Chapter 229: Re-investigation
Translator: Lonelytree
As soon as Gong Tianhao returned to the company, Li Yuanhang came over with a box and said, “Tianhao, the old master sent something over.”
He opened the box and found that it contained two plastic boxes of strawberries.
“Oh, it’s strawberries!” Li Yuanhang said with some surprise, “These strawberries are so green. Why would the old master send them to us?” He put the two boxes of strawberries on the desk and asked curiously, “Is there anything special about these strawberries?” The old master wouldn’t have sent them over if they weren’t. However, the strawberries looked quite unripe.
Gong Tianhao looked at the two boxes of strawberries on the desk. The strawberries were only a little red at the top. Although they weren’t fully ripe, they looked very tempting.
He did not say anything and opened the plastic box.
In an instant, the fragrance of the strawberries immediately overflowed.
Li Yuanhang wrinkled his nose and could not help but exclaim, “This smell is so fragrant!” He grabbed a strawberry from the box and took a bite. He didn’t even wash it.
“Delicious!” Li Yuanhang took a bite, and the fragrance of the strawberries filled his entire mouth.
“Why is this strawberry so delicious?” Li Yuanhang couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration again.
“No wonder the old master sent the strawberries over to us.” Li Yuanhang was close to both Gong Tianhao and the old master. He knew about the two’s relationship.
Although the grandfather-grandson duo argued every day, they were very considerate of each other. If there were a good thing to share, they wouldn’t forget about the other.
Gong Tianho, who had always been a germaphobe, grabbed the strawberry and put it into his mouth without washing it.
His brows relaxed, and he nodded. “The taste of the strawberries is really good.” Gong Tianhao had eaten all the high-end fruits in the world, but this was the first time he had eaten such delicious strawberries.
“They’re not fully ripe, but they are very sweet. The important thing is they smell heavenly!” Li Yuanhang commented, “After they ripen further, the taste will get better!”
Gong Tianhao nodded in agreement.
Before they knew it, the box was empty. They reached their hands into the box, and their hands touched each other. There were no more strawberries in the box.
“The strawberries are already gone?” Li Yuanhang complained, “Tianhao, the old master must have done this on purpose. He sent back a limited amount just to hook our appetite. There were only nine strawberries in the box. How could that be enough?”
Gong Tianhao agreed with Li Yuanhang. His grandpa liked to play pranks like this.
“I wonder where these strawberries came from?” Li Yuanhang asked.
Gong Tianhao pointed at a label on the box and said, “They are from Taoyuan Village.”
“What? Taoyuan Village?” Li Yuanhang exclaimed in disbelief. “Can strawberries grow in that place? According to our investigation, Xing Yin County is not suitable to grow strawberries.”
Gong Tianhao didn’t answer Li Yuanhang. His slender fingers knocked on the table. Then, he dialed a number. After two rings, he heard the other party say, “Hello!”
“Xiao Wang!”
“Eldest young master!” Xiao Wang was a little surprised. “Eldest young master, Hello!”
“Where’s Grandpa?”
“The General and Xiao Zhang went to pick strawberries!” Xiao Wang reported truthfully.
“Pick strawberries? Where?” Gong Tianhao asked.
“At Miss Xiao’s strawberry fields at Taoyuan Village.” Xiao Wang said, “Eldest young master, the chief sent some strawberries to you a few days ago. Have you received them? Those strawberries are delicious. The chief likes them too.”
Hearing Little Wang’s report, Gong Tianhao’s eyes flashed. He asked indifferently, “Have Xiao Lingyu planted these strawberries?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Xiao Wang nodded and said, “She planted six Mu of strawberries. These days, people have been coming over to pick strawberries. I heard that people have already booked 20000 to 30000 catties over the past few days.”
Xiao Wang wasn’t required to report these things. However, life in Taoyuan Village was so peaceful that Xiao Wang became chattier.
Gong Tianhao immediately grasped the crux of the matter.
