Chapter 124: Arriving Home

Driving back to his hometown took over six hours on the highway.

It was still quite a distance.

If it weren’t for buying so many things this time, and also having to bring a few paintings home, Chen Feng would have definitely flown back directly, which would have taken at most two hours to get home.

Wu Mengting was in a similar situation. She had also bought many gifts for her family, and she would need to use her car a lot after returning home, so she had planned to drive back.

Otherwise, she could have arrived in just over an hour by plane.

The two of them drove home together, with Chen Feng leading the way and Wu Mengting following closely behind.

As a result, after driving for more than an hour, Chen Feng, as expected, left her so far behind that she was out of sight.

However, the two had already agreed to meet at a service station halfway to rest.

About three hours later, Chen Feng arrived at the service station first. He waited for about half an hour before Wu Mengting arrived.

By this time, Chen Feng had already finished eating.

Seeing Chen Feng, Wu Mengting said with a resentful expression, “You drive too fast. Can’t you drive a little slower and wait for me?”

Chen Feng smiled, “This is the highway. It’s not that I’m driving fast, but you’re driving too slow. Alright, you sit down and rest for a while. What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it for you.”

Driving for three hours on the highway was definitely a bit tiring. Wu Mengting wasn’t being coy and casually mentioned a few things she wanted to eat: meat zongzi, fried potatoes, and boiled corn.

There were many things to eat here, but these three were undoubtedly the most convenient.

Chen Feng nodded and bought these three things for her, along with a cup of hot milk. As for whether she could eat so much, Chen Feng didn’t care.

While Wu Mengting was eating, she saw a man suddenly walk over quickly and call out to her with a surprised look, “Wu Mengting.”

Wu Mengting turned her head in surprise to look at this person, her face full of astonishment. She couldn’t help but call out, “Zhao Qigao!”

“Haha, I really didn’t expect to run into our class beauty here. Isn’t this a coincidence?” Zhao Qigao’s face was full of excitement.

This person was 1.8 meters tall, wore glasses, was handsome, well-dressed, had a large watch on his wrist, and was holding a BMW car key in his hand. He looked rich.

“It is quite a coincidence. Are you going back to Lu City?” Wu Mengting also looked a little happy and asked with a smile.

“Yeah. I’ve been playing in Xiuzhou for more than half a month. My grandmother has been nagging me every day. I really can’t stand it anymore, so I decided to go home. You’re going home too, right? We can go together.”

“Oh, okay. What are you doing now? Still playing around? Have you found a proper job?”

Zhao Qigao pretended to be depressed and said, “Don’t think I’m always playing, okay? When I was in college, I invested in a bar with a friend. We ran it for more than two years and made a profit of over a hundred thousand when we sold it. I came to Xiuzhou this time to investigate an investment project. Playing was just a side thing.”

“Oh, is that so? Then what are you doing now? Are you a boss?”

“I guess so. I invested in a brand clothing store in Lu City. Of course, I’m just one of the shareholders. I don’t manage it usually, I just get dividends at the end of the year. Also, I plan to invest in a milk tea shop after the New Year. Gugu Milk Tea, you know it, right? It’s been very popular recently. I went to their headquarters in Xiuzhou to have a look, and also inspected a few of their physical franchise stores. I think it’s not bad. I plan to join after the New Year.”

“There are a lot of milk tea shops now, and the business seems to be very good.”

“Yes, young people love to drink milk tea now. This Gugu Milk Tea has only recently become popular. There are not many franchise stores in our Lu City. If I open one in Lu City, I should be able to make a quick buck.”

“The investment in this milk tea shop must be quite large, right?”

“It’s not that big. If I just rent a storefront, it’s probably about seven or eight hundred thousand.”

“Seven or eight hundred thousand isn’t expensive?”

“When I was in college, I borrowed two million from my dad as a start-up fund. I still have about one million in my hands now. It should be enough.”

“You’re awesome! I, a poor person, can’t afford to mess with you.”

“I’m going back this time to investigate the location in the city and find a suitable shop. Do you have any good suggestions?”

“What suggestions could I have? I don’t know how to do business.”

“Sigh! What a pity. With your academic talent, if you learned to do business, you would definitely be much better than a slacker like me.”

“You’re really bad at studying, but you have some talent in doing business.”

“I can’t compare to you, a top student, in studying, but I can’t say I’m too bad either. I got into Lu City University on my own merit.”

“You still have the face to say that. You were the worst in our class back then.”

“I was at the bottom of our class, but in other classes, I was at least at the middle level.”

“Hehe, you’re still so thick-skinned.”

…

Wu Mengting and Zhao Qigao were high school classmates. It seemed they hadn’t seen each other for a long time. This time, they unexpectedly met here, and they immediately started chatting very enthusiastically.

