Chapter 38: Small Talk

“How come you’ve lost weight after going out to have fun?”

Second Cousin picked them up at the airport, first dropping off Eldest Aunt at home, then driving Chen Jin and third Cousin back to the Rose Garden. Third Aunt wanted her to stay home for dinner, so she didn’t return to Hanlin Garden.

Chen Jin was busy unpacking gifts for Third Uncle and Third Aunt. When Third Aunt mentioned that she had lost weight, she touched her face and then her little belly, realizing that she hadn’t lost an ounce. On the contrary, after being out for over half a month, she and Third Cousin had been eating out and shopping every day, their mouths never stopping from morning till night.

They had eaten their way from Guangzhou to Shenzhen, and then to Hong Kong, indulging the most in various desserts and milk teas, even burping sweetly. With all those high-calorie foods, they hardly walked anywhere and mostly took taxis. Shopping and sightseeing made them a bit tired, but losing weight was out of the question.

Third Cousin glanced at her and said directly, “Mom, you’re mistaken; she’s just gotten tanner, which makes her look thinner.”

He dared to say they both definitely returned home a bit plumper, but since they were out every day, even if she tried hard to shield herself with an umbrella, she couldn’t escape the sun. He got even darker and gave up using an umbrella after a few days.

“Did you have fun on your trip?”

Both Chen Jin and Third Cousin’s eyes lit up as they eagerly nodded, trying to be the first to share about the places they had visited.

“Mom, you and Dad really should have come along; it was so much fun! Hong Kong is indeed very bustling, but we all think Guangzhou and Shenzhen are just as good, especially Shenzhen. I believe Shenzhen will definitely surpass Hong Kong in the future.”

As he spoke, Third Cousin started talking about other things. “The tour guide leading us said that property prices in Shenzhen have skyrocketed in recent years, and many Hong Kong residents are buying houses there. The prices there are still relatively affordable…”

He should say it they really should take advantage of having some money to buy property in several major cities in the country. At the speed the housing prices are skyrocketing, buying real estate is definitely a good investment!

However, there’s no use in talking about this now. With Uncle investing in another project and building apartments in Qiaoxi Village, the family didn’t have much cash left. Otherwise, he would have definitely encouraged his parents to buy some properties in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.

Even Third Sister thought the same, but unfortunately, she also didn’t have much cash on hand right now.

“Third Uncle, Third Aunt, here are the gifts I picked out for you.” Chen Jin was very practical when it came to buying gifts, choosing items that would hold their value. She bought everything in Hong Kong: a gold watch and a gold chain. No matter who in the family, all the gifts were gold jewelry.

Although Third Cousin said she lacked creativity, the practicality of the gifts was undeniable!

“And here’s a game console for my cousin. Uh, let’s hold onto this for now; I’ll give it to him after his college entrance exams.” This was the latest model of a game console, said to be available only in Hong Kong for the time being—though she wasn’t sure if that was true. But it looked great, and the gameplay was definitely better than her old console.

When Chen Yongan received this gift, he would surely jump a meter high in excitement.

Chen Jin only brought one suitcase when she went, and it wasn’t even full. By the time she returned, she had a larger suitcase, and both were stuffed to the brim, resulting in additional baggage fees.

She also brought out gifts for Tian Miao and her aunt, with the rest for others. If Second Cousin hadn’t had to leave in a hurry, she would have had him take the gifts for Uncle Da’s family back home. She could only deliver them herself another day. It had been a while since she had seen everyone, and she missed the rest of her family a bit.

“Third Aunt, is everything okay at home lately? Has my aunt already moved to beautiful Community?”

“Yes, she said living there is convenient. Since she runs a breakfast shop, she has to get up early. It takes at least half an hour to get here, so she thought it would be better to live over there. Zhou Xiangxiang lives there too, so she has some company, which makes us feel more at ease.”

