The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 97 Seeking Advice

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This little guy has a big appetite. With its belly rising and falling rhythmically, half a carton of milk was poured into its belly, which was immediately stretched to a round shape.

"Alright, alright...you're going to burst if you keep stuffing it..." Xue Hua quickly stopped her when he saw that his daughter was about to pour the whole carton of milk into the wolf's belly.

"Hehe, Ugly Sister, you're feeding wolves now, but when you have children in the future, you absolutely can't feed them like this..." Sun Fangfang laughed from the side.

"Sun Fangfang, don't you know what you should call me? Call me sister-in-law..." Wei Qingqing blushed, glared at Sun Fangfang, and put the half-box of milk on the windowsill.

"Yes, yes, you are my sister-in-law..." Sun Fangfang said with a smile.

"You two..." Aunt Liu shook her head, put on her shoes and got off the kang (a heated brick bed). "I should go back to work. Also, Qingqing, remember to supply me with the silk fabric for Liu Yun and Fenghuang's robes."

"How much more is needed?" Wei Qingqing asked.

"The ones you gave me last time were just enough for one person, but we still need three more..." Aunt Liu said.

"Okay, no problem..." Wei Qingqing nodded.

"And also, we don't have enough jade pendants. You'd better get rid of them as soon as possible," said Aunt Liu, lifting her shoe heels and going home.

"I'm going home too, there's a lot of work to do at home..." Aunt Pang got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and put on her shoes.

"It's autumn now, the off-season for farmers. What work do you have to do? Why are you so busy? Let's talk for a while..." Wei Qingqing said, trying to persuade her to stay.

"No, I can't. We harvested some new corn yesterday, and I have to go to the mill in the village today to grind some cornmeal..." Auntie Pang said.

"Pulverizing cornmeal?" Zhang Yingning's eyes lit up. "I remember I used to go to the mill to grind cornmeal. It's been years since I've been there. I'll go with you in a bit!"

"Sure, we'll hitch up a donkey cart and drive there. I'm just as good at driving as the men..." Auntie Fatty laughed.

"Okay!" Zhang Yingning quickly got off the ground and put on her shoes.

"Wait a minute, I'll go too..." Xue Hua hurriedly put on her shoes.

"I'll go with you too, and let Ugly Sister watch the house..." Sun Fangfang was also very curious about pushing the millstone.

Everyone had left, leaving Wei Qingqing alone at home. Bored, Wei Qingqing turned on the TV, took out the half-finished sweater she was knitting, sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and continued knitting while watching TV.

"Hey! Qingqing, where are they?" Aunt Liu, carrying her work, pushed open the curtain and came into the room.

"They went to the countryside with Aunt Pang to grind grain." Wei Qingqing moved to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) to make room for Aunt Liu.

Aunt Liu climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), sat down next to Wei Qingqing, combed her hair, rubbed the needle on her scalp, and began to work.

"Yang Ming acted like a fool today, Liu Sao must have been terrified!" Wei Qingqing was referring to the incident where Yang Ming went into the wolf den to hug the wolf cubs, which scared Liu Sao so much that she fell to the ground.

"Huh? I... what... what are you so scared of?" Aunt Liu looked flustered.

"What's wrong with you?" Wei Qingqing asked, somewhat surprised by Liu Sao's strange expression.

"No, it's nothing..." Aunt Liu blushed, shook her head vigorously, and then buried herself in her work.

"That's weird. Could she really be scared? Should we put it away?" Wei Qingqing whispered.

"Shou shou" means to collect the soul.

"No need..." Aunt Liu said without looking up, "It's just that seeing that pack of wolves made me feel a little uncomfortable..."

"In my heart..." Wei Qingqing suddenly seemed to understand something, and nodded. "Please accept my condolences and don't think too much about it. It's been several years, let bygones be bygones..."

So, Wei Qingqing thought that Aunt Liu was thinking of Bao'er's father.

"..." Aunt Liu was taken aback, feeling slightly lost. It seemed that since she had fallen out with Grandma Bao'er, her longing for her deceased husband had been fading. Whenever she thought of him, she no longer felt that heart-wrenching pain. Her deceased husband was gradually fading from her life.

Wei Qingqing patted Liu Sao on the shoulder, said nothing more, and buried her head to continue knitting.

"Hehe..." Aunt Liu chuckled, shook her head, and continued working without further explanation.

"Woof woof woof..."

The two were working when they heard a dog barking in the yard.

"Is anyone home?" a woman's voice asked.

"It's Aunt Zheng Yu's voice." Aunt Liu recognized it immediately.

"Yes, yes, yes..." Wei Qingqing quickly put on her shoes, got off the kang (heated brick bed), and went out to greet them. "Dahei, don't bark..."

