Chapter 181 The Troublesome Brother-in-Law

"I've brought so many people over. Aren't you going to host a banquet here in Hedong Village?"

Chen Huajiang had originally intended to dismiss Zhao Hongmei and the others right away.

However, Zhao Hongmei's sudden remark left Chen Huajiang momentarily unable to step down gracefully.

When people come to help out, hosting a banquet to treat them to a meal is the simplest and most normal logic in the countryside.

Yet Zhao Hongmei had brought far too many people—five or six hundred in total. Hosting a banquet for them would cost Chen Huajiang a small fortune.

Following Zhao Hongmei's words, everyone turned their gazes toward Chen Huajiang. With no other choice, he forced a smile, bit the bullet, waved his hand, and said, "Of course we're hosting a banquet! I was just worried the food might not be to your tastes."

"How could it not be to our tastes!"

"That's right, exactly! How could anyone not like the food?"

"As long as there's a feast, we're happy! Thank you, Boss Chen!"

Prompted by Chen Huajiang's words, the crowd on Zhao Hongmei's side began cheering and shouting in agreement.

Chen Huajiang had no choice but to tell Ermao to lead the brothers on a massive shopping spree, after which he hired village cooks to prepare an open-air banquet.

After a busy day, it wasn't until nightfall that Zhao Hongmei and the others, thoroughly stuffed and satisfied, were finally seen off.

Everyone was in high spirits. Some even took advantage of their alcohol buzz to shout that if there were ever another occasion requiring people to back him up, Chen Huajiang shouldn't forget them—they would be ready at a moment's notice.

When Chen Huajiang tallied the accounts, his head started throbbing; it had cost a staggering two thousand three hundred yuan.

If he had to do this a few more times, he would go bankrupt.

And so, Chen Huajiang's family stayed in the village until the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, returning to the city on the seventh.

Naturally, they brought Wu Min back with them. To Chen Huajiang's astonishment, all the way back, Lin Jiayin actually struck up a conversation with her, the two of them chatting and laughing together.

Upon arriving home, Lin Jiayin even invited Wu Min over as a guest, asking for Chen Huajiang's approval.

Chen Huajiang felt as though his head was twice its normal size. He wasn't an idiot; the more his wife acted this way, the more he needed to read between the lines.

How could any woman be that magnanimous in such a situation? Of course he couldn't possibly agree. He immediately instructed Ermao to find a room for Wu Min at the Blue Sky Hotel.

The next day, the eighth of the month, all shops would reopen for business, and Wu Min could go straight to work at the Kunlun Restaurant.

His plan was to let Wu Min work there for a while, and once some time had passed and they had a clearer idea of things, he would help arrange something else.

That night, right before bed, Chen Huajiang's worst fears were confirmed.

"Who's prettier, me or Wu Min?"

Lin Jiayin grabbed Chen Huajiang's arm, staring directly into his eyes as she suddenly popped the question.

It felt very much like a sudden ambush. Chen Huajiang wasn't a fool, so without missing a beat, he replied, "You are."

"You didn't think about it first. That sounds like a lie the second it leaves your mouth," Lin Jiayin said, clearly dissatisfied.

"How could that be? The faster the words come out, the more it reflects a person's subconscious cognition in their brain. It's like if I ask you what one plus one is, the answer that pops into your head is two, and the answer that comes out of your mouth is also two."

Chen Huajiang quickly mustered his energy, smiling as he offered Lin Jiayin an explanation.

"But the answer in my mind was three," Lin Jiayin said, looking at her husband tit for tat.

This remark was pure stubbornness on her part. Although she had acted as though she were getting along peacefully with Wu Min in front of her husband today without making a fuss, deep down she was extremely upset.

Chen Huajiang and Wu Min were elementary school classmates, yet for her sake, he had summoned hundreds of people to back him up, almost coming to blows with Hexi Village.

Did you call that a normal classmate relationship? If he didn't harbor any other intentions, would a normal classmate relationship go to such lengths? Would anyone do such a thing?

Lin Jiayin wasn't stupid; she had long since regarded Wu Min as an enemy—a woman requiring serious vigilance.

