Chapter 153 of "New Urban Farmers" (10108): The First Engagement! (6,000 words)
The private road and bridge construction project in Jixing Village, Zhangba Township, has reached its most critical stage. The project is 90% complete, with the road embankment, the roadside embankment, and the irrigation canal essentially finished. Iron brambles have been planted along both sides of the road, and given time, they will grow even more luxuriantly.
The remaining 10% of the road is close to "Snake Nest Valley". Once this part of the road is completed, Zhang Guodong's "country villa" construction will be largely finished.
As for what kind of house to build, that's something to be considered later and is unrelated to this project.
The weather was hot, the construction workers were sweating profusely, and the machinery was roaring and busy. Zhang Guodong stood on the cement road that had been paved yesterday, supervising the progress of the project. He was quite satisfied and felt a great sense of accomplishment as the project was gradually completed.
Once this place is completed, it will have the beginnings of a paradise, an ideal "country villa" spot with fields, houses, mountains behind, and water in front.
You can imagine what this place will look like in the future.
Not far away, women from Jixing Village carried several loads of mung bean water for some of the workers to drink. Although it was only the end of May and not yet June, the construction workers' clothes were basically covered in mud after a day of intense work.
The workload is considerable!
"Hello, Mr. Liu?" About twenty days later, Zhang Guodong received a call from Liu Neng after switching to a different SIM card. Liu Neng was currently at the Hongtan Mine in Sichuan. The mine was now piled high with raw jade stones. Liu Neng was frantically trying to contact Zhang Guodong, but he just couldn't get in touch with him.
Here's what happened.
Zhang Guodong simply left, and over three weeks later, the raw ore had accumulated to over sixty tons. It was a considerable quantity, but Zhang Guodong's absence delayed shipments by more than two weeks. Moreover, Liu Neng was extremely cautious, not daring to tamper with the ore in case Zhang Guodong conducted a surprise inspection. Now, Zhang Guodong's shipment had reached nearly forty tons, and the southern customer was constantly urging Liu Neng to hurry, making him very anxious.
Thankfully, the call finally went through!
"Mr. Zhang, when are you coming back? You've accumulated forty tons of ore; if you don't process it soon, you'll attract too much attention, hehe, what do you think?" Liu Neng said as soon as the call connected. "Also, I've received about eight tons of jade slag you requested. When would you like to pick it up?"
Hearing Liu Neng's cautious tone, Zhang Guodong slapped his forehead and laughed sheepishly.
"That's all? Mr. Liu, you've worked so hard. Look at me, I'm completely overwhelmed. How about this, I'll head back to Sichuan no later than tomorrow! What do you say?"
"Okay, I was just afraid you'd forget, hehe, then I won't bother you anymore!" Liu Neng said hurriedly.
"kindness!"
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Guodong thought for a moment and then contacted Uncle Zhao. For about twenty days, Uncle Zhao had been helping out there, and Zhang Guodong paid him a salary. He was making the best use of everyone's talents. And sure enough, Uncle Zhao, after receiving the money, worked even harder for Zhang Guodong.
This indirectly ensured the smooth progress of the project!
"Third Uncle, I'm going to another city tomorrow and I'd like to ask you to come and supervise the project. I don't trust anyone else to do it!" Zhang Guodong said bluntly.
Uncle Zhao was wearing only a thin shirt, a little sweat on his forehead, but he was in good spirits and looked to be in high spirits. Two thousand a month for just walking around the construction site—this job seemed easy!
"Go ahead and don't worry. My old arms and legs aren't good for much else, but they can keep an eye on the project for you!" Uncle Zhao said with a smile.
"Third Uncle, you're being too modest. You're still going strong! Alright, I'll be going now. Give me a call if you need anything!" Zhang Guodong flattered him, then quickly said goodbye, got into his car, and drove off.
Sister Lan was organizing the women of the village, chatting idly while eavesdropping. Seeing Zhang Guodong get into the car and leave, Uncle Zhao, seemingly straightening his back considerably, immediately came over and teased, "Hey, Uncle Zhao, you got promoted? I heard Guodong ask you to look after the project!"
"What, your third uncle can't do this with these arms and legs? Hurry up and go help. I didn't bring you here to chat! The weather forecast says there might be light to moderate rain in the provincial capital area tomorrow. We need to speed up construction!" Uncle Zhao said irritably.
"Third Uncle, all we do all day is cook and deliver water. Where are we supposed to go now?" Sister Lan said with a coquettish laugh. "Besides, Guodong isn't even urging you, why don't you urge the construction workers instead!"
