Chapter 35: Dry Rack

After the Qingming tomb-sweeping, another weekend following Qingming, Village Chief Chen Guangman planned to organize a gathering for Qiaodong Village. This event would also celebrate his 59th birthday, for which he specifically reserved a newly opened restaurant in the West District.

Chen Jin was now living alone, and she received a separate invitation that simply stated “Ms. Chen Jin.”

Compared to the old branch secretary, the village chief was truly the stabilizing force of the village, and there was a reason everyone respected him. When the village chief sent out the invitations, almost no one declined.

Chen Jin confirmed her travel plans with Aunt to go to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Not only would she be going, but her cousin Chen Yongfei would also join. Aunt had hired a familiar tour guide, and when they went to Hong Kong, they would have to join a tour group.

There was nothing else for her to worry about; Aunt only asked her to prepare her own luggage for the trip, which was set to depart in mid-April.

One afternoon during the week, Chen Jia came to find her. Chen Jin had no classes after the afternoon session and, not wanting to stay with her annoying roommates, went out to meet Chen Jia.

When she heard that Chen Jin was leaving in mid-April for at least half a month, Chen Jia rolled on the sofa with envy. She wanted to go as well, but being a sophomore, she was currently busy with her coursework. She only had one class that Thursday afternoon, while the rest of her schedule was packed. Even when she didn’t have class, she had to work on the assignments given by her teachers.

Chen Jia lingered until after eight o’clock in the evening. Chen Jin walked her back to the school gate. On her way home, she bought some marinated snacks and wandered along, only to see Shen Bai Chuan standing at the entrance of the community. She didn’t know who he was waiting for, and after a moment of curiosity, she nodded at him when he looked over and walked past him at a distance.

Thinking of Chen Jia’s gloomy expression earlier in the afternoon, Chen Jin felt she should have a good talk with her second aunt.

Coincidentally, this weekend was the village chief’s birthday celebration.

After picking up Chen Jia, they set off together.

They met everyone at the restaurant entrance before going inside. While Chen Jia went out to use the restroom, Chen Jin took the opportunity to mention to her second aunt that she should have a proper chat with Chen Jia about whether she didn’t want to stay in the dorm anymore. If that was the case, her parents could apply for her to live with Chen Jin instead.

Her second aunt frowned. “I’ve heard her mention a few times that there’s a difficult roommate in the dorm who might tamper with locks, and some of her things have been moved to your place. But I thought it wasn’t that serious.”

“I noticed Chen Jia seemed down when she came to my place. It might not just be about the dorm; there could be other issues as well. I asked her about it, but she wouldn’t tell me. Second Aunt, could you ask her friends who are closer to her to find out what’s going on?”

After all, her relationship with Chen Jia wasn’t particularly close. Chen Jia had her own good friends, and she might also be afraid that if she shared some little secrets with Chen Jin, she would tell her second uncle and second aunt.

At times like this, she often thought about how it would be nice if her cousin and male cousin were girls; then she would definitely have a good girlfriend with whom she could share everything.

Her second aunt listened and said she would find out more about the situation when she got back.

Chen Jin didn’t dare to suggest that her second aunt ask Chen Jia to take care of things, especially since Chen Jin was currently at home and would be going on a long trip with her sister-in-law in a few days. Once she started working, there would be many things to handle, and Chen Jin probably wouldn’t have much time.

Chen Yongfei noticed that Chen Jin had just looked at him with a sigh of regret and found it puzzling. He reached out and patted her head, “Are you cursing me in your heart again?”

“Pfft, am I that kind of person?” Chen Jin swatted his hand away. She glanced at Chen Yongan, who had caught a moment to close his eyes and rest, feeling sympathetic. Back when she was in her senior year of high school, people thought she was just going to school normally, but when no one was watching, she was studying hard every day. Those days, where it felt like she was always studying, made her feel dizzy just thinking about them.

She decided to help Chen Yongan by giving him a few more shrimp to boost his brainpower.

Compared to the extravagant banquet held by Old Man Zhang last time, the village chief’s birthday feast was much simpler. This newly opened restaurant was nothing special and hadn’t made a name for itself yet. It looked quite ordinary, but it was said that the chef was hired from a high-end hotel, and the food was definitely not inferior to that of famous big restaurants.

