Chapter 44. After Sister Peng finished tidying up, she and Jiang Can...
After finishing her tidying up, Sister Peng said goodbye to Jiang Can and left work. She carried some leftover food and a large red envelope with a hundred yuan inside. When she left, she ignored Liang Kaiwen standing under the tree, got on an old bicycle, and happily went home.
Liang Kaiwen stood under the tree at the entrance, looking at the bright and warm lights inside the restaurant. He felt colder and colder. He stamped his feet, lit a cigarette, and smoked several in a row. He saw several figures in the distance.
Shen Lang and Zhu Zi arrived on their bicycles.
There was a young man in the back of the car; was it Zhan Junzhuo?
His name seems to be Zhan Junzhuo.
He took a deep drag on his cigarette, threw it on the ground and stomped it out, then walked towards Shen Lang and the other two.
Zhu Zi glanced at Liang Kaiwen and said, "Here you are again? You seem to have a lot of free time lately, coming to ambush Brother Lang every day."
Liang Kaiwen smiled obsequiously at Shen Lang: "Brother Lang, it's been a long time since we brothers have eaten together. Come to my house today, and we'll have a few drinks together."
Shen Lang parked the bicycle, bent down to lock it, and said, "Liang Kaiwen, this isn't fun."
Liang Kaiwen's expression froze: "Brother Lang, we grew up together. We were best friends when we were kids. We'd go fishing in the river, climb trees to catch bird eggs, and even steal watermelons from other people's melon fields. Those watermelons were so sweet, the sweetest I've ever eaten." He laughed as he spoke, "But when we went to steal watermelons again, Ersha and I were too slow and got caught. The old man tied us to a tree. I was terrified, and Ersha kept crying. In the end, you and Zhuzi came with the money and ransomed us."
As Liang Kaiwen laughed, he realized that he was the only one laughing; Shen Lang and Zhu Zi remained expressionless.
Zhu Zi: "His name is Fang Yuan, and he doesn't like the name 'Er Sha' (meaning 'silly')."
Nicknames are just given out; like himself, he's fine with being called "Pillar," he even finds it endearing. But Fang Yuan dislikes "Silly Boy," and will fight anyone who calls him that.
Liang Kaiwen lowered his head and said, "Brother Lang, how did things turn out like this? I won't listen to my wife anymore, please don't ignore me, okay?"
Zhu Zi scoffed, "Liang Kaiwen, are you the only smart person in the world, and everyone else is a complete idiot? Can you stop treating everyone else like idiots? Your words are giving me goosebumps."
Shen Lang: "I understand what you're thinking, but don't put all the blame on your wife. It's up to you how you feel. You're just jealous and upset because you see that Shiliu Alley can't be demolished, but the enamel factory can be demolished instead."
Liang Kaiwen roared, "Fang Yuan's house was demolished! Were all of your houses demolished?" He immediately regretted it, and his eyes turned completely red.
I don't want to cry, I'm angry.
Since he had brought it up, Liang Kaiwen finished in one breath. He said, "Brother Lang, I'm your brother, and you didn't even include me in this. And Shiliu Alley, you sold the courtyard yourself without even telling me." He then pointed at Zhan Junzhuo, "He's just a driver, and you give him a share of the profits, help him make money, and you only give me two hundred yuan a day? Is this how you act as a brother?"
Shen Lang scoffed, and Zhu Zi rushed forward: "You beast! You've lost all conscience! Is your brain made of mush? Have you forgotten what you did?" He punched Liang Kaiwen in the face. "When Brother Lang was taking you around, you complained that Brother Lang couldn't make you rich. Now you regret it and blame everything on Brother Lang? When we were selling goods, did Brother Lang call you? It was only because you thought it wasn't profitable that you let your wife take you away. Brother Lang said then that if you still wanted to work, we could work together the next day. Did you come? Later, you heard that selling clothes was profitable, so you came again. But when word got out that your house was going to be demolished, you went home to take care of your wife. Do you think everyone else is stupid? Since you made your choice, you should have stuck to it. What's the point of coming here now?"
He threw a few more punches, and Liang Kaiwen, enraged, also swung his fist at the pillar.
The pillar was hit twice, which made him even angrier, and the two started fighting.
Zhan Junzhuo rushed over to break up the fight and take sides, and the two of them pinned Liang Kaiwen to the ground.
Zhu Zi kicked him again: "Speaking of the yard, it's even more ridiculous. Brother Lang sold the yard, and instead of using your brain, you quickly followed suit and sold it too. You even came over with a few broken apples to mock Brother Lang and his wife, saying they're short-sighted. Who's short-sighted here?"