Sister Lan, in her thirties, was considered quite pretty in the surrounding villages. Being a widow, she was never particular about food, neither meat nor vegetables. Uncle Zhao usually had to be stern to deal with her.
Uncle Zhao snorted and ignored her, going straight to look elsewhere.
"That young man named Lan Hua must have a woman, right?" one of the village women said. The other women also looked at Sister Lan with gossipy expressions.
Sister Lan swayed over and sat on a rock, rolling her eyes and saying, "How would I know? He's not my man!"
"Hey Blue Flower, I've noticed you're getting quite close to young Zhang. Don't you have any ideas about how to get anything out of him?" another young woman teased.
Sister Lan blushed slightly and then retorted, "You bunch of sluts, weren't you satisfied with your men last night? Why are you so gossipy?"
The film is filled with a gentle, charming smile.
"Pear Girl must not have been properly fed, and her man's little guy isn't very big either, is he?" The first woman who asked the question was teased. When people joked about her man being smaller than her, the topic of "small man, big breasts" always came up.
"Get lost! You're the one who's not full yet!" Pear Girl scolded, blushing.
"Oh, are you full?" Everyone burst into laughter. "Tell us what happened!"
"Hey, don't change the subject. Let's talk about Lan Hua and Zhang Xiaohuo. You two should talk about your business in bed tonight!"
Sister Lan's heart fluttered, and she rolled her eyes at her friends. Young and rich Zhang hadn't brought a woman with him, so it was impossible for her not to be aroused.
But when she thought about how much older she was than Zhang, she felt disheartened. In the countryside, it's considered auspicious for a woman to be three years older than her husband, but if she were any older, people would gossip, especially since she was a widow.
Some say she brought death to her husband. Some say she was infertile and couldn't leave behind a child. But she knows for herself that she is a healthy and normal woman!
That evening, Zhang Guodong flew to Chengdu and quietly arrived at the airport without calling anyone.
After leaving the airport, Zhang Guodong thought about going back to the Huang family first. But then he thought that his elder brother and sister-in-law should be back from their honeymoon, and if he went there, there would be too many people and it would be too crowded. So he decided to stay in a hotel or go directly to the Hongtan Mine.
There's another thing. I guess Dad and Mom will be going back to the provincial capital soon, right? When I return to the provincial capital, it will be my engagement and wedding day with Zheng Le.
The engagement and wedding dates are set soon.
"Let's go back to Red Beach first. We haven't been there for a while, so Liu Neng shouldn't dare to do anything!"
Zhang Guodong took a taxi to Hongtan Mine. By this time, most people were resting and Hongtan was quiet. However, as soon as the taxi's headlights shone and the car started to run, Ah Lang and Leopard became alert and woke up their boss, Liu Neng.
"Boss, a car is on its way!"
Who's here?
As soon as the taxi stopped, Zhang Guodong got out. The lights in the bamboo house came on!
It's clear that the noise woke up some people.
"Ah, it's Boss Zhang back!" Someone recognized Zhang Guodong.
Liu Neng was in Shuangkou City late at night. He had just spent the night at Hongtan when he learned that the more raw stones mined there, the higher the price. These sixty-odd tons of raw stones were worth tens of millions!
"Everyone go to sleep, I'm getting off the plane!" Zhang Guodong waved to everyone.
Liu Neng came out. He was excited to see Zhang Guodong, but his heart was filled with bitterness. "Heaven has finally waited for you to return!" he thought. The southern merchants were pressing him hard, and the trip had already been delayed for more than two weeks. Liu Neng didn't know what to do if Zhang Guodong didn't come back. There were also those eight tons of jade slag, and the other merchants had accumulated another four or five tons of jade slag. If they didn't get rid of it, they wouldn't be able to exchange it for cash.
"Mr. Zhang, you must have had a long journey!" Liu Neng said hurriedly.
Zhang Guodong smiled slightly, probably making this guy feel really stifled.
"Those are all raw stones from the quarry? There are quite a few!" Zhang Guodong immediately noticed the tall piles of stones taking up a considerable amount of space. Who would have thought that these few piles of stones would be worth tens of millions?
“Yes, there are about sixty tons now! The other small pile is the jade and slag you requested!” Liu Neng said.
Even though only one pile of ore resembles fine sand, it still represents a significant amount of money. The essence of jade is extracted from that pile!
"I'm a bit tired, I'll just play again tomorrow!"
Liu Neng got up very early the next morning. He couldn't sleep at all when it came to dividing the money; he even called in five large trucks to wait for loading.
