The two fathers happily praised each other's children for a while. In fact, Feng Yiping felt that they were subtly boasting about themselves. Then, Feng Zhanchang changed the subject and talked about the two juniors watching the cross talk next to them.
'Although it's a bit early to say this and it's not very polite, I can see that these two kids get along well. They don't seem like those young people who say they're in love, but are actually just having fun. Jingping, you sit down too.'
He raised his hand to stop Huang Jingping, who was blushing and about to leave. As soon as he started talking, Huang Jingping could guess what he was going to say next, and she felt embarrassed about staying.
Huang's mother also took her daughter's hand, 'What I'm talking about is your situation. You're a big girl now, so listen here,'
Huang Jingping listened, blushed, came back and sat down, and was too embarrassed to look up, her hands nervously intertwined.
Feng Yiping looked around, trying to find her something to hold in her hands, so she wouldn't twist her hands off.
She was at home, had taken off her jacket and was wearing a sweater, so there were no corners to play with. It wasn't fashionable to wear two big plaits anymore, otherwise she could have played with the ends.
After looking around, she didn't find anything suitable, so she poured a cup of tea for her and handed it to her. Huang Jingping took it and gave him a very subtle electric glance.
Feng Zhenchang continued, 'I just want to seek your advice. They are still very young, and according to their age, they are still young. They definitely have to wait a few years before getting married. So, should we not follow those old customs and also go with the trend? Today, our two families, in front of them, set this matter in advance. What do you think?'
Huang Chengzhong glanced at his wife, 'I think it's fine, but, Yiping, Jingping, this is our adult view. If you feel pressured by this, that's fine, it can be done the same as before.'
'Yes, you have to live your own lives, and pursue your own happiness. You are still young, and you will encounter many things in the future, and there may be conflicts. The main purpose of what we are doing is to make you understand that if two people want to be together, they have a responsibility to each other and cannot just think about themselves.' Feng Zhenchang also said.
It seems that the two fathers had a plan for this matter long ago, and they easily came to an agreement.
Feng Yiping looked up with a big smile, 'I have no objections,' he understood that his father was not only setting the relationship between them, but also the relationship with Huang Chengzhong in the future.
The four adults nodded and looked at Huang Jingping. What could Huang Jingping say? Besides, she had discussed having children with Feng Yiping, so she kept her head down, looked at the teacup in her hands, and whispered, 'I'll listen to Yiping,'
The four adults all laughed, but Huang's mother, seeing her daughter in this state, felt a little disappointed. She was lucky to have found Feng Yiping for her daughter, because if she had met a bad person, not only would he have married her off, he would have made her count the money. At least she would have had no status in the family.
'Wait a minute,' Mei Qiuping ran upstairs and came back down a short while later with a small box. 'Let's not follow the old customs, let's do things differently. Jingping, these are a few things we bought at a jewellery store in the provincial capital before we came here. You keep them.'
This was certainly not something she could refuse, so Mei Qiuping opened the box. Inside was a little golden radiance.
Inside were four or five gold ornaments: a ring, earrings, a bracelet, two gold necklaces, one thick and one thin, as well as a silver necklace and bracelet, and a total of three pendants and a pair of diamond earrings.
'I don't know what's fashionable these days, but all this gold is pure gold. If you don't like it, just keep it. It should all appreciate in value. You should usually just wear the silver. And these pendants, my girl and my brother's wife helped me choose them together. If they don't suit, you can ask Yiping to take you shopping again.'
Huang Jingping actually didn't lack these things. Feng Yiping had bought her quite a lot of jewellery from famous brands, but she usually only wore her watch and necklace, and rarely anything else.
Feng Yiping looked at the golden, flashy things and thought that Huang Jingping definitely wouldn't wear them normally, especially the thick gold chain, which was similar to the ones worn by those gangsters, and was very much out of his and Huang Jingping's style.
But this small box of jewellery had a different meaning. She said excitedly, 'Auntie, there are too many of these, we won't be able to use them all,'
Huang's mother was of course very pleased, as these things represented the Feng family elders' regard for their daughter. "Eldest sister, you really won't be able to use all of this. You've gone to too much trouble.'
'Jingping, if you like them, just take them. They're a little something from your auntie and me," Feng Zhanchang said.
'I really like them. Thank you, auntie and uncle,' Huang Jingping said, beaming with joy as she held the jewellery up and compared it to her body in front of everyone.
...
The plan to go out for dinner in the evening was aborted again. Like Feng Yiping's parents, Huang Jingping's parents also brought a lot of food from home, just like Feng Zhenchang and the others, and some of it had to be eaten while it was still fresh.
So Huang Jingping and the two mothers busied themselves in the kitchen preparing the evening meal, while Feng Yiping and the two fathers chatted in the living room.
