102: Chapter 102 Rejected Again

Meanwhile, in Qinjiawan Village, Lanhong Town, Jingnan, Qin Jianren's black Audi A6L slowly drove across the stone bridge at the village entrance and finally stopped at the mouth of the alley leading to Qin Yi's courtyard.

As soon as he got out of the car, Qin Jianren's heart skipped a beat. He scanned the familiar alley with a furrowed brow, feeling as if something was missing, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

At that moment, Su Fangfang also stepped out from the passenger seat, her high heels clicking crisply against the ground.

She walked up to Qin Jianren and asked with a hint of curiosity, "Hubby, where is Xiao Yi's rolls-royce cullinan? Why is it gone?"

With Su Fangfang's reminder, it finally dawned on Qin Jianren what was wrong.

Without responding to Su Fangfang, he immediately quickened his pace and walked into the alley, his face filled with anxiety and unease.

Seeing this, Su Fangfang followed closely behind Qin Jianren, complaining as she struggled to keep up, "Why are you running so fast?! Wait for me, I'm still wearing high heels!"

Qin Jianren didn't even look back, his voice thick with urgency as he replied, "Are you stupid? Didn't you see that Qin Yi's car is gone?"

"So what if the car is gone? Maybe Xiao Yi just drove out for a bit," Su Fangfang said, though her heart was also starting to feel a bit apprehensive. Her pace quickened as she tried her best to keep up with Qin Jianren.

Before long, the two of them arrived in front of the gate of the Qin Family's old residence.

However, when they saw the lock hanging on the gate, Qin Jianren and Su Fangfang were completely dumbfounded.

Qin Jianren pushed the gate, revealing a small gap. He then peered through the gap into the courtyard, only to see that it was empty. Even the few pots of gardenias in the courtyard were nowhere to be found. His heart instantly tightened.

He pounded on the gate several times with a 'bang, bang, bang,' and then said with a look of frustration, "Damn it, it looks like we've been played by that little bastard Qin Yi!"

"Huh? No way, we even left the gifts. Would Xiao Yi still play us?" Su Fangfang, having not seen the scene inside the courtyard yet, hadn't reacted. She looked at Qin Jianren in surprise and guessed, "Maybe Big Brother and Sister-in-law all went out? After all, Xiao Yi said yesterday to come in the afternoon. Could it be because they have something to do this morning? Could Big Brother and Sister-in-law have gone to the city to buy a house? Why don't you give Big Brother a call and ask?"

"Right, right. Since Xiao Yi has paid off all the debts, it really doesn't make sense to keep living here. Why didn't I think of that?" As he spoke, Qin Jianren pulled out his phone, found Qin Jianye's name in his contacts, and pressed the call button.

...

At this moment, Qin Yi was with his parents at a buffet restaurant in a highway service area on the way to Shanghai, enjoying a delicious breakfast. The family of three was happy and harmonious, completely unconcerned with what was happening in Qinjiawan Village.

Hearing the phone ring, Qin Jianye pulled the phone out of his pocket. Seeing that it was actually a call from his 'good' brother Qin Jianren, he couldn't help but frown.

He looked at Wu Xiuhua, showed her the caller ID on the phone, and asked inquiringly, "It's Jianren calling. Should I pick up?"

Wu Xiuhua recalled the couple's apology from yesterday and was momentarily at a loss. She looked at Qin Yi, asking for her son's opinion: "Son, you decide!"

Hearing this, Qin Yi didn't think twice and directly reached out to hang up on Qin Jianren's call.

Then, looking at his father with an apologetic expression, he took a deep breath and continued, "Dad, I'll tell you the truth. Actually, yesterday afternoon, while you were resting in bed after getting drunk, my Second Uncle and Second Aunt came to our house."

"Uh..." Upon hearing this, Qin Jianye's eyes were full of curiosity as he followed up, "Your Second Uncle and the others went to our house? For what?" But at the same time, he had a faint suspicion. What happened yesterday was known to everyone in the village, and even the police were involved. Perhaps Jianren also found out that his son had paid off the two hundred million debt? Is that why he came to the house to find him again?

