Chapter 43 - 44: The Atmosphere is Off

Chapter 43: Chapter 44: The Atmosphere is Off

He’d signed a ten-year contract and paid for three years upfront.

Li Yang could officially get started!

This was his very first project, and he was getting excited just thinking about it.

Back at home, he called Zhou Liyun over.

"You really leased it?" Zhou Liyun was excited too.

’If Li Yang can get this off the ground, I’ll have a job and a way to earn money.’ It was a simple line of reasoning she understood perfectly.

"That’s right!" Li Yang nodded. "Sister-in-law Liyun, you’re the expert when it comes to growing vegetables. How about this? From now on, I’m putting you in charge of this land. You can hire people to help, too. For example, for things like tilling the soil, don’t do it yourself. Our village has plenty of capable hands. You can hire them for a hundred and twenty a day."

"Okay!" Zhou Liyun was pleased. ’Li Yang is really looking out for me.’

「The next day」

The feed grinder arrived.

It was carried straight to Zhou Liyun’s courtyard.

"Sister-in-law, this machine is yours to use from now on!" Li Yang said with a smile after the technician had gone over the instructions. "You can gather up all the vegetable stalks and things, grind them into feed, and use it for the chickens."

"Okay!" Zhou Liyun’s eyes lit up even more.

Just as he finished talking with Zhou Liyun, Li Yang received a rare and unexpected call from Qin Susu.

"Um... my grandmother said she wants to treat you to a meal today!" Qin Susu sounded a little embarrassed on the other end of the line.

"Your grandmother wants to treat me to a meal?" Li Yang scratched his head.

"It’s because you saved my grandmother!" Hearing what sounded like reluctance in Li Yang’s voice, Qin Susu’s temper flared. "Come if you want, don’t if you don’t!"

’Seriously? Is that any way to invite someone?’

"Alright, alright, I’m on my way."

"I’ll send you the location. It’s Hidden Dragon Farm. And hurry up!" Hearing that Li Yang was coming right away, her tone softened considerably.

When he drove up to Hidden Dragon Farm, Li Yang couldn’t help but marvel. ’This place isn’t bad at all.’

It wasn’t in the city center, but rather a little ways into the suburbs.

The grounds were shaded by lush green trees and featured a large pond. Several dining pavilions were built out over the water, extending to the center of the pond.

They had also planted a variety of common vegetables on the property.

This was exactly the kind of thing city dwellers loved these days: organic vegetables, all-natural produce, and the like...

’I could build a farm like this, too,’ he thought. ’And it would be just as impressive.’

"What are you looking at?" Qin Susu had come up behind him at some point. Seeing him gawking, she couldn’t resist asking.

"Nothing, just looking for you all," Li Yang said, stepping forward. "Is everyone here? Let’s go."

Qin Susu looked like she wanted to say something, but ultimately held her tongue.

Their table was also in one of the pavilions over the pond. They crossed a small bridge to get to the dining area.

You had to admit, it was a bit cooler out here on a summer day.

Several people were already seated inside. Besides her stepmother’s family of three and her grandmother, whom he’d met the other day, there was also a middle-aged man.

He looked like he was probably Qin Susu’s father.

"Young man..." The grandmother spotted Li Yang and waved him over. "Come, come, sit with me."

"Grandma!" Li Yang grinned. He had a good impression of the old woman.

"Ah, such a good boy!" the grandmother laughed.

And so, Li Yang sat down beside the grandmother, acting more familiar than her own grandson.

This made Qin Song, who was sitting nearby, visibly uncomfortable. He was already glaring at Li Yang.

"You must be Li Yang," the middle-aged man said, sizing him up. While his expression remained neutral, he was inwardly dismissive.

"Thank you for saving my mother."

"This is my dad," Qin Susu added.

"You’re too kind, Mr. Qin," Li Yang said, shaking his head. "She’s the one who asked for my help."

Li Yang could see that Qin Susu was in a weak position in her family. The girl might be a bit spoiled, but she wasn’t a bad person at heart, so he didn’t mind putting in a good word for her.

Qin Susu’s eyes brightened.

’I thought you were a block of wood, but it seems you’re not completely clueless. At least you know how to read a room.’

Qin Susu’s father, Qin Gang, just chuckled at Li Yang’s words, but inwardly he felt a little displeased.

As someone with more life experience, he sensed that the relationship between the two of them wasn’t quite ordinary.

"It seems you two are quite close, aren’t you?" the stepmother chimed in.

Just as expected, Qin Gang’s expression stiffened.

’Whether my relationship with Qin Susu is good or not is none of your damn business,’ Li Yang thought.

"He’s my cousin’s friend, which makes him my friend too," Qin Susu said quickly.

The stepmother gave a dry laugh and said nothing more.

Qin Gang looked displeased.

"Come on, enough talk. Let’s eat," Qin Gang finally said, urging everyone to start the meal.

Li Yang hated this kind of atmosphere. This meal was more awkward than anything he’d ever experienced.

After hastily shoveling down a bowl of rice, Li Yang couldn’t stand it any longer. He put down his bowl and chopsticks. "I’m going to use the restroom," he said. "You all take your time."

With that, Li Yang was already out the door.

Qin Susu wasn’t a fool. She shot her stepmother a glare.

The stepmother just sneered, pretending not to have seen it.

Li Yang was genuinely frustrated. He finally took a deep breath once he was outside, and then actually went to use the restroom.

But on his way back, as he passed the cashier’s counter, he saw the proprietress—a buxom woman in her thirties—speaking with a balding, middle-aged man. "Director Zhang, look, my resort has only been open for a short while. It’s not right for you to be talking about a rent increase already, is it?"

"And why not?" Director Zhang leered brazenly at the proprietress’s full chest, his face a mask of greed. "The lease on this place is about to expire. If you don’t want to pay the increase, that’s fine too. Just spend a few nights with me!"