Chapter 515
Things? What things?
Su Chen was leisurely boating on the Ash River at Volga Manor, enjoying the beautiful scenery on both sides of the river, when he received a call from Yang Lan, who told him about Dong Shiying and the souvenir shop.
Upon hearing this, Su Chen couldn't help but smile slightly. It seemed that Bai Xiangwen was quite fast.
I originally thought Bai Xiangwen would take a day or two to arrange the things I made in the car yesterday afternoon, but I didn't expect that he would arrange them directly the next day. It seems that Bai Xiangwen's friends are quite capable.
"I thought it was something big... Sister-in-law, just let your good friend accept it without worry. This gift isn't anything expensive!" Su Chen leaned against the railing of the wooden boat, looking at the various distinctive Russian-style buildings on both sides of the river, and replied with a smile.
Yang Lan and Dong Shiying on the other end of the phone were stunned when they heard Su Chen's words. They couldn't help but think to themselves, "Is he even speaking human language?"
What does it mean to say something is not valuable?
That's tens of millions in revenue, not just tens or hundreds of thousands. It's a goal that countless people can't reach even after a lifetime of hard work, and Su Chen just casually gave it away as a gift.
Is this the arrogance and capriciousness of the rich?
This left Yang Lan speechless for a moment.
Hearing the silence on the other end of the phone, Su Chen guessed what was going on. He smiled and continued, "Sister-in-law, tell your good sister not to worry too much. Your cousin doesn't care about this. You'll know what's going on when you get back to Wudu!"
Having said all that, Yang Lan naturally had nothing more to say. She licked her slightly dry lips and replied with a wry smile, "Xiao Chen, thank you!"
A sense of pressure inexplicably rose in Yang Lan's heart. Her cousin's family had done so much for her and her child, even if it was to make up for the mistakes Chen Fan had made. But the effort to make up for it was too heavy and burdensome, and she didn't know how to repay them.
Su Chen immediately sensed the emotion in Yang Lan's words and quickly comforted her, "Sister-in-law, don't thank me. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. When you return to Wudu, you'll know that this amount of money is nothing to me."
He didn't want his casually prepared thank-you gift to become a burden on Yang Lan's shoulders.
Upon hearing this, Yang Lan's heart stirred. She had previously heard Dong Shiying mention that her cousin possessed a mysterious aura, and also the respectful attitude of Bai Xiangwen, the head of Jiuyuan Animal Husbandry…
All these signs combined suggest that her cousin is not as simple as he seems. In fact, it might be even more shocking than knowing that her aunt built a multi-billion dollar restaurant empire from scratch.
Thinking of this, Yang Lan had the urge to immediately return to Chongqing, to quickly unravel the mystery, and to see her two children whom she hadn't seen for so long.
"Understood, I'll talk to Shiying about it! Also..." Yang Lan paused before continuing, "I'm planning to take the afternoon flight back to Chongqing!"
"Sure!" Su Chen's eyes lit up. It seemed that his cousin-in-law was a decisive person. "Have you bought the tickets yet? Do you need me to arrange it?"
"No need, no need! I checked before, there are still many flights from Harbin to Chongqing." Yang Lan quickly refused. If Su Chen had to solve such a small matter for her, she might as well find a block of tofu and kill herself.
"Alright, sister-in-law, I'll send you Mom's phone number later. Remember to call her when you get back!" Su Chen said casually.
After exchanging a few more brief pleasantries, Su Chen hung up the phone.
Su Chen put his phone in his pocket and turned his gaze back to the scenery on both sides of the Ash River. The sunlight shone on the sparkling river surface, reflecting the brightly colored Russian-style domes and towers, creating a unique atmosphere.
……
On the other end of the phone, Yang Lan put down the phone, looked at Dong Shiying who was still in shock beside her, and smiled helplessly: "Did you hear that? My cousin said that you can accept it without worry and don't feel too guilty!"
Dong Shiying patted her chest, let out a long sigh of relief, and immediately a smile of excitement spread across her face. She took Yang Lan's hand and said affectionately, "The luckiest thing in my life is meeting you and becoming your best friend, hehehe!"
At this point, Dong Shiying had already accepted that she would be the owner of the souvenir shop for the next five years, and a rising female tycoon!
"Isn't this also my good fortune?" A touch of melancholy appeared on Yang Lan's face. If Dong Shiying hadn't been there to help her through that most difficult period, only God would know what she would be like now.
"Lanlan, just who is your cousin? Even if he's a rich kid... no one would be this extravagant, right? Giving away gifts worth tens of millions of yuan so casually, and they're not even considered valuable? Even Wang Sicong, the head of the rich kid circle, wouldn't be this generous, would he?"
