The moment both son and daughter came home, the house immediately became lively. Even the miniature pig, which had been shut in the chicken coop, was mercifully released by Mama Wang.
The miniature pig used to run into the chicken coop willingly every day. Now, whether it wanted to or not, it had no choice. Its fate in this household had taken quite a few turns. When Wang Ziyu was around, it lived like it was in heaven, with someone fussing over it every day and meals delivered right on time. But once Wang Ziyu left, its good days left with her.
Mama Wang was busy and had no time to look after it. Whenever she went out, she often shut it in the chicken coop because it was too naughty. Leave it alone in the house and the place would definitely be a disaster by the time they returned. Wang Cheng’s return had not improved its situation either. This rough man was even more direct, almost brutally so. Getting him to take the pig out for a walk when he went out was practically impossible. In the end, Papa Wang was the softhearted one and would occasionally take it along for a stroll.
The moment it regained its freedom, the miniature pig caught a familiar scent. Its tiny body shot toward Wang Ziyu’s arms like a black streak, only to be intercepted halfway by Wang Cheng.
“This stupid pig has to be male.” Wang Cheng grabbed it by the scruff with one hand. Trying to take advantage of his little sister? Not even a pig was allowed.
“Second Brother, you’re hurting it.” Wang Ziyu hurriedly rescued the miniature pig from his grip. It grunted twice, burrowed straight into her arms, and even nudged its head against her chest. Wang Cheng’s temper immediately flared. This thing was absolutely provoking him.
“Its hide is thick. It doesn’t even know what pain is. And don’t spoil it too much. The more you spoil it, the wilder it gets. It even broke bowls in the house before.”
“Really?” Wang Ziyu hesitated.
“Of course. Why would Second Brother lie to you?” Wang Cheng said without the slightest change in expression.
“Then I’ll keep a close eye on it from now on. Second Brother, you don’t have to worry.” Wang Ziyu stroked the miniature pig’s head. She still could not bear to keep it locked in the chicken coop all the time. Girls tended to like cute animals, and she was no exception.
The miniature pig chose that exact moment to grunt again.
Wang Cheng could practically see the stupid pig gloating at him. He laughed from sheer irritation. Fine, enjoy yourself for a few days. Once Xiaoyu went back to the capital, it would have a hard time again. It never occurred to him that squabbling with a pig made him look like a child throwing a tantrum over not getting milk. After his shower, he chatted with Papa Wang in the living room for a while, returned to his room at ten, and spent another half hour trading teasing messages with Chu Yifeng.
Wang Ziyu gave the miniature pig a bath. While she had been away, nobody in the family really had time to wash it. Mama Wang only helped when she happened to be free, and the last bath had already been a week ago. Wang Ziyu scrubbed it several times before finally getting it clean, then used a hair dryer to dry its short coat and carried it back into the room.
The next morning, Wang Cheng got up very early.
Mama Wang had woken even earlier and already set breakfast on the table. That morning they had congee with several red-bean buns, enough to fill them up.
Father and son had made plans the night before, so after breakfast, Wang Cheng and Papa Wang headed into the mountains together.
More people went up the mountain at this time of year because fruit was ripening one batch after another. Some poorer villagers would bring their children up to pick fruit, though they did not dare take too much and certainly would not dare sell any. If they were caught, they would be fined, and most villagers did not want to take that risk.
“After listening to what you said last time, Dad went with your grandpa the next day to see Secretary Guan and explained everything. Secretary Guan was very happy. He said that if our family is willing to contract North Mountain, he’ll personally approve giving us the fruit-rich hill beside it for free.”
“Secretary Guan is pretty generous.” Wang Cheng was pleasantly surprised.
Papa Wang said, “Our family showed up exactly when he needed someone. Of course he’s happy. Right now, what he wants most is a local family. That way, he’ll have a reason to reject your Eldest Uncle.”
Wang Cheng understood that perfectly. He was happy too if it meant saving a large sum of money.
“Secretary Guan does hope we’ll put the contract in the name of someone who is officially from Guanjia Village. That way, nobody can accuse him of favoritism.” Their family had already moved to Guanjia Village and intended to stay long-term, but they were still outsiders in the strictest sense. Someone would inevitably seize on that loophole, which was why Secretary Guan had raised the issue.
“That’s easy. Grandma or Grandpa would work.” Wang Cheng had expected something much more troublesome. Even if Secretary Guan had not mentioned it, he had already considered doing the same thing.
“That’s what Dad was thinking too.”
They talked as they walked, working through the details along the way. Before long they reached their destination. North Mountain, the one Eldest Uncle wanted, was densely packed with tall trees. There were not many people on the mountain that day. The path was muddy, and after only a short walk their shoes were caked in mud and their trouser legs splattered.
Wang Cheng was suddenly grateful Papa Wang had thought ahead. He was wearing an old pair of trousers and an old pair of long boots Mama Wang normally used. They were a little tight on him, but still tolerable.