Chen Feng sat opposite Wu Mengting, unable to get a word in. Of course, he didn’t want to say anything either. He took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to his mother and Sun Xiaorui, saying that he would be home in two or three hours.

Then Chen Feng started reading the news.

When Wu Mengting finally remembered Chen Feng opposite her, she introduced him to Zhao Qigao, “By the way, his name is Chen Feng. He’s my boyfriend.”

“Ah!” Zhao Qigao, who had been smiling and talking enthusiastically just now, was suddenly dumbfounded.

Chen Feng, who was scrolling through his phone, was also dumbfounded. He glared at Wu Mengting, who was holding back her laughter, and then took the initiative to explain to Zhao Qigao, “Don’t listen to her nonsense. I’m Mengting’s friend. Well, we have a good relationship. She calls me brother, and I treat her like my own sister.”

Hearing this, Zhao Qigao finally breathed a sigh of relief. His expression also finally returned to normal. He took a step forward and shook hands with Chen Feng, saying with a smile, “You really scared me just now. You know, Mengting is the goddess in the hearts of all the boys in our class. If she really got a boyfriend, all of us boys would cry to death.”

“Haha, that’s true. Sit down, don’t just stand there.”

“Okay,” Zhao Qigao said and was about to sit next to Wu Mengting.

As a result, Wu Mengting rolled her eyes at him unhappily and said, “Sit on the other side. It’s crowded.”

Zhao Qigao smiled awkwardly and obediently sat on Chen Feng’s side.

“Brother Chen, how did you meet Mengting?” Zhao Qigao looked at Chen Feng curiously.

Chen Feng’s appearance was still good. After more than a month of traveling, he had lost five or six pounds and looked much more handsome than before.

But his age was there, so although Zhao Qigao was a little puzzled at first, he didn’t suspect that he was Wu Mengting’s boyfriend.

“Why are you asking so many questions?”

Before Chen Feng could speak, Wu Mengting was already a little dissatisfied.

“I’m just curious. Are you colleagues or from the same hometown?”

Chen Feng said, “We’re from the same hometown. I’m from Linnan County. I met her by coincidence. Her car broke down, and I happened to be driving by and helped her out, so we got to know each other.”

“Oh, I see. Looking at you, Brother Chen, you should also be a businessman, right?”

“I’m not a businessman. I’m a stock trader.”

“Stock trading. I know a lot of stock traders. In 2014, a few of my relatives made a lot of money from stock trading and bought houses in Beijing.”

Zhao Qigao was very talkative, and in a short while, he seemed to be chatting very enthusiastically with Chen Feng.

Not to mention, with this kid’s eloquence and emotional intelligence, it would be a pity if he didn’t go into business.

The two chatted for a few minutes. Wu Mengting opposite them had almost finished eating. She took out a tissue, wiped her mouth, and said, “Alright, that’s about it. Let’s continue on our way.”

“Okay, okay. Let’s go home early. We should be in Lu City just as it gets dark.”

Zhao Qigao quickly agreed, and Chen Feng of course had no objection.

So, the three of them set off in their respective cars.

Zhao Qigao潇洒 (casually) pressed the BMW car key. The unlock light lit up. It was a BMW X5, not very expensive, but for most people, it was considered a luxury car.

It was no wonder that when he went to open the car door, his gaze towards Chen Feng’s side carried a hint of pride and showing off.

Chen Feng’s Envision certainly couldn’t compare to his.

Zhao Qigao started the car first. When he passed their cars, he stopped, rolled down the window, made a gesture to them, and said loudly, “I’ll lead the way.”

After saying that, his car started. It was full of power, looking energetic and stable.

Chen Feng’s impression of this kid was originally good, but his deliberate act of showing off just now directly brought his impression score to zero.

Chen Feng immediately followed, with Wu Mengting last.

---

After another three hours or so, the car finally arrived at the urban area of Lu City. It was already past seven in the evening, and the sky was dark.

Chen Feng sent a WeChat message to Wu Mengting and continued to speed on the highway.

Another hour passed, and Chen Feng finally arrived at Qingpu Town in Linnan County.

Familiar streets, familiar convenience stores, familiar home.

“Second Uncle! Second Uncle is back!”

“Second Uncle! Second Uncle!”

Chen Feng’s car stopped at his doorstep. He rolled down the window, and his two nieces at the door saw him first and quickly ran over.

Chen Feng was also happy. He got out of the car, squatted down, and hugged them.

Then, before he could be happy for too long, his two nieces started asking for gifts.

“Second Uncle, where’s my gift?”

“Second Uncle, did you buy me a Barbie doll?”

At this time, his mother also came out of the shop, smiling and scolding her two little granddaughters, “All you know is to ask for gifts. Come in! Come in!”

Chen Feng patted his two little nieces on the head and said with a smile, “There are gifts for everyone. They’re in the trunk. Come with me to get them.”