He considered himself not very smart, so he followed the smart people. If his family owned a house in Shiliu Lane, he would definitely sell it too.
When Shen Lang said that the enamel factory had good feng shui, he decisively bought a house there.
He was in poor circumstances, unloved by his parents, and half the money for the house was borrowed from Lang Ge.
Zhan Junzhuo also bought two houses!
Liang Kaiwen was right; everyone was affected by the demolition.
But you can't act like that. When you look down on someone, you should stay away from them. But when they become successful, you blame them for telling you to stay away.
Liang Kaiwen wiped the blood from his mouth. "I've been calling you Brother Lang for over ten years!"
Shen Lang patted Liang Kaiwen on the shoulder: "That's why I told you, the enamel factory has good feng shui. Don't come and get in my way anymore. Let's just be strangers from now on. There's no need to become enemies."
Liang Kaiwen seemed to be struck by lightning and stood frozen in place, Shen Lang's words echoing in his ears.
'The enamel factory has good feng shui!'
The words echoed in his ears again and again. Yes, Shen Lang had said it, but how could he possibly believe it? He had even told Zhang Yuning it as a joke, saying, "What's so good about the feng shui of the enamel factory? Happiness City and Ruyi City are much better. We'll let our son live in an apartment building in the future."
Zhang Yuning said at the time, "People say the feng shui of the enamel factory is good because they can't afford to buy a commercial apartment."
Shen Lang lifted his leg and walked into the restaurant. Liang Kaiwen suddenly grabbed Shen Lang's sleeve, tears streaming down his face: "Brother Lang, I was wrong, I know I was wrong. I will follow you from now on. I will listen to whatever you say is good."
Shen Lang brushed his hand away, "You did nothing wrong."
There is no right or wrong, just missed opportunities.
You're lucky if you get a demolition compensation once in your life; you're unlikely to encounter it a second time.
Liang Kaiwen dared not reach out again, only calling out, "Brother, Brother Lang." He was filled with remorse; how could things have turned out like this? He finally managed to call out, "Brother Lang, where else is there good feng shui? Tell me."
Shen Lang was so angry he laughed. He kicked Liang Kaiwen in the stomach, and Liang Kaiwen staggered a few steps and fell to the ground. Shen Lang then grabbed him by the neck.
Liang Kaiwen was in excruciating pain in his neck and could hardly breathe. He struggled violently but could not break free. Just when he thought he was going to be strangled to death, Shen Lang finally let him go.
Liang Kaiwen clutched his neck in terror and coughed violently.
Shen Lang: "Don't do things that harm others and don't benefit yourself." He said this and went into the restaurant without looking back. Zhan Junzhuo took a bag of wine out of the truck bed and followed closely behind. Zhu Zi walked at the back, snorted and followed into the restaurant, closing the door behind him.
Shen Lang was in a bad mood, but when he saw Jiang Can sitting in the house eating a green cucumber, her bright eyes looking at him with concern, his displeasure improved by more than half. He thought the cucumber was really crisp, chuckled, walked over to her and took a bite of the cucumber. Mmm, really crisp!
Jiang Can: "You took a bite of it all in one go!"
After washing their hands, Shen Lang sat down in front of Jiang Can and first reached out to grab a tiger-skin chicken foot to eat.
We had arranged to have dinner together today to celebrate our sudden wealth from the demolition compensation.
Four cold dishes have been served and placed on the table: cold braised pork, pickled cucumber, fried peanuts, and braised chicken feet.
The hot dishes are still on the pot, but now that it's cold, they cool down quickly.
Zhu Zi was going to help in the kitchen when he exclaimed, "Boss Fang, what delicious food have you made? It smells so good!"
Fang Yuan now receives a salary and dividends, and he is also the owner of Jiangji Restaurant.
Fang Yuan chased him out, saying, "What are you shouting about? Wait outside, and don't go into the kitchen."
Zhu Zi exclaimed dramatically, "I can't even get in?"
Fang Yuan: "Even Lang Ge can't come in."
Zhu Zi peered through the food delivery window. "Alright, I'll follow your rules here. Oh, it smells delicious! Is it mutton soup?"
Fang Yuan nodded. "I stewed a lamb leg." He brought the dishes out of the window one after another, and Zhu Zi and Zhan Junzhuo put the dishes on the table.
There are four main dishes in total: braised pork knuckle, sweet and sour spare ribs, sauerkraut fish, and clear mutton soup.
It looks fragrant, and it smells even better.
Zhu Zi, who had been out all day, was even hungrier. He grabbed a tiger-skin chicken foot and started gnawing on it, saying, "Boss Fang, you're amazing! This cooking is even better than the big hotels!"
