Volume 1, Chapter 9: The Wedding Arrives, Harvesting the Fruits

Dressed in a suit, Qin Fan took a taxi straight to the most bustling hotel in the county town—Longxiang Hotel.

As soon as he stepped outside, he spotted Aunt Wang, a well-known figure from the village and a close friend of Li Ping.

“Oh! Little Fan!”

The familiar call from the elderly woman instantly caught Qin Fan’s attention.

“Aunt Wang! You’re here too!”

Qin Fan greeted her warmly.

“Of course! Nearly everyone from our village came. It’s Old Li’s eldest daughter’s wedding after all — the whole village was invited!”

Aunt Wang sounded a bit displeased.

“Cough, cough... How have you been lately, Aunt Wang?” Qin Fan inquired politely.

“Oh, don’t mention it. If it weren’t for your mother comforting me, I’d have been beside myself with anger. This year, I planted fruit on five plots of land, all of which had buyers lined up. But you know what? The buyers said my land’s environment was poor, so they backed out. Just think about it—five plots worth four or five thousand yuan altogether, and now they refuse to buy. How am I supposed to manage? The whole family’s livelihood depends on that land!”

Aunt Wang clapped her hands in frustration, her face full of worry. On top of that, she had come to celebrate with wine and was expected to give money—at least fifty yuan—which troubled her deeply.

“You said you planted fruit on five plots, Aunt Wang?”

“Yes, all fruit, no vegetables.”

“Ah, that’s tough. If it were vegetables, you might have been able to delay selling them, but fruit has a shelf life and will rot eventually. It’s almost June now...”

“Aunt Wang,” Qin Fan suddenly said, “I have a friend who’s been buying fruit in large quantities lately, and the prices are quite good. Would you be interested?”

“Really? Someone’s actually buying fruit? How much do they want? No matter the price, as long as I can sell it, it’s fine. I’m not even asking for a high price anymore.”

Aunt Wang grabbed Qin Fan’s sleeve eagerly.

“Don’t worry, Aunt Wang. My friend will probably buy all your fruit. As for the price, the total for your five plots could be around seven thousand yuan. I’m dealing with him on your behalf—I can give you a deposit now, and pay the rest once the fruit is ripe. How about that?”

“Really?”

“Absolutely! Aunt Wang, your old lady said you were unemployed and didn’t believe it when I came back. I told her you must be up to something big, and it turns out you really have made it.”

Aunt Wang patted Qin Fan’s shoulder affectionately.

“Aunt Wang, have you received the money yet?”

Qin Fan asked.

She opened her phone and showed a two-thousand-yuan transfer.

“Oh, Little Fan, you’re truly a blessing to our Wang family. I’ve cared for you since you were a child for a reason!”

“Aunt Wang, you and my mother are like sisters. If I can help, I will.”

“Oh, Little Fan, you’re destined to be a big boss someday. Auntie has high hopes for you!”

“Hehe, Aunt Wang, you flatter me.”

Qin Fan smiled sheepishly.

“You know, Little Fan, you look really sharp in that suit today. I don’t think you came just for the banquet—you’re here to steal a bride, aren’t you?”

Aunt Wang joked.

“Ha ha, Aunt Wang, I’m here as the best man for Fatty Hao!” Qin Fan hurried to explain.

“The best man, huh? If not, then you’d be outshining Hao. At this wedding, you’re definitely the most handsome one,” Aunt Wang continued to praise, making Qin Fan blush.

Inside the wedding car, Hao Jian stepped out and looked at Qin Fan in his suit. He was so spirited and handsome, almost like a male model.

“You’re Qin Fan, right?” Hao Jian confirmed.

“Hey, Fatty Hao! Long time no see. You still look as vigorous as ever!” Li Ziyan, admiring Qin Fan’s striking appearance, couldn’t hide the sparkle in her eyes.

Hao Jian’s complexion shifted uneasily. He had planned to embarrass Qin Fan but never expected that after just a few years apart, Qin Fan would be more handsome and better dressed than him. It was self-defeating.

“Ahem... Brother Fan, I’m really sorry. Yesterday, my dad brought in some other best men, so you probably can’t be my best man now,” Hao Jian said apologetically.

Everyone knew the truth: Qin Fan had outshone Hao Jian, and the groom’s spotlight was stolen. Hao Jian would rather pay others to be his best men.

“Oh, that’s fine. I’m here to enjoy the banquet anyway. Being best man or not doesn’t matter,” Qin Fan said, having never really wanted the role; he had only agreed under pressure.

...

“Little Fan!”

“Did you see Hao Jian’s face? I heard his bride used to have a crush on you?” Aunt Wang said, her words startling.

“Do middle-aged folks even know about ‘simping’ now?”

“Shh, Aunt Wang, it wasn’t simping; it was admiration,” Qin Fan corrected.

“Indeed. Now that you’re so outstanding, you must have plenty of admirers. Aunt Wang has a goddaughter who just graduated from university and is quite good-looking. Want to meet her and maybe get the families acquainted?”

“Uh...”

“Aunt Wang, I’m still young, no rush.”

“All right, all right, but when the time comes, remember my girl comes first.”

Qin Fan hadn’t expected Aunt Wang to be so formidable.

...

Back at home, the old lady had been waiting for Qin Fan since early morning.

“Little Fan! I heard you spent a few days at the banquet and ended up buying all of Aunt Wang’s fruit, is that true?”

Her tone was more accusatory than gentle.

The elders nearby looked helpless.

“Yes, I helped my friend buy the fruit since Aunt Wang couldn’t sell hers. It was just a favor,” Qin Fan replied.

“A favor? Little Fan, do you know your uncle’s family can’t sell their fruit every year? You help outsiders but don’t even think about helping your own family?”

“I didn’t know about that! Besides, didn’t they have their own sales channels before? Why not this year?”

Qin Fan was annoyed with his grandmother, who always favored his uncle. They never helped during hard times.

“Your uncle’s channels only bring in three thousand yuan out of the four or five thousand worth of fruit. I heard you paid a two-thousand deposit and promised another four thousand later.”

“And?”

“Good deeds shouldn’t go to outsiders. You should buy from your uncle’s farm.”

The old lady pointed her finger, insistent.

“My friend has already bought enough and won’t buy more. Let them figure it out themselves. Besides, they have their channels; they should just stick to them,” Qin Fan said firmly.

“Are you even a member of the Qin family? You’re disowning your relatives!”

“You... you’d better return Aunt Wang’s fruit and give it to your uncle.”

“Mom, why do you interfere? Little Fan is doing his own thing!”

“Shut up! If I were young, I’d be stronger than all of you. I don’t care—if it’s not for your uncle, you won’t get your hands on a thing.”

Qin Fan couldn’t take it anymore. From childhood, his uncle’s family had been favored while his own was neglected. The house and property went to his uncle’s family, while his own got just a piece of land to build a house on, and even then, they had to live with the uncle’s family. Now this was the demand.

Li Ping quickly pulled Qin Fan inside.

“Child, that’s just how the old lady is. If we don’t go along with her, and she gets upset, it’ll be our fault.”

“Mom, if you want to give money to Qin Shou, fine. Let me pay it!”

Qin Yong had had enough too. He took out two thousand yuan and handed it to the old lady.

“Hmph! That’s better! From now on, if Little Fan has any good news, Qin Shou must be notified first. After all, he’s family.”

Qin Yong was speechless. His own elder brother had once taken him to court over this land for building the house. Was he really family? No outsider would behave that way.