Chapter 23
Yuan Chuyu's suggestion to go to the night market changed his plans for the evening.
The original plan was for Lin Liaoyuan and others to accompany Ying Yuan's team for lunch and dinner, while they drank and discussed business. However, Yuan Chuyu only agreed to lunch, saying that he wanted to take a walk in the market in the evening and would not bother them.
Lin Langyi ate lunch quickly. She couldn't hold her liquor. When project manager Wu Ling politely came to pour her some wine, Lin Langyi covered the glass with her palm, smiled, and shook her head: "I can't drink. I can only send my brother and my dad to fight this proxy war."
Wu Ling wanted to persuade her, knowing that Lin Langyi had been in charge of coordinating the entire project, so he naturally wanted to make sure the target was right. However, Yuan Chuyu stopped him at the right moment: "Wu Ling, don't persuade the lady to drink."
He was strict in his discipline when he led the team, and his subordinates were obedient. Wu Ling immediately changed his approach, replacing wine with tea, and stopped being so demanding.
Lin Langyi doesn't drink alcohol, so she naturally eats quickly. After sitting for a while, seeing that the atmosphere was lively and that one more person wouldn't make a difference, she excused herself to check the dishes and slipped out of the private room, returning to the area of the aquaculture pond open to tourists.
As the weather gradually warms up, the number of tourists fishing for clams on tour boats increases daily. She has long requested that inspections of water safety facilities and regular inspections of boats be strengthened, and the frequency of river patrols has also increased.
She casually drove around in an old, ordinary black sedan, and when she reached a secluded spot in the southeast corner of Yingshan Lake, she encountered an elderly cleaning lady emptying mineral water bottles next to a trash can.
It was around two o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun was scorching, with no shade at all.
"Grandma Wen." Lin Langyi stopped the car immediately. She rolled down the window and saw that Grandma Wen's brow was beaded with sweat. She quickly opened a pack of tissues and handed it to her. "It's so hot. Are you still busy?"
"Oh, it'll be done soon. There have been so many people here these past few days, lots of bottles." Grandma Wen smiled contentedly as she talked about her fruitful harvest, wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes.
She skillfully poured the remaining water from the mineral water bottle into the greenery, then threw the bottle on the ground, stomped on it to flatten it, squeezed out the air, screwed on the cap, and put it into a large plastic bag next to her feet.
Lin Langyi also had a few bottles of mineral water in the car. She first finished her half-full bottle, then got out of the car and, imitating her mother-in-law, flattened and twisted it, putting it into a plastic bag. Then she took two new bottles of mineral water and handed them over: "Grandma, drink more water in this hot weather."
"Oh, I have some, I have some!" Grandma Wen quickly pulled out her dark green cup, which had white streaks from being worn down, and there was still a little bit of it inside. "I fill it myself every day."
"What's this much for drinking?" Lin Langyi shoved the bottled water into her mother-in-law's hand. Her mother-in-law groaned and sighed with a smile.
"Please take this. There have been so many tourists these past few days, you must be very busy."
"Fortunately, young people and college students these days have good morals and high standards, so they throw their trash in the bins. It's mostly older people who litter." Grandma Wen said indignantly, "When I pick up my granddaughter from school, it's mostly older people riding their electric bikes recklessly, while the younger ones, oh my, are all well-behaved."
After chatting for a while, Grandma Wen glanced around and lowered her voice, whispering, "Yiyi, I heard from the village that your family has a conflict with Zu Dongyun and his brother over there? I just saw them coming out of the village committee office, arguing and making a scene."
"It sounds like they wanted the village chief and the others to put pressure on you and transfer their hundred-acre pond to you as soon as possible. The village chief just grabbed a broom and yelled at them."
Lin Langyi smiled casually: "Yes, there was a little friction."
As they were whispering, a piercing horn suddenly blared from afar, beeping and blaring like someone with manic behavior.