Before long, Wei Qingqing led a woman in. The woman was about thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. Although she wasn't particularly beautiful, she was well-proportioned and looked like a respectable person. She was Zheng Yu's wife, Zhu Yuan. The woman was only a month pregnant, and her belly wasn't showing at all, but she had the languid air that a pregnant woman should have.

"Oh! Xiao Fen is here too?" Zhu Yuan was taken aback when she saw Liu Sao sitting on the kang (heated brick bed) at Yang Ming's house, and then greeted her warmly.

"Auntie's here?" Aunt Liu greeted with a smile, tidying up the kang (heated brick bed). "Please, have a seat, Auntie..."

"Auntie is in poor health and rarely leaves the house. Is there something you need today?" Wei Qingqing washed two bright red apples for Zhu Yuan.

"Hehe, what are you saying? I'm not that delicate. It's only been a little over a month, it's still early..." Zhu Yuan took the apple, but didn't eat it. Instead, she held it in her hand. She planned to take this big apple home for her daughter.

"Hehe, Uncle Zheng Yu treats you like a treasure, everyone in our village knows that!" Aunt Liu said with a smile.

When Zheng Yu was mentioned, Zhu Yuan blushed slightly. Clearly, this woman was quite satisfied with her husband's affection and felt that she had married a good man.

"Auntie, just say what's on your mind. We're all family here..." Wei Qingqing said.

From Bao'er's perspective, she's really not an outsider.

"Well... let me put it this way! We also want to grow crops in greenhouses, but we don't know how to manage them. That's why I've come here to learn from you." Zhu Yuan wasn't one to be pretentious.

"Oh, I see." Wei Qingqing said in surprise. "No problem, I'll get you a book on greenhouse farming later."

"Well, neither my husband nor I are very literate..." Zhu Yuan's face turned slightly red.

"If all else fails, let Uncle Zheng Yu work in their greenhouse for a couple of days, learn everything he needs to, and then ask them for help whenever we encounter any problems in the future," Aunt Liu said from the side.

"Okay, let's do it this way..." Wei Qingqing saw Zhu Yuan looking at her and knew she was waiting for her attitude, so she quickly nodded.

"Thank you so much..." Zhu Yuan smiled.

"There's no need to thank them. Uncle Zheng Yu has helped them a lot, this is their time to repay him..." Aunt Liu said with a smile.

"We help out in the hopes of getting something in return, don't we?" Zhu Yuan smiled and gave Liu Sao a sideways glance.

"Auntie, eating apples is good for your health," Wei Qingqing said.

"Go get a carton of milk for your auntie..." Aunt Liu ordered Wei Qingqing.

"Okay, okay..." Wei Qingqing hurriedly went to the west room again.

"No need, no need, I'm leaving right away. I still need to tell my husband this good news." Zhu Yuan slid off the kang (a heated brick bed).

"What's the rush? Learning a skill takes time and effort," said Aunt Liu, getting off the kang (a heated brick bed).

"What's the rush? Greenhouses don't depend on the seasons, so planting a day earlier is always better." Wei Qingqing came over carrying several cartons of milk and two large apples. "Auntie, take these milk and apples with you. Eating these is good for the fetus..."

"How could I possibly accept this?" Zhu Yuan declined.

"What's the big deal? Ten months of pregnancy is hard work, you need to make sure you get enough nutrition," Aunt Liu said with a smile.

"Yes, for the sake of the children!" Wei Qingqing said with a smile.

"Well... Auntie will shamelessly accept it." Zhu Yuan was a little embarrassed. She had been thinking of taking just one apple from them, but they gave her several. Thinking about it, she felt a little ashamed.

Wei Qingqing and Aunt Liu escorted Zhu Yuan all the way to the front gate before watching her figure slowly disappear into the distance.

"What a tragedy..." Wei Qingqing shook her head.

"That bastard Yang Ming, how could he come up with such a terrible idea?" Aunt Liu gritted her teeth in hatred.

In the eyes of the two women, Zhu Yuan was destined to be a tragedy. They wondered how lively the village would become after the child was born.

The two women went inside and continued working, but both of them were in low spirits.

"Hiss..." The thin needle pricked her finger, and a bead of blood gushed out. Aunt Liu gasped in pain.

"You're doing needlework and you're so distracted, are you looking for trouble..." Wei Qingqing said irritably.

Aunt Liu simply piled up her work aside and stopped working, saying with a bitter face, "Qingqing, when I think of Aunt Zheng Yu, I just... Look how happy she is now? If... I'm afraid she won't be able to handle the shock and will take her own life."

"Yes, I had the same concern. I was only thinking about the elderly at the time and didn't really consider Aunt Zheng Yu's feelings..." Wei Qingqing also threw her sweater aside and said with a frown.

"Then what do you suggest we do? I feel like we should do something; we can't just watch this tragedy happen," said Aunt Liu.

