The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 193 Awakening

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"Cuihua, do you still remember the first Laba Festival we celebrated when we first got married? That morning, you got up very early and cooked a pot of Laba porridge..." When Yang Ming walked into the west room, Zheng Yunqian was whispering in Zheng Cuihua's ear, giving her a "talk therapy." The old man tried his best to recall the sweetness and beauty of those years, gently and tenderly telling his wife about them.

Yang Ming waited until Zheng Yunqian finished speaking before sitting down next to Aunt Zheng and asking, "Uncle, how is Aunt Zheng's health?"

"Mingming's here???" Grandpa Zheng's tone was warm and friendly. "Your aunt is in very good health, thank you for your concern. It's truly a blessing for us old folks to meet you in our later years..."

"Look at what you're saying, aren't you being too polite..." Yang Ming smoothed Zheng's slightly disheveled temples. "This can't go on like this, Auntie. How about we come up with something drastic to scare her awake?"

"Is this a good idea??? You know, the doctor has repeatedly emphasized that we shouldn't use harsh words. Let's follow the doctor's advice..." Zheng Yunqian hesitated.

"I think it should be fine. That doctor is probably just trying to scare us..." Yang Ming didn't have much patience for such gentle methods. The key issue was that the old man's health couldn't be delayed. If he remained unconscious, not eating or drinking, and only kept on glucose, his body would completely collapse in the long run.

"I think we should listen to the doctor..." Zheng Yunqian said softly.

"Well, hehe, just pretend I didn't say anything..." Yang Ming said with an awkward smile.

"Sigh... I don't know when your aunt will wake up, but these past two days, I've been feeling a bit like I've gone back to the past. Thinking about it carefully, life isn't actually such a mess..." Zheng Yunqian sighed and said.

These days, Zheng Yunqian has been reminiscing about the good old days, which has left him with many feelings.

"Hehe, different perspectives on life lead to different views..." Yang Ming laughed.

"Yes..." Zheng Yunqian nodded with a sense of sympathy. "Actually, I also think the doctor's method was too gentle. Your aunt listened to me talk about the past, and she showed no sign of waking up at all. On the contrary, she seemed like she would never wake up. I don't know what the doctor was thinking..."

Zheng Yunqian is not stupid. On the contrary, he is worldly-wise and extremely sensitive. These past two days, he has been trying to save his wife using the doctor's methods. Although his wife has not woken up, it has greatly changed his mindset.

"Hehe, sir, you're joking. The doctor is just being humanitarian and the treatment he's given is usually quite safe. How about we try a more drastic method?" Yang Ming chuckled and said.

"What other way is there???" Zheng Yunqian simply didn't believe there was any other way.

"Actually, the method I used at the beginning was a rather drastic one, and it should be effective, um! If you agree, you should go outside to avoid me while I'm using it..." Yang Ming almost said directly, "If you hadn't been so soft-hearted back then, the old lady would have woken up long ago."

"Um... how confident are you???" Zheng Yunqian wasn't stupid, and of course he could understand the hidden meaning in Yang Ming's words, so he asked somewhat awkwardly.

"I'm not very confident, maybe 80 or 90 percent..." Yang Ming said.

"This..." Zheng Yunqian grinned. Eighty or ninety percent? ??? This is considered not very confident???

"I have another idea. The key person in this idea is you, sir. I just don't know if you're willing to cooperate..." Yang Ming's eyes darted around, and another mischievous idea popped into his head.

"I'm sure I have no problem. Tell me, what's the method?" Zheng Yunqian said.

"This method is simple. You just need to cry to the old lady and act pitiful. Think about it, if the old lady doesn't wake up, you'll be all alone at night with no one to talk to. How pitiful would that be? The New Year is coming soon. If the old lady doesn't wake up, you'll be all alone, eating tasteless dumplings by yourself while everyone else is having a happy time. Sigh..." Yang Ming said, sighing repeatedly.

"I..." Zheng Yunqian's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Yang Ming's idea to be so malicious. For a grown man like him to actually swallow his pride and wail beside his wife would be a disgrace. If word got out, he, Zheng Yunqian, would be utterly humiliated.

"How is it??? Grandpa, don't doubt Grandma's feelings for you. If Grandma knew you were in such a terrible state, she would definitely wake up immediately. Once Grandma wakes up, I'll give you both a rejuvenation pill. Then, you two will be like dry wood meeting a raging fire, and it won't be difficult for you to give birth to seven or eight sons and eight daughters for the Zheng family..." Yang Ming, like a demon with horns on his head, shamelessly used a goose feather to tease the softest spot in Zheng Yunqian's heart.