After practicing his boxing in Taoyuan, Zhang Guodong washed himself before leaving the bamboo house.
Liu Neng was already waiting outside.
Good morning, Mr. Zhang!
"Good morning!" Zhang Guodong nodded with a smile. "Shall we begin splitting the stones now?"
"Please go first, Mr. Zhang!" Dao Neng said.
Zhang Guodong didn't stand on ceremony and selected five tons of raw stones in less than half an hour. Of the remaining thirty-two tons of raw stones, after exchanging six tons for eight tons of jade slag, there were still twenty-six tons of raw stones left. As usual, at 800,000 yuan per ton, Zhang Guodong's account showed an extra 21 million yuan, which Liu Neng rounded up. After all, he had made a considerable profit by exchanging jade slag for raw stones.
After sorting the ore, Liu Neng was extremely excited. He quickly ordered people to load it onto trucks and prepare to head south immediately.
Zhang Guodong also loaded his five tons of raw jade stones onto a truck. He still planned to store these stones in Taoyuan. He figured that once he had time, cutting them out would make for quite a nice and beautiful decoration. After all, he had enough money in his account!
"Mr. Zhang, I have something to discuss with you. According to Lao Fu's estimate, the Hongtan Mine can only be mined for another three or two months at most!" Liu Neng remembered something and hurried over to mention it to Zhang Guodong, looking quite uneasy.
This was an estimate made by the master and apprentice, experts in jade mining.
The Hongtan Mine was originally estimated to have reserves of 400 to 500 million tons. However, after just over a month of mining, Liu Neng has only just broken even, with his pockets bulging by 40 million yuan. All the machinery and equipment will have to be disposed of eventually, which means the mine will be depleted in at most two or three months!
It's estimated that he'll earn another 80 million or so. Even after selling the machinery, the total income will be around 120 million, which is several tens of millions less than originally estimated.
This annoyed him.
Was the initial estimate of these reserves too high?!
However, this matter must be discussed with Zhang Guodong. Otherwise, Liu Neng is afraid he might get himself involved if problems arise.
"Two to three months?" Zhang Guodong asked in surprise.
"Yes, it's possible that Lao Fu miscalculated!" Liu Neng said with a bitter face. "The mining depth has reached twenty meters, but twenty meters is the bottom. We are currently mining horizontally, and the standard rock samples collected from the surrounding area prove that there are not many left!"
"Is that so?" Zhang Guodong frowned. He thought to himself that it probably wasn't a miscalculation; he always selected about two tons of these rough stones, which contained extremely valuable pieces of gold and jade.
This time, five tons of raw stones, plus the four tons put in before, make a total of nine tons, which is close to two hundred million in wealth! The value of this Red Beach Mine exceeds five hundred million!
"Let's keep mining as much as we can!" Zhang Guodong said after thinking for a moment.
Liu Neng breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, this hurdle was over. He couldn't have known the reserves would be less than expected anyway.
Zhang Guodong left with five tons of raw stones and eight tons of jade slag.
Liu Neng also boarded the southbound convoy and personally escorted the ore.
As usual, Zhang Guodong unloaded the ore in the suburbs, quickly packed it up in Taoyuan, and left.
Everyone in the Huang family compound was resting in the courtyard to cool off.
The courtyard became much livelier after the eldest brother and sister-in-law returned from their honeymoon. However, Zhang Zhengrong and Ye Cuihua were a little dissatisfied because they couldn't get through to Zhang Guodong on the phone. With the engagement date already a few days past, and Zhang Guodong not showing up soon, they planned to return to the provincial capital immediately.
"Where has that brat run off to!" Ye Cuihua said fiercely. "If you ask me, we shouldn't have let that kid go last time. He's gotten so out of control! He's not a kid anymore, how dare he run away from his engagement?"
“Mom, my second brother must be busy, right? I see he’s quite busy with his business. Didn’t Mayor Li’s wife and daughter come to visit just a couple of days ago? Don’t underestimate my second brother; I bet his business is pretty big!” Zhang Guozheng said with a smile.
Lin Hui's visit to Zhang Guodong with the recovered Ya Ya greatly surprised the Huang family. Now, both the Huang and Zhang families knew that Lin Hui's husband held a higher position than the executive deputy district head.
The Huang family is really powerful now!
Unfortunately, Zhang Guodong had already returned to the provincial capital and immediately changed to a new SIM card, so no one except Fatty could contact him.
"What do you need so much money for? They're always running around and you never see them!" Ye Cuihua muttered.