"That just means your mind is open and divergent. Not only did you have the answer two in your head, but you also had the answer three. That proves—"

"It proves you're much smarter than the average person. Ouch! Hey, stop pinching me. If you don't believe me, listen to my heartbeat and see if I'm telling the truth."

Chen Huajiang shamelessly flashed a cheeky grin, only to have his arm viciously pinched, making him wince in pain.

After that came another round of swearing oaths and making promises, which finally managed to put Lin Jiayin at ease on the surface.

However, Chen Huajiang knew full well how she truly felt inside.

He understood that this matter was far from over, but his conscience was clear. With time, people's true hearts would show, and Lin Jiayin would eventually understand him.

After all, his relationship with Wu Min really was just that of primary school classmates, and helping her was simply born from a desire not to see her tread the tragic path she had taken in his past life.

The next day, the eighth of the New Year, Chen Huajiang's family of three arrived at the Lin household. Originally, they were supposed to visit his father-in-law's place on the sixth, but because of the incident with Hexi Village, it had been delayed by a day, forcing them to come on the eighth.

Laden with gifts, they knocked on the door, only to find his father-in-law wearing a dark and gloomy expression.

"So Huajiang and Jiayin are here. Come on in."

Lin Laogen forced a smile, letting the family of three enter.

However, once inside the house, they were shocked to find the living room in utter chaos. Tables and chairs were scattered everywhere, and the floor was littered with shattered teacups and spilled tea.

His mother-in-law was sweeping the floor with a broom, while Lin Jianguo sat on the sofa nearby, smoking cigarette after cigarette.

"Dad, Mom, what on earth is going on here? Why is it a mess like this during the New Year?!"

Lin Jiayin was shocked. Asking the question with a mixture of agitation and dismay, she walked over, took the broom from her mother's hands, and began helping clean up.

Chen Huajiang had no choice but to set down little Huanhuan, whom he had been carrying, and help right the overturned chairs.

His heart was likewise filled with astonishment and curiosity as to what on earth could have happened to the Lin family to drive things to such an extreme.
"You unfilial wretch! You unfilial wretch!"

"My Lin family is going to be ruined by this unfilial wretch sooner or later! What sin did I commit in my past life to give birth to such a worthless son?"

Hearing his daughter's question, Lin Laogen could no longer contain himself. He stomped his right foot fiercely on the ground, his face contorted with grief and indignation.

At his words, Lin Jianguo, who had been slumping on the sofa with his head down, shuddered. He raised his head, only to instantly lower it again.

Clearly, the matter was tied to Lin Jianguo, though what trouble he had stirred up this time remained unknown.

"Dad, what is going on? What's wrong with Big Brother again?"

"Tell us what happened first. If there really is a problem, we can discuss it together. That's still much better than you guys smashing things up like this."

Lin Jiayin quickly suppressed the anxiety in her heart and said to Lin Laogen.

Chen Huajiang nodded in agreement as well, saying, "That's right, Dad. You have to tell us what the issue is. You can't just keep it bottled up inside and smash things around. All of these things cost money, you know."

"I didn't smash them, and our family didn't smash them either. It was Secretary Wang from the match factory who brought people here to smash the place up."

"Sigh, this unfilial wretch... this unfilial wretch is going to drive me to my grave! He won't rest until he's sent me to an early grave."

Lin Laogen stomped his foot once more, speaking with exasperated anger.

His words caused Chen Huajiang and his wife Lin Jiayin to exchange glances, both of their faces a picture of utter bewilderment.

Fortunately, Lin Laogen gradually calmed down enough to recount the whole story, finally helping the couple understand the cause and effect of the entire ordeal.

Everything was connected to Lin Jianguo. The match factory had been performing exceptionally poorly, operating at a loss for a prolonged period.

Because Lin Jianguo had opened a mutton soup restaurant outside the textile mill last year, he had actually made quite a bit of money. In front of his old colleagues, he had saved some "face," even going so far as to specially buy a few packs of Zhonghua cigarettes to show off in front of them.

Naturally, there was no shortage of banquets, dinners, and drinking sessions to treat people. He was only earning a fraction of a cent, yet he stubbornly put on airs as if he were spending a fortune, leading others to mistakenly believe he was making an absolute killing.