Chapter 93

The next morning, Wang Yong ostentatiously drove his Ford Raptor, which had been untouched since it was delivered, to pick up Fatty in town before heading to the city.

As he drove to the building where Fatty lived, a large crowd quickly gathered to gawk. Wang Yong, under the watchful eyes of the onlookers, locked the car door, picked up the vegetables and fruits he had brought for Xiao Qiao, and went upstairs.

“Fatty? Open the door!” Wang Yong shouted at the top of his lungs when he reached Fatty’s door.

“Coming!” Hearing this voice, Wang Yong instinctively shrank. Why? Because he was all too familiar with this voice, and it instantly brought back a flood of painful childhood memories. This voice was unbelievable! How did she get here? As Wang Yong was contemplating whether to run, his body, out of habit, had already turned around. Just as he was about to run, the door opened.

A pale hand quickly reached out from behind and grabbed Wang Yong’s collar.

“What are you running for? Be honest, what mischief have you been up to? Did you bully my brother again?”

Wang Yong turned back with a bitter smile, looking at the woman who was gradually merging with the figure in his memory. She was no more than 1.6 meters tall, with a well-proportioned figure and fair skin, clearly not a local farmer. This formidable woman was Fatty’s sister, Liu Xiaomei.

Back in the day, she was a far cry from her name. Short, dark, and thin, she was always fierce, earning her the nickname “Xiaochou.” Of course, this nickname was given by Wang Yong, and it led to endless conflicts between them until she went to college.

Seeing Wang Yong’s puzzled gaze, Liu Xiaomei, recalling the annoying nickname he had given her, reached out without hesitation and twisted Wang Yong’s ear, pulling him into the house.

Fatty, who was eating, continued his meal without surprise, as he had seen this scene countless times. On the other hand, Xiao Qiao, who was drinking porridge, and another man looked on in shock as Liu Xiaomei displayed her authority.

Wang Yong, noticing their reactions out of the corner of his eye, had an idea.

“Ouch! Ow! It hurts! Sister, be a lady! Your husband is watching!”

Sure enough, Wang Yong’s plan worked. Liu Xiaomei remembered that this wasn’t her childhood home. She quickly released Wang Yong’s ear, lowered her head in embarrassment, then immediately looked up and glared at him. She then, with as much grace and elegance as possible, returned to the dining table to continue her meal.

Wang Yong then waved the bag in his hand at Xiao Qiao. “Brother, I brought you some vegetables and fruits. How’s that for a favor?”

The woman sitting there, with a delicate and charming oval face, had skin as smooth and fair as snow, and a beauty that surpassed even the lotus. Her large, clear eyes were captivating, and her long, thick eyelashes framed them like black brushes. Her straight nose led to lips as soft and red as rose petals, and her face was so fair it seemed to glow. She was Xiao Qiao. Marrying Fatty was a waste of her beauty!

Seven months pregnant, Xiao Qiao smiled, and a single dimple appeared on her flawless face, like a gentle breeze that momentarily distracted Wang Yong. Of course, it was just a moment, as Wang Yong was no longer the same person he used to be, with a will as strong as steel.

“Thank you, Third Brother!” Xiao Qiao smiled sweetly.

“No need to thank me, who am I if not your Third Brother?” Wang Yong said affectionately.

Back in school, as the youngest and only girl, Xiao Qiao was the most beloved little sister in the class. Because she was related to Du Zhiyou, she always called Zhuang Yaosheng and Wang Yong her Second and Third Brothers. Before she got married, her relationship with Wang Yong was much better than with Fatty.

“This must be your brother-in-law? Hello, I’m Wang Yong, Fatty’s childhood friend, and we were high school classmates with Xiao Qiao. What’s your name?” Wang Yong greeted him warmly.

“Alright, alright, he’s called Zheng Lei. Fatty, Wang Yong is here to see you. Finish your meal and let’s go.”

Hearing his sister’s words, Fatty didn’t dare to resist, as experience had shown that resistance was futile. He obediently finished his porridge, said goodbye to his wife and brother-in-law, and followed Wang Yong out the door.

As soon as they stepped out, Wang Yong let out a long sigh of relief, visibly more relaxed, which made Fatty laugh heartily.

There was no way around it; Wang Yong had been on the receiving end of this sister’s discipline many times as a child. Every time he and Fatty got into trouble, Liu Xiaomei would catch them and give them a thorough scolding, regardless of the setting, leaving them with no face.

The nickname “Xiaochou” was given by Wang Yong. When she found out, she went straight to Wang Yong’s house. Strangely, she had somehow won over the entire family, who all joined her in condemning him and asked her to help discipline Wang Yong.

With this mandate, she took great care of him. Skipping class, not doing homework, fighting, and pranking others—any of these would result in a scolding and an ear-twisting. He couldn’t fight back or argue, so he always tried to avoid her, but she always found a way to drag him out of his hiding spots.

