readease Chapter 140 A big forest has all kinds of birds.
Chapter 140 A big forest has all kinds of birds.
Chapter 140 A big forest has all kinds of birds.
The Arlington family gatherings are held almost every year, but Ernst had never seen such a complete turnout before.
At the entrance to Paul's farm, all kinds of vehicles were parked densely, so many that they formed a long line along the road outside.
If an uninformed person saw this, they would probably think that some large organization was holding an important meeting here.
Seeing Ernst gazing at the parked car, Paul Arlington, sitting beside him, seemed to sense his unease and quickly said, "I heard you're attending this gathering; almost everyone in the Arlington family who could come is here."
Ernst didn't even turn his head, a mocking smile playing on his lips. He scoffed with a hint of disdain, "I don't have that much influence. What makes them so honored is the dollar."
The Arlington family is a truly large family. After more than a hundred years of growth and development, the family branches have become so numerous that even Ernst himself had never heard of many of his relatives, let alone met them.
The reason so many family members came this time was entirely because of his current title as an American super tycoon.
Many of these people came hoping to gain something from him.
Everyone has some troublesome relatives, and Ernst knew there was nothing he could do to change this situation; he could only accept it helplessly.
The car slowly drove into the farm, and upon hearing the roar of a tractor, three old men came out of the farm's large wooden house.
Ernst knew all of these people. One of them was Diego Arlington's grandfather, who was also John Arlington's brother, Nelson Arlington.
The other was Paul Arlington's father, Correll Arlington.
The last one was John Arlington.
The three old men had come out to check on the farm machinery after hearing the sound of the tractor, but they were all stunned when they saw the car Ernst was riding in.
When Ernst and Paul got out of the car, John Arlington paused for a few seconds, then grinned and burst into laughter, his hearty laughter echoing across the farm.
"Ernst," John Arlington spoke first, his tone full of warmth.
"Well done." The group walked over quickly, and Correll Arlington reached out with a look of satisfaction and patted Ernst's shoulder hard, so hard that he almost knocked him over.
With his well-defined muscles and physique similar to Muller and others, it's hard to imagine that he's a lawyer. An uninformed person might even think he works in the bodybuilding industry.
"Little fellow, you've really made the Arlington family proud this time." Nelson Arlington looked at Ernst with a proud expression on his face.
If we were to say which branch of the family is closest to Ernst's, it would definitely be Nelson Arlington's.
Both families live in the same city and each runs a large farm. They often do business together and have many business dealings.
Therefore, the members of both families are very familiar with each other, and there are even monthly exchanges and interactions between the members.
Paul's lineage, on the other hand, came into contact with both families due to some legal issues, and they became very familiar with each other.
Therefore, the elders of both families regarded Ernst as their own junior, and were genuinely proud of his achievements.
The group chatted casually for a few minutes, and perhaps John's loud voice alerted the people inside, because soon a large group of people poured out of the big wooden house.
There were people of all ages; Ernst roughly estimated that there were at least thirty or forty.
Paul's cabin, though it doesn't look small from the outside, would probably be so crowded that there wouldn't even be enough room to sit inside.
Fortunately, there are hotels in town, and it's only about 20 kilometers from the city, so transportation is relatively convenient. Otherwise, these people would probably have to camp out on the farm tonight.
With John's enthusiastic introduction, Ernst greeted everyone in turn, feeling like he was visiting relatives during Chinese New Year.
However, Ernst had no recollection of more than half of the faces. The vast majority of them were people he had never seen before, and only a few he might have met once or twice when he was a child, but he could no longer remember them.
Those I'm truly familiar with can be counted on two hands.
"Oh my, my little Ernst, I never imagined he would grow so tall and become such a handsome young man." An elderly woman with white hair walked forward shakily, hugged Ernst tightly, and looked at him with affection and tenderness.
Looking at him, someone who didn't know him might have thought Ernst was her long-lost grandson.
Through John's introduction, Ernst learned that the old lady, who was walking somewhat unsteadily, was his great-aunt Merris Arlington, the eldest of John's eight siblings.
"I still remember when you were very little, the first time I held you, you peed all over my face," Merris Arlington recalled with a smile, her tone full of affection.
Ernst felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this, while the relatives around him burst into laughter.
John Arlington, in particular, stood out in the crowd with his loud voice and seemed to be happier than anyone else.
According to Ernst's recollection, this great-aunt was indeed quite beloved by her brothers in the family.
John had told him many times before that whenever they got into trouble as children, this great-aunt would stand up for them and take the blame for them.
Unfortunately, after my great-aunt got married, she moved to Mexico. Due to the long distance and her advancing age, they gradually lost touch.