Fang Yuan took off her apron and hat and came out, sitting down next to Jiang Can. She handed her chopsticks with both hands, saying, "Master, please check if your cooking is done properly."
Jiang Can took the chopsticks and picked up a large piece of braised pork knuckle.
The pork knuckle was bright in color and smelled delicious. She took a bite of the skin and found it to be fatty but not greasy, with an excellent texture. Jiang Can praised, "It has a perfect combination of color, aroma, and taste! Delicious!"
Fang Yuan grinned and said, "Hey."
Everyone else started eating too.
Zhan Junzhuo brought a bottle of fine wine that his father had been storing for several years. After opening it, he poured wine for everyone. Jiang Can didn't drink it; she drank soda instead.
Now, Shen Lang and his two friends' business is on track. The goods from Liaoxian Cotton Mill have been sold out. Shen Lang has given away a lot of money and gifts and has also negotiated sources of goods from several factories in other cities.
Nowadays, their daily profits exceed ten thousand.
They only got two days off on the day of the demolition. After that, they shipped goods every day and couldn't bear to rest at all. How much would they lose if they rested for just one day?
Zhu Zi raised his glass and stood up: "Brother Lang, sister-in-law, I won't thank you enough, I'll drink this."
Shen Lang followed suit and drank it all in one gulp, while Jiang Can used soda instead of alcohol.
Zhan Junzhuo: "Brother Lang, sister-in-law, the luckiest thing in my life is being able to follow Brother Lang. Thank you for taking me along. Cheers!"
Shen Lang drank another cup.
Finally, it was Fang Yuan's turn. He raised his glass and said, "Master, I'll drink this."
Yes, this toast is to Jiang Can.
Then he poured another glass, saying, "Brother Lang, all my words are in this drink."
This toast is to Shen Lang.
Zhu Zi: !!! Damn, who said Er Sha is an idiot! He's shrewd as a nutcase.
He glanced outside and saw Liang Kaiwen still standing there. Damn it, what bad luck.
What are you pretending for?
He didn't think Liang Kaiwen was reminiscing about childhood feelings at all; he just regretted not becoming a recipient of land expropriation compensation.
Liang Kaiwen regretted that he was not as good as his brothers before, but now they were all richer than him.
But it was too late for regrets. The Pomegranate Alley was no longer available for sale, and the enamel factory had been demolished. He hoped that Shen Lang would bring him along if there were any good things in the future, and that he could find out which places would be demolished again. That's why he came to reminisce about his childhood.
Finally, Liang Kaiwen moved his feet, and rode away on his bicycle with his head down.
Zhu Zi poured another drink. "Sister-in-law, I toast you! I think you're a lucky charm reincarnated, bringing good fortune with you! After Lang Ge married you, his life has skyrocketed like a rocket.
Jiang Can was amused and downed a glass of soda.
Shen Lang: "...Zhu Zi is right, I'll follow suit."
The meal lasted a long time, and the group restrained themselves, finishing only one bottle of wine before stopping. They weren't even slightly tipsy. Now that everyone had just received compensation for their demolished homes, they had money in their hands, but that would attract attention. Even if they secretly hid their money as usual, there was no guarantee that someone with ulterior motives wouldn't find out.
Don't get drunk and mess things up.
Shen Lang instructed Fang Yuan: "Be more vigilant when you sleep every day, don't let your aunt go on long trips alone, and pay more attention to her in general."
Fang Yuan's family is small, consisting of just him and his mother. Fang Yuan used to stay in hotels, but after the demolition, he goes home every day, afraid that someone will target his family.
He's not afraid when he's at home.
Fang Yuan nodded, "I understand."
There's no need to remind Zhu Zi and Zhan Junzhuo. Zhu Zi is a lone wolf, and nobody knows about his house purchase.
The Zhan family lived together in a large courtyard. The family was very close. All three brothers bought a house in the enamel factory and became rich together.
Anyone who dares to rob their house will probably be beaten to death by the Zhan family.
After eating and drinking their fill, and cleaning up the restaurant, Fang Yuan locked the door and left with everyone.
When they got home, Jiang Can first fed Hu Zi a big bone, then turned on the TV, searched for Henan TV, and watched "The Legend of the White Snake" while doing his test paper.
I got home too late today; an entire episode had already aired.
She said, "I think Liang Kaiwen is acting strangely. I hope he doesn't do anything underhanded. I doubt he'd dare mess with you or Zhu Zi. I hope he doesn't cause trouble for Yuanyuan's family."
Shen Lang sat next to her, peeling sunflower seeds. "I've got someone keeping an eye on him. Fang Yuan comes home every day, so it's fine." Seeing Jiang Can's worry, he added, "Yuan'er is very good at fighting; no one can take his house away."
