Chapter 219: The Qingyang Affair Concluded

The wind swept through the clouds, and the table was left in disarray.

Just as the banquet was nearing its end, an interesting scene unfolded.

An old man from the Chen family, accompanied by a few young people and a middle-aged man with some bearing, intended to approach Li Chengyuan. However, as soon as the middle-aged man caught sight of the people at the main table from a distance, he turned around and left immediately.

Li Dong hadn't noticed this, but when Li Chengyuan asked about it, he inquired, "Who was that just now?"

"Chen Guodong, have you forgotten?"

Li Chengyuan's words triggered Li Dong's memory.

Chen Guodong was the first university graduate from Chenjiawan. He had attended university in Pingchuan and stayed there after graduation.

Rumor had it that he had secured a job as a government official in Pingchuan, though Li Dong wasn't sure of the details, only that the Chen family frequently boasted about it.

But now, Chen Guodong had just glanced at the main table before leaving, which made Li Dong realize that Chen Guodong must have recognized someone at the table.

However, Li Dong couldn't be sure who had scared him off. There were quite a few people at the main table that day, many of whom had ties to the officialdom, so it was hard to tell who might have frightened Chen Guodong.

In fact, aside from Chen Guodong, even the person who scared him might not have realized they had done so.

Since it was inconsequential, Li Dong didn't dwell on it.

As the banquet concluded, Li Dong personally saw off the guests.

When Fang Qingfei and Huang Zhigao got into their car, Li Dong said to Fang Qingfei, "I've taken care of Wang Jia's debt. She can return to Pingchuan now."

Interestingly, the creditor who had driven Wang Jia to despair, Hu Wanlin, was nearby.

However, Hu Wanlin didn't recognize Fang Qingfei, nor did Fang Qingfei know that the high-interest loan that forced her best friend to leave was Hu Wanlin's doing.

During lunch, the two women had clinked glasses multiple times.

They were oblivious to the truth, but as someone who knew, Li Dong couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort. After all, Fang Qingfei had cursed Hu Wanlin many times back then. Life is indeed full of such strange coincidences.

Fang Qingfei, unaware of what was on Li Dong's mind, expressed her deep gratitude, "Li Dong, thank you so much, really!"

Due to the issue with the high-interest loan, Wang Jia had been too afraid to stay in Pingchuan for long. Even when she returned to visit her mother, she did so secretly, leaving money and then fleeing in the middle of the night.

Now that Li Dong had helped settle the debt, Wang Jia was finally free.

This time, Fang Qingfei didn't mention money. The amount was simply too large. Even if she and Wang Jia worked their entire lives, they might not be able to repay it.

Li Dong just smiled without saying anything, exchanged a few words with Huang Zhigao, and finally waved them off.

Although people like Hu Sicheng and Chen Rui wanted to have a detailed conversation with Li Dong, they knew it wasn't the right time.

They agreed to discuss things further once Li Dong returned to Pingchuan, and then they also took their leave.

The last to leave was Qin Yuhan's family.

Since Li Dong still needed to stay another day at his old home and Qin Hai and his family needed to return to the company, it wasn't convenient for Qin Yuhan to stay either.

As she was leaving, Qin Yuhan said, "I'll head back to Beijing tomorrow. I'll come back to visit when I have time."

"So soon? The National Day holiday isn't over yet."

"The school has some matters to attend to. I can't avoid going back," Qin Yuhan said, somewhat bashfully.

She hadn't mentioned that her dessert shop had just opened for National Day. If not for Li Dong's uncle's passing, she wouldn't have planned to return this time.

Li Dong nodded without saying anything, giving her a light kiss on the forehead.

Many people saw this, including Qin Yuhan's parents, Li Chengyuan, and Cao Fang, as well as the villagers who hadn't yet left.

Qin Yuhan's face instantly turned red. Without even saying goodbye to Li Dong's parents, she quickly got into the car and closed the door. Qin Hai then started the car and drove off hurriedly.

Li Dong chuckled quietly, while Li Chengyuan and his wife beside him couldn't help but twitch their lips.

After a long moment, Cao Fang finally muttered, "That girl's not bad looking, and she seems nice. We should find some time to finalize things."

Li Chengyuan's expression stiffened slightly, and he muttered, "No rush. Let's wait until the matter with the eldest is settled."

Cao Fang realized this wasn't the right time to discuss such matters and nodded in agreement.

They hadn't been standing at the crossroads for long when a member of the Chen family came to find Li Chengyuan, saying they wanted to discuss the matter regarding Chen Jing.

Ordinarily, someone like Li Dong, being a junior, wouldn't have the qualifications to attend. But today, the Chen family specifically asked for him to join.

Li Dong didn't decline, and after a brief discussion with Li Chengyuan, they both headed to the Chen family's place.

When the Li father and son arrived, there weren't many people from the Chen family present—just the old man from the Chen family, Chen Jing and her mother, and Chen Guodong.

From the Li family, besides Li Dong and Li Chengyuan, Li Nanming had accompanied Wang Li as well.

Given that this was a family scandal, there was no need to make a big fuss about it.

Previously, the old man from the Chen family had caused a scene because Wang Li and her son refused to take responsibility.