Lin Langyi immediately straightened up and looked towards the source of the sound. She saw a black Mercedes-Benz SUV with the driver's side window wide open. A hand holding a cigarette was hanging outside, and the fingernails were stained yellow with smoke.
Speak of the devil and he appears.
Zu Dongyun, sitting in the driver's seat, stuck most of his head out, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and blew a smoke ring at Lin Langyi: "Oh my, Miss Lin, I was wondering what car was stuck in traffic, what is this beat-up car? Where is your Cayenne?"
His front teeth were yellowish-black when he smiled: "You didn't sell them all and use the money to treat the pearl oysters, did you?"
The passenger door opened, and the portly Zu Changfu got off the seat, pulled up his baggy trousers and conspicuous crocodile belt, revealing a section of yellowish-white socks above his ankles. Without looking at anyone, he walked straight into the woods beside the road to urinate.
These two brothers, one a heavy smoker and drinker, the other an glutton who spent his days watching female livestreamers dance, had become the top spender on social media. However, when he couldn't get a date with any women, he threw a tantrum, attracting the police. Village officials then launched into a cacophony of warnings about the dangers of online dating, thoroughly exposing his past misdeeds. Enraged, he went to the village secretary's office every day to cause trouble. Later, realizing his antics were ineffective, he secluded himself at home for two months, waiting patiently for the jokes to die down.
After Zu Changfu finished urinating, he coughed up a mouthful of phlegm and spat it out as he walked out. Then he wiped his mouth with his hand before looking at Lin Langyi and continuing his brother's words:
"You seem to be short on cash, you've even started picking up trash. No wonder it's so hard to make money... If you don't spend a little, and the clam gets sick later, haha, that'll be a lot of money."
The two brothers chuckled together. Zu Changfu took out a half-finished milk tea from the car, slurped a few more mouthfuls, and then threw it out the window after getting back in the car: "It's for you."
Grandma Wen didn't dare say a word.
Lin Langyi stood in the middle of the road, showing no intention of making way. She pointed to the sign by the pond that read "Please do not litter": "We are working together to improve water quality. The higher-ups have come to inspect the environment of Yingshan Lake several times. Please pick up your trash."
"I'll leave once I sell the pond. Who wants to stay in this kind of rural area? Whether or not there's an inspection is none of my business."
Lin Langyi glanced back over the Mercedes-Benz, calmly took the trash pickers from Granny Wen's hand, slowly walked to the passenger seat, and continued, "You've been hiding at home for too long lately, so you probably don't know that the village said that littering will result in a fine of two hundred yuan if caught, right?"
Zu Dongyun shook his head dramatically and chuckled, "Who saw that? There are security cameras here?"
Zu Changfu replied sarcastically, "No~ no~".
"No?" Lin Langyi laughed, using the trash can tongs to grab the milk tea, tearing a large slit in the straw, and then neatly tossing it in through the passenger window.
With a "whoosh," the unfinished milk tea and tapioca pearls hit the air conditioning vent on the passenger side precisely. Half of it flowed in, and the other half spilled onto Zu Changfu's fat thighs. As the air conditioning blew in, the car was immediately filled with the smell of creamer.
"Ah!" Zu Changfu immediately jumped up, his head slamming hard against the roof of the car with a "thud," before he plopped back down. "Fuck your mother!"
"If my air conditioning vent breaks, you'll have to pay for it! It'll stink in a couple of days if this stuff gets in here!"
"Ask me to pay?" Lin Langyi took two steps back, looking at Zu Changfu who was frantically wiping his thighs and the car body with tissues with a leisurely air, puzzled, "You spilled your milk tea in the car, why should I pay you?"
"Bullshit! It was clearly you!"
"Oh, is there surveillance footage?" Lin Langyi retorted coldly.
"you!"
Lin Langyi glanced at the rearview mirror and mimicked his sarcastic tone: "Or is there a dashcam? No~ no~ ah~, are there my fingerprints on the milk tea? No~ no~ ah~"
Zu Changfu was furious and didn't even bother to wipe his pants. He opened the door and was about to rush down to teach this little girl a lesson.
