Chapter 82: Uncle

Thinking and dreaming of going home to count money, only to discover the money vault is gone!

Shen Yuan's face was pale as he leaned weakly against the couch, flipping through the Account Book while gasping as if he had a toothache.

That so-called Wanfu Garden mentioned above—the investment was just too, too, too huge!

Since such a massive investment could be carried out, it meant those above approved of it as well.

As for whether it would turn a profit, no one could predict.

At this moment, he only felt his whole body go limp, a hollow space opening up in his heart.

Whether it makes money or not is a matter for the future; right now, the money box is practically empty.

At least, it is empty as far as he is concerned!

After quickly finishing the Account Book, Shen Yuan forced himself to put on a serious expression and called over the steward and several trusted attendants who had remained at home to question them.

After the questioning, he called his two sons over.

Shen Qing and Shen Liu were quite happy when they arrived.

"Father, you're back! You were gone for a long time this trip, you don't know..."

Shen Yuan said calmly: "Close the door."

"Oh!"

Thinking they were about to discuss some important secret matter, Shen Qing and Shen Liu quickly closed the door, even looking outside before doing so to confirm no one else was nearby.

Once the door was shut, they turned around and found their own father's face as black as the bottom of a pot.

The two:???

Shen Yuan suppressed his emotions and asked in a deep voice: "Do you two have Money Vouchers on you?"

The two were confused, but took out a few.

Shen Yuan continued: "Just these? What else?"

The two hesitated, then took out a few more.

Shen Yuan snatched them away, stacked the Money Vouchers together, and swiped them across the two men's faces like a fan, *swish, swish*.

It didn't hurt, but Shen Qing and Shen Liu were left stunned by the sudden flurry.

"You spendthrift sons!"

Shen Yuan was heartbroken.

*Bang! * He slammed the money box down in front of them.

"A full chest, and this is all that's left?!"

Shen Qing understood the situation now, and instead of feeling anxious, he smiled and said: "Oh, Father, you mean this? It's all worth it!"

He told his father about the glorious prospects for Wanfu Garden that Wen Gu had described to him back then.

Shen Liu also said: "I think what our cousin said makes a lot of sense, so all that money was poured in."

Shen Yuan, holding the Money Vouchers, *whoosh*, swiped them back again.

"Use your heads! You believe whatever someone else says? The money in this box concerns our entire family's livelihood!"

The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he felt.

Unable to sit still, Shen Yuan now urgently wanted to have a few words with that nephew he hadn't seen in many years!

Making Shen Qing and Shen Liu lead the way, Shen Yuan held in his breath, got into the carriage, and headed toward Jingxing Fang.

Approaching Jingxing Fang, while still some distance away, Shen Yuan saw the high-pitched cloth awnings.

"What are those?" he asked.

Shen Qing said: "It's a bridge."

"What broken bridge, what kind of 'broken'—it's almost the New Year, that's terribly unlucky!" Shen Yuan was extremely dissatisfied.

Shen Qing was bewildered.

How is it unlucky?

And, isn't it still a long way from the New Year?

There were many people entering and exiting the ward gate; Shen Yuan took one look, stepped directly off the carriage, and walked into the ward to see what kind of things the money from the box had been spent on.

Shen Qing and Shen Liu were familiar with the path and led their father straight inside to find Wen Gu.

As they neared the office area, they saw Wen Gu chatting with a dozen or so people.

As soon as Shen Yuan saw the attire of the Patrol Guard Division, he reacted reflexively and jumped behind a pile of building materials to the side.

He poked his head out, observing in secret.

Shen Qing saw the situation ahead and was about to speak to his father, but when he turned his head, he suddenly didn't see Shen Yuan.

He looked left and right and found him behind a pile of building materials.

"Father, what are you hiding for?"

Shen Yuan lowered his voice and waved for them to hide over there too: "Quick! Quick! The Patrol Guard Division is handling a case!"

During his time away, he had seen plenty of the methods the Patrol Guard Division used to handle affairs.

He wouldn't get involved; he would see what exactly was happening first.

Shen Qing and Shen Liu didn't hide, but instead looked ahead in confusion.

"It doesn't look like they're handling a case," Shen Liu said.

Shen Yuan also noticed the chatting and laughing atmosphere over there by now; he walked back with a calm expression, carefully flicking the dust he had just brushed against off his robe.

"Hmm, I see that now."

