Chapter 169: Sudden Storm (Part 1)
Many elderly people, who were usually extremely frugal, had deposited all their savings into the foundation to earn interest rates higher than those of regular banks. They were completely unaware that a storm was about to break.
Hou Weidong, as the Deputy Mayor of Qinglin Town, felt it was his undeniable duty to maintain financial order in the town. He knew the foundation was on the verge of collapse, but given his official position, he could not openly warn others. He thought to himself, "You want the high interest, but others want your principal. There is truly no such thing as a free lunch."
Old Xing stood beside the car. He had sold two bonsai trees to Hou Weidong, naturally at a much lower price than he had charged Li Jing. For the two Podocarpus bonsai, which he had nurtured for over ten years, he accepted a total of one thousand yuan.
"Podocarpus are easy to care for; they don’t require much effort."
Holding a watering can, Old Xing sprayed some water on the Podocarpus in the back of the pickup truck. These trees had accompanied him through more than a decade of difficult days. He knew the temperament of every single plant intimately. However, selling four Podocarpus for five thousand yuan brought him a considerable surprise. In his heart, he whispered to the two bonsai, "Old friends, all good things must come to an end. May you find your own good fortune."
Seeing Old Xing’s reluctance to part with them, Hou Weidong said, "Old Xing, rest assured. My father-in-law loves growing flowers. There won’t be any problems."
Old Xing forced a smile and said, "Mayor Hou, you have wide connections. If anyone else wants to buy Podocarpus or other plants here, just let me know. I can give you a special discount for your friends."
Hou Weidong reminded him, seemingly casually, "It would be best to keep your money in the credit union."
Old Xing asked, "Do you have some inside information?"
Hou Weidong did not elaborate, only saying, "There’s no inside information. I’m just a bit scared after the last run on the bank."
Old Xing laughed. "The foundation is government-backed. As long as the government stands, the foundation won’t collapse. I’m very confident about that." He touched the deposit certificate in his chest pocket. The four Podocarpus had been exchanged for a five-thousand-yuan certificate. Although he felt a bit reluctant to part with the trees, the certificate was a tangible asset, and having it against his chest gave him a sense of security.
Hou Weidong said no more. He started the car and said, "I’m leaving. If it rains, please close the windows for me."
Old Xing replied straightforwardly, "Don’t worry about that."
From Qinglin Town to Yiyang, and from Yiyang to Shazhou. Distances that once seemed unreachable now took only a little over two hours by car. He parked the vehicle steadily in the courtyard of the Xinyue Building. It was just seven o’clock.
Xiaojia had been watching the scenery in the courtyard from the window. Seeing the pickup truck pull in, she hurried to the kitchen, lit the stove, and then came to the door, opening the security door just a crack.
Hou Weidong entered and lifted Xiaojia into his arms, holding her waist.
Xiaojia gasped, pressed by the strong embrace. "Gently, I can’t breathe."
After they tumbled onto the bed, Hou Weidong skillfully removed Xiaojia’s outer clothes and kissed her fair skin passionately.
"Wait a moment, let’s take a shower."
Hou Weidong had been driving for two hours and was covered in dust. He obediently got up and said, "Let’s wash together."
Xiaojia looked at the obvious bulge in Hou Weidong’s pants and smiled. "You go first. The shrimp aren’t very good today, so I bought a fish. It’s about to go into the pot."
Hou Weidong walked into the kitchen and turned off the stove without hesitation. "We’re not eating fish now. I want to eat you."
Xiaojia yielded to him, and they went into the bathroom.
When they emerged, Hou Weidong looked refreshed and invigorated, while Xiaojia’s face was flushed with happiness.
"Have your parents withdrawn their money from the foundation?"
Xiaojia chatted while placing fish slices into the pot. "We withdrew the matured certificates, but we left the unexpired time deposits. There have been rumors flying around lately. Is your information reliable?" She had heard conflicting reports and was therefore half-believing and half-doubting Hou Weidong’s warnings.
"I brought two Podocarpus bonsai in the car. I’ll give them to your father tomorrow and talk to him about the foundation again."
Since the Ma Gui incident, Hou Weidong had kept the name Li Jing hidden from Xiaojia. He added, "Where there is smoke, there is fire. Since there was already a run on the bank, we should be vigilant. My advice is to sacrifice some interest to keep the money in a safe place."
The fish slices simmered in the pot, releasing an enticing aroma in the red oil, as delicious as Xiaojia herself.
"My father is very stubborn. He probably won’t listen to you."
Hou Weidong knew that Chen Qingrong and Zhang Yuanzheng did not have much money. Even if they lost it, it would be a drop in the bucket. Therefore, he did not dwell on the matter too much.
As they were having dinner, Xiaojia’s mobile phone rang. She answered it and screamed, "Yang Qian, you dead girl! Where have you been for the past two years? How did you get my number?" She continued, "I was in a meeting this afternoon and turned off my phone. I’ll be right over. Should I bring my family?"
"Give Hou Weidong a surprise. What’s going on?"
Xiaojia hung up and said, "Yang Xiaoqian is back. That mysterious girl insists we go to the Shazhou Hotel for dinner together. She says she has a surprise for you."
Yang Qian, Duan Ying, and Zhang Xiaojia were close friends from the same dormitory. Xiaojia and Yang Qian were particularly close, much like Hou Weidong and Jiang Dali. Since graduation, Yang Qian had vanished as if by magic. This was the first call in over three years.
Xiaojia happily put down her chopsticks and went to the inner room to change clothes.
