Outside, neighbors and relatives were busy, chatting and laughing happily. Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin, a married couple, were also busy with their own smiles.
It's past 11 a.m.
Having finished all the rough and heavy work, Xu Zhengyang and the other young men naturally couldn't get involved in the remaining tasks, so they didn't try to help and make things worse. Undeterred by the cold, they stood outside the courtyard gate, basking in the sun, smoking, and chatting.
During their casual conversation, Xu Zhengyang learned that a great deal had indeed happened in the past two years.
For example, Cao Gangchuan, Zhang Hao, and Liu Bin are all married, and Zhong Zhijun is also getting married next Labor Day. Most of the girls her age in the village are also married and have families of their own; for instance, Liu Xiuyan married someone from Xinzhuang Village, and her husband is that guy named Qiangzi…
This made Xu Zhengyang even more grateful to Chen Chaojiang.
While it's true that in cities these days, most single young people are in their mid-twenties, back in the rural hometown, that's considered the age to have children. Leaving aside Chen Chaojiang and Ye Wan's relationship, who knows how far it would have developed if he hadn't gone to Heaven? Continuing their relationship and eventually getting married would be ideal, but if they couldn't be together, and if Xu Zhengyang hadn't had this accident, Chen Chaojiang would probably have at least a small family of his own by now.
Thinking of this, Xu Zhengyang took out his phone and dialed Chen Chaojiang's number:
"Asagao, where are we?"
"We've exited the highway, we'll be there in a bit."
"good."
After hanging up, Xu Zhengyang smiled and said to his buddies, "Chaojiang will be here soon. This guy brought his girlfriend with him."
"Wow, when did he get a girlfriend?"
"This guy, we guys are still completely in the dark."
The group chatted and laughed, but they all knew that, given Chen Chaojiang's personality, even if he was in a relationship, he most likely wouldn't tell them.
Zhang Hao said, "I saw her once when I delivered goods to the Beijing branch last time. She was really good-looking."
"Hey, when is Chaojiang getting married?" Cao Gangchuan asked.
"I reckon it'll be soon. Zhengyang is getting married next March, and Zhijun will be around the same time. He'll be the only one left among us. How can we not be anxious?" Liu Bin laughed.
The group of people all started laughing.
Feeling the long-lost joyful atmosphere, Xu Zhengyang was quite emotional. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Brothers, I won't say much about Zhijun. People's Police Officer, Haozi, Gangchuan, and Bin, among the three of you, Haozi is now a top-notch driver. He's been driving long-distance routes for several years, knows a lot, and is familiar with the company's drivers. I'll arrange for Haozi to be the team leader later. Gangchuan and Bin, you two... don't always think about being security guards because it's less troublesome. You've been in the logistics company for several years. Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. You understand a bit. As the company grows bigger, I need to arrange a few reliable people to manage and supervise the company's operations. Logistics is difficult in some ways, but not that difficult either. How about it? Put in a little effort and move into management?"
“Okay, no problem,” Zhang Hao said with a smile, full of confidence.
Liu Bin and Cao Gangchuan kept scratching their heads.
Liu Bin said, "Come on, I'll just stay a security guard. Zhengyang, if you feel bad about it, give me a job as a security captain and a raise."
"Damn, you're the captain now, what am I supposed to do?" Cao Gangchuan said with a laugh.
"Don't give me that nonsense..." Xu Zhengyang finally blended into the buddy-buddy atmosphere, waving his hand and laughing as he said, "I'll talk to Zhan Xiaohui later and ask him to think about which department to assign you guys to. Trying to slack off? No way..."
The group of people then burst into laughter.
“There’s one thing…” Xu Zhengyang said seriously, “We have to make our brothers proud!”
The group nodded in agreement.
Yeah, Zhengyang is thinking of us brothers, and we can't just take what we've earned and make him lose face. We'd feel bad about it ourselves, wouldn't we?
Chen Chaojiang was supposed to rush back from Beijing yesterday, but Ye Wan insisted that he wait for her and come together the next day. Chen Chaojiang thought about it; after all, it wasn't their wedding day, so he called Xu Zhengyang to let him know. Xu Zhengyang, of course, didn't mind. He already knew Ye Wan would come; Li Bingjie and Ye Wan had already spoken on the phone.
As for other friends, such as Hu Laosi, Dong Wenqi and his son, Xu Zhengyang did not notify them. He thought that after returning from Beijing, he would find a hotel in Fuhe City, set up a few tables, and treat them to a meal.
After all, it's just an engagement, and it's not something that should be celebrated too extravagantly.
