"You little girl, what's going on? Not a bit of manners."
"You don't even greet your uncle when you see him. Zhengpeng and Yangyang are kindly here to pick us up, and you're throwing a tantrum like a spoiled young lady in front of family."
"If you keep making such a fuss, don't even think I'll say a good word for you about going to Yangcheng."
Before Li Zhengpeng could speak, Chen Liqi turned and glared fiercely at Chen Yue, who immediately fell silent.
Although her father's words didn't carry much weight at home, her ability to go to Yangcheng and make a name for herself still depended on his help.
A former comrade-in-arms of her father was now in a leadership position in the military region in Yangcheng. Although not one of the highest-ranking officers, he was someone with influence.
Chen Yue didn't want to miss this opportunity. She had reached a critical juncture, and if she didn't advance, she might never have another chance.
Therefore, she was willing to leave home, even if it meant going to Yangcheng, thousands of miles away, just to take that step forward.
Moreover, she had heard that Guangdong Province would be the vanguard for the country's opening up and development, and Yangcheng, as the provincial capital, would only gain more importance in the future.
She wouldn't say it would catch up to Beijing, but the gap wouldn't be too large. The political waters in Beijing were too deep for her to be considered for promotion. But Yangcheng was different; if there were opportunities, her room for advancement was significant.
After all, her father's comrade-in-arms shared a life-and-death bond with him. Chen Liqi still bore the scar from a bullet wound sustained while saving him.
Based on this friendship, it was impossible for that person to ignore her.
"Big Brother, aren't we here to pick you up? You've traveled all the way from Beijing, and it must have been tiring."
"Little Yue, come and give your bag to your second uncle. Let's not reminisce here. Let's go home. Your aunt has prepared food, and we can rest when we get home."
Chen Liming quickly smoothed things over. Chen Yang couldn't say much, as his uncle always prioritized his own family.
It was just that his uncle's son and daughter had inherited their mother's temperament from a young age.
Chen Yang didn't have a deep impression of his uncle's family. His aunt's family likely had some background, which was why his uncle's status at home wasn't very high.
This was evident from the fact that his aunt and children never returned with them each year. If his uncle had the final say at home, their family wouldn't be reluctant to visit their relatives in their hometown.
It might have been due to being busy the first year or two, but after Chen Yang's grandparents had passed away for many years, it was clear they looked down on their poor relatives in the countryside.
Even after Chen Yang became successful in his later life, he had heard rumors about his cousin.
She was reportedly an "eagle faction" figure in the military, having been suppressed many times, but she maintained her pride. Even when Chen Yang was worth hundreds of billions, he associated with many prominent figures.
However, since his uncle's death, the two families had barely interacted, unlike Chen Yang's relatives in the countryside, whom Chen Yang had helped considerably.
Chen Yue had her pride, and Chen Yang had his own. Whether in his past life or this one, he didn't need to ask Chen Yue for favors.
He respected his uncle because he was an elder and had always been good to his relatives. As for Chen Yue, a pampered young lady from birth, Chen Yang didn't have the time to indulge her whims.
"Little Yue, you can ride on your brother's bicycle."
"Big Brother, I'll give you a ride. Let Zhengpeng carry the luggage."
Shortly after, Chen Liming led the way and brought his uncle and the others to where the bicycles were parked.
"Second Uncle, I'll ride the bicycle with the luggage, and let those two share one."
Chen Yue refused to ride with Chen Yang. Upon hearing this, Chen Yang was more than happy. Riding a bicycle home from the train station would take at least half an hour, even taking the shortcut.
The three large bags brought by his uncle and Chen Yue looked heavy. This was not lighter than carrying one person. Given Chen Yue's pampered physique, she would likely struggle.
It might not even take an hour to get home.
"Don't bother with her. If she wants to do it herself, let her suffer. If her legs give out, she has no one to blame."
Chen Liming had initially wanted to mention that the road was long and riding a bicycle was tiring, but since Chen Liqi had spoken, he had nothing more to say. He only thought that if his niece got tired, he should quickly have Chen Yang or Li Zhengpeng switch with her.
"It's only about an hour's ride. I can walk it."
Chen Yue was a stubborn person who couldn't stand being told she couldn't do something. She strapped the luggage on and sped ahead of Chen Liming on her bicycle.
"Hey, which way do we go?"
However, as soon as she reached the fork in the road ahead, she got lost and had to ride back to ask Chen Yang, who was riding with Li Zhengpeng.
"If you don't know the way, just follow me. Stop darting around. If you get lost, we'll have to find you."
Chen Yang wasn't going to pamper this young lady. After being retorted by him, Chen Yue wanted to say something, but she genuinely didn't know the way and could only follow behind Chen Yang.
"Yangyang is different from before. This boy used to be so bookish, not like a man."
"It seems he has grown a lot after spending years in the countryside."
Seeing his daughter being reprimanded, Chen Liqi, riding on the back of Chen Liming's bicycle, wasn't angry. Instead, he felt that his nephew had changed greatly and was becoming more manly.
"Big Brother, you have no idea how much hardship Yangyang has endured in the countryside these past few years."
"To earn money, he wakes up before dawn every day to work, enduring wind, sun, rain, and never stopping. But he has achieved some success."
"I heard from Juanjuan that the business Yangyang is in was even featured in the newspaper."
Listening to his elder brother praise his son, Chen Liming, uncharacteristically, enthusiastically recounted his son's achievements.
"Doing business?"
"Yangyang is in Anhui Province, isn't he? I seem to recall seeing a report in the newspapers delivered to our unit, a reprint from the Anhui Daily about the development of the private economy and individual households."
"It seemed he opened a radio shop. Could that shop be the one Yangyang opened?"
Chen Liming's mention reminded Chen Liqi of the newspaper he had seen before.
Although he was in Beijing, his awareness of certain matters and his access to information were sometimes even faster than those in Anhui Province.
"It seems he is in that kind of business. I heard he also used to collect fish in the village."
Chen Liming didn't know why his elder brother was reacting so strongly, but his son was indeed in that business and had been in the newspaper.
For Chen Liming's family, this was a great piece of news, and he wouldn't hide it from his elder brother.
"Anhui Province is moving too fast. Many people are considering whether this is appropriate."
"I'll have a chat with Yangyang later. I have some information and opinions I can share with him as a reference. He's my nephew, and I can't let him take risks if there's danger." Su Dan Novel Network
Chen Liqi thought about the whispers he had occasionally heard and was worried about his nephew. After all, the nail that sticks out gets hammered. Since he was already in the newspaper, if something were to happen, where would Chen Yang run?