Qin Yi then recounted the events of yesterday to Qin Jianye...

After finishing, Qin Yi spoke with a hint of resentment, venting his dissatisfaction to Qin Jianye: "Dad, Second Uncle is my elder, and as a Junior, I shouldn't criticize him too much. But don't you think what he did was really going too far?! Look at how he acted yesterday, so afraid of death—where was the slightest bit of brotherly affection? I think his apology was fake; seeing our family rise again and wanting to suck up to us is his true intention! That's why Mom and I didn't tell you about his visit yesterday..."

Before Qin Jianye could respond, Qin Jianren's phone called again.

Qin Jianye stared at the caller ID on the phone. After a moment, as if he had made up his mind, he took a deep breath and gave a heavy sigh. Then, he resolutely hung up the phone and even turned it off directly.

Seeing Qin Jianye do this, Qin Yi smiled, and Wu Xiuhua smiled as well...

Qin Jianye looked at the two of them with a smile and said, "Son, you're right! It's time to give him a lesson! This Second Uncle of yours was spoiled since he was a child and always thinks that others being good to him is only natural! It's lucky that he and I are brothers from the same mother; this time will serve as a reminder for him so he doesn't suffer a major loss in the future!!"

Hearing him say this, Wu Xiuhua's eyes were full of relief. She reached out and held Qin Jianye's hand, comforting him, "Hubby, I know you still care about your brother in your heart; after all, it's a sibling bond. How about this, there are some things that are inconvenient for us to say, but once we get to Shanghai, we can have Jian Ge give him a hint. I believe he will eventually truly realize his mistakes."

Qin Jianye nodded with a smile, patted the back of Wu Xiuhua's hand, and then let out a long sigh: "Sigh, I hope so..."

...

Afterward, the three of them finished breakfast at the service area, rested for a while, and then continued their journey.

Meanwhile, Qin Jianren, unable to get through the phone call, pounded on the courtyard gate several more times in a fit of rage. The 'bang, bang, bang' noise finally attracted the attention of a neighbor.

The neighbor's gate opened, and a white-haired old man leaning on a cane walked out. As he walked, he grumbled with an impatient look, "Knock, knock, knock! What are you knocking for?! Who are you looking for?!"

As the old man spoke, he took a closer look and realized that the ones knocking were the Qin Jianren couple.

The impatient expression on the old man's face immediately softened, and his tone carried a hint of surprise as he continued, "Isn't this the second son of the Qin Family? Why have you two come over?"

"Uh, Uncle Zhang, sorry for disturbing you. We came to find my Big Brother and Sister-in-law. Do you know where they went?" Qin Jianren asked anxiously.

"Them? They left early this morning. Didn't you know?" The old man called Uncle Zhang had somewhat cloudy eyes as he looked at the two of them and asked back.

"Left? Where did they go?" Qin Jianren became even more anxious upon hearing this.

"Where else could they go? Shanghai, of course. That child Xiao Yi is so successful; not only did he pay off your brother's debts, but he also gave every person in the village ten thousand yuan, along with rice, flour, grain, and oil. I heard from the village director that Xiao Yi is also going to build bridges and pave roads for the village. Your Qin Family has raised a good child! This Xiao Yi will definitely be a great person in the future! Naturally, your Big Brother and Sister-in-law went to Shanghai to enjoy their lives..." As he spoke, Uncle Zhang suddenly remembered something, patted his head, smiled awkwardly, and continued, "Oh right, I almost forgot. Xiao Yi left some things with me yesterday, saying that if you two came over, I should let you take the things back."

As he spoke, Uncle Zhang gestured for Qin Jianren and Su Fangfang to enter his courtyard.

Hearing this, Qin Jianren and Su Fangfang exchanged a glance. Su Fangfang waved her hand at him, signaling for Qin Jianren to follow quickly.

