Chapter 41: Meet the Parents

June is graduation season, and those who are supposed to secure jobs should have already done so. If they haven’t found a job yet, it’s likely they have other plans.

Chen Jin received a reminder from Lin Xinran that they need to return to school next week for a class meeting to discuss the timing of the thesis defense and graduation photo shoot.

Since their last outing together, Yang Qian has frequently called to invite Chen Jin out, ostensibly to go shopping or eat, but in reality, she wants Chen Jin to help her review her thesis for necessary revisions. Chen Jin was fooled once and has since declined Yang Qian’s invitations, saying she is busy with rent collection.

She wasn’t lying; everyone at home is busy, and she often has to check on the renovation progress at Splendid Community. Originally, her third cousin was supposed to go, but he’s been running around various cities in the province, making it hard to find him. However, he does know a bit about things and calls home every day to report he’s safe.

The three men in the family go out often, mostly to cities and famous tourist spots, so the family isn’t worried about them being tricked or scammed, just about them encountering robbers on the road.

There are significant risks in traveling nowadays; some people specifically wait along certain routes to rob trains. Those in the resale business have encountered this more than once. Some have been unlucky, taking out their savings to buy goods only to be robbed, rendering their efforts futile and leading to losses, and they might even end up in debt. Though flying is expensive, it is much safer than taking the train.

However, it might be that her third cousin only reports good news. Every time he calls, he says there are no incidents of train robbery. But he is out there, and even if people don’t believe him, they have no way to confirm it.

Chen Jin feels that her third cousin’s travel agency should focus on attractions within Rong City, as the risks of going outside are too high.

In addition to preparing for the thesis defense and monitoring the renovation progress at Splendid Community, there are many other things to do this month.

Chen Jin hasn’t been to Qiaoxi Village recently, but her third uncle has arranged a good date and plans to return on June 5 to set off some firecrackers and buy some candies and biscuits to share with the villagers, marking the completion of the new house. They don’t plan to hold a celebratory feast.

Her eldest uncle is too busy to go. Last time, Chen Jin reminded him that her aunt was unwell, and he had to coax and persuade her to go to the hospital for a checkup, discovering she had appendicitis. Initially, they said she wouldn’t need surgery, but it flared up severely a few days ago, much worse than when Chen Jin last saw her, and she was scheduled for surgery yesterday.

Chen Jin was packing her things, preparing to visit her aunt at the affiliated hospital of Medical University.

She wasn’t sure what someone who just had appendicitis could eat. After a long deliberation, she finally bought a universal fruit basket.

Driving past the west gate, she saw Shen Baichuan walking out of the school gate. Shen Baichuan smiled at her, but she had only just seen him when the car drove past, and she didn’t have time to respond.

Well, maybe it’s better not to respond.

When Chen Jin arrived with the fruit basket, her eldest cousin-in-law was sitting on a chair in the corridor at the entrance.

Seeing her approach, her eldest cousin-in-law quickly got up to greet her, “What brings you here?”

“I came to see Aunt. Everything’s okay, right?” She peeked inside; her aunt was sleeping. This room was a double room, and there was no one in the other bed, so it was relatively quiet.

“The surgery was very successful. She just needs to stay in the hospital for a few more days for observation before she can go home. Mom just took her medicine and fell asleep again.” Chen Jin quietly walked inside, placed the fruit basket on the cabinet next to the bed, and then stepped back out to chat with her eldest cousin-in-law in the corridor.

“Are you the only one here? What about Jun Jun? Who’s taking care of her?”

Her eldest cousin-in-law rubbed the back of her neck and said, “Dad was supposed to stay here, but he had to deal with some urgent matters at work. I had your eldest brother take the kids to my mom’s place. It’s inconvenient for your eldest brother to take care of mom, and your second brother is too busy watching the land on the outskirts of the West District. Chen Ting said she would take a leave and come over later.”

Her eldest cousin-in-law carefully peeked into the room and, seeing her aunt still fast asleep, lowered her voice, “If Mom weren’t in the hospital, Chen Ting was supposed to bring her boyfriend home for dinner today.”

Chen Jin hadn’t heard from Chen Ting for a while and was surprised to learn that she had quickly started a relationship and planned to introduce him to her family. Chen Jin frowned; agreeing to meet the parents meant that her uncle and aunt had already given their approval for Chen Ting and Liu Chengzhi.

“Mom and Dad both agreed to her dating Liu. They thought that if they kept trying to stop her, it would create animosity, so it’s better to go along with her wishes.” Her eldest cousin-in-law lowered her voice again, “Mom and Dad, as well as your two brothers, have inquired about his background and think he’s acceptable. He’s a bit calculating, but… even parents’ introductions for matchmaking are about assessing suitability and compatibility, right? The family just thinks they can handle the surname Liu.”

