Chapter 87: Chen Yang, you liar

Lin Feng wasn't on duty today, having heard that Chen Yang was coming back, he waited early at the residential complex's gate. When he saw Chen Yang step out of a brand-new luxurious Range Rover, his eyes sparkled with excitement and envy.

"Chen Yang, you little brat, you got a new car again? This car is really awesome!" Lin Feng exclaimed while circling the Range Rover, closely examining the body, eager to test the feel. "Lend it to me for a spin later."

"No problem, let's move the stuff up first!" Chen Yang's car was loaded with cigarettes, alcohol, fruit, and some women's cosmetics. He had originally called Lin Wei to pick up the car, but it turned out to be his brother-in-law Lin Feng.

"You little brat, every time you come back you go on a huge shopping spree, making things difficult for me as your brother-in-law!" Lin Feng complained while moving the stuff. Since Chen Yang married Lin Wei, his parents and wife constantly compare him to Chen Yang. How can a police officer earning a fixed salary compete with a wealthy, generous merchant? It's utter defeat.

However, Lin Feng wasn't jealous either. Chen Yang's arrival noticeably changed the atmosphere inside the Lin family. During parents' after-tea chats, besides urging him and Du Yue'e to have a child, they mostly talked about Chen Yang, this new son-in-law. His wife Du Yue'e was busy with supermarket affairs and had no time to argue with him. The lingering pressure that once made him breathless suddenly dissipated.

"Brother, how are Mom and Dad feeling today?" Chen Yang, every time he comes back buying a pile of things, also aims to please Lin Jianguo and his wife. After all, as a son-in-law, he hasn't yet received full approval.

Lin Jianguo is fine; as long as he doesn't break the law or cause trouble, a bit of good tobacco and alcohol will settle things.

Hu Qingwan, the arts-loving chairman of the literary federation, has many varied interests with no obvious bias, making her hard for Chen Yang to read. Buying designer bags and cosmetics, she didn't show much joy. Even bringing watermelon priced at a few cents per jin, she didn't complain. Yet in conversation, Chen Yang could still feel that she hadn't fully accepted him.

"Chen Yang, have you gotten into trouble again outside?"

"What do you mean 'again'? I'm a law-abiding citizen!"

"Then why are you worrying about Mom and Dad's feelings? I thought you'd done something bad."

"Nothing, I was just asking casually."

"Then you can relax; when I went downstairs, their mood was very stable."

Lin Feng quickly moved the stuff upstairs, unable to wait to test Chen Yang's new car.

Chen Yang, carrying the cigarettes and alcohol Lin Jianguo liked, followed behind. As soon as he reached the Lin family gate, he was blocked by his mother-in-law Hu Qingwan. "You kid, I just had your father quit smoking and drinking yesterday, and you bought all this again. Hurry up and return it."

Chen Yang smiled: "Mom, since it's already bought, let's just store it at home for now. Even if we don't give it to Dad to drink, we can keep it for holidays and give it as gifts."

Hu Qingwan snapped: "Giving such nice gifts, aren't you worried someone might have your father taken to the Discipline Inspection Commission for tea?"

Chen Yang said: "Giving a bit of cigarettes and alcohol to relatives and friends during holidays is just normal human sentiment. These cigarettes and alcohol I bought with legitimate income, and they all have invoices. Proper and legal gift-giving—should the Discipline Inspection Commission really have a say?"

"Mom, Dad only has that little hobby; don't be too strict about it." Lin Wei pulled Hu Qingwan back to the living room. After Chen Yang entered the house, Lin Jianguo promptly took the cigarettes and alcohol from his arms and went happily back to the study. This scene left Hu Qingwan laughing and crying at once.

Chen Yang then ran downstairs with Lin Feng to continue moving things. After finishing, Lin Feng couldn't wait to take the Range Rover out for a drive.

After Chen Yang returned to the Lin residence again, Lin Jianguo had already stored the cigarettes and alcohol, then sat back on the sofa to watch TV. Lin Wei and Hu Qingwan sorted the fruit. Several large baskets of lychees, mangosteens, mangoes, and longans— the family definitely couldn't finish them all. They had to set some aside to give to relatives, friends, and colleagues.

Hu Qingwan had just returned from a business trip to the south not long ago, and she was deeply impressed by the fruit there. She told Chen Yang: "Southern fruit is at least half as cheap as ours here, with more varieties; your company should go there for an inspection."

Chen Yang nodded: "I just bought a 10,000-square-meter large cold storage facility in Xingcheng, dedicated to storing vegetables and fruits. Once Xingcheng's market is fully opened, I will specifically send business staff to the south to inspect the market."

"Honey, how much did you spend this time going to Xingcheng?"

"The cold storage plus land and shops—over eighty million altogether!"

As soon as Chen Yang finished speaking, Lin Jianguo and his wife both shot him astonished looks. They hadn't expected Chen Yang to undertake such a huge project. Lin Wei was a bit dissatisfied: "With that much money, you should have invested it in Qingshui."

Chen Yang explained: "To ease the pressure of agricultural product backlog in Qingshui City, merely developing the inner-city market is just a drop in the bucket. As Xingcheng is the provincial capital, with a large population base and stronger economic strength, only by developing this big market well can we hope to solve the fundamental problem."

Lin Wei asked: "Then does your company's main body also have to move entirely to Xingcheng?"

Chen Yang nodded: "I've already bought a plot of land near the Xingcheng South Railway Station, preparing to build the company headquarters there. Besides, I also bought a hundred shops, a large portion of which will be used as chain supermarket outlets."

Lin Wei, a little unhappy, snapped angrily: "Chen Yang, you liar, you said you'd stay in Qingshui to keep me company, and you've run off after just a few days!"

Chen Yang smiled to comfort her: "It's only a three-hour drive; I can come back anytime I want! Besides, the company has people managing it—I don't need to stay there day and night."

"That's what you said; if you can't follow through later, don't blame me for taking care of you." After warning Chen Yang, Lin Wei turned to Hu Qingwan and Lin Jianguo and said: "Mom and Dad, you'll both be witnesses."

Lin Jianguo turned his head back to the TV program, pretending not to hear. Hu Qingwan raised her hand and patted Lin Wei's head, softly scolding: "A man should prioritize his career. Constantly staying by your side—what's that supposed to mean?"

Lin Wei pouted in protest: "I don't even expect Chen Yang to become filthy rich; just staying by my side is enough. Is that request really so hard?"

Chen Yang hurriedly smiled apologetically: "Not hard, not at all."

Hu Qingwan snorted, then rebuked Lin Wei: "You only care about your own happiness, never considering Chen Yang. If he were idle and relied on you for everything, how would others look at him? Even stepping back, if your values ever changed in the future, Chen Yang would be incapable of anything—would you still get along well with him?"

Lin Wei had nothing to say in retort to her mother. After thinking a moment, she said to Chen Yang: "Are you not afraid that we might abandon you in the future?"

Chen Yang said: "Not afraid; actually, quite a few people pursue me. If I lowered my standards even a bit, you wouldn't matter at all."