He had only taken one step on the ground when a stern, stern voice suddenly rang out from behind: "What are you doing!"
Zu Changfu shrank back and turned his head in a panic, seeing several young cadres from the village rushing over. The one in the lead was Fu Shuxuan, a female selected graduate who had just been assigned to the post last year. She was decisive and had a tough approach.
With her neat short hair, she pointed at Zu Changfu and shouted, "I'm asking you, what are you doing?!"
"What are you doing..." Zu Changfu saw that there were many people and hurriedly shrank back into the car, his arrogance immediately disappearing. "Just passing by, just passing by."
"I was just about to come over to patrol the river when I saw you acting suspiciously on the security camera." Fu Shuxuan walked between the two cars, checked left and right, and asked Lin Langyi, "What is he doing here?"
Lin Langyi lowered her head, looking aggrieved, as if she wanted nothing more than to cling to Fu Shuxuan's arm and complain.
"Surveillance?!" Zu Dongyun suddenly tensed up. "Where did you get surveillance cameras in this place?"
“The new rural construction project covers the entire village, and the digital platform is fully connected. We can see everything from the village committee office.” Fu Shuxuan smiled coldly and glanced at the two brothers. “This will prevent some people from resorting to underhanded tricks to harm the collective interests of the village.”
The two brothers were deathly pale.
Lin Langyi, not wanting to be outdone, continued to press her advantage, pitifully saying, "He even littered with milk tea. When I said I would fine him, he threatened me."
Fu Shuxuan's sharp gaze swept over them immediately, signaling the cadres behind her to step forward and follow the rules.
"She's the one who threw the milk tea in!" Zu Changfu said excitedly. "If you have CCTV footage, you can see it! It was spilled all over my car."
Fu Shuxuan was adamant: "You can't see clearly from inside the car."
"How could I not know!" Zu Changfu's face turned a deep shade of liver. "In my car, the pants—"
He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence because he had already wiped the water stains off the car, and the water inside the air vents was barely visible.
"No, I used the trash can to pass it in." Lin Langyi, with her pretty face, told a lie that came out naturally and logically. "He peed on his pants himself. They were dry before he went into the woods, but they came out like this."
"puff……"
Someone couldn't help but laugh. Zu Changfu was so angry that his hair stood on end, but Fu Shuxuan was very influential and capable in the village, so he didn't dare to act rashly. He just glared fiercely at Lin Langyi, pointed a finger at her, and said his threat without saying anything more.
Zu Dongyun helped his younger brother up, and they paid the fine with great remorse. The two of them then hurriedly left.
As the car exhaust fumes billowed out, Fu Shuxuan turned to face Lin Langyi and asked her about the latest situation at the aquaculture pond.
Lin Langyi: "The investors are discussing business here at noon; things will get better eventually."
Fu Shuxuan patted her on the shoulder: "Our village committee knows about this. Don't worry, the village will not allow such a thing to happen again."
"Okay!" Lin Langyi smiled in response.
*
After the patrol ended, Lin Langyi returned to the company and saw Yuan Chuyu drinking tea with Lin Xiangshuo and others. They made eye contact through the glass door, and he immediately put the lid on his cup, got up and walked over to her.
"Were you busy just now?" He sensed her warmth as soon as he got close. "Were you patrolling the river?"
"Hmm." Lin Langyi said briefly, "We've encountered a big fish."
He immediately understood, and his first reaction was to frown slightly and look her up and down carefully, his voice serious: "They didn't bully you, did they?"
Lin Langyi raised her index finger and shook it, looking a little smug.
Meng Hui walked over and interrupted their riddle: "Zhuzhu, I just heard President Yuan say that dinner is not arranged, and you are going to do market research?"
Lin Lang glanced at Yuan Chuyu, who was glorifying "strolling through the night market" as "market research." The other man blinked slowly, his eyes drooping slightly, giving him an innocent and endearing look.
She chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Yuan said we can just grab a quick bite near the market."
“That won’t do,” Lin Xiangshuo said. “It has to be the dishes that are arranged.”
Lin Langyi jokingly exclaimed "Ouch!" and imitated the tone of an online short video, "Mom... my roommates don't like to eat these."
Meng Hui gently patted her, her face full of reproach: "You should treat them well."
Lin Langyi then shook the keys in her hand: "Let's go then, President Yuan."
The night market didn't open until 4:30 p.m. Lin Langyi drove Yuan Chuyu to the nearest parking lot and parked the car. The two of them walked into the main street together.
Although it had only been open for less than twenty minutes, the number of people on the street was several times higher than usual. There were girlfriends in hot pants and tank tops, small groups of people taking photos in Hanfu, and couples holding hands and strolling slowly down the street. There were people coming and going.
"Stay close to me," Lin Langyi instructed. "There are just too many people today. If we get separated, we'll really lose our way."
“Okay.” Yuan Chuyu walked alongside her, disappearing into the crowd together.
The two headed straight to several cultural and creative stores. Yuan Chuyu paced back and forth in front of several shelves, while Lin Langyi stood beside him, comparing the items. Just looking at these exquisite and unique things was a pleasure.
Yuan Chuyu was slow in choosing, picking one up from time to time, holding it in his hand and turning it around to examine it, then tilting his head and whispering to ask Lin Langyi what she thought.
Girls generally enjoy browsing shops selling these kinds of trinkets, and Lin Langyi was no exception. She enthusiastically gathered around him, picking through the items and offering her opinions.
Suddenly, a flash went off in the distance. The two of them looked up at the same time and saw several energetic girls in school uniforms covering their mouths to hide their maternal laughter. The girl who was still clutching her phone tightly was extremely nervous and didn't dare to look up at Lin Yuan and the other girl. She just hurriedly tried to turn off the flash.
"Excuse me..." The girl taking the photos quickly nudged her companion with her elbow, telling them to tone it down. She explained, "We just think you two are a good match. I'm sorry, I'll delete the photos right now."
"It's nothing." Yuan Chuyu smiled politely at the person, as gentle as ever, showing no intention of blaming anyone.
He simply lowered his head again, picked up a tortoiseshell-colored glass ornament, and drew Lin Langyi's attention: "What do you think of this?"
Lin Langyi was still a little embarrassed, but there was no need to emphasize to the girls that she and Yuan Chuyu were not in that kind of relationship, making her seem like she was making a big deal out of nothing.
She nodded haphazardly and said, "You choose the nicer ones."
Yuan Chuyu remained silent. He put the tortoiseshell-colored item back in his hand and looked at the others.
After a slight pause, seeing that Lin Langyi was still standing there with a tense little face and didn't say anything, he said very considerately, "I noticed that your hair tie is a little loose. I see there are many hair ties over there to choose from. Would you like to pick one out?"
Lin Langyi was stunned for a moment, her thoughts drifting. Somewhat surprised, she touched her ponytail and found that the black elastic hair tie was not very elastic anymore. A small section of it had developed a fibrous texture, and the only reason it was holding up was because she had a lot of hair.
"Wow, when did you notice?" She took off her hair tie and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'll go buy two more."
Yuan Chuyu stopped her and held out his hand to her: "Go ahead and choose, I'll throw away that hair tie for you."
He gestured with his chin behind him: "The trash can is next to the cashier."
Being very close to him, Lin Langyi took it off her wrist and handed it over, saying, "Thanks."
Yuan Chuyu's eyes held a faint smile, his features gentle. He watched Lin Langyi, with her long hair loose, turn into the shelves with her headband and hair tie before turning away.
He lowered his head, staring at the thin, pure black hair tie in his palm. He slowly clenched his fist, then released it a few seconds later. He casually walked around to another handmade goods shelf, as if he had already set his sights on something. Without hesitation, he went straight to the braided rope section.
