I'm back in 1990

Chapter 754: Daring Not to Step Down

Just as Cheng Jing opened her suitcase, Huang Erhe remembered something and said to Cheng Jing, "By the way, after you've settled your luggage, we'll go to your parents' room."

As Cheng Jing hung the clothes from her suitcase into the closet, she casually asked, "What's up?"

"I want to ask them whether we should eat at home or at the club for lunch, mainly because there aren't many restaurants nearby."

Cheng Jing didn't see any restaurants around this villa area on her way here. It seemed that the nearest restaurant was about four or five kilometers away.

So Cheng Jing suggested, "Do we have any vegetables at home? Let's cook at home. If we don't, we can just go to town and buy some!" They had passed through a small town on their way here, which is why Cheng Jing made this suggestion.

Huang Erhe waved his hand: "No need. If we're eating at home, we can just call the club and ask them to arrange for two chefs to come and cook. They'll bring the ingredients too."

"Huh? You can do that?" Cheng Jing was very surprised.

Huang Erhe was amused by his wife's expression: "Haha! You'll find out later, just listen to what I have to say!"

Huang Erhe sat down next to Cheng Jing and continued, "Although our family rarely stays here, these houses are maintained 24 hours a day. There's also a clubhouse here, a little east of the main entrance we just came in from. It's a separate area right next to here, and it provides catering services. However, when we're not here, the clubhouse is also open to the public, but not many people know about it. It's mainly frequented by entrepreneurs from Shanghai and Jiangsu. My brother said that this not only increases revenue but also creates some jobs."

The more Cheng Jing listened, the more she realized that her brother-in-law was no ordinary person. He considered everything very carefully, no wonder he was able to build such a large business empire.

But she still didn't quite understand some of the issues.

"Erhe, you just said that these houses are all under the name of some trust fund. Doesn't that mean that the real property rights of these houses belong to other people? Also, these houses are usually empty, and we have to hire so many people to maintain them. It must cost a lot of money over a year, right? Isn't that a huge waste?"

Huang Erhe patiently explained to his wife, "It's like this: that family trust fund was actually set up by my younger brother. Ultimately, the property rights here still belong to our Huang family and the Zeng family. The reason we didn't distribute the property rights to each family is because my brother said that if the property rights were distributed to each family, there's no guarantee that some unworthy descendant might sell the house in the future. So, to ensure that this place always belongs to the Huang and Zeng families, he came up with this method: only allocating usage rights, not property rights. Our villa in Hong Kong is in the same situation. Our family only has usage rights. There are people taking care of it there, and we can stay there whenever we want."

Cheng Jing finally understood. Her brother-in-law's thinking was incredibly meticulous; how could an ordinary person think so far ahead?

Huang Erhe continued, "The maintenance costs for these houses are indeed quite high every year, but my brother said that the family trust fund has a stable annual return, so the money spent here is nothing. You know, our family receives a fixed amount of money every month from the family trust fund. My eldest brother, Zeng Hong, and Zeng Xia all receive it."

After hearing this, Cheng Jing was deeply moved for a long time before saying to Huang Erhe, "Your brother is so good to the family!"

Huang Erhe and Cheng Jing shared the same thoughts. After learning about the family operation mechanism devised by his younger brother, he felt nothing but admiration and couldn't utter a single word of dissent.

After entering the room and seeing the interior decoration, furniture and furnishings, Cheng's parents became somewhat uneasy. Cheng's mother didn't even dare to open the luggage she had brought.

Cheng's father had lived a life of poverty and never imagined that he would be able to live in such a house in his lifetime. Moreover, this house belonged to his fourth son-in-law. Although he only had the right to use it, it was a right to use it that could be passed down through generations!

He sat on the sofa, looking left and right, then glanced at the large, comfortable-looking bed. He instinctively reached for his cigarettes, but was stopped by Cheng's mother as soon as he took them out.

"How can you smoke in a room like this? What if you burn the mat?" Cheng's mother said, pointing to the wool rug on the floor. The rug looked exquisite; in other people's homes, it would probably be hung up as an art piece. It was so beautiful that when they first came in, Cheng's parents didn't dare to step on it.

Cheng's father knew that smoking in the room was inappropriate, so he stood up and walked towards the balcony: "I'll smoke outside, is that alright?"

"Go ahead and smoke!" Cheng's mother couldn't control Cheng's father's smoking at all; he had been smoking his whole life, so she could only let him be.

When Cheng's father stepped out of the bedroom, he discovered that the balcony was very spacious and located under the eaves of the house, so he didn't have to worry about getting wet even on rainy days. There were a pair of rattan chairs and a coffee table on the balcony, and Cheng's father sat down at the table.

Not far away lies the beautiful scenery of Taihu Lake, with everything laid out before you. A gentle breeze blows, and the lake ripples with light. It's truly breathtaking. When Cheng's father saw this scene, he forgot to light his cigarette.

Cheng's mother sat on the sofa, staring blankly at her suitcase. Just then, someone knocked on the door, which snapped her out of her daze. She quickly got up and opened the door.

Standing outside the door were the fourth son-in-law and the fourth daughter. Cheng's mother immediately invited them into the house.

"It's you! Come in, come in!"

After entering the room, Cheng Jing looked around and, not seeing her father, asked, "Mom, where's Dad?"

Cheng's mother pointed towards the balcony: "The old smoker's got his craving, he's smoking outside!"

Cheng Jing knew her father's lifestyle habits, so she didn't ask any further questions. However, she noticed that her mother's suitcase was still unpacked.

"Mom, why haven't you taken your luggage out yet?"

Cheng's mother was stunned for a moment, then smiled and responded to her fourth daughter's question: "Oh! We've never lived in such a nice house before. Your father and I were a little incredulous and were so busy looking around that we forgot to unpack our luggage."

"Then let me help you organize it!" Cheng Jing offered to help.

Cheng's mother quickly stopped her daughter, who wanted to help: "Oh! No need, no need. Your dad and I didn't bring much. I can do it myself!"

After stopping Cheng Jing, Cheng's mother finally remembered to ask her daughter and son-in-law, "By the way, what brings you here?"

At this moment, Cheng's father, who was smoking on the balcony, also heard the noise inside the house. He put out his cigarette and went back inside.

At this moment, Huang Erhe said, "Dad, Mom, I came to ask if you're having lunch here or at the club?"

The elderly couple didn't understand at first, so Cheng Jing explained it to them. They were amazed to learn that there were such convenient services available here.

In the end, Cheng's father made the decision: "Fine, let's eat here!"