He asked, “Her family’s strawberries have been sold in large amounts only over the past few days?”
Xiao Wang was stunned for a moment, then nodded and replied, “That’s right!”
“So, Xiao Lingyu’s family hadn’t had any cooperation with wholesalers before they planted the strawberries?”
Xiao Wang frowned and shook his head in confusion, “Eldest young master, I’m not too sure about that. However, I heard from the villagers that before the strawberries were grown, Miss Xiao didn’t have any wholesale and retail partner.”
If that was really the case, the woman was really courageous. She dared to plant six Mu of strawberries without a confirmed market. Wasn’t she afraid of losing money?
Gong Tianhao thought for a moment and ordered, “Xiao Wang, go and find out how many strawberries Xiao Lingyu still hasn’t sold. No matter how many there are, get Grandpa to buy them all.”
Gong Tianhao used his grandfather’s name because he recalled how strangely Xiao Lingyu had acted whenever they met. He was certain that Xiao Lingyu knew him. Perhaps that woman was really her. In that case, her child…
No, he had to investigate this thoroughly.
“Ah?” Xiao Wang was confused, but he agreed. “Eldest young master, are we sending all the strawberries to the capital?”
“Yes!” Gong Tianhao ordered readily.
After Gong Tianhao hung up the phone, Li Wanhang looked at Gong Tianhao in confusion and asked, “Tianhao, you really plan to buy out all the remaining strawberries?”
Gong Tianhao glanced at him and said, “When have I lied before?”
Li Yuanhang asked suspiciously, “Tianhao, tell me, why are you doing this? Is it because of Xiao Lingyu? But why would you ask for the Old Master’s help?”
The purchase could be made by sending someone over from the City Z Branch. So why ask the favor from the Old Master?
Gong Tianhao was silent for a moment and suddenly asked, “Yuanhang, do you remember the woman who appeared in my room in the hotel half a year ago when we went to City Z?”
“Of course!” Li Yuanhang nodded.
That was the first time Gong Tianhao slept with a woman in so many years. Even he was a little surprised.
Then, he asked, “No, Tianhao, why are you bringing this up now? This is already in the past. Plus, you said you’re not interested in that woman’s identity.”
Gong Tianhao said with a serious face, “I had some clues when I talked to Tao Zi today.”
“What clues?”
“The woman in my room back then might be Xiao Lingyu!”
“Huh?” Li Yuanhang was stunned. “How can things be so coincidental?” Li Yuanhang had tried to set up Gong Tianhao and Xiao Lingyu, but he couldn’t make it too obvious because of Jiang Tao.
But if that woman was really Xiao Lingyu, would the friendship between Gong Tianhao and Jiang Tao be affected? Could Jiang Tao accept the truth? His best friend had slept with the woman he liked.
Gong Tianhao asked, “Then, do you remember the strange way Xiao Lingyu acted whenever we met? She seemed to know me, but she didn’t want to show that. I was confused. But it all makes sense if she was that woman.”
Li Yuanhang furrowed his brows and said, “But that woman used your identity to negotiate things with the hotel. She was only using you.”
“That’s why I need to investigate this clearly,” Gong Tianhao said very seriously this time, “We left in a hurry because of Grandpa’s sudden illness. But if that woman was really Xiao Lingyu, there had to be a story behind this.”
He paused for a moment and then said seriously, “And Xiao Lingyu is pregnant.”
Li Yuanhang widened his eyes in disbelief and asked anxiously, “Tianhao, what do you mean?”
“That woman from that night was a virgin!” Gong Tianhao explained, “Xiao Lingyu had a boyfriend of ten years, but they hadn’t had sex. They were waiting for the wedding. But now she is pregnant.”
“So, Tianhao, do you mean that the child that Xiao Lingyu is carrying is very likely to be yours?” Li Yuanhang was so shocked that he almost could not speak.
Was there really such a coincidence in this world?