The village chief wasn’t the type to waste words. He arrived early with his two sons and two grandsons to greet guests at the entrance of the restaurant. Once it was time, he instructed the staff to start serving the dishes, without taking the microphone to say a few words on stage.

But this gathering wasn’t just about eating; the village chief had arranged two tables for the heads of each household in the village to sit at. Everyone knew the village chief wanted to have a discussion.

Chen Jin was initially engaged in a lively conversation with her cousin Chen Yongfei about what to bring for their half-month trip. Just then, her shoulder was tapped, and her uncle came over to call her to sit at another table, where the village chief had arranged a spot for her.

Chen Jin pointed at herself, “Me? Over there?”

With a bunch of older men at that table, she wondered whether she should drink when they did or not.

As she pondered this, she saw Aunt Zhou boldly go over to sit down, which made her feel less conflicted. She followed her uncle and sat next to Aunt Zhou.

For some reason, even though Aunt Zhou could be a bit fierce at times, Chen Jin felt a sense of security being next to her. Moreover, to be a bit cheeky, she thought Aunt Zhou actually liked her. Many times, Aunt Zhou had helped her vent her frustrations.

Seeing Aunt Zhou at this table, Chen Wenxing didn’t dare to join them and could only move to the nearby table instead.

However, he felt there was a significant “difference” between the two tables, and the one with Aunt Zhou seemed more promising.

At Chen Jin’s table, she sat with her three uncles, the former village chief, Chen Wensong, Chen Wushu, and others, all of whom leaned towards doing business or had considerable assets.

Chen Wenxing wanted to squeeze over, believing that talking to such people might lead to opportunities for wealth.

As soon as everyone settled down, they began to inquire about whether her uncle needed any financial help for the land he had. They all said they were brothers from the old Chen family and could spare some money to lend a hand. Her uncle didn’t respond to this but instead asked how Chen Wensong’s land was planned.

At this point, everyone’s attention shifted slightly from her uncle. It wasn’t just her uncle buying land in the suburban area; Chen Wensong and Chen Wenzhen were also involved, and their land positions weren’t bad either, just smaller in size.

Chen Jin didn’t understand why she had been called over. Although her family only had her left, and she was the representative, her uncles were present, making her presence seem unnecessary.

Plus, it was delaying her meal.

Aunt Zhou, however, was at ease. Every time a new dish was served, she helped herself and effortlessly filled Chen Jin’s plate, whispering to her, “While they’re boasting, we should eat.”

Chen Jin held a fried duck jaw and asked, “Which of those is bragging?”

Aunt Zhou glanced at the beaming and eloquent Chen Wensong across the table, smiled meaningfully, and said quietly, “Don’t be fooled by Chen Wensong’s air of confidence. Not long ago, he went to beautiful Community to confront Jiang Kexin, trying to reclaim half of a building. He claimed there were issues with the property division at the time, acting tough for less than three minutes before pretending to be pitiful, hoping Jiang Kexin would divide half of the building for him out of respect for Chen Yue. Now he has the land but no money to build a house; his father’s money was mostly given to his brother, and he’s not sure how much is left. He’s worried about future retirement and won’t take all the money out for Chen Wensong.”

“Don’t you think his retribution came quickly? Just last year, he said Jiang Kexin was foolish, believing that once his assets doubled, he could buy several buildings in beautiful Community. Ha! Now he can barely buy a single floor.”

“Last week, when we went back to sweep the tombs, Chen Wensong wanted to call Chen Yue to come back, but he couldn’t find her at all. He then went to beautiful Community to confront Jiang Kexin, and the police were called on him for threatening her and trying to rob her. But he wasn’t detained for long; they released him the same day.”

When Aunt Zhou mentioned that Chen Wensong hadn’t been held for long, her tone carried a hint of regret.

Amidst all this gossip, Chen Jin found the fried duck jaw at the restaurant especially delicious. She took a few bites and washed it down with a sip of cola. This meal was simply delightful!

“Aunt Zhou, do you have any more gossip? Please tell me more.”

