Chapter 117

Chapter 117

The courtyard Wang Heizi bought was somewhat remote, but the transportation was convenient, allowing cars to reach directly to the front gate. The place was quite spacious.

The central courtyard was about sixty to seventy square meters, all paved with cement. The main house was a small two-story building, with a warehouse on the east side for Wang Heizi to store goods, and a kitchen and dining room on the west side.

Tang Qingqing walked into the courtyard and, seeing the small two-story house, asked curiously, "Why did the original owner sell this house?"

The house looked very new. In those days, most self-built houses were single-story; it was rare to see multi-story ones.

The exterior walls had been painted, indicating that considerable money had been spent during construction.

It was clear that the original owner had some savings and should not have sold the house easily.

House sales were not frequent in those times. Even if someone moved away, they would usually keep a house in their hometown as an ancestral home. They would only sell it if they were truly short of money.

Before Wang Heizi could speak, Tang Xingqiang interjected, "The original owner wanted to cash out and invest in the lifting society to earn interest. That person started doing business secretly before it was officially allowed and saved up a lot of money, which is why he built such a good house."

Tang Qingqing frowned, "He actually sold the house? Isn't he afraid of not getting his money back and having nowhere to live?"

Tang Xingqiang shrugged, "That's nothing; many people even borrowed money to invest."

Wang Heizi added, "He was one of the earliest members. He has made a lot of money now. Because of him, many farmers in nearby villages have also invested."

Wang Heizi initially had doubts too, but considering so many people were involved and the president of the lifting society was a local with a good reputation, who always paid on time, he was tempted.

If not for Zhai Hongyi and Tang Qingqing's intervention, Wang Heizi planned to liquidate his goods and increase his investment to become a member and earn higher interest.

Old Liu didn't understand and asked what was going on.

Tang Xingqiang eagerly explained, and Old Liu slapped his thigh in realization.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go find Director Xu right now."

Wang Heizi rarely mentioned business matters to Old Liu, who never interfered, only reminding him not to take the wrong path. Thus, Old Liu was unaware of these things.

Old Liu was about to rush outside, but Wang Heizi stopped him, "There's no need to hurry. Yi and Qingqing just got back; let's at least have dinner first."

But Old Liu couldn't wait. Every minute delayed might mean another victim. After discussing, Old Liu decided to go to the Public Security Bureau with Zhai Hongyi and Wang Heizi.

Initially, Old Liu didn't want to bring Zhai Hongyi along, considering his long journey and wanting him to rest, but Zhai Hongyi worried they might not explain clearly, so he went along.

After the reforms, many policies and laws hadn't caught up, leaving both the public and leaders confused about the dangers of certain activities, leading to significant losses by the time they reacted.

Tang Xingqiang stayed behind to look after Tang Qingqing and Tang Jidong, showing them to their rooms.

There were no buses back to the village, so they had to stay overnight in the county.

"Sis, this is your room. Brother Heizi prepared it specially for you. The bedding and sheets are all new and have been washed and dried. Second Brother, do you want to share my bed tonight? We didn't expect you to come, so we didn't prepare a separate room."

Tang Qingqing looked at the silent Tang Jidong and said, "If you're uncomfortable sharing, I can take you to a guesthouse later."

Tang Jidong replied, "If it's not too much trouble, I'll stay here."

Tang Xingqiang waved his hand, "No trouble at all. I sleep well and bathe regularly."

Tang Xingqiang didn't particularly like Tang Jidong. Although Tang Qingqing never mentioned who treated her poorly back home, Tang Xingqiang sensed the distance between them and rarely mentioned Tang Jidong in letters. To him, Tang Jidong was an inadequate brother.

But he didn't want to cause Tang Qingqing any trouble, so he remained cordial to Tang Jidong.

Tang Jidong smiled at him. Seeing the room Wang Heizi and Tang Xingqiang had prepared specifically for Tang Qingqing, he felt a mix of emotions.

The room was clearly decorated with care, complete with a bed, table, chairs, and a dressing table.

From Tang Xingqiang's words, it was evident that this room was reserved exclusively for Tang Qingqing, and guests were not allowed to stay there.

This showed how important Tang Qingqing was to the house's owner.

Tang Xingqiang asked, "Sis, the water is already heated. Do you want to take a shower first or eat something?"

Tang Qingqing noticed how familiar he was with the place and asked, "Do you often come here?"

"I usually come here during holidays. Since I stay here, I do the chores as rent."

Tang Qingqing patted his head, "You've grown up; you're different now."

In the past, Tang Xingqiang wouldn't have bothered even if he had the foresight.

Hearing this, Tang Xingqiang scratched his head, embarrassed.

After washing up, Tang Qingqing felt refreshed, her fatigue dissipating.

She had planned to cook dinner, so it would be ready when Old Liu returned, but Wang Heizi had everything arranged.

He ordered food from a restaurant in town, which would be delivered, saving them the trouble of cooking.

Originally, Wang Heizi intended to take them to a restaurant, but he thought eating at home felt better, so he arranged for delivery instead.

"There's even takeout? The restaurant owner is really savvy."

Tang Xingqiang laughed, "To make money nowadays, you need to be quick and smart."

When the food arrived, Old Liu, Wang Heizi, and Zhai Hongyi also returned.

The situation had been reported, and Zhai Hongyi detailed the risks. As for how to handle it, that was beyond their control.

The next day, Tang Qingqing and the others were heading back to the village, while Tang Jidong was returning to Yang City.