Huang Jingping's side was very relaxed, and she didn't even have to do any of the work herself. The two mothers looked at the huge kitchen and all the equipment that was not found in their home kitchens, and they were all eager to try it.
In the living room, Feng Zhenchang took the initiative to mention the investment. He and Feng Yiping both understood that the county government had definitely put pressure on Huang Chengzhong.
'Don't worry about the investment. Although it is true that we are also talking to other places, we of course prefer to invest in the town. However, we can't let them think that it's too easy to come here, right? If it's too easy, they won't cherish it and might even get other ideas,' Feng Zhenchang said.
'Yes, we should fight for what we want, but if we specify the town right from the start, there won't be many preferential conditions. I understand,' Huang Chengzhong said.
'My son, well, let's not talk about anything else, but he is kind-hearted. To be honest, a few years ago, our lives were very difficult, and for several years during the Chinese New Year, we couldn't even afford to buy him and his sister new clothes.
I remember that when he was in the fifth grade, on the evening of the Chinese New Year's Eve, a widower in the village, Yiping, called Fourth Uncle, came to my house to warm himself by the fire. The socks he was wearing had been sewn together in several places with cloth. After he left, Yiping told me, 'Dad, I don't need anything for the New Year, just buy Fourth Uncle a pair of socks.
At that time, a pair of thick winter socks made of linen was not cheap, costing 2.5 yuan. At the time, it was also a considerable sum of money for our family. I went to the village store the next day and bought them, asking Yiping to deliver them. Anyway, as his parents, we must help him do it, as long as he, as a child, is willing to do so.'
To be honest, Feng Yiping had long forgotten this incident, and had not expected his father to still remember it.
'Yes, if he is kind to others, he will definitely be filial to his parents and relatives in the future,' Huang Chengzhong praised, and also praised himself in his heart for having good judgement. In fifth grade, a child under the age of 11 who doesn't ask for new clothes during the New Year and still wants to help others will, according to what he has seen since childhood, not turn out badly in the future.
'So, now that we've made some money, Yiping's ambition has grown even bigger. He always wants to make life better for everyone in the neighbourhood. As you know, Old Huang, if we only thought about making money, we would never have invested in these projects.
We don't know exactly how much money Yiping has, and we don't think he does either. Our family-run noodle shops in the provincial capital can all manage to get by as long as they are doing well. We are not talking about the best, but we can guarantee a middle-class living. We are content with that, so we will definitely support our son if he has such a wish.
The initial idea was to develop the riverside area of the town into an industrial park, but as you know, if you do something big, there will definitely be many people eyeing it and trying to get their hands on it. And to be honest, we don't want to let those cadres in the town who don't do anything but just line their own pockets benefit for nothing. However, although we have some connections in the city and the province, the town is directly under the jurisdiction of the province.
So, taking this opportunity, we have made some moves so that you can keep an eye on things in the future.'
If he didn't know Feng Yiping well, Huang Chengzhong would not have believed Feng Zhenchang's words. These days, who doesn't like money?
However, if you look at what they have done in their family, it really is the case. If they just wanted to make money, why would they set up a factory in a town with no industry?
'I admire what you have done. I know that I have also risen to power because of this. In the future, I will be in charge of industry in the town, and I will be responsible for these matters. I will say this: if anyone tries to do anything wrong, even if they have to lose their job and their hat, I will stop them.' Huang Chengzhong used many "I"s to show his feelings.
'Haha, this is really not worth it. We were thinking that you would become the top leader of the town in the future, and then build our town into the number one town in the county, so that all the villagers can live a good life,' Feng Zhenchang said with a smile.
'If that's the case, then I think the harder it is for these investments to take root, the better. If even one of them goes elsewhere, the county and town will only take it seriously. If this kind of good thing happened in another county, I guess the county head would go to the provincial capital to talk to the person in charge,' Huang Chengzhong offered some advice. 'Don't worry about me, it's not good if they just fire me as soon as I mention it.'
Feng Yiping glanced at his father. It was true, the county seemed to have figured out their temperaments now. In this matter, they were not particularly active. Apart from the courtesies Feng Zhenchang received during the meeting, the county had not taken any other action.
Huang Chengzhong was right. The silk base and silk quilt factory, together with the infant product base and the possible hotel project, add up to tens of millions of investment. Even if they were placed in the city or province, they would be considered major projects, worthy of a hall-level cadre running several trips.
However, in the county and town, so far only Wang Ganqing has made a trip to the province, and there has been no contact since. Then there is the promotion of Huang Chengzhong, and currently not even the county investment promotion bureau has done much work.
After all is said and done, County Magistrate Zhao acted as if he attached great importance to it in front of Feng Zhenchang, but from his actions, it is obvious that they seem to be certain that these investments will eventually land in the county.
So now we need to put some pressure on them to change their minds.