There was also a salesperson sitting at a small table, demonstrating how to weave by hand while calling out to girls to come over and DIY their own lucky charm bracelets.
Yuan Chuyu, being tall and long-legged, stood out awkwardly among a group of girls, but he showed no embarrassment or awkwardness. He simply watched calmly as the saleswoman taught him how to knit.
He was quick-witted and had good hands-on skills; after watching for a while, he started to do it himself.
Instead of using the elastic cord of the base as the inner core, he cut off the part of the hair tie in his palm that had lost its elasticity with scissors, and then used this half-circle of hair tie as the base to start weaving on the outer circle.
When choosing a microfiber rope, he hesitated for a long time between pure black and bright red. The girl next to him chose the red rope and excitedly said to her companion, "May the red thread bless me and my boyfriend to last a long time."
His outstretched fingers curled slightly, his head bowed, and after a long silence, he finally took the black thread.
The hair tie was woven and wrapped around, like the pearl layer nurtured by blood and tears on the outside of a pearl, quietly hiding all secrets.
Soon, the hair tie was completely gone. Yuan Chuyu held it up and examined it carefully. Then he tried to string the pre-drilled moon-white pearl from the sealed bag through it. The slightly larger diameter hole fit perfectly.
He smiled slightly, pursing his lips.
The salesperson next to me continued explaining: "In ancient times, giving a bracelet was a way of forging a good marriage. As the saying goes, 'A red string is used to tie the feet of husband and wife,' which means to form a bond. Today, we are making bracelets to wish everyone 'to go through the years together and to live with your loved one until the end of time.'"
Yuan Chuyu continued to pick and choose among the dazzling array of accessory boxes, and finally selected a peach blossom button with gold-flecked variegation from Dunhuang, with a cinnabar dot in the center.
This is the only red dot on the entire bracelet, so small it's almost invisible.
He tried it on to see the size on his wrist, then took it to the sales clerk and asked her to use a machine to attach the buttonholes. The hand-woven bracelet was now complete.
"Wow, it's beautiful!" The sales clerk examined it for a moment and continued to encourage sales, "You can also add some lucky beads and necklace knots to make it more interesting."
"No need." Yuan Chuyu smiled. "I'm wearing it. The pearl was a gift from my girlfriend, so I don't need anything else."
The girls around him stirred again, whispering and giggling. Yuan Chuyu didn't say anything, but he couldn't help but smile.
He put the plain black bracelet on his left hand, adjusted the pearl so that it rested smoothly against his wrist bone, and hid the peach blossom clasp with a red dot in the center on the inside of his wrist.
After doing all this, Yuan Chuyu returned to the glass crafts shelf. Seeing that Lin Langyi had not yet returned, he went to find her.
Upon searching, it was discovered that she was already chatting lively with other girls who had also come to buy hair accessories, and she was carrying a bunch of spoils in her hands. What was supposed to be two hair ties had now turned into a handful of small trinkets.
The girl who was chatting with her noticed that Yuan Chuyu and others were staring intently at Lin Langyi behind her, so she pointed behind her.
Lin Langyi turned around and saw Yuan Chuyu. She stood up straight with a "Ah!" and said, "Have you made your choice yet? I forgot the time."
"It's nothing, I just got here." He smiled gently. "I didn't choose one, so I might have to go check out the next one."
Lin Langyi waved goodbye to the girl and went to the cashier where Yuan Chuyu paid the money.
"Xiao Qian, I feel bad that you came with me to buy things."
As they were talking, Lin Langyi noticed the bracelet on his left wrist. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately went around to his left to examine it closely: "Wow, it looks so expensive. When did you get this?"
Yuan Chuyu smiled and moved his wrist in front of her: "Just now."
Lin Langyi sighed and praised for a long time, and even touched his bracelet: "It suits you so well."
“Is that so?” He lowered his head slightly, his eyes shimmering like water. “I think so too.”
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