Chapter 56: Boom

As they were about to drive past Qiaoxi Village, Third Uncle turned his head to look outside. Only after they had driven well past did he say, “Qiaoxi Village has really changed a lot. Even the garbage pile outside has been cleaned up nicely. I even saw people tiling the exterior walls of their houses. Do they really think Qiaoxi Village is guaranteed to be demolished?”

Chen Jin replied, “They believe it one minute and don’t the next, constantly jittery. They’re just waiting for a windfall. The young people are just hanging around the village. If the demolition happens, great, but if it doesn’t… Ah, no, no, no! It will happen! It must happen!”

Third Uncle echoed, “Yes! It must happen! What they do is their business, but we’ve got land and buildings there. If it gets demolished, we’ll make a fortune. Your third brother says you’re thinking of buying a luxury car?”

“Haha, I was just talking. I’ll see how things go.” Chen Jin felt she was still a bit frugal. If a luxury car cost over a million, she wasn’t sure she’d still feel like buying it once she got to the dealership.

As for the 2.3 million she had invested with her eldest uncle, the outcome was still uncertain and needed to be watched. But the location was good, so it wouldn’t be a total loss. Mainly, her eldest uncle had mentioned that they should hold onto any profits they made from the investment because he wanted to dabble in the land in the outskirts of the southern district again… She didn’t have much business sense, so she figured she’d just follow her uncle’s lead and reap the benefits.

But since that money was already allocated, she didn’t have enough left to splurge on a luxury car. So, she hoped Cheng Group would hurry up and make a move, demolishing Qiaoxi Village as soon as possible!

Oh right! And there was her peach orchard!

Speaking of the peach orchard, when her mother had brought her back to settle in Qiaodong Village, they had been given very little farmland. The village had decided to give them a large plot of wasteland on the west side of the village that wasn’t suitable for farming. Later, her grandparents gave their farmland to her and her mother, so that wasteland was left unused until four years ago when her mother began clearing it. The plan had been to plant lychee trees to expand their orchard. But her mother got too busy and never managed to plant the lychee trees, and then her eldest uncle convinced her to plant peach trees instead…

It seemed fate had opened all the doors and windows for her regarding this demolition.

Heh heh heh!

If Third Uncle weren’t in the car, she would’ve shouted a few celebratory words.

Qiaodong Village’s demolition zone had been cordoned off, and there was the constant noise of construction. Two buildings had already risen from the ground. Chen Jin parked the car by the roadside and watched for a while. Those two buildings were at least fifteen stories high, and they were still being built, with red banners displaying various slogans hanging everywhere.

There was also a path leading to the village shrine and her family’s peach orchard, which was a bit wider than when she had visited during the Qingming Festival. Chen Jin drove along this path, encountering a few workers walking toward her, who curiously eyed her car.

Third Uncle said, “From now on, don’t come here alone when there’s nothing urgent. As for the planting, your eldest uncle and I will make arrangements and hire workers to do the job.”

“All kinds of people are around here now. It’s not just about a girl coming alone; even strong men might run into trouble.”

But since it was daytime and they were in the car, they weren’t too worried. He had just thought of the issue suddenly and realized they might have been a bit too impulsive today.

They had gotten too excited.

“Alright, I’ll leave everything in your hands, Uncle.”

The car drove around the peach orchard. Aside from their land, which was planted with peach trees, there were two other plots with only a few scattered fruit trees. These belonged to Uncle Chen’s family and the village’s old party secretary.

“Should we remind their two families? I’ll discuss it with your eldest uncle, but I’m worried that if we remind him, everyone will come to him asking for information channels. But if we don’t remind him, we’re all from the old Chen family, and if we plant the trees ourselves without saying a word, it will be awkward when we meet later.”

Chen Jin understood that if they kept the information completely under wraps without any reminders, by the time people reacted, their friendships would essentially be over. Many children from her generation were only children, unlike the previous generation who had a deep sense of identification with “family” and “hometown.” Her eldest and third uncles would definitely remind Fift Uncle Chen and the old secretary, but she didn’t know how far their reminders would go.

Once they arrived, Chen Jin felt that she and her third uncle were quite silly for making this trip just to take a look; now they couldn’t do anything at all.

However, she was genuinely happy. Even though she was starting work tomorrow, she still felt cheerful!

Driving over from the small Western-style house took more than two hours, and they ended up just hanging around for less than ten minutes before leaving. Chen Jin thought that since they had come all this way, they might as well explore the area a bit.

