Li Yang smiled and said, "Just be proud. I see through you, you miss me."
"Nonsense, say that again and I'll rip your tongue out," Tang Xinyu said, flustered.
Li Yang laughed, "Would you dare?"
"I..."
"Want to go to the hotel after dinner?"
"You, you stop talking nonsense, hurry up and come here!" Tang Xinyu's ears turned red. Recalling the madness with Li Yang and their video calls in the past, her delicate body went soft, and she panted hot, humid air, her legs involuntarily clamping together.
The Tang Residence.
Li Yang parked the car and saw Tang Xinyu walking out of a small door within the main gate, waving at him and saying, "Why are you so slow?"
"I'm already fast," Li Yang walked up and said.
Tang Xinyu hooked her arm through his and looked at the gatekeeper, saying, "Open the main gate to welcome guests!"
"Yes, Miss." The gatekeeper quickly and slowly opened the heavy main gate.
Li Yang smiled, "Isn't there a small door? I could have just gone in through there."
"That won't do, it's a matter of etiquette," Tang Xinyu said, shaking her head.
Normally, for everyday comings and goings, the small door would suffice. But for important guests, the main gate had to be opened to show welcome.
Li Yang knew it was etiquette but found it a bit troublesome.
"Hurry up and go in, the food is ready. My father and second uncle are waiting for you," Tang Xinyu said, pulling his hand as they walked into the house.
Upon entering, he realized just how spacious it was inside.
Seeing them approach, Chairman Tang, who had been sitting in an armchair reading a newspaper, immediately stood up and, with a hearty laugh, spread his arms wide, saying, "Mr. Li, you've finally arrived."
"Hello, Uncle," Li Yang walked over with a smile and hugged him, then looked at Tang Hucheng, "Hello, Second Uncle."
"Mm," Tang Hucheng nodded with a smile. He was usually a man of few words, and he stood up slightly, saying, "You must be tired from the journey. Please, sit down and eat."
"Thank you, Second Uncle," Li Yang nodded.
Ever since Chairman Tang had accepted him as his son-in-law, he had treated Li Yang with exceptional warmth, considering him part of the family. He smiled and said, "Try this 'Prosperous Chicken'."
"Thank you, Uncle," Li Yang picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of chicken. It was exceptionally sweet and tender, and very delicious.
However, he knew very well that Chairman Tang inviting him for a meal at home was not just about the food.
When everyone had eaten their fill, Chairman Tang's expression showed hesitation, and he exchanged glances with Tang Hucheng.
But Tang Hucheng also seemed embarrassed to speak, only clearing his throat a few times and remaining silent.
Seeing this, Li Yang took the initiative, "Uncle, Second Uncle, if you have something to say, why not just say it directly? It's not good for your health to hold back."
"Since Mr. Li has seen through it, I won't pretend anymore. I'll be direct," Chairman Tang said with a couple of hearty laughs to mask his awkwardness, then continued, "It's like this, we all know you're very skilled at appraising jade. No matter what kind of raw jade you encounter, you can assess it with absolute certainty, right?"
"I wouldn't dare say absolute certainty, but I'm confident in ninety-nine percent," Li Yang nodded with a smile, "Uncle, do you want me to help you look at some jade stones?"
"This is a trivial matter, no need to be shy."
"Well, speaking of looking at jade stones, it's a bit more than that," Chairman Tang said with a smile.
Tang Hucheng said, "Big Brother has always been a straightforward person, why are you hesitating when talking to your future son-in-law!"
"Let me say it. Mr. Li, my elder brother's intention is to ask for your help in assessing a mountain!"
"What?" Li Yang was taken aback.
Assessing a mountain?
Isn't that something a feng shui master would do?
Tang Hucheng explained, "Just last night, we discovered raw jade in one of our coal mines. The matter is of great importance, so we wanted to ask for your help in assessing it."
"I see, that's no problem," Li Yang smiled, "When should we leave?"
"The sooner the better, speed is of the essence," Tang Hucheng said.
Li Yang nodded, "No problem, I can go now."
"Alright, I'll have someone prepare the car. Regardless of the outcome, you must stay for dinner tonight," Tang Hucheng said.
Chairman Tang nodded, "Yes, I've already asked someone to prepare dinner. It would be a waste if you didn't come."
"Alright, Uncle, I will definitely come back tonight," Li Yang stood up and smiled.
He could understand the hesitation of Tang Hucheng and Chairman Tang. They surely felt they had already received a lot of help from him, and they hadn't been able to reciprocate, and now they were asking for his help again, which made them feel awkward.
Tang Xinyu thought of his earlier words and felt a slight sense of loss, but she quickly caught up and said, "I'll go with you."
The so-called coal mine mountain is a rather rare situation. Generally, coal mines, like jade, are found underground, so mining coal requires digging deep into the earth.
However, coal mine mountains are different. Due to nature's design, they can often be mined on the surface. But this method of mining also carries the danger of deep underground collapses, which could bury everyone.
The person who discovered the raw jade was the team leader of Tang Family's No. 3 Coal Mine. He was a short man, covered in black coal dust from his work.
Seeing Tang Hucheng arrive, the man immediately jogged over and said, "Hello, President Tang."
"Old Xing, this is Mr. Li Yang, a jade expert, who is here specifically to survey the jade in the mountain. Take us to the place where you discovered the raw jade. Tang Hucheng said.
Old Xing immediately nodded, "Yes, President Tang. Expert Li, please follow me this way."
Due to the discovery of raw jade, the excavation work in the coal mine had been suspended. However, many workers were very curious, and as they headed up the mountain, they all followed.
The moment he stepped onto the mountain, Li Yang's eyes suddenly flashed. He noticed that the numbers above everyone's heads had changed!
Tang Hucheng's number, which was originally seventy-eight, had suddenly changed to fifty-one!
And the numbers above Old Xing and the others began to drop drastically, while Tang Xinyu's number, which was originally one hundred and seven, suddenly dropped to twenty-five, and then abruptly changed back to one hundred and seven!
The numbers above the others changed and then did not increase further.
Suddenly, a chilling sensation arose in Li Yang's heart, and he immediately shouted, "Wait!"
"Li Yang, what's wrong?" Tang Xinyu was startled, seeing him so flustered for the first time.
Li Yang said in a deep voice, "I can't explain it, but I feel like something is wrong. Let's go down the mountain first!"