"Then, brother-in-law, how much can you help me?" Cen Zi asked directly.
"I need to discuss it with your sister and the think tank," Jiang Ye said. "The premise of the discussion is that we have enough information. If you have time, you can compile a detailed report on your planet's situation for us. At the same time, we can immediately send a delegation to Salu Planet."
"Okay, then I'll have my subordinates write the report as soon as possible," Cen Zi nodded. "Brother-in-law, tell me what you want."
"We'll talk about that later," Jiang Ye smiled. "It's like inspecting the goods before bargaining, not bargaining before inspecting the goods, is it?"
Cen Zi smiled and ate quietly.
Jiang Ye felt that the topic just now was too serious. After all, she was his sister-in-law, a relative. He should chat about personal matters.
He wanted to ask about her marital status, whether she was married or had children, but then he thought that asking this might cause misunderstandings. For example, Cen Zi might suspect it was a political marriage.
Jiang Ye also wanted to ask about her financial situation, how big her house was, and how much money she had for living, but he thought that wouldn't work either, as it could also cause misunderstandings. Moreover, Cen Zi was already the leader of Salu Planet, so she wouldn't be short of money. This question was meaningless.
"I don't know much about your Cen family. Did you and your sister live together when you were young?" Jiang Ye asked.
"We lived together during the holidays. My mother and Ye Meng's mother had a good relationship, and we would get together during winter and summer breaks," Cen Zi smiled. "I was very mischievous back then and liked to ride horses at the stables. Ye Meng was quieter and always read books in the study. When I got tired from playing, I would go to her, and she would tell me stories."
"Your sister told me that your Cen family is a very large family," Jiang Ye said.
"Yes, we are a wealthy family. My father was very rich, the richest man on Lanmu Planet at the time, and he was quite promiscuous, so he had many wives and many children, and consequently, many relatives, forming a very large family. To be honest, I don't recognize all my siblings. I had at least eighty half-siblings when I was young, and over thirty siblings from different fathers and mothers. Sometimes, the children of some relatives also played with us, and we didn't know what our relationship was," Cen Zi recalled with a smile. "At that time, those who flattered my father would compare him to an ancient emperor, while those who opposed him would call him a beast."
Jiang Ye clicked his tongue. His respected father-in-law appeared serious and steady, but he was actually a super playboy in his youth.
"Your sister and I only have one son, and we haven't had more children over the years because we've been busy. This only son has always been a source of great concern for us, and we've sent many agents to track and protect him," Jiang Ye paused. "What would it feel like to have hundreds of children like my father-in-law?"
"Things are valuable because they are rare. If there are too many children, people don't care about them, especially in wealthy families, where kinship is very thin," Cen Zi's smile was a little sad. "Otherwise, with my father's wealth, I wouldn't have ended up running to Salu Planet to be a common private, carrying bombs on a warship, and suffering from lumbar muscle strain from exhaustion."
"Carrying bombs is heavy work. In my unit, only male soldiers do that," Jiang Ye was taken aback.
"The situation on Salu Planet is different. We are short-handed, and everyone is a soldier. There is no distinction between men and women in the army. All training subjects and work intensity requirements are the same, because the Zerg will not slow down their attack because you are a woman. If we fail to complete the mission, we will be killed by the enemy," Cen Zi said. "Among my siblings, I am considered fortunate. Some of my siblings are already dead. After reaching adulthood, most of my siblings went to various planets in all directions, and their fates are very different."
"Before your sister met me, she was a small business owner on Jiedian Planet, running a dumpling restaurant and a bookstore," Jiang Ye said.
"That's quite good. Father liked Ye Meng more, so Father should have given her a lot of money to live without worry," Cen Zi sighed lightly, her eyes fixed on the table. "I didn't please my father. When I was young, my father didn't pay much attention to me. Later, when I became a captain in the Salu Planet army and went to my father to procure weapons and equipment, he gradually began to like me as his daughter."
"Actually, all parents love their children. Your father must have loved you when you were young," Jiang Ye comforted him. "It's just that he had too many children and didn't have much time to spend with you."
"No, brother-in-law. Love can be felt. My father's affection for his children is actually similar to an ancient emperor's affection for his sons and daughters," Cen Zi shook her head. "First, it's the love for the wife transferred to the children. My father favors the wife he likes more, and he will also favor the children born to that wife. Second, it depends on the child's personality, appearance, and filial piety when they are young. The more outstanding the child, the more he likes them. Third, it depends on the child's achievements when they grow up. He also likes children who have achievements."
"What were your father's criteria for choosing a spouse?" Jiang Ye asked curiously. "Logically speaking, he married those he liked, so there shouldn't be much difference in his feelings?"
"Brother-in-law, you only married my sister, right? You don't have any other wives or lovers?" Cen Zi asked.
"Of course. I love your sister very much, and having your sister is enough," Jiang Ye nodded.
"No wonder," Cen Zi smiled.
"Brother-in-law, you also know that my father sells weapons. A characteristic of the arms business is traveling around, traveling hundreds or thousands of light-years. Wherever there is war in the galaxy, wherever there are military reforms, wherever new planets are being opened up, my father will definitely lead his company team to grab weapon orders," Cen Zi said. "Moreover, weapon systems have a sense of inheritance. For example, if a planet buys a complete set of weapons from a certain arms dealer, and the soldiers are used to it, then when they upgrade to new weapons in the future, they will often still order from this arms dealer. Because if they switch rashly, many things will not match, and they will have to start all over again."
Jiang Ye nodded. As the leader of a planet, this was common knowledge.
"So my father's life is actually somewhat similar to conquering territories. Once a market is captured, it's equivalent to a long-term occupation, and they can continuously receive follow-up orders to make money. In this life of expanding territory, my father has become an aggressive animal, liking to possess, liking to plunder along the way, like an ancient emperor," Cen Zi said. "Every time my father opened up a arms market on a planet, he would often find a wife locally and bring her back. He almost never failed, after all, my father was extremely wealthy."
Jiang Ye felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.
"My father did whatever he pleased in this process. On this planet, my father might publicly solicit marriage proposals and conduct serious interviews for a business-like marriage. On another planet, my father might hold a beauty pageant and abduct the winner. On yet another planet, my father might take a fancy to the female boss of a cooperative company, or a female celebrity endorsing an advertisement, and then directly take her. I even know that one of my father's wives was met by chance in an alien restaurant. He thought she was very beautiful, walked straight up to her to get her contact information, then revealed his identity, and took her down at the first meeting," Cen Zi said. "So there is a lot of randomness, and after living together, my father's depth of feeling for these wives will also vary greatly."
Jiang Ye nodded, feeling his worldview shaken. "I understand."