Chapter 1617: Taking Charge

As the saying goes, money is a person's courage, and wealth is the seedling of prosperity.

Er Qiang has plenty now; he can easily pull out ten thousand yuan in cash. Following Wang Yan around everywhere has broadened his horizons. Managing hundreds or thousands of people and meeting officials wherever he goes—all these things have inevitably changed his mindset.

The overall boost in self-confidence is the root of Er Qiang's transformation.

They ate and drank until evening, when everyone dispersed. Wang Yan and Er Qiang sat in the courtyard, smoking and chatting idly.

"How are things with Master Ma?"

"Hmm... pretty good."

Wang Yan heard Er Qiang's vague response and said with a chuckle, "You've slept together, then? What's the next step? Any plans?"

"Of course, marriage!" Er Qiang said with a smile. "I've already thought it through. I'll find an opportunity this year to talk to my eldest brother, and then we'll get the certificate. We won't hold a ceremony, just to avoid making my brother and my dad angry enough to cause trouble."

"What did Master Ma say?"

"She said she'd listen to me. She doesn't ask for anything else, as long as she can raise her son. Things have been okay with her son over the last six months. He used to look at me with disdain, but after I bought him snacks, toys, and clothes, he's finally gotten close to me."

"That's Master Ma playing the villain to take care of you, didn't you realize?"

Ma Suqin also works in the company; like Si Mei, she is a regional manager. In other words, the entire Jin Ling market is split in two, with each of them responsible for half. With hundreds of stores open, and several new ones opening every day, Ma Suqin's income is certainly not low. She doesn't lack money for her son's various expenses; she spends all her money on the child.

"I'm not a kid, of course I know. As long as the child accepts it, that's fine." Er Qiang waved his hand indifferently. "I'm just thinking now about how to tell my brother about this. Wang Yan, help me think of a way..."

"What way is there to think of? It's not that Master Ma is a bad person; it's that she's older, it's her second marriage, and she has a half-grown boy. Marrying you isn't ideal. That's the problem. What method can solve that? You might as well just cook the rice until it's done—get her pregnant first."

"But our family's reputation..."

Wang Yan clicked his tongue. "Manager Er Qiang, are you sick? In the eyes of others, you marrying Master Ma is already a loss of face. Since the face is already gone, why care about losing more? Don't you need Master Ma? You aren't holding a banquet, it's just a marriage certificate. If you get it secretly and don't tell anyone, who would know? Does it matter if she's pregnant or not?"

"Will that work?"

"It's you and Master Ma, not me. Whether it works is up to you. I've done all I can." Wang Yan exhaled smoke languidly.

Conditions are better now; he even smokes Huazi cigarettes. Unlike before, when Er Qiang bought the cigarettes and he just bummed a couple. Although he could afford them before, he always kept a low profile. Now that everyone around knows they have money, it doesn't matter anymore.

Er Qiang let out a long breath, then threw the cigarette butt on the ground and ground it out fiercely.

"If my brother wants to hit me when the time comes, you must stop him. Otherwise, my brother really might beat me to death."

"You're overthinking it. Eldest Brother Yi Cheng is the softest-hearted. At worst, he'll kick you twice and slap you twice. Besides, you're a big boss now; Eldest Brother Yi Cheng certainly won't want to make you lose face. So the most likely scenario is that he'll beat you symbolically, and after we stop him, he'll just scold you a bit."

Wang Yan sighed. "Besides, back to the matter of your Qiao family's reputation—right now, what could be more prestigious than having money? The richest people in Shamao Lane—who can compare to that majesty?"

"That's true!" Er Qiang slapped his thigh. "Tomorrow I'll go get the certificate with Master! Wait, no, Wang Yan, I'm not old enough. I'm only twenty, two years short."

"Does it delay your business?" Wang Yan glanced at him.

Erqiang paused for a moment, smiled sheepishly, and then said, "Wang Yan, you know a lot of people, help me find a house. If there were no conditions, I wouldn't say anything, but now that I have the means, I can't keep renting, right?"

"I say what you say makes sense. A multi-story building or a single-story house?"

Erqiang thought for a moment: "Let's go with a single-story house. I remember you said before that Jin Ling is going to develop and will definitely have to relocate. You have wide connections and get a lot of news, so if I buy that kind of house, I can still make a profit later. I'm not in a hurry for a multi-story building. Didn't you also say you were going to build houses for our company's employees?"