She drove to Mutang Village, where the construction progress was much slower than in Qiaodong Village. They had just begun laying the foundation, but standing on the main road, Chen Jin could see that Mutang Village was much larger compared to Qiaodong Village.

When Mutang Village was last demolished, basically all the land in the village had been included, even a small hill, and after that, there was nothing left to demolish or requisition.

On the way back, she detoured to Qiaoxi Village and drove straight to her own house at the end of the village.

As soon as Chen Jin entered, she saw her cousin Meng Chong and his mother, whom she had to call “Aunt.”

There were too many relatives in the family; she hadn’t fully figured out the terms of address until she was in middle school. At one point, she followed Chen Ting and Chen Jia in addressing people, but gradually she sorted out the family relationship map and rarely called someone by the wrong name unless she was unfamiliar with them.

With Aunt helping to watch the store, Meng Chong could spend more time managing their family’s several buildings, and occasionally, if something needed fixing, they would have to ask him.

Now that Meng Chong’s life had improved, their eldest uncle and the others were also happy.

However, Meng Chong was thinking about whether to rent a shop in the Jinxiu (splendid) Community from her. If Qiaoxi Village were to suddenly be demolished one day, his job here would vanish.

Chen Jin pondered for a moment and said, “Then I’ll keep the other shop for now. Even if this one continues to operate, you can ask your uncle to check out the shops in Jinxiu (splendid) Community. There’s already a small supermarket over there; you and your uncle can discuss what other business can be done.”

Meng Chong nodded in agreement.

Her third uncle wanted to check the family’s building, so Chen Jin strolled leisurely around the village with her hands behind her back.

The mahjong shop she had seen last time was gone. She didn’t know if it had been forcibly closed by the villagers or if the owner had relocated elsewhere.

Several shops that had started work before were now closed, and only one or two were still under renovation; the others had already been ventilated, and the front doors of the first floor also had rental signs hanging up. Chen Jin walked over to take a look; their rent was a bit more expensive than hers, basically all priced around 120.

However, those houses were now renovated and were larger than hers, so a higher price was reasonable.

Unknowingly, Chen Jin had walked to her grandfather’s house at the end of the village, just as Liu Yinan and Liu Yibei were coming out of the yard gate. The twin siblings rolled their eyes at her, and Chen Jin scoffed in disdain.

Just as she was about to turn back, Old man Liu spotted her and called her into the house.

“You’ve made it to the doorstep; why not take a few more steps inside and sit down? I won’t eat you, will I?” Old man Liu welcomed her to sit and asked if she wanted some watermelon.

“Well, since you asked, I’ll have some.” Chen Jin unceremoniously moved the electric fan closer to herself, glancing into the inner room. She didn’t see Liu Shisheng and Jiang Zijun, which suited her just fine.

With summer vacation on, had these two twins returned alone for the break? Quite surprising. Could it be that their parents couldn’t bring themselves to ask the old man for money and sent them back to build rapport instead? Were they really set on studying abroad?

It was no wonder Chen Jin thought this way; she had often seen these twins look down on their grandfather’s home in the village due to poor conditions. They didn’t seem like the type to come back just to visit Old man Liu.

“Yinan, Yibei, come eat watermelon,” Old man Liu waved to the twins standing outside the door, sighing inwardly. These two kids really didn’t know how to be considerate; they didn’t even know how to play nice. No matter what, Chen Jin was still their older sister. He had heard that Chen Jin treated her cousins from her maternal side really well.

To put it closer, she even specifically called to check on Meiying’s shop opening. Yet these two treated her like a complete stranger.

They didn’t stop to think that with their parents’ current salaries, could they really afford to send them abroad for study? Even if they gritted their teeth and sent one of them abroad, that would be the limit.

“You youngsters should have topics to discuss; communicate more,” Old man Liu felt he had truly worried himself sick. If it weren’t for the fact that these twins were his favorites among many grandchildren, he wouldn’t bother with these words.

Chen Jin shot him a glance and said, “I have nothing to talk about with them.”

She wasn’t someone who lacked affection, to the point where others could easily sway her with family ties.

Looking again at the irritated and glaring twins, she added, “I’m not familiar with you; if you need something, don’t come looking for me. I have no feelings for you. Don’t think that just because we share the same dad, I’ll sympathize with you. If I see you in trouble, I’ll just step on you a few times. Got it?”

Liu Yibei was almost brought to tears by her, his eyes red, “We don’t even need your help! What are you showing off for?”

So fragile; she hadn’t said anything harsh! Unless her words hit some nerves. Hey, were they really thinking about her? How shameless!

