Chickens and dogs fly in chaos and rebirth

Chapter 58

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Chen Hao's house is especially lively today.

At the beginning of the year, the family bought a commercial apartment in town, finally getting rid of the tenement house and successfully having a private space. As the only son in the family, Chen Hao was allocated a small bedroom in it. Although it was small, it was an independent space. When he closed the door and drew the window, no one could bother him.

To celebrate moving into a new house, I invited a group of my buddies over, which initially made my parents frown and reluctant.

Chen Hao is in the second year of junior high school. His parents hope that he can get into a key high school and then a key university. They wish they could divide his time into eight parts. However, when they heard that Qiu's youngest son was among them, after discussing it, they not only allowed him to attend but also prepared the meal in advance. They left home amidst the children's excited thanks, leaving them space to play freely.

Some people said enviously, "Chen Hao, your parents are so nice. If it were my parents, they would make me study every day and wouldn't invite my classmates over to play."

He smiled proudly and glanced at Qiu Xialin, who was frantically gnawing on a chicken leg.

After dinner, everyone rushed into Chen Hao's bedroom to play. Chen Hao looked at the greasy floor, rinsed the mop, and was about to mop it. The house was newly renovated and the marble tiles were shiny and bright. The only downside was that it was hard to mop clean. The mop was wet, and as soon as it was clean, a big footprint would appear when you stepped on it.

He had mopped it twice but it still wasn't clean. Just as he was getting impatient, Qiu Xialin came out of the house and burst out laughing when he saw it.

"You can't get it clean like this!"

He rolled up his sleeves, snatched the mop, and searched around but couldn't find a suitable scrap cloth. He had no choice but to take off his shoes, put on his white socks, and step onto the cool floor. He finished the job in a few quick movements, his skillful and practiced technique leaving Chen Hao dumbfounded.

Looking at the spotless floor, he smiled smugly: "How about that, clean, right?"

"You..." How could this be?

In everyone's impression, Qiu Shanglin is someone who is waited on hand and foot, so how could she possibly do housework?

He understood, and smiled nonchalantly: "I did odd jobs for my sister for two years, mopping the floor every day. It took me a whole month to figure out how to mop it properly. This marble floor is great in every way, but the downside is that it doesn't absorb water. It gets dirty easily with even a little water. The shop uses special clean slippers, or you just step on a rag. You can't wear shoes—look how dirty the soles are!"

Qiu Shanglin said that in ten or twenty years, the sanitation in Zifang Town might improve. When people stop littering, spitting, and smoking in public places; when they stop damaging flowers, trees, and shrubs, the roads in Zifang Town will be spotless, and we will no longer have to worry about being covered in dust by the spring winds and having to shake off two ounces of dust from our clothes when we get home.

"By the way, you should replace the marble when you have time. It's not good for your health. I've already replaced it with wood flooring in my house."

There was ample opportunity to lay carpets, but Qiu Shanglin complained that carpets were dirty and difficult to clean, not meeting the standard of washing every two days. Who knew how many bacteria they harbored? He refused to allow large-scale carpeting.

They stayed outside for a long time, and someone peeked in to ask, "Hey Xia Lin, aren't you going to take over your family's factory in the future? How come you're working for your sister?"

Shinohara realized he had misspoke, gave an awkward smile, and asked, "Which level are you on?"

"The third challenge? You bunch of idiots, watch me!" With that, she walked towards the bedroom, avoiding the topic from before.

Someone else asked him where Li Changsheng had gone, since he hadn't seen him for a long time.

Xia Lin pouted. His heartless parents had somehow made a small fortune and wanted to take him south to enjoy a life of luxury. Chang Sheng didn't want to go, but his sister bought him a train ticket and forced him onto the train—his brother would definitely come back, he secretly told her. He would go see his parents and come back after convincing them, so he didn't bring much luggage. Almost a week had passed, and he still didn't know how things were going.

Qiu Shanglin was finally at ease. Having chased away Brother Li, no one was watching her anymore, so she was running around everywhere. Today, she was visiting that guy surnamed Gu… The Governor? So what if he's the Governor? Your grandfather's the Governor, and my sister's a child prodigy!