“Didn’t Chen Ting say she only wants to date and not get married? With the way things are going now, is she planning to put marriage on the agenda?”

“She said she doesn’t want to get married, and you believe her? Anyway, Mom and Dad don’t agree. They say since you’re dating, you should just date for now, and marriage can wait. It’s impossible not to get married.”

Chen Jin… Chen Jin had nothing more to say.

She felt that this was not good, but Chen Ting was not her; everyone has their own choices. She might as well be a silent observer.

After discussing Chen Ting’s situation, her cousin-in-law suddenly started talking about her uncle’s construction company, venting her frustrations. “Recently, Mom and Dad have been indifferent to me and your big brother, all because of the company’s matters. You tell me, it’s not like the family’s major assets go to the eldest son. Even if the two brothers split things evenly, that should be fine, right? But Dad has decided to hand everything over to Yongxin, and the only thing your big brother and Chen Ting will get is a ten percent dividend each year, with no say in company management…”

Chen Jin sighed heavily in her heart; she didn’t know how to respond to this.

She thought her uncle’s arrangement was actually better for her cousin and Chen Ting. How could a company have two decision-makers? It would only lead to chaos eventually, and there could be a conflict between the brothers. Besides, her second cousin had been working with her uncle at the construction company for several years, so he had the experience and credibility in the company. Why couldn’t her big brother just manage his toy company well?

People can’t expect to have a share of everything for free.

Fortunately, her cousin-in-law just needed someone to vent to. After she finished, she seemed much better. It was likely she had been upset about her uncle’s decisions regarding the future of the construction company.

Meng Lin knew very well that Chen Jin was always on her uncle’s side. Not to mention that she was just a cousin-in-law; even her cousin Chen Yongcheng wouldn’t get Chen Jin to speak on their behalf.

Not long ago, her father-in-law wanted to ask Chen Jin to go to the company to learn. At that time, she thought maybe her father-in-law wanted Chen Jin to come over to help with some work. But Chen Yongcheng said she was overthinking it; the third sister wouldn’t go to the family’s company to work.

Now it seemed that Chen Jin really had no interest in the family’s construction company at all.

“Elder sister-in-law, Chen Jin.”

Chen Ting hurried over, followed by Liu Chengzhi, who was carrying a bottle of nutritional supplements in one hand and a fruit basket in the other.

This was the first time Chen Jin was happy to see Chen Ting; she really didn’t want to continue listening to her cousin-in-law talk about “unfairness.”

“Elder sister-in-law, this is my boyfriend, Liu Chengzhi. He came along with me today since he’s off work.” After introducing him, Chen Ting looked at Chen Jin and said, “You’re such a busy person, it’s rare for you to have time to come.”

Chen Jin really wanted to roll her eyes at her; what nonsense was she saying?!

“Auntie is sick and in the hospital; of course, I should come to see her.”

After saying that, Chen Jin couldn’t be bothered to engage and turned her head away.

Meng Lin felt it was awkward for Chen Ting to just sit here with her boyfriend, so she sent them outside to buy some food for the hospital, listing all the restricted foods.

However, Chen Jin told them not to worry about her share. “I had a late breakfast this morning, so I’m not hungry. I’ll eat when I get home.”

Once they left, her cousin-in-law said, “This future brother-in-law looks pretty good. No wonder Chen Ting insists on dating him.”

“Of course! I also look for good-looking ones; otherwise, I’d be too sorry for my eyes,” Chen Jin replied with a smile.

Hearing some noise from the hospital room, Chen Jin and her cousin-in-law hurriedly pushed the door open to go in.

Chen Ting and Liu Chengzhi had just brought in the things they bought and stepped back out. Chen Ting didn’t expect to run into Chen Jin today and was relieved that Chen Jin had held back her temper and didn’t argue with her.

She actually felt a bit guilty. During an argument with her father, she had let something slip, and soon the family, along with her second and third uncles and her aunt, all found out. She was worried that Chen Jin might hold her accountable, but she also felt justified: while she let something slip, Chen Jin also told her second brother about her date with Liu Chengzhi. Both of them were equally culpable.

Since Liu Chengzhi started dating Chen Ting, he had gained a deeper understanding of her family situation.

Before, he only knew that Chen Ting’s family got rich from relocation, and she received a substantial share. After they got together, he learned that Chen Ting’s father and second brother were running a construction company, while her big brother was running a toy company, and she would receive dividends from the family’s construction company, though not a significant amount. According to Chen Ting, the family had already distributed everything she was supposed to get, and what was left basically belonged to her two older brothers.

