The villa area by the sea is a high-end area for the wealthy. Such areas are destined to have little interaction. People mainly meet at various banquets, and apart from business dealings, there is little human warmth.
These neighbors, though they gather together and chat about everyday matters, might talk behind closed doors about each other—these are two completely different lifestyles.
Jiang Xiaoyan clearly prefers the second option, as she grew up in this kind of neighborhood environment.
The living room door was wide open, letting in the heat from outside. The electric fan was blowing, and the buzzing of flies could be heard from time to time. The dog lay on the ground with its tongue lolling out after eating, and a flock of birds perched on the big tree outside the door, chirping away.
They ate their meal with great effort, and Aunt Liu cut up a watermelon and brought it over. Jiang Xiaoyan was wearing loose clothes and slippers. As the group chatted, Lu Feng was particularly happy. Every now and then, he would whisper outside and sneak into the neighbors' ears, inadvertently sharing his joy with them.
Everything was so peaceful, just like a summer day in my memory.
On the table were cucumbers picked from the garden. Lu Feng picked one up, took a bite, and chewed it, saying, "I'm thinking of not going out before the end of the year. If there's any business trip, Fengxia can go."
“Me?” Zhang Fengxia nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll give you a break. If there’s no new expansion, it’s not a big deal.”
"Have everything been arranged with Huasha?" Lu Feng asked Jiang Xiaoyan.
“There are basically no problems. Let the manager handle it. I’ll call and check on things every now and then.” Jiang Xiaoyan suddenly remembered something and said, “Oh right, Mom called a few days ago and said she wanted me to go back during Duoduo’s summer vacation so she could take care of me for a few days.”
"Then what do you mean?" Lu Feng asked.
"I..." Jiang Xiaoyan hesitated for a moment. Of course, she wanted to go back and have her mother-in-law take care of her for a while. She had been wronged during the Spring Festival last year.
"How about we go back for a while?" Zhang Fengxia thought Lu Feng was still worried about the company, so she said, "There are basically no major problems in the company, and the market competition isn't as fierce now."
"Why don't you come back with me for a while? Mom said she'd cook me a good meal every day when we get back, and I'll just sit on the kang (heated brick bed) and eat!" Jiang Xiaoyan said with a smile, as if she was trying to regain her composure as a daughter-in-law.
Seeing her like this, Lu Feng hurriedly said, "Forget it, I haven't been in touch with the company for a while. We'll be launching new products in the second half of the year, so let's get on with it. Besides, you're too tired from traveling, and you need to go to the hospital for regular check-ups."
While Lu Feng's words made sense, what he feared most was the potential for conflict between his mother and daughter-in-law at this time. Jiang Xiaoyan's confidence had skyrocketed since she became pregnant, as she was gaining status through her son. If he went back, he would be happy and tolerant at first, but if things went wrong after a while, he would be the one who suffered.
Lu Feng didn't want to get involved in this family dispute, mainly because he didn't have much affection for his parents and it was best to keep a certain distance.
"That's true!" Jiang Xiaoyan said with a hint of disappointment.
"Is everything going smoothly at the factory lately?" Lu Feng asked Zhang Fengxia.
“Everything is normal, except for one thing. The two hundred million from the bank has matured.” Zhang Fengxia said with a wry smile, “It was an interest-free loan before, and you said we would just pay the interest and continue borrowing, but the bank wouldn’t agree.”
"If they don't agree, let them take the factory away, and we'll stop production!" Lu Feng took a bite of cucumber, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Didn't I tell you all the solutions?"
“He doesn’t dare to take over the factory, but he dares to harass me.” Zhang Fengxia was obviously annoyed by the harassment. She sighed and said, “The four vice presidents take turns coming here. They follow me around every day, chanting about paying back the money like a mantra. When I get annoyed, I come here and stay with Sister Xiaoyan for one night.”
"Leave it to me!"
Everyone sat at the table eating watermelon and chatting about everyday life. Jiang Xiaoyan hadn't been there long, but she had already become familiar with the people in this alley, knowing everything about their families.
"Fengxia, the Li the Cripple I told you about last time, the second house on the east side, I could tell he was no pushover the moment I saw him. His leg was broken years ago when he was harassing women," Jiang Xiaoyan said with a gossipy look.
"Really?" Zhang Fengxia's eyes lit up, and she leaned forward, saying, "His wife is quite beautiful. I saw her when I came last time."
"You don't know, it's his second marriage, and his daughter isn't even his."
"They look quite wealthy!"
"He only got rich later. I heard from the tofu seller in the workers' community that Li the Cripple's current wife used to be his cousin's wife."
"Oh my god..."
Zhang Fengxia no longer cared about Lu Feng; the two of them faced each other, exchanging this exciting anecdote.
Lu Feng wasn't interested in these things. He turned around and saw Duo Duo sitting on a small stool, holding the dog in her arms. The dog was a pet, with long, white, curly fur.
Next to Duoduo were a bunch of dolls, and she was holding a small comb, a hair tie, and using dog hair to braid the dog's hair.
The dog was pitiful; its fur was being pulled, and it looked like it was in a lot of pain, but it didn't dare to bark. Lu Feng watched it for a while, then walked over and said, "Don't torture it anymore."
"It likes to have its hair braided, and I even gave it a bath a few days ago." Duoduo said, hugging the dog, "When I first found it, it was all dirty. Daddy, give it a kiss."
"I won't kiss you!" Lu Feng shook his head.
"Give me a kiss," Duoduo insisted.
Helpless, Lu Feng could only kiss it. The dog stuck out its tongue and licked it. Lu Feng quickly wiped it with his hand and said, "Since you brought it back, take good care of it and feed it on time."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
