The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 55 Life

After having lunch at Grandpa Zheng's house, Yang Ming rested for a while before saying goodbye.

When he got home, his father-in-law, Wei Jianguo, and Zhang Yang were arguing. It started because they both wanted the same puppy, and then, neither of them seemed old enough to be young enough, they started arguing. As for the others? Yang Zhengfang didn't know whether to side with his son-in-law or his in-laws, and he felt quite awkward standing there. Zhang Shufang, Xue Hua, Wei Qingqing, and Sun Fangfang, the four women, simply set up a table, found a quiet room, and started playing mahjong.

"What's wrong? It's just a puppy. We have over a dozen Dalmatians. If you want one, you can each take a pair, right?" Yang Ming said.

"A lousy spotted dog? Who wants that? If you give me Big Black, I'll give in," Zhang Yang said with a disdainful look.

"Yang Ming, is this what you don't understand? If we're talking about the smartest dogs, it has to be our Chinese dumb dogs. As for the others? We don't think much of them." Wei Jianguo had an expression that suggested he was teaching his son-in-law a lesson.

"I'm telling you, you're supposed to be an elder, how can you be so unreasonable? I clearly saw it first." Zhang Yang glared at Wei Jianguo with dissatisfaction.

"What? You saw it first? I clearly saw it last night. And you're still criticizing me? Do you have any manners as a junior?" Wei Jianguo retorted.

"Alright, alright, you two can argue all you want. I'm going back to my room for a nap. I had a bit of a drink at lunch, and my head's throbbing." Yang Ming then left.

Back in the bedroom, he closed the door, and the sounds of the argument outside couldn't get in at all. Yang Ming lay down on the bed and pulled the covers over his head to sleep. But strangely enough, while on the way, he really wanted to find a place to sleep, but once he got back, he couldn't fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

"The Zheng Yu family matter still has more than nine months to go, so there's no rush. The most urgent thing right now is the matter of Caomao Mountain and Huagu Mountain. That Wang guy was tricked by me, so he's definitely not going to let it go. The road is under construction right now, so they won't bring up those two mountains yet. But once the road is finished and the money's gone, they'll probably start causing trouble. I need to hurry up and get the paperwork done in the provincial capital. I don't know how much it will cost. The previous 350,000 yuan is probably all gone." Yang Ming thought about it. "If I had to name someone I know who has connections in the provincial capital, it would be Aunt Zhang. I'll give her a call and ask..."

Thinking it over, Yang Ming took out his phone and dialed Zhang Yingning's number.

Xiao Bao slept at her godfather's house last night. She fell asleep while watching TV. When she woke up this morning, the TV was still playing the morning news. She turned off the TV and went home, only to find that her mother hadn't gotten up yet.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Xiao Bao asked timidly.

"Baby, Mommy is feeling unwell. There are mooncakes in the outer room. Take two and eat them. Mommy will take you to Grandma's house in a little while..." Aunt Liu was wrapped in the quilt, her eyes still closed, and her voice was hoarse.

"Oh!" Xiao Bao'er responded and went to the outer room to get some mooncakes to eat.

"Didn't you ask me to raise the child? So what if I do? There are plenty of men in this world, and even if I raise one, it won't be a child of your Zheng family..." Aunt Liu slowly opened her eyes, her beautiful eyes already bloodshot.

Aunt Liu sat up. She had slept fully clothed last night, and she hadn't recovered from yesterday's exhaustion at all. Her whole body felt sore and numb. She tidied her messy hair at her temples, got off the kang (a heated brick bed), put on her shoes, and washed and dressed herself.

"Our Liu family has no descendants, and we also want a child. Your Zheng family doesn't treat me like a human being, so don't blame me for this..." Liu's wife looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't help but smile bitterly. She looked haggard overnight, and her eye sockets were sunken. If she went back to her parents' home like this, wouldn't her parents worry to death? But she couldn't not go back. It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it was just the two of them at home. If she didn't go back, wouldn't her old father be anxiously looking for her? Liu's village and Zheng's village were separated by three mountain ridges. Her old father was getting old, and if something happened to him while walking on the mountain road, he would have nowhere to cry.

