Chapter 124: Trouble Amidst the Mandarin Ducks at Play

The transformation of the Bailang River was the culmination of Yang Tian’s painstaking efforts. First, he diverted the upper reaches of the river, then cleared away the silt from the riverbed.

Next came the hardening of the bed. The upper section was paved with marble in a tiered, stepped design, while the lower section was lined with cobblestones. The banks were bordered with natural bluestone, blending seamlessly into the lush green lawns and colorful flowers along the shore, creating a picture-perfect landscape.

Yang Xueling, always lively since childhood, had long since kicked off her sandals. She lifted the hem of her snow-white dress and stepped barefoot into the river. Because there were steps along the banks and the water was crystal clear, she wasn't afraid. After all, like Yang Tian, she held a special affection for the Bailang River.

"The water is so cool! Brother, look, fish!" Xueling shuddered at first, but then suddenly grew excited as she spotted various large fish swimming in the water. Memories of catching fish here with Yang Tian in their childhood flooded her mind. She truly wanted to say, "Bailang, we are back."

Huang Juan looked at Yang Tian, then kicked off her own shoes. With her delicate, fair feet, she joined hands with Xueling to splash in the water along the steps, the two of them whispering and giggling together.

"Xiaotian, come join us!" Huang Juan called back to Yang Tian.

Seeing the two girls having so much fun, Yang Tian felt a wave of contentment. The effort put into renovating the Big Willow Tree area was worth it; this would be their paradise from now on.

Hearing Huang Juan’s call, Yang Tian slowly removed his shoes and stepped into the cool water. A refreshing chill swept through his entire body.

Soon, he realized the two girls were playing a trick on him. As soon as he entered the water, Huang Juan and Xueling bent down and began splashing him.

The cool water felt wonderful. Seeing him raise his hands to defend himself, the girls laughed uncontrollably.

Yang Tian didn't hold back and immediately began to retaliate. Soon, both girls were soaked, but they were having the time of their lives. Undeterred by Yang Tian’s counter-attacks, they stubbornly pressed forward, continuing to splash.

Laughter filled the air, as if they had returned to their childhood. But back then, the Bailang River had been filled with silt, and to have a water fight, they had to step in mud, sometimes even cutting their feet on broken tiles. Now, things were different. After the renovation, the river had truly become a wonderful place for play and merriment.

"Hey, Xiaotian, you're a bully!" Soon, Huang Juan and Xueling’s dresses were soaked, clinging tightly to their bodies and revealing the curves of their youthful figures. Especially Huang Juan, who was no longer a child; her chest was well-developed. Seeing Yang Tian looking at her with a mischievous smile, she hurriedly covered herself with her hands.

"Sister Juan, let's team up against him!" Xueling, blushing just as deeply as Huang Juan, grabbed her friend and charged at Yang Tian.

The two girls were sharp; they knew Yang Tian wouldn't hurt them, so they locked arms to surround him and splashed him vigorously. Seeing that Yang Tian didn't seem bothered, they grew desperate and actually tackled him, pulling him down into the water.

Xueling was fine, but Huang Juan was afraid of the water. Once she fell in, her attitude changed immediately, and she grabbed Yang Tian’s hand, calling for help.

Yang Tian wouldn't let her come to any harm. He wrapped his arms around her waist and quickly lifted her up. Xueling, having played in the water with Yang Tian since she was small, was perfectly fine, popping her head up from the center of the river and laughing.

"Xiaotian, you are... absolutely wicked!" Huang Juan panted, scolding him with a flushed face, as Yang Tian’s hands were currently near her chest, and she couldn't struggle free.

Xueling laughed heartily, while Yang Tian just shook his head with a wry smile. He hadn't intended to take advantage of her. He quickly carried Huang Juan to the bank. The girl sat on the shore, wiping water droplets from her face, gasping for breath, but her face was full of smiles.

At that moment, a group of people appeared on the other side of the river. In the center walked a young man, perhaps in his twenties, wearing a white shirt and sunglasses—very handsome and very cool.

He was followed by several attendants, all of them older, yet they bowed and scraped before the young man. Behind them were five men with stiff expressions; Yang Tian could tell at a glance that they were bodyguards, and quite capable ones at that.

Huang Juan and Xueling noticed the group and hurriedly slipped deeper into the water, shielding their chests, as their soaked dresses made them vulnerable to prying eyes.

"Look, Young Master Cheng, the environment here is quite nice, isn't it?" an older man shouted to the youth.

The young man’s gaze, however, was fixed on Yang Tian and his companions, especially Huang Juan, a lecherous smile playing on his lips.

"What are you doing here?" Yang Tian asked coldly.

"Don't be a busybody, kid!" The young man didn't answer; the middle-aged man spoke instead with a look of disdain.

"You’d best not cause trouble here, or you’ll regret it," Yang Tian said with a cold laugh. Forget about this spot; in the entire Binhai region, no one who crossed him ever fared well.