Her aunt didn’t want Third Uncle and Third Aunt to give her a house directly; instead, she gave them the money to buy one and got a two-bedroom apartment for herself. Third Uncle and Third Aunt accepted the price at which they bought it, so now her aunt had her own property in her name. If it weren’t for a tenant planning to move out, her aunt wouldn’t have been able to move in so quickly.

As for the shop, her aunt rented it, and she didn’t have much money left to buy another one.

Third Uncle said, “The buildings in Qiaoxi Village are all renovated. Before work starts up again, you should go take a look. I visited the peach orchard the other day and stopped by Qiaoxi Village on the way; it’s bustling there with construction. Even the vacant lots are being built on, and some are even changing the layout of the houses, like making separate bathrooms and kitchens. They’re planning to raise the rental standards in the future.”

“Building so much, they’ll probably be afraid to demolish Qiaoxi Village in the future; who can afford that?” Chen Yongfei joked.

Third Uncle glared at him. “The plan was to rent it out; don’t just wait for demolition. Not every demolition will happen in your lifetime!”

Chen Jin secretly stuck out her tongue; she was hoping for it. Every Qingming Festival, she would light incense and ask her ancestors to bless them.

“Oh, there’s one more thing: the old party secretary is having a birthday celebration in two days, and the invitation has been sent. It’ll be at the same restaurant where the village chief hosted the last gathering.”

Chen Jin asked, “Is it the whole village that’s invited this time? Is everyone going?”

“Everyone has been invited, but whether they all go is another matter. Zhou Xiangxiang said they won’t be attending.”

Compared to the village chief, the old party secretary’s influence and authority were significantly less, so it wasn’t certain that everyone would show up. Moreover, last time, the village chief was trying to gather everyone to collaborate on a big project. It was unclear if the old party secretary had similar intentions.

“You don’t want to go? If you don’t want to go, then don’t.”

“It’s not that; if you’re going, I’ll go too. There’s nothing to do at home anyway, so it’d be nice to go out for a meal.”

Chen Jin had lunch at Third Aunt’s house, then took a nap in Tian Miao’s room. After waking up, Third Cousin drove her to Hanlin Garden, and she drove herself home.

“See you at dinner the day after tomorrow, Third Brother.”

When she returned to the small villa, the doors of the neighboring houses were tightly shut, and it seemed no one was home.

Having been away for more than half a month, she felt that the house was covered in dust everywhere. She quickly cleaned it up and then went to take a shower and change into comfortable clothes, feeling refreshed in her home.

The TV was on, and there was a new drama series airing, but she hadn’t seen the beginning and didn’t understand the character relationships at all after watching one episode. She decided not to watch anymore, letting it play in the background to add some sound to the room, and went to find a watering can to water the flowers and plants in the yard.

Since the last time she heard Shen Baichuan talk about fertilizing the flowers in the yard, they had grown quite well and didn’t look like they would wither away easily now.

She felt her heart still floating outside, still not having enough fun. Perhaps this trip had made her particularly happy, and now she was already looking forward to the next trip, even if it wouldn’t necessarily be south again.

She remembered a melody from a song she really liked that she heard in Hong Kong, and she began to hum it softly. Previously, she hadn’t thought Cantonese was particularly beautiful while watching Hong Kong films, but this time, walking on the streets of Hong Kong and suddenly hearing “Sea and Sky” in a small shop made her realize for the first time how charming Cantonese could be.

“You sing very well.”

Suddenly, a voice startled Chen Jin, causing her to jump. She looked up to see Shen Baichuan standing in his backyard, holding a cup of coffee and waving to her through the fence.

To her, Shen Baichuan was like a ghost—appearing and disappearing unexpectedly.

“Sorry, did I scare you again?” Shen Baichuan smiled apologetically. “I heard you singing just now and didn’t want to interrupt you. Did you learn that in Hong Kong? You sing it really well.”

So you know it’s “again”!

But since he was complimenting her, she felt awkward to say anything negative. Instead, she humbly replied, “It’s not that good. I just casually learned a couple of lines.”

