Small talk
"How come you're still thinner after going out to play?"
The second cousin went to the airport to pick them up. He first sent the eldest aunt home, and then drove Chen Jin and the third cousin back to the Rose Garden. Her third aunt wanted to keep her at home for dinner, so she didn't go back to Hanlin Garden.
Chen Jin was busy looking for gifts for her third uncle and aunt. As for her third aunt who told her that she had lost weight, she touched her face and her belly and found that she had not lost any weight at all. On the contrary, after being away for more than half a month, she and her third cousin had been going out for shopping or eating every day, and they had never stopped eating from morning to night.
From Guangzhou to Shenzhen, and then to Hong Kong, the most popular thing I eat is various desserts and milk tea. Even my burps are sweet. Eating so many high-calorie foods, and almost always taking taxis when going out, and just going shopping and sightseeing is a bit tiring, it is impossible to lose weight.
The third cousin glanced at her and said directly, "Mom, you are mistaken. She is tanned and looks thinner."
He dared to say that the two of them were definitely fat, but they went out every day, and even if she tried her best to hold an umbrella, she could not escape the fate of being sunburned. He got even darker and gave up using an umbrella for the next few days.
"It's fun to go out and play, right?"
Chen Jin and his third cousin's eyes lit up, and they nodded continuously, vying to introduce the places they had visited during this period.
"Mom, you and my dad should really come with us, it's so much fun! Hong Kong is indeed very prosperous, but we all think Guangzhou and Shenzhen are not bad either, especially Shenzhen. I think Shenzhen will definitely surpass Hong Kong in the future."
Then, my third cousin started talking about something else. "The tour guide who led our group said that the housing prices in Shenzhen have soared in recent years, and many people from Hong Kong have come to Shenzhen to buy houses. The housing prices there are indeed not that expensive..."
If you ask him, he should really buy real estate in several major cities in China while he has money. With the rate at which housing prices are soaring, buying a house is also a good investment!
However, it is useless to say this now. With the investment in his uncle's project and the construction of a building in Qiaoxi Village, there is not much cash left in the family. Otherwise, he would have to persuade his parents to buy some houses in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Even the third sister thought so, but it was a pity that she didn’t have much cash on hand right now.
"Uncle, aunt, these are the gifts I picked for you." Chen Jin is very practical when buying gifts, and he buys things that retain their value. They were all bought in Hong Kong, the big gold watch and gold chain. No matter who is in the family, everyone chooses gold jewelry.
Although my third cousin said that her gift was not original, it was still a real gift!
"There is also a game console for my cousin. Well, you'll keep it with me first, and I'll give it to him after he finishes the college entrance examination." This is the latest model of game console. It is said that it is only available in Hong Kong for sale for the time being. I don't know if it is true, but this game console is very good-looking, and it does feel better to play than her previous game console.
When Chen Yongan receives this gift, he will definitely jump one meter high.
When Chen Jin went there, he only brought one suitcase, and the luggage inside did not even fill up the suitcase. When I came back, I brought a larger suitcase, and both suitcases were packed full, so the shipping fee increased.
The gifts for Tian Miao and my aunt were also taken out, and the rest were for other people. If her second cousin hadn't been in a hurry to leave for something, she would have asked him to take the gifts from her uncle's family back. She can only deliver them to everyone one by one another day. I haven't seen you for a while, and I kind of miss the rest of my family.
"Third aunt, is everything fine at home recently? Has my aunt moved to Xiu Li Community now?"
"Yes, she said it's more convenient to live there. She runs a breakfast shop, so she has to get up early. If she wants to get there from here, she has to leave at least half an hour earlier. She said it's better to live there. Zhou Xiangxiang's family also lives there, so she has company, and we feel at ease."
My aunt refused to accept the house given directly by my third uncle and aunt, but gave them the money for buying a house and asked for a two-bedroom house. It’s just that my third uncle and aunt bought it according to the price they bought it at. In this way, my aunt now has her own house. If one tenant hadn't wanted to move out, my aunt wouldn't have been able to move in so quickly.
