer, and instead, the noise was growing louder. Were they about to fight?

Raising an eyebrow, Chen Jin grabbed her small bag, slung it over her shoulder, locked the car, and strolled quickly toward the commotion to check it out.

She didn’t know exactly who was arguing, but she had a vague idea. It seemed to be the sons of one of her grandfather’s brothers. The two were yelling at each other, one claiming that a certain piece of land had been agreed upon to be given to him, while the other argued that since he took care of their parents, the land should go to him. What began as a quarrel between two brothers escalated into a fight between their families. Even some elders had started taking sides, making the argument even fiercer.

Chen Jin stood far away, outside the crowd, watching from the flowerbed in front of someone’s house. She crossed her arms, occasionally clicking her tongue or shaking her head, regretting that she hadn’t brought her camera today. She should’ve taken pictures to capture the scene because she felt her limited vocabulary couldn’t fully describe the lively scene in front of her.

Meng Chong had just finished attending the village meeting and was planning to stop by the small convenience store at the village entrance to buy some daily supplies. Ever since he had come to supervise the construction, he had moved in with his luggage and rented a nearby empty room to stay in, making it easier for him to monitor the house renovations every day. It also prevented anyone from thinking the house was unoccupied and attempting to vandalize it.

As soon as he came out, he saw a commotion.

It’s often said that money can make even the dead work for you. In his opinion, there’s no need to involve the dead—people simply can’t resist temptation. When there’s more money, their true intentions are revealed. Look at what’s happening now. The relocation process for Qiaoxi Village hasn’t even begun, and these brothers are already fighting. When the money actually arrives, who knows? Fathers and sons or husbands and wives might start fighting too.

The peaceful atmosphere in the village had only lasted for a short while. Everyone had worked together to improve the infrastructure, but now… everyone’s just minding their own business.

Hmm? Isn’t that his cousin Chen Jin standing on the flowerbed up ahead?

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed her.

This girl always gravitates toward anything exciting.

“Ahem.” Meng Chong bypassed the crowd and walked over to remind her, “You’d better get down. The old lady who lives here is very fierce. She’ll yell at anyone who even glances at her house, let alone if she sees you standing on her flowerbed.”

Chen Jin hurriedly jumped down. This wasn’t their Qiaodong village, and she was in a weak position. If she ended up getting into a shouting match with the old lady, she might suffer a loss. Best not to stir up trouble.

“Cousin, are they really having the meeting at eight?”

Meng Chong’s expression was hard to describe. “They said it was at eight, but it didn’t actually start until nine. They wasted an hour of my morning.”

“I knew it. How could they be so eager to hold a meeting?” Eight o’clock start, huh? It’s probably because Village Chief Liu Mantang knows how people in the village behave. So they say it’s at eight but actually plan for nine. By the time everyone drags themselves in, the meeting starts right at nine.

“What was the meeting about this morning?”

“They’re investigating the ownership of homestead plots in the village, making sure the ownership transfers are handled according to the law and regulations, including the issuance of property certificates. But now there’s a problem—those who’ve split the family are still living together. Back then, no one clearly divided the homestead, and now everyone is trying to claim a piece for themselves.”

“You didn’t really need to come. Your homestead and house don’t have any problems since you had a lawyer check everything at the time.”

“Now there’s talk in the village that eventually, Qiaoxi village will be demolished as well. The village chief has advised people not to sell their homestead plots, especially since some of the houses are not built according to regulations. The compensation for those houses may not be much, so people should consider whether to rebuild them soon.”

“Still, the villagers are skeptical. They worry that if they rebuild their houses but the demolition doesn’t happen, they’ll have wasted money building new ones and lost months of rental income.”

Chen Jin had a subtle expression. The village officials in Qiaoxi must really believe that her uncle had gotten some inside information.

Heavens, if the demolition doesn’t happen in the end, won’t these people be furious?

“Who started the rumor about the demolition? If it doesn’t end up happening, won’t people be furious at them?”

Meng Chong’s lips twitched slightly. “The village officials spread it. They said it came from Wenqiang’s uncle. Otherwise, how could he have such good fortune over and over? First, the demolition of Qiaodong village, and then the metro line being rerouted to the land he bought?”

“The village chief specifically asked why you didn’t come this morning. I told him you had to return to school. I think he’ll come by to see you later.”