“If you want to learn Cantonese, you can watch some Hong Kong movies. The more you watch, the better you’ll speak,” Shen Baichuan adjusted his glasses. “I was born and raised in Hong Kong, so if you want to learn, you can come to me.”

Chen Jin was a bit curious. “You were born and raised in Hong Kong? I wouldn’t have guessed. Your Mandarin is excellent. Uh, and you have a southern accent.”

Shen Baichuan laughed. “Yes, my family is from the southern province, so we speak Mandarin at home. We only returned to Rong City to open a factory and company in ’79. I finished high school in Hong Kong and went abroad for studies. I just came back last year.”

Chen Jin sat at a table under the pavilion. “Oh, so your family is settled in Rong City now?”

“Not exactly; we still have other relatives living in Hong Kong,” Shen Baichuan also sat down on the outdoor chair in his backyard, showing no sign of finding it strange to talk through the railing.

Chen Jin was taken aback—having a house in Hong Kong made him incredibly wealthy. This trip to Hong Kong had really shocked her; a set of apartments there costs over a million, and they are usually tiny, about the size of her small living room. And there were also mansions worth tens of millions or even billions!

Seeing Chen Jin stop talking, Shen Baichuan took a shallow sip of his coffee. “Next time you go to Hong Kong, if you have the chance, I’ll treat you and take you around.”

“Uh, next time… We’ll see.” She didn’t know when that would be, as she definitely wouldn’t be going back anytime soon; she needed to visit other cities.

After this conversation, Chen Jin felt that Shen Baichuan wasn’t as unapproachable as she thought. It was hard to tell that he actually had a pretty good temperament.

However, there was nothing more to discuss. Seeing that he seemed like he wanted to continue talking, Chen Jin fiddled with the watering can and said before he could speak again, “I need to go get busy. I haven’t been back for a while and need to clean up.”

Shen Baichuan nodded and then stood up. “By the way, I invited a few friends over tomorrow. It might get a bit noisy, so I wanted to apologize in advance.”

He was too polite. Chen Jin didn’t mind and said casually, “No problem. Sometimes I bring my family over too; it might also disturb you.”

“Feel free,” Shen Baichuan asked casually, “I saw a girl come to open your door a few days ago. Is she a family member?”

“Ah, yes, she’s my uncle’s daughter. I gave her a key.”

“I see. I heard from Assistant Lin that you bought a house in Hanlin Garden.” Noticing the guard in her eyes, Shen Baichuan explained, “Coincidentally, Assistant Lin helped me buy this small villa, and he also booked a house in Hanlin Garden for me. The other day, when I visited my grandfather, I overheard Assistant Lin mentioning it and thought it was a bit of a coincidence.”

“Yeah, that is a bit coincidental.” Chen Jin scratched her face. She had said she was going to clean up, so why were they still chatting?

Finally, Shen Baichuan stopped the topic. “Then I won’t keep you from cleaning.”

“Okay.” Chen Jin quickly returned to the living room, letting out a big sigh of relief. Then she began to wonder: how did she end up talking to Shen Baichuan? It felt like they had suddenly closed the distance a lot and established a somewhat normal neighborly relationship.

The next day, she went out to buy some food and returned, leaving the doors to the front and back yards open, with the TV turned on. As she dozed off on the sofa, she heard a loud horn outside, followed by the doorbell ringing repeatedly next door, accompanied by someone loudly saying, “Shen Baichuan, you sure live freely!”

Chen Jin pulled the thin quilt over her stomach, with the fan swaying back and forth blowing at her. She let out a big yawn and was about to fall asleep again to the sound of the television when it seemed like her doorbell rang.

Listening carefully, it was indeed her doorbell ringing.

Chen Jin dragged her slippers to the door and saw Shen Baichuan standing outside with a small cake, waving at her to open the door.

“Is there something you need?”

Shen Baichuan handed her the cake. “A friend brought over a lot of food, so I brought you a portion. Here you go. I still need to deliver one to Professor Song at the Institute.”

