Liu Yifeng had no interest in calligraphy. Watching Tong Tong repeatedly practice the capital letter 'I' struck him as tedious.
He wandered into the backyard. It was truly beautiful, a veritable ocean of flowers, the air thick with their fragrance. Old Mr. Zhao certainly had a refined taste.
This was the life one should have in their twilight years. When he was old, he too would grow flowers and plants, perhaps walk a dog. It would be incredibly pleasant.
Sitting in the shade, Liu Yifeng called his father, wanting to inquire about the situation with Yadong and Chenguang.
The call was connected shortly. "Dad, did you send the money?"
"Sent it to their place, but they said it was too little and claimed you were indirectly responsible for their troubles. They're demanding fifty thousand yuan from us, otherwise they'll cause trouble at our house every day." Liu Chunsheng sounded vexed on the phone.
He had tried reasoning with them until his lips were sore, but the two families wouldn't listen.
Liu Yadong's mother was even creating a scene at their doorstep, throwing herself on the ground and wailing incessantly, making his head ache.
He was just about to call Liu Yifeng to ask for advice when this call came through.
Liu Yifeng frowned. He hadn't expected these two families to be so unreasonable.
Liu Qingyun's father, while verbally blaming him, hadn't done anything outrageous.
These two families, however, were the ones causing trouble. Although fifty thousand yuan was no longer a significant sum for him.
But if he readily gave them the money, there would be a second, then a third time, and it would eventually become an endless pit.
What's more, he shouldn't be blamed for this incident, especially not by Liu Chenguang's family.
Liu Chenguang went up the mountain because Liu Yadong and Liu Qingyun had called him.
Now they were blaming him? Wasn't that a bit too much bullying?
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have even given them five thousand yuan.
Thinking this, he immediately said, "Dad, just let them make a scene. There's nothing valuable at home anyway. You should go to Third Uncle's place and hide. If they see no one at home, they'll naturally leave. I'll handle it when I get back this afternoon."
"Alright, call me when you get home this afternoon, and I'll come over too." Liu Chunsheng couldn't stand being there another minute.
On the phone, Liu Yifeng could hear the woman's wails. Anyone listening would think her son had died.
After hanging up, Liu Yifeng was still a bit worried. He called his Third Uncle and asked him to look after his father's emotional state.
His father tended to overthink things when faced with trouble, and he was afraid his father might have some negative thoughts due to this incident.
Liu Chasheng immediately agreed upon hearing this.
Ever since Liu Yifeng had greatly helped his son, he no longer harbored the arrogance and prejudice he once had towards Liu Yifeng.
With his Third Uncle's assurance, Liu Yifeng felt much more at ease.
Although his Third Uncle could sometimes be stingy and selfish, he was quite persuasive. With him to offer comfort, he believed his father's mood would improve significantly.
During lunch, Zhao Qing arrived.
She was also pleased to learn that her father had agreed to teach Tong Tong calligraphy and painting.
After all, Tong Tong was now a member of her kindergarten. Any future competition he participated in would represent her kindergarten, serving as better advertising than any promotion.
During the meal, Zhao Dewang and his daughter were stunned when they tasted the vegetables Liu Yifeng had grown.
They had eaten vegetables before, but never such delicious ones.
Although Zhao Dewang was already in his sixties, he actually disliked vegetables, except for wild mushrooms. Sometimes, for the sake of a balanced diet, he would force himself to eat a little.
Today, seeing that Liu Yifeng had specifically sent over so many vegetables, he decided to try them.
Who knew that with the first bite, his taste buds would dance? He couldn't stop eating.
He barely touched the wild mushrooms, focusing solely on the vegetables.
This was also the first time Zhao Qing had seen her father eat so many vegetables, and she found it almost unbelievable.
"Mr. Liu, did you grow all these vegetables yourself?"
"Yes!" Liu Yifeng nodded.
Upon receiving a positive reply, Zhao Qing suddenly had an idea and asked, "Mr. Liu, do you have a lot of vegetables at home?"
"Quite a bit. The vegetables I grow are already supplied to the Longteng Hotel. They order a substantial amount daily."
"The Longteng Hotel is a five-star establishment, so the price they offer should be quite good, right?"
"Please don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to pry about the price, but I'd like to do some business with you," Zhao Qing said.
Liu Yifeng had already guessed her intention: "Director Zhao, you want me to sell vegetables to you, right?"
Unexpectedly, Liu Yifeng was so perceptive. She smiled and replied, "Yes. As you know, I run a kindergarten and deal with children every day.
And most children nowadays are picky eaters. They won't eat this vegetable, nor that one.
To get them to eat properly, I've even paid a high price for imported organic vegetables.
But the results are the same. No matter how I prepare them, the children don't like them. This has been a source of headaches for me for over a decade.
Today, I saw that even my father, who doesn't like vegetables, ate so many of them. I believe that once the children taste yours, they'll surely love them.
Honestly, your vegetables are the most delicious I've ever tasted. So, I'd like to purchase vegetables from you from now on to serve to the kindergarten children."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Dewang's voice chimed in: "These vegetables are indeed incredibly delicious. They've even made me lose interest in wild mushrooms, let alone the kindergarten children.
Children are the future of our nation, and their nutrition must be prioritized.
Young man Liu, if you haven't signed an exclusive contract with the Longteng Hotel, please agree to my daughter's request. The cost is not an issue!"
"Yes, whatever price the Longteng Hotel pays per jin, I'll pay the same. Mr. Liu, what do you think?" Zhao Qing asked nervously.
Liu Yifeng agreed without hesitation. "I have no objections. My son attends your kindergarten, and he doesn't like vegetables from other places either."
The reason he agreed so readily, besides Tong Tong, was primarily to thank Old Zhao for teaching his son painting and calligraphy for free, and for providing a meal.
Furthermore, his vegetables were not exclusively sold to the Longteng Hotel; there was no conflict of interest between the kindergarten and the hotel.
Seeing Liu Yifeng's prompt agreement, Zhao Qing was overjoyed. She raised her glass of beverage. "Mr. Liu, on behalf of the kindergarten children, I express my gratitude. I'll use this beverage as a toast to you."
Liu Yifeng also raised his beverage glass. "Director Zhao, you're too kind. You're doing business with me, so it's I who should thank you. Cheers!"
With that, he drank it down in one gulp.
After the meal, the housekeeper cut the watermelon Liu Yifeng had brought. Zhao Qing tasted it and her attention turned to his watermelon.
The texture of the watermelon, just like the vegetables, was exquisite. If introduced to the kindergarten, it would undoubtedly be very popular with the children.
However, Liu Yifeng did not agree to sell the watermelon to her directly. He had promised Su Wanru that he would only sell watermelons to her in the future, so he couldn't agree to this.
Zhao Qing expressed her understanding, stating that business should be based on integrity.
Moreover, she knew Su Wanru, as she purchased her fruits from Su Wanru's fruit shop. She could discuss it with her directly later.
After the meal, Liu Yifeng rushed back.
He didn't know if Liu Yadong and Liu Chenguang's parents had left. He had to get back quickly.
He drove quite fast the entire way. The journey, which usually took about fifty minutes, he completed in forty.
He had expected that once his father left for his Third Uncle's place, Liu Yadong and the others' parents would also leave. After all, without anyone to play along, who would they bother? To his surprise, they were still lingering at his house.