The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 128 Negotiation

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Seeing Yang Ming's embarrassed look, Zhang Yang chuckled, his laughter tinged with schadenfreude.

"You can't even brag properly. You should learn from Zhang Yang in the future..." Seeing Zhang Yang's gloating expression, Aunt Liu felt a little uncomfortable and directly directed her anger at him.

Zhang Yang's smugness instantly turned into embarrassment: Is our reputation for bragging really that great? To the point of being exemplary? ???

"Yes, yes, I will definitely learn more from Zhang Yang in the future, and take him as my role model, my guiding star, and my lost..." Yang Ming humbly accepted.

"I said, what does your bickering have to do with us, Zhang Yang? Why are you dragging us into this..." Sun Fangfang was furious when she saw that Sister Liu and Brother Qian were targeting her husband.

"Who told you to boast that you're capable people? Especially your talent for bragging, no one in the world can match you," Aunt Liu said sarcastically.

"I see you're biting everyone you see today, do you have rabies?" Sun Fangfang didn't hold back at all. After all, she was a woman, and it wasn't shameful for her to fight back against Aunt Liu!

"I'll get rabies, you believe I'll bite you?" Aunt Liu said angrily, and even sneered at Sun Fangfang with a neat little silver shell.

"Sister Liu, let's go home. The bear meat is probably cooked by now..." Wei Qingqing was about to ask Sister Liu to leave. She could sense that Sister Liu was particularly aggressive today, daring to bite anyone she could get her hands on.

Aunt Liu also felt that she was acting a little strange today, but she wasn't worried because it was a normal reaction for pregnant women. She had experienced the same reaction when she was pregnant with her baby, feeling irritable and easily angered.

Liu Sao was eventually pulled away by Wei Qingqing, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as soon as Liu Sao left.

"This Sister Liu is quite a formidable character; no wonder she became the village chief..." Foreman Huang whispered.

"Sister Liu is a shrewd woman..." Zhang Yang said.

"Hmph, Aunt Liu's tongue is like a knife. If you offend her, she can beat you with a knife until you're so ashamed you'll commit suicide..." Sun Fangfang exaggerated a bit, but it did vividly express how formidable Aunt Liu was.

"Don't say that, Xiaofen is a good person..." Aunt Dabao said.

"I think Aunt Liu is pretty good. At least she's the village chief, so she can protect me in the future..." Yang Ming said softly.

"Look at your pathetic self, a grown man being protected by a woman, aren't you ashamed?" Zhang Xiaofei looked at Yang Ming with disdain.

"Don't say that. Yang Ming is very decisive. Today, during the bear hunt, he was the one who fired the first shot..." Liu Zhengfeng gave a fair assessment of Yang Ming.

"So what if he fired the first shot? He didn't kill the bear..." Zhang Xiaofei looked down on Yang Ming, who was "good-for-nothing," and his words were always laced with sarcasm.

"Yes, yes, yes..." Seeing his wife's attitude, Liu Zhengfeng didn't dare to utter a single word.

"Uh... I'll go first. You guys hurry up too, the bear meat will be ready soon..." Yang Ming awkwardly made an excuse and left.

"Hey, brother, we came together, let's go together..." Foreman Huang was quite a nice guy.

"The bear meat is almost cooked, we should go now..." Sun Fangfang pulled Zhang Yang and hurriedly followed.

Only Liu Zhengfeng, Zhang Xiaofei, and Aunt Dabao remained in the courtyard.

"Why are you arguing with Yang Ming?" Liu Zhengfeng complained. "Haven't you realized? Yang Ming is their core..."

"I'm happy to, I just can't stand his spineless appearance..." Zhang Xiaofei stuck out his tongue and said.

"Yang Ming is still not good enough. He played a big part in helping his wife Liu become the village chief. Do you know who his wife Liu's opponent was? He was a proper college student..." Aunt Da Bao said.

"Girl, from what you're saying, Yang Ming seems pretty capable?" Zhang Xiaofei was actually quite interested in Yang Ming.

"I don't know if he's capable or not, but I do know that his family has a lot of good food, and the livestock and pets they raise are quite impressive, especially those puppies. Everyone in the village wants them, but no one dares to ask for them..." Aunt Da Bao didn't comment on Yang Ming, but her meaning was very clear.

Actually, when Zheng Dabao asked Yang Ming for the dog, it was the very day Bao'er's grandmother was bitten. At the time, he didn't know Yang Ming's dog was so fierce... As for biting someone, what dog doesn't bite? The point is, you even dared to attack a wild boar...

Even after the puppies hunted a wild boar, Zheng Dabao couldn't bring himself to ask for a dog back.