As for the shop, my aunt was renting it. She didn’t have much money left and had no plans to buy another shop.
Third uncle: "Several buildings in Qiaoxi Village have been renovated. You should go and have a look before you start work. I went back to the village to see the peach forest a few days ago, and I stopped by Qiaoxi Village on the way. It's really exciting there now, with buildings being built in full swing. The vacant land in the yard has been built, and some have even changed the layout of the house to have separate bathrooms and kitchens like we have. They say the rent will be raised in the future."
"With such a big deal, people will not dare to go to Qiaoxi Village for demolition in the future. Who can afford the compensation?" Chen Yongfei joked.
The third uncle glared at him: "I originally wanted to rent it out. Don't always count on waiting for the demolition. Can you catch up with the demolition?"
Chen Jin secretly stuck out her tongue. She was counting on it. Every time she lit a stick of incense during the Qingming Festival, she had to ask for blessings from the ancestors.
"Oh, there's one more thing. The old branch secretary is going to have a birthday party the day after tomorrow. The invitation has been sent to the same restaurant where the village chief hosted the party last time."
Chen Jin: "This time, the whole village is invited? Are you all going?"
"We've invited everyone, but I don't know if everyone will go. Zhou Xiangxiang said her family won't go."
Compared with the village chief, the old branch secretary is still far behind in terms of appeal and power, and not everyone may buy into his ideas. And the last time I went there, the village chief was thinking about gathering everyone together and asking them to work together to do big things. I wonder if the old branch secretary has any ideas.
"You don't want to go? If you don't want to go, then don't go."
"No, I'll go if you guys go. I have nothing to do at home anyway, so it's good to go out for dinner."
Chen Jin had lunch at her third aunt's house, and then went to Tian Miao's room to take a nap. After waking up, her third cousin drove her to Hanlin Garden, and she drove home by herself.
"Third brother, see you at dinner the day after tomorrow."
When I returned to the small villa, the doors of the neighbors on both sides were closed and it seemed that no one was at home.
I hadn't been home for more than half a month, and I felt like the house was covered in dust. I did a quick and simple cleanup, then went back to my room, took a shower, changed into home clothes, and the world felt refreshed.
She turned on the TV and found that there was a new TV series on, but she hadn't seen the beginning and didn't understand the relationships between the characters after watching one episode. I simply stopped watching it and left it on to make some noise in the house, then went to find a watering can to water the flowers and plants in the yard.
Since I listened to Shen Baichuan last time and fertilized the flowers in the yard, they are now growing well and don’t look like they will die easily.
She felt that her heart was still floating outside and she had not had enough fun. Maybe this trip made her particularly happy and she was already looking forward to the next trip. Although it doesn't necessarily mean going south.
I thought of a song whose melody I liked very much that I heard in Hong Kong, and hummed it softly. She had never thought Cantonese was particularly nice when watching Hong Kong movies before, but this time when she was walking on the streets of Hong Kong, she suddenly heard the song "Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies" in a small shop she passed by. For the first time, she felt that Cantonese was particularly charming.
“You learned very well.”
A voice suddenly came out, and Chen Jin was frightened again, and her hands trembled. She looked up and saw Shen Baichuan standing in the backyard of his house with a cup of coffee, greeting her across the fence.
To her, Shen Baichuan = elusive.
"Sorry, did I scare you again?" Shen Baichuan smiled apologetically, "I just heard you singing and didn't feel comfortable interrupting you. Did you learn it in Hong Kong this time? You sang very standardly."
You also know it’s “again”!
But when people praised her, she felt embarrassed to say anything about him. He said modestly: "It's not standard, I just learned a few sentences from it."
"If you want to learn Cantonese, you can watch some Hong Kong movies. You will be able to speak it after watching more." Shen Baichuan raised his glasses, "I was born and raised in Hong Kong. If you want to learn, you can come to me."
