MMB Chapter 756: The Huang Family's Secrets
Chapter 756: The Huang Family's Secrets
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When the Cheng family arrived at the dock, they discovered that a cruise ship with three decks was moored there, and it looked quite large.
Therefore, Cheng's eldest son-in-law, who worked in the Shanghai waterway department, was somewhat puzzled. He knew the hydrological conditions of Taihu Lake. Taihu Lake is like a plate, so the water is actually very shallow, with the deepest point not exceeding three meters. The average water depth of most of Taihu Lake is only 1.9 meters. Therefore, large-tonnage inland waterway vessels can only travel in specially dredged channels.
But this ship is clearly a large inland river cruise ship with a deep draft, and the main channel of Taihu Lake is a long way from this bay. How did it get here?
Sun Jianshe thought of a possibility: to use large inland river dredgers to dredge a channel so that cruise ships could directly dock at this pier.
To confirm his hypothesis, Sun Jianshe looked out over the lake and, sure enough, spotted several navigation lights, arranged from far to near. These lights were responsible for guiding ships, similar to road markings, to keep them on the right course. This meant that the bay did indeed have a waterway.
Seeing this, Sun Jianshe was speechless. Was this a joke? After a rough estimate, Sun Jianshe believed that the amount of work involved was quite enormous!
Generally speaking, dredging inland waterways is extremely costly, so it mainly serves inland waterway transportation. Local waterway authorities will only dredge rivers and lakes that can create shipping value on a regular basis to facilitate the navigation of various inland waterway vessels.
However, this waterway was clearly not intended for inland waterway transport; it was simply to allow cruise ships to dock at this pier. In other words, this waterway and pier were dredged and built by a private individual to make it easier for this family to take a boat trip on the lake.
It's simply unbelievable! Sun Jianshe, who lived in a city like Shanghai, had seen many wealthy people, but compared to his brother-in-law's family, he realized that those wealthy people were just richer than ordinary people. The richest man in the world is not just a title; the strength he represents is truly unfathomable.
After the Cheng family had all boarded the ship, the cruise ship weighed anchor and set sail, heading towards the depths of Taihu Lake along the waterway. It was evening, the sun was setting, and the evening glow dyed the sky red.
The children were all very excited; compared to visiting the garden, they thought boating was the most fun.
After boarding, they kept running around. Fortunately, the first and second decks of the cruise ship were enclosed and there were no safety issues, so the adults let the children run around on the ship. However, the third deck was an open-air deck, and the children could only go up to the third deck under the supervision of adults.
"Mommy, Mommy! I just saw a fish jump out of the water!" Miguo ran over excitedly and grabbed Chengjing's clothes.
"Really! Have fun with your older brothers and sisters, and don't go upstairs, okay?" Cheng Jing said with a smile, stroking Mi Guo's face as she instructed her.
"I know!" Migo said, then let go of Cheng Jing's clothes and ran to meet up with her older brothers and sisters to see if she could find anything else interesting.
Children have no concept of wealth, so they play freely without any worries, just having as much fun as they can.
After spending some time together, Maowa has integrated into the new family. He gets along very well with the married children. Miguo has always wanted an older brother, and since her mother married her new father, she has finally gotten her wish and gained an older brother. So overall, the two siblings have a pretty good relationship.
"Don't worry! There are big fish like that in my grandma's fishpond. I'll catch one for you when I go to her house next week." Maowa patted his chest and made a promise to Chengjie's son, Lü Mo.
The main reason was that in the afternoon in the garden, Lü Mo took a fancy to the big koi in the fish pond. Lü Mo and Mao Wa happened to be about the same age and could play together. So when Mao Wa learned of Lü Mo's idea, he promised to go to his grandmother's fish pond to help Lü Mo catch a fish.
Lu Mo was still preoccupied with the koi fish he had just seen, and when his good friend Mao Wa made a promise, he was overjoyed: "Really?"