"So, this Yang Ming is quite capable? But he's also pretty stupid; he can't even brag properly. What else can he do?" Zhang Xiaofei said.

"Uh? Well, I'm not exaggerating, but it seems to be of good quality, right?" Liu Zhengfeng scratched his head and said.

"What good qualities?" Zhang Xiaofei curled his lip dismissively. "A man who doesn't boast is, to put it nicely, honest and simple; to put it bluntly, an idiot, a fool..." Zhang Xiaofei paused here, glancing sideways at Liu Zhengfeng, "In my eyes, you are the most shrewd person in the world..."

Liu Zhengfeng was drenched in cold sweat, his face pale, and he kept saying, "Xiao Fei, Xiao Fei, I swear to God, I am definitely one of those idiots and fools."

"Do you think I believe you?" Zhang Xiaofei sneered, turned around and went out the door, heading towards Yang Ming's house.

"Xiao Fei, I really am one of those idiots and fools..." Liu Zhengfeng hurriedly chased after him.

"What's going on?" Aunt Da Bao was puzzled. After thinking for a moment, she also went out, but she didn't forget to lock the door.

Yang Ming and his group caught up with Liu Sao and Wei Qingqing. When they all returned home, the bear meat was basically cooked. The large pot was bubbling away, emitting a strong aroma. No one knew what had been added to the seasonings, or if the bear meat itself had this flavor. In any case, the aroma of the bear meat was very strange. This eerie aroma was like that of poppies, intoxicating and captivating.

"What's that smell? It smells so good!" Everyone except Aunt Liu sniffed.

"Uncle Da Bao, what's that smell?" Yang Ming sniffed and pulled Zheng Da Bao, who was busy with something, to ask.

Foreman Huang, Zhang Yang, Sun Fangfang, and Wei Qingqing all looked at Zheng Dabao. Clearly, all four of them were very curious about the origin of this flavor.

"It's the fragrance of tree bark. This bark comes from a type of dwarf tree unique to our mountains. It's best used as a seasoning when cooking meat. This dwarf tree only releases its fragrance in autumn and winter. We just need to cut the bark off with a sickle, wash it clean, and we can use it. Moreover, this bark must be processed to preserve it, otherwise, the scent will dissipate in three days..." Zheng Dabao explained to Yang Ming amidst his busy schedule.

"Dwarf shrub" is a term used by people in some mountainous areas to refer to shrubs.

"I see..." Yang Ming suddenly realized, "I've never smelled this kind of fragrance before. How should I put it? It's too overpowering..."

"Hehe..." Zheng Dabao chuckled. "This is a specialty of our village. Under normal circumstances, the yield of this kind of tree bark is not large. Only during the New Year will people be willing to put a couple of pieces in the pig for the New Year... If you would like to get some, then have your sister-in-law Liu take you to the mountains to pick some..."

"Sure, after we finish eating, I'll have Aunt Liu take us there, and we can also take a stroll around the little valley behind the mountain..." Yang Ming said with a smile.

"So you knew where this fragrance came from? Why didn't you tell us?" Wei Qingqing secretly nudged Liu Sao and whispered.

"Why should I tell you? The more you want to know, the less I'll tell you..." Aunt Liu said rather bluntly, but she didn't raise her voice.

Wei Qingqing was so choked up that she rolled her eyes.

"By the way, Uncle Da Bao, when can we eat this bear meat?" Yang Ming asked before Zheng Da Bao could say anything.

"Don't worry, bear meat is all fat, it cooks even faster than pork..." Zheng Dabao patted his chest. "The meat will cook quickly, but the offal and bear blood won't. It's not troublesome to cook them, but it's troublesome to clean them. Once the offal is cooked, you can chop it up and make a cold dish to go with drinks. The bear blood can be made into blood sausage. You can make it yourself tonight. Don't overcook it, or it won't taste good. Remember to poke the casings a few times with toothpicks while cooking to prevent them from bursting and ruining the food."

Blood sausage is usually made with the blood of pigs born in the Year of the Pig; I've never really tried using bear blood before.

"Okay, thank you Uncle Da Bao," Yang Ming said quickly.

"Wouldn't fatty meat be too greasy?" Sun Fangfang felt a little uncomfortable in her stomach just thinking about a piece of fatty, greasy white meat.

"What are you saying? Do you think bears are like domestic pigs? Their fat is especially chewy..." Zheng Dabao said.

"That's good. I hate eating fatty meat the most. One bite and my mouth is full of oil..." Sun Fangfang breathed a sigh of relief and said.

"Oh right, I remember now, what are we having for dinner today?" Zhang Yang exclaimed in surprise.

"Do you need to remind me?" Zheng Dabao said to Zhang Yang without any politeness. "Your sister-in-law has already taken people to the hot spring. There's a steam vent there, perfect for steaming buns."