Chen Jin was a little curious. "You were born and raised in Hong Kong? I can't tell. You speak Mandarin very well. Uh, you even have a Southern accent."
Shen Baichuan smiled, "Yes, my family is from Southern Province, and we all speak Mandarin at home. In 1979, my family returned to Rong City to set up a factory and company. I went abroad to study after graduating from high school in Hong Kong, and only came back last year."
Chen Jin sat on the table under the pavilion, "Oh, so you all have settled in Rong City now?"
“Not really, there are other relatives living in Hong Kong.” Shen Baichuan also sat on an outdoor chair in the backyard of his house, and didn’t find it strange to talk across the railing.
Chen Jin was amazed. He even had a house to live in Hong Kong. He must be a super rich man. She was really shocked when she went to Hong Kong this time. There were houses there that cost millions, and they were all small, probably about the size of her small living room. There are also mansions worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions!
Seeing that Chen Jin stopped talking, Shen Baichuan took a sip of coffee, “Next time you go to Hong Kong, I’ll treat you to a tour of Hong Kong if I have the chance.”
"Ah, next time, let's talk about it next time." I don't know when the next time will be. Anyway, I won't go there again in the near future. I have to go to other cities when I have time.
After this conversation, Chen Jin felt that Shen Baichuan was not so unattainable and strangers were not allowed to approach him. It could not be seen that this person actually had a good temper.
However, there was nothing more to talk about. Seeing that he seemed to want to continue chatting, Chen Jin scratched the watering can with his fingers, and before he could speak again, he said, "I have to go and get busy. I haven't been back for a while, so I have to clean up."
Shen Baichuan nodded, then stood up and said, “By the way, I invited a few friends to come over to my house tomorrow. It might be a bit noisy, so I apologize to you in advance.”
This person was too polite. Chen Jin said indifferently, "It's okay. Sometimes I bring my family over, so they might bother you."
"You are welcome." Shen Baichuan asked, "I saw a girl opening your door a few days ago. Is she from your family?"
"Oh yes, it's my uncle's sister. I gave her the key."
“Well, I heard from Assistant Lin that you also bought a house in Hanlin Garden.” Seeing that her eyes quickly became alert, Shen Baichuan explained, “It just so happened that Assistant Lin came to buy this small western-style building for me at that time, and by the way, he also booked a house in Hanlin Garden for me. The day before yesterday, I went to my grandfather’s house and happened to hear Assistant Lin mention it. I thought it was a bit of a coincidence.”
"Yeah. It's a bit of a coincidence." Chen Jin scratched his face. He said he was going into the house to clean, so why were they chatting again?
Shen Baichuan finally stopped the topic, “Then I won’t delay you from cleaning.”
"Yeah." Chen Jin hurried back to the living room, breathed a sigh of relief, and then began to wonder: How did she and Shen Baichuan start chatting? It seemed as if the relationship had suddenly become a lot closer and now they were normal neighbors.
The next day, she went out to buy some food and came back, leaving the doors to the front and back yards open and turning on the TV. When I was dozing off on the sofa, I heard a shrill horn outside the door, and then the doorbell of the house next door rang several times, and I heard someone talking loudly, as if saying "Shen Baichuan, you live very freely here."
Chen Jin pulled the thin quilt to cover her stomach. The fan blew towards her. She yawned loudly and was about to continue sleeping with the sound of the TV series, but at this moment it seemed as if her doorbell rang.
After listening carefully again and again, she realized that it was indeed her doorbell ringing.
Chen Jin dragged her cotton shoes out of the house, and when she saw Shen Baichuan holding a small cake in front of her house, she motioned to her to open the door.
"What's the matter?"
Shen Baichuan handed over the cake, "My friend brought a lot of food here, so I'll give you one, take it. I'm also going to send one to Dean Xi, Professor Song's house."
