Chapter 1033: The truth of the orphanage, Liu Dashan

"I am all ears."

Gao Yang stared at Liu Dashan, his eyes extremely deep. He put down the teacup in his hand, his fingers tapping the table gently, waiting for Liu Dashan to speak.

Liu Dashan's eyes carried a hint of reminiscence, then he spoke gloomily.

"My family was poor since I was young. Although I had great ambitions, I couldn't overcome the lack of a few taels of silver. I worked myself to the bone every day, but it was only enough for food and clothing. In those days, it was hard to have a chance to get ahead."

"I was not resigned. I thought I was extraordinary. Why should I spend my whole life living this life of working from dawn till dusk, only to have enough for food and clothing? I vowed to get ahead and become a wealthy merchant who was prominent in the region!"

"Fortunately, Heaven was not unkind to me. When I was young, this face was extremely handsome. It's a bit embarrassing to say."

Gao Yang nodded. Although the Liu Dashan before him was middle-aged, one could still vaguely see the distinction of his youth—it was just that he was not even a fraction as good as him.

"Eating soft rice—what's embarrassing about that? When you are young, you don't know the goodness of soft rice, mistaking ambition for treasure. If it weren't for a prominent background, I would also want to eat soft rice."

"Soft rice?"

Liu Dashan was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"Lord Gao is right, it is eating soft rice!"

"I directed a scene where thugs harassed me, and then I stepped forward to save the day, getting beaten up miserably, and successfully ate the soft rice."

"After that, I relied on this money to start doing business, selling grain and cloth. Because I was diligent enough and knew how to treat people, the business gradually grew."

"But soon, I realized the bottleneck!" Liu Dashan spoke with a hint of malice, which flashed and disappeared. "This goddamn world doesn't rely on ability, but on connections. But I was from a poor background; even though I earned some silver, it was still hard to climb up to those great noble clans that had truly entrenched themselves here for hundreds of years!"

"They looked down on me, and from the bottom of their hearts, they despised me!"

"But I knew that if I could put in the effort here, I could complete a true transformation."

The smile on Gao Yang's face vanished. He said indifferently, "So you set your sights on the orphanage?"

A hint of fanaticism appeared in Liu Dashan's eyes, and the sound of his prayer beads colliding grew louder. He nodded heavily.

"That's right!"

"Ghost marriage is a custom that has existed since ancient times in Da Qian. In the eyes of the noble clans, it is even more so, otherwise, it would damage the family's fortune. But even for the noble clans, they face a problem!"

"That is, it is difficult to find suitable children. For ordinary low-born people, having any to marry is good enough, but for the noble clans, those children who rot within a few days and have terrifying faces—how could they match their noble status?"

"Some things they dare not do, because the cost of being found out is too high. But as long as there is demand, there will be people to do it, and there will be astonishing profits!"

Chen Sheng and Lu Luo heard this, their expressions extremely grim.

But Gao Yang's expression was very calm.

Liu Dashan continued, "Ten years ago, the entire Suiyang Jun suffered a great disaster. Noble clans everywhere built porridge stalls, but the porridge in the bowls was like clear water, which was highly criticized by the people!"

"I realized the opportunity had come!"

"I built a porridge shed, and the porridge in the pot was ten times thicker than theirs. For a time, the people flocked to it. I sent people to secretly promote my righteous deeds while pushing the grain prices of other rice shops higher, then slightly raised my own grain prices to stabilize them. The people all said I had a conscience and was a great philanthropist rarely seen in the world, and they all came to my rice shop to buy."

Liu Dashan laughed, his face full of mockery.

"This is the human heart. I just made a slight move, and the people regarded me as a great philanthropist, not knowing that I also secretly made a fortune."

"That year was too difficult; it was a rare great disaster. But the people couldn't even feed themselves, let alone the young children in their families. I took the opportunity to launch the orphanage, helping them raise their children for free and finding good families for them."

"Lord Gao probably can't imagine that at that time, in the entire Suiyang City, no one didn't praise me, Liu Dashan. Outside the orphanage, a large crowd of people knelt, and the sound resounded throughout the entire Suiyang City!"

"They all sent their children to me, calling me a saint of the current age!"

"I not only gave them food and drink, but also allowed them to visit. When they saw their children living very well, they all left in tears."

Speaking of this, the mockery on Liu Dashan's face became even more undisguised.

What kind of person was Gao Yang?

The rumors were very clear.

Plus, he had already thought it through, so he didn't hide anything.

Chen Sheng and Lu Luo clenched their fists, trying their best to suppress their inner emotions.

Gao Yang continued to ask, "Although many children died prematurely, with so many children, I'm afraid it wasn't just ghost marriages, right?"

Liu Dashan was not surprised.

He smiled and said, "That is natural. Does Lord Gao know about Governor Meng?"

In Gao Yang's eyes, coldness flashed by.

"What about Governor Meng?"

Liu Dashan replied, "Governor Meng is from a noble family. He is not greedy for money and has done some practical things, but he has some special hobbies."

"But as a dignified Governor, he can't go to a brothel and act recklessly, right? And if this gets out, what face would he have left? How could he be promoted?"

"Everyone says brothels are filthy, but even brothels aren't that beastly!"

"So when I accidentally found out, Governor Meng's relationship with me became unbreakable. Lord Gao, you are so intelligent, can you understand?"

Liu Dashan stared at Gao Yang. Although he didn't say it explicitly, Gao Yang felt a chill in his heart and understood very clearly.

Lu Luo was hit hard and tried her best to endure it.

She thought of those children, thought of when she first met Liu Dashan and thought he was a good person, and then listening to these words, she wanted to slap herself a few times.

Liu Dashan was actually so evil!

Those children regarded Liu Dashan as their savior, even calling him 'foster father' one after another, and even stood in front of him, not letting Gao Yang take him away!

But behind the scenes, Liu Dashan was such a demon!

Gao Yang took a deep breath and stared at Liu Dashan. "When I first saw those children, was all of that acted out?"

Liu Dashan shook his head. "None of that was acted out, and the children don't have such high-level acting skills, because I have always been good to them."

"Does Lord Gao remember the 'lucky ones'?"

Gao Yang stared at Liu Dashan, his heart sinking.

He didn't speak, but he had already guessed this point, and asking it was just to confirm it once more. ===== CHAPTER 1035 =====