Ten minutes later, when Hou Weidong’s mouth was still greasy from eating, she had finished changing. She tried on an outfit, gestured in front of the mirror, and then changed into a long dress.
They drove the pickup to the Shazhou Hotel. The security guard at the door, seeing the vehicle, was not enthusiastic. He lazily refused to open the door for them.
Walking into the hotel lobby, Xiaojia linked arms with Hou Weidong and said, "These people are snobs. If we drove a BMW or Mercedes, their attitude would change instantly."
The Shazhou Hotel was much taller and more magnificent than the Yiyang Hotel, with golden walls and glittering decor. At the entrance to the third floor, four women in qipao bowed together to welcome them.
Duan Ying was standing at the door, talking on the phone. She was wearing jeans, looking very much like a journalist. Seeing them approach, she pointed toward the private dining room.
As Hou Weidong passed Duan Ying, their eyes met briefly. She wore a half-smiling expression and continued her conversation, "I’ll prepare some materials tonight and leave at ten tomorrow morning."
Seeing Duan Ying, Hou Weidong’s smile became slightly awkward. He thought, "Since we are here, let’s make the best of it. Speak less, eat more."
Just as he stepped through the door, his shoulder was struck hard by a fist, causing him to gasp in pain.
"Melon-head, you’ve become an official-businessman, but you haven’t gotten fat yet."
A shiny, large head and a familiar smile appeared before Hou Weidong’s eyes. He returned a punch and shouted, "Damn it, Jiang Baldy! Where did you crawl out from? Why didn’t you call me?"
When everyone settled back into their seats, Hou Weidong was surprised to find that Jiang Baldy was sitting with Yang Qian, who looked delicate and dependent. He asked, "How did the two of you end up together?"
Yang Qian was quite familiar with Hou Weidong and joked, "Mayor Hou, you allow officials to start fires but forbid commoners to light lamps. We aren’t just 'hanging out.' Dali is my husband."
Jiang Dali casually placed his hand on Yang Qian’s shoulder and said, "We flew back this afternoon. We originally wanted to call you in advance, but Yang Qian insisted on giving you both a surprise."
Hou Weidong clinked glasses with Jiang Dali. Jiang Dali asked, "How is your quarry business doing?"
"It’s okay. With the construction of the Lingxi Expressway today, we can make a good profit. I have to thank you for the thirty-thousand-yuan startup capital that helped get the quarry going. I’ll pay you back tomorrow."
"Why talk about money between brothers? I represent several brands and my income is decent. I don’t need that little bit of money. My channels in Guangzhou are well-established now, and I have capable assistants. This time back, I’m planning to expand into the Lingxi market."
Hearing that Jiang Dali was returning to Lingxi, Hou Weidong said, "The coal industry has been sluggish these years, and many small coal mines are looking to sell. These resource-based enterprises will eventually rebound. I suggest buying them up at low prices while the market is in a downturn. It will surely be highly profitable."
Jiang Dali considered this for a moment and said, "As the saying goes, don’t do what you’re not familiar with. I’m focusing on pharmaceutical agency work right now and don’t want to get involved in other things."
Yang Qian, Duan Ying, and Xiaojia, the three women, sat together whispering.
Yang Qian had a small nose and eyes, exquisitely matched, typical of a delicate young lady from a modest family. However, her personality was quite bold. She asked directly, "Duan Ying, I heard you dated Liu Kun for a while. Why did you break up?"
Duan Ying’s eyes glanced sideways at Hou Weidong before quickly returning to normal. She said, "It’s a long story. The main reasons were personality clashes, and Liu Kun’s mother was too difficult. We simply couldn’t live together."
Yang Qian curled her lip and said, "Liu Kun is just a pretty boy, a mere grassroots civil servant. He’s not worthy of our great reporter Yingying."
Xiaojia said, "Hou Weidong is also a grassroots civil servant."
Yang Qian replied, "Hou Weidong and Xiaojia are original spouses. That’s different." She turned to Duan Ying and said, "Yingying is so charming. It’s a pity for her to be with Liu Kun. I spent three years in Shenzhen, and my biggest gain was seeing countless men. There are three types of men you shouldn’t marry. The first is the good-looking pretty boy; they can’t be trusted. Look at our Dali. He’s capable, even if he’s ugly. I’m never worried wherever we go."
Jiang Dali, hearing Yang Qian’s evaluation, rubbed his large head and smiled foolishly.
Among those present, Hou Weidong understood Duan Ying’s situation best. He changed the subject, saying, "Jiang Baldy, how did you seduce Yang Qian? Confess honestly." He added, "Yang Qian, he used to drool over you in the dorm. How did you fall for it so easily?"
After graduation, Yang Qian’s assigned job was unsatisfactory, so she quietly resigned and went to Guangzhou. As a single woman venturing into the world, her journey was full of hardships. Eventually, she secured a position in a large company and met Jiang Dali by chance. They hit it off immediately and started dating. She habitually curled her lip and said, "Who knows who was tricked?"
Jiang Dali laughed, "Being tricked was voluntary. I was like Jiang Taigong fishing—only those willing take the bait."
After dinner, Yang Qian insisted on visiting Xiaojia’s new home. Duan Ying made an excuse to leave, but Yang Qian narrowed her eyes and said, "Today, the three of us sisters are sleeping in one bed and chatting all night. No matter how big the matter is, you’re not allowed to leave."
Duan Ying glanced at Hou Weidong seemingly casually. Since that unforgettable night, Hou Weidong’s shadow had lingered in her mind, impossible to shake off.