Since all the neighbors had it, Chen Jin felt embarrassed to refuse it, so he took it and thanked him. Then he stood there for a while. He was still standing there, so she should go in first?
"Cousin, where is your fruit knife?" Qin Yi chased out when he saw that the man had been out for a long time. Unexpectedly, he saw his cousin and the girl next door standing face to face. It's rare to see his cousin with such a gentle and approachable temper. No wonder he insisted last time that the girl didn't like him. It turns out that he himself liked the girl and wanted to cut off her thoughts.
Although he didn't have any particular thoughts, he simply thought the girl next door was pretty.
"I'll go back first. Thank you for the cake." Chen Jin thanked politely, closed the door and walked back.
Only then did I feel like looking at the appearance of this little cake. It was quite delicate and pretty. I opened the package and took a sniff. It had a light floral scent. I couldn't wait to find a small spoon in the kitchen to dig it out and eat it.
It’s delicious!
It’s a pity that the address of the store is not written on the packaging box, otherwise she would buy it there in the future.
The excitement in the neighboring house continued until the evening.
On the day when the old branch secretary hosted a dinner party, Chen Jin brought all the gifts for everyone, which saved her the time of going to each family to deliver them.
Everyone still respected the old branch secretary. Except for Aunt Zhou's family and Aunt Chen's family who did not come because they had to hide from debt collectors, almost all other families were present.
Because it was the weekend, Chen Yongan, who was about to take the college entrance examination, also came.
Chen Yongan protested, "Why do everyone have gifts but I don't?"
Chen Jin: "Keep your gift for now. I'll give it to you after you finish the college entrance examination."
Chen Yongan's eyes lit up, "Third sister, I want the latest game console! I'll order it from you first. I don't want gold or silver jewelry."
"Okay, let's talk about it after you finish the college entrance examination." He won't have to buy it then. As soon as he finishes the college entrance examination, she will give away the game console that she hadn't disassembled at home.
"Third sister, look over there." Chen Yongan raised his chin and motioned her to look at the table in front.
Chen Jin looked over and found that it was actually a member of the Zhang family.
It doesn't seem very strange. Now that Old Man Zhang and Chen Wensong are working together, the relationship between their two families is very close. She glanced at their table and found that Zhang Leye and his two children were not there, but Zhang Leye's brother and younger brother's families were all there.
This is a bit intriguing. Did he know that their family was coming and deliberately not let them come, or has Old Man Zhang actually given up on Zhang Leye's family?
Even Chen Yue came today and sat at the main table, facing Chen Wensong's current wife. Everyone at the table was on guard against the two of them starting a quarrel.
When most of the guests had arrived, Chen Jin discovered that village cadres from Qiaoxi Village had also come and sat at a separate table. The old branch secretary also asked Chen Wensong to entertain the people at this table.
This time, there were no separate tables for the heads of each family to sit together. As soon as the food came, the uncle started eating and said that he had to go back to the company after dinner. He had an appointment to discuss cooperation in the afternoon, and asked Chen Jin to go to his company if he had nothing to do.
Chen Jin glanced at his eldest cousin and his wife who were silent, and then looked at his second cousin who looked calm. The last time I talked to my second cousin on the phone about Chen Ting, he told me that my eldest cousin was having a quarrel with my eldest uncle. It seems that the incident is still going on.
Without Aunt Zhou, the party felt a little soulless and no one wanted to gossip with her. If you want to know the latest gossips about the families in the village, you have to find another time to go to Xiuli Community to chat with Aunt Zhou.
After eating and drinking, Chen Jin followed his uncle and second cousin to Chengxin Construction Company. I met the girl from last time again at the company’s front desk. My second cousin said she was the daughter of my uncle’s friend.
This time Chen Jin talked to the person and found out that her name was Zhuang Yao.
