Chapter 161
Yan Yue and the others stayed at Lingshui Village until the evening and had dinner at Uncle Li's house before returning to Fengcheng.
Although Uncle Li didn't know who Elder Min was, he was very warm to him because he was a guest brought by Lu Lingxi. At dinner time, Auntie Li steamed two pots of oat noodle rolls and boiled a pot of braised lamb soup. The tomatoes and cucumbers in the yard were also ready to eat, and mixed with the kale picked from the plant nursery, it was a cold dish full of colour and flavour.
Elder Min was very impressed with the food and envied Uncle Li's small yard. With the things you grow by yourself, you can rest assured that the authentic taste alone is much better than the vegetables that are sold in the market. Although Elder Min has been in politics for many years, his family was from the rural area of Fengcheng and he did a lot of farming work when he was a child, so he was able to talk to Uncle Li about the vegetables grown in his yard. The more they talked, the more they got to know each other, and Elder Min took advantage of the situation to ask Uncle Li about the doubts he had along the way.
Since the beginning of spring this year, it had not rained much in northern China. The drought in many places was severe, and even spring sowing was difficult. Elder Min noticed that in Fengcheng it hadn't rained for nearly two months, but unexpectedly, Fengcheng couldn't see any signs of drought at all, and the plants in the ground were all vibrant. When he was in the city a few days ago, Elder Min felt strange, but considering that the sanitation workers would water regularly, he didn't think much about it. But today he went out of the city and all the way to Lingshui Village. Looking at the surrounding situation, Elder Min was a bit puzzled.
Speaking of this, Uncle Li himself actually found it strange. It could be said that this year was indeed dry. The water level of the Lingshui River was a few centimetres lower than in previous years. However, there was really no shortage of water in the ground this year. Some time ago, when the village was sowing, the ground was wet, and even watering was not necessary.
The people of the village firmly believed that the tree god blessed them, and the proof of this was that when Yan Yue hired someone to dig a well, the workers inadvertently dug up a section of tree roots several metres thick in diameter underground. The worker who dug the well at the time accidentally scraped the root and the water that came out of it was actually clear water. This incident caused quite a stir in the village and the workers filled the already half-formed well overnight and dug it in a different place.
"A tree god?"
Uncle Li spoke so fantastically that an odd expression appeared on Elder Min's face.
Uncle Li laughed and said frankly, "The people in the village don't know anything about science, and when they encounter something they don't understand they like to blame it on gods and monsters."
Elder Min laughed along, but in his heart he remembered the words "tree god". The clear water flowing out from inside the scuffed tree roots was something even Elder Min had heard of for the first time, not to mention the villagers of Lingshui Village.
The sound of the two men chatting was quite loud, and everyone in the same room could hear it clearly. Lu Lingxi winked at Yan Yue, and a knowing smile appeared on Yan Yue's face. The silent understanding seemed to flow like water entwining the two together, and Ye Kang, who was sitting aside, inexplicably felt as if he had been pushed away by something.
Not long after eating dinner, the group prepared to return to Fengcheng. Before leaving, Lu Lingxi went to the plant nursery to take a few pots of evolved daylilies and asked Elder Min to bring them to Elder Zhang and Elder Zhao. There were three pots of daylilies, exactly one for each of them.
The daylily was also known as worry-free, and the one Lu Lingxi picked was a rather common variety of daylily, "Song of Sunshine". It was because of this name that Lu Lingxi raised this variety. After flowering, the "Song of Sunshine" was golden in colour, and the petals were blooming like the sun composing a song of life. Elder Min liked it very much at first glance. Perhaps because of his older age, he now liked this kind of brightly colored and vibrant plant more and more.
"Grandpa Min will be cheeky enough to borrow a blessing from Lao Zhang for once and accept this pot of daylilies." Elder Min lovingly hugged the flower pot and said with a smile.
Lu Lingxi curved his eyes in a smile and followed Yan Yue to the car.
This time, Elder Min brought back not only daylilies but also samples of Zhugang. The next day he called Yan Yue and suggested that he had a friend who wanted to meet Yan Yue and Zheng Xinhe to talk about Zhugang. Anyone who could be called a friend by Elder Min was bound to be no ordinary person. Yan Yue was fine, but Zheng Xinhe got extremely excited after he found out about Elder Min's background.
During Yan Yue's and Lu Lingxi's absence, Zheng Xinhe took Zhugang to a number of technological exhibitions. With its novel technology, environmentally friendly raw materials and even lower costs, Zhugang attracted a lot of attention at the various exhibitions. However, as was often the case with new things, although everyone knew it was a good thing, no one was willing to be the first one to try it. Although Zheng Xinhe was not discouraged, a flame of anxiety would occasionally rise in his heart. Now that Yan Yue had met Elder Min, Zheng Xinhe secretly vowed to seize this opportunity to promote Zhugang.
Not to mention Zheng Xinhe's fist-pumping, Yan Yue also attached great importance to this meeting. He and Zheng Xinhe were thinking along the same lines; in order to successfully gain recognition for Zhugang as a new alternative to steel, it had to first gain the approval of official authorities. This recognition was not just about winning a few medals at a technology exhibition, but to get an official order, which meant that the other party really recognised the product.
Yan Yue checked the files on his computer one last time and closed it before realising that it was almost ten o'clock. He pushed the door open and saw Lu Lingxi sitting on the carpet with Dahei in his arms watching the video they had made in Kunnan. Xiaohei hissed excitedly with his tail wagging and his upper body twisting.
In the video, the little monkey was holding two red fruits, handing them to Lu Lingxi's mouth. Lu Lingxi smiled at the camera and took a bite from the fruit in the little monkey's hand, then scrunched up his face. It was so sour he couldn't even speak.
"Zi-zi!"
The little monkey hurriedly knocked the fruit out of Lu Lingxi's hand, climbed up the tree in a few steps and rushed to the other monkey that had picked the fruit the little monkey gave Lu Lingxi.
Yan Yue heard Fang Lei's laughter in the video, and the sound of Lu Lingxi calling out to the little monkey. He walked over and sat behind Lu Lingxi, hugging him from behind, "Missing the little monkey?"
Lu Lingxi leaned into Yan Yue's arms and let out a soft sigh.
The little monkey had made a lot of noise when they left, perhaps because it sensed that Lu Lingxi wouldn't be coming back anytime soon, so the little monkey hugged Lu Lingxi's neck and refused to let go. It was only after the big leading monkey jumped down from the tree and stroked the little monkey's head and coaxed it for a long time that the little monkey let go, aggrieved. Lu Lingxi promised the little monkey that he would come back to visit it in the Kunnan rainforest when he had time. The little monkey seemed to have understood his words and squeaked several times.
Yan Yue slightly curled his lips when he thought of the scene, "We can go there again next year."
Woof woof. Dahei barked excitedly.
Lu Lingxi amusedly stroked Dahei and assured him, "Don't worry, we will definitely take Dahei next time."
Dahei leaned against Lu Lingxi's side contentedly, and Xiaohei dragged over the biscuit box vigorously and leaned over as well. The family of four sat on the floor, the little monkey's squeaking came from the video once again. The time slowly approached eleven o'clock, and Yan Yue carried Lu Lingxi back to the bedroom. When they returned from Kunnan, Wang Shuxiu had agreed that Lu Lingxi would move in with Yan Yue next door. Lu Lingxi's bedroom was vacated and prepared as a baby room.
