Chapter Twenty-five: Six Calabash Brothers

"Chen Fan, where are we going?"

"We're heading to my hometown today. My mom went back for the ancestral ceremony, and we'll be helping out."

"Will there be food?" Zhao Gu could never go three sentences without mentioning food.

"Once the ceremony is over, I'll treat you to a big bowl of beef noodles."

"Deal!"

The three of them hopped onto a three-wheeler and bumped their way to Chen Fan's hometown, Honghe Village. Today was a grand occasion—the ancestral worship ceremony—not just for the locals but also for many businessmen who had moved away.

Chen Fan's mother, a devout believer in tradition, had arrived early. The offering tables were still mostly empty, with only a few families having set up their tributes.

Near the ancestral shrine, a woman named Huang, an old acquaintance of Chen Fan's mother, greeted her warmly, and the two quickly fell into conversation.

Chen Fan wasn't paying much attention until one particular topic made his blood boil.

"You wouldn't believe it!" Auntie Huang said indignantly. "Your uncles? Absolute scoundrels. The three of them schemed together and sold off the ancestral land in the back hills! By the way, did they at least give you a share of the money?"

"What? They sold it? And they didn't even discuss it with me?" Chen Fan's mother looked completely stunned.

"Of course not! They think that just because Fuyuan got sick and you're a widow with no power, they can walk all over you. Listen, that land was sold for fifty thousand yuan. You and your son had every right to a portion of that!"

Chen Fan clenched his jaw, his anger rising. "I'm going to have a talk with them."

His mother, always soft-hearted, immediately tried to calm him down. "Fan, they're your uncles. Don't let this ruin the family's harmony. Maybe they just forgot to tell us in all the busyness."

"Don't worry, Mom. I know what I'm doing."

The ancestral worship ceremony involved three rounds of incense offerings. At around nine o'clock, after the second round, Chen Fan spotted his eldest uncle, Chen Fucai, chatting with a group of villagers. They were deep in conversation, discussing everything from national politics to trivial gossip.

Chen Fan didn't act immediately. Instead, he leaned toward Zhao Gu and whispered something.

Chen Fucai had already noticed his nephew and the girl beside him. Curious, he asked the others, "Hey, who's that girl? Never seen her before."

"Not sure. She came early. Looks like she comes from money, probably the daughter of some businessman. But I'll tell you what—Fan sure is something, huh? A college student mixing with people like that!"

Chen Fucai sneered, unimpressed. "So what if he's a university student? In the end, he'll still be working for someone else. My two kids dropped out of school after middle school, and now they run a business in Guangzhou, making over ten thousand a month. Studying? Useless."

As he spoke, Chen Fan approached, greeting the group politely.

People in the village had always respected his father, an honest and upright man. Seeing his son take the initiative to greet them, they responded warmly—except for Chen Fucai, who merely grunted.

Chen Fan turned to him and said, "Uncle, I have a business proposal for you. Want to make some money?"

"You? A business deal?" Chen Fucai scoffed, clearly skeptical.

"You don't believe me? Come and see for yourself. If you're not interested, you can walk away. Oh, Miss Wang, this way, please." He waved at Zhao Gu.

Chen Fucai hesitated but eventually followed. He had lived long enough to know he wouldn't be fooled that easily.

"I forgot to mention," Chen Fan continued, "this is a friend I met while studying in Guangzhou. She's interested in buying a piece of land in the countryside to build a vacation villa. When I heard her offer, I thought it was a great opportunity and rushed back to discuss it with you."

Hearing this, Chen Fucai was tempted but remained cautious. "How much is she offering?"

"One hundred thousand."

Double the price they had sold it for.

Chen Fucai's heart pounded, but he forced himself to remain composed. "Why should I trust you?"

Chen Fan smirked. "Land deals follow legal procedures. If you don't believe me, we can sign a contract right now."

With that, he pulled a document from his bag, outlining the sale terms for the back hills. Fucai glanced over it—the clauses seemed legitimate. However, when he saw Chen Fan's name listed as the representative, his suspicion deepened.

"To be honest, Uncle, my friend here is a bit secretive and prefers to keep a low profile. But you've seen her—she's real. And I'll personally guarantee the deal. If anything goes wrong, you can come after me.

Look, I know we've had our disagreements in the past. I'm not pretending to be a saint here. I'm doing this because the commission is good, and I stand to make a solid cut. I'm being upfront with you."

Hearing this, Fucai hesitated. If Chen Fan had only talked about how great the deal was, he wouldn't have believed him. But the fact that he admitted his own self-interest made it seem more credible.

Still, he didn't agree immediately. Suppressing his excitement, he said, "Alright. Your third and fourth uncles are at home. I'll go discuss it with them and get back to you."

As soon as he left, Zhao Gu discreetly sent out her little flying elephant to keep an eye on him.

Meanwhile, at Chen Fucai's house, he and his two brothers, Fucai, Fuguang, and Fujin, sat together discussing the deal.

Fujin took a deep drag from his cigarette and said firmly, "Sell! That's double the price. This is easy money."

Fucai shot him a look. "Of course, I want to sell. But the land deed is still with Old Huang. How do we sell it?"

Fuguang smirked. "Easy. Huang's son is out of town today. We'll go and 'ask' for it."

"You mean steal it?"

"Not at all! We would never break the law. Just… persuade him a little."

Ten minutes later, the three brothers arrived at Old Huang's house. The moment they stepped inside, they fell to their knees, startling the old man so badly he nearly fainted.

"Uncle, we've had a change of heart! We regret selling the ancestral land! Ever since we did, our late parents have been haunting our dreams, scolding us for being unfilial! We must take the land back!"

Outside, a plump bird perched on an electric wire, observing their ridiculous display. Shaking its head, it muttered, "Shameless."

Just as it spoke, something wet splattered onto its head. Looking up, it saw a passing magpie flying away.

"Well, damn," the bird muttered. "Nice shot, sis."

Then, with a flick of its wings, it soared into the sky.

Back at the ancestral shrine, Zhao Gu stretched her shoulders and murmured, "What's taking my little flying elephant so long?"