Since the neighbors were all sharing, Chen Jin felt embarrassed to refuse and accepted it, thanking him. She stood there for a moment, but he remained standing still, so should she go in first?

“Cousin, where is your fruit knife?” Qin Yi had noticed Chen Jin hadn’t returned for a while and came out to look for her. He didn’t expect to see his cousin standing face to face with the girl next door. It was rare to see his cousin in such a good mood, so he sneered. No wonder he said last time that the girl wasn’t interested in him; it turned out he was the one with feelings and wanted to cut off his own thoughts.

Although he didn’t have any particular feelings himself, he simply thought the girl next door was pretty.

“I’ll head back now; thank you for the cake,” Chen Jin said politely, closing the door as she walked back inside.

Only then did she have the leisure to examine the small cake. It looked quite delicate and appealing. She opened the packaging and leaned in to smell it, noticing a faint floral scent. Unable to resist, she hurried to the kitchen, grabbed a small spoon, and dug in.

It was delicious!

What a pity, though; the packaging didn’t have the shop’s address written on it. Otherwise, she would definitely go buy more in the future.

The commotion from the neighbor’s house continued until evening.

On the day of the old party secretary’s gathering, Chen Jin brought all the gifts she had prepared, saving herself the time of delivering them one by one.

Everyone still showed respect for the old party secretary. The only ones missing were Aunt Zhou’s family and Chen Bagu’s family, who didn’t come because they were hiding from debt collectors. The other families were mostly present.

Since it was the weekend, Chen Yongan, who was close to taking his college entrance exam, also came.

Chen Yongan protested, “Why does everyone have gifts but I don’t?”

Chen Jin replied, “Your gift will be saved until after your exam. I’ll give it to you then.”

Chen Yongan’s eyes brightened. “Third Sister, I want the latest game console! I’m reserving it with you. I don’t want gold or silver jewelry.”

“Sure, we can talk about it after your exam.” By then, she wouldn’t even have to buy a new one; she would just give him the one at home that hasn’t been unboxed yet.

“Third Sister, look over there.” Chen Yongan lifted his chin, signaling her to look at a table ahead.

Chen Jin looked over and was surprised to see the Zhang family.

It didn’t seem too strange, considering Old man Zhang was collaborating with Chen Wensong; their families had grown close. As she scanned their table, she noticed that Zhang Leye and his two children were absent, but Zhang Leye’s brother and his family were all there.

This was somewhat intriguing. Were they deliberately kept away because they knew their family would be there, or had Old man Zhang actually given up on Zhang Leye’s branch?

Even Chen Yue had come today, sitting at the main table, facing Chen Wensong’s current wife. Everyone at that table seemed wary of the two of them clashing.

Once most guests had arrived, Chen Jin noticed the village officials from Qiaoxi Village had also come and were sitting at a separate table. The old party secretary had even asked Chen Wensong to attend to this table.

This time, they didn’t set up two separate tables for the heads of families to sit together. Once the food was served, the eldest uncle began eating, saying he still needed to go back to the company afterward because he had a meeting scheduled to discuss collaboration. He also invited Chen Jin to come by the company if she had nothing else to do.

Chen Jin glanced at her silent eldest cousin and then at her calm second cousin. Last time they talked on the phone about Chen Ting, her second cousin mentioned that the eldest cousin was having a falling out with the eldest uncle. From the looks of it, they were still at odds.

This gathering felt a bit lacking without Aunt Zhou around; it lacked a bit of soul. No one was there to gossip with her. If she wanted to catch up on the latest village gossip, she would have to find another time to visit Aunt Zhou in the beautiful Community for a chat.

After a satisfying meal, Chen Jin followed her uncle and second cousin to the Chengxin Construction Company. At the reception, she saw the same girl from last time, who her second cousin said was the daughter of their uncle’s friend.

This time, Chen Jin managed to strike up a conversation with her and learned that her name was Zhuang Yao.