"Big Brother Yan, in three months I'm going to have a little brother." Lu Lingxi couldn't sleep for a while, so he hugged Yan Yue and said excitedly.
Yan Yue lowered his head and kissed him, "I know, go to sleep."
"I can't sleep." Lu Lingxi said softly.
Yan Yue's eyes darkened slightly as he moved over and kissed Lu Lingxi. "Then don't sleep yet."
Lu Lingxi: "…"
Early the next morning, Yan Yue first dropped Lu Lingxi off at Tiny Garden, then drove to meet Zheng Xinhe to prepare for the appointment with Elder Min's friend.
"Go for it, Big Brother Yan." Lu Lingxi took Dahei to cheer Yan Yue on. Dahei waved his paw quite enthusiastically.
Yan Yue smiled and waved to Lu Lingxi as he drove away from Tiny Garden. When he was about to turn off the street of Tiny Garden, Yan Yue seemed to see a familiar figure. He slowed down the car and looked over. A few passers-by hurriedly walked past. Yan Yue glanced around, saw nothing and frowned slightly.
"Hoo hoo hoo."
In the alley next to the street, Lu Yishui touched his heart that was about to jump out of his throat for a long time. "Bah, bad luck, as soon as I came, I saw Yan Yue." He spat on the ground, cursing fiercely.
Lu Yishui couldn't tell why he ran when he saw Yan Yue; it was simply a subconscious action. In fact, Yan Yue had not done anything to him, but had lent him 400,000 yuan instead. However, Lu Yishui was subconsciously afraid of Yan Yue. Compared to Xiao Feng with his brothers simply beating him up, it was this kind of immovable, unreasonable underhandedness on Yan Yue's part that gave Lu Yishui the creeps just thinking about it. Of course, now he had found a reason; Yan Yue, the bastard, was actually hitting on Lu Lingxi.
Lu Yishui hatefully spat another mouthful of spittle on the ground, "Why should I be afraid of him? I'm rich now, I'm not the old Lu Yishui anymore. I am a member of the Lu family. When the old man Lu dies, Lao Tzu can at least inherit a few hundred million." He repeated this passage several times in his mind, brushed off the newly bought t-shirt on his body, and walked towards Tiny Garden with his head held high. He hadn't forgotten what the old man Lu had told him, that the prerequisite for admitting him to the Lu family was Lu Lingxi's promise to acknowledge his ancestors. Lu Yishui felt that this was not a problem at all. Lu Lingxi was not stupid and the relatives as rich as the Lu family wouldn't be pushed away even by a fool.
"Welcome…"
Inside Tiny Garden, Lu Lingxi put down the watering can without finishing a sentence. Dahei, who had been lying quietly on the floor, suddenly jumped up and rushed straight to the door, bared his teeth and growled a warning.
"Don't come over here, damn dog!" Lu Yishui screamed, involuntarily remembering the last time he had been bitten by Dahei.
Lu Lingxi's eyes widened suddenly as he realised that the person in front of him was Lu Yishui. He and Lu Yishui had only met a few times and it was a year ago. At that time, he didn't have a deep impression of Lu Yishui as the man's hair was dishevelled and covered half of his face. Nowadays, Lu Yishui had obviously been carefully groomed and dressed, and Lu Lingxi vaguely found the shadow of his father in his previous life in Lu Yishui's face.
"Little bastard, I'm your dad." Lu Yishui shouted at Lu Lingxi from the doorway, bouncing up and down.
Lu Lingxi frowned; he didn't have any feelings for Lu Yishui, not like he did for Wang Shuxiu. Plus he had already recognised Xiao Feng as his father, so he couldn't call Lu Yishui the word "Dad".
When Lu Lingxi didn't say anything, Lu Yishui became anxious, "Come here, little bastard, come over and get rid of the dog first, I'm looking for you for something."
As soon as he said that, Lu Lingxi immediately reacted, "The Zhongjing Lu family found you?"
"What Zhongjing Lu family? That's your grandfather's family. We are the Lu family, from now on we will be rich people, father and son. Rich people, little bastard, do you understand? This shitty flower shop, you can open as many as you want." Lu Yishui spitefully described the bright future to Lu Lingxi while trying to take a couple of steps inside the shop.
Dahei immediately gave a low growl.
Lu Yishui shrank back and pointed at Lu Lingxi, shouting, "Little bastard, you unfilial son, you…"
Lu Lingxi interrupted him, "I won't recognise the Lu family."
"What? Little bastard, are you stupid? Do you know how much money the Lu family has? We'll be rich if you acknowledge it, so much better than you keeping this broken flower shop. Tell me, is it that Wang Xiaohua won't let you admit it? Wait, I'll go and find her."
"You're not allowed to find Mom." Lu Lingxi immediately shouted. Wang Shuxiu was now almost seven months pregnant. What if she was pissed off and stimulated by Lu Yishui?
"Little bastard, you…" Lu Yishui shouted sternly.
Lu Lingxi bit his lip and said to Dahei, "Dahei, go."
Hearing this command, Dahei immediately lunged towards Lu Yishui. Lu Yishui realised that Lu Lingxi really meant it, so he hurriedly turned around and ran away, stumbling. Unfortunately, his speed was no match for Dahei and he was easily pounced on by Dahei and pinned underneath, with one of Dahei's paw pressed against the back of Lu Yishui's head.
"Little… little… little… little…" Lu Yishui was so scared that he couldn't speak clearly.
Lu Lingxi didn't know what to do with Lu Yishui. After all, he was the father of this body. He knew that Dahei wouldn't hurt Lu Yishui, at most he would scare him. "Dahei, come back." Lu Lingxi looked coldly at Lu Yishui and said seriously, "Once again, I won't recognise the Lu family, and you won't go looking for Mom."
"Little ba…" Lu Yishui rolled over and opened his mouth to scold. Dahei immediately arched his back and prepared to pounce. The word "bastard" was swallowed hard by Lu Yishui, who shrank back and dared not speak again.
Lu Lingxi didn't look at him and turned around to go back to Tiny Garden. He thought for a while and found Xiao Feng's phone number. This matter needed to be told to Xiao Feng first. When the call was answered, there was a bit of noise on the other side, "Dad?"
"Is it Xiao Xi?" Xiao Feng's voice on the phone sounded quite happy, "Xiao Xi, you're going to have another brother or sister."
Lu Lingxi froze and heard Xiao Hong's loud laugh on the other side of the phone, "Aunt is pregnant?"
"Yes." Xiao Feng laughed, "Your Uncle is overjoyed."
Lu Lingxi was also quite happy. Xiao Feng remembered that Lu Lingxi was looking for him, "What happened, is there something wrong, Xiao Xi?"
Lu Lingxi felt sorry to spoil the mood saying that Lu Yishui was back at this time, but he was worried that Lu Yishui had really gone to Wang Shuxiu, so he said it anyway. "Dad… is back."
Xiao Feng reacted extremely quickly and immediately realised who the "dad" Lu Lingxi was referring to was. "He went to look for you?"
Lu Lingxi hummed, "He said he was going to look for Mom and I was worried…"
"It's okay. I'm with your mom."
Lu Lingxi relaxed. After hanging up the phone, Lu Lingxi was a little confused as to why the Lu family needed to recognise him. In the past, the Lu family didn't care about this body, but now why did they have to recognise him? Was it because his elder brother's… Lu Wei'an's body was having problems again, so they needed him?
