Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Jinjiang Solo
My brother often told my parents that we should pamper our daughters so that they would not be cheated away by others for a few small things. If Xia Dayong had not been so good to Zhang Mengyao, he would not have been able to catch up with his wife.
So in the Zhang family, Zhang Mengyao and Zhang Mengyu never think that their parents are partial. In comparison, their son Zhang Mengzhi is not living as well as they are.
Even Zhang Mengzhi was the one who went to the countryside, instead of the older Zhang Mengyao. In order to keep her in the city, her parents bought her a job and let her get married and have children.
He took every possible measure into consideration, just to keep his eldest daughter in the city.
So you see, although he said he was partial to his son, in fact, among the three children, it was his son Zhang Mengzhi who suffered the most.
"It's good that you think this way. We as parents are useless. Even the house you have now was saved by your father and I using the pocket money your brother gave us over the years."
Mother Zhang touched her daughter's hair, and saw how she had grown from a baby whose eyes could not be opened when she was born to a graceful young lady.
Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, my daughter is getting married.
"Mom, what's the big deal? My brother won't mind, and neither will I! I already have a lot, and I don't know how many people envy me!"
What Zhang Mengyu said was true. Although she did not have her own store, she had more houses than her sister.
As a younger brother and older brother, Zhang Mengzhi treats his older sisters equally.
"I'm glad you think so. Your brother is not in vain for being so kind to you."
Mother Zhang felt relieved only after she saw that her daughter did not resent them as parents because of this!
Their son's current achievements were not due to the support of their two parents, but all Zhang Mengzhi did. The only thing they could do for their son was not to hold him back.
"Mom, my brother is coming back today, let's go buy some groceries. I'm a pretty good cook now, so I'm going to cook for my brother myself."
Zhang Mengyu was influenced by her brother and was better at cooking than the others in the family. After all, her brother was right, don't rely on others for anything.
She can cook, and she can cook for herself when she has a job. She can't always go out to eat! Another point is that the food she cooks is clean. It's okay to eat food from restaurants occasionally. I'm afraid that eating too much is bad for the body.
As for whether she should cook after getting married, it depends on her own choice. Zhang Mengzhi will not interfere with this.
If the relationship breaks down in the future, the worst that can happen is divorce. It's not like the Zhang family can't afford to support their daughter. If his sister doesn't want to get married and just wants to have fun, Zhang Mengzhi will support her. As long as she doesn't play around with feelings or become a mistress, he won't stop her from looking for male models in nightclubs.
What's the matter? Only men are allowed to have affairs outside, but women are not allowed to have more open play outside?
Zhang Mengyu didn’t know her brother was thinking this way, otherwise she would have jumped up and hit her brother a few times.
She wanted to fall in love, but her brother's idea was too outrageous, which had a great impact on women of this era.
"Brother, welcome back."
After Zhang Mengzhi handed over several disciples to his eldest disciple Xia Donghai, he dragged his luggage onto a tricycle and went home.
"Why are you outside? It's sunny outside, be careful not to get a tan."
Zhang Mengzhi took his hat out of his bag and put it on his sister.
"Why are you wearing a hat when you're just a few steps from home?"
Although he said this, he didn't take off his hat.
The brothers and sisters entered the house and the gate to the yard was closed, blocking some of the sight. Although the Zhang family had bought all of this area, there were still people coming and going here during the day, and it was only quiet at night.
"Mom, Dad, Aunt, Cousin, I'm back."
Zhang Mengzhi came in and called people, and also handed out the specialty gifts he brought back from Shanghai to everyone.
"Wow, this watch is so exquisite. I have never seen such a beautiful watch!"
Aunt Zhang took the gift Zhang Mengzhi gave her, which was a pair of husband and wife watches, one large and one small, sparkling with golden light in the box.
“Is the necklace nice?”
Mother Zhang was holding a golden necklace in her hand. She couldn't wait to put it around her neck and asked everyone.
"nice."
Everyone exclaimed in praise.
"Hey, mine is pretty good too!"
Mr. Zhang's is a gold ring, the weight is the same as his wife's, but Mrs. Zhang's is more exquisite in workmanship.
After all, the rings men wear don’t have to be too delicate, what’s important is that they are elegant.