Money? You can't do without money. Like this time, my eldest son's wedding cost a million—a house, a car, and another house in Zhang Guodong's name. All of that was taken care of. That was said in anger!
That made people laugh!
"Don't worry, mother-in-law. I reckon your second son will be back soon, right?" Yang Qin said with a smile.
Just as Zhang Guodong arrived at the Huang family compound, a voice rang out: "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear!"
Zhang Guodong entered the courtyard somewhat bewildered, but seeing his parents' seemingly disapproving looks, he gave an awkward smile.
"Mom and Dad are a bit busy," Zhang Guodong said, scratching his head. "Big Brother, the prostitute's back? Why are they both here today? Don't Big Brother and Sister-in-law have to go to work?"
"Second brother, it's the weekend today, you don't have to work!" Zhang Guozheng said, both amused and exasperated.
"Ah, haha, I've been so busy I'm dizzy... I built and renovated a villa in the provincial capital, it's exhausting!" Zhang Guodong said, sitting down and deliberately changing the subject.
Upon hearing that the person was busy buying a house, Ye Cuihua immediately asked, "Is it for your wedding? How are the preparations going?"
Zhang Guodong hurriedly said, "Everything's ready. It's located inside the provincial TV station. I've also set up a small courtyard house in the countryside. If you get tired of living in the city, you can go and stay in the countryside."
"Second brother, why did you buy so many villas? They must be very expensive!" the eldest sister-in-law asked in surprise. Even though they knew her second brother was wealthy, buying villas still shocked many people.
“Hehe, let’s invest! It’s better to invest than leave money lying around. At least it can preserve its value, and if things go well, it can even appreciate! By the way, Mom’s villa is a duplex with four apartments. If we go back to the provincial capital, you can stay in the apartment provided by the telecom bureau. Let’s cancel the lease; we don’t need it anymore!” Zhang Guodong said.
My mom was overjoyed when she heard we weren't buying any more houses. "Why leave so many empty? We should rent them out!"
This statement is, of course, a choice to be ignored.
Zhang Guodong bought the apartments to save trouble. He bought them all at once, otherwise it would be quite troublesome if several families lived in one building, and besides, how much rent could he collect?
Zhang Guodong stayed at the Huang family's house for one night. The next morning, his mother, father, and he all boarded a plane back to the provincial capital; they couldn't wait any longer. His older brother and his family had returned from their online trip, so they didn't plan to attend the engagement ceremony; they would all have a meal together at the wedding.
As for the third brother and the eldest brother, they returned to Hebei the day after their wedding. Their business is usually concentrated in the first half of the year, while the second half of the year is a slow period with a lot of free time.
On the other side is the provincial capital of Xiqin Province.
"Is there anything else Lele needs to buy at her new house? Guodong, why don't you come back to see Zheng Jiameilan and your daughter Zheng Le from the provincial TV station?"
Just now, the Zhang family called to say that they had boarded a plane back to the city with Zhang Guodong and would probably arrive before noon. Helpless, Zheng Le had no choice but to ask for leave and obediently return to await "fate's arrangement."
We're getting engaged!
From then on, she was no longer alone but had a "fiancé" and the next step was to become...
"husband"
However, she felt very nervous at that moment. Even though she knew it was a "fake marriage," she was still nervous.
“Mom has bought everything and decorated it all, didn’t you see? Guodong is very busy. He gave me all the money to buy furniture and other things!” Zheng Le replied from her room.
The villa next door. The new apartment is on the second floor. She's basically finished furnishing it these past few days, spending over 400,000 yuan to buy everything she needed and decorating it herself with great care. After all, she'll be living there from now on; it's her home now.
Zheng Le got up and sat in front of the vanity, carefully examining her face before noticing her sexy lips. A sudden realization struck her – that bastard had kissed her there!
That wretched tongue!
"You bastard! You seemed so honest before, but you're actually really bad! Humph, don't even think about taking advantage of me again!" Zheng Le thought to herself, somewhat resentfully. However, the kiss, the intoxication, the lingering aftertaste—it was so intense and sweet that her heart fluttered.
Zheng Tianfu was also changing his clothes.
He naturally needed to wear appropriate clothes when meeting his future in-laws; his daughter was engaged, and the wedding was just around the corner. He was reluctant to let his daughter marry, but he was also very happy.
"Old man, do you really think we should treat some relatives and friends to a proper ceremony?" Mei Lan said.
"My daughter's request to forgo a wedding banquet and just have a meal and take wedding photos with both families might have its reasons, right? I think it's a good idea!" Zheng Tianfu said with a smile. "Guodong isn't a news figure or a public figure, so it's better to keep a low profile, isn't it? Let's not try to guess what's on a young person's mind!"
