Back at Chen Shuting's old house, upon seeing Chen Dabing, Chen Shuting's mother became emotional, her voice choked with sobs, and said, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Old man, you can't be so impulsive in the future. We can't fight him, so let's give in and move the ancestral graves to a better location."
Chen Dabing was very stubborn and said, "I won't move it! If Chen Dafa has the guts, he can kill me. Otherwise, don't even think about me touching my Chen family's ancestral graves!"
After saying that, he stormed into the house.
"Oh dear, what are we going to do? With your bad temper, you're bound to cause a big problem sooner or later," Chen Shuting's mother said worriedly.
"Mom, you go in and cook first, don't worry about him."
Chen Shuting quickly offered a few words of comfort.
“Since your father is unwilling to move, then he won’t move. Chen Dafa was in the wrong to begin with,” Tang Ping said as he stepped forward.
Chen Shuting shook her head and said, "I know, but things in the countryside are not like in Jinghai. Chen Dafa has a lot of prestige in the village, and his two brothers are capable men. The local officials are more powerful than the county magistrates. In the city, relationships and connections are complicated. In short, Chen Dafa is the local tyrant here, you understand?"
"I refuse to believe this nonsense. I'll go talk to him tonight," Tang Ping said.
Chen Shuting frowned her beautiful eyebrows and said, "You're not allowed to go. My dad's out already, so don't make things worse."
“You don’t understand. Uncle is out today, but what about tomorrow? The ancestral grave issue hasn’t been resolved. Chen Dafa will definitely find all sorts of ways to make things difficult for you.”
"At worst, they can just move away. Anyway, I've been trying to persuade them to move to Jinghai, but they just won't."
"Don't worry about this. I'll talk to them tonight."
Tang Ping waved his hand, displaying a chauvinistic attitude, just like Chen Dabing.
Chen Shuting was speechless and shook her head, feeling helpless.
Chen Shuting and her mother were busy in the kitchen, killing fish and slaughtering chickens.
Tang Ping was playing with Bai Xiaochen in the yard. Chen Dabing didn't rest as soon as he got back. He picked up a hoe and went out. No one knew what he was doing.
When Chen Dabing returned, he was carrying a basket of crabs.
He wasn't much of a talker. After silently handing the crab to Chen Shuting, he went into the yard, took out cigarettes from his pocket, and offered one to Tang Ping and one to Zhao Wei, before smoking one himself.
"Uncle, you used to be a soldier, right?" Tang Ping took the initiative to start a conversation.
"The militia members have participated in training exercises with troops in the county town and in flood relief efforts."
Mentioning this, Chen Dabing's brows relaxed considerably, as if he were recalling the past.
As he spoke, he suddenly said, "Sigh, I've figured it out. As for the ancestral graves, let Chen Dafa go if he wants to. Actually, it's not a big deal if I just bear with it. I just can't stand what Chen Fei said that day, and I can't swallow this insult."
"What did he say?" Tang Ping asked.
Chen Dafa didn't say anything, he just silently smoked his cigarette.
But Tang Ping probably guessed it too: Chen Shuting's husband had died, she was a widow, and she had run back with a child in tow.
In rural areas, people are most likely to be the target of gossip.
Chen Dafa said, "Forget it, for the sake of the children, I don't want to fight with them anymore. If you're alright, go back tomorrow. There's nothing good to stay in this rural place anyway."
Just as Tang Ping was about to say something, Bai Xiaochen rushed over, grabbed Chen Dabing, and said, "Grandpa, where did you catch these crabs? Can you take me there tomorrow?"
"OK."
Chen Dabing smiled and was pulled by Bai Xiaochen to play with him.
Only when facing Bai Xiaochen would he show a rare smile.
After dinner, Chen Shuting was about to boil water for Tang Ping to take a bath, but Tang Ping waved his hand and said, "Let's talk about it later. I'm going out for a walk. Zhao Wei, come with me."
"Tang Ping, don't go looking for trouble," Chen Shuting said.
"How could that be? I was just wandering around."
Tang Ping smiled.
Tang Ping had seen Chen Dafa's house during the day, so he easily found his way there.
The Chen family was having dinner, with a large round table laden with various hearty dishes and seafood.
Tang Ping and Zhao Wei's sudden arrival puzzled them, but Chen Fei stood up and asked in a very impolite tone, "Who are you?"
"Hehe, my name is Tang Ping, and I'm Chen Shuting's friend. I'm sorry to have kept you from eating. How about we talk after you've finished?"
Tang Ping maintained his politeness and smile as he spoke.
"So you're that slut's lover, huh? You've come here to cause trouble, haven't you?" Chen Fei immediately started cursing.
Sitting in the middle was Chen Dafa. He glanced at Tang Ping, coughed, and said, "Chen Fei, what are you doing? You're a guest. Come on, go to the kitchen and get two more sets of bowls and chopsticks. Mr. Tang, come sit down and have something to eat!"
Chen Dafa knew Tang Ping at their first meeting, which meant that he was very close to Director Liu from earlier that day.
It seems he must have known about Chen Dabing's release.
Tang Ping didn't stand on ceremony and casually picked up a chair and sat down.
Zhao Wei was standing right behind him. Chen Fei tried to block him, but Zhao Wei was strong and powerful. He was no match for Zhao Wei and was knocked off balance, almost falling flat on his face.
A woman went to get a bowl and chopsticks and poured Tang Ping a glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor).
Chen Dafa asked calmly, "Is Boss Tang from Jinghai?"
Tang Ping smiled and said, "Yes, she's from Jinghai, and she runs a small business. As for Chen Shuting's family matter..."
"The graves must be moved! Damn it, don't think you're so great just because you're from Jinghai. Let me tell you, this is Jianning. In this village, my dad is the boss. What are you, a big boss from Jinghai, worth?" Chen Fei cursed.
Snap!
Chen Dafa slammed his hand on the table, glared at Chen Fei, and said, "Shut up! Do you even have the right to speak here?"
After scolding him, Chen Dafa turned to Tang Ping and said, "I'm sorry, my son is spoiled and doesn't know any manners. Please bear with him."
Tang Ping ignored Chen Fei and said with a smile, "The main reason I've come here today is to talk to you about the relocation of Chen Shuting's ancestral graves. Is it possible to leave the graves unrelocated?"
“Of course we can. Actually, the plan to build this fishpond was in response to the call from above. It was contracted out to the village, not to me, Chen Dafa, personally. Moreover, I talked to Chen Dabing a long time ago. If we don’t want to relocate the graves, she has to take out the compensation money for the villagers.” Chen Dafa said with a smile.
"How much?"
"Five hundred thousand."
Upon hearing this number, Tang Ping immediately sneered inwardly.
Chen Dafa is indeed cunning and treacherous.
They were polite on the surface, but in reality, they were treating Tang Ping like a sucker.
A village fishpond costs 500,000 yuan, and the key is that you can't find any fault with it.
But why should Chen Shuting be held liable for compensation? The ancestral graves were on their own land, which is completely unreasonable.
But Chen Dafa's words made it sound like a favor was being bestowed upon Chen Shuting's family.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