“Yes!” Gong Tianhao nodded and said, “So, I need to investigate what happened back then!” Why had Xiao Lingyu used his identity, and what did she ask the hotel for?
“Okay, I understand,” Li Yuanhang said very seriously. “I will go investigate now!”
After Li Yuanhang left, Gong Tianhao could not help but rub his forehead.
If that woman was really Xiao Lingyu, then he could only apologize to his good brother.
…
Old Master Gong fell in love with the joy of strawberry-picking. Since he moved to Taoyuan Village, his physique had improved. Once he felt better, he couldn’t stay idle.
Usually, he would chat with the old men in the village, but the old men in the village weren’t always free. Other than the invalids, most of them had work to do.
Old Master Gong felt depressed. He also wanted to work, but his people had already finished everything for him. Therefore, he’d spend most of his time fishing by the river or following Xiao Xiaohui to herd the cows. He would get the chance to study the Little Cattle King up close. The Little Cattle King was amusing.
It was very smart and intelligent. It could understand simple human language.
Old Master Gong estimated that the Little Cattle King had the intelligence of a three-year-old child.
Children at this age were the most mischievous. They rummaged around everywhere and caused trouble.
This was what the Little Cattle King was like.
It was very obedient and would not carelessly spoil the things in the ground. However, it passed by fields of those who had harmed the Xiao Family, and it would stop to ‘accidentally’ stomp on their crops. Or it would suddenly chase a child around until they cried.
However, no one would dare scold the Little Cattle King. In anything, they happily praised it for its intelligence.
After all, this was the Little Cattle King.
For some reason, Old Master Gong actually became good friends with the Little Cattle King.
When the Little Cattle King saw Old Master Gong from afar, it would moo twice to greet him. Old Master Gong would bring fruits and vegetables for Little Cattle King.
The two’s interaction amused everyone.
When Old Master Gong saw Xiao Lingyu’s strawberries, he was eager to try picking them personally because he was bored again.
“Girl, I came over to help you pick strawberries again.” When Old Master Gong saw Xiao Lingyu, he smiled from afar.
Xiao Lingyu had the urge to roll her eyes. The old man didn’t need money. He was there to snatch other people’s work!
Of course, there was another reason.
Xiao Lingyu’s attitude towards Grandfather Gong was very complicated.
She wanted to befriend Grandfather Gong because he was Xiao Tong’s grandfather. However, she didn’t want to have too much contact with Old Master Gong. She was afraid that Old Master Gong would find out the truth about Xiao Tong and become angry. He might even separate her and Xiao Tong.
Old Master Gong Gong clearly noticed Xiao Lingyu’s strange attitude towards him, which piqued his curiosity even more. From time to time, he would come over to show himself around Xiao Lingyu.
He was like a child who needed the attention of an adult!
Childish!
This made Xiao Lingyu feel helpless and amused.
Xiao Lingyu sighed softly and said, “Old Master, how can I trouble you to come and pick strawberries for me? You should go back to rest.”
Old Master Gong was as stubborn as a child and said, “Hmph, since I’m here, I won’t go back. I know you think I’m annoying! In that case, I’m going to stay to annoy you!”
Xiao Lingyu, “…”
Xiao Zhang, who had accompanied Old Master Gong, “…”
Was this the commanding and imposing chief that he used to work under? He was acting more like a three-year-old child.
Xiao Wang also noticed that his chief liked Xiao Lingyu, so much so that he wanted to snatch her to be his granddaughter-in-law. But had the chief asked the eldest young master about it?
Xiao Lingyu replied with a helpless smile, “Since old master wants to help, then alright. However, old master, if you’re tired, you must stop and rest.”
Old Master Gong waved his hand and said, “You don’t have to tell me that. Girl, how many strawberries do you need to pick today?”
Old Master Gong came because he heard Xiao Lingyu was fulfilling the orders she had received lately. The order was more than 20,000 catties. The strawberries had to be picked and then packed!
He wanted to help.
