The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 68 Joyful Gathering

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Zheng Dongfang sat by the window on the first floor of his hotel, sipping his bitter coffee while gazing at the bustling street outside. He felt a growing sense of unease. How long had it been? That bastard who supplied the vegetables hadn't given him a single word. Watching his hotel's reputation fall further and further behind, he was incredibly anxious! A hotel's success depended on its reputation; with a reputation came big customers, and building that reputation relied on these big spenders… Developing a hotel required immense effort and hard work, and that wasn't just empty talk.

Ding ding dong...

A cell phone rang, and Zheng Dongfang took it out of his pocket. Seeing the display, he recognized it from his dorm mate and quickly answered, "Hey? Boss?"

"Kid, call me big brother..." A deep voice came from the other end of the phone.

The eldest brother is from Beijing, named Zhao Dongge, and he's about twenty-eight years old this year. His family runs a photography studio, which is said to be quite large and even has a nationwide chain. However, this guy doesn't like to brag to his brothers. When he was in school, he never talked about his family's business with them. He would usually chat about how good his grandparents were to him, how strict his parents were with him, and how much his younger siblings respected and loved him. As a result, his brothers didn't even know the name of their family's photography studio after four years.

"What a load of crap, I'm so worried about this..." Zheng Dongfang finally found someone to confide in and complained repeatedly.

"Is it still that matter? That bastard still hasn't been found?" Zhao Dongge had obviously heard about the troubles Zheng Dongfang's hotel was facing.

"I've had people keeping an eye on things outside the Yingning Hotel every day, but that guy just won't show his face." Zheng Dongfang felt even more bitter. What was going on? It had been going on for so long! He was certain that the mysterious guy had delivered vegetables to the Yingning Hotel several times, but the suppliers who delivered vegetables to the Yingning Hotel every day never stopped coming and going, making it really impossible to tell the difference.

"Don't overthink it. This can't be rushed. Tell me, do you know about Fourth Brother's wedding?"

"Nonsense, you knew about it in Beijing, how could I not know?" Zheng Dongfang rolled his eyes.

"They're getting married on October 1st, and today is September 27th. Shouldn't we go over to their house and help with the arrangements?" Zhao Dongge said.

"Of course we should, but that stinky farmer hasn't contacted us either. That bastard really left us brothers hanging..." Zheng Dongfang got a little angry when he mentioned Yang Ming. That bastard was really not a good brother. Little did he know that the bastard he was talking about was also hiding in the mountains, enjoying a peaceful life. He had left the wedding arrangements to his parents.

"Fourth brother is really not a good friend. I'll be boarding the plane soon. You tell third brother, the three of us should meet up somewhere and have a good talk. Let's ambush him at his house together..." Zhao Dongge said.

"That's exactly what I've been waiting for! You're the boss, so you should lead the way. Alright, let's do it at my hotel, the one across from the school..." Zheng Dongfang perked up.

After the two hung up the phone, Zheng Dongfang rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining: "Fourth brother, you got married and didn't even call me once... Wait a minute? I don't think I called him either. Damn it, it's all because of that bastard..." Zheng Dongfang's resentment towards the guy who provided the high-quality vegetables deepened considerably.

Zheng Dongfang dialed the number of his third brother, Zhang Jianhui. "Third brother, what are you doing?"

"Damn it, our mayor is in a meeting right now, what are you doing calling? If you have something to say, say it, otherwise I'm hanging up..." Zhang Jianhui cursed in a low voice.

"You're just as much of a bastard as that stinky farmer. Let me tell you, that stinky farmer is getting married. The boss is already here. Do you want to come?" Zheng Dongfang cursed.

"I'm working like a slave for someone now, I have no choice but to go, how can I get away? I can only go on his wedding day..." Zhang Jianhui said softly.

"Alright, come if you want, don't come if you don't. That stinky farmer is dishonest. We were just about to go to his house and teach him a lesson. You're not getting a turn..." Zheng Dongfang said.

"You're kidding me. You'll never catch him. I called him back the other day when I received his wedding invitation. This guy is just washing his hands of the matter. He doesn't care about the wedding at all. He and his wife are living a quiet life in a remote mountain village," Zhang Jianhui said.

"What?" Zheng Dongfang exclaimed in surprise, "You mean he ran off to some remote mountain village? What about your uncle and aunt...?"

"That kid secretly bought a house in a remote mountain village without his aunt and uncle's knowledge. With city housing prices so high these days, how many people can afford it? If you ask me, they should all go buy houses in the countryside and leave behind a piece of farmland..."