Last time, her second cousin had advised her not to overthink it, but this time he formally introduced her, mentioning her name and that she worked in administration at the company. When Zhuang Yao came over to greet her, her gaze occasionally fell on her second cousin, looking at him in a way that didn’t seem like a normal friend.

“You two chat; I need to get busy,” Zhuang Yao smiled at Chen Jin. “Chen Jin, let’s go shopping together sometime.”

“Sure!”

As soon as they entered her second cousin’s office, Chen Jin squinted at him. “Come on, is she going to be my future second sister-in-law?”

Chen Yongxin suppressed a laugh and tapped her head. “Not yet; don’t go spreading rumors.”

Seeing that Chen Jin was still eager for gossip, Chen Yongxin took the initiative to ask her, “I heard you had a boyfriend in college that you kept hidden from everyone. Nobody knew until Tingting accidentally let it slip. I didn’t realize you two were close enough to share secrets.”

That was indeed a beautiful misunderstanding. She and Chen Ting hadn’t reached that level yet. Chen Ting’s gossip was something she had pried out of her; her own was something she had blurted out in a fit of anger. Otherwise, that secret would have remained buried, and she wouldn’t have brought it up with her family.

“Stop it; it’s embarrassing.”

Chen Yongxin asked, “Did someone really break up with you? Did you fight back?”

“I did.”

“Well, that’s good; hearing you say that eases my anger.” As he spoke, Chen Yongxin went to get the latest project progress report to show Chen Jin, explaining everything in simple terms so she could understand, knowing she wouldn’t comprehend many professional terms.

“My dad said you’re free lately, so you might as well come to the company to see how it operates. It’s good to learn a bit more.”

Chen Jin sat up alertly. “I’m going to be a counselor in the future; I’m not running a company, so why learn how to operate one?” Besides, she had no talent or interest in business. She didn’t even dare to invest recklessly; she only chose safe options: buying houses, building them, collecting rent, and saving money in the bank to earn interest.

Moreover, she figured her eldest cousin and Chen Ting were probably at odds with the eldest uncle over the construction company being handed over to her second cousin; what was she doing sticking her nose in?

Chen Yongxin sighed. “Don’t overthink it; he just wants you to learn a bit more. Having reliable people at home opens up more options.”

“With you and the eldest cousin in the family, we’re already quite reliable.” Chen Jin waved her hand. “I really can’t learn how to do business, and I’m not idle at all. I haven’t even been to the beauty salon for a long time. If I wanted to go out, there’s plenty to do.”

Chen Yongxin looked at her helplessly. “I’m just a messenger. I’ll have my dad talk to you about it; you can discuss your thoughts with him.”

“Oh, do you know the neighbor next door?”

“Which neighbor? The two retired teachers from NTU live on the right; I know them fairly well. The one on the left is also a teacher from NTU, but he’s younger, and I don’t know him that well.”

“That’s the young neighbor from the Cheng Group, the company where you interned before. It’s his family’s.”

Chen Jin frowned. “But his surname is Shen, not Cheng.”

Chen Yongxin also frowned and rubbed his fingers. “Maybe I’ve got the information wrong. He should be related to the Cheng family. Forget it, I just happened to hear someone mention it and wanted to ask. It’s better for us to know less about people we can’t connect with.”

Chen Jin paced back and forth in his office. The books on the shelf were clearly well-thumbed, unlike the ones used by his uncle just for show. Otherwise, his uncle would have announced that he would pass the company to his second cousin. His second cousin had been working with his uncle on construction sites and projects since graduating from high school and had founded a construction company. His second cousin was also ambitious and hardworking, so it was completely normal for the company to be handed over to him.

“Did Chen Ting and her senior end up together?”

Though he said he didn’t want to care anymore, Chen Jin was still curious about Chen Ting’s final choice.

Chen Yongxin sighed. “I don’t understand her. Last time I went home, I talked to her for a while, and then she ended up arguing with Dad. You know how my dad can be hot-tempered sometimes, and Ting can’t stand up to him. A few words in, and they started arguing.”