Chen Jin indeed began to show off, shaking her head and swinging her hips, “I have the ability to show off, and if you have the ability, you can show off too; no one is stopping you.”

“You have no skills at all! You’re just relying on what your mom left you; otherwise, what do you have to brag about?” Liu Yibei glared at her.

Chen Jin retorted confidently, “I have a good mom! Your mom not being capable is your problem, so go home and supervise her well. What’s going on? If you’re not improving yourself, why blame others for being capable?”

Chen Jin took another bite of watermelon, humming, “There’s nothing like a good mom in this world~”

“Let’s go. I can’t be bothered to talk to someone like her.” Liu Yinan, disliking Chen Jin, pulled his sister Liu Yibei and stormed out. But they were chased by Old man Liu, who reminded them to stay in the village.

Old man Liu was really helpless and looked at Chen Jin with a speechless expression.

If he said she had potential, she never behaved maturely or steadily; she always caused chaos as soon as she came home, like a monkey from a TV drama. But if he called her immature and irresponsible, she handled her own affairs with flair.

“Stop letting them annoy me in the future; otherwise, I’ll just keep talking about them next time,” Chen Jin suddenly sighed and said, “They’re just too useless; a few words and they can’t take it. Every day, they mimic their mom’s grievances; I really don’t understand. If they want my help, they should have the right attitude!”

Seeing Old man Liu looking over, Chen Jin added, “But they’re overthinking; I won’t help them. I have money that can be exchanged for gold; just tossing it in the water to make a sound makes me happy. Giving it to them? Absolutely not! If I give it today, my mom will come looking for me tonight.”

Old man Liu’s face darkened. “You came here just to show off to me? I know you have money, but you should keep some for yourself. Thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank; no one knows what will happen in the future. You should leave some room for others…”

“Tsk! It’s pointless for you to say that,” Chen Jin crossed her legs. “You should have told yourself that twenty years ago: thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west bank.”

Old man Liu opened his mouth, unable to find words to refute.

Because of the ugly divorce between his youngest son and Chen Jin’s mom, he couldn’t hold his head high in front of Chen Jin at all now. He wanted to be a bit tough, but with the demolition not progressing and the rent from several buildings looking substantial, it was Chen Jin who could invest and turn money into more money, making others envious.

Moreover, his youngest son had just brought up the idea of sending Yinan and Yibei abroad for studies, which would cost quite a bit. He definitely couldn’t take out that much money. If he really emptied his savings, the family would be split, and then his words would mean nothing.

Seeing he wasn’t happy, Chen Jin felt a bit better. However, she hadn’t come here specifically to annoy him.

“I’ve seen several families in the village splitting up; is your family going to split?”

Old man Liu huffed heavily, turning his head away to avoid looking at her smug expression. He knew she wouldn’t say anything nice afterward, so he remained silent.

“Oh, then I understand; your family doesn’t plan to split.” Chen Jin smiled, thinking this was the best outcome. Just anticipating the chaos in their family later made her happy.

She had another motive: worrying that if demolition really happened and she got a lot, the Liu family would get jealous and come to trouble her. But as long as they didn’t split up now, when demolition really happened later, their internal situation would be in disarray, and they would have no time to cause her trouble while competing over their shares.

She had it all planned; if Qiaoxi Village really went for demolition, she would definitely be the first to sign, grab the money, and run away.

“Why are you asking this?” Old man Liu suddenly sensed something was off. Could Chen Jin be someone who cares about family matters like splitting up? From her tone, it didn’t sound like she was here just to watch the fun; it seemed like she was confirming something. But why would she confirm this matter?

Chen Jin’s heart tightened, but her expression remained calm as she grabbed another piece of watermelon, averting her gaze.

She cursed the old fox in her heart for being so perceptive. Hmph! Let him guess! He won’t figure it out and can’t ask her, and she’d love to see him suffer in agony!

“By the way, why did you suddenly think of coming to the village today?” Old man Liu stared at her face, trying to find an answer.

“I have a large piece of land and several buildings here; don’t I need to come and take a look? The rent I collect every month is even higher than my salary; it’s important,” Chen Jin looked around at the house’s decorations; only the first floor where they lived was nicely decorated, while the other floors hadn’t even had tiles laid. Hey, when the time comes for demolition, the estimated value will definitely drop.

Old man Liu glared at her. “Always talking nonsense. Can’t you be honest with me?”

Chen Jin laughed. “What I said is the truth! I don’t understand your situation. You have to dissect every word for so much information. Are you saying that I mentioned Qiaoxi Village is going to be demolished?”