At this moment, Zheng Dongfang also learned that the plan to deal with Yang Ming had been shelved. He chatted with Zhang Jianhui for a few more minutes, and when he heard someone call Zhang Jianhui's name from the other end, the two of them hung up.

"On the phone? Boss Zheng..." Zheng Dongfang had just hung up the phone when a sophisticated-looking woman, carrying a small handbag, appeared in front of him.

"Zhang Fenghuang? It's you?" Zheng Dongfang was surprised.

"It's not just her, it's me too..."

A voice sounded from behind him. Zheng Dongfang turned around and saw a short-haired girl standing behind him. He was so surprised that he stood up: "Tomboy??"

This short-haired girl was Zhu Yun, another roommate of Zhang Yue's. She had a baby face and her hair was so short that you could see her bluish scalp. She looked like a tomboy, but she was the leader of the dormitory and was quite tough. Her nickname was "Tomboy".

"Are you asking for a beating? Zheng Dongfang, is your nose itchy again?" Zhu Yun glared at him, her imposing aura startling Zheng Dongfang, who immediately backed away.

"Alright, boss, don't scare little Dongfang anymore," Zhang Fenghuang said with a smile as she found a chair to sit down.

"I'll remember this punch. If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll beat you until your face is covered in peach blossoms." Zhu Yun glared at Zheng Dongfang, then found a chair and sat down.

"Hey ladies, what do you want to do?" Zheng Dongfang huddled pitifully in the corner, looking like an innocent young girl who had encountered an old rogue.

To be honest, Zheng Dongfang was genuinely afraid of these two. Zhang Fenghuang was extremely fond of palace novels, her mind was full of palace intrigue, and she loved to scheme and plot. Stirring up trouble was commonplace for her, earning her the reputation of being the most cunning person in the engineering field. Zhu Yun? Was she a woman? Her family practiced Xingyi Quan (a style of Chinese martial arts), and their punches were specifically designed to hit people's noses. A mere stinging nose was considered mild; most people would have their noses broken. Before starting school, she almost got expelled for assaulting someone.

"Don't worry, I won't beat you up. Didn't that stinky farmer get married? We're here to congratulate him." Zhu Yun patted Zheng Dongfang on the shoulder. That pat almost broke the strong young man Zheng Dongfang, making him wince in pain.

"Young Dongfang, you're being quite unreasonable as a host! You didn't even offer us tea." Zhang Fenghuang chuckled, a hint of scheming in his smile.

"Xiao Zhang, bring us two cups of coffee..." Zheng Dong said to the waiter.

"Okay, please wait a moment..." The waitress swayed gracefully as she carried the coffee.

"At least you know what's good for you." Zhu Yun rolled her eyes at Zheng Dongfang. "Where's that stinky farmer? I want to see what his wife looks like. Is she prettier than our Lily?"

"I heard from Huihui that he and his wife have gone to hide in a ravine. I don't know where he is," Zheng Dongfang said.

"How stupid! Call him and have him bring his wife over so we can take a look and inspect the goods..." Zhu Yun said.

"Inspect the goods? You're only tough with me. If I give you that stinky farmer's phone number, you can call him, right?" Zheng Dongfang put her in a difficult position.

Zhu Yun gave an awkward smile and glared fiercely at Zheng Dongfang. Of all the boys in their year at the university, Yang Ming was the only one she couldn't handle. This guy was really reckless when he got angry, like a wild boar. Others would give her face because of her fists, but Yang Ming? He really didn't give her any face.

"Boss, the coffee is here." The waiter came over with two cups of coffee.

"Alright, go ahead and get busy..." Zheng Dongfang quickly took the coffee and personally served it to the two women. "Our coffee here isn't as good as the coffee bars, but it'll have to do with this."

"Lily and Yueyue will be here soon. I'll show you something nice then, something I secretly photographed." Zhang Fenghuang held her coffee, sipping it slowly.

"You dare to tease your sister? You're asking for trouble..." Zhu Yun glared, stepped forward, grabbed Zhang Fenghuang by the neck, and started arguing with her.

"Cough cough... Ouch! Boss, I choked! Let go, let go, I was wrong..." Zhang Fenghuang begged for mercy repeatedly.

"Is the eldest still so fierce? Bullying the second eldest?" Zhang Yue's voice suddenly came over. The three of them turned around and saw Zhang Yue and Liu Lili coming together.

"Fourth brother, are you looking for death? You better watch out or I'll crack your nose open..." Zhu Yun yelled at Zhang Yue with a fierce look, scaring Zhang Yue so much that she hid behind Liu Lili.