“But I’m serious. Let her be. She’s an adult, older than you by a year, and she started working a few years earlier. If she’s still so naïve in choosing a partner, it doesn’t matter if she gets married or not; she’ll still be at the mercy of others. Finding someone with worse conditions might be better, at least she won’t be so bold at home. If she has other thoughts, they’ll still have to consider our family.”

“It doesn’t have to be about social standing. Given Ting’s personality, if she marries into a family of similar standing and encounters a difficult mother-in-law, even if we want to support her, we might not be able to.”

“I’ve looked into her senior too. Aside from being from a poorer family, he’s calculating, but otherwise he’s decent. He keeps his relationships clean and works hard. However, he probably lacks connections and has been held back. He has to send money home for family expenses, and his younger siblings rely on him for schooling. If he wants to settle in Rong City, he might need a few more years of hard work.”

“Wanting to find better conditions for a good life isn’t shameful. As long as their intentions are right and they can see clearly, that’s enough.”

So, in the end, it was still her uncle who compromised with Chen Ting. However, the second cousin was right; it doesn’t have to be about social status; it ultimately depends on the individuals.

Once her uncle finished talking with someone, he called her into his office to chat. Chen Jin again declined the suggestion to come learn at the company.

“Come on, Uncle. I’ll just go to Qiaoxi Village more often instead. This morning, the village chief saw me and mentioned that a real estate company might want to develop a project there. I don’t know where he got that news, but now it’s all over the place.”

Her uncle’s expression was complex. “A couple of weeks ago, I had dinner with the business manager of the Cheng Group’s real estate division. He asked if I knew about Qiaoxi Village, so I shared what I knew. I don’t know who let it slip, but someone said the Cheng Group was planning to relocate Qiaoxi Village. Liu Guangman came to ask me about it. I told him it was just a casual inquiry, and then he went and claimed they were already doing research.”

Chen Jin also found it hard to express her feelings.

“Why is Qiaoxi Village always so unreliable? Any minor disturbance makes them all riled up. No wonder Third Uncle said they’re building like crazy over there. If I were a real estate company, I’d be running away at this commotion.”

Ever since the news of the demolition came out, Qiaoxi Village had been like a time bomb, periodically ringing to make its presence known.

“Your aunt now regrets not building in Qiaoxi Village back then. If she comes to you, just ignore her. She was clear back then; she didn’t want to get involved. Now that the buildings are finished, she shouldn’t be thinking about claiming a share.”

Thinking about the gifts still in the car, Chen Jin said, “Then I won’t go to Auntie’s house recently. I’ll give the gifts I brought back to Second Brother and see when he’s free to help me take them over.”

“Ah, right, Uncle. About this trip, I noticed Auntie has had stomach pain twice without any reason. When I suggested she go to the hospital, she said it’s an old issue. Can you take her to get checked out when you have time? If everything’s fine, it’s just a check-up to put our minds at ease. If there’s a problem, she can get treated early.”

Her uncle suddenly stood up, anxious, pacing back and forth. “I said I noticed something was off when I called her one night. She definitely wasn’t feeling well. I’ll take her to the hospital tomorrow.”

“And you should get a check-up too. You smoke and drink every day. I’ve seen your belly getting bigger over the last six months. Do you think you’re still in your thirties or forties? If anything happens, Second Cousin is around. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove.” The last two sentences Chen Jin mumbled quietly, afraid of getting hit by her uncle; she would have said more otherwise.

Her uncle had actually heard her words, chuckling and patting his belly. He had indeed gained quite a bit of weight over the past six months. With sufficient funding to rotate, he had taken on a few small projects and managed to pull some connections for a piece of land. His company was in a growth phase, and this might be a turning point in his career. If he could navigate this stage well, he could confidently pass the company to his second son.

It was rare that only his wife and Chen Jin still dared to criticize him in the family.

