country bumpkin

Siyu followed behind to see him off. The village chief sensed that his daughter wanted to talk to Fang Qing, so he tactfully pulled his wife home. He also told his daughter to see Fang Qing off properly, preferably to the village entrance.

The two elders went back, and Siyu saw Fang Qing off at the village entrance. The car also stopped at the village entrance.

On the way, Siyu lowered her head, wanting to ask him something, but didn't know how to start. Fang Qing looked at her anxious and shy appearance with amusement, and couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

He smiled and said, "What? Is there something you want to ask me?" Siyu blushed and whispered, "No...no."

Fang Qing was even happier to see her shy expression. This was the only way to prove that Si Yu had feelings for him and that she liked him.

He looked around to make sure no one was watching, then grabbed Siyu's hand and said gently, "Siyu, don't worry. It's not that I'm not going to propose marriage, but that I need to lay the groundwork. After all, I haven't been back for many years. If I bring it up as soon as I get back, Uncle Youliang won't agree. I need to make more connections, and once Uncle Youliang accepts me, proposing marriage will be much easier."

Siyu was finally relieved. She nodded and smiled, saying, "Okay, I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes."

Fang Qing felt relieved after hearing this. The two walked hand in hand towards the village entrance.

As they approached the village entrance, they saw several village women chatting ahead. The two quickly let go of each other's hands, separating rapidly like two balloons pricked by hedgehogs.

The gossiping village women saw the village chief's youngest daughter and a strange man walking towards them and began to whisper among themselves.

Among them, Granny Wang stood out the most and asked, "Oh my, isn't this Kong Siyu? Siyu, what are you doing here?"

Kong Siyu looked at her, then at Granny Zhang and Granny Xu standing to the side. She said, "Oh! My cousin came to our house to talk to my father about something, and now he has to go back."

Granny Wang chimed in, "Oh, is that so? Your cousin is really handsome."

The other village women laughed and looked at Fang Qing. Fang Qing didn't look at them or greet them, pretending not to know them.

He could actually recognize all these people, but the women didn't recognize him.

It's better to avoid trouble. It's best not to make any announcements, otherwise you'll have to explain yourself again, and some bad rumors might spread.

If they are relatives, these people won't talk nonsense or spread rumors.

After Siyu finished speaking, she looked at Fang Qing and said, "Cousin, you should go first. If you have any news, come and pass it on when you have time. Also, be careful on the road."

That makes sense. It shows that she came to her father because she had something to discuss, but it wasn't over yet, and it also means that she'll come back if there's any news.

Fang Qing readily agreed, "Okay, cousin, I'll come over when I have news. You should go home too!"

After saying that, Fang Qing opened the car door, got in, started the car, and sped off.

Siyu immediately turned and went home without lingering. The gossipy women left behind began to chatter amongst themselves.

Granny Wang exclaimed, "Good heavens, this little car is really fast! It darted off in a flash, and in just a few minutes, it was out of sight!"

Granny Xu nodded in agreement. After her eldest son's family returned, Granny Xu felt much more relaxed and in a better mood, so she had time to come over and chat.

Granny Zhang used to run all over the village, always heading towards any exciting spot. Since she hadn't heard any gossip in any other village recently, she stayed in her own village, chatting idly with the other women.

This time, I saw Granny Niu in the crowd, which was quite rare. She usually doesn't have time to come over and chat, but she ate too much today and was a little bloated, so she was walking around the village eating.

As I walked, I arrived at the village entrance and heard people talking about the village chief's family. Curious, I stopped to listen in.

On the other side, when Kong Siyu returned home, her mother asked her, "Siyu, do you still remember Fang Qing? When you were little, you always followed him around."

Siyu said, "I remember! When I was little, I fell down, and he carried me home! He also gave me wild grapes and wild fruits from the mountains—the tray fruit."

The village chief's wife smiled and looked at her daughter, saying, "Do you know how old he is this year? I wonder if he has a girlfriend now. It would be great if he didn't, he's a big boss now!"

Siyu listened to her mother's words, which seemed to imply that she had some ideas.

So she asked, "Mother, why do you care about these things? No matter how capable they are, it has nothing to do with us. Our two families are just old friends, not that close."

The village chief's wife disagreed, saying, "You don't understand! Just because it's okay now doesn't mean it won't be okay later. I see this young man is doing well; he's well-off and good-looking. Any family that could find a son-in-law like him would be incredibly lucky."

She thought for a moment and then said, "I think you should spend more time with him and see how he treats you. Also, take the opportunity to find out if he has a girlfriend. It's easier for you young people to talk about these things; it's not appropriate for us elders to ask about such things."

Siyu always felt that her mother seemed to have taken a liking to Fang Qing and wanted her to be his girlfriend.

She pretended to be confused and said, "Okay, next time he comes, I'll ask him if he has a girlfriend and how old he is."

The village chief's wife was finally relieved. She couldn't let such a good son-in-law slip away; she had to make sure they were a couple.

The village chief thought the same thing, but he couldn't tell his daughter these things; he could only have his wife tell her.

Fang Qing drove straight to Yicheng Department Store. A batch of goods had indeed arrived today, which was why he was in a hurry to come back; otherwise, he would have liked to stay in Kongjia Village for a few more days.

The department store is located in the very center of the city, while the department store building is 100 meters south of the city center.

Both shopping malls are large, five-story buildings. They are business rivals, neck and neck.

Fang Qing's father gave him a sum of money as compensation for the expenses he and his mother incurred in caring for the elderly.

His mother had saved some money by living frugally, and he and his friends had also saved some money by setting up a stall outside to sell small trinkets.

All things considered, it's roughly enough to cover the cost of renting the counter. The goods are sold first, then payment is made. This can be considered a new type of consignment cooperation model.

These suppliers were all introduced by friends, and they've known each other for a long time. Another point is that they all know who his father is, so they're not afraid he'll take the goods and run away.

Fang Qing's father, Fang Zhou, was a seasoned businessman with a wide range of business interests.

They owned clothing, building materials, and hotels. The Crown Hotel, where Lin Junhui and his wife got engaged and married, was owned by Fang Qing's father.

Fangzhou's young wife gave birth to a son and a daughter for him. So their family will not have peace in the future.

Even in poor families with many sons, they still fight over two bricks or a few dollars' worth of property. In a family like Fangzhou's, it would be foolish not to fight and grab.

Since they weren't brothers from the same mother, there was naturally no room for leniency. So, while Fang Zhou still had a say, he made a will early on and secretly hid it away.

Let's talk about the future later! He can enjoy his life now, so he won't create trouble for himself.