"If you don't know, how could I possibly know?" Yang Lan rolled her eyes at Dong Shiying, probably knowing less than she did!
“However…” A thoughtful look flashed in Yang Lan’s eyes, “He told me on the phone that I would know everything when I returned to Wudu. I suppose my aunt and the others know about my cousin.”
Upon hearing this, Dong Shiying's eyes lit up, and she quickly moved closer to Yang Lan's face, saying with a hint of excitement, "If you go back to Wudu and find out about your cousin's situation, you must tell me! Otherwise, this matter is like a cat scratching at my heart, making me so itchy!"
She also wanted to know what secret Su Chen possessed that made Bai Xiangwen of Jiuyuan Animal Husbandry so reverent.
"Don't worry!" Yang Lan reached out and pinched Dong Shiying's nose, shaking it from side to side. "I'll call you as soon as I find out, is that alright?"
"Alright~ I still need to pack my things. I'll have a meal with everyone when I get back to the shop, as a farewell before we part ways. I don't know when we'll see each other again!" Yang Lan couldn't help but sigh softly, her mind filled with memories of her time in Northeast China and the companionship of her colleagues.
“With transportation so advanced now, it only takes a few hours to fly from Harbin to Chongqing. If I miss you in the future, I’ll just fly over to see you. Don’t forget that your sister is a future multi-millionaire!” Dong Shiying said with her hands on her hips, looking smug, all traces of her previous fear and nervousness gone.
Yang Lan ignored Dong Shiying, rolled her eyes at her, and got up to go back to her bedroom. If she continued chatting with Dong Shiying, she didn't know when she would be able to pack her things properly.
If she was delayed, wouldn't the time she could see her two children be postponed again? Her heart had already flown back to her hometown in Chongqing.
……
Meanwhile, on the river at Volga Manor, Su Chen's small wooden boat slowly approached the shore. Just as he stepped onto the dock, his phone rang.
Su Chen thought it was Bai Xiangwen calling to report on the task he had assigned him, but when he took out his phone and saw the caller ID, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
He didn't answer the phone immediately. Instead, he looked around and found an empty pavilion not far from the dock. He sat down before answering the call.
"Brother Yao, what made you think of calling me? Did Brother Chen get you drunk last night?" Su Chen couldn't help but tease as soon as he answered the phone. The caller was none other than Chen Yao, who was on vacation in the capital. Judging by the time, his vacation seemed to be coming to an end soon.
Sure enough, Chen Yao immediately complained on the other end of the phone: "Don't even mention it, that guy Xiao Chen is inhuman. Last night he took a whole case of Grandpa's treasured Maotai from your house and made me drink several bottles. I still haven't recovered and I'm still a little dizzy."
"However... the dishes at your Heavenly Palace are indeed excellent. Not only is the chef's skill superb, but the ingredients are also top-notch. It's a pity, I don't know when I'll be able to go again!"
Hearing this, Su Chen raised an eyebrow, realizing Chen Yao's unspoken message, and tentatively asked, "You've returned to Ice City?"
"Uh~ I just landed at Taiping Airport. If I were in Beijing, why would I call you? Do you think I'd just want to chat with you?" Chen Yao's voice on the other end of the phone sounded a bit tired from just getting off the plane, but it was still cheerful. "I heard from Xiao Chen last night that you were in Harbin, so I thought I'd call you, have dinner together, and give you the things!"
"Things? What things?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity flashing across his face.
"Grandpa Xiao asked me to bring this to you. It's not convenient to talk on the phone. Where are you now? I'll come find you later!" Chen Yao lowered his voice, and there was a hint of seriousness in his words.
“Uh…” Su Chen didn’t expect it to be given to him by Grandpa Xiao. After thinking for a moment, he still couldn’t figure out what it could be, so he replied, “I’m not in the city right now, I’m at Volga Manor in the suburbs.”
"Brother Yao, why don't you go back and put your things away first, and rest for a while? I'll call you when I get back to the city!"
"Okay~" As soon as Chen Yao heard that Su Chen was at Volga Manor, he immediately gave up the idea of going to find Su Chen. He had only been on a plane for a few hours and did not want to take a car for another hour to the suburbs. "I'll go back and rest for a while. Call me when you get back to the city. But don't stay out too late, I'm waiting for you to treat me to dinner!"
Hearing this, Su Chen's lips twitched slightly. He really didn't know how these words came out of Chen Yao's mouth, which was 37 degrees. No matter what, Chen Yao was half a host, so why was he, an outsider, being asked to treat him to a meal?