Last time, her second cousin told her not to think too much, but this time he solemnly introduced her to the man, telling her his name and that he was currently working in administration at the company. When Zhuang Yao came over to greet her, her eyes kept falling on her second cousin, and that look didn't look like that of an ordinary friend.
"You guys chat first, I'm going to get busy." Zhuang Yao smiled at Chen Jin, "Chen Jin, let's go shopping together some other day."
"OK."
As soon as he entered his second cousin's office, Chen Jin winked and said, "Tell me, is this my future sister-in-law?"
Chen Yongxin suppressed his laughter and patted her head, "It's not done yet, don't go out and tell her yet."
Seeing that Chen Jin still wanted to gossip, Chen Yongxin asked her first, "I heard that you had a boyfriend in college, and you kept it a secret. No one at home knew about it. It was Tingting who let it slip when she got home. I didn't expect that you two had such a good relationship that you could even share secrets with each other."
This is such a beautiful misunderstanding. She and Chen Ting really haven't reached that point yet. She dug up the gossip about Chen Ting, and she blurted it out when she was angry. Otherwise, this secret will always be kept by her, at least she won't mention it to her family.
"Stop talking about it. It's embarrassing."
Chen Yongxin: "You were really dumped? Didn't you fight back?"
"Yes."
"That's fine. I feel relieved when you say that." Chen Yongxin said as he found the latest project progress report and showed it to Chen Jin so that she could understand the situation. Knowing that she, as a layman, could not understand many professional terms, he explained them to her again in plain language.
"My dad said that since you have nothing to do lately, why don't you come to the company and see how it operates and learn more."
Chen Jin sat up straight with caution, "I want to be a counselor in the future, not start a company, so why should I learn how to run a company?" Moreover, she really had neither talent nor interest in doing business. She did not dare to invest blindly, and always chose the safe way: buying and building houses to collect rent, and putting money in the bank to earn interest.
Besides, my eldest cousin and Chen Ting are probably quarreling with my eldest uncle because the construction company will be handed over to my second cousin in the future. What's the point of her interfering?
Chen Yongxin: "Don't think too much. He just wants you to learn more. Having more reliable people in the family will give you more options in the future."
"With you and my eldest cousin in our family, we will be very reliable." Chen Jin waved his hand and said, "I really can't learn how to do business, and I'm not very free. I haven't been to a beauty salon for a long time. If I want to go out, there are many things I can do."
Chen Yongxin looked at her helplessly and said, "I'm just a mouthpiece. I'll let my dad talk to you when the time comes. You can tell him what you think yourself."
"Oh, the neighbor next to your house, are you familiar with him?"
"Which neighbors are they? On the right are two retired teachers from NTU. We have a pretty good relationship. On the left is also a teacher from NTU, but this one is younger and I'm not that familiar with him."
"It's that young neighbor. Cheng Group, the company where you interned before, is his."
Chen Jin frowned, "His last name is Shen, not Cheng."
Chen Yongxin also frowned and twirled his fingers. "Maybe my information is wrong. He and the Cheng family should be relatives. Never mind. I just happened to hear someone mention it and wanted to ask. We have no connection with them so it's better for us to know less about them."
Chen Jin walked back and forth in his office. It was obvious that the books on the bookshelf had been read, unlike the ones used for decoration at his uncle's place. Otherwise, my uncle can just say now that he will hand over the company to my second cousin in the future. My second cousin has been following my uncle to work on construction sites and get projects since he graduated from high school and then set up a construction company. My second cousin is also motivated and hardworking, so it is normal to hand over the company to him.
"Chen Ting and her senior brother are together?"
Although she said she didn't want to care about it anymore, Chen Jin was still curious about what Chen Ting's final choice was.
Chen Yongxin sighed, "I don't understand her. Last time I went home and had a nice talk with her, she started arguing with Dad again. You know my dad can be very irritable sometimes, and Tingting can't go against him, so they started arguing after a few words."
