Chapter 3
As for the Qin family coming to her house to demand money, she had never encountered this in her previous life. It must have happened after her death.
She said, "No wonder the Qin family lived so well after her death. It turned out they'd taken all the Cheng family's money and put it in their own pockets." "How could they not live comfortably, robbing others of their money and enriching their own pockets?" Tao Zhi also understood that Cheng Hui's inaction was also an accomplice.
She had never imagined that her eldest son, whom she had high hopes for, would grow up to be such a character. But then she thought about it carefully: if the old man hadn't met her, he would have been a victim of oppression. His personality, aside from its nurture, could be considered hereditary. No wonder her mother-in-law fell in love with her at first sight, willing to pay any amount of betrothal gifts just to marry her into the family, so that she could support the family.
Her mother-in-law came from a wealthy family, was well-educated, had good judgment, and knew how to judge people. Unfortunately, she didn't have that. She wanted to emulate her mother-in-law and find a capable daughter-in-law, but ended up marrying a loser instead. It was also her and her husband's fault for being so absorbed in their work that they neglected their family.
Moreover, when she was close, Tao Zhi had faintly smelled a familiar medicinal scent on Qin Limin. She also observed her hands, finding black stains on her fingertips. Alarm bells were ringing in Tao Zhi's heart. Eliminating all improbabilities, the only thing left was the truth. No wonder her family never visited her grave. Now she just wanted to know: did Cheng Hui know about this?
After finishing the meal quietly, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
It was late at night, and Tao Zhi lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
After his father retired in 1992, he opened this machinery factory. Because of his technical prowess, his innovative spirit, and his ability to improve upon flaws, he was able to secure orders that other factories couldn't. He drew the blueprints, designed the designs, and handled the sales himself, building the business up bit by bit from the three of them to a small factory of fifty employees. While it wasn't a large factory employing thousands or tens of thousands of people, Tao Zhi was incredibly proud of it. Only the couple knew the exact amount of money they had made, as they had always been frugal. The only valuable assets to outsiders were the two three-story dormitories, the factory buildings, the machinery, and the land below.
Tao Zhi remembered that when Qin Limin returned to her parents' home, she was asked if her in-laws were wealthy. Qin Limin replied, "Hundreds of thousands, for sure." Remember, back then, monthly wages were only a few hundred yuan, and rural residents might only make two thousand yuan a year. Hundreds of thousands was a figure they couldn't even imagine. So the Qin family took a risk, determined to take a bite out of the Cheng family's fat piece of meat.
In their room, there was a large wardrobe. Tao Zhi hid the safe in the deepest part of the wardrobe, and locked the passbook inside the safe. Tao Zhi hadn't really thought about protecting her family, but rather the workers who lived with her, so she felt it was better to be safe. Seeing the drawer that had been moved today, Tao Zhi felt relieved, thinking the safe might have been used for good.
Tao Zhi flipped through her bankbook before going to bed. Their fixed deposits now totaled two million. Adding to that the reserved working capital and the property and machinery, their net worth was already considerable.
Money can be tempting, and even a few hundred thousand dollars can attract wolves, and there's no guarantee there won't be tigers and leopards down the road. Living in the suburbs isn't actually safe if you don't have the means to protect yourself.
When Tao Zhi thought about the fate of her children again, her heart felt like it was being fried in oil, and she was filled with excruciating pain.
Cheng Xiangqian was sleeping in another bed and was woken up by the noise of her turning over.
Since the old man's snoring got louder and louder, Tao Zhi had sent him to another room. However, Tao Zhi had heart problems, so Cheng Xiangqian moved back in, but they slept in separate beds. This actually saved Tao Zhi some embarrassment, and she silently praised her foresight.
Cheng Xiangqian asked, "Azhi, can't you sleep?"
Tao Zhi sat up and said, "Brother Cheng, I want to discuss something with you."
Cheng Xiangqian turned on the light first, then poured her a glass of water, and then sat down: "Go ahead."
"I want to move."