“I didn’t say it! I don’t know who said it. The village head and the village secretary have often gone to find your uncle; maybe the news came from him.”

“That’s impossible; my uncle couldn’t have any news.” The person with the news is her! Surprising, right?!

Chen Jin felt that what Liu Yibei had said earlier was true; she really was being smug.

“Enough talk; let’s go home.” As Chen Jin left, she snagged another piece of watermelon, holding her umbrella and eating as she walked, casually looking at the commotion in each house. Hearing someone arguing, she strolled over, and wow! A battle between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Tsk tsk, this family isn’t doing well; they only know how to thump their thighs and sing, dragging out ancient grievances. Watching it made her anxious. They didn’t have the fierceness of the fiery daughters-in-law from Qiaodong Village; those who could fight definitely wouldn’t just shout.

“Third Sister! Are you going home? What are you watching here?”

“Watching a play.” Unfortunately, judging from the current situation, this performance might not reach a conclusion by tonight. Chen Jin shook her head in disappointment and jogged after her third uncle toward the end of the village.

“Third Uncle, did you just go find the village head?”

“I didn’t look for him; he came to find me.” Third Uncle lowered his voice and said, “You should come to Qiaoxi Village less in the future. We’re going to plant fruit trees on the village land; they’ll definitely find out, and a bunch of people will want to come to ask us about it.”

“Fine, my vacation is also halfway over; once I’m back to work, I won’t have time to come over.” Some people might get so jealous they turn green with envy, though.

Chen Jin thought her father would call when he learned that people from Qiaodong Village were returning to plant fruit trees, but she didn’t expect the Liu family to come directly to the small western-style building to find her.

“You said you’re outside my community? Which community? Oh, the small western-style building? I’m not at the small western-style building; I’m currently staying at Hanlin Garden.” Chen Jin closed the main door of her house and returned to the pavilion in the backyard, continuing, “I’m really busy; you shouldn’t come looking for me.”

“What kind of fruit trees? Are they planting fruit trees in the village? I didn’t know that! Is there really such a thing? I’ll ask my uncle later. Why don’t you go find my uncle? I don’t know much about these things.”

“I’m not lying to you… Alright, alright, think whatever you want; if you want to wait at the door, then go ahead and wait.”

After hanging up the phone, Chen Jin placed her phone aside and smiled at Shen Bai Chuan, who was sitting diagonally across the fence. “Just a few unfamiliar people.”

Shen Bai Chuan asked, “Do you want me to go out and tell the gatekeeper not to let them in?”

“No need; the gatekeeper is quite diligent. If they see that there are too many people and they look like they’re causing trouble, they won’t let them in.” Chen Jin said, “Sorry for the trouble; they are just some relatives from my dad’s side and don’t really know how to behave.”

Did they really think Chen Jin was one of the Liu family? They even came to her house? Crazy!

Shen Bai Chuan understood, “Every family has a few troublesome relatives; I get it.”

Later, people from the Liu family called several more times. Chen Jin directly hung up and then called her cousin Meng Chong to ask what was going on in Qiaoxi Village.

“Today, someone suddenly found out that people from Qiaodong Village are planting fruit trees. It’s the son of your village chief, I think it’s Chen Wenzhen, who said this when he came to Qiaoxi Village looking for Liu Guangman. Now everyone in Qiaoxi Village knows that the land in Qiaodong Village is going to be expropriated.”

“Chen Wenzhen said your uncle has a lot of information channels, and he wants to get a piece of land in Qiaoxi Village to build a building…”

What a big mouth Chen Wenzhen has!

Chen Jin felt like she should just report him to the village chief!

But she only thought about it; the village chief is getting older, and she didn’t want him to get sick over Chen Wenzhen’s nonsense. Besides, Aunt Kexin might already be in touch with Chen Wenzhen’s wife, Zhang Meixian.

Hmph! He’ll get what’s coming to him!

Chen Jin called her uncle to ask about the situation and learned that the village chief and the village secretary had gone to her uncle’s company to confront him. Chen Jin took the opportunity to report that it was all Chen Wenzhen making trouble in Qiaoxi Village and also revealed Chen Wenzhen’s situation in Xiuli (beautiful) Community.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Jin touched her face; there was nothing on it.

Shen Bai Chuan smiled, “I found your life quite exciting.”

Chen Jin looked at him expectantly, “If my family’s peach orchard is expropriated and those buildings of mine are demolished, my life will be even more exciting.”