"Cousin, this is for you."
Zhang Mengzhi handed a small box to Wang Changjiang.
"Thank you Mengzhi."
Wang Changjiang opened it and saw a black watch inside. The workmanship seemed to be no worse than those made abroad.
"You didn't bring back anything from the United States. It will be convenient for me to check the time with this."
Zhang Meng knew that his cousin did not bring anything back except a few sets of clothes and shoes. Even the paints and pens for painting were bought after he returned to Guocheng. Because Guocheng was too remote, many paints were not available, so he had to buy them for him when he went to the provincial capital.
The Wang family was so ruthless that they forced Wang Changjiang to leave the house. People who didn't know the truth thought they were suppressing their enemies! Who knew that this was their own son and grandson?
"Thank you Mengzhi."
Wang Changjiang held the watch box tightly, his eyes red.
His grandparents, father, and brother all wished he would die, and his mother could only send him away from the United States. But at his aunt Huaxia's house, everyone accepted him easily.
The United States is more open, but his unusual sexual orientation is not accepted. On the contrary, China, a very conservative country, is very tolerant of his sexual orientation.
At least in the Zhang family's view, liking the same sex is not a big deal, as long as they don't do anything harmful to the world, they can treat it with a normal mind.
So I guess I still don’t love it!
Wang Changjiang said sarcastically in his heart. But in the Zhang family, the feeling of being remembered and cared for by everyone was so good that he was reluctant to leave and wanted to stay in this family forever.
"Okay, cousin, if you keep crying you'll turn into a rabbit. Bro, where's mine?"
Zhang Mengyu extended her hand to her brother.
"No one dares to miss you, you are here!"
Zhang Mengzhi took out a box smaller than a watch.
"What is it?"
It was obviously not big, but it felt heavy in the hand. Curious Zhang Mengyu opened it immediately.
"You'll know after you take a look."
Zhang Mengzhi kept it a secret.
"Then let me see...wow, it's all gold bars."
When Zhang Mengyu opened it, he saw four gold bars inside and his eyes widened immediately.
"You are still studying and it is not appropriate for you to wear jewelry. I will buy some for you later. You should keep these gold bars well and treat them as heirlooms."
What Zhang Mengyu gave to her sister was something that could be passed down from generation to generation. Gold bars were very valuable in later generations. Mother Zhang gave all the gold bars left by Mr. Wang to her son. Zhang Mengzhi exchanged two of them for opening a shop, and kept the rest well. After all, the gold bars in later generations rose absurdly, once exceeding a thousand.
Zhang Mengyu's gold bar was bought by him separately, and as a member of Wang's bloodline, Zhang Mengyu should also get half. However, Zhang's mother said that this gold bar was related to her life experience, so it was best not to let others know, not even Xiaoyu.
Although Wang Changjiang's arrival exposed Zhang's mother's life experience, the gold bars left by Grandpa Wang were different from the ones today, so Zhang Mengzhi did not give them directly to her sister, but bought another one for her.
"Thank you, brother."
Zhang Mengyu was very sensible and obediently put the gold bars away. Compared with the value, she was the one who got the most out of everyone, and if she was still not satisfied, she should be beaten.
Everyone was very satisfied with their gifts. Zhang Mengyao's family would not come until after work, so their gifts were still with Zhang Mengzhi.
The welcoming dinner was prepared by Zhang Mengyu herself. The taste was only slightly better than that of ordinary people, but it was good enough. At least she wouldn't starve to death when faced with a room full of food.
"Sister, what did my brother buy you?"
After dinner, Zhang Mengyu whispered with her sister in the room.
"A set of pearl jewelry."
Zhang Mengyao generously showed the gift to her sister. As for the gift Zhang Mengyu received, she already knew it was a gold bar.
Even though her gift was not as valuable as her sister's, Zhang Mengyao was not jealous. She now knew that her aunt was not born to her grandparents, but she was still her aunt. So what if they were not related by blood? The relationship between them was never maintained by blood.
So even though she knew that Zhang Mengyu's price was higher, Zhang Mengyao thought it was normal. Her sister was still young, so of course Mengzhi had to make more plans for her.