"Come on, why are you scaring her? In the four years she's been at the university, she's not afraid of anyone except you..." Liu Lili rolled her eyes at Zhu Yun.

Back then, Zhang Yue was bullied by a male classmate and went back to the dormitory crying. Zhu Yun was in the room at the time, and the tomboy immediately exploded. She took Zhang Yue to confront the male classmate, and the result... the bloody scene really scared Zhang Yue. From then on, she had an extraordinary sense of awe towards the dormitory leader.

"The four beauties are all here. Our boss, Zhao Dongge, will be here soon. Let's have a good meal together tonight. It's settled, this meal is on me," Zheng Dongfang said.

"Look at what you're saying. You're the local host, if you don't treat us, who will?" Zhang Fenghuang said.

Zheng Dongfang asked the waiter to bring two more cups of coffee, and the five of them sat at a table and talked.

"Now it's time to take out that thing you secretly filmed, isn't it?" Zhu Yun rolled her eyes at Zhang Fenghuang.

"What is that?" Liu Lili and Zhang Yue were both curious.

"Hmph..." Zhang Fenghuang chuckled smugly, pulled an envelope from her handbag, and tossed it onto the table. "This is a photo I secretly took while doing field research..."

Everyone opened the envelope, which contained a stack of photos. The photos showed a man and a woman walking with a little girl at a rural market. The three of them had warm and happy expressions on their faces, looking like a happy family of three.

"Yang Ming?" Liu Lili's eyes widened.

"His child is already this big? That bastard hid it so well, he even kept it from us..." Zheng Dongfang was dumbfounded.

"Hiss... I saw him buy a learning machine at the bookstore a few days ago..." Zhang Yue gasped. She had long forgotten what Yang Ming had told her at the time, but she was certain that Yang Ming had indeed bought a learning machine.

"That heartless man, I must castrate him..." Zhu Yun gritted her teeth so hard they almost broke.

"Hey, what gives you the right to say that about my buddy? He's never cheated on me with such a beautiful woman like Liu Lili, so how come he's a heartless man?" Zheng Dongfang retorted, mustering his courage.

"Are you looking for death?" Zhu Yun glared at him.

"I'm asking for it!" Zheng Dongfang retorted, sticking out his neck.

Zhu Yun clenched her fists, ready to strike, but her three best friends immediately pulled her back. After all, they were all adults, and doing something like that would seem rather immature.

"Boss, don't be like that, Yang Ming didn't do anything wrong..." Zhang Fenghuang said.

"What's wrong with that? Didn't he explain it to us clearly? Why are we just making a fuss?" Zhu Yun's eyes were red, feeling deceived and played.

"That girl is almost ten years old. When did he have her? He's twenty-six this year, so he must have been sixteen. In that case... he's too embarrassed to tell us. He's practically ruining the flowers of our motherland..." Zhang Fenghuang said.

"What a beast." Zheng Dongfang muttered to himself, thinking about how he was just a little kid when those kids were all grown up.

"Wait a minute! If he had a child when he was sixteen, why would he get married?" Zhang Yue noticed the problem.

"When you're sixteen, the Civil Affairs Bureau doesn't issue marriage certificates, does it? I've heard of the way marriages are done in rural areas. If the man and woman are under the legal age, they get married first and then apply for a marriage certificate when they reach the legal age. If they were to... they could just get a marriage certificate, why would they have to hold such a big wedding?" Liu Lili said.

"You know, did that stinky farmer force himself on you back then? I've heard that the more subdued a person is, the more likely they are to do something extreme," Zhang Fenghuang said.

"Stop guessing, I'll just ask him now, won't I?" Zheng Dongfang said, about to call Yang Ming to ask.

"No way, let's confront him face-to-face on his wedding day. That way, he won't have time to prepare and come up with an excuse. We can get the truth out of him by surprise," Zhang Fenghuang quickly stopped her.

"If Zhang Yue had said that, maybe I wouldn't have asked, but since you're saying it, I have to ask..." Zheng Dongfang, his hands still busy, stood up, faced the window, and dialed Yang Ming's number: "Hey? You stinky farmer?... Call me Second Brother!... Where have you been?... Nothing! I just want to ask you something, do you have a daughter?... You really do? You're such a beast, you even have a child!... A goddaughter? You scared me half to death! So that's what happened?... Hey, I heard it from Zhang Fenghuang! We're all gathered here now, all four beauties from her dorm are here... You think Zhang Fenghuang knows she's your goddaughter? That's really despicable of her, she just said she was going to confront you at your wedding!... Okay, okay, we know she's lost her mind from writing novels, we won't beat her to death..."