Seeing that Lü Mo still seemed somewhat skeptical, Mao Wa immediately held out his hand: "Come on! Pinky promise!"
The two little friends hooked their little fingers together, while Zeng Lijuan, far away in Shanghai, was unaware that one of the koi fish in her yard had already been promised to be given away by her beloved grandson.
While everyone else was admiring the view outside the window, Cheng Jing quietly asked the man, "This trip must have been quite expensive, right? Your brother really spent a lot of money! I don't know how to thank him."
Huang Erhe smiled and reassured Cheng Jing, "The point of going out is to have fun. Don't worry about the expenses. Besides, my brother is your brother too. We're family, no need for thanks."
Cheng Jing insisted, "You should thank him! It's normal for him to be good to you, but your brother has also taken such good care of my family. He arranged jobs for my older and younger siblings. How could I not thank him!"
"Alright, alright, thank me, okay?" Huang Erhe let Cheng Jing have her way since she insisted.
Taking this opportunity, Cheng Jing brought up something that had been puzzling her for a long time.
"Erhe, why is your brother so close to your uncle's two younger sisters? I feel like he treats them like his own older sisters."
When Huang Erhe heard Cheng Jing ask this question, he couldn't help but laugh. Not to mention Cheng Jing, anyone who didn't know the past of the Huang and Zeng families would be confused by this.
"It's too early to say that. Shortly after my younger brother was born, my mother sent him to my maternal grandmother's house. So he was raised by my maternal grandmother, uncle, and aunt from a young age. My uncle and aunt treated him exceptionally well from childhood. My eldest son and I never enjoyed such treatment. My uncle and aunt still treat him like their own son. They even wanted to adopt him back then, but my parents didn't agree, so it didn't happen. Otherwise, he would be my cousin now. That's why my brother has such a deep relationship with Zeng Hong and Zeng Xia."
At this point, Huang Erhe proactively posed a question: "There's something you don't know yet, is there?"
"What's wrong?"
"Can you believe it? My younger brother raised Xuanxuan and Liujin from infancy! Zeng Hong and Zeng Xia both had their postpartum confinement at my brother's house!"
Cheng Jing exclaimed, "Really!" Cheng Jing's reaction was quite normal. Who would have heard of her cousin giving birth and recovering at her cousin's house, and that her cousin even helped raise the child? Who would believe that?
Cheng Jing then suddenly realized, "No wonder Xuanxuan and Liujin are so close to your brother."
"Otherwise, how could there be a Zeng family ancestral hall inside Lake Hermitage Garden? Now you understand!"
When Cheng Jing saw the two ancestral halls in Huyin Garden, she was also puzzled by why the ancestral halls of the Huang and Zeng families were in the same garden. Although they were on the east and west sides and not adjacent to each other, they were still in the same garden. Now she completely understood and also learned about her brother-in-law's character. He really loved his family very much.
However, there was something Huang Erhe kept hidden: his younger brother and two sons were in Singapore, one of whom had been adopted into the Zeng family. This was a secret between the Huang and Zeng families, so everyone in the family kept it strictly confidential. Huang Erhe planned to tell Cheng Jing later; now was not the time.
During dinner, Cheng's father raised his glass and said, "Erhe, we all want to thank you! You've allowed us to appreciate the beauty of Taihu Lake and enjoy its delicious food. Come on! Let's clink glasses!"
"Yes, yes, Dad is right!" Cheng's children all chimed in.
Then Cheng's mother picked up her drink and said to her son-in-law, "Erhe, you've gone to a lot of trouble to come out this time, let me toast with you."
Huang Erhe quickly stood up and went to greet Cheng's parents, clinking glasses to show respect.
She added, "Mom and Dad! Don't spend so much! You two have worked so hard raising so many children. And you've given me such a wonderful daughter; I'm so grateful! It's only right that I take you out for a trip and treat you to something nice."
Cheng's parents started the conversation, and Cheng's children, along with Huang Erhe's two brothers-in-law, followed suit, clinking glasses with him in turn.