Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Great Figures Assemble, Part Two (3)

Beautiful.

Truly beautiful.

Like a star from television, her skin was as white as snow, as smooth as jade; her features were elegant and exquisite, her figure flawless.

With that, too, came the refined air of books and learning, along with the fashionable aura long fostered by life in a great city, all of which filled Qin Nuanyu with a kind of dangerously alluring charm.

It was the allure of a goddess.

At that moment, even Yang Xiaomei felt a faint, involuntary pang of inferiority.

Qin Nuanyu saw her as well. Their gazes met only for an instant, but in that brief crossing, Qin Nuanyu’s instincts already told her who this woman was.

Only another woman could sense the gaze of jealousy.

Still, once she clearly saw Yang Xiaomei’s appearance, Qin Nuanyu naturally lost whatever curiosity she had.

There was no helping it. Yang Xiaomei’s looks and bearing were nowhere near enough to stand against her.

Setting appearance aside, the problem began with the way she dressed.

The woman wore an outfit copied from the heroine of a Korean drama. It looked fashionable enough at first glance, but the overall coordination was a mess.

It gave off an odd, mongrel sort of style.

She seemed to want to be cute, to appear pure, to reveal a hint of flirtation, and even to suggest a little mature, seductive sophistication all at once.

In the end, she achieved nothing at all, only a rustic awkwardness.

Add to that the shallow air she carried about her, and standing before Qin Nuanyu, she was no exaggeration to call a country bumpkin.

If Qin Nuanyu still treated her as a rival, that would only cheapen herself.

So after a single look, Qin Nuanyu withdrew her gaze.

This displeased Yang Xiaomei greatly.

What was there to be so proud of? If it had not been for her marrying Dashan and giving up Yang Xiaofan, did she really think she could have become Yang Xiaofan’s woman?

Dream on.

With a soft huff, she took a chair and sat down by herself.

After everyone had settled, Yang’s father asked Xiaoyun to pour tea for them, then handed cigarettes to the village chief and the others before smiling and saying, “Second Brother, the pig farm I mentioned to you the other day, has the township approved it yet?”

The village chief took a drag on his cigarette, smacked his lips, exhaled a cloud of smoke, lifted his chin, and smiled with satisfaction. “Don’t worry, it’s already been taken care of. I’ve kept your matter in mind. I guarantee it won’t delay you from making money.”

“Then thank you, Second Brother.”

“What are you thanking me for? We’re all neighbors, all family. No need for formalities. Once you get that pig farm going, it’ll be a good thing for our village too.”

“And the funding?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already spoken with the credit union. When they heard your son was Xiaofan, do you know what they said? They said you can take out up to five hundred thousand without any trouble, and the interest will be kept at the lowest rate. They’ll only charge a service fee. It’s practically like they’re handing you money to build a pig farm.”

After a pause, he went on, “But I’ll say this, don’t take offense, Second Brother. Xiaofan is doing so well now, why should you still go through all that hardship and bother with some pig farm?”

Yang’s father gave an honest, simple smile. “I can’t keep relying on the child forever, can I? If I build up a little property, I can leave it to him later.”

“Not a bad idea. Still, I don’t recommend borrowing from the credit union. You’re already sitting on Xiaofan, a huge bank. Do you really need a loan? A little splash from him would be enough to cover your living expenses for half your life.”

Yang’s father nodded, but Yang Xiaofan could not help frowning.

“Dad, didn’t I already tell you not to go and start some pig farm? Why are you so determined to do it anyway?”

Yang’s father chuckled. “It’s all right. Right now, starting a pig farm comes with subsidies. For every million we spend, we can get two or three hundred thousand back. And the bigger the scale, the greater the subsidy. I’ve done the math. If I build an eight-million pig farm, the subsidies alone will get me two or three million. Besides, with pork prices this high, raising pigs is at least a steady, low-risk business.”

“We don’t lack that money at home.”

“Well, I can’t just sit idle, can I? I’m still able to work. I can earn as much as I can for you, and when I truly can’t keep at it anymore, we’ll talk then.”

Seeing that his father remained steadfast, Yang Xiaofan said no more. Older people were often restless when left with nothing to do; sometimes, if you told them to do nothing at all, they only grew uncomfortable all over. It was better to let them put their energy into something worthwhile.

If they lost money, then so be it. In any case, it was only the price of one of his paintings.

“All right then. If you insist on building a pig farm, I can’t stop you. But there’s no need for a loan. I’ll just transfer you ten million later.”

When the village chief and the others heard that, they could not help swallowing hard, their eyes fixed on Yang’s father with looks full of envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Why did they not have a son like Yang Xiaofan? With a mere word, he could pull out ten million.

Just as they were thinking this, the sound of several car engines came from outside.

Everyone looked out. At a single glance, the village chief’s eyes lit up. He hurriedly got to his feet and ran forward, bending slightly as he went, waving his hands repeatedly while calling out, “President Zhang, what brings you here?”

Seeing him, Yang Xiaomei and the others also stood and prepared to head outside.

Yang Xiaofan glanced over and saw that the other party had arrived in a Bentley, a rare sight indeed in a small county town. It was enough to show that this man was no ordinary figure, wealthy beyond measure.

He asked in some confusion, “Who is this President Zhang? Why would he come to our house?”

Yang Xiaomei immediately answered in a tone of great respect, explaining on the man’s behalf: “This is the famous President Zhang from our county. He has invested in many groups here. He owns a number of chain supermarkets in the county, more than thirty branches in all. Of the county’s only four major hotels, two belong to him. They say his fortune is worth a billion, so people call him Billion Zhang.”

“In our county, he’d probably count as the richest man, wouldn’t he? I’ve heard no one in the whole county dares refuse him face.”

“Billion Zhang? So it’s him!”

Hearing Yang Xiaomei’s introduction, even Yang’s father, a rustic old hand, could not help showing a trace of reverence. Clearly, this man’s status was anything but ordinary, and his reputation was immense.

Yang Xiaofan, however, was not overly surprised.

He had heard the nickname before; the man was indeed quite famous in the county.

But so what?

Among the clients who bought his paintings, any one of them pulled at random could outclass this man.

To say nothing of others, just Mu Shuyu alone possessed a net worth far beyond what he could compare with.

More often than not, the so-called richest man in a county had plenty of water in the figure.

After the introductions, Yang Xiaomei and the others had already gone forward to greet him.

Yang’s father could not help asking, “Xiaofan, should we go out and take a look too?”

Yang Xiaofan shrugged, expressionless. “No need.”