"Where are you moving to?"
"Our whole family is moving to the city."
"What about this factory?"
"The factory has to stay open. We still have so many workers. You can live in the factory, or you can hire someone to look after you."
"Why do you suddenly want to move?"
"Today's events reminded me that our family's life is too conspicuous in the countryside. Besides, Manman is in her second year of high school and will take the college entrance exam in a year. The teaching staff in the high schools in this town is different from those in the city."
"Third, everyone in the village is clamoring to move to the city. We have the conditions now, so we might as well take the opportunity to move there first and pave the way for them."
Tao Zhi took a sip of water and continued, "Fourth, if Cheng Hui could divorce and take his grandson away from the Qin family, the child wouldn't be taught bad habits, and Cheng Hui wouldn't be entangled by them."
"Fifth, Xingxing is in the city, and I want to be closer to her so that she can go back to her parents' home at any time, and we can also visit our granddaughter when we are free."
"Sixth, I'm not married yet. If I go to the city and find a partner with better conditions and a similar family background, wouldn't that save me some trouble?"
"Seventh, since I can't have children with my money in the bank, I might as well exchange it for property in the city. Each child will have one, which can be considered an early division of the family. That way, even if I die one day, I don't have to worry about them being left without a roof over their heads."
"The most important thing is to give children the opportunity to go out and see if they can create a new world."
Tao Zhi spoke eloquently and with solid arguments. Cheng Xiangqian was delighted to see her. He felt the old woman was glowing. He said, "You make a lot of sense. Then do as you wish. I have no objection. I'll do whatever you say."
Tao Zhi had forgotten for a moment that the Cheng family's fine tradition was to listen to the wife. Now that the old man agreed, her worries were finally resolved.
"Then let Cheng Jun go with me. I'll go to the city to look for a house tomorrow." After a pause, Tao Zhi said, "Don't tell the children about this first."
Cheng Xiangqian thought for a moment, "Should I hide this from Cheng Hui?"
"The Qin family's matter is not over yet. Let's see how Cheng Hui handles it." Tao Zhi yawned at the right time.
"It's getting late, go to bed." Cheng Xiangqian turned off the light.
Tao Zhi had a good night's sleep.
The next day, Tao Zhi called Cheng Jun, and the two of them took a bus to the city. After three hours of being cooped up in the car, Cheng Jun rubbed his buttocks and complained that his legs were numb from sitting, while Tao Zhi leaned against a tree and retched.
When Cheng Jun saw someone selling herbal tea, he quickly ran over to buy two bowls. He drank them in one gulp and then handed them to his mother.
Tao Zhi drank it and felt much better, but it was still not enough. She wanted to eat something spicy to relieve the pain.
After returning the bowl to the herbal tea shop, Cheng Jun found a three-wheeled motorcycle and asked the driver to take him to a good restaurant.
Tao Zhi felt deeply comforted. This was the strength of his youngest son. Although he wasn't good at studying, he was quite capable outside of home. He was tactful and thorough in his dealings with others, which is why he had so many friends, young and old. In his previous life, when Cheng Xiangqian grew old, he was willing to live with his youngest son.
The tricycle driver dropped them off at a restaurant. Before they even got out of the car, they saw a long line outside. The driver highly recommended this place: "Don't be fooled by its small size. It's famous for its delicious food here, and the prices are quite reasonable."
Cheng Jun asked: "Mom, can you wait?"
Tao Zhi wasn't so pretentious, "No problem."
Cheng Jun invited the driver to join him: "I see you know the area well. We just arrived and would like to find someone to show us the way. Can you rent this car for a day?"
Chen Dashan was delighted. A full-day contract was a good option. He wouldn't have to sit on the sidewalk collecting dust, and he wouldn't have to worry about not having customers. He quickly agreed, "Fifty yuan a day, okay?"
Cheng Jun knew the market and thought the price was reasonable. He said, "Then I'll leave it to you."
Chen Dashan blushed: "This kid is so polite."