He also learned about several relatives close to Chen Ting’s family. Her maternal grandparents were an ordinary family, but on her father’s side, her second uncle and aunt worked in municipal units, while her third uncle and aunt were direct relatives who had also acquired considerable assets due to the relocation. Not much was known about her eldest and youngest aunts, and the only remaining one was Chen Jin, the only daughter of Chen Ting’s second aunt.

He heard that Chen Jin was the only one left in her family. The compensation from the relocation was much more than what Chen Ting’s family received, and now she had several houses rented out. She was also about to graduate from Nanda University… Liu Chengzhi had previously thought Chen Ting’s conditions were good, but now that he compared her to Chen Jin, Chen Ting’s conditions seemed considerably lacking.

He felt a bit regretful for having expressed his feelings to Chen Ting directly, but his rational side reminded him: he shouldn’t be too greedy; otherwise, he might end up empty-handed.

He was different from some overly self-confident men who believed any woman would fall for them once they got to know them. If that were the case, he would have already hooked up with the hospital director’s daughter a long time ago.

Chen Jin didn’t seem like the type who would get carried away, so he didn’t dare take the risk. If Chen Jin wasn’t interested in him and revealed his intentions, he wouldn’t be able to keep Chen Ting either.

He just felt a little unwilling.

If only it had been Chen Jin from the very beginning.

Chen Ting’s original plan was to meet her parents today, and in the end, she did.

By the time she and Liu Chengzhi returned to the hospital room with the food, her uncle had already handled the company’s affairs and rushed over. Upon seeing Liu Chengzhi behind her, her uncle’s attitude was relatively mild; he invited him to sit down and eat some fruit, then asked him how busy he was working at the hospital.

“You and Tingting are dating now; that’s great! Make sure to come back home for dinner with Tingting when you have time,” her uncle said.

“Sure, thank you, Uncle and Aunt. I’ll take good care of Chen Ting,” Liu Chengzhi replied.

Her uncle smiled and moved on. It didn’t matter what was said now; it was all about future actions.

Chen Ting’s aunt was no longer in critical condition but needed to rest well after the surgery. She couldn’t stop worrying about her clothing store. After so long looking for a lead, she finally had some ideas and was getting ready to open the store. Just at this time, she had to undergo surgery and couldn’t work.

Her uncle turned to Chen Jin. “The date for the things in Qiaoxi Village is set for the day after tomorrow, right? I’m too busy here, so it’ll be you, your second uncle, and your third uncle who will prepare the stuff.”

He wanted to call his two sons to help, but both were busy.

Looking at Chen Ting, he sighed internally. With so many children in the family, the one he relied on the least was Chen Ting. Even Yong’an, who would be taking the college entrance exam next month, was more capable than she was.

“It’s fine, Uncle. You do your thing; I’ll manage that little bit of work with my second and third uncles easily,” Chen Jin said. She also reported on the progress of the Splendid community. “We plan to have the furniture in by the end of this month, and we can start renting it out in August. Uncle Wensong is working with the villagers and has reached out to people from Mutang Village to discuss unified rental prices. I didn’t agree; I want to wait and see for a while. There are houses for rent around the Splendid community, and the rental price is about 1,200 per room. However, we have three-bedroom units, not separate rooms, so a whole rental may not be that easy, but the advantage is that the houses are new and part of a community.”

If the Splendid community is rented out, a unit could probably fetch a little over 3,000 in rent.

“I think the idea of a unified rental price is unreasonable, so I don’t plan to get involved. The houses here aren’t as convenient as the beautiful community, which has elevators. The higher floors are inconvenient, so how can the price be the same as the lower floors?”

Anyway, Chen Jin felt the proposal was untrustworthy. Whenever she encountered Chen Wensong during her visits, she would try to avoid him. If she couldn’t, she would say she was just a junior and couldn’t make decisions, needing to go home and ask the elders.

“Then we won’t get involved; we’ll just rent our own,” her uncle wiped his forehead. “I’ve divided everything here among your cousins. Once the renovations are done, I won’t bother with it anymore. They can manage the rent on their own.”

With Chen Ting and her elder cousin present, they weren’t surprised to hear this; it seemed like it had been decided long ago.

Her uncle glanced at them again and said, “The houses in beautiful Community and Jinxiu Community have been allocated to you. How you manage them is your business, but there’s one thing: you’re not allowed to sell or transfer the houses. If I find out, don’t think about any dividends from my company.”

“Also, forget about the building in Qiaoxi Village. That’s part of your mothers’ pension income in the future.”