To be honest, Zheng Dabao wasn't particularly envious of Yang Ming's hot spring, but he was absolutely enamored with the attached steam vent. If he used it to cook every day, how much firewood would he save?

"Speaking of hot springs, it reminds me of something," Yang Ming turned to look at Foreman Huang, "Brother Huang, shouldn't we bring the hot springs over here?"

"This needs to be done as soon as possible..." Sun Fangfang nodded. "More and more tourists are coming here for leisure. These tourists are reasonable now, but if we encounter some unreasonable ones, they might get angry with us..."

"That's easy! I'll call people over in a bit. We're not only going to build the hot spring, we'll start construction on the bridge at the same time." Foreman Huang patted his chest. "And we'll also build the new house that Dad wants to build in Liujia Village. Anyway, it's not much trouble with so many people, so we might as well do it all at once."

"That's great..." Zhang Yang immediately interjected, "Maybe Dad will see how sincere you are and actually accept you..." As he spoke, he winked at Yang Ming rather discreetly.

Yang Ming's heart skipped a beat. He understood Zhang Yang's meaning perfectly. Making Foreman Huang pay would offset his desire for compensation, and maybe he wouldn't have to acknowledge his father as his godfather. He quickly followed Zhang Yang's lead, saying, "Yes, it would be best to start construction together. Our agritainment business was already rushed, and some projects need to be expedited. Also, don't forget my father-in-law's new house; the two families will be living next door to each other..."

"No problem, I've got it covered..." Foreman Huang patted his chest loudly. Luckily, he was wearing thick clothes. If it were summer, with his energy, he would have patted his chest until it bled.

"Okay, you guys discuss it. I'll go check if the meat is cooked..." Zheng Dabao said, turning around and going to the stove to see if the bear meat was cooked.

"Brother Yang, sister-in-law, do you still remember us?" At this moment, a middle-aged man, a middle-aged woman, and a little girl came up to greet Yang Ming and Wei Qingqing.

"Oh? Isn't this Brother Wang and Sister Lu? How did you find your way here?" Yang Ming recognized them at a glance. The middle-aged man was Wang Zhengzhi, the card-playing friend he had met on the train, and the middle-aged woman was Wang Zhengzhi's wife, Lu Huifen. Yang Ming was overjoyed to see them again.

"Oh my, it's Brother Wang and Sister Lu! I never expected to see you again so soon..." Wei Qingqing was also quite happy.

"Hey...where's me? Don't you remember me?" The little girl's cheeks puffed out. She's such a beautiful girl, and you've all forgotten about her? What does that mean? Are you ignoring her?

"Hehe, little sister Wang Yufang," Yang Ming said with a smile.

"It's really kind of you all. We only shared a ride together, yet you still remember us..." Wang Zhengzhi exclaimed.

"I can't forget it even if I want to. Our train was so lively, who could forget it? We almost scared people to death..." Yang Ming recalled that night of screaming in the middle of the night, and felt a lot of emotions.

"Yes, that train journey will definitely be something we'll remember for the rest of our lives..." Wang Zhengzhi added.

"Hehe, Brother Wang, are you here for tourism too? Whose house are you staying at?" Yang Ming asked.

"We're staying at Aunt Pang's house now. We originally wanted to stay at your house, but you didn't have any spare rooms..." Lu Huifen said.

"Hey...brother, stop talking! What are your names? Introduce them to us!" Sun Fangfang nudged Yang Ming and said.

"Look at me, I was so busy talking that I forgot to introduce myself to everyone..." Yang Ming slapped his forehead and quickly began to introduce himself to everyone.

After everyone got to know each other, they gathered together and exchanged pleasantries.

"Brother Yang, I heard you killed this bear, is that true?" Wang Yufang was at the age where she admired heroes.

"Of course, it took all five of our dogs working together to finally take down this bear..." Yang Ming said.

"He wasn't shot to death, was he?" Wang Yufang asked, somewhat disappointed.

"Of course not. The firearm's killing power is limited. How could it possibly kill a bear? Do you know how thick a bear's fat is? Anyway, with the bear skin and its fat, the iron shot from the firearm can't penetrate it..." Yang Ming said.

"Alright, Erfang, do you want your brother Yang to fight a bear hand-to-hand?" Lu Huifen said, pulling her daughter back.

Wang Yufang pouted and stopped talking.

"Brother Yang, the reason we came here this time is because we saw your and your wife's wedding photos in the promotional pictures on your website..." Wang Zhengzhi said, his tongue involuntarily licking his lips.

"Alright, alright, I already guessed it. Brother Wang must have come for our fruit. It really makes me sad..." Yang Ming said, feigning heartbreak.

