Chapter 593

Old Guan is truly serious; amidst the deathly expressions of Guan Ziqing and the others, he dragged Han Chunming along, insisting on finding a lawyer to draw up a will. Han Chunming refused to go no matter what, and only after much persuasion was he temporarily talked out of it.

Of course, it wasn't that easy to persuade him. On one hand, he urged Old Guan not to be in such a rush, and on the other, he advised Guan Ziqing to settle his family assets in America, return to China to develop his career, and stay by Old Guan's side to take care of him, thereby salvaging their father-son relationship and avoiding the label of being unfilial, lest he end up dying in a foreign land.

Guan Ziqing discussed it for a while with Liu Hongmei, who was reluctant, and finally, they settled on the matter of returning to China. They knew that once Old Guan's collection was sold, it would be worth far more than their current net worth. This was a simple calculation, and the choice was easy to make. However, it had to be done step by step; the house and shops in America had to be handled slowly to get the best possible price, and they needed to scout for business opportunities in Beijing that would yield good returns—all of which would take time.

It was precisely because of this guarantee that Old Guan found a way to step down and was persuaded by Han Chunming. Even so, there was not the slightest hope for his son, Guan Ziqing, to get his hands on his assets; on this point, Old Guan had his own persistence.

That very day, Wang Yan received a complaining phone call from Han Chunming, who grumbled that Wang Yan loved watching the drama without fearing the scale of the chaos. To this, Wang Yan only shook his head and smiled; he never took credit for the good deeds he did. As for Liu Hongmei's conduct, he simply couldn't be bothered to deal with her; if he were to seriously investigate, he could even sell that eyesore of a woman off to Africa.

The current outcome could be considered a good one. Guan Ziqing returned to China to play the role of the filial son, and while Old Guan couldn't say whether he was happy or not, he felt comfortable in his heart. When people grow old, they always want their descendants by their side. At the same time, Old Guan learned the correct way to leave an inheritance; he was familiar with Han Chunming, and Wang Yan had suggested a win-win method at the dinner table, so he believed that, given Han Chunming's character, he certainly wouldn't treat his biological son unfairly.

Old Guan's considerations were thorough; between a biological son and a biological father, it is hard to have grudges that cannot be resolved, and Old Guan still thought of his biological son, Guan Ziqing...

Compared to Old Guan's affairs, it was clear that the situation with Cheng Army Supervisor was more important. This kid had schemes and took action; he was a major stumbling block in Han Chunming's life. Most crucially, one lesson wasn't enough, and he actually dared to bare his fangs in front of Wang Mou; he was truly courting death.

Therefore, Cheng Army Supervisor's bitter days had arrived.

The prison where Cheng Army Supervisor was locked up couldn't be considered high-end, but even in prison, there are tiers. His cellmates were mostly figures from political and business circles who had been locked up for various illegal and undisciplined reasons. They exchanged ideas and learned many new tricks.

After his release, Cheng Army Supervisor went to the south. He was a person who didn't shy away from using petty tricks to take shortcuts, possessed dirty thoughts, and was absolutely selfish. Therefore, even though opportunities and wealth were everywhere at the time, one still needed the spirit to pick up a shovel and dig hard with one's head down, accumulating wealth bit by bit and growing stronger step by step.

Clearly, Cheng Army Supervisor lacked the patience to follow in his own footsteps, to build steadily and accumulate strength slowly. The most critical point was that he was penniless when he got out, having only received some travel money from his father; how could he be willing to work himself to the bone for others to earn his first pot of gold? He was a person with a flexible mind, and besides, he had been a civil servant in the capital, had broad contacts, and had seen a lot. Furthermore, he had undergone additional training and learned other experiences, so there was even less reason for him to work for others and accumulate wealth through hardship.

Since he didn't want to work for others to earn hard money, yet still wanted to make big money and get rich, and wanted to have that first pot of gold, he had no other choice but to cheat, swindle, and steal.

One has to admit that Cheng Army Supervisor was a talented person. Of course, it also had to do with his background as a public official, which allowed him to maintain that air of demanding bribes and gifts, pretending to be quite the part. Knowing and not knowing are very important things. It would be impossible for an ordinary person who works hard and earns wealth through labor to pretend to be someone else. Ultimately, they would lack that bit of insight and the confidence to bully others.

Cheng Army Supervisor did very well. His first real outing was a scam for twenty thousand, which could even be called easy. There was nothing special about it; he just ran over there, swindled a few hundred yuan first, and then used that money to get to know people in the local industrial and commercial sector. Through this person, he met a boss, and then, under the pretext of helping to solve a problem, he easily got his hands on twenty thousand yuan. This was, of course, a dead-end account, and the boss could only swallow his teeth and keep it to himself. He even watched as Cheng Army Supervisor got close to government officials, watching as the man remained at large.

