Chapter 9

There were still dozens of watermelons left from the initial batch. Liu Yunxuan took ten watermelons from the warehouse and placed them in the pickup truck's cargo box. He also picked some vegetables from his garden. When it came to helping others, as long as it was within his means, Liu Yunxuan was never stingy.

"Grandpa, I want to go to the provincial city too. I want to see the big tigers at the zoo," Fangfang, hearing that Liu Yunxuan was going to the provincial city, started to fuss and wanted to go as well. Fangfang had never seen a live big tiger before, and Pidan, who lived in the village, had seen them when he visited his parents in the provincial city.

"Alright, I'll take Fangfang to see the big tigers, but you have to be well-behaved in the city," Liu Yunxuan thought it didn't matter to take a child along, and it would be good for Fangfang to see the city.

"Drive carefully on the way," his parents reminded him.

Because it was a holiday, there weren't many cars on the highway, and Liu Yunxuan arrived at the provincial city in less than two hours. As soon as he got off the highway, he saw Wang Mingyuan leaning against a black Passat, smoking, with several cigarette butts on the ground.

"Hey, Mayor Wang, you came pretty early, didn't you? Were you waiting anxiously?" Liu Yunxuan teased.

"Could I not be anxious? My father's recovery depends entirely on you, or rather, on your watermelons," Wang Mingyuan said helplessly.

"Uncle Wang, Fangfang also came to bring you watermelons," Fangfang, seeing no one paying attention to her, tried to make her presence known.

"Fangfang also came to bring me watermelons? Fangfang is so good. When we get to my house, I'll have lots of delicious food for you, okay?"

Wang Mingyuan knew that little Fangfang was like a little princess in the Liu family, and he had to get along well with her.

Wang Mingyuan had brought a driver, who drove Liu Yunxuan's pickup truck, while Wang Mingyuan himself drove the Passat to his home in the provincial city.

On the way, Liu Yunxuan learned that Wang Mingyuan's father had undergone an appendectomy. It was supposed to be a simple surgery, but after the operation, Wang Mingyuan's father lost his appetite and became lethargic. This had been going on for a month, and repeated examinations had yielded no solutions.

A few days ago, when Wang Mingyuan returned home, he brought back two large watermelons that Liu Yunxuan had given him. At the time, no one paid much attention, but after cutting them open and eating them, the old man found them very tasty and ate quite a bit. That evening, he felt better and ate a small bowl of rice.

However, there were only two watermelons, and after everyone shared one, the old man saved the rest and only ate them for a couple of days. During the holiday lunch, he couldn't eat any of the food on the table.

With no other options, Wang Mingyuan turned to Liu Yunxuan for help.

Liu Yunxuan followed Wang Mingyuan to a small cluster of villas. Wang Mingyuan introduced them as built by his brother, who had kept one for himself because of the good environment.

The Passat stopped in front of a villa at the end of the row. Liu Yunxuan got out and looked around; the environment was indeed nice.

The villas were built on a hillside, with a small lake nearby. There was no noise from the big city, though the prices were probably not cheap.

At the villa's entrance, a man was waiting, who looked somewhat like Wang Mingyuan. Wang Mingyuan introduced him as his older brother.

"Big brother, it's too much for you to wait here personally. I'm really grateful," Liu Yunxuan said politely.

"Don't be so formal. You're welcome. Mingyuan often mentions you, the top scholar of the past and now the king of planting," Wang Mingyuan's brother, Wang Minghua, praised.

Following Wang Minghua into the villa, they found a couple in their fifties sitting on the sofa, drinking tea. A woman was chatting with them. The man looked familiar, with a slightly gray complexion; this must be Wang Mingyuan's father.

Sure enough, Wang Minghua introduced them as his parents, and the young woman as his wife, Liu Yun, who ran the real estate company with him.

"Uncle, aunt, and sister-in-law, I'm sorry to trouble you all. I'm Liu Yunxuan," Liu Yunxuan greeted. "Grandpa, grandma, and aunt, I'm Fangfang," Fangfang introduced herself.

Seeing the adorable Fangfang, Wang's mother picked her up and sat her beside her. Everyone loves cute children.

Hearing Liu Yunxuan's greeting, Wang's father was a bit surprised but didn't show it.

"I'm really sorry to trouble you, Mr. Liu, to come all this way during the holiday," Wang's father felt a bit guilty. In Chinese tradition, the holiday is a time to be with family, and he didn't want to trouble Liu Yunxuan to come so far.

Liu Yunxuan sat on the sofa and chatted with Wang's father, telling some amusing stories from the village. Wang's father laughed heartily at times.

Liu Yunxuan didn't notice that Wang Minghua and Wang Mingyuan were looking at him strangely. They cut open a watermelon, and Wang's father kept praising it.

Wang Minghua and Wang Mingyuan were very happy. The old man's complexion had been poor for a while, and they had been very careful, afraid of upsetting him. Seeing Liu Yunxuan chatting happily with the old man, they were quite envious.

Dinner was prepared by Wang Minghua's wife, using the vegetables Liu Yunxuan had brought. Wang Mingyuan had eaten at his house a few times and knew the vegetables were very tasty.

Compared to the meals at Liu Yunxuan's house, the Wang family's dinner was quite lavish. Liu Yunxuan took care of Fangfang, feeding her abalone, which she had liked since eating it at Zhao Yan's house.

Wang's father had a good appetite, eating more than a bowl of rice and a lot of vegetables. He kept saying that it had been over a month since he had eaten a full meal.

"Grandpa, I often see you on TV," Fangfang said while munching on an apple.

"Do you watch TV often, Fangfang? Children shouldn't watch too much TV; it's bad for your eyes," Wang's father said.

"I don't watch it often. Sometimes I watch it with grandpa and grandma, and I see grandpa always leading a group of people around," Fangfang said.

At first, Liu Yunxuan thought Wang's father looked like an actor in a TV drama, which had confused Fangfang. But now he realized where the familiarity came from. Although he didn't watch TV much, he had seen a few news broadcasts, and this old man was none other than the provincial party secretary, Wang Baoguo.

"Secretary Wang, I didn't recognize you earlier. I apologize," Liu Yunxuan quickly said. A provincial party secretary is a high-ranking official.

"Don't call me Secretary. At home, I'm just Minghua and Mingyuan's father. Since you get along well with Mingyuan, just call me Uncle."

Wang Baoguo played with Fangfang while observing Liu Yunxuan's expression. Apart from a brief change, Liu Yunxuan quickly returned to normal.

Wang Baoguo appreciated Liu Yunxuan's character. He was very grateful to Liu Yunxuan. His poor health had almost affected his work, and he had reported to the central government that if his health didn't improve, he would step down. It wasn't about being greedy for power but about wanting to do more for the country. Liu Yunxuan had saved his political life.

"Alright, I'll call you Uncle Wang. I'm honored, and I hope you don't mind," Liu Yunxuan, after the initial surprise, relaxed. He was just a farmer, and the provincial party secretary was far beyond his reach.

"Come, you and Mingyuan, follow me to the study. Let's talk about your special planting," Wang's father said.

It seemed this young man had caught his father's eye. Wang Mingyuan thought he rarely had the chance to enter his father's study.