“Oh, there’s plenty more!” Aunt Zhou crossed her legs, poured herself a glass of orange juice, and took a sip to clear her throat. After looking around cautiously, she said, “I saw Chen Wenzhen drop off a young woman at the beautiful Community the other day. If I hadn’t gone out in the middle of the night to take out the trash, I wouldn’t have seen that excitement.”

Chen Jin thought Aunt Zhou had some incredible luck for catching such gossip—who goes out to take out the trash in the middle of the night? But Aunt Zhou did, and just happened to run into Chen Wenzhen.

At that moment, Chen Wenzhen’s voice rang out behind them, startling Chen Jin, who jumped slightly. Aunt Zhou, however, remained calm and composed, as if she hadn’t just shared that juicy tidbit about Chen Wenzhen.

Chen Wenzhen and Chen Wenhao, the two brothers, were moving from table to table with the village chief to toast. They happened to walk behind Chen Jin and Aunt Zhou, who exchanged a glance that lacked any real understanding, both falling silent.

Only Chen Jin had a little horn in her heart shouting: Is Chen Wenzhen having an affair? Is he following Chen Wensong’s lead and keeping a mistress? If the village chief finds out, will he really break his legs?

Unexpectedly, beautiful Community had also become a gathering point for gossip in Qiaodong Village.

“Everyone eat and drink well!” The village chief and his companions turned to their table, encouraging them to take their time with the meal and mentioning that he would come back to chat with them later. He specifically pointed out Chen Jin, saying, “Third Sister, you should also listen to your uncles and cousins about their business; it might give you some ideas for investing your money in the future.”

Chen Jin smiled and nodded. But how much money does she have now? Not much at all. If she invested it, she’d have to worry about whether she could live well in the future.

As soon as the village chief left, Aunt Zhou began whispering again, “Don’t listen to people talking about investing. I think if you have money, just listen to how your uncle is investing. I trust your uncle’s business sense. Those others who run small businesses think they are big bosses but don’t really understand the situation.”

“Hey, who were we just talking about?”

“Chen Wenzhen.” Chen Jin leaned closer, covering her mouth with her hand, and whispered in a hushed tone.

“Oh right, we were talking about him. It’s just the same old story.” Aunt Zhou’s rationality wasn’t overwhelmed by gossip; she knew it wouldn’t be wise to speak too much about Chen Wenzhen’s affairs here. If anyone from the village chief’s family overheard, she might as well stop attending any events in Qiaodong Village from now on.

So Aunt Zhou switched to discussing something else.

“Last time, Aunt Chen snuck back to handle the housing issue. She got the house, but now she doesn’t dare show her face. She paid Uncle Chen to help find a renovation company and plans to rent it out. She’s hiding everywhere and doesn’t dare come back easily. What’s the point of that?”

“The good thing is, Chen Yongqiang doesn’t dare gamble anymore. But even if he did, he probably wouldn’t have any money left.”

“And then there’s your uncle.”

Chen Jin straightened her back. How could her uncle be involved in this?

“Your uncle used to encourage everyone to build extra rooms, and now he’s gotten a good piece of land. So people are saying he has insider information. But your uncle insists he doesn’t know anything, and now some people are saying he knows about the news but isn’t helping the village. These people really have no shame…”

So that’s the kind of gossip there was; it wasn’t anything serious. Chen Jin let out a sigh of relief.

“People like that aren’t worth paying attention to. It doesn’t matter whether he helps or not; he just wants to benefit himself. Besides, my uncle really doesn’t know anything.”

“Whatever, whether he knows or not has nothing to do with us. None of us can run a big business. We’re just running a fruit shop, collecting rent honestly. That’s enough to live comfortably.”

“Exactly! If you don’t have the skills, it’s best to stick to what you know. If you try to run a business and end up losing everything, that’s the end of it.”

No wonder she and Aunt Zhou got along so well; their financial outlook was quite similar.

As the banquet reached its end, the village chief brought Chen Wenzhen and Chen Wenhao over to their table. When Chen Jin saw this, she was about to give up her seat as she was the youngest present, but the village chief stopped her and told her to stay. In the end, everyone shifted around, making some space, and people from the next table also joined in.

This didn’t feel like the village chief’s birthday banquet but more like a “business meeting” for Qiaodong Village.

