Chapter 3/5
Not one second more after Yang Chen picked up the call, Rose yelled into the phone before he could even get a word in. Excited, she shouted, "Hubby, I love you so much! How did you pull that off?! So it seems that even the military and the special forces follow your orders. The outcome of your orders have been quite interesting to say the least."
Yang Chen distanced the phone from his ear due to the loud sounds coming from it. Since Rose was generally a composed person, he knew that something must've taken place in the underworld.
"How old are you? You need to stop exaggerating and learn to stay calm. Could you tell me what had happened slowly?" Yang Chen asked, frowning and smiling helplessly.
Displeased, Rose snorted through the phone. She then asked, "Hubby, you don't know? Aren't you the one behind White Wolf Society's incident?"
"White Wolf Society?" Yang Chen pondered for a while before remembering his encounter and dealings with them. Smiling, he asked, "Why, did something happen to them?"
Rose took it as Yang Chen being unaware of the situation. So she explained the situation briefly.
This morning, the headquarters of White Wolf Society which was located in Su Province got obliterated by the military. They were even surrounded by the special forces stationed there.
The White Wolf Society had a decent number of highly skilled individuals. As a result, they weren't willing to turn themselves in and retaliated. However, the sheer number of people they had faced exceeded their previous assumptions. It ultimately led to their defeat!
"White Wolf Society is basically done for. The only reason they were able to expand their networks was due to their relations with various government officials and the Zhu family. Now that the Zhu family has fallen, they stood no chance at all," Rose announced in delight. "Su Province will soon fall into chaos, which will enable me to swoop in and takeover much easier than before."
Yang Chen wasn't too surprised. He was just shocked that Yellow Flame Iron Brigade was that efficient—they didn't ponder on his words for too long.
He requested and half-threatened Yellow Flame Iron Brigade to punish White Wolf Society. He believed that his request was not unreasonable for them. It was either he deal with the situation himself or they deal with it in his place. Naturally, it was better off for them to get rid of a regional underworld syndicate. Although there would be disorder for a short period of time, they could salvage their reputation and actions by forming a better image for the government by improving the lives of the civilians.
Rose rejoiced at that incident. Not only could she now conquer large areas of Su Province which were initially controlled by White Wolf Society. The sweet taste of revenge she enjoyed was quite the bonus too. When she received her internal injuries caused by White Wolf Society, it stirred something within her even though she chose not to act on it. Being beaten by her opponent in front of her subordinates had greatly affected her pride.
Listening to Rose's endless proposals, Yang Chen smiled helplessly. "You may proceed with your plans at your discretion. You need not report them to me."
"But what if I make a mistake and come face to face with a major consequence? Information in Su Province has been tightly sealed," Rose said reluctantly.
"I'll stand in your place should you run into trouble," answered Yang Chen.
Rose remained silent for a short while before she chuckled. "Hubby, you shouldn't spoil me like this."
"I like spoiling you. You can't stop me from it," Yang Chen replied.
Although Zhao Hongyan didn't know what the conversation was about, judging by Yang Chen's tone, she knew that he must be talking to a woman he was immensely intimate with. As a result, she felt an involuntary heartache.
If my past painful marriage had never taken place, I would probably be spoilt by a loving man too, won't I? Zhao Hongyan thought.
Having conversed cheerfully for a short while, Rose remembered the task she was entrusted by Yang Chen. When she started talking about Jiao Yanyan, she sounded even more contented with the news.
"Hubby, you asked me to run a background check on the bossy girl called Jiao Yanyan, right? It's quite a coincidence. Try guessing which gang she's from."
"Could it be White Wolf Society?" asked Yang Chen with a smile.
"Yeah. I was quite surprised myself when I found out. Her father is their president, named Jiao Baiyang. He's in his fifties and he has quite a few lovers. All of them dislike each other, which is why Jiao Baiyang let them stay separately. Jiao Yanyan is his youngest daughter who's studying in Zhonghai. Many people are still unaware of the fact that she is his daughter.
"Speaking of this, Jiao Baiyang had several contingency plans which he had prepared ahead of time. Everyone knows that it's not that uncommon for someone of the underworld to face family extermination. Since he raises his children in different provinces, it is unlikely for his family tobe completely wiped out."
Yang Chen wasn't aware of that. It was no wonder that while Jiao Yanyan was cocky, she couldn't pull off the drastic stunts that she had threatened them with. She should be aware that she was just one of the illegitimate children, and White Wolf Society operated outside Zhonghai.
"Jiao Yanyan left school immediately after getting informed. Together with her mother, she was brought away by Jiao Baiyang's right hand. I have been monitoring their movements. I leave it up to you to decide their fate," Rose said.
