Luo Ye and Luo Feng arrived home to find that Luo Zhenggang, who had recently been coming home late, was already there. Luo Ye curiously approached him: "Dad, how come you are home so early today?"
Luo Zhenggang put down the newspaper and leaned back on the sofa: "I’ve been too busy lately, haven’t spent much time with you all. I finished my work early and came home."
"Dad, am I hearing it right? Mom! Mom!..." Ye’er yelled towards the kitchen.
Wen Xin poked her head out of the kitchen: "Ye’er, mom is frying fish, come here if you want to talk."
"Hehe..., it’s nothing big, dad said he came back early to spend time with us. I couldn’t believe it. Mom, can I eat the fish tail now?" Luo Ye eyed the golden-brown fried hairtail, her stomach growling after a strenuous PE class.
"You little glutton, Song Qiu and Dou Dou are going to laugh at you." Yet, she scooped a few thin pieces of fish tails into a small dish and handed it to her daughter.
"Thanks, mom." Luo Ye, sitting on a small stool by the kitchen door, shared a piece each with the expectant Song Qiu and Dou Dou, then called out to Luo Feng: "Brother, do you want some?"
Luo Feng waved his hand: "You eat, I’ll play chess with dad and then we can go and fetch grandpa for dinner."
"I’ll go with brother, want to see grandpa’s latest teaching achievements."
The crispy, crunchy, savory fish tails were so delicious that Ye’er had to ask for more after finishing them, extending her small plate towards Wen Xin: "Mom, your fried fish is delicious, the bigger pieces must be ready too, can I get two more?"
"No, you’ll eat at mealtime." Wen Xin took the dish, quickly washed it, and seeing Ye’er still hopeful, she laughed: "Stop sulking without manners, or beware dad reprimanding you."
"By the way, is dad really home early today just to be with us?" Ye’er remembered her original question.
Wen Xin smiled and nodded: "Yes, and not only that, tomorrow he’s taking the whole family to Qianhai Resort."
"Really?" Luo Ye doubted, wasn’t dad recently too busy with the Eastern New District planning to get away?
"It was arranged by Uncle Liu, their family is also going." Seeing her daughter’s puzzled look, Wen Xin added.
Luo Ye immediately understood, was this catching the Wen Family’s trail, trying to appease dad? But would Liu Zhengxing really give up such a lucrative prospect as the new district?
Qianhai Resort, located in the waterfront of the Eastern New District, boasts complete facilities for dining, fitness, entertainment, and leisure. Guests can stay in hotels or opt for individually rented suites or villas. Liu Zhengxing chose a three-story villa in a forward position, where both families would stay for a day and one night, returning the next day.
Early the next morning, Luo Zhenggang personally drove his family to the destination. Luo Ye sat in the back, clinging to Grandpa Luo’s arm: "Grandpa, if that Mr. Liu says something you don’t like, just ignore him. We won’t yield to him."
"Grandpa is too old to argue with him," Grandpa Luo said, patting his granddaughter’s head, "Besides, my son’s position isn’t as high as his son’s, let him show off a bit."
"He’s even older than you, Grandpa, hmph..." Luo Ye wrinkled her nose discontentedly: "Always deliberately showing off, isn’t it annoying!"
"Ye’er, elderly folks tend to brag about their grandchildren’s achievements. Old Liu usually lives in a villa and doesn’t socialize much; naturally, he wants to grab some face when he sees someone from home. It’s understandable." Grandpa Luo sighed lightly: "What parent doesn’t wish well for their children and grandchildren?"
"Grandpa..." Luo Ye gently swayed her grandfather’s arm, unsure how to console him, the old man surely was reminded of his sons and daughters, the feeling towards them was surely different than hers.
Luo Zhenggang sighed softly: "Dad, regarding the big brother and the second brother, I’ll definitely help if they need it. They called me yesterday, wanting to partner up to build a pig farm, I think it’s a feasible plan and was about to discuss it with you."
"What do they want from you?" Grandpa Luo’s expression darkened.
"They were just asking for my advice, nothing else," Luo Zhenggang hurriedly explained, seeing his father’s face growing longer in the rearview mirror. "But I guess they definitely lack funds, from building pig pens to buying piglets, it’s a substantial expense..."
"A loan? Zhenggang, you’ve still not cleared your own mess, don’t get involved and give people leverage on you. As for lending them money, do you think your sisters-in-law would let them return it?"