Chen Jin listened as they chatted without any focus, discussing the suburban area of West District, then beautiful Community, and finally mentioning the tech and industrial parks being developed in Nancheng, inevitably bringing up Qiaoxi Village.

It was a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

But eventually, they ended up discussing a major collaborative project: they were planning to partner up and see if the factories in the suburbs of Nancheng would move to the industrial park, and then pool their money together to acquire several factories in the Nancheng suburbs.

Thinking back to last week during Tomb Sweeping Day, her uncle had said, “When out in the world, the Chen family should band together to do business to pave the way.” Perhaps this was what he meant.

However, whether this collaboration would work was still up for debate. Who knew if the factories in the suburbs of Nancheng would actually move? Even if the collaboration succeeded… Chen Jin glanced at her uncle and the village chief, realizing that it was really just her uncle and the village chief who still had the financial means to be the main contributors; everyone else was just tagging along.

Chen Jin looked at the village chief, who had quite a few gray hairs. She wondered why he had specially organized everyone to discuss the collaboration.

Just then, the village chief’s sharp gaze swept over to her. Upon seeing her, he smiled kindly.

Well, when it really came time for everyone in the village to invest money, she would see how much she could contribute. After all, she had already invested 2.3 million in her uncle’s business and added another 80,000 for the renovation of a self-built house in Qiaoxi Village. She now had less than 600,000 left in her bank account.

But despite her frequent shopping, she really didn’t need to spend her savings. She didn’t go out and spend large sums every month; the rent she collected was more than enough for her expenses, leaving her with some savings. This would come in handy for larger expenditures, like her travel costs in the latter half of this month.

In fact, if she ever ran out of money, she could sell her Hanlin Garden apartment.

As the banquet ended and Chen Jin went downstairs, her third cousin caught up with her and asked, “What were you guys chatting about at that table?”

Chen Jin relayed the village chief’s proposal for a collaborative investment in buying land, then joked, “You’ll definitely hear about it from San Jiu when he gets home. He’ll give you a more detailed account than I can.”

“Hey, wait a minute.” Chen Yongfei stopped her, squinting across the road.

Chen Jin also looked over, but she didn’t see anything unusual until Chen Yongfei cursed, “Damn it!” and angrily walked across the street. Chen Jin sensed something was off and quickly called out to the others, “Big brother, second brother, come help!”

Honestly, she didn’t know what they were going to help with, but her third cousin’s attitude clearly indicated that he was ready to start a fight.

In her fluster, she hurried after him. Chen Yongcheng and Chen Yongxin had been talking with their dad and two uncles. When they realized what was happening, they only saw Chen Jin rushing across the street and were about to ask what was wrong when they saw across the road that Chen Yongfei had punched their little uncle Zhang Leye.

Immediately after, Chen Yongfei received a punch from Zhang Leye as well. A woman nearby tried to pull Chen Yongfei away, but Chen Jin arrived just in time to grab her by the hair and pull her back…

What was happening?! Their little brother and sister were fighting with outsiders!

Without hesitation, Chen Yongcheng and Chen Yongxin dodged the cars on the road and ran over. Seeing that Chen Jin wasn’t getting hurt, they didn’t care about the details and first punched Zhang Leye a few times before pulling him away. By the time they managed to control the situation, their parents had rushed over.

Zhang Leye hadn’t expected to run into Chen Kui’s in-laws. After suddenly being punched by Chen Yongfei, he didn’t see who it was and threw a punch back, but he was quickly beaten several times by the additional people and now bent over in pain.

As soon as he saw the several angry brothers-in-law, Zhang Leye felt guilty and weak, repeatedly saying it was a misunderstanding. However, the heavily made-up woman behind him was still cursing them for hitting her man. The situation was clear to everyone.

Chen Jin had just grabbed this woman’s hair to prevent her from rushing in to start a fight. Suddenly, she violently swung her arm, scratching her own arm with her long nails. Chen Jin felt the pain and was about to retaliate when, with a couple of loud slaps, his third aunt-in-law helped her take revenge.

“What do you mean, ‘your man’? Zhang Leye is a man in his second marriage, with kids from his first wife, and now he’s registered to marry my sister. What kind of woman are you to him? He hasn’t resurrected his dead wife, has he?”

