Chapter 464: Status

Several people walked out of the restaurant. Xu Damao waved at Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiefang: "You two go back first; I have something to discuss with your Siqiang."

Wang Baosheng watched the two walk away before asking: "Damao, do you still have something to discuss with us?"

Xu Damao smiled: "There is a rule in the antique trade—verify the goods in person, and don't look for trouble afterward. Even though we are brothers, I still have to verify these goods in front of you."

Wang Baosheng nodded in praise: "Brother Damao, you are truly meticulous in your work."

Xu Damao took out a flashlight and then pulled a scroll from a cloth bag. He glanced at the mounting first, his expression changed instantly, and the flashlight nearly fell to the ground. "Brother Bao, Brother Zheng, these items of yours are not right. Are you sure Lao Er has seen these?"

"He saw them!" Wang Baosheng was stunned for a moment. "He even said one of them came from the palace and had the Qianlong seal stamped on it."

Xu Damao shook his head without speaking and quickly took out the second scroll—it was not the original mounting either; the third, fourth, and fifth scrolls were all mounted with rather crude craftsmanship.

Xu Damao shook his head: "Your paintings have been swapped!"

"That's impossible! You forget what we do for a living. Take a closer look; maybe the real ones are inside?" Zheng De remained unwilling to give up.

"I don't need to look to know they are fakes. No good painting would be mounted in such a cheap way!" Xu Damao laughed.

Wang Baosheng opened a painting to show Xu Damao. As it turned out, even he, who knew nothing about paintings, could tell they were imitations. All five paintings were opened, and they were all inferior imitations.

"This is impossible..." Wang Baosheng muttered. "I took these personally from Lao Er, and I haven't even touched them. How could this happen?"

Xu Damao laughed: "Brother Bao, you don't suspect that I swapped them on you, do you?"

"No." Wang Baosheng shook his head. "I don't believe you could have swapped the paintings right in front of me!"

"Damn it!" Zheng De cursed loudly. "We spend all our time hunting geese, only to have our eyes pecked out by a goose."

Wang Baosheng threw the paintings directly into Shichahai.

He sat on the ground dejectedly and said: "Damao, you have to help me!"

Ever since his car was burned, He Yuzhu had found an old Jeep from the Rolling Mill and modified it himself. Although it wasn't as good as the original, it could still serve as transportation.

He drove to Qianmen and told Chen Xueru about today's encounter from beginning to end.

Far from being angry, Chen Xueru laughed instead.

"Zhuzi, I know you did your best. If there's no certificate, then there's no certificate. I don't believe anyone can just arrest us." Chen Xueru hugged He Yuzhu and whispered.

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu laughed: "I thought you would be angry. I didn't expect you to be so understanding."

Chen Xueru sneered: "I know there are many women around you, and they actually don't want us to get married; I've understood that for a long time. But no matter what others think, our wedding must be held!"

"No problem. I will definitely give you a grand wedding!" He Yuzhu promised.

"I've had someone calculate the dates, and next weekend is a good day! I'll prepare the invitations, wedding clothes, and wedding quilts; you just wait to enter the bridal chamber," Chen Xueru said confidently.

"That saves me a lot of trouble. But I'll pay for everything!" He Yuzhu said, taking out a bankbook.

Chen Xueru opened it and smiled: "Five hundred million, you really do have some money!"

He Yuzhu laughed: "Since we are getting married, I won't hide it from you anymore. This money is just what's in the bank; I still have quite a bit of cash!"

Chen Xueru nodded: "Better than me. I've been in business for so many years, and it was almost all lost by a fool of a Manager."

"It's already a Public-Private Partnership, why didn't you deposit the money in the account into your own account beforehand!" He Yuzhu asked.

"I was constantly expanding production, bought a lot of machinery and equipment, and a large amount of goods were tied up in the warehouse. I originally thought the shop was all mine, so what was the point of distinguishing between public and private? Now it's over. Although the state owes me money, it still has to be paid back with the money earned by the shop. Who knows how long that will take!" Chen Xueru mocked herself.

He Yuzhu joked: "You said that Manager Xiao, was he in cahoots with those Russians to set you up!"

"That bastard did study in the Soviet Union, so he has a very good impression of Soviet people. What you said might actually be true!" Chen Xueru sighed.

He Yuzhu laughed and said: "One day when I run into Tian Dan, I'll ask him to help you check. However, it's actually not bad that you were cheated this time. The leaders in the city who handle the economy will sympathize with you, which might be a good thing for you!"

"I hope so!" Chen Xueru smiled bitterly.

"After I leave, Yushui will be left to you. As for those young girls around her, help them if you can. Although they aren't short of money at home, they can't handle messing around blindly with Yushui."

Chen Xueru nodded in agreement.

The next day at work, He Yuzhu ran into Lou Zhenhua, who pulled him directly into his office.

He Yuzhu held a teacup and took a sip of Pu'er: "This tea of yours has some age to it, right, Lou Laoban? I don't know much about tea, but I can tell it's good."

Lou Zhenhua nodded and said: "My stomach isn't very good, so I can't drink green tea; I can only drink Pu'er."

He Yuzhu asked: "Does Lou Laoban have something to discuss with me?"

"Don't call me Lou Laoban anymore, call me Uncle Lou!" Lou Zhenhua said.

He Yuzhu nodded.

"You don't know yet, do you? This time, just like your father, I am also going to Guangdong to participate in the aid construction project," Lou Zhenhua said gently.

He Yuzhu was startled: "Are you going over there to be the Factory Director?"

"No. I'm going as a Consultant. I have some connections in Hong Kong, and it's convenient for me to contact equipment and channels. Seeing your father go, I also applied, and I didn't expect the higher-ups to actually approve it," Lou Zhenhua explained.

He Yuzhu laughed: "It's perfect for you to go. They really do lack people like you who have connections and know the ropes. Although I know a bit about technology, my experience in building a factory is still far from enough."

Lou Zhenhua looked at him meaningfully: "I don't see it that way. I think you have great ability, but you just aren't very willing to do things yourself."

"Are you saying I'm lazy?" He Yuzhu replied with a smile.

"That's not it!" Seeing that the timing was right, Lou Zhenhua lowered his voice: "Zhuzi, I am an old friend of your father's. I brought you here today to ask you one thing—in the future, in the future, what will be the fate of people like us?"

He Yuzhu finished a cigarette and thought about his wording for a long time before slowly speaking: "Some policies have good intentions. But if the people executing them are no good, even the best policies will be abused. The workers are in power, yet they drink thin porridge and eat corn buns every day; while a small number of people eat and drink luxuriously... If this goes on for a long time, you can guess what will happen, right?"

Lou Zhenhua sighed: "I won't lie to you, many of my relatives and friends are in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong, and they all advise me to leave. But I always feel that it's hard to leave one's homeland."

He Yuzhu said earnestly: "Uncle Lou, I can't control others, but you have contributed to the country since the Japanese were here. Just because of that, whenever you want to leave, tell me, and I will help you."

Lou Zhenhua was stunned, then revealed a smile: "That would be great."

He Yuzhu explained: "Except for the house, which I can't help you take away, I can help you ship out anything that can be moved."

"Then I have no more worries." Lou Zhenhua's slightly nervous expression slowly calmed down.