“Fine, if he comes, he comes. I don’t have much to say anyway. If they really want to know, they can just go ask my uncle, can’t they?”

“They said Wenqiang’s uncle only gives polite, vague answers, and they can’t get any real information from him.”

Oh, so they think she, Chen Jin, is loose-lipped and will spill everything?

“You’re back!” Grandma Liu smiled warmly and waved at her. “I’ve made something delicious for you. Let’s go home. Your grandpa and dad are right behind us and will be home soon.”

Chen Jin felt a bit nauseous. Before their home was demolished, Grandma Liu’s feelings toward her seemed complicated. She was always nice enough to offer her food, but it didn’t necessarily mean she liked her all that much.

In the past, they used to look down on her mother for being uneducated, and now they don’t seem to like Liu Shisheng’s educated wife either. Their attitude is really hypocritical, and she couldn’t understand what they were really after.

“Cousin, let’s go eat together.”

Meng Chong glanced at Grandma Liu and quietly asked Chen Jin, “Are you worried they’ll cause trouble for you later? Maybe it’s better not to eat at their house.”

Chen Jin chuckled, “No, I’m not afraid of them causing trouble, don’t worry. Their food is actually pretty good, and it’s a nice extra meal for you, Cousin.”

“Alright then, I’ll go buy a few things first. I still need to check on the apartment later, but I’ll be back in time for the meal.” Meng Chong was still a little concerned. “Are you sure you’ll be fine on your own?”

Although Chen Jin had been one of the toughest kids in the village when she was younger, that was a long time ago, and now that she was older, a young woman might not fare as well in a confrontation.

Seeing his concern, Chen Jin sighed, “What’s there to worry about? They’re trying to get information from me. The last thing they’ll do is cause trouble; they probably want to treat me like a guest of honor.”

“Alright, then. Just make sure you’re back by around twelve-thirty for lunch.”

Chen Jin followed Grandma Liu to the Old man Liu house. Surprisingly, the place was clean and tidy, which was rare. She was feeling a bit hungry by now, so she casually went to the fridge to find something to eat and grabbed an orange from the table to slice open.

Not long after, three of her aunts and several cousins came back. When they saw her, they greeted her with smiles, asking about her well-being, reminding her of scenes in TV dramas where criminals are given a hearty meal before their execution. These people were buttering her up with kind words now, but soon, they’d probably be ready to interrogate her mercilessly.

Old man Liu and his four sons returned, and Liu Shisheng was also there. However, Jiang Zijun, Liu Yinan, and Liu Yibei didn’t come back with them. It wasn’t clear if it was because they couldn’t get time off from school, or if they knew they’d only end up being ridiculed in front of her. Even though there was news about the village possibly being demolished, they didn’t rush back this time.

As soon as Old man Liu got home, he asked someone to prepare lunch and even asked Chen Jin if she had anything she wanted to eat.

“Anything is fine. You all can decide. My cousin Meng Chong will be joining us for lunch later, so prepare an extra serving,” Chen Jin said without any hesitation, even offering Old man Liu some fruit. “This orange is pretty good. Is it from Ping County?”

Liu Shisheng looked at her with annoyance, letting out a disdainful snort, but completely ignored her. However, no one paid attention to his attitude. Old man Liu and his three sons smiled warmly, encouraging Chen Jin to eat more. They mentioned that they had bought plenty of oranges and that she could take some home later.

Just as they finished exchanging pleasantries, Village Chief Liu Mantang, along with the village party secretary and a few others, arrived. Old man Liu greeted them with a smile and invited them to stay for lunch as well.

Liu Mantang couldn’t sit still for even a minute. He got straight to the point, asking Chen Jin, “Chen Jin, can you give your uncle and me some inside information? Has your uncle gotten any updates? Do we have any idea when the demolition might happen?”

Chen Jin sighed and spread her hands. “I honestly don’t know. How could my uncle’s work involve me, just a student? Whatever he says, I just go along with it. I haven’t thought much about it.”

Seeing the disbelief on their faces, Chen Jin didn’t bother to explain further and continued, “My uncle’s really lucky, but if you think he has some secret source of information, you’re overthinking it. Otherwise, why didn’t he grab more land for himself before the demolition of Qiaodong Village?”