"Then what can we do?" Wei Qingqing asked, puzzled.

"Aren't we going to Hawaii for vacation? Should we bring Aunt Zheng Yu along?" Aunt Liu suggested.

"Impossible. If Aunt Zheng Yu is going, then her parents-in-law can't go either. They have to stay home to take care of their grandson," Wei Qingqing said.

"That's true, Uncle Zheng Yu doesn't know how to take care of children," Aunt Liu sighed. "Then what do you suggest? What should we do?"

"How would I know? Anyway, I just feel that we should... we should get another kid to help with the acting," Wei Qingqing said.

"Tell me about it..." Aunt Liu asked curiously.

"It's just... we'll borrow a child from a friend, use the child to appease Aunt Zheng Yu first, then we'll quickly reveal the truth and return the child," Wei Qingqing said.

"Like attracts like," said Aunt Liu. "Your idea is just as bad as Yang Ming's dirty trick back then."

Can you still lend out children? What age group do you need? That's a newborn baby. If you don't take good care of them, it's a minor issue if they get sick, but what if they die? How can you explain that to the parents?

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Wei Qingqing passed the buck back to Wei Qingqing.

"What should we do?..." Aunt Liu was lost in thought for a moment.

"Hmph, maybe it's a bit early for us to think about it now? There are still more than eight months to go," Wei Qingqing said.

"Yes, I don't want to think about it anymore. I'll wait for Yang Ming to come back and let him think about it. I'll make him think until he goes bald." Aunt Liu said with a sigh of relief.

"Yes, he caused this trouble, why should we clean up his mess..." Wei Qingqing added.

"Wipe my butt?" Aunt Liu blushed slightly.

So the two of them started working again, chatting and laughing.

Although most of the leaves have withered and fallen, accumulating a thick layer on the ground, the mountains remain green. Although the water temperature has dropped considerably, many ducks and geese still swim and frolic in it, enjoying the warmth of the autumn waters. The crisscrossing paths and scattered houses, along with the crowing of a rooster and the barking of a dog, make this small mountain village even more peaceful and leisurely.

The group that was surveying the terrain wandered around the village and its surroundings before arriving at the construction site.

"Your village really has mountains, water, and forests; it's a wonderful place..." Foreman Huang chuckled.

"That's right. Our village is located on the outskirts of the old forest. The surrounding trees belong to the public, and no one dares to damage them," Zheng Dabao said with a light smile.

"This preserves the original appearance. If we take some pictures and post them on the forum, I dare not say that Zhengjia Village will become famous all over China, but it will definitely be a household name in our province," Zhang Yang said.

It is said that although Zhengjia Village is surrounded by old forests, it is actually a paradise, somewhat like the Peach Blossom Spring.

"If our village wants to promote itself to the outside world, it would be best to come up with a catchy name, like 'Little Peach Blossom Spring'..." Yang Ming was also taking a detailed tour of the village for the first time.

"That's a good name... impressive..." Zheng Dabao gave a thumbs up.

"Tacky...vulgar...unbearably vulgar..." Zhang Yang thought to himself with disdain, but he didn't say it out loud. The key was that he still needed this sworn brother to repair the bridge, so he couldn't afford to offend him.

"Hehe, this way, Zhang Yang's house will stand out more..." Foreman Huang laughed.

It is said that if a two-story building appeared in a peaceful and simple mountain village, it would definitely disrupt the overall feel of the village.

"How about we build a small bungalow too?" Zhang Yang was a little reluctant.

"No need for that. Let Uncle Huang help you cover the outside of the house with wood and decorate it like a small wooden house. It will be a beautiful sight amidst the green hills and clear waters," Yang Ming said.

"How much would it cost to renovate like that? Why don't you give me the change?" Zhang Yang suddenly turned into a penny-pincher.

"What was your budget for this house, from construction to decoration?" Foreman Huang asked.

"About... 30..." Zhang Yang thought for a moment and said.

"Xiao Yang, say yes..." Foreman Huang urged.

"What?" Zhang Yang exclaimed in surprise. "What do you mean? Uncle Huang, are you suggesting we wrap it with wood on the outside...?"

"Maybe we can save you fifty or sixty thousand..." Foreman Huang grinned wickedly, secretly pleased with himself: "Let you say I'm a rip-off, this time I'll really rip you off."

"Uncle Huang, you're not being fair!" Zhang Yang said, feeling frustrated.

"Your house is mainly made of reinforced concrete, with only a layer of wood on the outside and a coat of tung oil. Rain won't damage it at all. You don't need to use very thick wood, half a centimeter is enough. A lumber from the lumber mill can be cut into three or four pieces. Do you know how much it would cost to tile it? It would cost at least half as much again as wood. If you want to tile the inside, you can save even more money," Foreman Huang said.