The food was really good and the price was very reasonable. Cheng Jun couldn't help but look up to Chen Dashan.
After dinner, they began to wander around the city. There weren't many new buildings, and Tao Zhi wasn't satisfied with any she saw. They were all too small, barely big enough to live in. After another apartment was rejected, Chen Dashan asked, "Sister, would you like to look at some land?"
Tao Zhi's eyes lit up, and he exchanged a glance with Cheng Jun, then immediately said, "Let's take a look."
Chen Dashan introduced the area to them while driving. Tao Zhi was very satisfied when she heard about the location. It was a future new town and the city planning was very good, with wide roads, good greenery, and cleanliness.
"However," Chen Dashan paused, "this man is my relative. He's in urgent need of money, and he wants to sell all 300 square meters at once."
Tao Zhi was even more excited when she heard this, because she remembered that it seemed that next year or the year after, people would not be allowed to build their own houses in the city. Tao Zhi followed his words and said, "Let's go and take a look first. What if he is willing to sell it separately? Brother, wouldn't you be able to earn a commission?"
When Chen Dashan heard this, he became even more enthusiastic.
When Tao Zhi arrived at the site, she fell in love with it immediately. She even started to think about how to build the house. But she didn't show it on her face. She just asked Chen Dashan to invite his relatives.
The relatives arrived soon. There was a teahouse next door, so they went in to talk.
The owner said: "I have 300 square meters of land, and I'm not selling it separately, the price is 450,000 yuan."
Tao Zhi asked, "How many land certificates do you have?"
"Three."
"One hundred square meters per book?"
"Almost."
"If it's a joint venture between several people, would you accept it?"
"As long as you pay the full amount in one go, I don't care if you buy it this way."
"Then can you give me a real price?"
"450,000 is already very realistic."
"As far as I know, commercial housing now only costs 1,000 yuan per square meter. You're selling me just the land for 1,500 yuan?"
The owner wasn't angry either: "Commercial housing doesn't have land."
Tao Zhi smiled slightly: "Your land is only 70 years old."
“But you can build whatever you want.”
"But your land is in the suburbs."
The owner repeatedly confirmed: "Are you paying in full?"
Tao Zhi looked him straight in the eye: "I guarantee that everyone in the countryside wants to move to the city. We've been saving money for half our lives."
The owner gritted his teeth and said, "430,000, no less."
Tao Zhi refused to budge. "400,000. I'll bring people and money right away, and we can sign the contract tomorrow."
Cheng Jun seemed to see sparks flashing between the two of them.
The owner's eyes were red, and it felt like he was about to cry: "420,000, no less."
"Deal." Tao Zhi was also very straightforward. "Go to the law firm and find a lawyer. Let's sign an agreement."
The owner didn't expect Tao Zhi to be so fashionable and even know to hire a lawyer. Fortunately, he is not a liar.
Cheng Jun held the agreement in his hand, a look of disbelief on his face. Coming to his senses, he placed his hand on Tao Zhi and praised her, "Ms. Tao, you perfectly demonstrated today what speed is of the essence."
Tao Zhi slapped his hand away and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Let's go to your sister's house."
"Ah, at this hour? Aren't we going back?"
Tao Zhi glared at him: "It only takes a moment to go over and say a word."
Cheng Jun surrendered, "You have the final say."
It was Chen Dashan who took them there again. At the door of the food factory dormitory, Tao Zhi paid him 80 yuan.
"This is today's fare. The referral fee will have to wait until we transfer the ownership."
Chen Dashan was very happy. "Then I'll pick you up again tomorrow?"
Tao Zhi agreed.
Cheng Jun had been here before, so he knew the way and could take Tao Zhi directly to the family building.
As soon as he reached the door of Room 605, he heard a scream, which frightened Tao Zhi.
She wondered, "Why does this sound familiar?"
Tao Zhi suddenly felt uneasy. She grabbed Cheng Jun's hand and asked anxiously, "Which house does your sister live in?"
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