Chapter 491

At four-thirty in the afternoon, while the Wang family's uncles were furious at the hotel, Wang Wang Jianqiang's courtyard in North Second Alley was also very lively.

After the noon banquet, Huang Huang Suwen's uncles, cousins, and their families and children all followed Li Li Zhongfa and the others to Wang Wang Jianqiang's courtyard to see the "strength" of the groom's family.

This was also an important part of marriage negotiations. Although it wasn't as "no marriage without a hundred-square-meter house" as in later generations, you still had to have a place to lay eggs, right?

And the result of the inspection was, of course, quite satisfactory.

Some relatives who didn't know the situation well before originally felt that Huang Huang Suwen, such a beautiful girl from the capital, marrying Wang Wang Jianqiang was a bit mismatched.

They didn't mind that Wang Wang Jianqiang's family wasn't local; they just minded that Wang Wang Jianqiang wasn't 1.75 meters tall.

But after seeing this courtyard, everyone wished they could say, "Whether you're poor or rich doesn't matter; we just like a 1.7-meter-tall son-in-law."

Huang Huang Suwen's family lived in a crowded compound, with a family of four living in two rooms; even that was considered pretty good among the relatives!

But now, looking at Wang Wang Jianqiang's home—good heavens, the young couple enjoyed over a dozen rooms alone. Under the current policy, they could only have one child, so even by the time the grandchildren's generation came, they wouldn't be able to fill it.

Calculating it this way, Wang Wang Jianqiang not being a local actually became an advantage. There were no parents-in-law sitting on top of their heads, and Huang Huang Suwen was only a few hundred meters away from her maiden home. Damn, wasn't this like recruiting half a son-in-law to move in?

It was suitable; it was suitable everywhere. The old Huang family had made a huge profit.

The relatives of the old Huang family were all beaming with joy, but Wang Wang Jianqiang's parents, Wang Daguang and Fan Fan Chunhua, were sighing.

"Qiangzi! We just don't feel at ease. You left the uncles aside today; what if they come looking for us? Look at how many people are here now; if they make a scene, won't we be a laughingstock..."

"..."

"Are you afraid they'll gossip now? Then why did you let them follow you here, and even make me pay for the round-trip train tickets?"

Wang Daguang said sheepishly, "They are all flesh-and-blood relatives. They came here enthusiastically to help you; we couldn't just give them the cold shoulder. A person lives for their face; we have to give them face..."

"Face? Whose face?"

Wang Wang Jianqiang laughed coldly: "During the New Year this year, they were either borrowing money from me or asking me to find them jobs. Do I owe them anything? It's truly ridiculous!"

"When I was so hungry I was eating grass roots by the river, if they had given me a single piece of cake, I wouldn't find it ridiculous."

"Dad, Mom, I'll tell you the truth today. I have earned some money outside, and I can help the family so you don't suffer from hardship and poverty."

"But you can't use me like a donkey pulling a mill just for your so-called face. My strength alone can't pull all that endless face of yours."

"..."

Fan Fan Chunhua and Wang Daguang, who had been "honest and simple" their whole lives, couldn't handle these words from Wang Wang Jianqiang at all.

At this moment, Wang Wang Jianqiang didn't seem like their son anymore, but a superior with reason and evidence.

"What is your family talking about? Today is not the day to lecture your son!"

Li Li Zhongfa, who had been talking to Huang Huang Suwen's parents, finally noticed the abnormality on Wang Wang Jianqiang's side and hurried over to take control of the situation.

Fan Fan Chunhua immediately said aggrievedly, "Uncle, I'm not lecturing my son. I'm just worried that Qiangzi's Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle came from so far away, and if they go back without being allowed at the banquet, what if they make a scene?"

"What if? Let them be."

Li Li Zhongfa had come to the capital with the Wang family and had been disgusted by their clamorous faces all the way.

However, this was the Wang family's business, so Li Li Zhongfa still asked Wang Wang Jianqiang: "Qiangzi, how did you arrange it? What are your thoughts?"

Facing Li Li Zhongfa, Wang Wang Jianqiang of course told the truth.

"Master, I reckon my Second Uncle has just arrived at the Square Hotel by now. It takes three transfers to get from there to here; if things go smoothly, they won't get here until dark. By then, the Huang family will have left, and I'm not afraid of them."

"Heh~, you kid are quite calculating. Alright, go and greet the people on your wife's side! I'll have a word with your father and mother."

Li Li Zhongfa praised Wang Wang Jianqiang with a smile and sent him off to Huang Huang Suwen's side.

Then Li Li Zhongfa's expression sank.

"Xiao Ye only told me a rough idea today. It's not convenient for me to interfere in your Wang family's affairs, but I just want to ask you two: is your son closer to you, or are your brothers closer to you?"

"..."

Wang Daguang was stunned for a long time before twitching his face and saying, "Uncle, they are all relatives, they are all close..."

"All close? Heh~"

Li Li Zhongfa gave a contemptuous laugh and asked coldly, "Then how much help have those brothers and sisters-in-law of yours given you over the years? Did they build you a house? Did they buy you a TV? Did they give you eighty yuan every month?"

"..."

Wang Daguang and Fan Fan Chunhua were choked speechless.