Of course, Cheng Army Supervisor couldn't bully people too much; those doing business at this time were all ruthless people, and if he pushed them too hard, wouldn't that be courting death? So he said it was a loan and that he would pay it back later. And with this money, he took many detours and actually solved the problem.

This is the key skill of wandering the underworld: being able to handle all sides. Adding to that Cheng Army Supervisor's dirty mind—he would cheat whenever he could and never showed mercy—after many such operations, he really did manage to set up a factory, and his business was doing quite well. Plus, he was always scheming, and his development was quite fast. If one looks at normal development, he could become a wealthy man with a net worth. Looking at it this way, Cheng Army Supervisor still had quite a bit of ability.

But unfortunately, in this process, he wasn't clean. This included fraud, bribery, and so on, all of which were criminal evidence. Perhaps under normal development, these things of his would be buried by time, but this was not normal development, because he didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth and went to show off in front of Wang Mou before he had achieved great success.

So, a week after Old Guan's birthday, when Cheng Army Supervisor had finished showing off his success in the capital and returned to the south to continue raking in money, he was arrested again...

Cheng Army Supervisor was brought to a similarly oppressive place, dispirited and dejected. This time he had experience; he knew that they wouldn't move against him without evidence, so he didn't argue anymore and cooperated fully by confessing for leniency.

But he couldn't help but wonder where the leak had occurred this time. He hadn't gone back on his word, and although it was much later, it couldn't be considered a scam; at most, it was just borrowing a sum first. The others were all stakeholders, so there was no reason for them to point him out.

After thinking it over and over, with no other options, he figured it out. It must have been Wang Yan's doing. Among the people he knew, only Wang Yan was petty and had the power. This arrest was basically the same as the last time; both were after he had hung around Wang Yan and caused some trouble, so now, he had every reason to pin this matter on Wang Yan.

Thinking this, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow. The opponent was too powerful; he couldn't even cause the slightest bit of damage before the man had him dealt with.

However, he was the indomitable Cheng Army Supervisor; this sorrow didn't last long before he dispelled it. Instead, he began to learn from his experience, thinking that next time he must not go and show off in front of Wang Yan again...

For a person like him to be able to reflect on such a lesson is a rare thing. But just as he himself thought, next time! The key is that this time, he had no chance.

After another period of investigation and evidence collection, finally, because Cheng Army Supervisor had bribed his way through many people and many times, and was suspected of fraud, and both were large amounts, the penalties were combined, and he was finally sentenced to nine years and six months, along with a certain amount of fines.

Upon hearing the verdict, Cheng Army Supervisor was, of course, unable to accept it. At the beginning, he only thought four or five or six years would be about right; he didn't expect to be sentenced to nearly ten years in the end. He was only thirty-six; ten years later, when he got out, he would be forty-six. Even if he actively sought a sentence reduction twice for a total of one year, he would still be forty-five when he got out. What could he do then?

He had four years of experience before, and when he got out, the world had already turned upside down. Now it was another ten years; what kind of world would it be then? However, despite the pool of despair in his heart, he remained stubbornly un-crying, stubbornly continuing to hate Wang Yan. There was no longer any issue with Han Chunming; Wang Yan, the person who had always been against him, was his mortal enemy. Cheng Army Supervisor's life, not weaker than others, he was the indomitable Cheng Army Supervisor...

Facing their eldest son getting into trouble and being arrested again, Cheng's father and mother felt terrible, almost to the point of being angered to death. They had only been happy for a year, and now something had happened again; no matter who it was, they wouldn't be able to accept it.

But fortunately, this time Cheng Army Supervisor didn't drag them down with him, and even left them some things; after all, Cheng Army Supervisor still had assets. The apartment they had only lived in for a short while was kept, and the money Cheng Army Supervisor had given them before was also left behind, but the industry Cheng Army Supervisor had built up in the south had collapsed, and the money in the account was gone.

But even so, Cheng's father and mother moved back to the big courtyard to live. Because they still had a second son, and this second son was also getting married. Before, seeing Cheng Army Supervisor stand up, they had simply gotten him engaged, and Cheng Army Supervisor had promised to buy another apartment for the second son; clearly, there was no way now. So, for the sake of the second son's marriage, Cheng's father and mother slunk back to the big courtyard.

This time Cheng Army Supervisor was locked up in the south, so they weren't afraid of others knowing about this shameful matter. As for why they moved back, they just smiled bitterly and said their son wasn't capable enough, and for the time being, they could only buy one house, managing to get by.

But moving from a comfortable apartment back to a courtyard that was cold in winter and hot in summer, and where one had to walk a hundred or eighty meters to go to the bathroom, no one knew how much sorrow was in their hearts, and even fewer understood...

Snowflakes were drifting in the sky; this was already the snow of '89.

The Spring Festival had just passed, and there were still remnants of firecracker packaging on the streets. The people on the street still wore the festive joy of the New Year on their faces, but they had already begun another year of work and life. Children were chasing and frolicking in the street, building snowmen; they were still carefree little kids.