"But I'm serious. Let her do whatever she wants. She's already grown up, one year older than you, and started working a few years earlier than you. If she still has that kind of skill in judging people, she'll be controlled by others in the future, whether you get married or not. It's better to find someone with inferior conditions, at least she won't be able to stand up to the family. If she has other intentions, she'll have to be wary of our family."
"It's not that it's better to marry someone of equal status. With Tingting's personality and temper, if we let her marry someone of similar status and her in-laws are not good, we won't be able to support her even if we want to."
"I have also investigated her senior brother. Apart from his poor family conditions and calculating personality, he is pretty good in other aspects. He has clean relationships with men and women and works hard. But maybe he has no connections and is always suppressed by others. He has to send money back home every month for the family expenses. His brothers and sisters at home have to rely on him for their studies. If he wants to settle down and build a career in Rong City by himself, he will probably have to work hard for a few more years."
"It's not shameful for people to want to have good conditions and live a good life, as long as their intentions are right and they are clear-headed."
So, in the end, my uncle and his friends compromised with Chen Ting. But my second cousin is right. It is not necessary to marry someone of equal social status to be the most suitable. It depends on each individual.
After her uncle finished talking to someone, he asked her to go to his office to chat. Chen Jin again rejected the proposal to come to the company to study.
"Come on, uncle. I'll just go to Qiaoxi Village more often when I have time. The village chief of Qiaoxi Village met me this morning and said that a real estate company might want to build a property on their land. I don't know where he got the news from, but he made it known to everyone."
My uncle had a complicated expression. "I had dinner with the business manager of the real estate company of the Cheng Group two weeks ago. He asked me if I knew about the situation in Qiaoxi Village, so I told him what I knew. Later, I don't know who spread the word that the Cheng Group might relocate Qiaoxi Village. Liu Guangman came to ask me for information, and I told him that he was just asking casually. But he turned around and said that they were already doing research."
Chen Jin is also speechless.
"Why is Qiaoxi Village always so unreliable? They make a fuss at the slightest sign of trouble. No wonder my third uncle said that the construction in Qiaoxi Village is in full swing. If I were a real estate company, I would run away if I saw the noise they make."
Ever since the news of the demolition came out, Qiaoxi Village has been like an irregular alarm clock in the past few years, ringing from time to time to show its presence.
"Your aunt now regrets not joining in the construction of the building in Qiaoxi Village. If she comes to you, ignore her. She made it clear at the time that she didn't want to get involved. Now that the building has been built, she doesn't have to think about getting a piece of the pie."
Chen Jin thought of the gifts that had not been given away in the car, so he said, "Then I won't go to my aunt's house recently. I will give the gifts I bring back to my second brother later. I hope he can bring them to me when he is free."
"Oh, by the way, uncle, this time when I went out, I saw my aunt had inexplicable stomach pain twice. I asked her to go to the hospital and she said it was an old problem. Please take some time to take her to the hospital for a check-up. If there is no problem, just treat it as a check-up to put your mind at ease. If there is a problem, it can be treated early."
My uncle suddenly stood up and paced back and forth nervously. "I said that when I called her one night, her voice didn't sound right. She must be feeling unwell. I'll take her to the hospital tomorrow."
"And you should also go get a check-up. You smoke and drink every day, and I think your belly has become bigger in the past six months. Do you think you are still in your thirties or forties? If something happens, your second cousin is here, I don't know what you can do." Chen Jin muttered the last two sentences in a low voice. If she wasn't afraid of being beaten by her uncle, she would have said more.
My uncle actually heard what she said, and he patted his belly with a smile. He had indeed gained a lot of weight in the past six months. Because he had enough funds to turn over, he did a few small projects and also used his connections to grab a piece of land. This was the company's rising period, and perhaps it could also be a turning point in his career. Only after he had walked this path well did he dare to hand over the company to his second son with confidence.
It's rare that his wife and Chen Jin are the only ones at home who dare to criticize him.