Moreover, Meng Zhi gave her the stewed food shop and spicy hot pot, which was a golden chicken that could lay golden eggs. As long as she and Xia Dayong managed it well, its value would be much higher than these gold bars.
If you really want to blame Zhang Mengyu, you can just say that her brother is partial to her. After all, he gives Zhang Mengyao the best things.
"pretty."
Looking at the crystal clear pearls quietly placed in the box, Zhang Mengyu almost couldn't help but take them off and put them on herself.
"What about my brother-in-law's?"
I know that my brother is very thorough and will not miss out Xia Dayong and his two nephews.
"Your brother-in-law's is a custom-made suit, and the same goes for the two children. They are two sets of the most popular children's clothing from abroad."
The more Zhang Mengyu talked, the more he felt that his family had gotten too big of an advantage. After all, there were four people in their family, the same number as the Zhang family.
"Sis, where are you going?"
Looking at her sister who hurriedly stood up and walked out, Zhang Mengyu shouted hurriedly.
"I'm going to find your brother-in-law."
No, I have to prepare a gift for my brother. I can’t always let Mengzhi suffer.
Zhang Mengyao found her husband and told him about the matter. After discussing it, the couple came up with an idea and decided to give it to Zhang Mengzhi when the time was right.
After Zhang Mengzhi came back, he started to get busy again because they were going to move. All other places had been demolished, except for the yard where Zhang's family and Wang Changjiang lived.
Zhang Mengzhi had already considered moving, so he rebuilt a courtyard house.
He bought the land and started construction last year. Since he did not choose to build a building, the construction progress was quite fast.
Apart from the troublesome construction of the foundation and the beams, it is quick to hang bricks, lay tiles and floor tiles. After a little airing, you can move in and put the furniture in.
The ancient courtyard has more than twenty rooms and is divided into front and back yards.
The front yard has five main rooms and six side rooms. The back yard also has five main rooms and four side rooms.
There is also a back house used as a kitchen, dining room, utility room and public toilet.
The owner's bathroom was built in the ear room next to the main house in the front and back yards.
There are five main rooms in the front yard, and the lobby in the middle is usually used for entertaining guests. To the right of the main room are the chess and card room, tea room and warm room. The two rooms on the left of the main room are Zhang Mengzhi's bedroom and study.
The three rooms on the right are guest rooms, where guests stay when they come. One of the three rooms on the left is where Wang Changjiang lives, one is where Zhang Mengyao and Xia Dayong live when they come back, and the remaining one is used as a spare guest room.
There are five main rooms in the backyard, the middle one is where my parents live, the left one is for my grandparents, and the right one is where Zhang Mengyu lives and her study.
The left wing of the backyard was reserved for Xia Yu and Xia Shuang. The two children had grown up and needed their own rooms. As for the wing on the right, it was used as a warehouse, where many things that the Zhang family was not convenient for people to know were stored. For example, Zhang Mengzhi's gold bars and some antique collections, he took advantage of the fact that many people did not know the value of antiques and bought a large number of antiques at a low price.
If the person was in urgent need of money to save someone, Zhang Mengzhi would give more money. If the person was a prodigal or had illicit income, he would give less money.
Of course, these people themselves don’t understand, but as long as both the buyer and the seller agree, that’s enough. This business tests one’s eyesight.
In addition to the rooms, there are two courtyards that have been well maintained. A well was dug near the kitchen. Although the water quality is not as good as the original well, it is much better than tap water.
It turned out that the well was protected when the house was demolished and was still used every day.
The Zhang family’s water is hauled back from the sweet water well. They have to deliver water to the restaurant every day anyway, so it’s not a big deal to just come to their new home and deliver water.
Peach trees, orange trees and apricot trees are planted in the yard, so everyone will be able to eat fruits next year. The fruits in the old house are still in place because the Zhang family will move back there!
According to Zhang Mengyu's request, many flowers and plants moved from her grandparents' home were planted in the backyard. Because they were dug up together with the soil, they recovered after one night after transplanting.
Looking at the colorful backyard, Zhang Mengyu was in a very good mood and ran around among the flowers.
“Wow, it’s so beautiful!”
When Zhang Mengyu saw the beautiful roses, he reached out to pick them.
"Little fish, don't touch the thorns, be careful of getting pricked."