"That will take some years."

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, I'm so busy now, and I don't spend much time at home; it's just for sleeping. I'll make do for a few years and save some more money, and we'll see later."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Alright, I'll contact someone for you tomorrow and strive to settle the house this week."

Erqiang's change was visible to the naked eye. As for whether Erqiang's feelings for Ma Suqin would change in the future, Wang Yan didn't care.

Faced with various temptations, how many people can truly remain unmoved? He, Wang Mou, also reached today step by step, which is why he has today's strong and resilient mental will. The premise is that he has already indulged, eaten, and seen enough, so naturally, the infatuation faded.

As for Erqiang, how he develops and what choices he makes are all understandable...

At least for now, Erqiang has not gone against his own initial ideas.

The next day, Wang Yan contacted someone and had them take Erqiang to look at houses. Erqiang was decisive now, deeply understanding the logic that he could earn more money later, so he didn't hesitate much. After wandering around for two days and looking at a few places, he settled on a large courtyard; the owner was planning to go abroad.

After renovating and tidying up, and purchasing furniture and appliances, Erqiang moved in with Ma Suqin and her son. By this time, Wang Yan and Sanli, after experiencing military training, had officially started their university life.

Wang Yan and Sanli both chose to live on campus, which was more convenient for studying and living. Although the school wasn't far from home, there was still a distance, and commuting back and forth was always a waste of time.

If one were to talk about who reacted the most to Wang Yan and Sanli going to college and living on campus, it was still Old Qiao. Although the old guy didn't come home at night, either playing mahjong or going out to drink, he still had to eat at home.

Now it was better; Wang Yan, Sanli, and Yicheng were all living on campus, only coming back to eat together every few days. Erqiang had already started a life with his good master, using work as an excuse not to come home. Simei was lazy; although she could cook, she had so much money in her hands and her work was indeed busy, so she had no intention of cooking and ate outside.

As a result, the Old Qiao house, which used to be full of laughter and liveliness every day, suddenly became deserted, and Old Qiao became a left-behind elderly person.

In the past, the old guy didn't care about these things at all, after all, he was just that kind of father. However, when he was truly left alone at home with no one paying attention to him, the old guy became disappointed instead.

So much so that the old guy, who used to miss dinner from time to time, now never missed a single reunion every few days, only he would nag a bit every time he ate...

"You guys, you've all grown up, but you can't forget your old dad. You tell me, I, Qiao Zuwang, have five children, and now I'm only in my fifties, and I've become a lonely man? I don't see anyone all day long..."

Qiao Zuwang drank his wine, sounding quite pitiful.

Simei looked disgusted: "Dad, I'm still living at home, and I don't see you at night either. Don't you go out to drink and play mahjong with people every day after work, and only come back in the middle of the night? Sometimes you don't even come home for several days."

"You have the nerve to say that. You don't cook for me, so why should I come back? It's better to just make do at someone else's house and play mahjong directly."

"Then what are you talking about?" Yicheng glanced at his biological father, "You make it sound so pitiful. Erqiang and Simei haven't given you less money, you..."

"What do you mean not less? They earn ten thousand yuan a month outside, and only give me, this father, a few dozen yuan. Is this reasonable?"

"The truth is out, right? You just want more money! You're still working, earning a few dozen yuan a month, and Sanli and Simei each give you thirty, adding up to over a hundred yuan. You spend every cent, and every month you secretly ask Sanli for a few dozen more. What do you want to do? Huh?"

"How are you talking to your father? I raised you all this big, you're earning big money, and you're not willing to repay me? Besides, it has nothing to do with you. I'm talking to Erqiang and Simei! You've read so many books, and I haven't seen you bring much money home."

Yicheng was so angry he laughed: "You raised us this big? What did you do? We thank you for not letting us freeze or starve to death. Now that Erqiang and Simei are earning money, giving you some subsidies every month, and not letting you freeze or starve to death when you are laid off in the future is fulfilling filial piety. What else do you want? Do you have the nerve? When they were sick before, did you care? When there was a parent-teacher meeting, did you go?..."

Yicheng was firing on all cylinders, fiercely rebuking his biological father without mercy, truly like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, sweeping his father's face clean.

Qiao Zuwang slammed the table.

"What are you doing?" Yicheng shouted angrily.