"Go on, go on, what’s a kid making such a racket for!" the middle-aged man shouted impatiently. The young man and the others chuckled along.

"Disgusting!" Before the group had even walked far, Huang Juan and Xueling both shouted loudly.

"Those two girls are quite fresh and pretty!"

"Indeed. Interested, Young Master Cheng? Should I make arrangements?"

"Hahaha..."

Even though the group had moved away, their lewd, vulgar laughter could still be heard. Yang Tian immediately climbed onto the bank. Had Huang Juan not been holding him back, he would have surely gone over to teach those fellows a lesson.

Though Yang Tian didn't rush over, he marked those people in his mind. They would pay the next time they met.

Having lost all mood for playing in the water, Yang Tian and the others sat under the old pine trees by the river to cool off and let their clothes dry.

Just then, the group returned, accompanied by Old Song and Song Xing.

Seeing this, Huang Juan and Xueling were startled and hurriedly stood up, retreating behind Yang Tian.

Yang Tian remained seated, leaning against the tree. He whispered to himself, *Good, coming right to my doorstep, that saves me the trouble of looking for you.*

"This is our boss, Yang! He holds the contract for all this land! Mr. Yang, these people are here to see you!" Old Song said cheerfully.

"He’s the boss here?! Heh, Mr. Yang, hello. We are from Dadi Real Estate. This is the son of our company’s chairman, Young Master Cheng Liang. He is now in charge of all Dadi Real Estate’s operations in Binhai!" The same middle-aged man spoke again, his tone dripping with arrogance and disdain as he gestured toward the youth.

The young man and his entourage snickered, finding the situation absurd—that the owner of such a large plot of land was a boy not even twenty years old. The young man didn't even bother to look at Yang Tian.

"Cheng Liang?" The name sounded suddenly familiar to Yang Tian. He quickly recalled: Cheng Liang from Dadi Real Estate—wasn't he the unnamed fiancé of Zhang Xiuxiu?

*So that’s the kind of character he is. No wonder Zhang Xiuxiu has no affection for him. What was the old man of the Zhang family thinking, picking a lecher like this for her?* It seemed Cheng Liang was a two-faced hypocrite; otherwise, he wouldn't have so easily earned the trust of the old man.

"That's right. Young Master Cheng thinks the scenery here is quite good and wants to buy the lease to build a resort. Take a look and tell us your price," the middle-aged man said with the arrogance of a wealthy man.

Hearing this, Huang Juan and Old Song were alarmed. This place held their childhood memories; she didn't want it to become someone else's territory.

Old Song didn't want it either. Yang Tian was a local and treated them well. If the boss changed, even if the new one were decent, communication would be difficult. These people were outsiders, and if they made a mistake, being fired was inevitable.

So, Huang Juan and Old Song watched Yang Tian nervously, waiting for his response.

"This is private property. If you have no business here, get out! And you—pick up that mineral water bottle, or I’ll make you eat it!" Yang Tian retorted sharply. He then roared at a bodyguard standing not far away. The man was stunned for a moment but obediently picked it up.

Huang Juan and Old Song felt a sense of relief, while Cheng Liang and his group were taken aback. They hadn't expected Yang Tian to be such a tough customer.

"How much did you spend to develop this place? I’ll pay you back that amount, plus an extra fifty thousand. Sell it to me. How about it?" Cheng Liang said with even more arrogance, as if money could solve anything. Fifty thousand was a significant sum for a country folk, but he seemed unaware that even five hundred thousand or five million wouldn't move Yang Tian’s heart.

"This is Binhai, not Guangzhou. Some things cannot be bought with money," Yang Tian said slowly as he stood up and walked toward Cheng Liang, his voice cold.

Cheng Liang remained outwardly calm, but his bodyguards panicked, rushing to shield him, fearing Yang Tian might attack—especially after the incident in the river.

After speaking, Yang Tian took Huang Juan and Xueling’s hands and walked away. After a moment, seeing Old Song standing there dumbfounded, he turned back and called out, "Captain, is there no work to do in the fields? It’s dry; go water the flowers and trees instead of wasting time with these boring people!"

"Yes, yes, right away!" Old Song hurried off, his laughter ringing out clearly. As long as Yang Tian didn't give up the land, he and the other villagers of Big Willow Tree could continue living here in peace.

"You... Yang Tian, you’ll be handing over this land soon enough!" Cheng Liang shouted angrily. His family in Guangzhou had encountered such situations many times, and they had always won in the end.

They were already starting to pull strings with the various leaders of the Binhai municipal government. Once they intervened, he didn't believe Yang Tian would be able to hold onto the land.

"Young Master Cheng, calm down. No need to lower yourself to a child's level," the middle-aged man said softly.

"Have you checked his background? Does his family have any connections?" Cheng Liang asked coldly.

"Checked. His family has been farmers for three generations!" the middle-aged man replied with a chuckle.

"And he dares to cross me? I’ll make sure he ends up with nothing!" A sinister smile appeared on Cheng Liang’s lips.