The grandmother hurriedly stopped her ignorant granddaughter. They had already moved from the small building to her grandson's home, and would live in the Zhang family from now on.
"Mom, you're old now. I'm really worried about letting you live alone in the small building!"
Faced with the Zeng family elders who did not want to trouble their daughter and son-in-law, Mother Zhang dragged her husband to bring her parents over from the small building. From then on, they lived next to her and Old Zhang's room, so she could take care of them.
"Grandma, it's beautiful. I want to put it in a vase in my room."
When Zhang Mengyu saw her grandmother’s disapproving expression, she immediately acted coquettishly.
"Okay, okay, we'll do that. But wait a minute, grandma's going to get the scissors. Don't just pick them with your hands, or you'll get pricked by the thorns."
The grandmother couldn't resist her little granddaughter's coquetry and immediately agreed without any principles.
"Thank you grandma, I love you so much."
Zhang Mengyao jumped up and down while hugging her great-grandmother.
"Okay, you're still acting like a child, let my mom go."
Mother Zhang jealously pulled her daughter away and hugged her mother herself.
"Oh, I didn't expect my sister-in-law would be jealous of her daughter!"
Aunt Zhang, who was watching the fun from the sidelines, laughed.
"Hmph." Mother Zhang didn't care what her sister-in-law said. She now had her mother by her side.
"Mengzhi, you built a really big place!"
Zhang Deming looked at the large courtyard, with various landscape paintings hanging on the walls. In addition, he was faced with green mountains and clear waters. Living here for a long time would make him feel sublime.
Well, in the words of our ancestors, the Feng Shui is very good and suitable for living. The key is that the main house and the wing rooms are connected by a corridor, and there are corridors in front and back, so there is no need to worry about being rained on.
"This is nothing. Once my manor is built, it won't be too late for you to praise me."
Zhang Mengzhi was making tea. There were many guests at home today, all of them were relatives. He had been busy all morning and now he had time to talk to Zhang Deming.
Moving into a new house is a happy event, so of course a banquet must be held. However, for the quietness of his own courtyard, he directly booked ten tables in Taibai Tower. The others also went directly to Taibai Tower after visiting the courtyard. Now only Zhang Deming and he were left at home.
“Then I’m really looking forward to it.”
Zhang Deming didn't say anything to ask him to be careful. Zhang Mengzhi was rich, so he could do whatever he wanted with the repairs and no one could interfere.
Moreover, the courtyard house was built on wasteland in the suburbs. Not only did it not occupy land in the city, it also directly transformed a piece of barren land into its current appearance. All the higher-ups should thank him.
Because of the courtyard houses, not only has the scenery improved, but roads have also been built, making it much more convenient for people from surrounding villages to enter the city.
"By the way, Mengzhi, someone recently reported that your money came from illegal sources."
Zhang Deming whispered in his nephew's ear.
"Oh, my money didn't come from a legitimate source? I dare say that no one else's money comes from a more legitimate source than mine."
Zhang Mengzhi rolled his eyes. His money was earned from running the shop. Every penny was recorded, and it matched the money he had in his hands perfectly.
As for the matter of the gold bars, after Zhang's mother's background was exposed, there would probably be some speculation from higher-ups, so it wouldn't be a big problem.
"Your recent actions have been a bit exaggerated, so it's inevitable that you'll be targeted."
Zhang Deming said with a relaxed look.
There was nothing they could do. Their nephew was too capable and they didn't need to worry about many things. He and others didn't take the report seriously.
"Whatever, let them talk! As long as the higher-ups don't suspect anything, I'm not afraid of them reporting me."
Zhang Mengzhi won't bother with a few small fry, because if you care too much, it will only make you seem like you are at the same level as them.
"Just keep it in mind."
Zhang Deming didn't say anything else. He believed that Zhang Mengzhi could handle it.
The Zhang family's move allowed the people of Guocheng to see his strength.
A courtyard house covering several thousand square meters was built on the river bank, less than one kilometer away from the Jialing River. The terrain is relatively high, so even if the water level rises in the future, it will not reach this area. Even if the Jialing River expands in the future, it will not affect him, and it may even increase the value of his courtyard house.
You can enjoy the river view by standing outside the gate, and when you are in a good mood, you can even carry a fishing rod and go fishing on the river. I wonder how many people are jealous and envious of this kind of life!