However, as soon as the couple stepped into the courtyard, they saw the moutai, Yunyan Dazhongjiu, gold and silver jewelry, and cosmetics they had brought yesterday piled up behind the gate, completely intact.

"Uh, why are these things here with you?" Su Fangfang asked curiously.

"Oh, that child Xiao Yi gave them to me yesterday. He said you forgot to take them when you left. They were leaving for Shanghai early this morning and were worried you might come back, so they let me keep these things temporarily," Uncle Zhang recalled with a smile, then pointed to the items in the courtyard and continued, "Uh, just these. Since you're here, take them all away."

Upon hearing this, Qin Jianren and Su Fangfang were speechless as they looked at each other.

After a moment, Qin Jianren sighed, thanked Uncle Zhang, and crouched down to move the crate of moutai. Su Fangfang's heart was also filled with a mix of emotions. She leaned over to pick up the bags containing the skincare products and jewelry, then dejectedly walked out of Uncle Zhang's courtyard.

As he passed the gate of the Qin Family's old courtyard, Qin Jianren took a deep look at the lock on the gate and then walked out of the alley in silence.

The two didn't say a word all the way. Once they were in the car, Su Fangfang finally spoke up softly, "Jianren, do you think we were wrong? If we had helped Big Brother and Sister-in-law back then, maybe you two brothers wouldn't have ended up like this..."

"Sigh," Qin Jianren gripped the steering wheel and sighed. After a pause, he continued, "It's too late to say all this now. Right now, Big Brother won't answer my calls. It seems I've truly broken his heart. As his brother, I'm really ashamed..."

"Well..." Hearing this, Su Fangfang's eyes darted around a few times, a sly smile on her lips. She reached out and gently tugged on Qin Jianren's arm, seemingly testing his reaction.

Qin Jianren turned his head, his brow slightly furrowed. Seeing Su Fangfang's hesitant look, a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes as he asked, "What's wrong? If there's something, just say it."

Su Fangfang chuckled, leaned in closer, and lowered her voice, "Did you forget? Isn't your younger sister, Jian Ge, in Shanghai? If Big Brother and Sister-in-law go to Shanghai, they will definitely contact her. If Big Brother won't answer your calls, then call your sister and ask her to help mediate. Maybe Big Brother's heart will soften and he'll forgive you..." After finishing, she blinked her eyes and looked at Qin Jianren expectantly.

Qin Jianren's brow furrowed even tighter. He scratched his head and said with some hesitation, "This... I'm worried Jian Ge is still angry about the time she borrowed money from us to buy a house..."

"Oh, honestly, why is it so hard to count on you to do anything..." Su Fangfang reached out and lightly tapped Qin Jianren's forehead, complaining, "When your sister wanted to buy a house, it's not like we didn't lend her money. What does she have to be angry about?"

Qin Jianren curled his lip and argued, "That's true, but didn't we also charge interest?"

"What's wrong with collecting a little interest? Even biological brothers should settle accounts clearly!" Su Fangfang countered relentlessly. She spread her hands with an innocent look, "It was a hundred thousand yuan. No one's money just falls from the sky; we couldn't just lend it to her for free, right? At the very least, the interest shouldn't be less than a fixed-term bank deposit, right?" She paused for a moment and continued, "Besides, their family is doing quite well now. Their old house was demolished, they got a lot of money, and they moved from a run-down place to a school district house. What else is there to be dissatisfied with!"

Qin Jianren sighed, his brow furrowed in helplessness, "Sigh, but I always feel that what we did wasn't very honorable. Since then, Jian Ge has rarely contacted me of her own accord. If I call her out of the blue, what if she's like Big Brother and doesn't answer?"

"Fine, fine, you're so indecisive! If you won't call, I will!" Su Fangfang said, reaching out to grab Qin Jianren's phone with an urgent look.

"Hey, alright, alright, I'll call. I'll call, okay?" Qin Jianren said as he opened his contacts, found 'Qin Jiange's' number, took a deep breath, and pressed dial.

...