"You're still talking about me. I didn't even talk about you. Your cousin said that you had a date in college and got dumped? Tsk, how could someone dump you? Don't tell me you didn't clean up after that?"
See, they are indeed father and son. Her uncle and second cousin have the same problem.
But, is this matter unresolved? She really doesn't want to mention it anymore!
"Please, uncle, please just pretend this never happened. I feel embarrassed every time I mention it."
The uncle laughed and patted her head. "Besides anything else, you don't have to be so sneaky when dating in the future. It's normal for you not to date at your age. But just one thing, if you do date, bring him/her home for your family to see. Don't be so attracted to a good-looking guy that you can't even walk."
"That's true, but I won't talk about it if it doesn't look good."
"Otherwise I would say that you young people should let your family approve of your relationship. You only care about looks."
Chen Jin didn't say anything more and just waited for her uncle to speak. He said he would stop after a while, and if she replied, he would never stop.
Later, Chen Jin no longer went to his uncle's construction company to "study". He went to several of Jiang Dajie's stores for two consecutive days, and then went to the minimalist women's clothing store in Dongcheng District Department Store to buy new summer clothes.
"Is your branch opening going to be delayed?"
Sensing the worry in the store manager's tone, Chen Jin didn't ask any more questions, but he was worried about Baiyou Garment Factory in his heart: Could it be that the factory can no longer operate?
If this store goes out of business, she will have to find another place to buy clothes in the future. Currently, she has not found a substitute for the minimalist women's clothing store in several commercial centers in Rong City. The style is the same, but the pattern is wrong. These clothes look the same, but only those who wear them will know.
Thinking that he might not be able to buy clothes from this store in the future, Chen Jin bought more this time. The store manager reminded Chen Jin not to buy two sets of some styles, but Chen Jin insisted on buying one more piece to alternate between, since the styles could be matched with anything. The store manager realized that Chen Jin might have associated it with the changes that were going to happen at their Baiyou Garment Factory, and scratched his head in embarrassment. Things are indeed changing at the factory, but it hasn't come to the point of closing down.
Chen Jin picked a day with good weather and drove to Qiaoxi Village again.
The car didn't drive in, but there were a lot of things parked on the village road. Almost every household was under construction. Not all of them were building new buildings or renovating. Some were adding walls to their yards, some were adding iron sheds to the open space in the yard, or transplanting some fruit trees in the yard.
Chen Jin had experienced house demolition before and still remembered some of the compensation regulations. He knew at a glance that they were choosing to transplant fruit trees that would fetch high compensation.
The car stopped in front of her grandfather's house. There were a few fruit trees in front of the house, and there was almost not enough space for her to park.
Old Man Liu came out after hearing the sound of cars and suggested to her, "You should plant trees on your buildings this morning. The more compensation you can get, the better."
Judging from the tone, it seems that the demolition of Qiaoxi Village is a foregone conclusion. Her uncle was really unlucky. He didn't say anything, and the news was passed around, and finally it became the news that he spread.
But her grandfather's suggestion is really worth considering, just in case her uncle gets lucky again this time. Even if there is no demolition, it would be nice to have some green in the yard.
Uncle Liu came out with a gloomy face and said in a muffled voice, "I'm going out."
Chen Jin was curious. This uncle actually dared to speak to her grandfather in a rude manner. Her grandfather's expression was not good either. It was obvious that they had a falling out.
"Your family is going to split up the household?"
Old man Liu glared at her and said, "This has nothing to do with you." The implication was that there was no need for her to gloat over other people's misfortune.
Why is this unfortunate child so hard on his own family? !
Chen Jin let out a long "Oh" in understanding. It turned out that human nature was really not worth testing.
When the news of demolition came out, the uncles in Lao Liu's family and her father were arguing about how the old man would divide the money among them after the demolition. But they didn’t understand the situation before. Now with the living examples of Qiaodong Village and Mutang Village, they have heard a lot and understood a truth: It is better to have something yourself than to have it from your parents.