The more Lu Lingxi thought about it, the more he thought this was a possibility. He squatted in front of Dahei, stroked him and whispered, "This time I want to be selfish for once."
Without any preamble, Dahei couldn't understand the meaning of Lu Lingxi's words. He just barked in a low voice and stretched out his tongue to tenderly lick Lu Lingxi's fingers. Lu Lingxi curved his eyes in a smile.
"I know, I will always be with Dahei and Big Brother Yan."
Chapter 162
Xiao Hong was the only one Xiao Feng told the news of Lu Yishui's return for the time being.
Xiao Hong cursed as soon as he heard it: "That bastard Zhou Laosan."
Zhou Laosan was the one who took over the northwest coal mine and promised to keep a good eye on Lu Yishui and never let him come back to disgust people.
Xiao Feng said soothingly, "Zhou Laosan can't be blamed for this. It's clear that Lu Yishui could come back because the Lu family found him and Zhou Laosan could do nothing about it. It was also a matter of time; the Lu family was anxious to make Xiao Xi acknowledge his ancestors. Xiaohua didn't relent, so they could only put the idea in Lu Yishui's mind." To be honest, whether or not Lu Yishui came back was actually of little consequence. Xiaohua was happy with Xiao Feng, and Xiao Xi had Yan Yue to protect him. Lu Yishui couldn't do anything even if he came back, it was just disgusting. There was only one thing Xiao Feng couldn't figure out: why was the Lu family so eager to find Xiao Xi? Could it really be like what Xiaohua said, that the child who had leukaemia back then had a health problem again?
"What are you going to do?" Xiao Hong also understood that Lu Yishui could do nothing but bring some trouble.
"Let's wait for Yan Yue to come back and ask him what he is going to do," Xiao Feng said. Solving Lu Yishui was not a problem, the problem was that Lu Yishui's identity was sensitive and he had to take into account Xiao Xi's feelings. Now that Xiao Xi had lost his memory and couldn't remember anything but it would be bad if he remembered something one day and disagreed with their actions.
Xiao Hong knew what Xiao Feng meant, so he didn't say anything else. After the two brothers finished discussing the matter, Xiao Feng thought he would tell Xiaohua about it when he got home. When they returned from the hospital, they saw Lu Yishui waiting at the door of Building 3, dressed like a dandy.
"Lu Yishui?" Wang Shuxiu got out of the car with her seven-month belly, looked at the familiar figure in front of her and said in an odd tone.
"Xiaohua!" When Lu Yishui heard Wang Shuxiu's voice, he immediately turned around with his head held high, eager to show off his new self. But when he got a good look at Wang Shuxiu, the smug expression on his face instantly froze and turned into lividness, "Wang Xiaohua, you've actually cheated on me!"
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Feng followed out of the car and stood next to Wang Shuxiu, half-supporting her and looking at Lu Yishui with a smirk. "…Brother Feng." Lu Yishui, even if he was stupid, realised what was going on and choked back all the words that came to his lips, replacing them with a phrase in a jittery voice. "Brother Feng."
"What's wrong?" Xiao Hong parked his car and walked over. Lu Yishui recognised Xiao Hong at a glance. The memories of the mine flashed through his mind, his legs went weak and he said with a self-deprecating smile, "Nothing, nothing."
"Lu Yishui, what are you doing here? We are divorced." Wang Shuxiu's tone was cold.
Lu Yishui remembered what the Lu family had ordered and the lure of money momentarily overtook his fear of the Xiao brothers. He said ingratiatingly, "Xiaohua, I came back because I have something good for you. I'm rich now, forget about the past when you followed me to suffer, I…" Meeting Xiao Feng's gaze, Lu Yishui immediately changed his words, "No, you and Brother Feng are good together, I… I don't mean anything else, I just want Xiao Xi to have a good life too. Do you think Xiao Xi has a future in Fengcheng, and how much money can he make by opening a little shitty flower shop? Let me tell you that I found my dad. He is not dead, he is a rich man, he has money. If Xiao Xi follows me, he'll be my dad's grandson. What else to worry about, Xiaohua, don't you think?"
After he finished speaking, he looked at Wang Shuxiu, who snorted, "What rich man, isn't it just the Lu family in Zhongjing? I'm telling you, I don't care about it."
"Xiaohua, you can't be like this, you're living a good life with Brother Feng, you can't leave our son alone." Lu Yishui said anxiously.
"Bah." Even though Wang Shuxiu was pregnant, her temper had not softened at all, so she took her bag and smashed it against Lu Yishui's head. "Do you care about your son? Are you fucking in charge of your son? You are making Xiao Xi jump into the fire pit. Do you know why the Lu family wants to take Xiao Xi back? They have a child with leukaemia in their family, and they're after Xiao Xi. Lu Yishui, you old son of a bitch…"
Wang Shuxiu's beat him happily, but Xiao Feng was afraid for her and rushed forward to hug her, coaxing, "Xiaohua, take it easy, you still have a baby in your belly."
Lu Yishui was dizzy from being hit, and when he reacted and was going to habitually curse back, he met Xiao Feng's gaze and was instantly discouraged. "Xiaohua, this can't be possible, right?"
"Fuck off. Who cares if it's possible or not, I say he won't acknowledge them."
"Xiao…"
Lu Yishui still tried to explain. Xiao Feng had already let go of Wang Shuxiu and asked him lightly, "Xiaohua told you to leave, didn't you hear her?"
"I'll leave, Brother Feng, I'll go right away." Lu Yishui saw that Xiao Feng's expression was not right, so he dared not stay any longer and turned around to run.
"Bah, you bastard, you don't look like a prince even when you're wearing a dragon robe." Xiao Hong scolded with contempt. Xiao Feng told him at the hospital that Lu Yishui had gone to look for Lu Lingxi, and he thought that Lu Yishui was probably coming to look for Wang Shuxiu as well. The result was that after only a few words, Lu Yishui, that soft egg, ran away. He didn't even look like a fucking man, not worth a hair on his sister-in-law's head.
Xiao Hong had just finished cursing when he heard Wang Shuxiu ask, "When did that old bastard Lu Yishui come back?"
Xiao Feng supported Wang Shuxiu and said, "It's just the past day or two, I guess the Lu family has just found him."
"No, let's hurry up and warn Xiao Xi! What if the old bastard goes to Xiao Xi to make trouble?"
Xiao Feng was helpless, "He has already gone to Xiao Xi and was scared away by Dahei."
When Wang Shuxiu heard that Lu Yishui had already looked for Lu Lingxi, she became even more furious and said hatefully, "Xiao Xi should have just let Dahei bite the old bastard."
"Fine, fine, tomorrow let Xiao Xi take Xiao Baiwan with him. If Lu Yishui comes again, Dahei and Xiao Baiwan will each take a bite each."
"That's more like it!"
Xiao Feng, having coaxed Wang Shuxiu, called to ask when Yan Yue would be back. Xiaohua's belly was getting bigger and bigger, so they had to get rid of Lu Yishui as soon as possible, or else he might pop up again sometime. When he received Xiao Feng's call, Yan Yue already knew from Lu Lingxi that Lu Yishui was back. "I'm going to pick up Xiao Xi from Tiny Garden first, I'll be back later."
"What are your plans for Lu Yishui?" Xiao Feng asked on the phone.
Yan Yue sneered, "This is simple, just make him not have any wish to come and cause trouble."
