After leaving Pin Wei Shi Guang, Yang Jian chatted with Lin Nan for a few minutes before parting ways. He then went to the 4S shop and found Lu Yao had already paid and was completing the paperwork for a red Camry she had chosen.
“Brother Jian, is everything done? Did Yu Xiangdong give you any trouble?”
As he entered the showroom, Lu Yao, holding the car keys, ran over excitedly. “It’s done. With Brother Nan there, Yu Xiangdong couldn’t have troubled me even if he wanted to. You paid so quickly, did you test drive it?”
“Yes, I drove it around the outer ring road. I liked it, so I bought it directly. I’ll get the license plates in a few days.”
“Then you’ll be my designated driver during this time. I’m giving this car to Jiang Bin, and I’ll buy another one at the end of the month.”
“No problem, I’ll pick you up and drop you off every day before school starts.”
Lu Qian had gone to work in Hancheng after Chunfeng Lou was topped off. Gao Daqiang was still at Hancheng Hospital and hadn’t returned, so Yang Jian had to personally oversee the secondary structure of Chunfeng Lou. The road construction in Xinqiao was also ongoing, meaning he had to shuttle between the two sites recently.
“Yaoyao, ask Sister Xia when you have time what kind of car she likes. I’m still planning to give them a car as a wedding gift.”
“Mm, I agree with giving a car. You’ve offended Yu Xiangdong now, and you’ve made enemies with Wu Laizi, Baoguo, and the others. With Brother Nan backing us, they won’t dare to be too arrogant. Brother Nan is our umbrella; we should show our appreciation.”
“Haha, I didn’t expect you to be so insightful. Honestly, buying a car for Sister Xia is mainly to thank her for saving my sister and Afeng. But I do have the intention of winning Brother Nan over. I don’t expect him to bend the law for me or be my umbrella, I just hope he can give me a heads-up at critical moments.”
“Don’t worry, leave this to me. We’ll drive home, my mom has prepared firecrackers, and then we’ll pick up Sister Xia from the hospital to celebrate my new car.”
“Okay, I want to visit Yongli at the hospital too.”
After completing the insurance procedures, they each drove a car back to the teachers’ village.
Chen Lan was already waiting downstairs in the residential complex. She joined the neighbors in setting off several strings of firecrackers. Buying a car, like buying a house, was a joyous occasion worth celebrating with firecrackers.
Afterward, Chen Lan took out a peace charm she had obtained from a temple and hung it in the driver’s seat, symbolizing a wish for her daughter’s safe travels. Yang Jian distributed cigarettes to the neighbors. Yang Jian had been visiting frequently over the past two months, and everyone knew him as Lu’s son-in-law.
They didn’t plan to have lunch at home. After saying goodbye to Chen Lan, they headed to the hospital.
Lu Yao went to find Wei Xia, while Yang Jian went to the Orthopedics department to visit Jing Yongli.
Unexpectedly, he encountered San Pang, Liang Liang, and Biao Biao in the ward. They were also there to see Jing Yongli, as they had previously gambled together and worked in Xichuan.
His uncle-in-law, Jing Zhengming, was washing fruit for them. Yang Jian greeted him, “Uncle-in-law, where’s Auntie?”
“Your auntie went back to the shop to tidy up. Er Jian, should we keep our supermarket open?”
“Yes, of course, we must keep it open. Don’t worry, I just negotiated with Xu Zheng this morning. He’s compensating you eighty thousand yuan and won’t dare to harass you again.”
“Compensate eighty thousand? That much? Are you sure he’s not tricking you? He’s always been greedy for small gains, how could he be so generous?”
San Pang chuckled from the side, “He’s definitely scared of Brother Jian. I really don’t understand, knowing Yongli was doing work for Brother Jian, he still dared to attack him. He acted like a father first, then a son, and now he’s scared and can only offer money to resolve the disaster.”
Yang Jian shook his head, “He was relying on Yu Xiangdong to back him up, thinking that as long as Yu Xiangdong didn’t show up, I couldn’t do anything to him. But he never expected our retaliation to be so quick and fierce. He was worried I would retaliate against him personally, so he backed down.”
Jing Yongli, lying in bed, asked, “Brother Jian, if he compensates eighty thousand, do I need to write a letter of understanding?”
“Yes, he will come with the police officers handling the case tomorrow to pay in person and complete the procedures. You write a letter of understanding, and the matter will be settled. He won’t dare to trouble your family again.”
“Alright then, eighty thousand yuan compensation is quite a lot. Our family didn’t suffer that much loss. Why isn’t the excavator compensated?”
“The excavator is also compensated. He transferred that section of the road in Fanjiazhuang to me as compensation for the excavator. You’ll sign the contract for that tomorrow as well.”
“That’s more like it. If this road is all widened to six meters, it will be more convenient for the factory to travel. We didn’t lose anything from this fight; getting the road construction rights is an unexpected bonus.”
“You’re quite optimistic. Didn’t it hurt when those people beat you?”
“It’s okay, I didn’t resist at the time, and they didn’t try to kill me. The injuries aren’t serious, and I’ll be back at the factory to recuperate in a few days.”
Jing Yongli acted as if nothing had happened, feeling like he had profited from being beaten.
Yang Jian couldn’t understand his mindset and turned to ask Biao Biao, “Have you finished your family matters? You need to go to Hancheng quickly. You need to record the accounts there; Afeng and the others aren’t very good at it.”
Biao Biao nodded, “Afeng called me. Can I go tomorrow? Because San Pang and I have both found a property we like and want to secure it.”
“Oh, alright. That property, isn’t it the one from Sister Feng’s company?”
“Yes, we’ve chosen Xuefu Jiayuan, which is not far from your house. It will be handed over at the end of the year, and we can start renovations after the New Year. We’re aiming to get married in our new homes in the second half of next year.”
“Really? Have you found girlfriends in these past two days?”
“No, we’re thinking of buying the house first, and then adding a car. It will be easier to find girlfriends then. After all, our appearances are a bit shabby, so we have to focus on the hardware.”
Biao Biao’s words made everyone laugh. He was speaking the truth. San Pang was already as plump as a winter melon, and not many girls fancied him. Due to his appearance, his parents always worried that he wouldn’t find a wife and would end up a bachelor.
Biao Biao was also thin, and due to earlier drug abuse, his face was pockmarked, which was a bit frightening at first glance. He was very self-conscious when he was poor and didn’t dare to flirt with girls.
“Okay, Lu Yao got a new car today. Let’s celebrate together at noon. In the afternoon, we’ll go find Sister Feng and ask her to sell you the houses at the lowest price.”
Since the banquet at Fengqi Lou, Lu Yao no longer held much prejudice against Yu Feng. She understood that it was not easy for a woman to run a business and that using Yang Jian and Lu Feng was a last resort. Therefore, she no longer minded Yang Jian contacting her.
However, San Pang said, “Brother Jian, I can’t eat with you all. Brother Mao is back, and he asked me to go to his place for lunch.”
“Is there something important? It’s just a meal, it won’t take too long.”
“Forget it. Now that he’s back, I need to avoid too much contact with you all, lest he become suspicious. Especially since you refused his gift money, he must have his thoughts.”
Yang Jian frowned, “Then why don’t you come out from his place and go to the casino with Biao Biao and the others?”
“It’s alright, I must fulfill what I promised you.”
He couldn’t say too much about being an informant. San Pang felt that his value in the casino was not great. Only by bringing Brother Mao to justice could he truly help Yang Jian.