Look, now they are going to divide the family and household, and they probably also said that they will divide the homestead and the four buildings.
No wonder Old Man Liu was unhappy. He was a smart old man and knew that if he divided his property among his sons, it would be difficult for him to control them in the future. Not to mention that he couldn't guarantee whether these sons would provide them with good care in their old age.
It is true that having too many sons is worthless. Old man Liu is really sober. He is not like those people who think of giving all the money they have to their sons.
I hope this old man can stay sober forever. If the day comes when he can no longer make decisions at home, she won't even park her car in front of his house, and the rest of the Liu family will be even more worried.
Chen Jin stood with his hands behind his back, like a monster king patrolling the mountain. He looked to the left and stopped to look to the right. It was true that each family had their own way of doing things.
In order to renovate, their rental will have to be delayed by at least one or two months. The tenants who originally lived here have to find new houses.
When cousin Meng Chong saw her, he grinned and said, "I've been around the village a lot, and I know a lot of former tenants. Some of them are moving out now, while others are given a new building by the landlord to live in first, and will move back after the renovation is completed. They contacted me and will come to rent a house when we start renting."
"Don't worry, I have talked to these people, and they seem to be nice for now. We have five buildings here, with hundreds of rooms for rent. There will be a lot of tenants, and we can't let troublemakers come in."
"Some people have also come to see the shops on the first floor below. They are all tenants who come to understand the rent. We won't rent to those who play games or open mahjong tables. It will be noisy and crowded, and it will be difficult to manage."
"List out any requirements you have for me first."
Chen Jin smiled and said, "I don't have any more requests. Cousin, you have already considered everything. Thanks to you for coming to help, otherwise there would be no one at home to take care of the buildings here."
My third cousin is the only idle person in the family now, but he was also inspired by this trip and wants to set up a travel agency and specialize in visiting tourist attractions in Southern Province in the future. But he is just saying that now and has not yet listed the specific plan. He also doesn't know whether his third uncle and aunt will give him financial support.
"I see many families in the village are planting trees in their yards. Should we plant some too?"
Chen Jin took a look at the yard. In fact, the residential land area was only 400 square meters. When the yard wall was built, it was moved outward. The village cadres also turned a blind eye. But even if there is some open space for a yard, you still have to leave room for tenants to park their cars. Otherwise, if they are left outside the yard, the risk of the cars being stolen is too great.
The yard was quite crowded.
"Let's plant one every few meters. Uh, cousin, let's just plant some fruit trees that are easy to clean and look good. I think mangoes are good. When they are ripe, you can pick them and eat them. They smell good."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
The interior of the building has been renovated, and the doors and windows of each suite are open for ventilation. Chen Jin chose the second floor of her building to go see.
Unlike the house I rented out in Qiaodong Village before, the house here is equipped with a bed, a double-door wardrobe, and a set of tables and chairs, so the tenants can move in and move in directly, and other things can be added over time.
"I have hired someone to pull the telephone line in a couple of days. The telephone will be installed in the small supermarket I run. I have set up some signs as instructions, and asked the tenants to take their own garbage to the village entrance to dispose of it every day. However, when the houses are rented out, someone still needs to be in charge of the sanitation of the corridors. I plan to hire another person to help with the sanitation fees paid by the tenants every month. When the time comes, I will first look for the tenants' families in the village to see if there are any willing to do it..."
Cousin Meng Chong reported everything to her in detail. Even though Chen Jin told him to arrange it, he walked into the house and remembered some small things and continued to explain things to her.
The nine apartments and two shops in her Jinxiu Community are also being renovated. By July or August at the latest, the rent she collects every month will increase again!
Chen Jin stood in the open space in front of the courtyard gate, put his hands on his hips and looked up at the five renovated buildings, feeling particularly satisfied. She announced that the five buildings owned by her family are now landmark buildings in Qiaoxi Village!
After all, it is the most beautiful in the village.
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