“Speaking of me, I haven’t said anything about you. Your cousin mentioned you had a relationship in college and got dumped? Tsk, how can someone like you get dumped? Don’t tell me you didn’t even tidy yourself up before.”

See? It’s no surprise they’re father and son. Her uncle and second cousin had the same issues.

But could she really get over this? She really didn’t want to bring it up again!

“Please, Uncle, just pretend this never happened. I feel embarrassed every time it comes up.”

Her uncle laughed heartily and patted her head. “Not to mention, next time you date someone, you won’t have to sneak around like a thief. It’s perfectly normal for someone your age to be dating. Just one thing: when you start dating, bring them home to meet the family. Don’t get charmed by just any good-looking person and forget about everything else.”

“That’s true, but if they don’t look good, I’m not dating.”

“Why don’t I say that young people should let their families take charge when dating? They only know how to look at faces.”

Chen Jin didn’t say much more, just waited for her uncle to speak. He had stopped after saying a bit, and if she responded, he would go on indefinitely.

During the following days, Chen Jin stopped going to her uncle’s construction company to “study.” Instead, she went to several of Sister Jiang’s stores to shop for two days and then visited a minimalist women’s clothing store at the Dongcheng District department store to buy some new summer outfits.

“Are you delaying the opening of your branch?”

Sensing the worry in the manager’s tone, Chen Jin didn’t ask further, but she felt anxious for Baiyou Garment Factory: it wouldn’t be closing down, would it?

If that were the case, she would have to find another place to buy clothes. Currently, she hadn’t found any alternatives to the minimalist women’s clothing stores in several commercial centers in Rong City. While there were similar styles, the cuts were different. These clothes might look almost the same at a glance, but only the wearer would know how they fit.

Thinking about possibly not being able to buy from this store in the future, Chen Jin decided to buy a few extra pieces this time. The manager reminded her not to buy two of the same style, but Chen Jin insisted that she would buy one more to alternate, since the styles were versatile. The manager realized that Chen Jin might have connected this to the upcoming changes at their Baiyou Garment Factory and scratched his head awkwardly. Indeed, the factory was facing changes, but it hadn’t reached the point of closing down.

Choosing a day with good weather, Chen Jin drove again to Qiaoxi Village.

She didn’t drive into the village; the village road was cluttered with things, almost every household was undergoing construction. It wasn’t just building new houses or renovating; some were adding walls to their yards, some were putting up metal awnings in empty spaces, or relocating fruit trees into their yards.

Having experienced a demolition before, Chen Jin recalled some compensation regulations and could tell at a glance that they were choosing fruit trees that could yield high compensation.

The car stopped in front of her grandfather’s house, where several fruit trees had been added, almost leaving her no room to park.

Old man Liu heard the car and strolled out, suggesting, “You should plant those trees in your buildings this morning; every bit of compensation counts.”

Listening to his tone, it seemed as though the demolition in Qiaoxi Village was a done deal. Her uncle was indeed unlucky; without saying anything, the news got passed around until it turned into something he had spread.

But her grandfather’s suggestion was indeed worth considering. What if her uncle struck it rich this time? Even if there was no demolition, having some greenery in the yard would be pleasant.

Uncle Liu stepped out with a serious face and muttered, “I’m going out.”

Chen Jin was curious; this uncle actually dared to show her grandfather a grim face while talking to him. Her grandfather also looked displeased, clearly having had a falling out.

“Is your family going to split up?”

Old man Liu shot her a glare. “This has nothing to do with you.” Implicitly, it meant she didn’t need to gloat about it.

What a poor child! Why was he always at odds with his own family?!

Chen Jin sighed, realizing that human nature really shouldn’t be tested.

In the past, when there were rumors of demolition, several uncles from the Old man Liu family and her father would argue about how the elder would distribute the money once the demolition happened. Back then, they didn’t understand the situation, but now, with live examples from Qiaodong Village and Mutang Village, they had learned a simple truth: having a father and mother isn’t as good as having things for oneself.