"Hiss..." Zheng Yunqian gasped. "What you said makes sense. So, shall we do it this way??? I'll risk all my pride..."

"Grandpa, we will definitely succeed..." Yang Ming said confidently.

"I don't know if it will be successful..." Zheng Yunqian pursed his lips. "Mingming, do you have guests at your house? When I'm treating your aunt, why don't you take them for a walk around the village..."

"Aren't you embarrassed??? This is my cousin. She doesn't usually visit our family much, but after our family became successful, all the relatives we didn't used to see came. This cousin isn't even that materialistic; she just brought a basket of eggs..." Yang Ming said, pursing his lips.

"This is what they mean by 'when you're poor, no one cares even in the bustling city; when you're rich, distant relatives come calling even in the deep mountains...'" Zheng Yunqian sighed and said.

"Hey, sir... why don't you try to build up your emotions? When you cry, you have to be really emotional so that you can move the old lady..." Yang Ming advised.

"Does this even need to be prepared??? You should just leave... I can manage on my own in the room..." Does this even need to be prepared? These past years, I've swallowed so much bitterness. Just thinking about it makes my tears flow like a faucet if I don't control them.

"Okay, okay, I'm going out..." Yang Ming nodded repeatedly, quickly left the west room, and closed the door behind him.

Soon, Zheng Yunqian's mournful cries echoed from inside the house, interspersed with words of lamentation.

Those who hear it are heartbroken, those who listen are moved to tears...

The three people in the east room also came out and stood quietly in the outer room, listening to the movements in the west room.

"What's going on??? What's wrong with your ex-uncle???" Zhang Shufang carefully poked her son with her finger and whispered.

"It's nothing..." Yang Ming smiled mischievously and told his mother the whole story.

"You brat, how could you come up with such a despicable idea???" Zhang Shufang blushed. The thought of an old man, encouraged by his son, shamelessly wailing and crying—it was truly immoral! Had he completely lost his integrity? Had he ruined his reputation in his later years?

"How can you, as a mother, talk about your own son like that???" Yang Ming rolled his eyes. "The more I mess with him, the softer he becomes, and the easier it is for our plan to succeed..."

"Yes, yes, I love what Yang Ming said. The more unreliable someone is, the softer their heart is..." Zhu Yuan interjected softly.

"Hmm... the more he acts up, the weaker the ice in his heart becomes, and the easier it will be for us to break through this barrier..." Yang Zhengfang said.

"Your dad said it, and he even made a big deal out of it..." Zhang Shufang said, pursing her lips.

"Hehe, let's not make a big deal out of this. This is Xiao Zhu's first time visiting our home, so you should go and cook..." Yang Zhengfang said with a smile.

"Thank you for your help..." Zhu Yuan said apologetically.

"No trouble at all, it's almost lunchtime, isn't it? It's time to eat..." Zhang Shufang said.

"It's only a little past 9 o'clock..." Zhu Yuan said.

"Cooking takes time, and with so little time, we might not even have enough!" Zhang Shufang said with a smile.

"Hehe, Mom and Dad, I have some things to take care of at home, so I have to go back soon. Please help Auntie build rapport with Uncle Zheng. I'll come back to pick her up tonight..." Yang Ming whispered to his parents.

If Yang Ming helped Zheng Yunqian and Zhu Yuan get to know each other, then there is a high possibility that some flaws will appear. After all, Yang Ming had lived in Zheng Yunqian's house for quite some time, and Zheng Yunqian was quite familiar with Yang Ming. It would be easy for Zheng Yunqian to see something different about Yang Ming.

On the contrary, if Yang Zhengfang and Zhang Shufang were to introduce them, Zheng Yunqian would basically not have any doubts. As long as Zhu Yuan did not say that she was Zheng Yu's wife, Grandpa Zheng would never guess Zhu Yuan's true identity.

"No problem, you should go back now. The important business is ahead. Leave this to us..." Zhang Shufang patted her chest and assured her son, but she tried to keep her voice down and not dare to say it out loud.