Xiao Feng guessed what Yan Yue had in mind, "I'll find someone?"
"No need, this time let's take Lu Yishui to play a big game." Yan Yue said indifferently. It was just too easy to deal with Lu Yishui, a few random chess and card parlours would hook Lu Yishui's soul. However, considering Lu Hengchuan's character, Lu Yishui must have had people by his side. It was just the right time to pit Lu Hengchuan in the process.
"Yan Yue, do you know why the Lu family wants to recognise Xiao Xi and take him back?" Xiao Feng asked.
He was not sure, but Yan Yue understood that the Lu family valued Lu Lingxi's business potential. Although Lu Hengchuan had no intention of transforming, he was determined to expand the Lu family's business empire, and the value shown by Lu Lingxi was exactly what the Lu family needed.
Under this premise, Lu Hengchuan was determined to have Lu Lingxi back to the family. Considering Wang Shuxiu's opposition, Lu Hengchuan naturally thought of Lu Yishui. Although the investigation showed that Lu Lingxi seemed to have lost his memory and didn't remember the existence of Lu Yishui, the psychologist analysed that Lu Lingxi might not necessarily not remember, but had simply buried this memory deep in his heart. Bloodline attraction is a very peculiar thing. In the past, Wang Shuxiu tried to divorce Lu Yishui many times, but all these attempts were thwarted by Lu Lingxi, which proved that Lu Lingxi had deep feelings for Lu Yishui. If one approached Lu Lingxi through Lu Yishui, it would be much better than the Lu family directly stepping in.
Due to various considerations, Lu Hengchuan didn't come to Lu Lingxi directly, but sent someone to find Lu Yishui to bring him back to Fengcheng. Unfortunately, Lu Hengchuan didn't know that the soul inside Lu Lingxi's body had been changed. Not to mention one Lu Yishui, even if ten Lu Yishuis came over, it would be useless.
Yan Yue hung up the phone after speaking to Xiao Feng, and then called An Jie, instructing him to find the contact person of the Aogang Casino in Fengcheng. As the casinos in Hong Kong had become more and more reliant on mainland customers over the years, the casino managers had arranged contacts in all major cities in the mainland, specifically to find "fat sheep" and lure them into a trap. In the past, Lu Yishui was just a small fry nowhere near this level, but now Lu Yishui was at least the illegitimate son of the Lu family, so his status was sufficient, and it depended on his luck how much he would lose. Lu Hengchuan dared to use Lu Yishui to disgust them, now let him have a taste of being disgusted himself.
An Jie's actions were very efficient, and he helped both sides make a connection that evening. Lu Yishui only felt that his new friend and he had similar personalities and hobbies and were very lucky to meet each other. When his new friend inadvertently mentioned gambling for tens of millions at the Aogang Casino, Lu Yishui's face turned red with excitement. This was something he hadn't even dared to think about before, but now he was rich, he was Lu Hengchuan's son, and he could afford to gamble like this. What's tens of millions of dollars? When the old man Lu dies, his inheritance will be worth hundreds of millions.
At first, Lu Yishui remembered what Lu Hengchuan had ordered him to do and besides, he still had Lu Hengchuan's two assistants following him. But after his new friend got rid of the assistants and took him to an underground casino in Fengcheng to play and win a hundred thousand, Lu Yishui couldn't remember anything else, all he could think about was gambling! Gambling! Gambling!
For several days in a row, Lu Yishui disappeared, and Lu Lingxi was so busy that he couldn't remember him at all. Although Tiger had taken good care of the shop during his absence, many of his regular customers recognised Lu Lingxi alone and waited for him to return. These days, Lu Lingxi was very busy. After sending another regular customer away, Lu Lingxi made a quick phone call to Yan Yue.
Yan Yue went to Elder Min's friend to sign a contract today. This was the first order that Zhugang had signed, an order from the Ministry of Energy. Lu Lingxi looked at the time and thought that Yan Yue should also be finished, so he wanted to ask Yan Yue if his day had gone well.
"Xiao Xi." Yan Yue's voice was smiling; he was in a good mood from the sound of it.
Lu Lingxi was in a good mood too, "Big Brother Yan, are you finished?"
"En, I've just signed the contract, I'm going back now, what do you want to eat for lunch?"
Lu Lingxi thought about it, "Let's go eat beef noodles, it's been a long time since I've eaten them."
"Okay, wait for me to get back."
Yan Yue hung up the phone and was about to drive when his phone rang once again. The caller was Grandpa. Yan Yue paused and accepted the call. He had been waiting for this call for a long time.
Chapter 163
When Yin Yongde called Yan Yue, he was already in Fengcheng. He didn't say much on the phone, except that he wanted Yan Yue to come over for lunch. Yan Yue agreed.
After hanging up the phone, Yin Yongde coughed a little while leaning back in his chair. He had been suffering from a slight health problem for the past few days, and he had been forcing himself to keep from coughing so that Yan Yue wouldn't hear it over the phone. In the past, he had taken good care of his health, but from the time of Yin Ya's accident, he found himself a little out of shape. When Yan Shihui passed on the information he had collected on Yan Yue, the blow was so heavy that Yin Yongde's body completely collapsed. He didn't want to admit it but he had to accept the fact that Ah Yue didn't trust him anymore.
He should have known a long time ago that Ah Yue's temperament was exactly the same as his when he was young. How could his grandson tolerate that girl Xiao Ya smugly pressing down on his head? Yin Yongde had looked at Qinglan and at Yan Shihui and felt that they were too unfair towards Ah Yue, but it was his turn to be unaware that he got carried away with his authority. He had softly agreed to Xiao Ya going to Hopewell and he had supported Xiao Ya in the meeting of the board of directors. Even if he never had the idea of letting Xiao Ya replace Ah Yue, his actions gave a signal to the people around him that Ah Yue's position had been shaken. And that blind date with the Lu family… Yin Yongde smiled bitterly. It was he himself who had pushed Ah Yue away from him step by step.
The housekeeper knocked gently on the door, interrupting Yin Yongde's thoughts. He looked embarrassed as he whispered, "Young lady is making a lot of noise in her room."
The young lady the housekeeper was referring to was none other than Yin Qinglan. When Yin Yongde returned to Fengcheng this time, he had forced her to come with him. Hearing that Yin Qinglan was making a fuss, Yin Yongde said coldly, "Let her make a fuss, she is fifty years old and has no brains at all."
Realising that Yin Yongde was serious, the housekeeper quietly left. In the study, Yin Yongde sighed, regretting once again in his heart that he should not have been so arrogant in his treatment of Qinglan when she was young. Now that she was in her fifties, she was still living in her own world, letting her mood prevail. He could still look after Qinglan while he was alive, but once he was gone, what would happen to Qinglan? Could she rely on Xiao Ya or on that man eating soft rice (living at the expense of a woman)? She listened to that man in everything. No matter how much Yin Yongde left for Qinglan, the things would probably be gone in two days. Without him to protect her, without her possessions, relying only on Xiao Ya, would Qinglan still be able to live comfortably?
Yin Yongde shook his head. He had recently become more and more acutely aware that he was getting old and didn't have much time left. No matter what he had planned before, things had now gotten completely out of hand. Whether it was Hopewell, Qinglan or Ah Yue, he had to make a choice.
With a long sigh, Yin Yongde left the study. He had made countless choices in his lifetime, but none of them had ever been as difficult as the one he was making now. Holding on the railings, he walked down the stairs step by step. There was the movement of a car in the courtyard; Ah Yue had arrived.