Chen Jin raised an eyebrow. It seemed her uncle was directing these words specifically at Liu Chengzhi. It was now clear that the houses under Chen Ting’s name were solely hers; if they weren’t, it would be like telling Chen Ting to get out of the Chen family.

Dating sure came with a lot of complications.

After leaving the hospital, Chen Ting and Liu Chengzhi were also ready to leave. Knowing that Chen Jin was heading to Xicheng District, Chen Ting asked her to drop them off at the Maternal and Child Hospital along the way.

The ride was very quiet. Chen Ting didn’t speak, and Chen Jin didn’t want to talk either. Liu Chengzhi attempted to say something, but the low pressure radiating from the two sisters silenced him, and in the end, he said nothing.

When they arrived at the Maternal and Child Hospital, Chen Ting and Liu Chengzhi got out, and Chen Jin immediately started the car and drove off without saying another word.

Liu Chengzhi’s eyes flickered. “Does your cousin have a problem with me?”

Chen Ting shook her head. “No, that’s just how she is. When she’s unhappy, she doesn’t want to talk. It’s fine if she doesn’t speak.” To Chen Jin, she and Liu Chengzhi were probably just “crazy old folks” at this point.

Seeing that there was still time, Liu Chengzhi suggested they stop by a drink shop near the hospital. He had been thinking about the things Chen Ting’s father said while they were at the hospital.

The words he heard most about were the rentals for the houses in beautiful Community, Jinxiu Community, and Qiaoxi Village. He now had a new understanding of the property situation in Chen Ting’s family.

It seemed that Chen Ting’s father placed more importance on Chen Jin, which puzzled him. Since Chen Ting seemed to be in a decent mood, he asked her why.

Chen Ting paused for a moment, recalling why her father had started to value Chen Jin more. Memories she had deliberately overlooked resurfaced.

In this world, nothing good comes without reason. Even between parents and children, strong relationships must be nurtured together.

“In the past, my parents were busy with work, so my two older brothers and I were all taken care of by my second aunt, who is Chen Jin’s mother. Chen Jin’s parents divorced early, so she didn’t have a father, and my dad and uncles cared for her more. Later, when Chen Jin behaved well in front of the elders and did well in school, my dad often praised her.”

“My second brother said that my dad even consulted someone and was told that Chen Jin brought him good fortune, which he believed wholeheartedly. Recently, my dad even wanted Chen Jin to help out at the family business; if she went, my dad might even give her a share of the profits. The land my dad is developing now has several investors, and Chen Jin invested the most. Also, the buildings in Qiaoxi Village— the land actually belongs to Chen Jin. The biggest building is hers too…”

As she spoke, Chen Ting deflated like a punctured balloon. “Anyway, no matter what Chen Jin does, my dad praises her for being capable. Hmph, I really can’t see where she’s so capable. But if the family says so, then it must be true.”

“She looks down on me now, so we don’t need to go to her and get close; it won’t end well.”

Chen Ting muttered discontentedly, “I only mentioned her dating in college. Does she have to give me that attitude? She’s complained to my dad about me before, and I didn’t get mad at her.”

Liu Chengzhi rubbed his fingers and lowered his gaze. “She might be angry about me dating you.”

Chen Ting was taken aback for a moment before saying angrily, “I’m her cousin, not her sister. Do I need to report to her when I start dating? I don’t care if she gets mad; my parents and my older brothers are not against it, so her opinion doesn’t matter.”

“You’ve been sisters for so many years after all. Besides, your family gets along well with your cousin. You should talk nicely when you meet in the future,” Liu Chengzhi advised.

He noticed that Chen Ting didn’t seem that close to her parents and didn’t have a particularly good relationship with her sister-in-law either. It made his head hurt.

He was now certain that he and Chen Jin would never have any possibility together, but he had to persuade Chen Ting to maintain a good relationship with her family.

He really didn’t understand what Chen Ting was thinking. With her entire family and several close relatives, the amount of money and property she had seemed insufficient for a comfortable life. She still needed to build good relationships with the other family members who had brains and could help earn money. While others could easily make big profits, they only hoped to benefit modestly, following behind to enjoy the leftover rewards.

But Chen Ting was thinking of other aspects and asked him why he was so concerned about Chen Jin.

On June 5, Chen Jin drove to Dongcheng District to pick up her second uncle and second aunt, and then headed to Qiaoxi Village.

As she drove into the village, there were fewer obstacles on the road, and the sounds of activity in the village had diminished. Some families had completed renovations on their self-built houses and had put up rental signs again.