The two little girls immediately shouted in excitement and ran to the trunk to get their gifts.

Chen Feng opened the trunk and carried the large and small bags into the house.

His mother, Zhao Xiaolan, complained about Chen Feng’s reckless spending on one hand, and on the other hand, she also smiled and helped carry things.

At this time, his sister-in-law, Li Guihong, also came out.

Chen Feng casually asked about his father and older brother and was told that they were still at the car beauty shop and hadn’t come back yet.

Hearing this, Chen Feng was a little unhappy, “What time is it? What are they still doing at the shop? There shouldn’t be much business at this time, right?”
His mother, Zhao Xiaolan, said, “There’s still business. That’s a national highway, after all. There are many cars even in the middle of the night, let alone at this time.”

“Then there’s no need for both of them to stay there, right?”

“The workers are off duty. If we ask them to work overtime now, we have to pay them extra. Your brother and your dad just work a little overtime themselves. If there’s money to be made, it’s okay to come back a little later.”

Hearing this, Chen Feng was even more unhappy, “Making money is important, but you can’t just keep working overtime like this. What if you ruin your health?”

“Alright, alright, they know what they’re doing. They should be back soon.”

Zhao Xiaolan’s indifferent attitude left Chen Feng speechless.

He now had a terminal illness and understood the importance of health even more. Especially his father.

The reason Chen Feng had invested in this shop with his older brother was not to let his father work overtime and suffer every night. Chen Feng would definitely have to talk about this.

After they went into the house and put away their things, his father and older brother indeed came back together. Looking at the time, it was already 8:20 in the evening.

His mother and sister-in-law started to get busy in the kitchen.

Because his father and older brother had to work overtime at the shop, the family rarely had meals together. Most of the time, his sister-in-law or mother would deliver meals to them at mealtime.

Now it was long past mealtime, but since the whole family was rarely together, everyone still sat down to eat together, and the three men had a drink.

After a few glasses of wine, Chen Feng directly expressed his thoughts, “Let’s not have overtime at the shop anymore. If we really have to, Dad doesn’t need to work overtime. What if his health is ruined? The money earned won’t be enough for medical treatment. Brother, don’t you think so?”

His older brother, Chen Rui, quickly said, “I don’t let Dad work overtime with me either. But I’ve told him several times to no avail. Dad still insists on staying. I can’t do anything about it.”

Chen Feng frowned, “Dad, from now on, you don’t have to work overtime at night. If we’re really short-staffed, aren’t there several workers at the shop? Just have them work overtime in shifts every day. At most, we’ll pay them overtime.”

His father, Chen Dayong, said, “It’s not worth it to pay overtime. Besides, it’s only two or three hours of overtime. I’m idle anyway. It’s okay to come home a little later, it’s not very tiring.”

The older generation was like this. It didn’t matter if they worked a little harder and were a little more tired, as long as they could save some money for their children.

Chen Feng said in a firm tone, “This is settled. It’s enough for you to go to work during the day. Why are you still working overtime at night? Year after year, your body will definitely not be able to take it. Brother, you too. You may not feel it now, but when you get older, you definitely won’t be able to take it. How much can you earn by working two or three more hours of overtime? Your health is the most important thing.”

Chen Rui smiled bitterly, “Don’t look down on these two or three hours. When business is good, we can earn an extra one or two thousand a day.”

“No matter how much money, it’s not as important as your health. I don’t care if you insist on working overtime yourself, but don’t let Dad work overtime anymore. Otherwise, it would be my fault for partnering with you to open this shop in the first place, and I would have harmed Dad.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Zhao Xiaolan interjected. “What do you mean by harming your dad? Your dad is so happy now. It’s a very glorious thing to be able to help out at his son’s shop, and the business is so good.”

Chen Rui quickly promised, “Okay, I’ll listen to Xiaofeng. Starting tomorrow, I’ll have the employees at the shop take turns working overtime with me and pay them overtime. Dad, you just stay at home and help Mom. Sometimes Mom can’t handle things at home by herself.”

Chen Dayong was a little unhappy, “There’s usually nothing to do at home. Your mom can handle it by herself.”

Chen Feng said, “If you have nothing to do, go play cards or mahjong. Help out when there’s something to do.”

“I haven’t reached retirement age yet. I can still work,” Chen Dayong insisted.

“Then you can go grow vegetables,” Chen Feng suggested. “The vegetables in the market now are all grown in greenhouses. They don’t taste good, and there are pesticide residues. The vegetables we grow at home taste good and are healthy. Xiaoyu and Xiaoxue will definitely love to eat them, and it’s good for their growth.”

Zhao Xiaolan chimed in, “That’s true. Don’t we still have two mu of land at home? We used to rent it out to others to grow, and we didn’t get much money. We might as well grow it ourselves. We can eat it ourselves, and if we can’t finish it, we can give it to others or sell it at the market.”