"Grandpa."
Yan Yue stood politely in front of Yin Yongde. Because he had gone to sign a contract in the morning, he was dressed very formally today, his well-fitted suit setting off his slender body and handsome appearance.
Yin Yongde didn't say anything for a while, but just quietly looked at Yan Yue. Since when did Ah Yue spend less and less time back in China, preferring to stay abroad more and more? In fact, there had been signs of this for a long time, he just couldn't see it. He smiled bitterly in his heart, "Ah Yue is here. The kitchen has prepared all your favourite dishes today. Let's eat first, Grandpa has something to say to you after we finish eating."
"Okay."
Yan Yue had always said very little in front of his family, and after agreeing, he had nothing more to say.
Yin Yongde's heart was bitter, but he didn't know what to say. He used to feel that Qinglan and Ah Yue were becoming increasingly alienated, but in fact, so was he and Ah Yue. The two of them finished their meal in silence and walked from the dining room to the study. Yin Yongde looked at Yan Yue, "Ah Yue, you've heard about Xiao Ya's matter, right?"
He asked in a roundabout way, and Yan Yue lowered his eyes slightly, hiding the sneer within. It had been a month since Yin Ya's accident, and he didn't believe that Grandpa didn't know what he had done. He looked calm and said directly, "If Grandpa wants to talk about Yin Ya's bribery incident, I'm afraid I knew about it before anyone else."
As Yan Yue's words were said, the atmosphere in the room instantly chilled. It was as if the air had become stagnant and pressed heavily on the body.
Yin Yongde was caught off guard by Yan Yue's directness. He gave Yan Yue a deep look and sighed, "Ah Yue, you have grown up." These words contained too many emotions, bitterness, complexity, relief… Yin Yongde didn't accuse Yan Yue, nor did he ask any questions, he just calmly recounted, "After Xiao Ya's accident, Qinglan was very upset. Although she was not a good mother to you, Ah Yue, she loves Xiao Ya to her bones."
These words were full of irony to Yan Yue's ears. He didn't say anything, and it seemed that Yin Yongde didn't need Yan Yue to say anything as he continued, "During this time, Qinglan has thought of many ways to get Xiao Ya out. But Xiao Ya's case is a big deal, and it involves drug safety, which is very important to the authorities. Once Xiao Ya is convicted of bribery, she will be sentenced to at least three years in prison. A few days ago, Qinglan approached Shihui, hoping that he could help Xiao Ya. Shihui made a condition that he wanted all of Qinglan's shares in exchange for Xiao Ya's freedom."
Yin Qinglan had approached Yan Shihui in the hope that he could find someone to take the blame for Yin Ya. After all, Yin Ya had only been in Hopewell for a short time, and as long as a senior official came forward and admitted that Yin Ya's actions were at his instigation, Yin Ya's charges could be mitigated on the grounds of her being just a puppet. Yin Qinglan has already found a candidate, and if they wanted money, she had plenty of it. But the chairman of Hopewell was Yan Shihui, and Yan Shihui had to cooperate in this matter. If Yan Shihui were to break the case, Yin Ya would get another charge in addition to the bribery charge. Under such circumstances, Yan Shihui could easily take advantage of the fire to rob; but Yin Qinglan couldn't refuse his request for Yin Ya's sake, no matter what.
As he spoke, Yin Yongde glanced at Yan Yue, who looked as usual, his face revealing neither his thoughts nor his emotions. Yin Yongde hoped that Yan Yue would say something, but he waited for too long without any result. He sighed, gave up on guessing Yan Yue's thoughts and continued, "Your father has 35% of the shares in Hopewell, and Qinglan and I have a total of 35%, of which 15% are under Qinglan's name. I said that both my 20% and Qinglan's 15% should be yours. No one can take them away from you. Xiao Ya has done something wrong, she should take the responsibility for what she has done. She can't take what is yours, Ah Yue."
The last few sentences Yin Yongde said were categorical. He said directly, "I have already found a lawyer to transfer all the shares in my name and Qinglan's name to you, Ah Yue. Ah Yue, you can just sign it later."
When he heard this, a look of surprise appeared on Yan Yue's face for the first time. In fact, before coming here Yan Yue had envisaged what Grandpa would say to him, and the matter of Yin Ya was a topic they couldn't avoid. Of course, Grandpa had to make a choice, and it was obvious that between him and Yin Ya, Yin Yongde would have to give up one of them. Whether it was him or Yin Ya, Yan Yue had already prepared himself. What surprised him was not that Grandpa had chosen him, but that Grandpa's behaviour was less ambiguous than ever before and even a little too straightforward.
Noticing the look on Yan Yue's face, Yin Yongde's expression became complicated. He looked at Yan Yue with a bitter smile as he said in a low voice. "Ah Yue, your grandmother died early, and I only have one daughter by my side, Qinglan, and I have spoiled her. She has been arrogant and capricious since she was a child. She didn't know how to take care of other people's emotions since she was young, and she grew up smoothly all the way. When she and Shihui fell out later, I felt sorry for her and inevitably indulged her a little more. She found that man and gave birth to Xiao Ya, and she didn't do her motherly duty to you. I saw all this, but I was too soft-hearted to do anything about her. Over the years Qinglan has grown older, but her temper is still the same as when she was young. I can protect her while I am alive, but what if I am gone? What will happen to your mother since that man is so unreliable?"
In the past, Yin Yongde felt that no matter what, Yan Yue was Qinglan's son and there was no overnight hatred between mother and son. What's more, he firmly believed that Ah Yue would inherit Hopewell. At that time, Qinglan would hold 15% of the shares in her hands, and Ah Yue would take good care of Qinglan in both public and private. But he never expected that what Ah Yue wanted was not to inherit Hopewell but to destroy Hopewell. Without Hopewell tying Ah Yue, relying only on the shallow mother-child relationship between him and Qinglan, and Qinglan having that kind of temperament, it was hard to say how much Ah Yue would protect Qinglan.
Yin Yongde knew in his own heart that things had gotten out of hand and that the only person both Qinglan and Xiao Ya could rely on in the future was Ah Yue. If he took a step back now, it would be for the good of Qinglan and Xiao Ya in the long run. As long as Ah Yue took over the 35% shares, he would have to protect Qinglan in the future. As long as Qinglan was well off, Xiao Ya wouldn't have to bear any major grievances. As the thought passed through his mind, a hint of imperceptible pleading appeared in Yin Yongde's tone, "Ah Yue?"
Yan Yue was silent for a moment and said, "I will set up a fund for Mother, enough to feed and clothe her. As for the beneficiaries of the fund in the future, Mother will designate them herself."
By saying this, he was clearly agreeing to Yin Yongde's arrangement. Yin Yongde let out a sigh of relief and smiled openly for the first time in days. It took only a few minutes for the two men to talk and sign the agreement. The lawyer had been waiting in the next room, and Yin Yongde had even found a notary.
After everything was done, Yan Yue was ready to leave.
Yin Yongde called out to him before he walked out, "Ah Yue… I heard you have someone you like?"
Yan Yue nodded, not meaning to hide it.
Yin Yongde smiled reluctantly, "He's called Lu Lingxi, isn't he… You should bring him home sometime so that Grandpa can meet him."
Yan Yue paused and nodded, "Okay."