Whether it was Chen Jing and her mother or Wang Li and Li Nanming, they all looked at Li Dong with peculiar expressions.

Li Dong remained calm and indifferent, paying no mind to their stares.

During the ensuing discussion, Li Dong refrained from expressing any opinions.

In the end, after over half an hour of discussions and arguments, an agreement was finally reached.

First, Wang Li was to provide a support fee of 50,000 yuan for Li Lan.

Second, there was still an outstanding amount of 200,000 yuan from the construction team that hadn't been recovered. If Chen Jing could reclaim this amount, it would be hers to keep.

Third, the two-story building that Li Chenghui had built back in the day in his hometown would be given to Chen Jing and her mother.

Fourth, Chen Jing and her mother were not to return to Qingyang in the future, nor were they to trouble Wang Li's family again.

Overall, Wang Li's side had to make a significant concession this time.

But the reason Wang Li agreed was due to her own guilt, coupled with the presence of Chen Guodong and Li Dong, which made her even more cautious about bullying Chen Jing and her mother too harshly.

Of course, these weren't the main reasons.

Even Li Nanming agreed to it and was willing to contribute financially, knowing that it was still a profitable deal for them.

With all the friends Li Dong brought this time, from subordinates to wealthy individuals, the favors received were naturally substantial.

In total, the gifts they received this time likely amounted to more than 100,000 yuan.

Neither Li Chengyuan nor Li Dong would want this money, so it naturally benefited Wang Li and her family.

Giving 50,000 yuan to Li Lan wasn't much—it was just about half. They didn't have to spend any money themselves, and they even made a profit.

As for the outstanding construction payment, it was essentially a lost cause, so Wang Li and her family didn't care.

The house in the hometown wasn't important either. With Li Chenghui gone and their house in Qingyang, they wouldn't return to Chenjiawan in the future, so the house would be of no use to them.

That's why Wang Li and her family could afford to be so generous in the end.

As for the Chen family's side, Chen Guodong and the old man from the Chen family also agreed to the terms.

After all, with Li Chenghui dead, getting 50,000 yuan and a small two-story house in the hometown was a pretty good deal.

In 2005, 50,000 yuan was a significant sum in rural areas. If they could also recover that 200,000 yuan, it would be even better.

With this money and a small house, if Chen Jing and her mother were willing to return to the countryside, they would be able to live comfortably without worry.

This agreement pleased both sides, and there were no objections.

Li Dong remained silent throughout, only speaking when they were about to leave. Chen Guodong smiled and said, "Dongzi, I heard you're also in Pingchuan. We should keep in touch."

Li Dong smiled faintly, nodded, and said, "I didn't know Uncle Guodong was in Pingchuan before. We'll have to meet up more in the future."

Chen Guodong smiled brightly and nodded quickly.

After Li Dong and his family left, the old man from the Chen family muttered, "Guodong, weren't you going to discuss the compensation issue? They injured so many people, so we should at least get compensation for medical expenses, right?"

Chen Guodong frowned and said seriously, "Seventh Uncle,

 let's forget about it. The other party won't agree."

"The other party?"

The old man was puzzled, "Didn't Li Dong bring them?"

Chen Guodong was about to explain but then stopped himself, nodding instead.

The old man became angry, "Li Dong is really something, isn't he? In the past, he would follow behind me and wag his tail like a dog, calling me 'Big Brother' this and 'Big Brother' that. But now he's turned on us. Don't tell me those people are his backers!"

Chen Guodong quickly interjected, "Seventh Uncle, don't talk nonsense! Be careful not to offend someone you shouldn't."

Seeing his uncle's perplexed expression, Chen Guodong whispered, "Seventh Uncle, do you remember the person who paid a visit to our village earlier this year?"

The old man frowned in thought, then said with uncertainty, "The one who came from the provincial capital? The one who just stood there for a while before leaving?"

"Yes, it's him."

The old man's expression changed dramatically, and he asked in surprise, "It's really him?"

"Absolutely. I've seen him at government meetings a few times, so I'm very sure."

"Then just now..."

Chen Guodong sighed, "Li Dong probably invited him, and it seems their relationship is quite good. Didn't you see how respectful Li Chengyuan was to that person just now? I originally wanted to go over and greet them, but when I saw him, I decided against it."

The old man nodded quickly, "Forget it, forget it! That matter is indeed better left unmentioned. From now on, we should be careful when dealing with the Li family. We'll just let this go."

The incident passed quietly. That evening, Li Dong found out that Chen Guodong hadn't dared to mention the compensation issue, so he didn't pursue it further. Instead, he continued with his own matters.

The Qingyang trip lasted four days.

In addition to participating in the banquet, Li Dong stayed another two days to settle some private matters.

During this time, the most important task was discussing the relocation of his grandfather and grandmother's graves.

After discussing it with his parents and Uncle Li, Li Dong decided to move their graves to the Qingyang area.

Although they were from Chenjiawan, his grandparents had lived in Qingyang for many years, so relocating the graves there was more convenient for the family to visit.

Once the matter was decided, Li Dong went to find a location with good feng shui and moved the graves with the help of his relatives.

After these tasks were completed, Li Dong returned to Pingchuan on the fourth day with his family.