Yesterday, Chen Yang went home and temporarily asked Fang Xu to take care of Huanhuan. He hadn't seen her for a night, and the little guy rushed out eagerly as soon as he saw Chen Yang. If Yang Liuyi saw this scene, she would definitely feel a pang of jealousy.
Chen Yang happily picked up Huanhuan, gently stroking her head, and said with a smile:
"Huanhuan, missed me, didn't you?"
"Chen Yang, don't even mention it! This little guy is so hard to please! She won't eat when I feed her, and she even bares her teeth at me!" Fang Xu said, disgruntled.
Chen Yang then remembered that Huanhuan usually doesn't eat food from strangers. He had forgotten about this in his haste yesterday, and immediately felt a pang of guilt. He quickly ordered:
"Waiter! Please cut some cooked beef and bring me a plate of white rice mixed with beef broth! Quickly!"
The waiter responded and left. Chen Yang squatted down and put Huanhuan down, then took out some pet biscuits from his backpack and held them to Huanhuan's mouth, saying,
"I'm sorry, Huanhuan! It was my fault for not thinking things through; you've gone hungry..."
Huanhuan whimpered a few times, nuzzled Chen Yang's hand with its nose, and then opened its mouth to take the biscuits and devour them. This scene made Fang Xu even more jealous, muttering,
"Little guy! You're picky about who you eat from..."
Huanhuan turned around and bared its fangs at Fang Xu, looking fierce. Fang Xu waved his hands repeatedly, saying,
"I won't say anything... You're the boss! Okay?"
Chen Yang couldn't help but laugh, saying,
"Hey Fang Xu, you're a grown man, why are you arguing with a dog! You're something else..."
Su He and Han Wenhai couldn't help but chuckle at Chen Yang's words. Fang Xu rolled his eyes in annoyance and said nothing more. Chen Yang then turned his gaze to his cousin Han Wenhai in this life, a faint smile on his face, and said:
"Secretary Han, I live quite far away, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting!"
Han Wenhai smiled gently and said:
"Little Fang, you're being too polite! I said yesterday, you're Fang Xu's brother, so you're my brother, Han Wenhai's brother. Don't call me Secretary Han anymore!"
That's really true, I really am your brother… Chen Yang thought to himself. But his face didn't show it at all, he simply said neither humbly nor arrogantly:
"Okay, Brother Dahai!"
In his previous life, Han Wenhai's generosity, Chen Yang's genius, and Fan Zihong's womanizing were all well-known in the playboy circle. Chen Yang knew that if Han Wenhai said that, it must be from the bottom of his heart. If he were to be coy with him, he would only make him unhappy. Besides, in terms of blood relation, Han Wenhai was his cousin. He just didn't know if Han Wenhai was aware of the inside story. The waiter quickly brought in the beef and bibimbap. Chen Yang picked it up and placed it in a corner of the private room. Huanhuan rushed over and began to eat heartily. Chen Yang gently patted Huanhuan's head and said, "Huanhuan, stay here obediently!"
Huanhuan only focused on eating and ignored Chen Yang, seemingly starving. Chen Yang smiled, stood up, and returned to his seat. At this moment, the dishes Han Wenhai had ordered were being served in a continuous stream.
Although Southeast Province is a coastal province, Nanpu County is a true mountainous region, nestled deep in the mountains of northern Southeast Province. The county seat is bordered by mountains on both the north and south sides. Previously, whether traveling south or north, one had to traverse long, winding mountain roads. In winter, the roads would freeze, making entering and leaving the county seat extremely dangerous. In recent years, tunnels were built to the north and south gates, and last year a highway opened, slightly improving the transportation situation. However, overall, the county's mountainous nature remains unchanged. So Han Wenhai didn't order too much seafood. Firstly, it was extremely expensive, and secondly, the long-distance transport would spoil its freshness. Besides, what kind of seafood hadn't they eaten? Therefore, Han Wenhai opted for local specialties from Nanpu, mainly mountain delicacies: wild mushrooms, bamboo fungus soup, muntjac deer, herbal remedies… Fang Xu thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
Although Chen Yang and Su He were locals, seeing such exquisitely prepared dishes, their mouths watered, and they both ate with great relish.
Han Wenhai was very approachable, and everyone drank casually, creating a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere. After Fang Xu raised his glass to Han Wenhai, he smiled and said to Chen Yang,
"Chen Yang, you should also offer a toast! Brother Dahai is practically your local official!"
Chen Yang stood up, raised his glass, and said,
"Yes! Brother Dahai, I'll toast you! I hope you'll take care of me in the future!"
Han Wenhai clinked glasses with Chen Yang and nodded, saying,
"Of course! Chen Yang, as long as I'm in Nanpu, anything within my power, just give me a call!"
"Great! Brother Dahai is so straightforward!" Fang Xu exclaimed in admiration.
Chen Yang finished his drink and said casually,
"Well, then I won't stand on ceremony, Brother Dahai. My mother's name is Han Xuehua, and she lives in the western suburbs of the county. I might need your help sometime!"
After saying this, Chen Yang stared intently at Han Wenhai's face. Han Wenhai was visibly taken aback. Most people wouldn't be as meticulous as Chen Yang, giving out even their family members' names. They could always ask for help later if needed! But Chen Yang didn't seem to be joking. Han Wenhai's surprise was fleeting; he quickly smiled and replied,
"Oh…no problem! Call me anytime if you need anything. Here's my business card!"