"But I'll still have to treat my old friends to a drink later!"
Mei Lan nodded with a slight frown.
It seems this is the only way. Originally, Meilan thought money wasn't a problem for her daughter's wedding and wanted to have a grand ceremony, but her daughter requested a low-key wedding, even just a simple marriage certificate and wedding photos. Then the two families would have a meal together.
The prospective son-in-law, Zhang Guodong, is also elusive. Mei Lan is also unable to reach an agreement.
Fortunately, Zhang Guodong gave his daughter one million yuan to buy a new house, which slightly offset his incompetence as a prospective son-in-law.
The phone next to Ding Lingling rang.
Meilan answered the call.
"Is it our in-laws? Oh, great, we'll be there right away!" Mei Lan said happily.
Meilan said after hanging up the phone, "The Zhang family has gotten off the plane and is on their way here. Guodong said that our two families will have dinner at the Jiahao Hotel in an hour!"
"Oh? Heh, this kid has finally shown up!" Zheng Tianfu said with a laugh.
“It’s not that I’m worried about them getting married; they’ll both be too busy with their own lives,” Mei Lan said. “Green Treasure Pavilion only opens once in a long while, and now I don’t even know what business Guodong is doing; he’s always on the go and doesn’t even have time to eat.”
“You’re just worrying unnecessarily. How can a young person not be busy with their career? But what you said makes sense,” Zheng Tianfu nodded and said.
As the Zheng family was getting dressed and preparing to leave, Zhang Guodong and his parents had already arrived at the Jiahao Hotel. They had booked a luxurious private room on the top floor, near the window.
The space here is large and soundproof. It's also very convenient for conversation.
"Mom and Dad, you two should rest for a bit. Then take a shower. Do you want to buy some more clothes?"
Zheng Rong was already seated on the sofa. He was getting dizzy on the plane, even though the flight was fast, he wasn't used to it. He needed to sit for a while to get used to it, otherwise it felt like his legs weren't supporting him.
Ye Cuihua, on the other hand, looked around with more energy. She was quite satisfied with the place, but it seemed a bit expensive. A private room for three hours cost four thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight yuan!
“No need to buy any more. Your older brother bought several sets for his wedding, it would be a waste to buy more. You can just change into something after you shower!” Ye Cuihua said. “Is Guodong and Lele really the ones from the City Express on TV?”
Zhang Guodong smiled helplessly.
"Yes, you'll see when you meet them!"
Ye Cuihua nodded happily. My mom actually has idol worship? She's so happy about it!
At exactly noon, Zheng's father, Aunt Mei Ran, and Zheng Le, dressed in their best, drove to the Jiahao Hotel.
Zhang Guodong and his parents were there to greet him at the hotel entrance.
This was the first time the two families had met.
Not only was Zheng Le nervous, but Zhang Guodong was also incredibly nervous, as if the wedding were real! Their eyes met briefly, then looked away. There was a hint of panic in their expressions.
"Uncle, Aunt Lele! This is my father, Zhang Zhengrong, and my mother, Ms. Ye Cuihua, hehe!" Zhang Guodong took the lead in introducing Zheng Tianfu and Mei Lan.
"Mom and Dad, who is this?"
Zhang Guodong's introduction was interrupted by Zheng Tianfu.
As soon as Zhang Zhengrong and Zheng Tianfu shook hands, Zheng Tianfu smiled and said, "I am Lele's father, Zheng Tianfu. I am sixty-three years old this year! It's great to finally meet you. Brother Zhang, you don't look like you're over sixty-four at all. You're more like fifty! This is my wife, Meilan! And my daughter, Zheng Le!"
"Hello, Uncle and Aunt!" Zheng Le blushed and greeted the Zhang family elders obediently.
"Good day, Brother Tianfu! I'm sixty-four, a year older than you, we're getting old!" Zhang Zhengrong said with a smile. Zheng Tianfu was secretly amazed that his father's demeanor was unlike that of a countryman.
Even Meilan was surprised. They had exchanged ages and names on the phone, but meeting her in person today, this in-law looked so much younger than herself and her husband!
Note: I'll consider the 6500 words of the main text as two chapters. I went out today and only managed to write this after returning this afternoon. I'm a bit dizzy! Thank you to "三千代卜口袋" and "地瓜蛋蛋" for their generous donations and support in March!
Finally, I'd like to ask for your subscriptions and recommendations!
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