"Look at what you're saying, it's like we're all foodies..." Wang Zhengzhi blushed a little. In fact, they really did come here for the food.

"Hehe..." Yang Ming chuckled and started chatting with them about everyday things.

In some parts of Hebei, the common way to eat meat is to make braised pork. First, the meat is boiled, then placed on an iron grate and simmered in a pot to caramelize it. If you are making a large pot of rice, the smoked reddish meat is cut into small cubes and then simmered in a pot with potatoes and cabbage for a while. If you find it too greasy, you can also cook it with pickled cabbage.

Amidst the cheers of the children, the bear meat was finally cooked, then simmered until tender and mushy. The trembling bear meat was scooped up; the meat was extremely fatty, as translucent as crystal, like a piece of trembling, tender tofu.

The broth in the pot was poured into a large vat that had been cleared out beforehand, and surprisingly, half of the vat was filled with oil.

First, arrange the meat on the iron grate, then grab a handful of brown sugar and throw it into the pot. Quickly place the iron grate into the pot, cover it with the lid, and seal the lid with a cloth to increase airtightness. Then add fire to the stove.

After smoking for four or five minutes, the pot is lifted, and the originally crystal-clear bear meat turns into an enticing reddish-brown color, like red crystal. The sugar in the pot has also turned into a charcoal-like substance, black and emitting a burnt smell.

Place the fatty pork belly on the cutting board, cut it open to reveal the lean meat inside, dice the meat, add a few stalks of pickled cabbage, grab a handful of glass noodles, put it in the pot and simmer. A tangy aroma rises up, neutralizing much of the greasiness.

A sumptuous meal began, and everyone, adults and children alike, ate several large bowls, only stopping when their bellies were completely round.

As night fell, Li Yuting had already woken up in the east room of Yang Ming's house. She had gone to Liu Sao's house to rest. Now, only Yang Ming's family of four and Huang Daye's family of four were in the house. The two sides were engaged in a difficult negotiation. Old Liu and his wife, as well as Liu Sao and Xiao Bao'er were watching from the sidelines.

As for the others, such as Zhang Fenghuang and Sun Fangfang, they all went to play in the hot spring. Only Zhang Yang went to find Tao Yangdong and the others to discuss the knowledge of antiques with them.

"Brother Huang, aren't you putting me in a difficult position? We're friends despite the age difference, there's a gap of about twenty years between us. Now you're having your son recognize me as his godfather, and I'm only a few years older than your son. Is this really appropriate?" Yang Zhengfang's brows furrowed.

"You have given him a second life, you are his second parent, what's inappropriate about that? Even if you are younger than him, it's not inappropriate at all..." Old Huang said in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Sister-in-law..." Yang Zhengfang looked at Lao Huang's wife, Huang the foreman's mother, Zhao Yunfeng.

"I think what Lao Huang said makes sense. People should know how to be grateful. Those who are ungrateful are not human..." Lao Huang's wife, Zhao Yunfeng, has gray hair but no wrinkles on her face. Only when she smiles do fine crow's feet appear at the corners of her eyes, which shows that she takes good care of herself.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I know I shouldn't have interrupted, but I've been watching the whole time, and I just think you're being so selfish..." Aunt Liu suddenly said at this moment.

As soon as Aunt Liu spoke, everyone's eyes fell on her. However, Aunt Liu was not intimidated at all and spoke eloquently: "I can understand why the old man wants Brother Huang to recognize Uncle Yang as his godfather. After all, Brother Huang has taken advantage of Uncle Yang, and it's normal for the old man to feel guilty. In your opinion, only by recognizing Uncle Yang as your godfather can you feel at ease. Think about it carefully, isn't that selfish? You only care about your own peace of mind, but you ignore Uncle Yang's feelings. So, not only has Uncle Yang been taken advantage of by Brother Huang, but he also has to bear psychological pressure because of you to feel at ease. Isn't that... going too far?"

Aunt Liu's words were so powerful that they left everyone speechless for a long time. In fact, Yang Zhengfang could have said these words too, but he was too embarrassed to say them, so he hid in the back garden all day and dared not show his face in front of Foreman Huang.

Actually, there was one more thing Aunt Liu didn't say: Everyone would want to acknowledge such a capable father; the benefits of doing so would be enormous...

Of course, this statement was too damaging, and Aunt Liu would never say it. The previous words could be said to focus on the emotional aspect, but this sentence was rather blatant. If not handled properly, it could make Grandpa Huang have a stroke.

Grandpa Huang blushed. Although that wasn't his intention, Liu Sao's words made him realize that he had been too selfish.

P.S.: Please recommend and add to your favorites...

(End of this chapter)