As soon as Yan Yue walked out, Yin Yongde leaned back in his chair with a bitter smile. It was all the evil done by Qinglan and Shihui. If it wasn't for the influence of his parents, how could Ah Yue be reluctant to start a family and fall for a man? If it was in the past, Yin Yongde could still take charge, but now… would Ah Yue listen to him?
Yan Yue, who walked out of the study, didn't care what Grandpa thought. He never felt that the family would be an obstacle between him and Xiao Xi. He hadn't thought so before, and he didn't think so now. He didn't leave immediately, but turned in the direction of the third floor. Although Grandpa didn't say it clearly just now, he hoped that Yan Yue would see his mother. Yan Yue understood what Grandpa meant, and Yin Qinglan was his mother anyway. He would ensure that his mother had no worries about food and clothing as his grandfather wished, but that was all.
At the door of the room on the third floor, Yan Yue didn't reach out to knock. The sounds of heavy objects crashing on the floor, interspersed with his mother's angry curses, continued to come from behind the door.
Yan Yue was silent for a moment, then turned and left.
"Hey, An Jie?"
After leaving the Yin family mansion, Yan Yue contacted An Jie as soon as possible.
"Boss, something happened?"
"Contact Chen Xiuyuan for me, I want to sell my shares of Hopewell."
Chapter 164
Without alerting anyone, Yan Yue sold all the 35% of shares of Hopewell that he had. The buyer, Chen Xiuyuan, was the third largest shareholder of Hopewell after the Yan and Yin families. He already held 10% of the shares and with the 35% transferred by Yan Yue, he surpassed Yan Shihui and became the largest shareholder of Hopewell.
The negotiations between Yan Yue and Chen Xiuyuan took less than a week. It was only when the dust had settled that Yan Shihui and Yin Yongde reacted. This move by Yan Yue shook not only the whole of Hopewell, but also the whole of Zhongjing.
When Ye Kang's grandfather found out about the incident, he made a special call to ask Ye Kang if he had known about it in advance. Ye Kang said righteously that he didn't know and that Yan Yue had kept him in the dark as well.
Elder Ye snorted. He didn't say whether he believed it or didn't believe it, but before he hung up, he casually mentioned, "Ah Yue is a ruthless man."
Ye Kang was also concerned about it. The negotiations between Yan Yue and Chen Xiuyuan were arranged by An Jie, but in fact Ye Kang did know about it from beginning to end. At first, Ye Kang was shocked by Yan Yue's behaviour. He knew that with these 35% shares, Yan Yue would be able to enter Hopewell strongly and compete with Yan Shihui. In a few years' time, when Yan Yue had established a firm foothold in Hopewell, it would be difficult for Yan Shihui to strike a balance. Once Yan Shihui was old enough to retire, Hopewell would be Yan Yue's domain. So how could Yan Yue be willing to sell his shares?
Of course, Ye Kang could also understand these actions from Yan Yue's perspective. Yan Yue had no desire to inherit Hopewell; his own business was doing well, so instead of returning to Hopewell to fight with Yan Shihui, he could support Chen Xiuyuan to trample down the Yan family's power in Hopewell. In particular, Ye Kang knew that Yan Shihui had always regarded Hopewell as his belongings. Now that Yan Yue had stepped out, Hopewell had changed from Hopewell of the Yan and Yin family to Hopewell of the Chen family, which, from Yan Yue's point of view,k couldn't be better.
Yan Yue didn't ask what Ye Kang thought. He was now waiting for his father and grandfather's reaction.
The first to contact him was Grandpa. On the phone, Yin Yongde was silent for a long time and only said, "Ah Yue, it's good if you don't regret it."
Yan Yue never felt that he would regret this decision, but there was no need to say these words now. Realising that Grandpa had no intention of continuing to talk about Hopewell, Yan Yue took the initiative to say, "I have arranged for An Jie to prepare the fund with the money from the sale of the shares, and when the fund is successfully set up, the relevant documents will be sent to Mother."
"Just take care of those things, Ah Yue." Yin Yongde didn't know if he was relieved or not as he sighed, "Ah Yue, I'm already old and won't worry about the unnecessary things anymore. After all these years of hard work it's time to raise flowers and plants and spend my old age in peace."
In this way, Yin Yongde assured Yan Yue that he wouldn't interfere in Yan Yue's affairs. Yan Yue paused and said, "I see, thank you, Grandpa."
As promised, Yin Yongde didn't make any statement about Yan Yue's sale of Hopewell's shares, and not only did he live in deep seclusion himself, he also took Yin Qinglan with him to prevent Yin Qinglan from talking nonsense outside. Since then, Yin Ya stayed behind bars, Yin Yongde and Yin Qinglan disappeared from the social scene in Zhongjing and the influence of the Yin family was quickly eliminated. When people couldn't dig up the news about the Yin family, all their attention was focused on the Yan family.
Surprisingly, however, the Yan family didn't make any statement about it either, except that those who were interested noticed Yan Shihui's low-key hospitalisation and Yan Hai's clamouring on private occasions to expel Yan Yue from the Yan family. As long as Yan Shihui and Yin Qinglan didn't divorce, Yan Yue would be the rightful heir to the Yan family. Yan Hai, an illegitimate son of Yan Shihui, was simply making a joke of himself.
Yan Yue didn't care at all about Yan Hai's clamour. He didn't care what his father's reaction would be either. His attention was all on another matter.
In the middle of June, the explosive news spread in Fengcheng. Previously, people meeting would say "Have you eaten?", "How's the shopping?", "How's it going?" Now the greetings of all shapes and sizes were unified into "Have you heard?"
Almost everyone who was asked answered "Yes". Some others looked even more mysterious, glancing around and whispering, "Not only have I heard, I've seen it, my neighbour's son can communicate with their dog, I've seen it with my own eyes."
"So can my classmate…"
"My cousin…"
"My colleague…"
Various forums were abuzz with speculation about human-animal communication. Everyone popped up with countless "my classmate", "my cousin", "my colleague", "my neighbour" but no one dared to come forward and say "me". Everyone was waiting for the government to take a stand on the matter.
As the scope of the soil purification in Fengcheng grew, the natural environment of the city changed dramatically. As a result of this subtle change, more and more people found that their health was getting better, their legs were getting nimbler and their minds were becoming more active. It used to take a long time to learn something, but now they could learn it quickly. But this was not enough to surprise people; after all, the changes were gradual and little by little, and even when some people noticed them, they didn't pay much attention to them. But human-animal communication was different; the change was tangible and visible.
Starting from the first person who discovered that they could communicate with animals, there were slowly the second, the third… more and more people discovered that they had this amazing ability. Most of the people who got this ability were very low profile; only a few of them flaunted it in a high-profile manner, and they were invariably invited to cooperate with the investigation by the expert team that was stationed in Fengcheng.
Originally, whether high-profile or low-profile, the relevant news was still suppressed without revealing even a hint. But just recently, the contents of the expert group's investigation suddenly spread throughout Fengcheng with wildfire-like speed. Although they had called the major TV stations, newspapers and the internet to suppress this news, some websites with servers abroad were beyond their control. Overnight, rumours about evolution, about human-animal communication were like a stone dropped into water, causing countless ripples in Fengcheng.
"What do you all say, how can this matter be handled?"
In the Fengcheng City Government, the experts in charge of investigating the matter of human-animal communication gathered together. The leader of the group, Zhu Xiaowei, placed the information he had collected on the table and looked at the people around him. He knew that everyone here was an expert in various professions, and any one of them would be a big name outside, so he should have been more polite in his tone. But now the situation was urgent, and he really couldn't care less.