Jiang Can: "Okay!" Focus on the questions.
After Shen Lang peeled a handful of melon seeds, he fed them to Jiang Can.
Jiang Can thought that sunflower seeds should be eaten this way: take a big bite, and they're incredibly delicious!
Liang Kaiwen rode his bicycle home in a daze, his mind filled with Shen Lang's words, "The feng shui of the enamel factory is good." Why didn't he believe it back then? His family had spare money; they could have squeezed together enough to buy a house near the enamel factory.
But if I buy a house in an enamelware factory, how will I buy a commercial apartment in the future?
Ultimately, he didn't trust Shen Lang.
In his mind, Shen Lang and Zhu Zi were only good at fighting, what else could they do? Calling him "Brother Lang" wasn't out of genuine admiration, it was just following the crowd.
With a 'bang,' he rode his bicycle into the ditch. Luckily, there was no water in the ditch, but he still got quite a bruise. His face hit a rock, and when he touched it, it was swollen.
It took him a while to get up. He felt pain all over his body, but luckily he didn't break any bones. It took him a lot of effort to finally push the bicycle out of the ditch, but the bicycle was unrideable because the chain was broken and it needed to be repaired.
He limped home, pushing his bicycle. When he reached Shiliu Lane, he saw a couple fighting because they hadn't sold their courtyard house. Someone had offered 50,000 yuan for the house, but the woman wanted to sell the courtyard, while the man refused, insisting on waiting for the demolition compensation.
Now things have really gotten worse; the courtyards in Shiliu Alley have plummeted to rock bottom again.
No one tried to break up the fight; everyone was unhappy. Those who had sold their houses had all moved away, leaving only the unlucky ones who thought the demolition would result in compensation for not selling their houses.
It's not just their family that argues and fights; every family has its share of arguments.
Liang Kaiwen was in such a sorry state that he was naturally the target of ridicule. "Oh, where did you fall? Your bike is all wrecked."
“You used to be so close to Shen Lang that you could share a pair of pants, but now that Shen Lang has sold the house, he didn’t ask you to sell it with him.”
"I heard Jiang Can and Shen Lang also own houses near the enamel factory. The compensation for that demolition must be substantial. Who would have thought that Shen Lang, a street urchin, would be so capable now? Kevin, didn't Shen Lang suggest you buy a house near the enamel factory too?"
Liang Kaiwen gritted his teeth: "It's a pity my family doesn't own a house near the enamel factory. But Zhu Zi and Fang Yuan's families both own houses near the enamel factory. They'll be nouveau riche in the future, unlike us."
Everyone was shocked: "Really?"
Liang Kaiwen didn't say anything more, pushed his bicycle home, and as soon as he parked it, Zhang Yuning rushed out, only to find Liang Kaiwen there, but no one else.
Zhang Yuning looked disappointed. "How was it?" She was hoping for good news.
Liang Kaiwen: "What else can I do! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have ended up like this with Brother Lang."
Zhang Yuning also regretted it and continued to ask, "Are there any other places that will be demolished? Will the soy sauce factory and the chemical plant be demolished?"
Liang Kaiwen shook his head and went into the house dejectedly: "They all own houses in enamelware factories, they've all become nouveau riche."
Zhang Yuning was so jealous she could hardly breathe. Where would all that money be kept?
-
The money is, of course, kept in a savings account.
Jiang Can was counting the money. Shen Lang had brought back a total of 26,000 yuan today, which was Shen Lang's dividend for the past two days. Jiang Can counted it three times, and then took out all the family savings, bringing the total to 52,000 yuan.
Jiang Can: "Do you need money recently? If not, I'll deposit it in the credit union. It's not safe to keep money at home."
It's easy to attract thieves.
Shen Lang: "No, I need to stock up on goods soon. Besides, the place you found to store money is so safe that no one could find it even if they searched the ground three feet deep. Moreover, there's Hu Zi here; anyone who goes into the house is just asking for trouble."
Jiang Can smiled smugly and put all the money into a small wooden box. Inside, besides the money, there were also bankbooks and gold jewelry. It was full of their entire fortune. She said, "That's right!"
Shen Lang stepped onto the chair, reached out and moved a piece of the ceiling, then placed the wooden box on the ceiling beam, and then put the ceiling back in its original place.
No one would have guessed that all the valuables were hidden here.
There was money in the locked cabinet in the room, but it was all in small pieces, not exceeding five hundred.
Shen Lang chased Hu Zi out, then carried the satisfied Jiang Can to bed. It was time for some exercise.
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