He lifted his eyes and looked over.

"Which one is Wen Gu?" he asked.

"That one, the one who looks like a frail scholar," Shen Qing said.

Shen Yuan looked around.

Among a group of people who looked like martial artists, there were three scholars with distinctly different temperaments.

One was on the younger side, one looked dull, and as for the last one, he was refined and composed, and one could vaguely see the appearance of the other person from his childhood in his memory.

He was even chatting and laughing with people from the Patrol Guard Division.

Not simple at all!

The person they were watching also looked over here at this moment, said a few words to the person beside him, and then walked over.

"Cousin." Wen Gu walked closer.

"Who are those people over there? Are they all from the Patrol Guard Division?" Shen Liu asked curiously.

"Not all of them. A while ago, Patrol Guard Pei promised to allocate ten people to help me here, and they just arrived today."

Today, the Patrol Guard Division sent people over, but Pei Jun was busy; such a small matter did not require him to show his face personally, and he could just have someone relay his words.

As Wen Gu spoke, his gaze turned to Shen Yuan, and he asked, "This person... looks a bit familiar."

Shen Qing was just about to introduce him, but Shen Yuan stepped forward, his face full of smiles, and said excitedly:

"It's Wen Gu, right? I am your uncle! It's been many years, and you've grown so big!"

There were tears in Shen Yuan's eyes, and he wore a kind smile.

Shen Liu, who was beside him:???

Wen Gu also followed suit and called him uncle.

He had seen him a few times when he was young, but the impression was very faint. In this era of inconvenient transportation and poor information, this was very normal.

This was only because the Shen Family used to run a business and had the opportunity to meet. Most people never met again after parting ways.

Now, to avoid disaster, they had reunited here in Xinzhou City.

This Uncle Shen was quite interesting.

Just now, Wen Gu was chatting with the people from the Patrol Guard Division, and he did not expect this uncle to suddenly appear here.

However, the timing was also fine.

When the other party first appeared, Wen Gu had noticed him, including the scene where the other party suddenly darted behind the building materials to observe in secret.

He just pretended not to notice, chatted a few more times with the people from the Patrol Guard Division, and only then looked over.

Shen Yuan put on an expression of being very excited to see a relative: "Uncle just returned to Xinzhou City, came in a hurry, didn't prepare anything, and didn't know what you liked..."

He grabbed Wen Gu's hand and stuffed two Money Vouchers into it.

Shen Qing and Shen Liu opened their eyes wide.

They had just been taken from the two brothers not long ago, and they were still warm!

Shen Liu: "Dad, you just now... Ugh!"

He was poked in the ribs by his own father.

Uncle Shen laughed heartily, his slightly chubby face appearing exceptionally kind.

He said to Wen Gu: "I won't disturb you anymore, official business comes first! Go, go, your cousins are here; they will take me to look around the construction site, and I will go back after one round. We are family, don't be formal."

Wen Gu agreed accordingly, but still had Cheng Zhi come over to accompany him.

Part of the construction at Wanfu Garden was suspended due to weather, and the current progress could not be seen clearly. Shen Yuan went to look at the flying bridge enclosed by cloth curtains.

Wen Gu had once spoken about various considerations regarding benefits, and Cheng Zhi remembered them clearly and told them to Shen Yuan as well.

Moreover, it was not that kind of very vague expression; he even listed some data.

Shen Yuan was sensitive to numbers and had strong arithmetic skills.

He silently calculated it in his heart.

The investment was indeed very large, and the benefits obtained would also be very many.

Although he was still reluctant in his heart, he still said: "Very good, very good."

It was worth the money thrown into it!

On the way back, in the carriage.

"Dad, I told you this before, why didn't you believe me?" Shen Qing looked at his own father with dissatisfaction.

Shen Yuan glanced sideways: "With so many people from the Patrol Guard Division here in charge of security, how much importance must be placed on this!"

Having worked for the Zhao Family for so long, he naturally knew some of the connections involved.

"Then, Dad, the Money Vouchers you collected from us earlier..."

"It's so easy to lose them if you carry them on you; lock them in the box, so you don't go scattering them again when you get excited."

Shen Yuan thought about the money box at home.

The money that had been scattered was gone, but fortunately, the remuneration he received for his work this time was also quite a lot, and he could make up for part of it later.

As for the remaining money, he just needed to guard it well.

(End of this chapter)