Zhang Mengzhi chose to build a courtyard house here because of the beautiful scenery around it. In addition to the river, there is also a mountain. He also took the opportunity to take over the land outside the courtyard house because it was wasteland and no one would compete with him.
By next spring, the scenery here will be even more charming, and it will be a good place for the Zhang family to cool off every summer. In order to prevent soil erosion and make the courtyard look better, Zhang Mengzhi even planted many fruit trees and ornamental plants around the courtyard.
Taibai Tower had good business today. In addition to the ten tables of banquet reserved by Zhang Mengzhi, many other people came to Taibai Tower to eat.
When Zhang Mengzhi accompanied Zhang Deming to Taibai Tower, Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Zhang were sitting together and chatting with a group of relatives.
They had come a long time ago, and Zhang Mengzhi had sent a car to the countryside to pick them up. But they preferred chatting with their relatives rather than staying in the courtyard. Many of them hadn't seen each other for a long time, and it was time to talk a lot, so how could they bear to part with everyone!
So when they came to Taibai Tower, they came with everyone, and they didn't stop chatting on the way. Father and mother Zhang, as one of the hosts, brought their daughters to welcome the guests. On the contrary, the eldest son Zhang Mengzhi came late and showed up when the banquet was about to start.
"Zhang Mengzhi."
Seeing that most of the guests had arrived, Zhang Mengzhi was about to say hello to his acquaintances when someone pulled his sleeve.
"Who are you?"
Zhang Mengzhi blinked at the person who pulled his sleeve, and for a moment he didn't recognize him.
"I'm your high school classmate, you haven't forgotten me, have you?"
The man saw that Zhang Mengzhi didn't recognize him for a long time, so he spoke in a nonchalant manner.
"I'm sorry, I really forgot."
Zhang Mengzhi said it directly without giving any face to the other party, regardless of whether the other party was his high school classmate.
“…”
The scene suddenly became a little awkward.
"I'm Li Yong, don't you remember me? The boy sitting behind you."
Even though it was embarrassing, Li Yong still tried hard to awaken Zhang Mengzhi's memory.
"Li Yong? But I clearly remember that Li Yong doesn't look like you!"
Zhang Mengzhi has a good memory, but the Li Yong in his impression was very tall, unlike the one in front of him who was not even as tall as his chin.
It’s impossible that Li Yong went and had his leg amputated after graduating from high school, right?
“…”
No, it's been so many years, do you still remember what I look like? Li Yong was suddenly a little panicked, and at the same time he began to be alert, looking around and wanted to run.
"Tell me, who are you?" Zhang Mengzhi grabbed his hand and asked without waiting for the other party to run away.
"Li Yong is taller than me. It's impossible that he has shrunk in the past ten years? Even if you want to make up a story, you have to make it more realistic. Your excuse is too fake."
Zhang Mengzhi’s words startled the fake Li Yong so much that he even forgot to struggle to escape.
No, no one told me that the real Li Yong is really tall! The fake Li Yong, who is less than 17 meters tall, was almost crying out of anger.
"Mengzhi, what happened?"
Zhang Deming's son Zhang Shixue happened to be coming to the banquet with two colleagues. Upon seeing this, he immediately took people to control the fake Li Yong.
"Brother, this guy pretended to be my high school classmate. But this liar didn't find out clearly before impersonating me. Li Yong is taller than me, unlike him who is less than 1.7 meters tall and looks like a short guy."
Zhang Mengzhi deliberately said something that hurt people's feelings, and the fake Li Yong's facial features were distorted. Not only was he ridiculed for being short, but he was also called a shorty. Who could stand this?
"Well, it seems we won't be able to have this lunch today."
Zhang Shixue said to his two colleagues.
"It doesn't matter. I prefer the credit to the feast."
His colleagues laughed.
Yes, you can have a feast at any time, but merits don’t come often!
So Zhang Shixue and two colleagues took the fake Li Yong away, and left him a message before leaving.
"Mengzhi, come back and take notes with us."
His master couldn't leave today, so he was not asked to go back with them to take a statement right away.
"Okay cousin, I'll go after I finish my meal."
Zhang Mengzhi agreed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