Aunt Liu came out of the house and saw Xiao Bao'er getting several large peaches in the outer room: "Bao'er, why are you taking so many peaches? Can you eat them all?"

"This isn't for me to eat, it's for my grandparents..." Xiao Bao said very seriously.

"That belongs to your godfather's family. You can eat it yourself, how can you give it away?" Aunt Liu scolded, but her heart was warmed. It was rare for her daughter to think of her grandparents.

"I'll treat these as food. I'll eat one every day. These are five. Then I won't eat any for five days..." Xiao Bao said very seriously.

"Fine, whatever you say!" Aunt Liu felt her eyes getting a little wet.

After tidying up, Liu Sao originally wanted to use a small basket, but Xiao Bao brought five more large peaches, so the basket couldn't hold them all. She then used a handbag instead. After locking the outer door and the main door, the mother and daughter headed towards Liu Family Village together.

"Where are you going? Carrying such a big bag?" The mother and daughter hadn't gone far when they ran into Bao'er's grandma.

"Grandma," Xiao Bao called out timidly, tugging at her mother's clothes.

Grandma Bao ignored her granddaughter completely and instead looked at Aunt Liu: "You're not thinking of running away, are you?"

"This bag contains things I gave to my parents. I've agreed to what you said last night. From now on, I, Liu Fen, have nothing to do with your Zheng family anymore," said Liu's wife.

"Okay, it's good that you agreed. It's Mid-Autumn Festival, and I want to have a good time with my granddaughter. Let her come to my house." Grandma Bao'er was actually thinking of getting a hostage.

"Then I won't agree." A hint of anger appeared on Aunt Liu's face.

"What do you mean?" Grandma Bao'er's voice rose.

"I can tell you, if I want it, he has it; if I don't want it, even if he has it, he can take it away," Aunt Liu said bluntly.

The two faced off, which terrified the little boy, who huddled pitifully next to his mother.

"Fine! You're ruthless. You better remember what you said, or else our Zheng family and your Liu family will never be done." Grandma Bao glared fiercely at Aunt Liu.

"If it's not over yet, then it's not over yet. If you have the guts, then take the men from Zhengjia Village and go to Liujia Village to beat my parents to death." Aunt Liu sneered and pulled her daughter away.

"Xiao Fen, what's wrong? Are you sick? Why do you look so pale?" Village Party Secretary Zheng Dabao walked over and asked with concern when he saw Liu Sao's pale face.

"Uncle Da Bao? Is everything alright? You just didn't sleep well last night..." Aunt Liu forced a smile.

"You don't seem to be alright, Bao'er. Tell me, what happened?" Zheng Dabao looked at Xiao Bao'er and, seeing that Xiao Bao'er also looked pitiful, immediately asked.

"Mom and Grandma..." Xiao Bao'er was about to say when her mother tugged at her, and she immediately lowered her head and dared not speak.

"Xiaofen, don't take it to heart. We're all family after all. Just bear with it. If there's anything you really can't stand, just tell your uncle. I'll back you up." Zheng Dabao knew it was definitely a matter between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, so he didn't want to get involved. But the fact that Liu Sao was so angry meant that this matter was probably not simple and could easily escalate into something serious. Everyone in the village knew that although Liu Sao wasn't well-liked in the village, she could tolerate anything from her in-laws.

"Thank you, Uncle Da Bao." Aunt Liu's eyes welled up with tears as she thanked him and quickly left with her daughter.

"Sigh!" Zheng Dabao sighed deeply as he watched Liu Sao's retreating figure.

After crossing three mountain ridges, Liujia Village, nestled in the woods, could be seen in the distance. Liujia Village was small, even smaller than Zhengjia Village, with only 60 households in total. However, all the men and women in the village shared the surname Liu, and they were very united. No wonder Sister Liu dared to challenge Grandma Bao'er. You can bully me in the village, but try bullying my parents in our Liujia Village.

"Grandma and Grandpa..." Little Bao'er had already recovered along the way. As soon as he entered the village, he ran and shouted as he ran towards his grandparents' house.

Aunt Liu shook her head as she watched, and her gloomy mood improved slightly. She greeted the villagers she knew along the way.