Before leaving, Tang Jidong said to Tang Qingqing, "Now I understand why you came back here for the New Year. I'll explain everything to Mom and Dad."

Yesterday, Tang Jidong saw a completely different side of Tang Qingqing. He felt something different on the train, and once they arrived here, that feeling became even more pronounced.

In front of these people, Tang Qingqing was entirely relaxed, laughing without restraint and enjoying close relationships with everyone, truly like a family.

In contrast, in Yang City, she always seemed like an outsider. Perhaps she had tried to fit in before, but eventually, she remained an observer, neither making enemies nor getting too close to anyone.

This situation wasn't her doing, as it was evident that she didn't have such a distant relationship with Tang Jixue.

Tang Qingqing smiled at him, "Thank you."

Tang Jidong felt a mix of emotions. This was his own sister, yet compared to those people nearby, he felt no better than a stranger.

In the end, he said nothing and left in the car.

As Tang Qingqing returned to the village, many people greeted her warmly along the way.

Everyone was surprised to see Zhai Hongyi.

"Zhai Zhiging? Why are you back?"

Most of the zhiging in the village had already left, some even after getting married and having children there. They still chose to leave, sometimes even deceiving their partners by pretending to divorce temporarily, promising to bring them to the city later. But once they left, they vanished without a trace, treating everything here as if it were a monster.

Zhai Hongyi slowed his pace, walking beside Old Liu, and smiled, "I'm back to celebrate the New Year with the old man."

The villagers praised Zhai Hongyi for his good character, recognizing him as someone who knew how to repay kindness.

Old Liu's face still looked stern, but upon closer inspection, one could see his lips curved upwards, unable to hide his joy.

Tang Xingsheng had been waiting at the village entrance. Seeing Tang Qingqing, he rushed over, stopping just short of her.

He was more reserved than Tang Xingqiang and couldn't hug her like a child, so he called out "Sis" and helped her carry her things.

"Sis, you've grown taller too. I heard you did well this semester; keep up the good work."

Tang Xingsheng nodded eagerly, "Sis, I won't let you down!"

Arriving home, Tang Qingqing found the courtyard gate open, with voices inside.

From a distance, Tang Xingqiang shouted, "Aunt, Qiaoqiao, my sister is back!"

"Sis!" Tang Qiaoqiao ran out of the house, followed by Wang Simei.

Tang Qingqing stepped forward and hugged Tang Qiaoqiao tightly, "Qiaoqiao, I'm back!"

Wang Simei wiped her hands on her apron and smiled, "The fire is lit in your room. Come inside; it's warm."

Since Tang Qingqing left, her uncle's family often came to help Old Liu.

Knowing she would return today, they had prepared the house early.

Only when they entered did Tang Qingqing realize that her aunt had not only heated the bed but also slaughtered a chicken and prepared various ingredients, ready for cooking.

Old Liu said, "Stay for dinner today; no one is leaving. Qiaoqiao, go home and bring your father over. We'll drink together tonight."

Tang Qiaoqiao looked at Wang Simei, who nodded.

Although Tang Jianshe had become more outgoing and started interacting with villagers, he still preferred not to dine at others' homes.

With permission, Tang Qiaoqiao happily ran home.

Tang Qingqing turned to Wang Heizi, "Go call Caoer over. It's been a while since we last met. If I go, her parents will make her bring her brothers along."

Tang Qingqing was close to Wang Caoer but disliked her brothers.

If Wang Caoer brought her brothers, they would disrupt the meal, requiring everyone to cater to them.

Wang Heizi pursed his lips, hesitating.

Tang Qingqing felt a sudden unease, "What happened?"

"I wanted to tell you about this earlier."

"Just tell me."

"Caoer was secretly sent away by me. She's working as a nanny in the city and won't be back for the New Year."

Hearing this, Tang Qingqing guessed what might have happened.

"Did her parents try to marry her off?"

Wang Caoer's parents favored boys over girls, exploiting her from a young age.

Many families in the village did the same, marrying off their daughters to get money for their sons' marriages.

Wang Caoer had an older brother who should have been married by now, so it wasn't surprising that they targeted her.

Though Wang Caoer was not yet sixteen and below marriageable age, in the countryside, such formalities were often ignored. As long as a ceremony was held, it was considered a formal marriage.

Many never registered their marriages and didn't think much of it.

Wang Heizi nodded, "They arranged her to marry a scoundrel whose first wife died from pesticide poisoning due to abuse. I don't know what my uncle and aunt were thinking. She's their own flesh and blood."

"Her parents don't know it was you, right?"

Wang Heizi shook his head, "She came to find me secretly in the county town and didn't run into anyone. Her parents came looking for me, but I denied knowing anything."

"That's good." Tang Qingqing let out a sigh of relief. "Is she doing well now? Since she's not going home for the holidays, does she have a place to stay?"

"Don't worry. She's working as a caretaker for an elderly lady whose children are all abroad and won't be coming back for the holidays. The elderly lady needs someone to look after her during the holidays, and Wang Caoer can earn some extra money. The elderly lady is educated and even teaches her how to read and write.

When you go back, you'll be staying in the city for a night, right? See if you can find time to meet up then. She misses you a lot."

Tang Qingqing was genuinely happy for Wang Caoer. She knew how much Wang Caoer had always longed to learn to read, but never had the chance before. Now, her wish had finally come true.

Seeing her friends and family getting better and better made Tang Qingqing very happy.

In the evening, Tang Qingqing also had a couple of drinks with everyone. It was her first time drinking, and she started feeling dizzy after just a little bit. Her face turned red, and she kept smiling foolishly at people.