From mid-April, when the expert team moved to Fengcheng, to mid-June now, in nearly two months, they had secretly investigated a large number of instances of human-animal communication. If one was a coincidence, two were exceptional, then with all the examples in front of them, they had to admit that this was not a coincidence, but the evolution of a group of people. Although some of them were initially uncomfortable with the idea of "evolution", after much research, even the most conservative and stubborn experts accepted the idea of evolution.
According to statistics, since the beginning of the year, the population of Fengcheng improved its physical fitness by an average of 20%, generally reaching the level of good athletes. The team of experts researched all the schools, colleges, universities and enterprises in Fengcheng, and then referred to the hospital attendance data to reach this startling conclusion. They found that Fengcheng's residents had become smarter, stronger and even more positive and kind in character. In the past year, the crime rate in Fengcheng had decreased by 35% compared to the past, and people were showing a more confident and positive attitude towards the outside world.
For experts, physical evolution was only part of the story, but what was even more incredible was the ability of people and animals to communicate. This ability to communicate with animals, like a legendary "genie", had been given to humans and had opened up many possibilities for future development.
Whether it was the evolution of the body or magical abilities, the experts agreed that this evolution was linked to the changes in the environment of Fengcheng, or even that the changes in the environment of Fengcheng were the direct cause of the evolution. What the expert group wanted to explore was why these changes had occurred in Fengcheng. Was there something special about Fengcheng? Could these changes be extended to the whole country? If it could be extended to the whole country, what were the conditions required? Was it possible for all people to evolve?
There were too many questions that needed answers, but finding answers in just two months was an impossible task. While the group of experts was working intensively on the investigation, there was also disagreement about whether the story should be made public.
Some experts were conservative, believing that releasing the news would cause social unrest. How could evolved and unevolved people live in harmony? It would be better to wait until the experts found the cause of evolution before announcing it, so that everyone would have hope to evolve and it wouldn't cause too much psychological imbalance.
Another part of the experts believes that as the number of evolved people grew, the whole thing simply couldn't be kept under wraps. Instead of waiting for the people's imagination to run wild, it would be better to give it a proper official lead.
Neither side could convince the other, but the overall trend was towards the conservative side gaining the upper hand. After voting again and again and communicating with the authorities, the group decided to suppress the news. It was also decided to dispel the rumours that had been floating around in society about human-animal communication, arguing that the so-called ability to communicate with animals was simply a conditioned reflex that had developed over time through pet ownership. But just as they were about to dispel the rumours, the news suddenly leaked and the group had to face the current problem. Should they firmly deny the story, or should they go along with it and make public what they had investigated so far?
After Zhu Xiaowei asked, the deputy leader of the group was the first to take a stand, "There's no point in keeping things under wraps now. On the contrary, it will cause bad publicity. It's better to just go public."
"I think it's better to wait a bit." Another expert countered, "We can see how the situation outside develops first, and choose the direction after we get a feel for the news."
His opinion represented the majority of people, who subconsciously still wanted a conservative and low-key solution to the matter.
The expert group remained quiet and the authorities didn't give any explanation. After two days of chaos and confusion, there was a sudden frenzy of pet adoptions.
No one knew who had this idea first but after looking at several colleagues around him who had acquired the ability, the person found that all of them were nature lovers and animal lovers, usually friendly and caring towards people, and would often feed stray dogs, cats and so on. And coincidentally, the animals they communicated with were all abandoned stray animals. These animals were more intelligent and easier to communicate with. With this news, the stray animal problem that had plagued Fengcheng for years was immediately solved. There was no need for advertisements to promote the behaviour of "don't abandon, don't give up", and no one would ever abandon unwanted pets in Fengcheng. Existing stray animals had also been adopted one after another and were properly taken care of.
Hot on the heels of this rumour was another rumour that pets kept at home for long periods of time also tended to communicate with their owners. For this reason, the Fengcheng pet market was almost overwhelmed by the crowds, and the demand for all kinds of pets greatly exceeded the supply.
Chapter 165
The pet craze in Fengcheng had not yet faded when there was a wave of tourism.
Although the mainstream media in China had suppressed reports on the changes in Fengcheng, people on business trips, tourists, those who had inadvertently passed through Fengcheng and those who were inextricably related to the residents of Fengcheng had all learned about the changes in Fengcheng from various sources. One passed to ten, ten passed to hundred. The rumour mill was full of gossip. Some said that Fengcheng City had been transformed by alien technology, others said that Fengcheng City was a mythical holy place of cultivation…. No matter how ridiculous the rumours were, the core content inescapably was the improvement of the human body caused by the environmental changes in Fengcheng. For this reason, waves of people flocked to Fengcheng to see this legendary city for themselves.
Peng Jing was one of the first visitors to arrive in Fengcheng.
Two years ago, Peng Jing graduated from the University of Science and Technology in Fengcheng and returned to her hometown. Although she had left Fengcheng, her four-year university career still made her feel a strong affection for the city. Of course, no matter how her memory embellished it, Peng Jing remembered that the sky in Fengcheng was always grey, the water was black and the air was full of floating dust. In spring, summer, autumn and winter, there was dirt everywhere when the wind blew, and there was no way to avoid it. The professor at the university told her that this was a pain of a heavy industrial city that couldn't be avoided, and that unless the industry was transformed, the environment would only continue to deteriorate.
For this reason, Peng Jing gave up the opportunity to stay at the university after graduation and returned home to become a junior high school teacher. She thought the environment in Fengcheng would always be like this, but since the beginning of spring this year, it seemed that everything had changed. Peng Jing found that many of her classmates who stayed in Fengcheng had suddenly taken up a new hobby – the hobby of taking photos of themselves. The photos they took were of their neighbourhoods, their workplaces, or just a casual shot on the road. In all of them, the sky was as blue as if it was washed, and there was always rich and vibrant vegetation in the corners of the photo.
Peng Jing heard her friend Keke, who stayed at the university, say excitedly that Fengcheng was now a very different place from before. The sky was blue, the water was clear, there were all kinds of green plants everywhere you looked, and the whole city was like a large botanical garden. Keke's descriptions attracted Peng Jing, especially coupled with the mysterious evolutionary abilities Keke mentioned. Peng Jing immediately bought a ticket to Fengcheng, intending to come and experience everything Keke had told her about.
From the moment she left the airport, Peng Jing felt that her eyes were not enough to see. The flowers and plants outside were clearly more appealing to women than to men and the camera in Peng Jing's hand didn't stop clicking on the way. She felt that she no longer knew this city at all, the city surrounded by greenery.
The taxi driver treated Peng Jing as if she was a first-time visitor to Fengcheng and explained everything to her with enthusiasm all the way. Peng Jing listened with a smile on her face, and a sense of pride welled up in her heart. Half an hour later the driver dropped Peng Jing off at the entrance of the University of Science and Technology, and charged her two yuan less.
"It's not easy for a young girl to go out, just round it down to zero."
"Thank you, mister."
Peng Jing said goodbye to the driver, and when she turned her head, she heard her best friend Keke's greeting.
"Peng Jing's here!"
Peng Jing ran over happily. Keke was standing in front of the school in a green dress, waving to her and holding a ginger kitten in her arms.