"I still remember the time Chris came over. Ernst had just been weaned, and when he saw Chris's big breasts, he crawled into her clothes, grabbing those two big breasts and refusing to let go." John Arlington seemed to have opened a floodgate of conversation, and then enthusiastically recounted Ernst's embarrassing childhood stories.
Ernst's gaze involuntarily shifted to Johann, who was enthusiastically recounting his glorious history, and he secretly longed to ask him, "Are you my maternal grandfather?"
Chris is Merris's daughter. Luckily, she didn't come today, otherwise Ernst would have thought to just put his underwear over his head and become invisible.
"Ernst." Just as Ernst was awkwardly trying to change the subject, a childish voice came from not far away.
Immediately afterwards, a little girl of about five or six years old ran over with her short legs and buried herself in his arms.
Ernst reacted quickly, scooping the little girl up in his arms, a doting smile instantly spreading across his face. "Isn't this our little princess, Lilisa?"
This little girl is no ordinary girl; she has been showered with love and affection since birth.
She is Lilysa Arlington, the next generation of the Ernst family and the only child of this generation, and the daughter of Nathan Arlington.
The Arlington family had not had any children until five years ago when Lilysa was born, which brought a sigh of relief to the entire family. She naturally became the apple of the family's eye.
Five years have passed, and Lilysa seems to have become the only heir in the Arlington family, with no other family members bringing good news.
Even Ernst was starting to have doubts. He thought about how none of the women he had been with had made any move, and he felt a little scared.
Although these women are taking medication or are in their safe period, it still feels a bit strange.
Especially after Google's success, several women Ernst met in the past few months have changed their minds.
Ernst didn't say anything; he just said if she wanted to have children, she could.
But the problem now is that they can't have children. They've built such a vast empire, and now they're going to die out. Who can they complain to?
"Ernst, where's my present?" Lilisa snuggled in Ernst's arms and asked sweetly in her little voice.
Ernst's memories were instantly stirred; two years ago, this little guy and Nathan's parents had spent nearly two months at Whitney Farm.
That was when he was writing his first novel and had returned to the farm to escape the outside world.
During those two months, he would play with Lilysa every day, teasing the cats and dogs, so the little one became very close to him.
When it was time to part, Lily cried her heart out, clinging to his leg and refusing to let go. She even said in a childish voice that she wanted to be his father and live with him.
In the end, I had to promise her a huge gift next time we met before I finally managed to appease the little one.
However, he had long forgotten about this matter and had no idea which woman had forgotten about it. He didn't expect the little one to still remember it.
"A gift? Of course I've prepared one," Ernst quickly said with a smile, "but the gift is too big and won't be delivered until tomorrow."
Upon hearing that she would receive her gift tomorrow, Lilysa immediately kissed Ernst on the cheek, and he affectionately pinched the little guy's chubby cheeks.
"Alright, let's go inside too, don't just stand there like idiots at the door." John Arlington saw that everyone had finished chatting at the door, so he called them to go inside.
With so many people, it was naturally a lively and bustling occasion. Although many of the people present had come with a specific purpose, the older generation of relatives all showed genuine smiles on their faces when they met.
Stepping into the wooden cabin, the scene inside was even more lively. The table was laden with all kinds of fresh fruit and various exquisite desserts.
"Ernst, it's been a long time. I didn't expect you to be so amazing now."
Not long after I sat down, a middle-aged man came over with a warm smile on his face.
Ernst looked up at the other person, trying hard to search his memory for him, but he had no recollection of him. He could only smile vaguely and say "Hello."
"My father is Kench, and my name is Mark Arlington," Mark Arlington quickly introduced himself, as if afraid Ernst wouldn't know him.
Ernst then remembered that Kench was John's brother, which meant he was his cousin.
"I know, Kench took me horseback riding when I was a kid."
Mark Arlington grinned, then leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Ernst, I'm thinking of starting a small company, but I'm having some cash flow problems. Could you—"
Sure enough, they were after the money.
Ernst had already anticipated this, but he maintained a polite smile. "Assets are assets, and cash is cash. To be honest, I'm probably poorer than you, given my huge debts. So I can only apologize."
Mark Arlington's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "It's nothing, I was just asking casually."
After saying that, he turned and walked away somewhat awkwardly.
Watching Mark Arlington's retreating figure, Ernst shook his head helplessly.
He knew that such a scene would repeat itself.
In the eyes of some relatives, his current wealth is like a piece of fat meat, and everyone wants to take a bite.
"Don't take it to heart. That's just how it is in the family. There are all kinds of people." Paul patted Ernst on the shoulder, as if it were commonplace.
Ernst smiled. "I understand, so I don't care at all whether what I say is perfunctory."
Paul laughed. "What do you mean by being poorer than you, burdened with huge debts?"
It's true that he was heavily in debt, but everyone knows that what Ernst shed under his fingernails was more than Mark Arlington's net worth.