"That's great..." Zhang Yang's eyes gleamed. "But if we renovate the house, can we make it as smooth as ceramic tiles?"

"Look at what you're saying. With an electric planer, you can make it look like a mirror. Once you glue the wood to the floor or wall with white glue, you can't take it off even if you want to. Then, if you apply tung oil, it definitely won't get infested with bugs," Foreman Huang said.

"Alright, let's do it that way... Thank you so much, Uncle Huang..." Zhang Yang said with a smile.

"Can you make that decision? Don't you want to discuss it with my sister?" Yang Ming said with a wicked smile.

"If Fangfang asks, I'll just say it's her brother who forced me. He said if I don't listen to him, he won't build the bridge for our family." Zhang Yang had already planned this out.

"..." Everyone was speechless.

"Our village is located in a remote area, with neither unique features nor resources. No matter how hard the village cadres of all generations have tried, it has never been able to develop," Zheng Dabao said with some emotion.

"If you want to get rich, build roads first. Once our roads are built, life will be better..." Aunt Fat's husband suddenly said this.

"That's right. If you want to get rich, build roads first, have fewer children and plant more trees. The country is paying more and more attention to the natural environment. Your village can achieve a moderately prosperous life just by relying on this forest that hasn't been damaged much," said Foreman Huang.

"As long as we can protect this green space, it's a matter for generations to come..." Yang Ming said.

"Xiao Yang, you're right..." Zheng Dabao gave Yang Ming a thumbs up.

The five of them strolled around for a while before dispersing. Zhang Yang and Foreman Huang went to the construction site to supervise the work, Zheng Dabao and Aunt Pang's husband left together, while Yang Ming went home.

Entering the house and lifting the curtain, I saw Wei Qingqing and Aunt Liu sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) doing chores.

"Hehe, the main character is back..." Aunt Liu said with a half-smile when she saw Yang Ming enter the room.

"What does that mean?" Yang Ming was a little confused.

"What do you mean?" Wei Qingqing glared at Yang Ming. "Isn't it all because of you getting Zheng Yu married and having children? His fiancée just came to our house, saying she wants to learn how to grow crops in greenhouses from us..."

"Is this a good thing?... My decision to let Zheng Yu get married and have children has nothing to do with their greenhouse farming?" Yang Ming was even more confused.

"Still confused?" Aunt Liu rolled her eyes at Yang Ming. "When we were considering this, we only thought about the elderly. Did you think about the mother? Look at how happy Aunt Zheng Yu is today... When her child is born, our village will be so lively."

"You need to think of a way quickly to prevent the mother and child from being separated," Wei Qingqing said.

"Uh...why don't we just tell her directly? Let her get involved. She's a normal person, she'll definitely support us," Yang Ming said bluntly.

Wei Qingqing and Aunt Liu were both dumbfounded. Could this matter really be resolved like this?

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate? It feels like Uncle Zheng Yu is marrying her just to have her have children?" Aunt Liu said hesitantly.

"It affects the relationship between husband and wife..." Wei Qingqing also said.

"That depends on what we say..." Yang Ming climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), took down the half-empty carton of milk from the windowsill, and was about to drink it...

"Oh dear, that's for feeding wolf cubs..." Wei Qingqing quickly stopped her.

"Feeding wolf cubs? Why is it on the windowsill?" Yang Ming quickly put the half-carton of milk back where it was, thinking it was leftovers from Wei Qingqing.

"What's the big deal? At most, it's just an indirect kiss with the little wolf cub. You've already bred someone's mother, so kissing someone's son isn't a big deal..." Aunt Liu said with a wicked smile, her big eyes scanning the young couple's faces, making them blush.

"Sister Liu, when did you become so bad? Wait, if you weren't bad, how did you become a kidnapper?" Wei Qingqing gave Sister Liu a fierce glare.

"Wei Qingqing, if you keep bringing up old grievances, I'm really going to lose my temper..." Aunt Liu immediately started baring her teeth and brandishing her claws.

"Hmph, judging from what you just said, are you saying, 'Oh well! You've kissed my daughter anyway, so I didn't do anything wrong...'" Wei Qingqing was quite the joker.

"Wei Qingqing, I'll fight you to the death..." Aunt Liu's face flushed red, and she put down her work and pounced on Wei Qingqing.

"You want to fight me?" Wei Qingqing nimbly hid behind Yang Ming. "Hmph, if you dare to molest my husband, I'll fight you to the death..."

"You...you have the guts to hide behind Yang Ming for the rest of your life..." Aunt Liu was so angry that her teeth itched.

Wei Qingqing stuck out her tongue at Aunt Liu and made a face, almost making Aunt Liu furious. However, with Yang Ming in between, she really couldn't just pounce on her. In the end, she could only sit back down helplessly, glaring at Wei Qingqing from time to time.

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(End of this chapter)