Chapter 70: The Cannon Fodder Sister of the Female Lead (Part 22)

"By the way, this is for you, Happy New Year in advance!"

Just about seven or eight days until the New Year, Jiang Lai took a cloth tiger out of his pocket and handed it to Cheng Lie.

"When I saw this little tiger, I thought it really resembled you, thick eyebrows, slightly fierce when you’re not smiling."

Cheng Lie held the cloth tiger and then smiled slightly.

"In a few years, it’ll be my zodiac year, just missing something to ward off bad luck."

Jiang Lai climbed onto the back seat, holding onto the corner of his coat, heading down a familiar road.

But this time, Cheng Lie took a path he hadn’t taken before, a spacious, bustling commercial street, packed with shops and street vendors selling clothes, shoes, socks, hair accessories, jewelry, perfume, everything you could want, with crowds bustling to and fro. Cheng Lie pushed his bicycle carrying Jiang Lai forward, with many store owners greeting him along the way.

"Hello Brother Lie, who’s this you’re with?"

"God-sister."

"Oh, where’d you find such a pretty god-sister! Little sister, come over, take some marinated dishes to eat!"

Jiang Lai didn’t want it, but the shopkeeper insisted, handing her a bag of marinated beef, smiling excessively warmly.

"Take it, Brother Lie’s sister is my sister. In the future, if you want to eat just come by and take some!"

Next, passing the cloth shop, the sweet shop, even the watch shop wanted to give Jiang Lai a wristwatch as a gift.

Even someone as thick-skinned as Jiang Lai was a bit surprised and overwhelmed.

By the end, her hands were full of goods.

It was evident these people were targeting Cheng Lie, Jiang Lai benefitted because of him, she couldn’t stop talking.

Finally stopping by a chestnut stall, Cheng Lie went in and bought a pack of chestnuts and a roasted sweet potato, paying directly to the elderly vendor without asking for change.

"Is this young lady your girlfriend?"

The elderly vendor spoke directly, grabbing a handful of roasted melon seeds to give to Jiang Lai too.

"Eat, eat melon seeds, have more, there’s not much else here, take some and eat them for the New Year."

"No need, grandpa, you’ve given enough!"

As she spoke, Jiang Lai hid behind Cheng Lie, asking him to help her out.

The man just kept smiling, earlier too, he didn’t stop others from giving her things, letting Jiang Lai fill her pockets with candies.

"Grandpa, really, I can’t fit anymore..."

"Cheng Lie is a good man, you won’t suffer dating him, come, come, eat more child."

"Grandpa, I’m not his girlfriend."

"Not his girlfriend? Then who are you? Never seen him with a young woman before, the first time, I thought finally this boy caught on..."

Cheng Lie, who was silent the whole time, finally spoke.

"You just focus on selling your chestnuts, we’re leaving."

"New Year is coming, I’ll have to give you your stall fee this year."

As he said this, the elderly vendor started to lower his head and take a clean banknote out from his metal box.

"Here..."

"I’ve eaten so many chestnuts from you this year, don’t worry about the money, just give me some peanuts and melon seeds at the year-end to share with my brothers, that’ll be enough."

"Peanuts and melon seeds don’t cost much, you never want them, next year I won’t feel right displaying here."

Cheng Lie still didn’t accept them, grabbed another small sweet potato from the stove area, pulling Jiang Lai’s sleeve as they walked away.

"Let’s go."

The elderly vendor couldn’t catch up, could only wave his hand repeatedly.

"Next time, bring your girlfriend to eat here again!"

Cheng Lie with flushed ears told Jiang Lai not to mind.

"He’s just confused, already said you’re not my girlfriend."

Jiang Lai pursed her lips, smiling, her eyes bright and curved like a crescent moon in the sky.

"Why are they all giving me stuff?"

"Because you’re pretty."

"But I don’t see them giving me things when I buy elsewhere."

Cheng Lie pushed the bicycle forward, occasionally glancing at Jiang Lai, looking down from above, her eyelashes were curled and fluttering, her pink-white nose delicate.

He didn’t plan to hide it from her.

"Because they rent from my shops, so giving you things is probably to curry favor with me."

"Yours?"

Jiang Lai turned her head, looking at the thousand-meter-long commercial street they had just walked through, then at Cheng Lie ahead, suddenly feeling like he’s glowing gold all over.

"All yours?!"

Cheng Lie nodded.

"Yes."

"Wow!"

Goodness, there are hundreds of shops here, located in the county’s busiest area, with three floors of buildings above, all these turned out to be Cheng Lie’s!

If placed in modern times, wouldn’t Cheng Lie be a real-life landlord!

Jiang Lai’s eyes brightened.

Little Buding chimed in.

"You know what’s even more impressive? Your county is about to be upgraded to a prefecture-level city. Within five years, this street will undergo demolition, the compensation money will be so much Cheng Lie could squander it for ten lifetimes and not finish it."

"Don’t worry, I’ll help him spend it together."

Cheng Lie looked at the openly expressive Jiang Lai in front of him, helplessly smiled.

"You’re incredibly wealthy!"

"You accidentally found out."

"How do you have so many properties at such a young age?"

Jiang Lai sat on his bicycle, curiously asked.

Cheng Lie didn’t hide it either.

"My parents left them."

"How did your parents have so many properties?"

"Inherited from my grandfather."

The wealthy have no reasoning, just lucky.

"You have so many properties, why choose to live in the countryside?"

Cheng Lie stayed silent for a while before responding to her.

"Living in the countryside is comfortable, the air is good."

"Why not get a motorcycle for traveling, isn’t it easier than a bicycle?"

Cheng Lie turned to look at her once.

"Why? Want to ride a motorcycle?"

"Never ridden one."

"Hmm, next time I’ll let you try."

After sending Jiang Lai home, Cheng Lie turned around, rode four hours back to the county town.

At the county center’s Dragon and Phoenix Gold Store, the staff rushed to greet Cheng Lie upon seeing him.

"Mr. Cheng, what brings you here?"

"Where’s Zhang Qiang?"

"Mr. Zhang is in the office, I’ll guide you over."

In the second-floor office, Zhang Qiang put his legs down from the desk upon seeing Cheng Lie, stood up, and gave up his seat.

"Why are you back? Not busy up north?"

"School’s closed for holidays, I just went to check."

"Hey, I say why bother with school at all, better spend more time over in Shenzhen, didn’t you say the prospects there are good?"

"I’ll check it out after the New Year, maybe buy some land to try."

With that, Cheng Lie opened the desk’s drawer, pulled out a set of keys.

Zhang Qiang, seeing this, casually asked.

"What, finally remembered you’re rich enough to afford a motorcycle and car?"

"Why so much nonsense? Go downstairs and manage the store."

"I watch it every day, the gold downstairs can’t exactly run away, where are you headed?"

"Back to the village."