“And about the suburban development in the West District, that was just pure luck. It had been planned to build a subway line there, but who knew it would suddenly change routes? My uncle’s not an expert in that field.”

“I really don’t know anything. If you’re curious, go find my uncle at his company. You know the address, right? West District, Peace Road, No. 789. Do you need the phone number? I have the company’s contact.”

Liu Mantang and the others exchanged glances. What Chen Jin was saying matched what they’d heard from Chen Wenqiang, but they still didn’t fully believe it. They figured either Chen Wenqiang hadn’t told Chen Jin everything, or he was deliberately withholding information from her.

But then again, if Chen Wenqiang wasn’t telling her everything, would Chen Jin really just blindly follow his lead? Buying land, investing money without a second thought? She didn’t seem like the type to act without some confidence.

Liu Mantang gave a disdainful glance at Liu Shisheng. He couldn’t understand how Liu Shisheng had let his relationship with his own daughter deteriorate to the point where they seemed like strangers. And now, they couldn’t even rely on him to get any information from her.

People used to say that Liu Shisheng was living the good life, with both husband and wife being university professors. But that didn’t last long. Even though their jobs looked prestigious, they still had to rely on rent from the family property back home for extra income.

The tables sure turn, don’t they?

Chen Jin observed their reactions, cleared her throat, and said, “Although my uncle hasn’t received any news about demolition, he did share his analysis with me. Once Qiaodong Village and Mutang Village are converted into tech and industrial parks, there’ll be plenty of workers and white-collar employees around. Qiaoxi Village is close by, and building houses to rent out will be a great investment.”

“And don’t worry about pollution from the industrial areas nearby. Those factories in the suburbs might move to the Mutang area. The South District doesn’t have much space for expansion, and the city might target those suburban areas for development.”

After hearing her analysis, the group fell into deep thought.

Liu Mantang asked, “Did your uncle really say all that?”

Chen Jin nodded. “Yes, my uncle said it’s perfect to build houses for rent here.”

As for the possibility of demolition, she wasn’t going to say a word. If the demolition didn’t happen, they’d likely blame her uncle for misleading them. So it was best to frame everything as speculation. How they chose to act was up to them.

The village party secretary glanced at Liu Mantang and said, “What’s your family’s plan? I’m thinking of building on the empty plots we have. Chen Wenqiang’s reasoning makes sense. Whether or not there’s demolition, building houses now and renting them out will still generate income. Qiaodong Village has already laid foundations and started construction. I’d say there are at least a dozen buildings going up. Imagine how many companies will move here in the future.”

Indeed, if people started settling in, their properties wouldn’t sit vacant. Especially white-collar workers, who were more willing to pay for nicer rentals.

It suddenly made sense why Chen Wenqiang had designed the house for his niece the way he did. Each room had its own kitchen and bathroom, designed like city apartments. Once fully renovated, these rooms would be more attractive for renters, and she’d be able to charge higher rents.

But the question of whether to buy property in the city still remained. Families with the means would surely try to purchase homes in the city for the sake of their children’s education. Falling behind in that area would make it hard to compete with urban families in the future.

Chen Jin’s words had thrown the group into contemplation, and they no longer pressed her about the demolition.

Liu Mantang’s thoughts went further. If factories in the suburbs moved to Mutang Village, then the transportation between the city and the tech and industrial parks…

He suddenly thought of the newly rerouted subway line. Could it be that the government was focusing on developing the tech and industrial parks in the South District? Wouldn’t they consider building another subway line here in the future?

That seemed impossible!

The more his thoughts ran wild, the more excited Liu Mantang became. He began calculating how much land his family had left. After tallying it up, he realized half of it had been transferred to Chen Jin.

His initial excitement was dampened. He regretted letting himself be talked into transferring that land. If he hadn’t, he’d be able to build another large building by now!

And he wasn’t the only one with regrets. The party secretary and accountant, who had also transferred land to Chen Jin, shared the same sentiment.

Chen Jin could easily guess what they were thinking. They were probably wishing they hadn’t sold their land to her.

But they weren’t fools either. They must have thought about building houses to rent. They just didn’t have the cash on hand to construct new buildings. And even if they did, it would take a long time to recoup their investment through rental income.

When she bought the land, they might have even mocked her behind her back, thinking she was throwing away her money.

People will always have regrets no matter what choice they make. And if it turns out there’s no demolition, they’ll probably be relieved they sold the land to her after all.

