The slip of paper contained only a few crooked sentences, very brief.
But the meaning was clear enough: Qin Gang had indeed left without a word, departed Yongnan County, and gone to the big cities to make his way.
As for where he went, Qin Gang hadn't said, and of course, no one knew.
The atmosphere in the entire room was quite oppressive. Jiang Cuihua's tears fell in a steady stream, and Qin Shuren's face was grim.
No matter how unmotivated or disobedient Qin Gang was, he was still their son. For parents, a sudden departure without a word was bound to cause worry.
"How could this child just leave like this?"
"It's all my fault. I must have scolded him too harshly the day before yesterday, and he's left home in anger!" Jiang Cuihua wept softly.
"Mom, you scolded my second brother recently?" Qin Chuan asked.
Jiang Cuihua, still sobbing quietly, replied, "The evening before last, your second brother had dinner with us. His phone kept ringing, with people calling him repeatedly. Your brother went in and out several times to take calls, making the food go cold. Your father and I gave him a severe scolding."
"We told him he was old enough and shouldn't always associate with those disreputable people outside. He should learn from you two and focus his energy on the right path."
"Your second brother even argued back a few times, so much so that your father was about to take off his belt to beat him. It ended unhappily."
"Who would have thought he'd leave us a note today and run away from home!"
"If we had known, we wouldn't have scolded him then!"
Qin Shuren's hands trembled with anger. "We scolded him out of frustration, hoping for him to become better!"
"Look at us, we have three sons. The eldest and the youngest, which one isn't better than him!"
"He's the middle one, in his late twenties, and still acts so slovenly every day. His head was split open by someone, a gash so large he has to wear a hat to cover it!"
"He's my son, can't I educate him!"
"If you're so capable, don't ever come back!"
Qin Chuan and Qin Yang exchanged glances. The brothers tacitly stepped forward, each comforting one of the elders.
After the elders had calmed down a bit, Qin Chuan said, "Since second brother wants to venture out into the world, it's actually a good decision."
"After all, second brother is so grown up. He's never been out to the wider world to try his luck since he was a child. Such a life is incomplete."
"Don't worry, second brother will definitely be able to take care of himself."
"Whether it's a setback or an opportunity, it's a supplement to his life."
Qin Yang and Wu Yanyan also offered words of comfort. After a long while, Qin Shuren and Jiang Cuihua finally regained their composure.
They had lunch together at noon.
After lunch, everyone had work to attend to, so they parted ways.
Back at the housing development, Qin Chuan and Qin Yang sat together, bringing up the topic of Qin Gang's departure again. Qin Chuan said, "Actually, I admire second brother's sudden decision to leave."
"His choice, regardless of whether he encounters setbacks or opportunities outside, is much better than staying in Yongnan County."
"Because here, to put it bluntly, if he truly wants to escape my care and my overshadowing influence, it would be very, very difficult."
"Setting aside failure, even if he achieved something, in the eyes of others, it would still be insignificant, far from what I have achieved."
"He might even be told that a large part of such success came from me."
"This isn't me boasting, it's a fact!"
Qin Yang agreed with this viewpoint.
Now, his younger brother's achievements were too formidable. He had electronics factories, real estate, supermarkets, flagship clothing stores, and more. His net worth was in the tens of millions.
Such achievements were rare, and not something an ordinary person could catch up to with just a little effort. Moreover, as you develop, Qin Chuan was also developing.
Unless Qin Chuan made a major business decision error and went bankrupt one day, the current scale alone was an insurmountable ceiling for ordinary people.
If Qin Gang truly wanted to break free from Qin Chuan's immense influence, leaving home to venture into a big city was indeed the best choice.
"I actually quite admire second brother. In this kind of environment, he at least has the courage to strive, unwilling to live under someone else's wing his entire life."
Qin Yang finally sighed, "Unlike me, I've never had such thoughts. I'll probably be living off my own brother for the rest of my life."
"Big brother, what do you mean by 'living off me'?" Qin Chuan chided. "We are co-founding this venture together. A significant portion of the great empire we've built belongs to you."
"Besides, your situation is entirely different from second brother's. You have a family and a home, so you have to consider multiple factors when making any decision."
"Once I've sorted out all the industries in Yongnan County, tell me which department's shares you want, and I'll give them to you directly. Then, even if we do nothing for a year, we'll still have money to spend."
Qin Yang smiled honestly upon hearing his brother's words. "What do I want your shares for? I don't understand management, nor do I know how to do business. As long as you pay me a normal salary, that's enough!"
"My expenses throughout the year are not high. My salary is sufficient!"
Qin Chuan shook his head, no longer continuing this topic. Instead, he recounted his meeting with Ye Qingping that morning to Qin Yang.
Upon hearing that the two sand quarries belonging to Han Shifei could be operated through lease, Qin Yang was very pleased.
"Then I'll go notify others, and we'll have another meeting?"
"Mmm!" Qin Chuan nodded.
Before long, Zheng Chengdao, Bai Xiaoguang, Yao Dong, and Chen Jinyu all arrived.
Qin Chuan first shared the news of his second brother's departure and asked everyone if they knew in advance. Everyone shook their heads and showed considerable surprise.
Qin Chuan had built such a large enterprise, and everyone had witnessed it firsthand. So many people wanted to get close to Qin Chuan to gain benefits.
Qin Gang, as his elder brother, had left so decisively without hesitation. From this point of view alone, Second Brother Qin had considerable courage and boldness, which was admirable.
However, it remained to be seen whether it was a rash decision driven by emotion. If it was, it would be a negative example.
"Alright, let's put my second brother's matter aside for now. Let's discuss business."
Qin Chuan returned to the meeting's agenda and recounted the tacit transaction he had with Ye Qingping that morning.
Why was it called a tacit transaction?
Because both sides were intelligent people. Yongnan County had such a blank slate in terms of entertainment venues, with so many opportunities laid out before them, why was no one daring to venture in?
The answer, naturally, was because someone was too powerful, scaring everyone from making a move.
The closure of so many entertainment venues had led to widespread unemployment. Many young ladies became homeless and couldn't afford food. Some ordinary people working in the entertainment industry went to the county government to protest and exert pressure.
Repeated protests forced the relevant authorities to quickly address this thorny issue.
This led to the conversation between Ye Qingping and Qin Chuan that morning.
Ye Qingping knew very well what Qin Chuan needed and why he was doing what he did!
It was because Qin Chuan wanted the two sand quarries left by Han Shifei, so he deliberately issued a stern warning, forbidding anyone from venturing into the entertainment industry without permission, otherwise, it would be considered an act of defiance against him.
With Qin Chuan's current strength, there was likely no force in Yongnan County that dared to oppose him.
Only by acquiring those two sand quarries could the large number of unemployed people be taken care of, and the entertainment venues in Yongnan County be restored to order, leading to social harmony.