Yang Chen thought for a while and said, "Forget about them. Even if they escape, they would not be able to live comfortably. Let someone else deal with them."
Rose didn't object. She had a lot to deal with in the coming weeks. There really was no need to get violent with a mother-daughter pair.
After the conversation with Rose ended, it was almost time for dinner to be served in Zhao Hongyan's home.
Zhao Hongyan seemed to be in deep thought about several issues so she didn't speak much. On the other hand, Yang Chen had a good time chatting with her younger brother and Old Zhao.
Old Zhao's condition had recovered significantly. His face had regained its pinkish hue, making him appear healthy. Unfortunately, his condition had brought misfortune to come upon his daughter. Had he not gotten sick, his daughter didn't have to get married to the Yu family. Old Zhao very much preferred the fellow in front of him a lot more than the previous guy!
However, Old Zhao dismissed his intention when he was informed of Yang Chen's marriage. Old people had a simple and straightforward mindset. No matter how great a man was, he shall not be with other women if he was married.
Old Zhao had even prepared some green tea after the meal. Back then, Lin Ruoxi mentioned that he was highly skilled in making tea. Yang Chen looked at the ordinary teaset being moved around by the old man hastily until a cup of fragrant tea was served to him.
Old Zhao's temaking techniques seemed quite ordinary. However, having practised martial arts, Yang Chen understood daoism rather well. His interactions with Yan Sanniang had only further expanded his knowledge of the subject.
Although martial arts and temaking techniques appeared unrelated on the surface, Yang Chen could clearly feel that Old Zhao was immersed in a separate, unknown realm when making tea.
Practice makes perfect. Even the most common acts could be improved upon in various ways.
"The same destination can be reached via countless paths," Yang Chen murmured while staring at the teacup.
Zhao Hongyan frowned and asked, "Why haven't you touched your tea yet? Note that my dad seldom makes tea for visitors."
Yang Chen finally regained awareness. Smiling, he slowly sipped on the tea. He was immediately impressed by the underlying hint of sweetness that came from within the leaves.
"Uncle Zhao, it's quite a waste that your store is this small when your glutinous rice balls and tea are both so magical. Have you considered expanding your scale of operations?" Yang Chen asked.
Old Zhao sighed. "Yang Chen, I've wrestled with that decision time and time again. The technique and recipe of making the rice balls were passed down from our ancestors. Selling them away is a blatant act of disrespect. Furthermore, if we were to expand, we would require large amounts of capital to finance the expansion. This is still not inclusive of labour costs. Our family does not have the money to do that right now."
Zhao Hongyan said sorrowfully, "When my dad was still strong and healthy, a company offered to purchase our recipe, and was willing to finance our expansion. However, the craft exclusive to our family cannot be sold, and they weren't willing to only collect interests from their capital."
Yang Chen rubbed his nose. No one would generously offer to expand a rice ball business without getting their family secrets. However, there might just be someone—the great Sister Lin who loves glutinous rice balls as much as her life, he thought.
Yang Chen didn't reveal what he had in mind. He bade the Zhao family goodbye soon after. Naturally, he didn't forget to bring the 'extraordinary rice balls' made by Old Zhao along.
It was almost ten o'clock at night. After Yang Chen reached home, he tried to come up with a way to seek forgiveness from Lin Ruoxi using the rice balls, in addition to proposing Zhao Hongyan's large-scale business expansion to this capitalist.
Yang Chen proceeded to the living room, only to find Guo Xuehua and Wang Ma watching the newly released Korean drama. Lin Ruoxi was nowhere to be seen. Curious, he asked, "Mom, why isn't Ruoxi watching the drama with you guys?"
Guo Xuehua didn't bother to turn her head to look at Yang Chen. "Oh, so it turns out you are still capable of missing your wife. Ruoxi is staying back at her office and skipping the dinner at home."
Yang Chen was taken aback. Sighing, he knew that Lin Ruoxi only did that because she wasn't willing to see him. However, he didn't return home for dinner as well. So why did she have to do that?
Yang Chen decided to personally send the rice balls to her office. It might buy him points in the sincerity department.
However, having been away from home the entire time, he was quite miserable looking. Yang Chen quickly went upstairs as he planned to take a shower. He wanted to look neat and clean before presenting himself to Lin Ruoxi.
When he walked past Zhenxiu's room, he noticed that the lights were still on. That kid should still be doing her revision, so Yang Chen didn't ask her about the school affairs.
Coming to his room, he undressed and opened the large wardrobe, only to be greatly surprised.