After saying that, Han Wenhai proactively took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Chen Yang.
"Thank you, Brother Dahai!" Chen Yang smiled and accepted the card with both hands, carefully putting it in his pocket. He didn't mention the matter again, focusing on eating his meal, occasionally having a drink or two with Han Wenhai and Fang Xu.
It seemed Han Wenhai didn't know the inside story either! Chen Yang's mood dipped slightly. After giving his mother's name, Chen Yang had been observing Han Wenhai's expression. His eyebrows twitched slightly, showing a hint of surprise, but not shock.
In his previous life, while studying under Jing Shuo, a top agent of the General Staff, Chen Yang had specifically researched micro-expressions, as they were extremely useful in interrogation. Chen Yang knew that a person's subconscious expression within a tenth of a second was impossible to fake. Therefore, from Han Wenhai's fleeting expression, Chen Yang gleaned the following information: he didn't know Han Xuehua's identity; he was simply slightly surprised by Chen Yang's somewhat unusual words.
This discovery left Chen Yang somewhat frustrated. He had initially assumed that Han Wenhai's appointment to Nanpu was somewhat related to his mother, Han Xuehua. Now it seemed either it was just a coincidence, or even Han Wenhai himself was unaware of the family's intentions.
Neither way helped Chen Yang understand why Han Xuehua had left the family.
What Han Xuehua's current relationship with the Han family was crucial for Chen Yang. His future advancement would inevitably face countless difficulties, and having a powerful family background would make things much smoother. Even though the Han family was far less prominent than the Fang family, it could still provide significant assistance. On the other hand, Chen Yang had gradually developed a strong sense of identification with Han Xuehua. She was like his mother in this life, and he felt deeply sorry for Han Xuehua's hardships over the past twenty years, hoping she could return to the family and live a better life.
Now it seemed he could only slowly explore the reasons himself in the future. Chen Yang knew this would be difficult, because it was definitely a wound in the Han family's heart, and it would be hard to learn the true inside story from other channels. In his previous life, Chen Yang had many sources of information, but he had never heard of a direct descendant of the Han family running away from home. Therefore, he would most likely have to find a solution through Han Xuehua.
The meal was enjoyed by both host and guests. Because Chen Yang and his group needed to return to Rongcheng immediately after the meal, Han Wenhai had specially arranged for a driver from the county committee's car fleet—Fang Xu had drunk quite a bit and was definitely unable to drive. Han Wenhai specifically instructed the driver to drive carefully on the road, and after dropping everyone off in Rongcheng, he would hire a taxi back to Nanpu, to which the driver readily agreed.
After packing and checking out, Chen Yang and his two companions boarded the Mercedes-Benz RV, driven by the county government's driver, and headed straight for Su Weimin's house. The driver, Xiao, was seeing such a luxurious RV for the first time and couldn't help but marvel, showing a hint of envy and a touch of surprise at being able to drive such a beautiful vehicle. Once everyone was settled, Xiao eagerly started the car and drove smoothly out of the hotel parking lot.
Su Weimin was the deputy director of the county government office, so driver Xiao naturally knew his house and drove there without needing Su He's directions.
"Xiao He, where have you been…?" As soon as Su He and the others entered Su Weimin's house, Grandma nervously grabbed Su He's hand and said, "I woke up and didn't see you. I wanted to go out and look for you, but they wouldn't let me leave… I don't know them!"
Grandma pointed to an embarrassed Su Weimin and He Chunzhi, who was looking at him with a blank expression, seemingly lost in thought. Seeing that Grandma didn't even recognize her own son, Su He couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat. She grasped Grandma's hand and said,
"Grandma, Xiao He won't abandon you! We'll always be together! Grandma, I've come to pick you up. From now on, Xiao He will stay with you every day!"
Upon hearing this, Grandma's face lit up with joy, revealing a childlike, innocent smile. She eagerly said,
"That's great! Let's go quickly! I'm...scared!"
After saying this, Grandma quickly glanced at He Chunzhi, clearly showing an instinctive fear of this stranger in her eyes, which also revealed how harsh He Chunzhi had been to her in the past. Fang Xu, seeing this, couldn't help but snort coldly, feeling somewhat disgusted with Su Weimin and his wife. Su Weimin looked embarrassed and stammered, "Xiaohe, why don't you reconsider?"
Before Su He could speak, Chen Yang picked up the luggage he had prepared earlier and said calmly, "Director Su, I said yesterday, this matter is settled, there's no room for discussion!"
Chen Yang's words were somewhat domineering, but Su Weimin wasn't angry. He just sighed deeply and stepped forward to help the elderly woman. However, the old woman clung tightly to Su He's arm like a frightened child, so Su Weimin had to sigh again and let go.
After everyone had boarded the vehicle, Chen Yang turned back to Su Weimin by the door and said, "Director Su, please focus on your work! Secretary Han doesn't know about this... Also, if you'd like, please come to Rongcheng to visit the elderly woman often. We welcome you anytime!"
With that, Chen Yang turned and got into the RV. With a bang, the car door slammed shut, and the luxurious sapphire blue RV sped away, leaving behind a wistful Su Weimin and a beaming He Chunzhi who was finally rid of her burden.