He shook his head helplessly and said, "Alright, alright, I'll treat you to this, that should be fine, but you can choose the place. After all, I'm not familiar with this area, unlike you who have been working here for so long!"
In the end, Su Chen couldn't help but say something sarcastic to Chen Yao.
Unfortunately… Su Chen's words were meant for a deaf person. Chen Yao completely ignored Su Chen's last words and instead laughed smugly, "Hehe~ I've been waiting for you to say that. I have a great place that will definitely not disappoint you!"
"Then it's settled. I'll go back and lie down for a while, and wait for your call!" Chen Yao's voice was full of energy, showing no trace of his previous fatigue.
"Okay, see you later!" Su Chen laughed and hung up the phone, realizing in his heart that he had been tricked by Chen Yao.
Looking at the time, it was already around eleven o'clock. Su Chen thought he would call Su Yan and the others to ask where they were and to let them know that he had left early.
After entering the manor, Su Chen didn't want to walk much, so he chose to take a boat, while Su Yan and the others chose to walk. After all, there were four middle-aged people who liked to walk around, stop and take pictures.
So Su Chen split up with them into two groups, each doing their own thing.
Just as I was about to make the call, I heard a shout from not far away: "Xiao Chen!"
Upon hearing this, Su Chen looked up and saw his second uncle and aunt slowly riding a tandem bicycle toward him. Behind them were two other bicycles, with Su Yan and his wife, and Lin Guoqiang and his wife on them.
"Second Uncle, I was just about to call you when you showed up!" Su Chen nodded and smiled as he stood up and walked to the side of the road.
With a creak, three tandem bicycles came to a steady stop in front of Su Chen.
Uncle Su Zhiqi got off his bicycle, wiped the sweat from his face, and smiled broadly: "This manor is so big that walking around would be exhausting, so I rented a few bicycles. Riding around is fast, effortless, and allows me to enjoy the scenery!"
"Xiao Chen, was the boat ride comfortable? We saw how relaxed you were on the boat!" Auntie Er got off the back seat, stretched her legs, and teased her with a smile.
Su Yan, Lin Xiaoyu, and Lin Guoqing, who were behind them, also parked their bikes and walked into the pavilion. They all looked radiant and were clearly very satisfied with the ride.
"It really is quite comfortable. If you're free this afternoon, Auntie, you can try it out!" Su Chen replied with a smile, then looked at everyone and said, "Uncle, I was just about to call you. I have some things to take care of here, so I'm going back first!"
"Hmm? What's wrong? Is there some problem with your cousin's wife?" Su Zhiqi's smile faded as he asked with concern, while Su Yan and the others beside him also cast curious glances at him.
"No, I just got a call from a friend who flew in from Beijing. He needs to talk to me about something!" Su Chen briefly explained the information, which wasn't very important.
"Important matters come first, you go ahead and get busy!" Su Zhiqi immediately expressed his understanding, then paused, and said with a hint of embarrassment, "Xiao Chen, there's something we'd like to discuss with you!"
Su Chen was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, thinking that something had happened to his second uncle and the others, and quickly asked, "Second Uncle, what is it? Just tell me!"
After exchanging glances with Su Yan and Lin Guoqing, the second uncle explained, "Actually, it's not a big deal. There are a lot of fun and beautiful places around Volga Manor. We plan to stay here for two days, so we were thinking of canceling the presidential suite to avoid wasting your money."
Upon hearing this, Su Chen raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze sweeping over his second uncle and the others. He was pondering whether his second uncle was doing this on purpose to save him money, or whether he genuinely wanted to spend a couple of days at the Volga Manor.
Seemingly understanding Su Chen's gaze, Su Yan, who had remained silent, stepped forward and said, "Big brother, Xiao Yu and I looked into it before. Volga Manor not only has a hotel, but also quite a few Russian restaurants, and there are Russian performances in the evening. I also heard that Volga Manor has a unique charm at night..."
Having said that, Su Chen naturally understood their thoughts; they genuinely wanted to have a good time at the Volga Manor.
"Okay~ I'll handle things at the hotel!" Su Chen nodded without further thought. "Su Yan, I'll leave Uncle Er and Uncle Lin to you. If you encounter anything difficult, just give me a call!"
"Don't worry, big brother!" Su Yan replied confidently.
"Alright, you guys have fun, I'll be going now!" Su Chen gave Su Yan a few more instructions, such as being careful and taking good care of the elders, then said goodbye to everyone and rode off on the bicycle Su Yan had donated towards the main gate of Volga Manor. (End of Chapter)