“No, it’s a misunderstanding! Big brother, second brother, third brother, it really is a misunderstanding. We were just old classmates who happened to run into each other and decided to have a meal together.”

“Bullshit! Are you kidding me? Do you think I’m blind? Can classmates hug and kiss each other like that? You two are just a perfect match, right?” Chen Yongfei touched his swollen mouth corner, hissing from the pain. Anger boiled up inside him; that dog Zhang Leye, now that he’s wealthy, thinks he can fool around outside? Does he think the Chen family is a bunch of pushovers?

Seeing there was no way to argue back, Zhang Leye simply fell silent, maintaining the same look of being honest and guileless as before, but that was enough to make him sickening.

The third uncle was so furious he was almost gasping for breath. After enduring it again and again, he gritted his teeth and said, “You need to go back now and explain this clearly in front of your dad. If you really don’t want to be with Chen Kui anymore, then get a divorce early to make space for your old classmate!”

The woman behind him brightened up.

She had just heard Zhang Leye refer to these people and realized her earlier words had hit a nerve. They had deliberately chosen a street not far from Wanmin Square, thinking it wouldn’t be as crowded and that fewer people would be around, but they didn’t expect to run into Chen Kui’s family here as well.

She and Zhang Leye had been classmates in middle school. He had pursued her back then, but Zhang Leye came from a rural background and his family wasn’t well-off. She lived in the suburbs, closer to the city center, and at the time, she had better options and hadn’t considered him at all.

Over the years, their connections hadn’t completely faded. She was always able to learn about Zhang Leye’s situation from her former classmates. For example, he had gone on a blind date and married, but a few years later, his wife passed away, leaving behind two children, and within two years, he remarried.

There shouldn’t have been any intersection between them, but a while ago, some former classmates suddenly organized a reunion. Zhang Leye arrived in a small car, wearing a tie and a suit, looking like he had achieved great success. She thought he had made a fortune in business, but through some conversation, she learned that Zhang Leye’s family had been relocated, and they received over ten million in compensation.

Over ten million! After saving for all these years, she hadn’t even managed to save up ten thousand and was in debt. Raising two sons on her own was not easy.

At first, she didn’t think too much about it and only wanted to borrow some money from Zhang Leye to get by. However, when he came to find her a few times, she realized he still had feelings for her. That’s when other thoughts began to emerge: what if she married Zhang Leye? That compensation could also be hers. Moreover, Zhang Leye lived in Hanlin Garden! And he didn’t live with his parents and brothers!

With these conditions, it was really hard not to be tempted.

She hadn’t heard Zhang Leye mention his current wife much, and it was said there wasn’t much affection between them. Now that his wife’s family agreed to the divorce, she was certainly pleased; it would be best if they divorced today, allowing her to marry Zhang Leye sooner.

With that, would she still need to worry about her two sons buying houses and finding wives? Even a little support from the Zhang family would be enough for them to buy a small apartment.

At first, Zhang Leye felt guilty, but when he heard Chen Kui’s older brother say, “If it’s unbearable, just get a divorce,” he felt a surge of blood rush to his head. He recalled how he had chased his first love in vain and realized that his relationship with Chen Kui had just been cohabitation without any real feelings. They didn’t even have children, so mentioning divorce didn’t seem strange to him.

“Then let’s divorce!”

He had long wanted to stop living with Chen Kui. His two kids didn’t like her, and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law didn’t get along with her well either. Moreover, now that Chen Kui’s family had also been relocated and had money, they often threw tantrums at him and the kids. He could see that Chen Kui didn’t want to continue their life together either.

Perfect; they could divorce and go their separate ways!

His third aunt couldn’t hold back and slapped Zhang Leye twice. “No wonder Zhang Bai and Zhang Xue are ungrateful; it turns out they learned it from you! When Chen Kui took care of your old and young, why didn’t you say you wanted a divorce? Now that you have money, you turn your back, huh?”

“You trash, do you think just saying you want a divorce means it’s over? You better settle the compensation from these years; otherwise, just wait and see!”

