Chapter 102: Chapter 96: The Furious Lu Hongjun
Lu Hongjun returned from a business trip and heard that Lu Jiajie had taken unpaid leave to go to Yangcheng City. He was very angry and made a phone call to Lu Jiaguang’s office.
“Has Lu Jiajie lost his mind? To quit a perfectly good job and run off to Yangcheng City, does he really think money lies on the streets there? Jiaguang, he acts without thinking, why didn’t you stop him?”
Lu Jiaguang waited for him to finish ranting before saying, “Third Uncle, Jiajie went there to help out. The conditions are quite good, five hundred a month, and if he works until the New Year and makes money, he’ll get a bonus equal to his salary.”
Lu Hongjun was furious. He said, “Lu Jiaguang, when do pies ever fall from the sky? If they’re offering such high pay, he must be getting involved in some shady business.”
Lu Jiaguang knew he couldn’t hide the truth for long, and that it wouldn’t be much longer before he found out. Rather than getting scolded later, he might as well come clean now: “Third Uncle, it’s not someone else asking for Jiajie’s help, it’s Xinxin.”
“Don’t worry, Xinxin just wants to make a batch of shoes to sell. She’s not in good health and can’t handle the strain, so she called Jiajie to help.”
Lu Hongjun said angrily, “Didn’t you say Jiaxin was in Ancient Capital? Why is she in Yangcheng City? When did she go there, and why didn’t you tell me?”
Lu Jiaguang was silent for a moment before saying, “Xue Mao had just left Ancient Capital, and then she went to Yangcheng City. She forbade me from telling you, saying if I leaked her whereabouts, she would never contact me to say she’s safe, nor would she tell me where she is.”
The call suddenly became a busy tone, and Lu Jiaguang thought Hongjun had hung up in anger. Let him be angry, there’s cause and effect; having favored that mother and daughter over Jiaxin’s feelings, it’s hard to sympathize now that he’s facing backlash.
A little while later, Lu Hongjun called back: “I just asked a friend. Lu Jiaxin reported her bankbook lost and withdrew all the money in it.”
This was news to Lu Jiaguang. But now it seemed that the girl had planned to detour to Yangcheng City before going to Ancient Capital, not on a whim. Perhaps she was intending to buy some goods to make a profit, but after selling the ancient painting for a huge sum, she wanted to go big. Hmm, it must be like that.
Lu Hongjun said, “There was just over nine thousand in the bankbook, yet she promised Jiajie five hundred a month in wages. Lu Jiaguang, are you hiding something from me?”
Lu Jiajie was one for sentiment, and if his daughter needed him, he would help without taking a penny. But Ma Lili was different; she must have been sure Jiaxin could afford to pay before letting him leave his job on unpaid leave. The girl had all of ten thousand yuan and dared to offer Jiajie five hundred a month, which didn’t make sense. Hence, there must be something he didn’t know.
Lu Jiaguang responded, “Third Uncle, it’s not that I wanted to hide it from you, Xinxin told me not to tell you.”
Lu Hongjun flew into a rage: “She might be naive, but are you too? Is business so easy to do? In the end, she’ll squander the dowry her mother left her and have no choice but to hide at home and cry every day.”
Since returning from Ancient Capital, not only had the girl spoken harshly to Jingjing, she had shown no affection to her father, only using him. If her appearance hadn’t remained the same, he would have doubted that she was his daughter.
But as angry as he was, Lu Hongjun couldn’t just abandon the situation: “Tell me, what exactly is going on?”
“If you don’t tell me, I can find out by asking around, it’ll just take some time. Lu Jiaguang, doing business isn’t as easy as you think. Yes, many who go to Yangcheng City make money, but even more people fail there, some even disappearing without a trace.”
Noticing Lu Hongjun’s tone had softened, Lu Jiaguang then told him about the ancient painting.
Lu Hongjun laughed in exasperation: “Finding an original in the antique market, you believe that kind of story? Give me her number, I’ll call her myself.”
Lu Jiaguang said, “Third Uncle, I know what you mean, but it’s impossible. The things Third Aunt left behind would definitely be reserved for her until she’s of age. Also, I asked Xue Mao about it, and he said it was bought at the antique market. They were planning to buy some small decorations for their new house, and Jiaxin saw that painting and felt it was extraordinary, so she spent over eighty yuan on it.”
Lu Hongjun asked doubtfully, “Was it really picked up from the antique market?”
To dispel his doubts, Lu Jiaguang said, “Third Uncle, if this painting were left by Third Aunt, Jiaxin would have gone directly to Yangcheng City to sell it, instead of coming back home to find a dealer. The painting is so valuable, she wouldn’t risk such a huge loss if something went wrong during the process, Jiaxin couldn’t possibly be so careless.”
This reason convinced Lu Hongjun, who spoke with a stern face, “How could you not tell me about such a major matter? If she told you not to say anything, would you really just keep it to yourself? Do you have any idea how chaotic it is over there? With so much money on her, once people learn about it, she’ll be like a fat lamb ready to be devoured at any moment.”
A sense of alarm struck Lu Jiaguang, but he quickly responded, “Xinxin’s money is all deposited in the bank, and she also has someone protecting her. Jiajie and Jiazong will be arriving in a couple of days too, with so many people around, we don’t need to worry.”
Upon hearing the money was deposited in the bank, Lu Hongjun felt slightly relieved, “What’s her phone number? I want to give her a call.”
Lu Jiaguang indicated that he didn’t have Lu Jiaxin’s number, “She always calls me. The next time she calls, I’ll remind her.”
“Tell her to call me.”
Lu Jiaguang was silent for a moment but then told the truth, “Xinxin doesn’t want to contact you.”
Lu Hongjun, holding back his anger, said, “I have a few friends in Yangcheng City too. If she encounters any trouble, she can seek their help.”
After saying this, he remembered something, “Has she been staying in Yangcheng City for so long without visiting your aunt’s house?”
“I haven’t asked her that, but I’ll remind her the next time she calls me.”
In fact, Lu Hongjun’s worries were not unnecessary. On the very night Lu Jiaxin moved into her rental house, thieves had snuck in. But as soon as they entered the yard, they were subdued by Gu Wenfeng.
Upon hearing the commotion and coming out of her room, Lu Jiaxin saw the three thieves, all tied up and gagged with cloth in their mouths, and she asked in confusion, “Isn’t there a crackdown on security recently? How can these people be so bold?”
Gu Wenfeng clapped his hands and said, “People die for money, birds die for food. These three thought they had more than enough to handle us. Once successful, they planned to hide away, making it very difficult for the Public Security Bureau to catch them.”
The larger the population movement, the harder it is to catch criminals. It’s not like the future with a surveillance network, where changing one’s name and identity after fleeing makes them hard to catch.
This time, Lu Jiaxin was truly frightened, “Brother Gu, can you, can you stay a little longer? It’s so chaotic here, I’ll be afraid to sleep at night if you leave.”
Knowing about it was one thing, but experiencing it was another. If Gu Wenfeng hadn’t noticed and fell into the hands of the three thieves, whether she’d be dead or alive now would be unknown.
Gu Wenfeng had already considered this matter and said, “I know someone, who is even stronger than me. It’s just that he has a bad temper and likes to curse, and he also insists on eating meat with every meal.”
“What about his character?”
Gu Wenfeng said with a smile, “Don’t worry about that, his character is fine. Once he gives his word, he will protect you with his life.”
As long as he could protect her, it didn’t matter if he had a bad temper or a love for meat.