Chen Dayong was still a little hesitant.

Chen Feng said again in a firm tone, “It’s settled then. Brother, from now on, if Dad goes to your shop to be a car washer again, you can’t agree. Otherwise, I’ll really get angry. Our family is not short of money now, and the shop is not short of a worker like Dad.”

Their family was indeed not short of money now. The car beauty shop was the only one in Qingpu Town. The average daily turnover was two or three thousand, and the monthly turnover was about one hundred thousand. The net profit was about forty or fifty thousand a month.

At this rate, they could get their investment back in less than a year. The rest would be pure profit.

Besides, the bulk of the investment for the shop was from Chen Feng. He had invested 400,000, while Chen Rui had only invested 70,000 but owned a 30% stake. With the profits from these few months, he had almost gotten his investment back.

And the money Chen Feng had earned was all kept by his mother. Chen Feng had told her to spend it as she pleased, and he wasn’t being polite.

His mother wasn’t polite either. She had lent out one hundred thousand for interest, and had also spent tens of thousands for Chen Feng, mainly on building a third wing behind the house and decorating it, which could be used as an independent bedroom.

“Okay! I’ll listen to you!” Chen Rui also expressed his position.

Since childhood, his younger brother Chen Feng had been better at studying than him and more outstanding. The reason the car beauty shop was opened was entirely because Chen Feng had invested the money.

In the end, Chen Feng was the major shareholder and boss of this shop. He was just a minor shareholder, or even an employee.

Now that Chen Feng’s attitude was so firm, of course he had to listen to him.

Seeing that his wife and two sons had all said so, Chen Dayong could only nod helplessly, “Alright then. I’ll just retire early.”

Only his sister-in-law, Li Guihong, didn’t look very happy, but she didn’t say anything more.

“Alright. Everyone, eat. Eat up, don’t leave any leftovers.”

Zhao Xiaolan spoke, and the three men all picked up their chopsticks and started eating. The atmosphere became lively again.

After the three men had a few more drinks, Zhao Xiaolan said directly, “Xiaofeng, there’s a woman here, twenty-seven years old, also just divorced, runs a clothing store. I’ve met her and asked around. She’s very nice. You should go meet her tomorrow.”

Chen Rui also said with a smile, “This woman is very nice, very beautiful. Your sister-in-law and I have both met her. She’s on our street. Your sister-in-law has even bought clothes from her shop a few times.”

“On the street? Is she from our town?”

Chen Feng was mentally prepared for this and was not surprised. He was just a little surprised that this woman was from their town.

Zhao Xiaolan said, “Not from our town, but from Haiwan Town, which is not very far from our town. I just met this girl’s mother a few days ago. She didn’t know me. After chatting with her for a while, I felt she was very nice. She has a good temper and speaks kindly. Later, I asked someone to inquire in Haiwan Town. Her family is also very nice. Her father is a fisherman, and her mother is a housewife. They are also very good people. They only have two daughters. She is the younger one, and she has an older sister.”

Li Guihong said, “It’s just that her education level is not very high. I heard she didn’t even finish high school.”

Chen Rui said, “Who cares about that now? As long as the woman is virtuous and family-oriented.”

Chen Feng shook his head, “Let’s just forget it. I already have a girlfriend.”

Chen Feng had long known that he couldn’t avoid it. He had just asked a few more questions out of curiosity. Then, of course, he had to lay his cards on the table.

The whole family was of course very surprised to hear this news. They were all stunned for a moment.

Then, Chen Rui quickly asked, “It’s not that girl who came to wash her car last time, is it?”

“Not her. I met her in Xiuzhou.”

“Ah, not her.” Chen Rui was a little disappointed.

Wu Mengting had given him a very good impression at that time.

“Do you have a photo of her? Let me see.”

Zhao Xiaolan’s expression was a little suspicious.

Chen Feng smiled and said, “A photo is not accurate. Let her video chat with you.”

“Ah, a video call?” Zhao Xiaolan was a little nervous and couldn’t help but touch her hair.

“Yes, I’ll tell her first.”

Saying that, Chen Feng sent a WeChat message to Sun Xiaorui: [My mom wants to video chat with you. Is it okay now?]

Sun Xiaorui replied in seconds: [Wait ten minutes, no, five minutes]

[Okay. Hurry up.]

“Alright, Mom, we’ll video chat with her in five minutes.”

“Really? You’re not lying to me?”

“Why would I lie to you? I’m already living with her in Xiuzhou.”

“Then why didn’t you say so before?”

“You didn’t ask, did you?”

“Sigh. Alright, alright. I was worried you would be discouraged and not want to find someone. Now it’s good, you’ve found someone.”

“Is she pretty?” Chen Rui asked curiously.

“You all know my taste. It definitely won’t be bad. You’ll see in a moment.”