“Don’t waste your breath on him; he’s a worthless coward! What he says doesn’t count for anything! Go talk to Old Man Zhang!” The eldest uncle scolded as he led the group away, turning back to warn, “You better go home now. If we can’t find you later, you’ll regret it!”

Chen Yongfei was still furious. “Just let him off like that?”

He was so angry he wanted to beat Zhang Leye up and toss him into the South River to feed the fish.

The family had originally planned to go out for dinner together, but now no one felt like it. They drove straight to Hanlin Garden.

The second uncle’s family followed Chen Jin’s car. Chen Jia sat in the passenger seat, glancing at her parents in the back seat with dark expressions and then at her third sister, who was driving silently. As her gaze shifted, she noticed several scratches on her third sister’s arm.

Suddenly, she regretted how slow her reaction had been earlier; she should have scratched back!

Chen Jin felt the car was stuffy and pressed the window down. A gust of wind blew in, and she took a deep breath, feeling a bit more relaxed.

Today’s scene, if you were to say it was unexpected, didn’t seem particularly surprising.

Last time, the Zhang family hosted a gathering at Junhao Hotel. At that time, she and Chen Yongan had already discussed “human nature.” She could see that Zhang Leye, emboldened by his wealth, could easily have other thoughts. But what good was that realization? Could her aunt and the third uncle not see it? It was just that nothing had really happened; everyone turned a blind eye.

Thinking about what her aunt had said about “unwillingness,” she couldn’t say her aunt’s choice was right or wrong. Putting herself in her aunt’s shoes, if she left after the Zhang family had become prosperous and ended up with nothing, it would indeed be frustrating.

However, wasting her good days among a bunch of useless people felt especially unworthy.

It’s like digging for gold in a cesspool, a feeling that’s quite off-putting.

I don’t know how my aunt will choose after this negotiation.

But no matter how she chooses, the family can always provide her with a safety net, so she doesn’t need to be afraid of the Zhang family.

Chen Jin wanted to follow them to the Zhang family, but her uncle didn’t let them go up. Instead, the older generation went up. Later, Chen Jia and Chen Yongan had to hurry back to school, and the three cousins had to wait downstairs, so the task of sending them off fell on Chen Jin.

There’s no point in joining the gossip about family matters; Chen Jin followed the arrangements and didn’t wait for dinner. She called the two younger students to get in the car and first detoured to the East District, where they stayed until five-thirty in the afternoon, then had dinner near Chen Yongan’s school.

Chen Jin called her third cousin and learned that they were still in talks. They were already outside the Zhang family’s house and had more to discuss.

“I’ll call you when there’s a result.”

Chen Yongan sounded a bit down. “Third sister, do you think people become bad once they have money?”

Chen Jin replied, “Do you think I’ve become better or worse?”

Chen Yongan: “…”

“Don’t worry about adult matters; they’ll know what they want more. As for you, the most important thing right now is to study hard and get into a good university.”

“Hey, Chen Yue…” Chen Jin saw Chen Yue walking over, but Chen Yue didn’t hear her.

After watching Chen Yongan enter the school, Chen Jin drove Chen Jia back to South University.

“If you can’t stand the school dorms, just move out to stay with me. The guest room at home is empty anyway.”

Chen Jia was momentarily confused, not quite understanding why her third sister suddenly suggested moving out. She was also thinking about other things, so she just responded with a couple of “ohs.”

By the time Chen Jin arrived at the small western-style building, it was already seven-thirty in the evening. After dropping Chen Jia off at the school gate, she remembered she needed to buy ointment and wandered around looking for a pharmacy. After getting out of the car and casually closing the door, she looked up and saw a figure standing in the dimly lit living room next door. The light was dim, so she could only see a tall, dark silhouette.

At first glance, it looked like someone was hanging there, which startled Chen Jin and made her breath quicken.

Upon closer inspection, it was Shen Baichuan!

Shen Baichuan even waved at her…

In the dead of night, it was pitch black without any lights on. A person stood backlit, making their face unclear; suddenly, a motionless figure waved at you…

Chen Jin closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and muttered, “Crazy old man! Putting on a ghost show at this hour!”

Ever since she became wealthy, her mindset had become quite calm, and she rarely cursed at the crazy old man unless someone truly deserved it.