In this day and age, no family was wealthy. Borrowing a few bowls of wheat meant you had to pay them back later! Who could help you build a house or buy land for nothing?

Poverty breeds evil schemes, while wealth fosters a good heart. If everyone had spare money, helping each other would be excellent, but if everyone is poor... how many cases of brothers breaking each other's heads are there?

"A pair of muddle-headed fools."

Li Li Zhongfa scolded coldly: "After arguing like that last night, you didn't help your own son, but instead helped those things that came to sponge off you. You've lived to such an old age, it's really gone to the dogs."

Fan Fan Chunhua said aggrievedly, "Uncle, it's not that we don't help Qiangzi; it's just that we're afraid that Old Three and Old Four will poke our spines when they go back!"

"Sigh~"

Li Li Zhongfa sighed and helplessly pointed to the part of the Wang family relatives who had stayed in North Second Alley.

"Don't you sit here and think blindly," Li Li Zhongfa said. "Your Qiangzi has already arranged everything. Even if you go back to Qingshui County, there will be people helping you speak, but you have to speak up for your own son when the time comes."

There were quite a few Wang family relatives staying in North Second Alley, including the Second Uncle's family and several relatives from Wang Wang Jianqiang's maternal grandmother's side.

These people hadn't put on airs like Wang Wang Jianqiang's Third and Fourth Uncles yesterday and were relatively sensible.

And now, men, women, old, and young, they had all changed into Fenghua-brand clothes, looking bright and brand new.

This morning, when they were preparing to go finalize the engagement with the Huang family, someone had asked why the Third and Fourth Uncles hadn't come yet.

But after Wang Wang Jianqiang distributed the benefits, no one mentioned that again, as if they had forgotten there was another half of the relatives at the Square Hotel.

Fenghua-brand clothing was sold in the Qingshui County Department Store, so everyone knew the value; with the leather shoes, each person's outfit was worth at least several hundred yuan.

Wang Wang Jianqiang had brought less than ten sets in total, and without fighting or grabbing, it was just enough to go around.

Wang Daguang smacked his gums and said with a certain mindset, "Sigh, Qiangzi still has a child's temper; he's too willful with money. Borrowing money still has to be paid back! These clothes have been given away; can they be peeled back?"

"Sigh~"

Li Li Zhongfa shook his head helplessly and said, "You people! You should read more books in the future, otherwise, you'd be sold by your Third Son and still be counting the money for him!"

Wang Wang Jianqiang's second brother finally couldn't help but say, "Granduncle, Qiangzi's reading is not as good as mine!"

"Not as good as yours?" Li Li Zhongfa said contemptuously, "Do you think Qiangzi is still the Qiangzi of the past? Hmph~"

Today, after Li Li Zhongfa arrived, he followed the Huang family's relatives to visit Wang Wang Jianqiang's home, which included his study.

Li Li Zhongfa was Wang Wang Jianqiang's master, and Wang Wang Jianqiang treated him like his own grandfather, so Li Li Zhongfa didn't have many scruples and subsequently rummaged through Wang Wang Jianqiang's "learning achievements."

This rummaging didn't matter, but it gave Li Li Zhongfa a fright.

Two thick stacks of study notes, added together, were over half a meter high.

And although the handwriting inside was clumsy and ugly, every stroke was very earnest, clearly showing that Wang Wang Jianqiang had been working hard for the past two years.

Then Li Li Zhongfa learned about Wang Wang Jianqiang's series of arrangements for his own relatives and immediately looked at this once honest and simple grand-disciple with new eyes.

Blindly accommodating and helping out would not lead to good results.

If Wang Wang Jianqiang always satisfied the demands of the Wang family, even if everyone cheered for him today, it wouldn't be a long-term plan; it might just be an bottomless pit that could never be filled.

So Wang Wang Jianqiang used methods, kept a portion of the relatives, gave them new clothes, and even agreed to arrange for two direct nephews to come to the capital to work later.

When the Wang family returned to Qingshui County, those few families who had been stood up would not only hate Wang Wang Jianqiang's parents but also hate the other half of the relatives who had benefited.

What is this called? This is called division and solicitation, this is called shifting contradictions; this is the normal means of a leader.

Think about it! If a leader stands in opposition to everyone under him, that group of subordinates will treat the leader as an evil big boss that must be overthrown; whatever you say, everyone resists, and whatever you say, everyone feigns compliance.

But what if you divide and solicit them?

Hmm, the leader can just sit in the office and drink tea; the people below will act on their own.

When Wang Wang Jianqiang first came to the capital, he was a small warehouse manager assisting Jin Peng and Ma Qianshan.

But the current Wang Wang Jianqiang is responsible for the entire northern warehousing and transportation of the Pengcheng Seventh Factory. If he didn't have some real skills, he would have been played to death by his subordinates long ago.

Looking at the goose-like Wang Daguang and Fan Fan Chunhua, Li Li Zhongfa smiled helplessly and turned to leave.

"Your Qiangzi has become a talent!"

"..."

Fan Fan Chunhua and Wang Daguang looked at each other, not understanding what Li Li Zhongfa's evaluation of "becoming a talent" actually meant.

"Become a talent? Which 'cai' (talent/wealth)?"

(End of chapter)