See? Now they were on the verge of splitting up. They probably even discussed dividing the family land and the four buildings.

No wonder Old man Liu was also unhappy. He was quite astute; he knew that if he divided the family wealth among his sons, it would be hard to manage them later. Not to mention whether those sons would properly take care of him in his old age was uncertain.

It’s really true that having too many sons diminishes their worth. Old man Liu seemed to have woken up to this reality, unlike those who think of nothing but subsidizing their sons when they have a bit of money.

I hope this old man stays sharp; if one day he can’t make decisions at home, I wouldn’t even park in front of his house, and the rest of the Liu family would have a harder time.

Chen Jin walked around, hands behind her back, like a mountain patrol demon king, looking left and right. Every household had its own way of doing things.

Due to the renovations, their rentals would be delayed for at least a month or two. The tenants who originally lived here would have to find new places to live.

Her cousin Meng Chong grinned widely upon seeing her. “I’ve been wandering around the village a lot and have met many previous tenants. Some of them are moving out now, while others are being temporarily relocated to a different building by their landlords until the renovations are done. They contacted me, and once we start renting out here, they’ll come over to rent from us.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve talked to these people, and for now, they all seem pretty decent. We have five buildings here, with over a hundred rooms for rent; there will be plenty of tenants. We can’t let in troublemakers.”

“The shop on the first floor has also had people looking at it. They’re just tenants inquiring about rental fees. Those who play games or set up mahjong tables won’t be rented to; they’d just make noise and draw a crowd, making it hard to manage.”

“Let me know if you have any requirements, and write them down for me.”

Chen Jin smiled and said, “I don’t have any additional requirements. Cousin, you’ve already considered everything thoroughly. I’m really grateful for your help; otherwise, no one in the family would have the time to manage these buildings.”

Currently, her family only had her third cousin as the available help, but he had also been inspired by his recent trip and wanted to start a travel agency to specialize in tourist spots in the southern province. However, he was only talking about it now and hadn’t laid out a specific plan yet. It was unclear whether their third uncle and third aunt would support him financially.

“I see many families in the village planting trees in their yards. Should we plant some too?”

Chen Jin glanced at the yard. In reality, the area of the homestead was only 400 square meters. When building the yard walls, they even moved them out a circle. The village officials were turning a blind eye to it. But even with some open space for a yard, they had to leave room for tenants to park; otherwise, parking outside would carry too high a risk of theft.

The yard felt cramped.

“Let’s plant one tree every few meters. Um, cousin, let’s just plant some easy-to-clean and nice-looking fruit trees. I think mango trees would be great; when they ripen, we can pick and eat them. They smell lovely too.”

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

The interior of the building had already been renovated, with all the doors and windows of each apartment open for ventilation. Chen Jin chose the second floor of her building to take a look.

Unlike the rented house in Qiaodong Village, the apartments here were furnished with a bed, a double-door wardrobe, and a set of tables and chairs, so tenants could move in right away and gradually add more items later.

“I’ve found someone to come and install the telephone line in a couple of days; the phone will be in my small supermarket. I ordered some signs for guidance so that tenants can take their garbage to the village entrance every day. But once the apartments are rented out, the cleanliness of the hallways will still need someone to manage it. I plan to hire another person with the sanitation fees paid by the tenants each month. I’ll first ask the families of the tenants in the village if anyone is willing to take the job…”

Cousin Meng Chong reported every detail to her, even though Chen Jin said to just make arrangements. As they walked into the house, he recalled some small matters and continued to explain to her.

The nine apartments and two shops in her Jinxiu Community were also being renovated. By the latest, in July or August, her rental income would increase again!

Chen Jin stood in the open space in front of the courtyard gate, hands on her hips, looking up at the five buildings that had been renovated, feeling particularly satisfied. She announced that these five buildings were now the landmark of Qiaoxi Village!

After all, they were the most beautiful in the entire village.