She's barely grown a hair, yet she dares to compete with my brother for my sister!

Qiu Xialin always believed that his sister was destined to marry Li Changsheng, and no one else was allowed to covet her.

Now they're both shy and embarrassed, but when they grow up and their hearts begin to flutter, they'll naturally become a couple since they're childhood sweethearts and a perfect match.

They understood Li Changsheng's personality and temperament, and felt at ease entrusting their daughter to him. This was actually a casual chat between Qiu Jianguo and his wife, which was overheard by Xia Lin. From that moment on, Xia Lin labeled Qiu Shanglin as Li Changsheng, and rejected any boy who tried to get within a zhang of his sister.

My brother is shy and embarrassed, but I have to protect his rights!

He could manage those around him, but he couldn't manage Gu Zhiyuan, who lived far away in the provincial capital and only corresponded with Shang Lin. "Look at how my sister smiles like a flower every time she receives his letters; my brother may not say it, but his heart is probably bleeding"—this is purely literary embellishment.

He's a pretty boy with better skin than my sister, and he wears a slicked-back hairstyle and mousse. He's no good... My impression of him is still stuck on a brief encounter at a talent show two years ago.

Brother, when are you coming back? If you don't come back soon, my sister will be snatched away by another man... She only listens to you. If it were another man, wouldn't I be in trouble?

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The Qiu family's ancestral home was expanded last year. The neighboring family bought an apartment and moved to town. The Qiu family bought the neighboring family's land, opened up the two sides, and renovated and rebuilt. They became the first family in the village to build a grand three-story villa, with a flower garden and six or seven large sycamore trees transplanted into the yard, attracting birds to build nests.

Every villager who entered the Qiu family's home exclaimed in admiration, gazing at the house covered in gleaming mosaic tiles. The Qiu couple were truly blessed; they had three sons, each more successful than the last, especially the second son. Look at how busy he and his wife are—the town of Zifang can't even contain them all! I heard the second son was elected as a People's Congress representative this year?

Tsk tsk, after so many generations, finally someone has emerged who can make a living as an official!

Qiujia Village is located in Zifang Town. The villagers are all quite knowledgeable. When Qiu Jianguo was elected as a people's representative, they only expressed envy and admiration, which was not an exaggeration.

Every neighbor who entered the Qiu family ancestral home to chat expressed their envy of the elderly couple and their praise for Qiu Jianguo and his wife. The most common phrases heard in the courtyard were, "The second son is really capable; you just wait to enjoy your retirement..." But today seemed a little different.

"I'm not trying to stir up trouble, but that girl Shanglin is just too outrageous. Who's closer to her uncle and some distant relative? Her uncle and I have watched her grow up, and we've spoiled her rotten!" A sharp, loud voice came from the living room downstairs.

The old lady's silver hair was neatly combed and coiled into a small bun at the back of her head, with two large gold earrings on her ears.

According to local custom, every elderly person must have a pair of pure gold earrings to ward off evil spirits and illness. Many poor but filial sons would sell their possessions to make a pair of gold earrings for their mothers, even if it was only the size of a grain of rice!

Zhang Chunhua read for a long time, but seeing that the old lady didn't seem very energetic, she said with dissatisfaction, "Mom, you be the judge."

He mumbled a muffled sound in his throat and blinked his cloudy eyes. Pretending not to hear, he turned to his sister-in-law and said, "Third Aunt, try this tea. It's called Tieguanyin, a southern tea. It's said to lower blood lipids. My granddaughter brought it back."

Third Auntie, being sensible, picked up her small teacup and drank it all in one gulp. She smacked her lips and commented, "It smells quite fragrant, but it has no flavor. Yanli should have grabbed more tea leaves."

The old lady smiled like a Buddha: "That's what I said too. Shanglin said no, that's the taste we're drinking, too strong and we're afraid of getting drunk."

Third Aunt poured herself another glass, smacking her lips: "I'm so poor, I still think the big-leaf jasmine tea tastes better!"

The old lady hurriedly instructed her daughter-in-law: "Go, brew a pot of tea for your third aunt from the blue jar."

After she reluctantly walked away, he whispered, "To be honest, I don't really like this either. We're used to being poor, and even the finest tea can't compare to a handful of coarse leaves!"

