Shen Chi bent down to open the suitcase, and instantly, Lin Xiaoguai’s eyes were almost blinded by the threat.
The jade green, glamorous red, gentle yellow, elegant purple, and refreshing blue, the originally most dazzling brilliant gold, actually became unremarkable. Lin Xiaoguai had no doubt, the items in front of her were all top-grade jade.
The entire suitcase was packed full, Lin Xiaoguai widened her eyes, "Where did these come from?" Although the jade market could not yet compare to that of the future, such top-notch goods would be sought after in any era, and Shen Chi, even with all his capabilities and wealth, couldn’t possibly have bought so much in one year.
"These are all illicit goods, collected over more than ten years by that drug lord who fled to Myanmar. I seized all of them at once; these are some of the finest items," Shen Chi explained as he moved the pieces of jade from the suitcase, the largest the size of a soccer ball, the smallest only as big as an egg.
The reason he was deployed wasn’t because the drug lord was of significant importance—though the drug lord was indeed a difficult figure in the criminal police system—but for a Colonel from the Capital Military District to personally go undercover was a bit too much.
What made the drug lord most capable was that he had the protection of the Myanmar Military Government and even under their protection, he had transported large quantities of drugs to the country. Seeing a giant drug trafficking organization about to form, the higher-ups couldn’t sit idle, so they sent him both to apprehend the drug lord and to give the Myanmar Military Government a deterrent to avoid similar situations in the future.
Although this mission was not as life-threatening as previous ones, the mental strain Shen Chi faced, always under the eyes of the enemy, was unprecedented. Just the preparatory work alone took more than half a year; he dared not act without full preparation.
After this mission, he didn’t plan to take such dangerous tasks anymore, not just for himself, but also for the sake of Wanwan and his son.
After all, promotions in the future would not be decided by just one or two missions; he had reached the stage where he needed to accrue seniority.
"Is it okay for you to bring these back?" Lin Xiaoguai asked worriedly.
"It’s fine. I didn’t report these; I withheld them privately. If they ask, just say I bought them with my own money. After all, I have a retired comrade in Myanmar, and I indeed had him keep an eye out for good jade," Shen Chi reassured her, guessing her concern.
He paused for a moment, an idea coming to mind, "By the way, I think the jade industry might start to boom; do you think I should also engage in this business?"
Shen Chi currently owned a transport business, using trucks discarded by the military, managed by retired comrades, even hiring drivers and staff largely from retired military personnel. Given the nature of the business, the higher echelons of the military also supported this, always considering him first for the disposal of outdated military vehicles.
In the past two years, he had also collaborated to start a property management company, with a similar composition of personnel as the transport company, solving employment issues for many retired soldiers and military families. Of course, the effect of winning people’s hearts was also significant.
Besides these, Shen Chi had also made several investments, earning a not inconsiderable sum, though not as much as the first two businesses.
Hearing this, Lin Xiaoguai felt it was feasible and suggested, "How about letting your comrade handle it, and you invest in it?"
"Right," Shen Chi laid out his plan, "Didn’t Wei Qiang say he wasn’t happy working at that appliance factory? Given his situation, it’s difficult for him to find a job on his own. I thought about setting him up with a Jade Store in the Capital. I’ll provide the funds, help out initially until it gets on track, and later take a 30% share of the profits."
Last year, Wei Qiang had lost a pinky finger during a mission and retired from the military, taking a job as an accountant in a local appliance factory. While the salary was enough to get by, he kept complaining about the monotony.
Shen Chi knew he disliked the routine, lack of freedom, and dull nature of a nine-to-five job, so he devised this line of business for him.
"Can Wei Qiang handle it? Usually, those who open jade stores know the business. He’s an outsider; don’t let him get cheated..." Lin Xiaoguai was a bit hesitant.
"No worries," Shen Chi smiled, "Wei Qiang is quite sharp. He doesn’t need to learn everything in-depth, just enough to discern the quality and value. It’s not like antiques where it’s easy to make a mistake. As for jade betting, when running the business, he just needs to avoid gambling himself. I’m not worried about that; the guy knows his limits."