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Chapter 592 - 586, Vegetable Garden (First Update)_1

Chapter 592: 586, Vegetable Garden (First Update)_1

The garden’s depths unknown, a phrase used to describe a large and elegant courtyard. The Yang Family’s courtyard is neither as expansive as that, nor as luxurious as one might imagine.

As Ren He explored further, she noticed that where there should have been a lawn, half remained grass while the other half had become a vegetable garden.

According to Yang Xi’s cousin, Yang Cheng, the only treasure in the entire courtyard for Grandfather was this vegetable patch. Any of the younger generation who achieved something could occasionally pick a tomato to eat, while the unsuccessful ones couldn’t even taste it.

Seeing Yang Cheng’s proud expression, it seemed he often enjoyed that privilege.

The prodigal sons of the Yang Family were different from what she had imagined, more approachable somehow, looking like academics rather than the bold and brash ruffians of Fournine City.

But Ren He knew that once these two ’discount’ cousins stepped out the door, no one would dare underestimate them.

Both studied at People’s University—one in Politics and the other in Law—it didn’t take a genius to know they were ambitious about their futures.

Ren He eyed the luscious tomatoes in the vegetable patch, tempted to pluck one and take a bite, but that was just a fleeting thought. As a guest who had just arrived, better not do anything distasteful.

"If you want to eat, just eat," an elderly yet resonant voice chuckled to Ren He.

Looking up, Ren He saw a spirited old man standing at the entrance of the main house, holding a purple clay teapot, looking at her with a smile that she could clearly feel.

Yang Cheng and Yang Ling were momentarily shocked. Was this approval? They knew all too well what this vegetable garden signified. The Yang Family’s courtyard was just a stone’s throw from the great ancestor’s Shuangqing villa. Though not deep or rigorous, it was said to be the most accessible among its equivalents.

Although the courtyard was easy to enter, the vegetables from the Yang Family garden were not easily enjoyed; you had to be recognized to taste them.

Sir Yang had spent most of his life with this vegetable patch. Perhaps it was the sole reason people thought he had an eccentric personality. Otherwise, he was just like any other ordinary old man.

However, the only impression Ren He had of Sir Yang was from television—where the Yang Family patriarch sat dignified, dressed in a well-fitted suit at the forefront, hardly the image of an average old man.

Ren He was not pretentious, directly picking two tomatoes. She casually wiped one on her clothes and ate it herself, while offering the other to Yang Xi.

Sir Yang watched Ren He pick two at once and hand one to Yang Xi, his eyes showing inexplicably more amusement. Yang Xi, feeling no embarrassment, began eating the tomato as she walked towards the elderly man.

"Grandpa, this is walnut from Ren He’s property," Yang Cheng lifted a bag of walnuts to show the old man: "I’ve placed it in the house for you."

"I’ve long heard your yard boasts a large walnut tree; today I finally get to taste them. Send me some every year, and I’ll exchange them with my tomatoes and cucumbers," Sir Yang replied with a laugh, devoid of any air of superiority.

Ren He pondered, was the other party hinting at a potential transaction with her, planning to exchange Qinghe Group’s shares for something of equal value?

He had never engaged in politics, didn’t like to beat around the bush, and as a young man just over 26 years old in his past life, he couldn’t help but ponder Sir Yang’s words, for fear of misunderstanding them.

In his previous life, he often heard Ren say that the political arena was not so easy to navigate, where a bunch of young people become deputy section chiefs and dare to say they have stepped into politics.

To be strict about it, only at the level of section chief does one near the edge of the political arena, and with a director-general level, you can actually claim to have some political wisdom.

Ren He felt that this thing was truly mysterious, as if one couldn’t grapple with this skill without being in that position, but it wasn’t his strong suit, he couldn’t fathom it at all, so he had to let it go.

He naturally had his own path, and how one lives one’s life didn’t matter, did it?

He simply decided not to think about it and cheerfully said to Sir Yang, "It’s a deal!"

This transaction was about trading walnuts for tomatoes and cucumbers. As for the Qinghe Group matter, he would wait and see what the other party was ready to offer, even though he was a homebody. But symbolically, haggling was part of the process, wasn’t it?

In fact, the choice to bring over a bag of walnuts today was intentional, for presenting jade, valuable calligraphy, or paintings would seem like he, Ren He, was not short of money, but it would make him seem less like family.

He had made up his mind to marry Yang Xi and no other, entering into the family meant being one of them, and there’s a way that families handle things, which definitely wasn’t the same as outsiders.

If he could cling to this "big leg," then so be it; there was no need to falsely claim high-mindedness by declaring independence from the Yang Family. Was it worth it? Qinghe Group was destined to be a trillion-dollar enterprise in the future; he wasn’t afraid of people saying he was climbing the social ladder, and Yang Xi wouldn’t think that way either.

In fact, in Yang Xi’s eyes, she viewed herself as the child bride of the Ren Family, and aside from Ren He, hadn’t considered anyone else. Thus, she felt this was quite a good arrangement for life.

As long as Ren He didn’t cheat, Yang Xi believed this could indeed last a lifetime.

Occasionally, she imagined that this young man would be by her side from 16 years old to 60 or even 80 years old, which felt like quite a romantic thought. They could play Dota together for many more decades, and the thought alone filled the internet-addicted girl with happiness...

By dinner time, when the large family gathered in the dining room, a full table was set.

Ren He discovered that the Yang Family didn’t have any of those distasteful rules such as women not being allowed to dine at the table, which was quite nice.

The somewhat more mature individuals discussed the future development of Qinghe Group with Ren He, as well as his views on the future of the internet. Ren He was not stingy with his thoughts, saying in front of everyone, "The internet is definitely going to develop, even to the point of impacting the physical economy, but I believe this is just transitional growing pains. The faster the internet develops, the more people will have the chance to seize opportunities to get rich."

Sir Yang interjected with a smile, "We asked you for your own development, not for a lecture on social development. Skip the fluff; I’m actually quite curious about the internet. Just the other day, my granddaughter from England insisted that I use your Qinghe’s software to chat with her, saying it’s used by all of China, including overseas students. I find that very interesting."

"Qinghe’s core mission is to change people’s lives, make chatting simpler, social circles clearer, and socializing easier. Life has seen many changes, too, no longer needing cash when going out, a single phone can handle everything, even food and clothes shopping don’t require leaving home... Our aim is to create a way for lazy people to be lazier..." Ren He steered the conversation back to Qinghe Group itself. As long as Qinghe Group’s intentions always centered on making people’s lives more convenient, there was no reason it couldn’t survive.