Chapter 27: The Gloomy Lin Jianguo

Lin Wei's mother went out of town on a business trip, and her older brother works at the criminal police brigade. This has greatly reduced the pressure on Chen Yang.

During the meal, Lin Jianguo kept serving Lin Wei more dishes, but he ignored Chen Yang completely.

Because Chen Yang had bought her a brand‑name bag and cosmetics, Du Yue'e's attitude was noticeably warmer than when they first met; she kept serving Chen Yang more dishes and soup, which made Lin Jianguo very displeased.

"Doesn't he have hands and feet? Why does he need someone to wait on him?"

Chen Yang sensibly lowered his head and ate in silence. Du Yue'e, however, spoke up for him: "Dad, I've been married to Lin Feng for two years and I'm still wearing the gold necklace he gave me at our wedding. When Chen Yang first came to the door, he bought me a bag worth thirty thousand yuan. Isn't it alright if I treat him a little better?"

Lin Jianguo's face flushed slightly, and he quickly covered for his son: "He's just looking after a comrade in difficult circumstances, right?"

Du Yue'e's face darkened even more upon hearing that. "He only knows how to take care of others—during holidays he's either on a mission or with his comrades and colleagues. He never leaves any time for me."

Lin Jianguo lowered his head, feeling gloomy. His son Lin Feng had an accident while serving; a comrade saved him. Lin Feng was unharmed, but the comrade lost a leg. To repay the favor, over the years he has given all his salary to that comrade. Lin Jianguo supports this behavior.

The problem is, Lin Feng ultimately has his own small family; he devotes all his energy to his comrade, inadvertently neglecting Du Yue'e. Over the past two years, the couple have argued frequently.

Lin Jianguo had also advised Lin Feng for the sake of family harmony, but to little effect. Now, facing his daughter‑in‑law's complaints, he is utterly at a loss for words.

He stared at Chen Yang, who was burying himself in his meal, and felt even more annoyed. "Just because you have a little money you squander it—is the lottery company yours? Do you win every day?"

Chen Yang hastily put down his chopsticks and promised Lin Jianguo: "Dad, I won't buy any more next time."

Lin Jianguo then nodded in satisfaction. Du Yue'e, however, was unhappy: "Dad, Lin Feng doesn't buy me gifts and you say he's sentimental, but when Chen Yang buys me gifts you call it a waste of money. If you have any objections to me, just say them outright!" After saying that, she lost her appetite, cried, and returned to her room.

Seeing this, Lin Wei hastily put down her chopsticks to console Du Yue'e.

Lin Jianguo rose step by step from a police officer at the precinct to the position of public security bureau chief. He is quite experienced in handling civil disputes, but when it comes to his own family affairs he has no idea what to do. Indeed, an honest official finds it hard to settle family matters!

Seeing Lin Wei and Du Yue'e leave the table, Chen Yang felt embarrassed to continue eating. Of course, he also didn't dare follow Lin Wei into Du Yue'e's bedroom.

The two men just stared at each other in the living room, deadlocked. Influenced by his previous life's Zhang Jun, Chen Yang felt an innate apprehension toward this father‑in‑law. When Lin Wei was present he could barely feign composure, but now that she's gone he worries Lin Jianguo might suddenly lash out and beat him up.

"Have you eaten enough?" Lin Jianguo actually wanted to beat Chen Yang, but striking now would cause his daughter‑in‑law to misunderstand again, and his precious daughter would likely not approve. So he could only verbally jab at Chen Yang.

Chen Yang nodded slightly, not daring to respond casually before he figured out Lin Jianguo's attitude.

"What are your plans for the future?"

"I haven't figured out the long‑term plan yet; the short‑term plan is to buy a house and open a supermarket."

"Buying a house and opening a supermarket both require a lot of money—with your reckless spending, can you really manage it?"

"Well, I've already bought the house, and the supermarket is under renovation. Besides, I still have some cash in my card, enough to stock the supermarket."

Lin Jianguo fell silent again. He had overlooked the fact that this kid had just won a big prize, with at least several million yuan in his pocket. Buying a house and opening a supermarket were indeed no problem.

"You studied hard for over ten years, struggled through university, and all just to open a supermarket?"

"Running a supermarket can support oneself—what's wrong with that?"

Lin Jianguo was at a loss for words. He took out a cigarette, lit it, inhaled, then exhaled. His mood eased a little.

He actually doesn't dislike Chen Yang. Aside from family background, Chen Yang's looks and education are more than worthy of his daughter.

The problem is, he had already promised his superior that the two families would become in‑laws. They had also agreed that they would marry once Lin Wei graduated from university.

Who would have thought that, halfway through, Chen Yang would appear out of nowhere and ruin his marriage alliance?

For this matter, he hasn't called his superior in two weeks. He's embarrassed!

If it weren't for the bureau being swamped with work and unable to leave, he would have long since rushed to Xingcheng to settle accounts with Chen Yang.

After finally waiting for Chen Yang to come to the door on his own, he had pent‑up anger that could finally be released—only to be disrupted again by his daughter and daughter‑in‑law.

At this point, even if he wanted to beat Chen Yang he couldn't find a justification. Wanting to make things difficult for him, but his own education is limited. After thinking for a while, he finally said: "You're opening a supermarket in Xingcheng, while Weiwei works in Qingshui; a married couple living apart long‑term is unsuitable!"

Chen Yang actually also knew he would eventually face this issue. He said: "Once the supermarket is on track, I'll hand it over to my aunt to manage, and then I'll have plenty of free time to return to Qingshui."

Lin Jianguo added: "As a grown man, idling at home all day isn't right either. You still need to find a proper job."

Chen Yang replied: "Working a job means no freedom. If I'm really too idle, I can open another supermarket in Qingshui."

Lin Jianguo hadn't expected Chen Yang to be so obstinate, and questioned him: "Running two supermarkets—can you really keep up?"

Chen Yang responded: "There are plenty of laid‑off workers in Qingshui City; as long as the pay is right, labor won't be lacking."

Lin Jianguo puffed on his cigarette, his original intention still being to hope Chen Yang would find a unit to work at and lead a stable life with Lin Wei. But he simply couldn't persuade Chen Yang.

At present, the overall situation in Qingshui City is not good; many factories face bankruptcy and reorganization. Workers, having had their wages withheld for a long time, have repeatedly blockaded the gates of the municipal Party committee and government.

At the same time, the growing number of unemployed people has added many unstable factors to public security. As the public security bureau chief, he too has been swamped lately.

At this moment, his urging Chen Yang to take a job carries no conviction. On the contrary, he hopes Qingshui will have more entrepreneurs like Chen Yang to ease employment pressure.

Chen Yang pondered, then said: "Isn't your elder brother's comrade living in difficult circumstances? Once the supermarket here in Qingshui opens, I can have him come help out, with better pay. That way your elder brother would be relieved of his burden and have more time to keep his wife company."

Lin Jianguo's eyes lit up—this really is a good way to solve the problem. It would both ease the financial hardship of Lin Feng's comrade and alleviate the internal tensions in his own household.

In that light, this son‑in‑law is not completely useless.