It felt like she was here to give them a pep talk.

As lunch was being served, Chen Jin muttered about how her cousin Meng Chong still hadn’t arrived. Just as she said that, he walked in, carrying a bag of fruit.

Well, at least someone had the decency to bring something to eat.

Chen Jin invited him to sit and asked about the progress on the house renovations. Hearing that only the top floor remained, she felt a lot more at ease. But it turned out her original budget wouldn’t cover everything, and she’d need to pitch in a few more thousand for windows and basic furniture.

“Chen Jin, does your uncle’s land in the West District suburbs still need investors? Our family’s thinking about putting in some money,” Liu Mantang said.

The others quickly turned their attention to Chen Jin. It wasn’t just Liu Mantang. Everyone wanted a piece of the action. Chen Wenqiang’s luck was simply too good. That piece of land he had was right next to the new subway line. Whether it became residential or commercial, the profits would multiply. That land had already quadrupled in value.

Chen Jin lightly snorted and said, “How could these people only come to ask me about the demolition of Qiaoxi Village? They must be trying to see if they can get in line behind my uncle for some benefits.”

“I don’t know about that. Why do you keep asking me about my uncle’s company? I’m my uncle’s niece, not his daughter. How would I know anything about his business?”

Didn’t they want to ask Chen Wenqiang instead? But they couldn’t reach him. Chen Wenqiang probably still held a grudge over the divorce between Chen Fang and Liu Shisheng, so he didn’t care much for the Liu family from Qiaoxi Village.

Not to mention Chen Wenqiang; he looked at Chen Jin and felt no affection for the Liu family either.

Then he glanced at the silent Liu Shisheng, feeling even more displeased. After all, he was a college professor; people his age who entered the workforce after college were thriving. Why was Liu Shisheng only coasting along with a nice title? He hadn’t seen any real benefits. Or maybe he was hiding his talents?

Liu Mantang chuckled and changed the subject, asking Chen Jin if she had confirmed her job assignment.

Liu Shisheng also glanced at Chen Jin, who had graduated from Nanda University. He was curious about which system she would join.

“Confirmed! I’m staying at school as a counselor.”

Liu Shisheng frowned. “Is that all you got? What future is there in being a counselor? You should at least aim for a city-level position…”

Chen Jin rolled her eyes dramatically. “At least a city-level position? Do you think those jobs are plentiful? It’s 1994, not 1984.”

“Mind your own business and stop meddling in mine. I don’t need the money; it doesn’t matter where I work.”

“You should worry about your own family instead. When your two kids graduate, whether college students are guaranteed assignments will be a big question.”

The trend was shifting toward mutual selection between employers and students, and soon, wouldn’t students have to find jobs on their own? Chen Jin thought it was indeed likely.

With so many state-owned enterprises shutting down in recent years, there were plenty of unemployed people. Government positions weren’t always in high demand either. Where would all these college graduates be assigned? The state couldn’t possibly just shove them into private companies, could they? If they went to private companies, that would mean college students finding jobs on their own.

Teachers had also mentioned that college graduates might become less valuable in the future, so they encouraged students to continue their studies if possible. Chen Jin had been tempted at first but quickly dismissed the idea; she didn’t want to overburden herself.

Liu Shisheng really wanted to slap himself: Why did he have to say so much?

He was practically offering his face up to let Chen Jin slap him from a distance.

Unbeknownst to Chen Jin, her trip to Qiaoxi Village had secured several small contracts for the construction foremen under her uncle.

Three days after Chen Jin returned from Qiaoxi Village, her uncle called to tell her that they were busy building and renovating the residential sites there.

“They’re too eager. The tech park and industrial park won’t be ready for residents until next year.”

“Maybe they’re hoping to finish the demolition in time,” Chen Jin laughed. “Uncle, did you get any inside info? If there is, I’m going to order a luxury car.”

Her uncle immediately scolded her for dreaming, “Don’t daydream in broad daylight; just drive your Santana properly.”

Chen Jin wasn’t disappointed. “Fine, I can wait a bit longer for the luxury car.”

“Oh, by the way, Uncle, are we going with the other families from the village this Tomb-Sweeping Day?”