In Old Guan's home, Meng Xiaozao was wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket, her cheeks flushed red, holding a broom and diligently sweeping the accumulated snow in the courtyard. Through the wide-open door of the main room, ignoring the bitter cold, Han Chunming said: "Xiaozao, stop sweeping, it's freezing. Besides, the snow is still falling; you won't be able to sweep it clean, isn't that just busy work for nothing? Come over and eat something."

"No need, Fifth Brother, you guys eat. I'll finish sweeping in a couple of strokes and go stay with Second Aunt." Meng Xiaozao hurried to sweep a few more times, then headed toward the moon gate, disappearing from sight. She had already swept a clean path from the main room door to the courtyard entrance.

Regardless of whether Old Guan was clear-headed or not, he was getting old, and Han's mother wasn't young either; she couldn't handle the busy work all day long. So, just like in the original drama, Han Chunming brought over his cousin, Meng Xiaozao, to help with cooking and chores. The monthly pay was much more than serving plates and standing at a counter in a restaurant, and it wasn't as tiring, plus it was more free; it was taking care of a relative.

Today was another gathering of drinking buddies. Because it happened to be a heavy snow, Old Guan was rambling about eating mutton hot pot, and Han Chunming just happened to call everyone, and they all drove over. This was a good idea; otherwise, Wang Yan would have been organizing it at home too. Snowy days and mutton hot pot really go well together.

Puran Hou took a sip of wine and picked out the last slice of mutton from the bubbling copper pot, laughing as he ate: "Xiaozao is a good kid. She's been here for more than two years, right? Look, the house is kept in perfect order, she's diligent, sensible, and can even sing a couple of lines; what a good girl. Unlike my daughter, who just finds some old fat guy to live with, and doesn't come to see me, her father, day after day."

"Look, he still can't get over it in his heart." Ma Du laughed and picked up a plate to put mutton into the pot: "I heard a while ago that Uncle's shopping mall has opened in Shanghai?"

"That's just the beginning. Development has been good these past two years, the bank is giving loans, and the chain supermarkets have brand effects. With Beijing and Shanghai as the center, spreading to the surroundings, sooner or later, it will open all over the country." Wang Yan nodded with a smile, coordinating with Ma Du to stir the meat in the pot, looking at Puran Hou: "Lord Hou, don't you still have a twenty percent stake? Just wait to get rich."

Puran Hou rolled his eyes and turned to look at Han Chunming: "How is it going with the Admiral's son? It's been half a year, still no movement?"

Old Guan drank and ate peanuts to himself; although he was calling out that he wanted to eat, he didn't eat much, just tasting the flavor, watching others eat with relish. He was old and couldn't eat much anymore.

Han Chunming said with a smile: "Soon, it will be settled in a few months. Bought a three-story building here, also going to open a restaurant, and will work with Xiao Guan in the future."

Knowing that Old Guan didn't like to hear these things now, he sighed: "Lord Wang, I feel like that kid Cheng Army Supervisor seems to have gotten into trouble; now our neighbors on the street are all talking about it."

Ma Du asked curiously: "What's going on? In again?" Just out for a year, and arrested again; this is a talent.

Han Chunming said: "You guys know that kid's conduct. Went to the south to do business before, and when he came back, he was so showy. As a result, ever since my master's eightieth birthday last time, that kid hasn't had any movement, and didn't even come back for the New Year. I asked his parents out of curiosity, and they said he was busy with business and didn't have time to come back. Does this fit his personality? That kid, as long as he has a little achievement, he wishes he could shout it so the whole world knows. If he were doing that well, how could he not come back?

Besides, his parents moved back from the apartment because of his younger brother's marriage. If he were really making money, why wouldn't he buy another house for his brother? Their whole family is very concerned about face; isn't it shameful now? Right?"

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "Yes, you're right."

Once these words were out, even Old Guan, who usually didn't care about messy affairs, couldn't resist the fire of gossip and looked at Wang Yan along with the others: "Really in trouble?"

Wang Yan laughed, raised a glass of wine, and picked up a huge piece of meat from the pot and ate it, only then saying: "Don't I have a brother who has business over there? He knows Cheng Army Supervisor. It was also a while ago that he told me as a joke. Said that after the Admiral's eightieth birthday last year... sentenced to nine and a half years in the end."

"Whoa." Han Chunming couldn't help but gasp, because of the ten-year sentence Cheng Army Supervisor received: "I just said this kid wouldn't walk the straight path and would have to go in. Now it's good. I was wondering why his parents were so dispirited for a while; turns out it was this matter. What for? Squatting twice, counting together fourteen years, and when he gets out, he'll be in his forties, pushing fifty, tsk..."

The sigh was just for a moment; a person as insignificant as Cheng Army Supervisor naturally wouldn't be discussed for too long at this drinking table, and after a few sentences, it turned to other topics.

Cheng Army Supervisor was just a bit of fun to listen to; who could refuse the joy of watching others have trouble...