Chapter 83: Village Ties

That robust, dark-skinned young man wore a broad smile.

He walked up to Fourth Uncle and set the fruit basket he was holding on the ground.

The three young men behind him quickly followed, placing their items in front of Fourth Uncle too.

“Boss Xu, you’re a bigger person than us—we messed up!”

“We’re here today just to apologize properly!”

“Whenever you head to Beishan, there won’t be any trouble at all—whether it’s water, electricity, or people…”

“If anything comes up, just find me, Xu Qiang, and I’ll sort it out for you!”

Fourth Uncle said nothing, unsure of what was happening.

Eldest Uncle and Paternal Aunt exchanged glances, then both turned to Fourth Uncle, Xu Zhilin.

Xu Zhilin seemed to remember something and glanced back at Xu Chen.

Yesterday, Xu Chen had said he’d handle this…

So, had he really pulled it off?

Truth be told, Xu Zhilin hadn’t expected much yesterday.

Though he thought of Li Rui, he still figured Xu Chen was just a high school student, and Li Rui was the same age—how could they deal with those thugs from North Mountain Joint Village?!

Besides, it wasn’t just a few thugs up there.

There were villagers pushing for higher rents and even people from the Village Committee…

Fourth Uncle had planned to wait for Xu Zhiquan to return and discuss how to handle it.

But now these men showed up to apologize with gifts—had Xu Chen really fixed the Beishan troubles?

And how on earth had he done it?

…

Seeing Xu Zhilin stay silent, the robust young man named Xu Qiang across from him looked a bit embarrassed.

Xu Qiang gave an awkward laugh, then turned to Li Rui, who was squatting on the ground, and bent slightly to whisper:

“Brother Rui… does this work for you?”

“…”

Li Rui stayed squatted, a cigarette in his mouth, his hands dirty as he fiddled with the potted plant.

From the moment those four entered, he hadn’t said a word, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Fourth Uncle, Xu Zhilin, paused, then looked over at Li Rui.

Li Rui…

He’d only recently started driving for Second Brother.

Word was he’d just been expelled from school, but he was polite, always offering cigarettes and calling him ‘Fourth Uncle’…

He was quiet, took on all the dirty and tough jobs, worked quickly and efficiently…

Average-looking, steady behind the wheel, just a young driver recommended by Xu Chen…

Eldest Uncle, Paternal Aunt, and Fourth Aunt all turned to Li Rui, their expressions a mix of oddity.

Zhang Yongqing was squatting with Li Rui; he looked up at him, mouth slightly open…

Hearing Xu Qiang speak to him, Li Rui finally stood up.

He said nothing, cigarette still in his mouth, and walked over.

As Li Rui approached, the four robust young men showed a hint of fear.

Li Rui stopped by Xu Chen and used his grimy hand to take the half-smoked cigarette from his mouth.

He pointed nearby and said:

“This is Chen Bro.”

Xu Chen: “…”

Xu Qiang blinked, turned to Xu Chen, and quickly smiled. “Chen Bro!”

He glanced back at his three companions:

“Hurry up and call him Chen Bro!”

“Chen Bro!”

“…”

Fourth Uncle and the others were stunned, glancing at Xu Chen with even more complex expressions.

Xu Chen sighed inwardly; the scene had turned awkward…

But he didn’t say anything, just looked down at Li Rui and gave him a knowing glance.

Li Rui seemed to get it; he took a drag from his cigarette, stubbed it out on the ground, and then spoke:

“Alright! If there’s nothing else, head out.

From now on, I’ll be going with Fourth Uncle to Beishan. Next time, I’ll bring you guys a few packs of cigarettes.”

Xu Qiang replied quickly:

“You’re too kind, Brother Rui! When you and Fourth Uncle come to Beishan, I’ll treat you to our best lamb hotpot!”

Li Rui didn’t respond further, just waved his dirty hand.

Xu Qiang bowed slightly:

“Fourth Uncle, Chen Bro, Brother Rui, we’ll get out of your way!”

With that, he turned and left with his three companions, striding out quickly.

Soon, the sound of a car engine starting echoed from outside the courtyard, then faded as it drove away.

In the factory grounds, the atmosphere felt a bit awkward.

Li Rui looked up at Xu Chen.

Xu Chen didn’t speak; he just patted Li Rui’s shoulder and nodded slightly.

Li Rui smiled, lit another cigarette, and went back to Zhang Yongqing’s side.

He squatted down again and plunged his hands into the dirty soil.

Zhang Yongqing adjusted his glasses and, without a word, joined Li Rui in the work.

Eldest Uncle, Paternal Aunt, Fourth Uncle, and Fourth Aunt glanced at Li Rui, then at Xu Chen, at a loss for words.

Even if they didn’t fully understand, they could guess what had happened.

Xu Chen and that young driver Li Rui had really sorted out the Beishan troubles.

Even those thugs who hurt Xu Zhilin had come to apologize with gifts…

Paternal Aunt, Xu Zhiyan, looked at Xu Chen, her face full of mixed emotions, lost in thought.

Eldest Uncle, Xu Zhishan, puffed on his pipe, but the ember had nearly died, and no smoke came out…

Fourth Uncle turned to Xu Chen and said softly:

“Xiao Chen…”

But he wasn’t sure what else to say.

Suddenly, Fourth Aunt broke into a smile and said:

“I’ll whip up a few dishes. Let’s all eat together at noon!”

Xu Chen gave a warm, honest smile: “Sounds great! I love your cooking, Fourth Aunt!”

Fourth Aunt chuckled, then glanced at Li Rui: “What about you, Li Rui? What do you like to eat?”

Li Rui hesitated, turning with a shy look: “Fourth Aunt, I’m good with anything…”

Fourth Aunt: “Alright then! I’ll just make what I think you’ll like.”

She looked at Xu Zhishan and Xu Zhiyan: “Eldest Brother and Little Sister, don’t rush off. I’ll cook extra!”

Xu Zhiyan paused, a flicker of unease on her face: “Thanks, but I’ve got things at the factory. I won’t stay for the meal!”

“Take care of your injury, Fourth Brother. I’ll visit again in a couple of days!”

She turned to Xu Chen: “Keep up the good work with your exams, Xiao Chen! Your aunt’s waiting for your graduation celebration!”

Xu Chen smiled: “Will do, Aunt. I’ll study hard!”

Xu Zhiyan hesitated for a moment, then added with a smile: “Our family’s Xiao Chen is full of surprises—actually handling those Beishan issues!”

Xu Chen didn’t reply, just put on a polite, innocent smile.

Fourth Aunt chimed in: “Oh, Xiao Chen’s capable alright! He even sorted out that fertilizer deal for us!”

Xu Zhiyan: “Really? Is that true?”

Fourth Aunt: “Absolutely! The fertilizer factory boss gave it to us for free—worth over 120,000!”

Xu Zhiyan blinked in surprise. She half-joked: “Looks like the Old Xu Family’s got a rising star!”

Xu Zhiyan glanced at Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt: “Alright, you two take it easy. Enjoy your lunch!”

She smiled, said no more, and left without another word to Eldest Uncle, Xu Zhishan.

Eldest Uncle cleared his throat: “I won’t stay for lunch either. Got matters at the factory.”

He fiddled with his pipe and looked at Xu Chen: “Just keep your head down and study, Xu Chen. Stay out of trouble!”