Xu Zhengyang's younger sister, Xu Rouyue, didn't come back this time either. He told her, "You can attend the engagement banquet in Beijing. You're busy with your studies right now, so don't bother traveling back and forth."
Xu Rouyue complained for a while, but then said nothing more. Anyway, her parents, brother, and sister-in-law would be coming to the capital in a few days.
The only thing that made Xu Rouyue feel a little helpless was that when Ouyang Ying learned the news, she actually smiled and then burst into tears in front of Xu Rouyue. Many times, when that budding love sprouts in the heart, it may not be able to take root and grow for various reasons, but it will still grow tenaciously in the heart, standing tall like a small bud, for a very long time, even a lifetime, without withering.
Xu Rouyue didn't know how to offer any advice.
Ouyang Ying quickly wiped away her tears, showing no embarrassment whatsoever, and said generously, "I'll go to the engagement banquet in the capital with you, to wish our brother and sister-in-law all the best."
"Okay," Xu Rouyue agreed.
A black Land Rover SUV drove along a country road. Chen Chaojiang, wearing sunglasses, looked even more stern.
Ye Wan sat in the passenger seat, looking at Chen Chaojiang with interest, and laughed, "Hey, aren't you getting impatient?"
"Hmm?" Chen Chaojiang turned to look at Ye Wan, then gazed ahead and said, "No rush."
"Really?" Ye Wan asked happily.
Chen Chaojiang blushed; what he had just said was, of course, a lie.
"Hey, how about we get married? Before Xu Zhengyang and Bingjie get married," Ye Wan said with a grin.
"In your home..."
"Pshaw, they don't even approve of you dating, let alone marriage."
"That……"
"Even if you don't agree to date, we're still together, aren't we?" Ye Wan said smugly. "So even if you don't agree to marriage, we can still get married."
Chen Chaojiang gripped the steering wheel tighter and tighter, his heart pounding.
He felt ashamed, realizing that he had always been passive in his relationship with Ye Wan... To put it bluntly, it wasn't him chasing after her, but rather her chasing him.
"Scared?" Ye Wan laughed.
Chen Chaojiang shook his head.
"Then why are you so nervous? Be careful not to break the steering wheel."
"Oh." Chen Chaojiang's hand loosened slightly, then quickly tightened again, and he said coldly, "Both sets of parents need to know."
Ye Wan nodded vigorously and said with a grin, "Then come to my house with me sometime. Come to think of it, you haven't met them yet."
The car had already entered the village, and Chen Chaojiang nodded and said, "Okay."
"Have you thought this through? My mom and dad are very strict, and so are my two older brothers... Be careful they don't beat you up." Ye Wan seemed excited about the topic, waving her hand and threatening through gritted teeth, "Don't think you can just lay a hand on my brothers just because you're good at fighting!"
"Hmm." Chen Chaojiang nodded, thinking to himself, "Isn't that obvious? But... they wouldn't actually hit me, would they?"
"Don't worry! I'm here." Ye Wan raised her face and smiled smugly.
Chen Chaojiang finally couldn't bear being in such a passive position any longer. When the SUV stopped on the roadside not far from Xu Zhengyang's house, and he saw his buddies waving at him, Chen Chaojiang opened the car door, suddenly turned to Ye Wan, and said:
"If you dare to marry me, of course I dare to marry you!"
Volume 5, Spirit Official, Chapter 241: Who is the son-in-law of the Li family?
A biting wind howled and raged through the air. Everything in the world seemed frozen solid.
Below the highway, rows of withered poplar branches swayed stiffly, seemingly about to be blown down at any moment; the fields were covered in snow, with occasional stubborn wheat seedlings peeking out from the white snow, showing hints of green.
A line of three cars sped north on the highway.
The first car was a black Audi A8 driven by Qingling, with Jiang Lan and her daughter Li Bingjie inside, and Ye Wan in the passenger seat; the middle car was a white Audi A4 driven by Li Chengzong, with Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin inside; the last car was a black Land Rover SUV driven by Chen Chaojiang, with Xu Zhengyang in the passenger seat.
Ye Wan was originally traveling in the same car as Chen Chaojiang, but after stopping at the Xizhao service area for lunch, Ye Wan went to Li Bingjie's car.
Seeing that only Chen Chaojiang was left in the Lu Hu car, Xu Zhengyang said goodbye to his parents and got into Chen Chaojiang's car.
Through the car window, Xu Zhengyang gazed at the vast expanse of snow-covered landscape in the distance, a faint smile on his face.
“Zhengyang,” Chen Chaojiang suddenly said.