"So cute." Peng Jing saw the kitten at a glance. She cautiously stroked the kitten and asked excitedly, "Keke, can you communicate with it? Is it that mysterious ability you told me about on the phone?"
Keke puffed out a laugh and shook her head, "Her name is Naiyou (Cream) and I just got her. You remember, right? There used to be a stray big ginger cat behind our dormitory, and Naiyou is the child of the big ginger cat. A few days ago, the cat was adopted by the head of our department, and I had a hard time snatching up Naiyou. Naiyou and I are still at the stage of getting to know each other, and we haven't developed that kind of ability yet. But it doesn't really matter if we get the ability. You see how cute Naiyou is. I was honestly hoping for that kind of ability at first, but after a few days of raising her I really like her, so it doesn't matter if we have it or not."
Keke nudged the little kitten's nose and said affectionately, "Naiyou, don't you think so?"
Naiyou: Meow~
Peng Jing looked at the little kitten's well-behaved appearance and her heart simply melted.
Keke took her arm, "Let's go, I'll take you to the university to take a stroll and see the new appearance of our school."
"What's new about it?"
"You'll find out when you go." Keke decided to keep listeners in suspense.
Fengcheng University of Science and Technology had been green before, and now the environment was better than ever. Peng Jing looked around all the way; teaching buildings, office buildings, dormitory buildings, playgrounds, almost everywhere her eyes could see was covered with lush greenery. Keke said, "Everywhere you go now is green and the classrooms are cool. We haven't turned on the air conditioning at all this year, and the logistics director is overjoyed to save a huge amount of money on electricity."
Peng Jing smiled and took a deep breath, enthralled, "The air is so beautiful."
Keke nodded, "Now that the air is better, there are more students doing morning exercises. There are hardly any late sleepers, everyone rises early and either works out in the playground or runs around the school, living a healthy life. Attendance in the first period has really improved." The two of them were walking and talking when they heard a chirping sound above their heads. Peng Jing subconsciously looked up and opened her mouth wide in surprise. Above their heads, a large flock of birds circled and flew past, disappearing in the grove ahead.
Peng Jing could see clearly that the flock just now consisted of different birds. Some of the birds she didn't recognise but there were also parrots, starlings, magpies and others. It seemed that, roughly estimated, there were thousands of them.
"Here we are."
Keke pulled Peng Jing around the rockery, directly towards the grove. In front of the grove, Elder Xie, the head of the school's maths department, was laughing, talking to a parrot that was perched on his shoulder, "Xiao Li, take the group to fly once more."
The parrot known as Xiao Li pecked at Elder Xie's ear and with a clear chirp, the flock of birds in the grove followed, circling Elder Xie in the air and flying back into the woods.
Peng Jing was simply stunned.
Keke smiled and said, "How's that? Elder Xie is now a new spectacle in our school. Every day when he doesn't have class, he comes here to entertain the birds. He is happy and everyone is happy to watch him. Don't look at the many birds there, they all have owners. Even a few humble little sparrows have been claimed by the first-year students. I don't know how they can tell the difference. Every day at noon, they make a special effort to come and feed the birds carrying little cups marked Sparrow One, Sparrow Two and so on."
Peng Jing imagined this scene and couldn't stop laughing for a long time. She looked around with emotion, "It's only been two years since I graduated, and everything has changed so much. How do you think it all happened?"
Keke stroked Naiyou in her arms and said seriously, "I don't know how it all happened, but I love the change. It's not about the rumours of evolution and abilities out there; just this environment is enough to make me thankful for it all. I wish I could do my best to protect the environment now and not let it be ruined once again at the hands of our generation."
Keke's thoughts were also those of most of Fengcheng's residents. The social unrest that the expert group had feared didn't happen, and no conflict had risen between evolved and unevolved people. As for the ability of people to communicate with animals, people who didn't have it just had an envious attitude and looked forward to having it one day in the future. Compared with this ability, everyone was more concerned about the environment of Fengcheng. Everyone understood that whether it was evolution or ability, the improvement of the environment was the prerequisite for everything.
Everyone spontaneously and voluntarily began to protect the environment around them. Without the supervision of the environmental protection department, all the small steel mills in the suburbs that had substandard emissions stopped working. The owners and employees of these mills were also the beneficiaries of the environmental changes in Fengcheng, and they enjoyed the benefits of this change in a tangible way. Some of them were already planning to shut down their mills and open farmhouses. According to the magical changes in Fengcheng, it would inevitably become a tourist destination for the whole country and even the whole world.
While everything was flourishing in Fengcheng, the busiest and most chaotic party of the city was the police. Because of the influx of tourists, the police in Fengcheng had to suspend all their holidays and go on duty to maintain order. As a heavy industrial city, Fengcheng had no previous experience of receiving large numbers of tourists. It was only after the first few days of confusion that everyone slowly got used to it.
A few days later Yan Yue received a call from Fang Lei.
"Yan Yue, I've really been screwed by you."
Fang Lei scolded Yan Yue while holding the phone between his shoulder and his ear and frying small fish for Xiaohui in a pan. After a week of working overtime and being on call 24 hours a day and unable to leave the station, Fang Lei finally managed to get a day off and was able to go home to see Xiaohui, Master Cat.
As expected, Xiaohui scratched him twice as soon as he saw him, in retaliation for being left behind for a week. Fang Lei held Xiaohui and coaxed him for a long time. Not even bothering to take a shower, he first hurriedly gave Xiaohui a bath and then started to fry him some fish to eat. Now in the gap of frying fish, Fang Lei finally caught Yan Yue to scold him a bit.
"Where have I screwed you?"
Yan Yue decisively refused to admit anything. He smiled as he listened to Fang Lei's complaints and changed the topic, "I heard that because of the influx of tourists, Fengcheng has started planning to strictly check temporary residence permits and limit the length of stay of tourists. Have you received any news?"
Fang Lei gloated a little, "Yan Yue, you don't have a Fengcheng household registration yet, do you?"
In the foreseeable future, the Fengcheng household registration would be a much more valuable existence than the Zhongjing household registration.
Yan Yue chuckled, "It was inconvenient before, but now it's just the right time to move my household registration over and transfer it with Xiao Xi."
"Then you have to hurry up, I'm afraid it won't be easy after a while. The temporary residence permit is sure to be checked in the future. As for the tourists' stay time, this has not been decided. The tops pressed down the proposal, I guess, afraid of tourists making a fuss."
Of course, if there were still so many tourists, the authorities would eventually ruthlessly limit the length of stay, otherwise Fengcheng would definitely not be able to bear it. Let's just say that there was no place to stay in Fengcheng now, every hotel and rented apartment were full, so any more people would really have to set up tents on the streets.
Fang Lei had a headache just thinking about this scenario. It would be them, the police, who would be suffering. As the thought flashed through his mind, he gritted his teeth again. This time he was really screwed by Yan Yue.
Yan Yue listened to the sound of Fang Lei gritting his teeth and hung up the phone with a smile. To be honest, it was a bit risky for him to release the expert group's investigation information, but it was really the best way to muddy the waters. If he let the expert group suppress the matter and slowly investigate it in secret, he couldn't help but worry that Xiao Xi's identity would be exposed. Although he had already made quite a few arrangements since last year, it was better to disrupt the pace of the expert group to be safe.
Now that the nation's attention was focused on Fengcheng, the expert group was no longer as leisurely as before and had to find a reason for the change in Fengcheng as soon as possible. And Yan Yue had already prepared that reason for them.