When Liu Sao entered her parents' home, Bao'er was sitting on her grandfather's lap, eating the dishes on the table. The two elders knew their daughter was coming back today, so they had prepared a meal early and were waiting for them.

Aunt Liu didn't want to cry, but the moment she saw her parents, tears streamed down her face, and all her grievances welled up in her heart.

Liu's mother, Jiang Yue'e, was a kind old lady. Seeing her daughter's aggrieved and haggard appearance, she immediately burst into tears, went over and hugged her daughter, "Fen, what happened to you?"

"Mom, I'm okay," Aunt Liu said, sobbing as she hugged her mother. Though she said she was okay, tears streamed down her face. Seeing her mother cry, Xiao Bao also couldn't hold back her tears and started crying, her little mouth pouting.

"Alright, alright, is there any need to say anything? It must be her mother-in-law who upset her. It's pitiful for two elderly people to bury their child. Just bear with it and go inside to cry. Don't make my baby cry." Liu's father, Liu Shugen, was a thin old man. With red eyes, he stroked his granddaughter's head with his rough hands and hugged her tightly.

The old lady took her daughter into the inner room, and the two of them hugged each other and cried bitterly.

"Baby, eat, this is something your grandparents made especially for you." Liu Shugen picked up a fragrant chicken leg and held it to little Bao'er's mouth.

Little Bao'er sniffled as he took the chicken leg, slid off his grandfather's lap, found the large bag his mother had brought, took out a big peach, and handed it to his grandfather: "Grandpa, this is what Bao'er brought for you, you can have some too."

"Hey hey hey hey..." Liu Shugen nodded repeatedly, took the big peach, and put it on the table.

"Grandpa, have some! It's so delicious! Bao'er loves it the most..." When Bao'er saw that Grandpa had put the peach down, he immediately grabbed it again and stuffed it into Grandpa's hand.

"These peaches are so big, Grandpa can't bear to eat them. I'll save them for you, Bao'er. You can eat them after you finish your meal," Liu Shugen said.

"Dad, please eat. Bao'er eats this every day, and we still have plenty at home. This was brought to you by our child." Aunt Liu's voice came from the inner room.

"Ah! Eat, eat..." Liu Shugen took a bite of the big peach, and the juice overflowed, sweet and delicious.

"I leased a mountain in the village, and I planted these peaches on it. They'll bear fruit next year." After crying, Aunt Liu came out from the inner room and took a peach from her bag for her mother.

If I were to cry alone in bed, that would be fine, but what if I made my mother cry with me and hurt her health? It's one thing to just vent my grievances.

"That's great! These peaches taste really good; they'll definitely fetch a good price when they ripen," Liu Shugen said.

"After you finish eating the peaches, plant the pits in the yard. They'll grow into big trees next year, and bear fruit in the third year," said Aunt Liu. She sat down at the table, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating. Her mood had improved after a good cry, but she didn't mention that Grandma Bao'er wanted her to have a child. If she did, it would only upset her parents. If the whole Liu family village found out, the men of the Liu family might even fight with Zheng family village. Since she was still healthy, she might as well have the child. She had already thought of a way to get revenge on Grandma Bao'er.

"Peaches are three and apricots are four, your peaches are a good variety, they're big and have a short growing period!" Liu Shugen, a skilled farmer, immediately became interested.

"Of course, these are peach seeds brought by Bao'er's godfather. He's from the city, a college graduate, and he lives next door to us. I told you, these peach pits can't be planted in the orchard," said Aunt Liu, picking up a piece of scrambled eggs with chives and eating it with relish.

It is said that the eggs laid by free-range chickens in the countryside may not be big, but they taste really good. They are not only tender but also rich in nutrients. Unlike the eggs laid by chickens raised on feed in chicken farms, which taste like tofu dregs.

"Bao'er's godfather? What's going on? Is something on your mind?" Liu Shugen wasn't stupid. His daughter came back this time and cried as soon as she entered the door. She must have been wronged. Now that he heard that Bao'er had a godfather out of nowhere, the old man naturally thought of the issue of male-female relationships.