"Hmm?" Xu Zhengyang turned his head and smiled slightly. "What is it?"
Chen Chaojiang glanced at Xu Zhengyang through the rearview mirror and said hesitantly, "I think we should stop by Anping City to see Chaohai."
"Oh, Chaohai is in Anping City?"
"Yes. Hedong University."
“Great, that’s good. You’re more promising than us. You’re a college graduate, you know more, and you learn and accept new things much faster than us.” Xu Zhengyang nodded approvingly. “Go ahead, after we get to the Anping exit, I’ll take the car in front.”
"Mm." Chen Chaojiang nodded.
Xu Zhengyang fell silent, turning to look out the window. The world is unpredictable, and everyone, strong or weak, seems unable to escape the whims of so-called luck. He, however, possessed the ability to alter people's fortunes, though he hadn't used it since, only a few times when he first acquired it. Wasn't the ultimate goal to ensure a level playing field?
Chen Chaohai was lucky. If it weren't for Xu Zhengyang and his brother Chen Chaojiang, given his family's original circumstances, he might still have been able to get into university and enter the university. However, both his own campus life and his family's financial situation would have been very difficult.
“Chao Hai is an honest kid. Talk to him more about it later. People shouldn’t be evil, but they shouldn’t be too honest either. If they’re too honest, they become fools…” Xu Zhengyang seemed a little bored and laughed, “But they can’t be like you either. It’s not good. It’s easy to cause big trouble.”
"Hmm," Chen Chaojiang responded, wondering why Zhengyang was suddenly bringing this up.
Xu Zhengyang continued looking out the window and said, "You have to have a pioneering spirit. You can't rely on anyone else. You have to be self-reliant. Of course, if someone bullies others, they can ask you, their older brother, to stand up for them, but they can't bully others themselves."
"Mm." Chen Chaojiang nodded again.
“What I’m most worried about is that after all the meddling, I’ll end up getting myself into trouble with my own people.” Xu Zhengyang turned his head, his expression calm as he looked into the rearview mirror at Chen Chaojiang’s long, cold eyes. “That’s very difficult, and it’s the most hurtful thing…”
Chen Chaojiang felt a chill in his heart and solemnly hummed in agreement.
If Chen Chaojiang still couldn't figure out why Xu Zhengyang would suddenly express his feelings about this matter by this point, then he wasn't Xu Zhengyang's buddy.
Since returning from Heaven, Xu Zhengyang, in a fit of rage, swept through Fuhe City, swallowing up the Ronghua Group. Then, like a tiger descending from the mountain, he stormed into Beijing, taking over Huatong Network Company and forcibly merging Huatong Logistics into Jinghui Logistics, even canceling its name. Especially concerning was his treatment of Jiang Lan, the mother of his fiancée Li Bingjie, without any regard for her feelings; and then there were Xu Zhengyang's two uncles and one uncle-in-law—three families in total…
Although these people deserved their punishment, upon closer reflection, how could Xu Zhengyang not feel troubled?
Seemingly realizing that he had been a bit out of line, Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "Alright, let's not talk about that. Let's talk about you and Ye Wan."
Chen Chaojiang paused for a moment, then said, "She said she would let me meet her parents when she has time."
"I bet you're feeling guilty," Xu Zhengyan said with a smile.
"No," Chen Chaojiang answered readily, saying, "At first I was a little hesitant because her family didn't approve, but now I've thought it through. Whether she's willing or not, we'll have to go and see for ourselves first..."
"What if you don't want to anymore?"
"I won't make things difficult for her," Chen Chaojiang said earnestly.
Xu Zhengyang shook his head with a wry smile, realizing he ultimately lacked Chen Chaojiang's magnanimity. Thinking of this, he asked in surprise, "Is this what you told Ye Wan?"
"no."
"I guess you can't say that. Otherwise, the girl would really throw a tantrum."
I told her, "If you dare to marry me, I dare to marry you..."
Xu Zhengyang smiled and turned his head to look out the car window, waving his hand and saying, "That's right. It's not certain whether others will really look down on you. Don't put more pressure on yourself. Relax. Society now advocates freedom of marriage. Arranged marriages and parental decisions are understandable, but you can't let them look down on you... Of course, if everyone can be happy, that would be the best outcome."
"I hope so."
“I think Ye Wan has some personality problems. She’s impulsive and thinks too simply…” Xu Zhengyang sighed and said, “Chao Jiang, think it through. Ye Wan might regret it in the near future. After all, you’re both still young, and what you see and think about isn’t that far ahead.”