Chapter 10

Chapter 10: No Peace Afterward, Yu Jianghai Leaves... Qiaoqiao, who was nearby, immediately perked up her ears upon hearing this. The boss of Jianghai Dicai? But clearly, in her previous life, when she came back, Simenkou Youeryuan had already been demolished, and this area had become part of the expansion scope of Jianghai Dicai's Phase II project. Yet in this life, Jianghai Dicai had given up on demolishing and acquiring Simenkou Youeryuan? Why? Qiaoqiao tilted her little head, somewhat puzzled. Whatever Director Chen said afterward, Lin Meiyan could no longer hear clearly. When she walked out of Director Chen's office, her expression was somewhat dazed. "Mommy?" Qiaoqiao noticed something was off and called out with concern. Lin Meiyan lowered her head and smiled, her features soft and gentle. "Mommy's fine. Let's go home." But on the way back, she kept thinking—why? Why did Jianghai Dicai suddenly give up on demolishing Simenkou Youeryuan? Lin Meiyan didn't dare to think too deeply about it. She couldn't think too deeply about it either. Within just a few days, the news that Simenkou Youeryuan would not be demolished by Jianghai Dicai's Phase II project had spread throughout the entire kindergarten when Qiaoqiao went to school. Almost every parent knew about it. When Lin Meiyan came to drop off her child, Xiao Min's Mother specifically came over to talk to her. "Qiaoqiao's mom, did you know? Our Simenkou Youeryuan won't be demolished anymore." Lin Meiyan nodded. She was perhaps the second person to know. But she hadn't told anyone. Yet now the news had spread everywhere. She wondered if Director Chen had released the news herself. Xiao Min's Mother watched her child enter the classroom, then quietly remarked to Lin Meiyan, "I didn't expect the boss of Jianghai Dicai to be such a good person. I was originally worried that my child wouldn't have a kindergarten to attend, but I didn't expect Jianghai Dicai to be so humane, simply building around our Simenkou Youeryuan." "I won't curse Jianghai Dicai for being heartless anymore." Such good companies were truly rare. At the same time. At the Jianghai Dicai office, Lu Qingyuan wore gold-rimmed glasses, looking refined and scholarly, but at this moment his expression was somewhat fierce. "Yu Jianghai, what are you thinking?" "I waited for you to come back and help me review documents, not for you to go out and give away flesh to the enemy, betraying us!" "Giving up on demolishing Simenkou Youeryuan—do you know how much loss this means for our Jianghai Dicai?" Simenkou Hengjie was originally a small area. They had built Jianghai Dicai's Phase II outside Simenkou Hengjie. If they gave up on demolishing Simenkou Youeryuan now— That meant they would need to take a detour, and the entire construction design plans would need to be redrawn. It also meant their budget would at least double. Yu Jianghai spread the design plans flat on his desk. Secretary Shen handed him a pen. He took the pen and lightly drew a line across the design plans. "Go from here." "This way, we avoid demolishing Simenkou Youeryuan while keeping the costs of Jianghai Dicai's Phase II project to a minimum." Lu Qingyuan leaned in to look, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, unable to help saying, "There's clearly a better, lower-cost option to achieve our current goals." "Why take the detour?" Why take the detour? Yu Jianghai didn't answer that question. His brows were cold and heavy, his tone resolute. "This route can also achieve the goal." His evasive non-answer disappointed Lu Qingyuan. He took a step back, as if seeing his old friend of many years for the first time, and murmured, "Old Yu, you've never been like this before." And you've never been soft-hearted. Jianghai Dicai's rise to dominance in Jiangcheng within just a few years was not achieved through soft-heartedness. Yu Jianghai looked up with a cold, stern expression, his brows calm and composed. He merely stated a fact—an established fact. "I will definitely protect Simenkou Youeryuan." "Give me a reason." Lu Qingyuan said, "Have you forgotten? We're businessmen. Businessmen never do losing deals." He was. And so was Yu Jianghai. Yu Jianghai didn't answer. But a flash of insight struck Lu Qingyuan, and he suddenly said, "Old Yu, old Yu—you didn't even ask whose daughter that girl is." "You're like an old house catching fire, so eager to protect even the kindergarten she attends. Does Youth Lin even know about this?" The moment those words fell, Yu Jianghai's gaze instantly sharpened. "Qingyuan, why don't you go check out the new project on the island?" It was a casually spoken sentence, yet it made Lu Qingyuan's scalp tingle. He raised both hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I won't say anything more, okay?" "But Old Yu, after doing so much, you should at least let Youth Lin know. Otherwise, wouldn't all your efforts be in vain?" Yu Jianghai ignored him. He simply lowered his head to look at the plans. Giving up on demolishing the kindergarten was definitely a challenge for Jianghai Dicai's Phase II project. From the plans to the structure, everything would need major revisions. This was no small undertaking. From zero to one, Jianghai Dicai had been built almost entirely through the personal efforts of Yu Jianghai and Lu Qingyuan. Lu Qingyuan watched Yu Jianghai working so hard and couldn't help but chime in, "Why are you putting yourself through this? Just tear down Simenkou Youeryuan and be done with it." Before he could finish, Yu Jianghai shot him a cold glare, pen in hand, saying nothing, but his expression gradually turned icy. Lu Qingyuan immediately shut his mouth, muttering under his breath, "Old Yu, you've fallen for it again." He had fallen for it once many years ago. Would he fall for it again after all this time? After Qiaoqiao settled into her school routine, Lin Meiyan reopened Linji. The rain had hurt business before, and with her daughter missing, she had closed for another day. As a result, when she reopened, business was a bit slow at