“Wow! Seriously? How did you get this thing out?” Fatty, seeing Wang Yong’s imposing Ford Raptor, drooled and said excitedly.

Just as Wang Yong was about to speak, his phone rang. It was Zhang Kai’s father, a high-ranking official. He dared to answer and took the call.

“Uncle Zhang, why are you calling me? I’m honored!”

“Cut the crap. I’m calling to inform you that the Chinese Academy of Sciences will send a research team to your village today to investigate the environment where the super vegetables are grown. You need to arrange everything personally, make sure they are well-received, and don’t be stubborn. Answer their questions honestly and don’t hide anything.”

“Understood, understood. Please rest assured, I will complete the task.”

Hanging up, Wang Yong thought for a moment and handed the car keys to Fatty. “A research team from the state is coming to investigate our village’s environment. You can drive yourself. I’ll give you the driver’s phone number, and you can contact him in the city. I’ll call Zhuang Yaosheng later; we won’t be able to go today.”

“No problem, you do your thing. I’ve got this.” Fatty happily took the keys, climbed into the car, and drove off.

Wang Yong was stunned. How was he going to get back?

He called Zhuang Yaosheng to explain the situation. Upon hearing that a research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences was coming to their village, Zhuang Yaosheng even planned to come over in the afternoon to see the commotion, saying he wanted to see what the famous scientists looked like.

Taking a taxi back to the village, Wang Yong immediately informed his uncle about the news. Soon, the news of the research team’s arrival spread throughout the village.

“What’s going on? I heard the state is investigating our village?”

“Did you hear? A research team from the state is coming to our village? We haven’t done anything wrong!”

“What do you know? It’s a research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences!”

“Right, don’t talk nonsense. I think it might be an earthquake warning!”

“Nonsense! If there was an earthquake, they wouldn’t come here to investigate!”

“What do you know? It’s probably because some second-generation has taken a liking to Wang Yong’s super vegetables. This is just the advance team; there might be more to come.”

“Wow! Really? Uncle Wang Yong is a high-ranking official in the state.”

“Do you think it’s because his uncle is in trouble?” ...

Rumors spread quickly, but Wang Yong and his uncle were too busy preparing to pay attention. Fortunately, the research team arrived much faster than expected, and the rumors were quickly dispelled.

By 10:30, three cars had already driven into the village.

By the time Wang Yong and his uncle heard the news, the cars had already arrived at the village committee’s entrance.

To Wang Yong’s surprise, the research team, excluding the drivers, consisted of only six people. The first to get out was an elderly man with white hair and glasses, who spoke kindly.

“Hello, we’re sorry to disturb you.”

“No disturbance, no disturbance. It’s an honor to have such distinguished scientists visit our village! We welcome you warmly!”

“I’m the village secretary, Wang Dahai, and this is the village chief, Wang Yong. Please let us know if you need anything, and we’ll do our best to help.”

“My name is Li Shanhe, and I specialize in plants. This is Old Tian, a nutritionist. You can call us Old Li and Old Tian.” He pointed to a man in his fifties. “We just need a place to stay, and we hope you can help us with that.”

“No problem, I’ll clear out my house for the research team. Let’s go there now, put your luggage down, and have a simple meal at a local restaurant. The food is the best in the area, and I hope you’ll enjoy our village’s local dishes.”

“Why don’t you take them there first? We’d like to have a word with Wang Yong.” Old Tian interjected.

“Alright, I’ll take them to the house.” Wang Dahai said, leading the others to his house without waiting for Wang Yong. Wang Yong had no choice but to invite the two to his uncle’s office, made them each a cup of tea, and sat down, waiting for their questions.

Honestly, Wang Yong’s mind was racing, thinking of strategies. These two were true experts, not the so-called professors and experts who often appeared on TV and in newspapers. They had real skills.

If his excuses had any loopholes, they would surely be caught by these two. He thought about the possible questions, how to answer them, and even the words and tone to use. With Little Guang’s support, Wang Yong’s mind gradually calmed down.

“Actually, we deliberately asked the others to leave.” Professor Li’s words made Wang Yong’s heart skip a beat.

Seeing Wang Yong remain calm and motionless, Professor Li continued, “Do you think the state will let you keep any secrets once they pay attention to you?”

Wang Yong remained expressionless and silent.

Professor Tian then spoke, “Wang Yong, let’s be honest. The test results of your super vegetables have been confirmed, and we’ve already guessed that you must have had some extraordinary experience. Otherwise, it would be impossible for you to create vegetables with such special substances on your own.”

“Yes, if it weren’t for your special status, you might have already been ‘invited’ for some reason. You know about the golden egg incident, right? That was their way of testing you.”

Wang Yong wasn’t surprised that someone was envious and wanted to take his “technology” by force. However, he noticed that Professor Tian referred to “them,” indicating a difference of opinion, and possibly even hostility, between the two groups. (To be continued.)