"What are you thinking? He's only in his twenties, and he has a beautiful wife. What could I possibly be thinking?" Aunt Liu rolled her eyes at her father, then asked her son, "Baby, tell Grandpa, is Mommy prettier or your godmother prettier?"

"Mommy is beautiful!" Little Bao'er said in a clear voice.

Xiao Bao'er's words made Aunt Liu chuckle, and the old man and woman laughed along with him, feeling relieved. It was good that he had a wife; otherwise, there would be endless gossip in front of the widow's door.

"You little rascal, if your godmother hears this, see if she still loves you." Aunt Liu pinched her daughter's little nose.

"Godmother is beautiful too," Xiao Bao'er giggled.

"You little rascal!" Aunt Liu smiled, then called to her parents, "Mom and Dad, let's eat quickly, I'm starving!"

The family was having dinner when they heard a deep voice from outside: "Xiao Fen is back?" The voice was like thunder, muffled and deafening.

"Oh dear, it's thundering..." Xiao Bao exclaimed, burrowing into his grandfather's arms, too afraid to move. Xiao Bao has been afraid of this sound since he was little.

"Hey Lei, can't you keep your voice down? You scare our kids every time you come." Aunt Liu complained, patting her daughter's head. Aunt Liu's ability to ward off evil spirits was largely due to her loud voice.

"Hehe, I'm just naturally loud." A tall figure walked in from outside, scratching his head and grinning sheepishly.

This man is Liu Fen's cousin, Liu Shugen's eldest brother's son, Liu Lei, who is forty years old this year.

"Alright, alright, sit down..." Liu Shugen glared at Liu Lei, annoyed. "If you scare our kids again, don't come back."

"Hehe..." Liu Lei chuckled and pulled up a chair to sit down.

"Still chuckling? How many times have you scared our baby?" The old lady glared at Liu Lei, got up to get him a bowl and chopsticks, and also got the old man a bottle of wine for the two of them to drink.

"No way! Bao'er is a big girl now, why are you still scared? You're such a coward..." Liu Lei softened his voice and ruffled Bao'er's hair with his big hand.

Little Bao ignored him completely and just kept snuggling into his grandfather's arms.

"Brother Lei, have you finished all the chores at home?" Aunt Liu asked as she poured wine for her father and cousin.

"Not yet, but it's about time." Liu Lei picked up his wine cup and drank with Liu Shugen.

"I still have a lot of work to do, I can't finish it all by myself, come work with me for a couple of days," said Aunt Liu.

Liu Lei picked up a piece of food and said, "I can't leave. The little girl graduated from high school this year and missed getting into university by one point. I'm having her go with you to help. I originally wanted her to study for another year, but that brat absolutely refused to go. I don't know what she was thinking, she insisted on going to work in the south. Tell me, can an adult feel at ease letting a girl go far away by herself? Letting her go with you, with you watching over her, I can feel at ease. That brat has always listened to you since she was little."

Liu Lei has a son and a daughter, twins, who are twenty years old this year. His son, Liu Dongdong, is the eldest and looks like his father. He is also big and burly, but he is good at studying. This year, he was admitted to a second-tier university through the college entrance examination. Now, more than half a month into the semester, his daughter, Liu Nannan, unfortunately missed university by one point.

"Alright, your little girl can live with us from now on. I've leased a mountain in our village, and I can't manage it all by myself. I'll have her work for me, and I'll pay her a salary," Aunt Liu said with a smile.

"Alright, let her do it for you. That brat has been driving me crazy these past few days." Liu Lei was naturally happy to oblige. Having his cousin watching over her was more reassuring than having her watch over him himself. At his own home, she might steal money and run away with the girls, but at her aunt's house, where the living conditions weren't good either, would you really have the nerve to steal their money and sneak away?

"Uncle, as long as you don't scare me with thunder, I'll treat you to peaches." Little Bao'er huddled in his grandfather's arms, looking timidly at his tall and intimidating uncle.

Liu Lei was eating when he heard Bao'er's words and was stunned. He stared blankly at his uncle and aunt, then glanced at his cousin. Liu's wife covered her mouth and laughed when she saw his silly look. The two old people also laughed.

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