first. But soon, Lin Meiyan noticed something was off—the old neighbors, perhaps wanting to support her, had all come by to eat. "Meiyan, give me a plate of your peanuts." "Right, right, I'll take some braised lotus root slices." "Give me a braised Wuchang fish." "I want a bowl of pork rib and lotus root soup." Lin Meiyan held her little notebook, jotting everything down, her smile gentle. "Alright, uncles and aunties, give me a moment. Let me first bring everyone a bowl of mung bean soup." The mung bean soup normally cost money—ten cents a bowl—but Lin Meiyan gave it all away for free. A gesture of returning kindness. Grandpa Wang and the others who came to eat were delighted too. After all, who doesn't like free things? Not to mention, Lin Meiyan was the kind of person who knew gratitude. "Take your time working by yourself, no one's in a hurry." Lin Meiyan replied with a soft "okay," tied on her apron, and headed to the kitchen. The cold dishes were easy—she had prepared them in advance. The lotus root was already braised; she just needed to take it out and slice it. As she cut the lotus root, the oil in the wok warmed up, so she poured in a plate of peanuts and stir-fried them quickly—done in moments. She sprinkled on salt and set them aside to cool. Lin Meiyan looked gentle, but her movements were swift and efficient. In no time, three dishes were ready. As she carried them out, inside Linji's small shop, Uncle Wang was holding forth, "Did you hear? Jianghai Dicai is about to start construction outside Simenkou." "I heard that too. Seems like construction officially starts on the twenty-eighth of next month." "Well, that's good news." "Whatever people say about Jianghai Dicai, let's ask ourselves as old neighbors—when Phase One of Jianghai Dicai went up on Jiefang Lu, that place was a wreck, wasn't it? After Phase One was finished, Jiefang Lu instantly became upscale. I didn't even dare go over there anymore." "So, if you ask me, having Phase Two of Jianghai Dicai built at Simenkou is a good thing." Someone tried to argue, but Uncle Wang waved them down. "Don't rush to argue. I'll just ask you—if Phase Two of Jianghai Dicai is built at Simenkou, won't it boost the economy of this whole area?" Simenkou was an old district, with nothing to show for it. If there was anything there, it was just them—the aging old neighbors. Seeing everyone silent, Uncle Wang continued his spiel, "Never mind anything else—once Jianghai Dicai starts construction, there'll be plenty of construction workers, right? Plenty of supervisors too, right? Won't they all be coming to Simenkou, eating, drinking, and staying at the nearby shops?" As he spoke, the others began to ponder. Uncle Wang was frugal, talkative, but kind-hearted. He ordered the cheapest dish—peanuts—and they had just arrived at the table. Just then, Lin Meiyan walked over. Uncle Wang said with a smile, "I think Meiyan has it tough running a shop with a kid on her own. Business is up and down." He picked up his chopsticks and took a peanut. Freshly fried, the skin was slightly golden-brown, coated in a fine layer of salt. It cracked with a crisp crunch, the toasty aroma mingling with the salty flavor spreading across his tongue—warm and fragrant. Uncle Wang squinted in satisfaction. "Meiyan, you've mastered three-tenths of your father's cooking." "Once the Phase Two project of Jianghai Dicai gets going—one year at the least, three at the most—your Linji's business won't have to worry for those three years." Lin Meiyan had come back alone, with a child in tow. Everyone in the neighborhood had watched her grow up. It would be a lie to say they didn't feel for her. Times were hard for everyone, but no matter how hard, they still came by now and then to support her business. Lin Meiyan paused, her smile gentle. "Then I'll take your good words to heart, Uncle Wang." June in Jiangcheng was scorching, and coming out of the kitchen, her face was covered in sweat, strands of hair sticking to her cheeks. Her lips were red, her teeth white, soft and beautiful. A flicker of admiration passed through Uncle Wang's eyes. "Meiyan, keep your eyes open this time. With so many new people coming in, take a good look around Jianghai Dicai. Maybe you can find a little supervisor from a construction crew. Then you and Qiaoqiao won't have to work so hard." Lin Meiyan lowered her gaze slightly. She didn't want to have anything to do with anyone from Jianghai Dicai. With that thought, she set down the braised lotus root slices, didn't respond to the remark, and went straight back to the kitchen. The whole table fell silent. However, everyone couldn't help but be impressed by the plating—the brown lotus root slices were cut neatly and arranged on a white porcelain plate, with a small purple flower placed in the empty space. Whether it tasted good was one thing, but just for the plating alone, one had to admit it was a feast for the eyes. "Alright, Old Wang, you're something else. If Meiyan really wanted to get married through a blind date, she would have done it long ago with Qiaoqiao in tow. Why would she wait until today?" Uncle Wang thought about it and realized that made sense, so he picked up his chopsticks and said, "Let's eat, let's eat." They ate and chatted at the same time—about the news, current events, the upcoming college entrance exam, and the neighboring Jianghai Dicai. Eventually, the conversation drifted to Qiaoqiao. They said Qiaoqiao was incredibly lucky—after being abducted, she was still brought back. They said human traffickers deserved to be executed. In the end, somehow the topic circled back to Jianghai Dicai. "The second phase of Jianghai Dicai is being built at Simenkou. Our Simenkou is about to boom." Lin Meiyan listened quietly without offering any opinions. She was simply calculating in her mind how much she could earn today and how long it would last her and Qiaoqiao. Her life had been as calm as still well water. If her daughter hadn't been lost, she wouldn't have disturbed that peace. But now, that peace was gone. Yu Jianghai had appeared.