"Alright, then I'll be going. You don't need to come out. Just stay here and keep an eye on Grandpa Zheng, make sure nothing goes wrong inside..." Yang Ming nodded, quickly left the house, and disappeared into the mountains in a few steps. He didn't drive, but chose to take the shorter mountain road. The mountain road between the two villages was very short. If an adult were to cross this mountain road, it would only take twenty minutes. However, if he took the wider, passable road, even if Yang Ming drove at maximum speed, it would still take forty minutes. The key issue was that there were many turns and it took a long detour, so the speed was simply not high enough.

Yang Ming went home, but Zhang Shufang and Zhu Yuan found a small stool to sit on and talked about these private things. Yang Zhengfang couldn't get a word in edgewise and could only go outside to fetch firewood and then start a fire to cook.

"Mingming, Mingming, your auntie is really awake, your auntie is really awake..." Zheng Yunqian's joyful voice came from inside the house.

"Brother, he clearly had things to do at home, so I didn't keep him and let him go back..." Zhang Shufang said loudly.

"Oh...his aunt just woke up and wants to see Mingming..." Zheng Yunqian opened the door to the east room a crack, glanced at the people in the outer room, and said.

"No rush, no rush. Big sister hasn't eaten for several days. Let her rest first. Mingming will come again tonight..." Zhang Shufang said.

"Hehe, my sister-in-law is finally awake. I'll go talk to the village doctor and ask him to give her a proper check-up..." Yang Zhengfang, who was tending the fire, chuckled as he got up and walked outside.

"You're Mingming's cousin?!" Zheng Yunqian was in a great mood and greeted Zhu Yuan as well.

"Yes, you must be the Uncle Zheng that Mingming always mentions, right?" Zhu Yuan said with a smile, not revealing a single flaw.

"Yes..." Zheng Yunqian nodded repeatedly with a smile.

"Alright, alright, Brother Zheng, you should sit here and start cooking. My cousin and I will go inside to serve our eldest sister..." Zhang Shufang didn't stand on ceremony and directly ordered Zheng Yunqian around.

"Alright, alright, she's still feeling a bit down. You guys should talk to her more..." Zheng Yunqian said with a smile, tiptoeing to the stove and starting to pump the bellows to stoke the fire.

Don't be fooled by how Zheng Yunqian can say all sorts of mushy things in front of his comatose wife. When she's awake, the old man is more shy than a young man experiencing his first love.

"Don't worry, my sister hasn't had a proper bath in a while. Let's take her for a bath first..." Zhang Shufang said, pulling Zhu Yuan into the house.

The two entered the house and saw Zheng Cuihua sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), looking dejected.

"Big sister, you're awake..." Zhang Shufang said with a smile as she sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"You are..." Zheng Cuihua did not recognize Zhang Shufang. Originally, she knew from the old man that this was Yang Ming's parents' house, so she should have been able to guess who the person in front of her was. However, Zhang Shufang's appearance was really not like that of a mother with a son as big as Yang Ming. On the contrary, Zhu Yuan, who came in with Zhang Shufang, seemed to be Yang Ming's mother.

So, while wondering why this naive young girl called her "Big Sister," Zheng Cuihua smiled and nodded at Zhu Yuan, who was heavily pregnant. A hint of shyness rose in her heart. If Yang Ming had a elixir of youth, he would definitely give it to his parents. Although this woman looked quite old, she didn't seem like the mother of a son as old as Yang Ming. In other words, this pregnant woman must have taken the elixir of youth. Thinking about it, if a woman her age could get pregnant, then it was very possible for her to be pregnant too, right?

"Me? I'm Yang Ming's mother..." Zhang Shufang was also worldly-wise. When she saw that Zheng Cuihua was more enthusiastic towards Zhu Yuan than towards herself, she immediately understood what was going on.

"What...what did you say???" Zheng Cuihua looked like she had seen a ghost. As she was walking downhill, her dim eyes widened as she stared at Zhang Shufang's face, her expression full of horror.

"Hehe, big sister, this is my cousin-in-law, she's Yang Ming's mother..." Zhu Yuan reacted very quickly, immediately guessing what was going on, and said with a smile.

"How amazing..." Zheng Cuihua's eyelids twitched as she carefully examined Zhang Shufang. She saw that Zhang Shufang's skin was smooth and shiny, and her eyes were clear and bright. She looked no different from a young girl, except for the sense of vicissitudes of life hidden deep in her eyes.

"Big sister, let's take a shower first. A doctor will examine you in a little while. You haven't showered for several days, and you smell a bit..." Zhang Shufang said with a smile, her expression somewhat playful.

