77: To save face

After Qin Yang got out of the car, he immediately greeted the elders and introduced Deng Yue to his relatives. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, everyone headed inside.

His grandmother and grandfather were elderly and hadn't come out just now.

As soon as Qin Yang entered the main room, he saw his grandparents looking at his family with affectionate expressions.

Qin Yang immediately stepped forward and gave them a hug. "Grandma, Grandpa."

"Oh, my dear grandson is back! Come, let Grandma have a good look at you," his grandmother said with a radiant smile upon seeing Qin Yang.

"Mhm, you've filled out quite a bit," she added, looking him over carefully.

"Hehe, I've been listening to you. I eat several bowls of rice every meal now. Didn't you say that boys should eat more?"

"That's right. Look at your cousin; he eats like a little chick pecking at rice. It makes me so cross just watching him," Grandma replied.

Then, Qin Yang introduced Deng Yue to his grandparents. Upon hearing that their granddaughter-in-law had arrived, they gave her a warm welcome. Consequently, the once-favored Qin Yang was sidelined once again.

Qin Yang could only shake his head with a wry smile and moved over toward Maternal Uncle.

Seeing Qin Yang approach, Maternal Uncle Meng Ling patted him on the shoulder and said with amazement, "My dear nephew, you've really done it! Only a year after graduation and you're already driving a maybach. Haha, our Meng family has finally produced a capable man!"

Qin Yang didn't object to being called a member of the Meng family. His father had passed away early; his father had seven brothers, and since his father was a middle child, he had been the type who wasn't particularly favored by anyone. After his father died, his mother mentioned that the Eldest Uncle on the Qin side even tried to seize their inheritance. It was only thanks to his mother's strong backing from her own family that he didn't succeed.

Consequently, over the years, Qin Yang's family had only met with his paternal grandparents a handful of times, and now they had basically cut off all contact. Since Qin Yang and Qin Yue had grown up under their maternal grandparents' care, they naturally felt a strong sense of belonging to the Meng family.

In response to Maternal Uncle's praise, Qin Yang rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

At this moment, Qin Yang's Eldest Uncle asked, "Xiao Yang, your mom said you're in business with a partner now. What line of work are you in?"

"Eldest Uncle, I'm currently in the construction business. I call myself a boss, but I'm actually just a contractor taking on jobs from a benefactor I know," Qin Yang explained. He had been using a construction company as a front specifically to handle situations like this.

"Oh, that's pretty good. But, and I'm not just saying this to nag, now that you're out in society, you know how hard it is to earn money. There's no need to buy such an expensive car. If you have money, you should save it," Eldest Uncle said.

"Big brother, what do you know? You're just giving orders blindly. In business nowadays, the first thing people look at is outward strength. A few luxury cars are symbols of that strength. Xiao Yang bought these cars to showcase his capability. Xiao Yang, tell me, am I right?" Before Qin Yang could speak, Maternal Uncle was the first to rebut.

Qin Yang smiled and nodded upon hearing this, then explained, "Eldest Uncle, Maternal Uncle is right. People these days judge you by your clothes before they judge your character. To be honest, without a car of this caliber, there are some places I wouldn't even be able to enter."

"Ah, so that's how it is. Haha, I thought you were getting ahead of yourself. Actually, I didn't mean anything else; I just didn't want you to flaunt your wealth too much. In today's society, there are too many people who resent the rich, and I was worried it might have a bad influence on you," Eldest Uncle laughed somewhat awkwardly.

"I understand, Eldest Uncle. By the way, how are my cousins doing? Are they still working away from home?" Qin Yang nodded and changed the subject.

Everyone around them became interested in this question. Most people in Meng Family Village made a living from the land; to put it bluntly, they were all farmers. Among those who had done well outside, Qin Yang's Maternal Uncle was one, but he only ran a repair shop in the county. Then there were some of Qin Yang's peers who had gotten into good universities, passed the civil service exam, or married into good families.

Although rural life had improved significantly with the shift in national policies, there was still a large gap compared to the city in terms of healthcare, education, and other aspects. Relying solely on the income from farming made the gap with urban income even wider—of course, this excluded those who leased large tracts of land, which was theoretically a type of business and couldn't be generalized.

"Yeah, your cousins are all working in the south," Eldest Uncle replied with a sigh. Who wouldn't want their children to be close? But the reality was that you could stay close to home, but you wouldn't earn any money. With the pressure of life being so high nowadays, it was truly difficult to do anything without money.

"How much is their salary now?" Qin Yang asked again.

Qin Yang had a good relationship with his cousins; after all, they had grown up together. While there might have been some occasional friction, it was nothing major. Therefore, everyone could guess the purpose behind Qin Yang's questions—he wanted to help his close relatives. This was a case of reaping what one sows; Eldest Uncle, Maternal Uncle, and the others had treated Qin Yang like their own son since he was a child. Now that Qin Yang was capable, he couldn't bear to watch them still struggling for a living. To remember a kindness for a thousand years was Qin Yang's principle in life.

"Meng Xu, your cousin is asking you. How's your income from working?" Maternal Uncle, sensing Qin Yang's intention, quickly patted Meng Xu on the shoulder.

Eldest cousin Meng Xu was quite introverted. He rubbed the back of his head shyly and said, "We're all working in factories. With overtime, I can make over eight thousand a month. Without it, it's around six thousand."

Qin Yang nodded and replied, "Then, Brother Xu, do you have any thoughts about coming back?"

"Coming back? This... Yang Zi, you know that people like us aren't like you. We don't have university degrees. We have no education and no skills. Besides selling our labor, what else can we do?" Meng Xu smiled bitterly.

"You silly child, why are you so blunt? Your cousin is asking because he wants to help you out. You're really going to be the death of me!" At this point, Maternal Uncle Meng Ling, who could no longer hold back after hearing Meng Xu's words, slapped Meng Xu on the head and spoke with exasperation.

Meng Xu was stunned for a moment, then looked at Qin Yang with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Qin Yang smiled and nodded.

"Cousin, are you for real?" At this time, the second cousin, Meng Dong, who had been listening for a while, asked in pleasant surprise.

"Yeah, everyone should come back. Your younger brother does have some capability now. When I head back to H City this time, you should all come with me. I'll arrange some jobs for you that pay well and aren't too demanding. That way, you'll be closer to home, and you can come back whenever you want," Qin Yang replied with certainty.

"How much can we earn?" Meng Dong asked eagerly.

"Haha, it definitely won't be less than what you're earning now. Don't worry, you'll find out when the time comes."

"By the way, Second Brother, you can make a list and see who is willing to come with me. Then just give me a number," Qin Yang laughed.

"You got it!" Meng Dong replied with a wide grin.

Hearing that their nephew was going to arrange jobs for their children, the surrounding elders' gazes toward Qin Yang immediately became even more fervent. After all, this concerned the vital interests of their children. As the saying goes, when one person attains the Dao, even his dogs and chickens ascend to heaven.

Qin Yang was willing to provide jobs for his cousins partly because of their good relationship, and partly to gain face for his mother. Just as Buddha demands a stick of incense, a person struggles for a breath of air. Qin Yang wanted to show others that although his mother had lost her husband, her son was still able to stand tall!