It had rained here two days earlier, and the thick canopy blocked most of the sunlight, so the mountain was quite damp. After only a few minutes, a layer of moisture already clung to his arms.
This was Wang Cheng’s first time on this mountain. Papa Wang had been here more often. Grandpa had once brought him up to gather medicinal herbs. After becoming familiar with the area, Papa Wang could roughly recognize the paths and directions without needing a local guide.
The two of them walked around the mountain and occasionally encountered one or two villagers. They too were gathering herbs, usually because someone in the family had fallen ill.
According to Grandpa, the mountain had existed in this state for a very long time. Its medicinal herbs all grew naturally, and many had accumulated years of growth. With herbs such as lingzhi mushrooms, older specimens were more valuable. As far back as Grandpa could remember, people in his family had gone into the mountains to gather herbs. The reason the mountain had never been contracted out before was precisely because of these medicinal resources. Secretary Guan had always felt it would be a pity to dig everything up, so he had kept the land out of private hands.
After finishing their inspection, father and son prepared to head down.
There were only a few routes up and down the mountain, so they inevitably ran into Eldest Uncle and another man who were on their way up.
The man wore a suit and leather shoes, rimless glasses on the bridge of his nose, and his hair was combed straight back with so much product that it gleamed. One look was enough to tell he could not possibly be from Guanjia Village.
Wang Cheng guessed the man’s identity almost immediately. Judging from Eldest Uncle’s attitude toward him, he clearly was not someone from Eldest Uncle’s company. That left only one likely answer: someone sent by Lisa’s father, probably a trusted subordinate. Wang Cheng had never met Lisa’s father, but anyone capable of building such a large business was probably a shrewd businessman. Guanjia Village might be economically backward, but its natural resources were richer than those of many other places. If Wang Cheng were in that man’s position, he would not pass up such an opportunity either. Eldest Uncle froze when he saw them, obviously not expecting to run into them here. The man beside him noticed that they knew each other, but asked nothing. The arrogance in his eyes was unmistakable, which did not surprise Wang Cheng at all.
“Third Brother, what are you doing here?” Eldest Uncle recovered but made no move to introduce the man in the suit.
“Just came up for a look.” Papa Wang’s reaction was indifferent.
Eldest Uncle was not surprised. He knew Mama Wang’s father was in poor health and went into the mountains for herbs every so often, so he simply assumed they were here to gather medicinal plants. He smiled. “Here for herbs, are you? Then you’d better gather plenty while you still can. You might not get another chance in the future.”
Believing he had said something especially meaningful, Eldest Uncle continued up the mountain with the other man. Only after they were far away did Papa Wang let out a sigh.
Wang Cheng knew exactly what his father was thinking. Once everything was settled and Eldest Uncle discovered that their family had “interfered,” he would probably be furious beyond words. Wang Cheng could already picture the chaos.
Back home, neither of them mentioned meeting Eldest Uncle. When Mama Wang asked how things looked, Wang Cheng told her they had made up their minds.
That afternoon, father and son went to Wang Cheng’s maternal grandparents’ home. Papa Wang explained the situation to Grandpa, who supported them as well. They decided to strike while the iron was hot and settle everything before anything unexpected happened. At four o’clock, the group gathered the necessary documents and went straight to Secretary Guan’s home.
“You really want to contract North Mountain?” Secretary Guan was genuinely surprised after hearing them out. When Papa Wang had previously come asking about the mountain, he had vaguely suspected something, but he had not expected them to actually go through with it. He had also heard about Wang Cheng’s situation, so he did not doubt they could afford the contract. The only issue was that Wang Hongwei wanted the mountain too. If he learned what happened, the Wang family would probably have no peace.
“Secretary Guan, we’ve thought this through carefully. We’re not acting on impulse,” Papa Wang said. “This was mainly Chengcheng’s idea. As his father, all I can do is support him.”
“I heard Wang Cheng works in the city. Is he planning to quit?” Secretary Guan knew a little about their family.
“He’s not quitting. Chengcheng never planned to stay at that company in the first place.” Papa Wang briefly explained Wang Cheng’s agreement with the boss of Huaying Real Estate. Three months was not long. In the blink of an eye, it would almost be over.
Secretary Guan nodded after hearing the explanation. It seemed Wang Hongwei’s plan was destined to fall through. Since this family was not worried about the consequences, he had no need to say anything unnecessary. Secretary Guan knew Papa Wang’s character well. If he gave the mountain to Papa Wang’s family, he would finally be able to sleep soundly at night. The heaviness that had weighed on him for days immediately eased.
Afterward, Secretary Guan personally took them to complete the registration. With his help, the procedures moved much faster. He also kept his promise and gave them the neighboring fruit hill. In less than an hour, everything was finished. Wang Cheng paid the contract fee on the spot. Cards could not be used there, so he had transferred the money to Papa Wang’s account ahead of time. In exchange, they received a contract, and from that moment on, North Mountain was officially registered under Grandpa’s name.
Grandpa had agreed to put the contract under his name, but he also made it clear that after some time passed, he would have it changed to Wang Cheng’s.