"Well... alright then..." Zheng Cuihua blushed. Although she was not young, women are always more concerned about cleanliness. Whether she was truly clean or not, she didn't know, but in front of others, she needed to let them know: I am very clean...

So, Zhang Shufang and Zhu Yuan helped Zheng Cuihua to take a bath. When they passed the outer room, Zheng Cuihua and Zheng Yunqian, who was tending the fire, looked at each other, their faces flushed, and turned their heads away, just like a newlywed couple.

Zhang Shufang and Zhu Yuan couldn't help but exchange a smile.

Yang Ming quickly returned home. Inside, Zheng Dongfang and Xiaotiantian were cooking and chatting intimately in the outer room, glancing at each other every now and then and smiling sweetly, their smiles full of affection.

Zheng Dongfang and Zhang Jianhui, however, stayed inside watching TV. These two brothers didn't want to be third wheels, so even though everyone outside was incredibly busy, they absolutely refused to come out and help.

"Well, I won't bother you anymore, I'm going to go see Qingqing..." Yang Ming smiled, a rather ambiguous smile, and then disappeared into the back garden.

"Where did Qingqing go?" When Yang Ming entered the wooden house, only Aunt Liu was inside.

"You went to pick melons in the greenhouse. Why are you back so soon? I heard from your buddies that you took Aunt Zheng Yu to Liu Family Village..." Aunt Liu was sitting in the inner room of the wooden house, leisurely doing her work.

"Oh, I dropped Aunt Zheng Yu off and came back..." Yang Ming nodded, but didn't say anything more. At this time, Aunt Liu was already dressed. There was nothing wrong with Yang Ming staying in the same room with her. In fact, even if Aunt Liu was naked, Yang Ming would not feel any psychological pressure staying in the same room with her.

"Auntie Pang just called, they'll be back soon..." Aunt Liu said without looking up as she worked.

"Oh..." Yang Ming nodded and sat down to watch Liu Sao do her work. To be honest, although Liu Sao was doing needlework, when a skill has become almost a skill, the beauty is no different. Yang Ming saw this beauty in Liu Sao.

"Am I that good-looking??? You can't even blink at me..." Of course, Aunt Liu felt Yang Ming's gaze. She kept her hands busy, but a smug smile appeared on her lips.

"Hmm, it's pretty good..." Yang Ming seemed to be captivated and nodded blankly.

"Then you just watch..." Aunt Liu's face flushed slightly, and she moved her hands even more quickly, saying in a low voice.

"Hmm..." Yang Ming nodded, quietly watching Liu Sao's skillful hands continuously threading the needle, her movements incomparably beautiful...

Yang Ming was so captivated by the beauty that he couldn't help but become lost in it.

After an unknown amount of time, Yang Ming was startled awake by a voice in his mind: "Master, the Dragon Transformation Project has been successfully completed. Please check the experimental results..."

"What??? The Dragon Transformation Project is already complete???" Yang Ming was startled by Ya Ya's voice, then came back to his senses and focused his mind on the farm space.

Ya Ya, this adorable little sprite, still has such a clear and melodious voice.

"Tell me the results of the experiment. How did that python turn into a dragon?" Yang Ming asked.

"In reply to your question, sir, just as you guessed, the python changed because it swallowed the egg-laying dragon's egg. However, this change only applies to pythons on Earth. Pythons on other planets will not mutate after swallowing egg-laying dragon eggs..." Ya Ya said.

"Why???" Yang Ming asked, puzzled.

"Because pythons on Earth have a recessive gene in their bodies. Ya Ya only discovered this recessive gene after the experimental organisms mutated. Pythons on other planets do not have this recessive gene..." Ya Ya said.

"Hmm... Go on..." Yang Ming nodded.

"Ya Ya suspects that Earth is actually in a special cosmic environment. This special cosmic environment suppresses the instinctive characteristics of living organisms, causing the genetic chains of living organisms to tend to be in an absolutely stable state..." Ya Ya's tone was somewhat worried.

"Huh??? What does this mean??? You mean the Earth is currently in a stable radiation zone???" Yang Ming had heard Ya Ya introduce the knowledge about the universe before, and now he was putting it to good use.

"That's right..." Ya Ya nodded, her little face serious. "If Master wants to be sure, he can use the spaceship to test it. If the spaceship can really break out of space, then Ya Ya guessed wrong, and Earth is not in a stable ray. If the spaceship cannot accelerate to cosmic speed, then it proves that Ya Ya guessed right, and Earth is definitely in a stable ray..."

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(End of this chapter)