The call ended, and as soon as Zheng Dongfang turned around, he saw three beautiful women surrounding Zhang Fenghuang, staring at her with eyes that seemed to spit fire. Zhang Fenghuang pitifully huddled in her chair, looking at her three good friends with an awkward smile.

"Phoenix, is your nose itchy? You dare to play tricks on me?" Zhu Yun clenched her fist.

"They're masters of palace intrigue; they'll use anyone to achieve their goals." Zhang Yue lightly rubbed her thumbnail and index fingernail together, producing a sharp sound, like the sharpening of a knife.

"..." Liu Lili wanted to say something too, but before she could speak, Zhang Fenghuang said, "They can talk about me, but you can't. Who am I doing this for? Isn't it all for you? If you bully me too, it will break my heart..."

"I've told you so many times, Yang Ming and I aren't compatible, really! Why are you all so concerned about my situation? With that kind of energy, wouldn't it be better if you all found a good man to marry?" After hearing Zhang Fenghuang's words, Liu Lili really couldn't bring herself to take action again, but she reiterated that she and Yang Ming were not suitable for each other.

"Alright, alright, what are you doing making such a scene in public? You're just making a fool of yourself," Zheng Dongfang said at this moment.

"I'll let you off this time, but if there's a next time, I'll see how I deal with you. I'll strip you naked and throw you out into the street." Zhu Yun fiercely brandished her small fists at Zhang Fenghuang.

"Yes, yes, sister, I was wrong." Zhang Fenghuang nodded and bowed repeatedly.

"I'll let you off this time, but if there's a next time, I'll kill you..." Zhang Yue waved her long fingernails at Zhang Fenghuang like a crab waving its large pincers.

"Get out of here, you little sister, how dare you lecture me? You've got some nerve..." Zhang Fenghuang rolled her eyes at Zhang Yue.

"You..." Zhang Yue puffed out her cheeks in anger.

"Hehe, without your big sister backing you up, you can't handle her..." Liu Lili smiled and pulled Zhang Yue back to her seat.

"Alright, alright! Everyone sit down, have some tea and chat. I'll have the kitchen bring out some snacks first..." Zheng Dongfang smiled and beckoned to a waiter, giving him his instructions.

Three hours later, when it was getting dark, Zhao Dongge arrived late, carrying a pink suitcase.

"Hehe, carrying such a big suitcase, are you moving house?" Zhu Yun rolled her eyes at Zhao Dongge and mocked him.

"Hehe, Dong-ge has quite the taste, huh? He likes pink. Don't tell me it's all lace lingerie inside..." Zhang Fenghuang said wickedly.

"Hehe..." Liu Lili and Zhang Yue covered their mouths and laughed together.

"Boss, you really are... Don't tell people you know me..." Zheng Dongfang also felt quite embarrassed.

"Get out of the way, this is something my mom asked me to give to my sister." Zhao Dongge's face flushed slightly as he glared at Zheng Dongfang. "By the way, where's the third brother?"

"They're busy working like animals, they don't have time!" Zheng Dongfang said, pushing the menu on the table in front of the four women. "Ladies, everyone's here, let's order."

"Today, Dongfang is treating us, let's have a big feast!"

"If we're polite to him, it means we look down on him and don't consider him a friend..."

"..."

The four girls chattered away and quickly ordered a huge amount of food, making the two men sweat. "Can they even finish it? Aren't they afraid of developing a swimming ring?" they wondered.

In a small courtyard on the outskirts of the city, two men were talking in the yard.

"Old Tao, why are you taking a break? Lao Wu and the others have been down there for over a month. I heard they found some good stuff..."

"They were just lucky. I'm just unlucky. I saw something good, but I just couldn't get my hands on it."

"Good stuff? What good stuff?"

"A car, quite a big one..."

"A car? What's a beat-up car worth? Even a sedan is worth at most two hundred thousand."

"What if it were made entirely of huanghuali wood?"

"What did you say?"

"That huge huanghuali wood carriage, even if sold by weight, would cost tens of millions. It's a pity, those people know their stuff. Small and medium-sized households like ours simply can't afford it. Sigh!"

"Ugh!"

The two sighed in unison, and after a long silence...

"Old Tao, you're pretty lucky. How about we go for a walk to relax? What if we run into another one? Then, if we pool our resources, we can definitely buy it, right?"

"You said it... Okay, let's leave tonight and wander around. Maybe we'll strike it lucky..."

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(End of this chapter)