"I can't even slam the table?" Qiao Zuwang gave in and poured himself a drink, "Oh, these children can't be counted on. Everyone says the Qiao family has made a fortune and is the richest in Shamao Lane, but who knows that I, the head of the family, can't even pull a hundred yuan out of my pocket..."

Looking at Yicheng suppressing his anger, Wang Yan said: "Uncle Qiao, I think you should say less. Otherwise, the money Erqiang and Simei give you will become twenty in a while. Don't you think you're losing out?"

"How can there be a reason for it to go up and then come down? It's simply lawless." After shouting a sentence with a fierce look but a weak heart, seeing that none of his children were paying attention to him, Old Qiao shut up sullenly.

He turned to Wang Yan and said, "You're still the good one, Wang Yan. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even know what Moutai tastes like."

"Hey, Uncle Qiao, don't say that, or we'll drink Shuanggou next time."

"I don't care, can you not drink? I saw it early on, you kid know how to enjoy life, and I can be considered to have benefited from you."

"You've benefited plenty." Yicheng snorted.

Qiao Zuwang also snorted, but in the end, he didn't argue anymore: "I won't lower myself to your level."

And so, a meal was finished happily just like that.

Yes, happily. Even though Yicheng argued and got angry with Old Qiao, everyone didn't take Old Qiao seriously, and Yicheng was the same; he got angry quickly and it went away just as quickly, because he never held high expectations for his biological father.

After eating and chatting for a while, they left the Qiao house and broke up.

Seeing Erqiang pedaling his bicycle in another direction, Yicheng asked: "Aren't you going back?"

"Ah, Big Brother, I still have something to deal with, I'll sleep at the company today." Erqiang gave a random reason and left on his motorcycle.

"Are you guys so busy now?" Yicheng looked at Wang Yan again.

"It's always been like this. Now, no matter how I go to the company, he's the one doing the work, so he's even more tired. I can still see him these two days, but in a few days, he'll have to go out of town again. I'm leaving, Big Brother."

Wang Yan got on his bicycle, Sanli sat in the back seat, said goodbye to Yicheng, and left.

Yicheng looked left and right, then got on his bicycle and left...

Arriving at his own house, Wang Yan got some well water and took a sip. Sanli walked around the room, picked up some unwashed clothes, walked out, and looked at Wang Yan with a frown.

"That's not right, Wang Yan, my second brother's room doesn't look like anyone lives there. I've come over several times and it seems the same, the things inside haven't been moved. Confess, is there some secret?"

Wang Yan took her into his arms and sat her on his lap: "Brother Qiang really doesn't live here anymore."

"Then where does he live?" Sanli asked, and then reacted immediately, widening her eyes in surprise, "His master?"

"Yeah, they've been living together since last month."

"Oh my, why didn't you tell me?"

"Wasn't I keeping a secret for Brother Qiang?"

"Then why are you saying it now?"

Wang Yan pressed his face against hers: "You already know, so I definitely won't hide it anymore."

"Get up, you smell like alcohol, it's disgusting."

"Then you should drink some too, and you'll be fine." Wang Yan kissed her directly on the mouth.

At first, Sanli refused, but gradually she became immersed in it, responding clumsily and passionately.

In this exchange of give and take, the pleasant autumn seemed to return to the fiery summer, it was really hot. Hot enough to make people sweat, with a burning fire in their hearts, unable to control their feelings.

Come to think of it, the last time Wang Yan met Sanli was over a thousand years ago. For Wang Yan's long life, that was almost when Wang Yan was still in kindergarten, a person from the early stage of his life.

Thinking about it now, his heart was narrow at that time and couldn't accommodate Sanli, causing the two to walk in opposite directions. Seeing her again today, over a thousand years later, it really was a different feeling in his heart.

"You're bad!"

Sanli seemed drunk, her eyes blurred, but she didn't forget to slap the culprit.

"I feel like I'm about to marry into your Qiao family, this is a proper case of water flowing to form a canal." Wang Yan was shameless and old-faced.

"I feel it's particularly unreal, as if we just met yesterday."

"I'm different from you, I was thinking about today yesterday."

Sanli rubbed against Wang Yan's arms: "Then did you think about the day after tomorrow?"

"More than that, I even thought about the day after the day after, the day after that, the day after that... anyway, I thought about a very distant future, and both of us are doing quite well."

"Smooth talker."

"Do you love to hear it?"

"I love to hear it!" Sanli giggled and hugged Wang Yan tightly.

This is a sweet autumn, a harvest autumn...

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