The father-in-law toured the entire estate, inside and out, not with a casual glance, but with a meticulous inspection, as if a superior leader were inspecting a completed project.
He dug a few shovelfuls at the four corners and the center of the estate, examining the soil quality and grass roots, then carefully covered them back up.
He walked along the power lines and water pipes, though it was unclear what he was checking.
He paid special attention to the tiled walls, bathroom floor drains, and window frames in the house.
By the time dawn was breaking, the entire estate had been inspected.
The father-in-law nodded in satisfaction, "The house is good, the work is not shoddy. Which company did it?"
"Bai Yi Real Estate. The CEO is my friend, and these were all done at cost price," Jiang Ye said.
"Is Mengmeng getting used to living here?" the father-in-law turned to look at his daughter.
"Not very used to it, I've never lived in such a nice house," Cen Ye Meng yawned, "Dad, I'm sleepy, I'm going back to sleep. You came in the middle of the night and you're still not settling down, it's already daylight."
"You little brat, go to sleep. Your father and I will have some breakfast," the father-in-law said.
Jiang Ye was actually extremely sleepy too, but at this moment, he couldn't possibly say, "Dad, I'm sleepy too, I'm going to sleep with your daughter, what do you want to eat, go make it yourself in the kitchen." If he said that, he'd probably be beaten to death.
He spent half an hour preparing a rather lavish breakfast.
Jiao Quan'er, Dou Zhi'er, Jian Bing Guo Zi, Dou Fu Nao'er, Guo Ba Cai, Ji Dan Guan Bing, Ge Da Tang, Rou Huo Shao, Guan Tang Bao, Hun Dun, Mian Xian, Chang Fen Mi Fen Suan La Fen...
Basically, Jiang Ye made all the breakfast foods he knew, fearing that his father-in-law wouldn't be used to them.
"I've read the data on this planet, it's developing quite rapidly. I heard you made Mengmeng the planet governor?" the father-in-law picked up a fried dough stick with his chopsticks and dipped it into the broth.
"Yes, a few hours before you arrived, I just had her on a TV show with me."
"I watched the show," the father-in-law ate a couple of bites. "You can let her be a mascot, but you can't let her truly hold power. I, as her father, know her capabilities very well. Her intelligence is at most enough to run a dumpling shop; she'd lose money opening another bookstore. She has a brain the size of a peanut. Letting her manage a planet, she doesn't have the ability, and it will lead to trouble."
Jiang Ye was dumbfounded, his chopsticks hovering over the plate of xiaolongbao, unable to descend.
His father-in-law was too direct, actually describing his own daughter as having "a brain the size of a peanut."
"I think she's quite smart..." Jiang Ye stammered.
"Smart my foot. She's been pampered since childhood, her mind is very simple, like a small flower grown in a precious flowerpot. If you ask her to do a math problem, she might calculate it quickly and accurately, but doing things isn't about this kind of rote intelligence, it's about a quick mind and experience. You've managed this planet for so long, you should know better than I do. If you still don't understand this, then it's dangerous."
The father-in-law ate a few bites of fried dough stick and continued, "Although I've never been a general or a planet governor, the population I employ is equivalent to a medium-sized planet. The population of your planet now is barely a mini-planet. I've accumulated a lot of experience over the years in building my career. If you have related questions in the future, you can call me. My phone number is a private number. If you call the number I give you, it will show as a vacant number. Have Mengmeng help you add it to your contacts, then you can call.
"Okay, thank you," Jiang Ye nodded his head like a pecking chicken.
"How often do you argue?" the father-in-law abruptly changed the subject.
Jiang Ye blinked, "What?"
"You two as a couple, how many days between arguments?"
"We..." Jiang Ye recalled, "haven't argued yet. We've always been very... very sweet..."
The father-in-law's expression was clearly surprised, "Not even a spat?"
"No," Jiang Ye shook his head. "Her personality is very gentle, and I never get impatient when I talk to her. Moreover, most of the time our opinions are the same, and we don't care about trivial matters, so we can't argue at all."
"Gentle personality?" the father-in-law was surprised again, then nodded after a moment and continued eating.
Jiang Ye's eyelids twitched. His father-in-law's reaction... why was it so significant?
"What are your plans for the future, you two?" the father-in-law asked again.
"In what aspect?"
"All aspects, like how much money you want to earn, how many children you want to have, what kind of life you want to live," the father-in-law said. "How do you plan to live this life? Newlyweds always have some outlook for the future, don't they? Although it often doesn't come true."
"Outlook... we really don't have one," Jiang Ye said. "We don't need to worry about making money. As long as Jiang Ye Star continues to develop, our money will be enough."
"We haven't seriously discussed children either. I don't even know about the first child; I only found out she was heavily pregnant when I picked her up. A few days ago, she asked if I wanted children. Judging by her demeanor, she wants to have more," Jiang Ye said. "I only have one planet now, which I might eventually hand over to Jiang Sen Lin. I also have Bi Rong Star, and I have a chance to secure it. If I can get it, perhaps we'll have another child."
"You'll give each child a planet?" the father-in-law was slightly surprised, "That's quite a generous gesture."
"It's just a simple preliminary plan, who knows what the future will hold," Jiang Ye said. "The princes and grandchildren of the Ming Dynasty, within a few generations, grew to tens of thousands. Our conditions are much better than those of the Ming emperors. If we were to have children without restraint, in a few hundred years, our descendants would be astonishingly numerous. Therefore, we need a planet."
"As someone with experience, I'll give you some advice," the father-in-law put down his chopsticks and picked up his bowl to drink soup.
"Please, tell me."
"You don't need to have too many children, ten or eight at most is enough. I had too many children and couldn't take care of them all, failing to fulfill my responsibility as a father. Moreover, if they are not properly nurtured, most children will be useless, which will cause you a lot of headaches."
Jiang Ye nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself that he didn't intend to have that many either.
Ten or eight children sounded terrifyingly numerous, and in his father-in-law's concept, that wasn't even considered a lot.
"For people like us, we will always face many temptations," the father-in-law's voice suddenly lowered. "Playing around is fine, but never get serious. Know this, women who approach you after marriage are often drawn by the scent of money. Those smiles and charms are directed at money, not at you. In this situation, there are two rules: first, no illegitimate children. Second, do not give them houses. The idea of a mother gaining status through her child or keeping a mistress in a golden house is a major taboo, absolutely not. Many people around me have committed these two taboos and ended up in eternal damnation."
Jiang Ye was dumbfounded, "Dad, I will definitely not cheat. Mengmeng and I have a very good relationship."
"Young people always say 'definitely,' but for people like us, five hundred years is as short as five months. Seas change into mulberry fields, where do so many certainties come from?" the father-in-law said calmly. "I have only one request for you: I don't care how you play outside, but you cannot divorce Mengmeng, and you must treat her well. You are newlyweds, and I know this sounds like it spoils the mood. But I don't come often, so I must say the unpleasant things first. Remember them well."
The father-in-law took out two small boxes from his pocket and placed them on the table.
"The ebony box is for you, and the green sandalwood box is for Mengmeng. Only you can open them. Consider it a small gift from me as her father. I have company matters to attend to, so I'm leaving," the father-in-law stood up.
"Please stay a few more days!" Jiang Ye stood up in a hurry, "Why the rush?"
"Millions of workers' livelihoods are in my hands, the lives of hundreds of millions of shareholders are on my shoulders, how can I have so much leisure?" the father-in-law smiled. "Don't call Mengmeng, let her sleep. You don't need to see me off either, you've been up all night, get some good rest."
"That won't do, I must see you off," Jiang Ye put on his coat.