“I heard we are. Just wait for the village chief to notify you. In the meantime, stay home. Your second brother said you wanted to go to Shenzhen? You can go; your aunt will go to Hong Kong soon and will stop in Guangzhou and Shenzhen first. You can tag along and have some fun.”

Chen Jin jumped up in excitement, “Really? Is Aunt going alone? Who else is going? Do we need to arrange anything in advance for Hong Kong?”

“No need to rush; wait until Tomb-Sweeping Day to ask your aunt. Just join a travel group, and you won’t have to worry about it.”

It would be great to go on a trip this semester. Once she graduated, she’d start working in July, and the counselor’s summer break was different from the students’.

Just thinking about going out with her aunt made Chen Jin so happy that she wanted to skip around while watering the flowers in her front and back yards.

The flowers at Professor Song’s and Shen Baichuan’s homes were well-kept, but her own flowers in the middle looked like they were drained of spirit by some monster, drooping and wilting.

“Plants also need fertilizer. I have some extra at home; do you want some?”

Shen Baichuan couldn’t stand it anymore; Chen Jin’s plants looked like they had been through a calamity. He had seen her wandering around her front and back yards but hadn’t realized they had become so neglected.

Chen Jin had no idea that growing flowers needed fertilizer. Back when she was in Qiaodong Village, the flowers in pots grew well without any. But she did know when to fertilize and treat fruit trees.

Suddenly, she thought about switching her flowers for fruit trees. However, that might spoil the aesthetics.

Shen Baichuan shared some tips on planting flowers with her.

Chen Jin watched him warily: Is Shen Baichuan really that kind-hearted?

Her first impression of Shen Baichuan had been when they first met at the courtyard gate; he had walked out of the small Western-style building with a distant gaze and coldly glanced at her. At that moment, she thought he didn’t seem like an easy person to get along with.

“Thanks, Teacher Shen. I can just go find Professor Song for it. Thank you!” Chen Jin quickly slipped away as if her feet were greased.

In the next yard, Shen Baichuan frowned and touched his face, perplexed: Does he really look frightening? Why does she always avoid him?

From that day on, Chen Jin began to notice that her encounters with the neighbor increased.

Sometimes, while she was at home tending to her plants, she would often run into Shen Baichuan as he strolled by. Other times, when she left home for breakfast, she’d see him jogging around the small Western-style building. There were also times when she planned to drive out, and he happened to be leaving as well.

It’s impolite not to greet someone upon meeting, but after a few hellos, Shen Baichuan suddenly said, “We’re colleagues now, so just call me by my name.”

She was lost in thought when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Looking up, she saw her cousin Chen Yongfei, whom she hadn’t seen since their trip to Beijing.

“I heard you quit your job and went back home? What are you planning to do now?”

“I haven’t decided yet, just taking a look for now.” Chen Yongfei mimicked her, pulling up his pant legs and squatting down to watch the elders cut grass with sickles and then use iron shovels to dig out the roots.

“What were you thinking about just now?”

“I was thinking about going out with Auntie in a while. Since you’re not working anymore, why don’t you come along?”

Chen Yongfei didn’t reply, instead staring at her intently for a long time. “You’re definitely lying. You’re not thinking about men, are you?”

“Also? Which man am I thinking about? Chen Ting?” As Chen Jin spoke, she turned her head from side to side, only to realize something was off. “Didn’t she say she was on a regular break for Qingming? Isn’t she coming to pay respects?”

This morning, the entire village first returned to Qiaodong Village to clean the ancestral graves in the land east of the village, then drove to a cemetery in Ping County to pay their respects. They said it was for the old ancestors of the Chen family, who used to hold official positions. Not only were Chen family members from Qiaodong Village there, but also those from a Chen family in another village in Ping County. Normally, they didn’t keep in touch, but at this moment, it felt as if everyone was particularly close like brothers.

As Uncle would say, although the big family has branched out, when they go out to do business, the people with the last name Chen are still family.

Chen Yongfei sighed. “She wants to be with her senior brother, but she’s worried that if she does, Uncle and Auntie and her older and younger brothers won’t care about her anymore. She’s really torn about it.”

Chen Jin responded with an “oh.”

She didn’t have such worries.

“Well, she should have come today. Maybe after paying respects to the ancestors, she’ll realize she should choose family over outside men.”

Chen Yongfei smiled and patted her shoulder. “Our Third Sister is clear-headed.”