Whether the houses would be demolished in the future or not, the greenery in the village had increased significantly, making it look more pleasing than before. Moreover, after the recent sanitation improvements in Qiaoxi Village, it seemed to have undergone a transformation.

Driving further in, Chen Jin saw that two of the self-built houses had tiles affixed to their exteriors.

Wow, they must not want to bother with changing the internal layout and didn’t have space to build new houses, so they focused on the exterior appearance. After all, during demolition, the condition of the house would be assessed for compensation.

Locals in Qiaoxi Village knew that “Trouble Maker Jin” had built those five buildings in the village and would soon start renting them out; today was a day for celebration.

Some were worried that Chen Jin would cause trouble in the village and didn’t bother to join in the festivities, while others, driven by curiosity, felt compelled to check it out. They asked Meng Chong about the rental prices, but Meng Chong hadn’t made any clear statements to them. However, they noticed that he was chatting and laughing with many of the original tenants.

They were concerned that if Chen Jin’s rental prices were similar to theirs, they would be at a disadvantage. If the prices were the same, tenants would definitely choose the better-conditioned houses!

“I’m not worried; her houses are just over a hundred square meters each. At most, she’ll have a hundred tenants renting them, and the rest will have to find other places to live. If she sets her rent too low, she’ll be the one at a loss.”

“That’s still a hundred or so tenants, which is a lot. What if those tenants are our former tenants? We’d have to rent again, and wasting a month or two on rooms would be a bigger loss.”

In Qiaoxi Village, rents generally hovered around 80 to 100, with slightly better conditions commanding higher prices. Now that a particularly well-conditioned property had appeared, everyone was waiting to see how Chen Jin would price her houses.

Some came to join the fun because they wanted to learn about Chen Jin’s commercial properties for rent. Some houses in their families weren’t suitable to be transformed into storefronts, and they thought that since Chen Jin’s five buildings would likely have many tenants, foot traffic would be guaranteed…

Of course, some were simply envious of Chen Jin’s five buildings, especially a few families near Chen Jin’s who saw how well-decorated those houses were. It was needless to say that in the future, tenants would compare Chen Jin’s houses to theirs, making negotiations difficult.

“If she dares to set the price recklessly, we in Qiaoxi Village won’t agree. An outsider messing with the market? Let’s see if I don’t teach her a lesson! Ugh!”

“Exactly! So what if her dad is from Qiaoxi Village? Didn’t she always say she’s from Qiaodong Village? If she comes here, she has to follow our rules!”

A group of people chimed in, and eventually, someone said quietly, “You all sound tough here, but when she comes, let’s see if you dare to say that in front of her.”

Most of the people present fell silent.

Under their watchful eyes, Chen Jin’s white car, which had become familiar to them, drove into the village and made its way to the end. Those who had just spoken boldly exchanged glances, looking at each other but not getting up or speaking.

Chen Jin was the second to arrive; the first to come was her third uncle’s family, with her aunt following them. Today wasn’t particularly grand, as Chen Yongan and Chen Jia, the two students who had classes, didn’t come. They wanted to take a leave, but their family didn’t approve. Her eldest uncle’s family would be a bit late; it seemed that her aunt and older cousin wouldn’t be coming either.

The car stopped outside the courtyard wall, and everyone got out to carry things. Her third cousin’s trunk was filled with firecrackers, candies, and cookies, which were to be placed on the table set up in the courtyard. The courtyard gate was at least two meters wide; when it swung open, it made the small courtyard appear much more spacious.

Once the eldest uncle and two cousins arrived, many locals and outside tenants gathered to watch the excitement.

They worked quickly, and when the time came, they set off five bundles of firecrackers, which crackled for a few minutes. Before long, the ground outside the courtyard was covered in red, looking festive.

Next, the three uncles went out to distribute candies and cookies.

Now that conditions had improved, people weren’t as rarefied about candies and cookies as they were in the 70s and 80s, but they still wanted to share in the joy.

After receiving candies and cookies, the people didn’t leave. Seeing that Chen Jin’s uncles seemed quite friendly, they asked how they would determine the rent for the houses.

The eldest uncle glanced back at Chen Jin, and Chen Jin found her cousin Meng Chong, setting up her prepared “rental sign” outside the courtyard gate. Soon enough, several groups of people gathered around.

“Renting: Building 3, 110 per unit; Buildings 1, 2, 4, 5, 100 per unit; commercial properties 300-500 depending on specifics; please contact the property manager—Manager Meng Chong for details?”

Hearing “Manager Meng Chong,” Meng Chong shyly scratched his head, but he couldn’t suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth. This was the “powerful identity” his cousin had said she would give him.

Hey.