Yang Jian and Lu Yao visited the largest Xinhua Bookstore in Chengguan, buying several books on business management. Seeing the hot weather outside, they stayed in the reading room to read, enjoying the air conditioning for two hours.
By the time they returned to the hospital, it was past eleven. After helping his sister eat the lunch brought from outside, Zheng Guangyao called, saying he was waiting at the hospital entrance.
The two left the hospital again and met Zheng Guangyao and his wife. Liu Rong kept praising Lu Yao for her beauty.
Zheng Guangyao personally drove them to a farmhouse restaurant about five li outside Chengguan. This restaurant was also by Nanhu Lake, with its signature dishes being Nanhu soft-shelled turtle and Nanhu lotus root.
The four chose a bamboo pavilion surrounded by water on three sides for their meal, allowing them to savor delicious food while admiring the beautiful scenery of lotuses reflecting in the sun-drenched water.
"Xiao Yang, you've just recovered from a serious illness. I specifically spoke to the owner here in advance and asked them to catch an eight-jin wild soft-shelled turtle for you to recuperate."
Before the dishes were served, Zheng Guangyao personally poured Yang Jian a cup of tea, something that would have been unthinkable before.
"Thank you, President Zheng. Where are you working on projects now?"
"Last year, I did a project at Baihuating Phase II, which is still ongoing. I'm currently inspecting a project in the Jiangnan region. If I secure it, it could last for several years."
"Congratulations, President Zheng, on your growing success."
Liu Rong also started chatting with Lu Yao: "Xiao Lu, where do you work?"
"I work at the Experimental Middle School."
"Really? Our eldest child attends the Experimental Middle School, in the second year of junior high. Which grade does Teacher Lu teach?"
Upon hearing that Lu Yao was a teacher, Liu Rong's demeanor was filled with respect.
"I teach English to three classes in the second year of junior high. Which class is your child in, and what's her name?"
"Zheng Peipei, Class 5, second year of junior high."
"Oh, Zheng Peipei, she's coincidentally my student. However, her grades aren't very good, especially in English. She's always struggling just above the passing line, and her other subjects aren't outstanding either. Next semester she'll be in the third year of junior high. If she doesn't work hard, it'll be difficult for her to get into a key high school."
Liu Rong became excited: "Yes, yes, Teacher Lu, you're absolutely right. My child's grades have always been below average. I never expected you to be her teacher. We're so fated."
Zheng Guangyao was also very surprised: "Teacher Lu, Peipei mentioned before that her English teacher looked like a celebrity and was a top graduate from a normal university. I didn't expect it to be you. She really wasn't exaggerating."
"Thank you. Children tend to talk nonsense."
Liu Rong quickly refilled Lu Yao's tea: "Teacher Lu, what do you think we can do to improve our child's grades? We've been so worried about her academic performance. We've spent a lot of money on tutoring, but it hasn't had much effect."
Lu Yao smiled awkwardly: "Sister Liu, I've only been working for less than a year, and my teaching experience is still insufficient. To be honest, I don't have much experience or methods on how to comprehensively improve a child's grades yet."
"Teacher Lu is too modest. Then, could you tutor my Peipei in English? She's weakest in this subject. Our relationship with Yang Jian is quite special; you must help us with this favor."
"I can pay more attention to Zheng Peipei's studies, but I might not be able to tutor her. Because I need to take care of Yang Jian and his sister, especially his sister, who will be hospitalized for a long time. I really don't have time."
"You can hire a caregiver for patient care. We'll pay for the caregiver, okay? Please, no matter what, find some time to tutor Peipei in English."
Lu Yao looked at Yang Jian helplessly, hoping he would say something. She really didn't want to tutor. She felt guilty about Yang Hui's injury, so she stayed at the hospital whenever she had time, taking good care of Yang Hui in hopes of her speedy recovery.
Yang Jian found it difficult to refuse directly: "President Zheng, Sister Liu, Yao Yao not only has to take care of us, but her own family has matters to attend to recently, so she really can't spare the time. How about this: it's almost June now, and there's only one month left until the summer vacation. Let Yao Yao tutor your child during the vacation."
"That works too. It's a deal then, Teacher Lu. Given our relationship with Yang Jian, you must take good care of my child. Whether she can get into a key high school is all up to you."
Lu Yao really didn't know how to respond: "I'll do my best."
Zheng Guangyao immediately smiled: "Doing your best is good, doing your best is good. Xiao Yang, when are you two getting married? Don't forget to invite us then."
"We haven't considered marriage yet. You know my cousin had an accident. I'm now in a lot of debt and need to work hard to pay it off first."
"I heard about what happened to you in Xichuan. I didn't expect Liu Yong to change so quickly, gambling and harming people again. But don't worry too much. I invited you here today to help you out and let you get out of this predicament sooner."
"Thank you, President Zheng. How will you help me?"
"The resettlement housing project I'm currently negotiating has a total area of over 50,000 square meters. It's a rather large project, and I'd like to invite you to participate in its management and contract all the carpentry work to you. You can choose between lump-sum or installment payments, and the price can be slightly higher than the current market rate."
Zheng Guangyao's sudden show of goodwill made Yang Jian a bit uncomfortable. Why would he think of him for such a good opportunity? It couldn't possibly be because Lu Yao was his child's teacher.
"President Zheng, I'm still recovering from my injury and don't have the capacity to undertake such a large project."
"It's okay. The project will take some time to finalize, and the client's earthwork will also take about a month. The carpentry work will likely start in August. By then, your health should have recovered. As for the investment, you don't need to worry. I can lend you some money to start, and progress payments will be disbursed on time, so you won't have any financial pressure."
"President Zheng, do you need me to help you with something?"
"No, no. I just think you're a good person, and since you lost money in Xichuan, I want to help you."
Zheng Guangyao's gaze was a bit evasive, and his words were clearly not entirely truthful.
Good things don't just fall from the sky. The Zheng family has many relatives. If there were any good opportunities, they wouldn't go to an outsider like him. Besides working on a project together, they didn't have a particularly close relationship.
"President Zheng, to be frank, I'm currently preparing to build a formwork factory. The factory building is basically completed, and we're about to install equipment. I don't plan to take on engineering projects for now, but I will definitely look for you to sell formwork in the future."
"Is that so? Making formwork is a good opportunity right now. The construction industry in Hancheng is entering a period of rapid development, and the demand for formwork is indeed very high."
Zheng Guangyao was clearly a bit disappointed. His goal was to keep Yang Jian close.
Liu Rong felt there was no need to beat around the bush at this point: "Xiao Yang, to tell you the truth, the reason we invited you today is that we genuinely need your help, and we are also sincere about involving you in the project."
Yang Jian knew that now was the time to get to the main topic of the day.