The two elderly people, whose combined age is over 100, smiled mysteriously as if they had obtained some extraordinary treasure.

When Zhang Chunhua returned with the tea, she hadn't gotten to say what she wanted to say. Instead, she sat down and continued to complain: "What's so great about that Hua Qianshan? Is he even qualified to be the general manager? He's just a distant relative from her maternal grandmother's side. She's taken a liking to Lin and treats him like a treasure, neglecting her proper uncle. I told her, 'It's not your own company. You're just helping him out. Letting an outsider take over the reins is nothing compared to having a caring uncle.'"

I get angry just thinking about Qiu Shanglin's answer.

You tell me, this little girl has been at odds with me since she was little. Now she's managing someone else's company. Who wouldn't try to make money for themselves? But she's given her uncle a vacant job with no benefits at all. It makes me so angry.

She also regretted her own blindness; why didn't she realize back then that Yin Yeyao's family was wealthy? If only she had known to curry favor with him and get him to hand over the company to her and her husband, wouldn't that have been better than Qiu Shanglin?

To the outside world, Shang Lin always claimed that the company was being managed on behalf of Yin Yeyao, and that he owned the majority of the shares. Despite Zhang Chunhua being his aunt, in Shang Lin's heart, Zhang Chunhua was an absolute outsider.

Qiu Jianguo's younger brother had been pestering him to work at Xinglong for a long time, and Qiu Jianguo couldn't refuse. However, the factory was small at the time and didn't need many management personnel, so he had to put him in charge of production. But he was lazy and liked to eat, complaining that the workshop was messy or cold. Since it was close to home, he would often skip work and insist on going to sales. Zhang Hongwei dared not let him go to sales. Finally, when Shanglin's company was established, she and Shanglin discussed finding him a vacant position in the company. It would look good to outsiders, and they wouldn't have to worry about him doing anything wrong or embezzling.

Over the years, they have gained more experience and know that their daughter's precociousness is not necessarily a good thing. If they don't keep it a secret, it might bring disaster one day. They also thought that Shang Lin and Yin Yeyao were running a company together—but in recent years, Yin Yeyao's shares have been gradually transferred to Shang Lin without their knowledge. They didn't ask, and Shang Lin was happy to keep quiet.

Therefore, most people in the Qiu family believed that Mocha Cat was a partnership between Shang Lin and someone else, with Shang Lin only holding a small share. However, because the partner was not local, she was managing it on his behalf.

When Uncle Qiu joined the company, to put it bluntly, he was just a farmer with muddy legs. He had only been out in the fields for a few days and was suddenly in a big city. Seeing the busy yet well-organized company, he was initially quite impressed. But what followed was ambition; he couldn't help but be ambitious, especially with Zhang Chunhua urging him on!

In his opinion, it would be fine to just be idle. He could drink tea, read the newspaper, and go to get off work on time every day. What's so great about being a general manager? To outsiders, Hua Qianshan seemed to have a glamorous life, but little did they know that he worked overtime every day and couldn't even get a full night's sleep.

Zhang Chunhua, with her competitive and ambitious nature, always had to produce a few things, let alone when she got a good deal.

The two old ladies were drinking their tea. She kept rambling on and on: "I told her to get a government car for her uncle too. It's not like it's her own money. It would save her the trouble of going to and from get off work. But you know what? It's not like it's her money. She's so upset about it. She won't budge no matter what."

Thinking of Hua Qianshan's black sedan, Zhang Chunhua felt a sharp pain in her flesh.

A car? Let alone Qiujia Village, how many people in Zifang Town can afford to ride in one?

If her husband also had a car, she could ride it back to her parents' home... She only regrets that Qiu is so stingy!

The old lady squinted her eyes: "Third Aunt, try that candy."

She rustled as she unwrapped the candy wrappers, and seeing her sister-in-law's satisfied expression, she smiled and said, "Chunhua, wrap up two packs for your third aunt to take home and eat when she leaves."

The renovated old house, the newly purchased land, the newly built small building, the tall sycamore trees that stunned the whole village, the solid wood furniture in the house, and everything including food, drink and daily necessities were all provided by Qiu Jianguo and his wife.