Chapter 775: Overseas Hou Family Members

Su Xinghui asked, "Mr. João, do you know this Mr. Hou's name?"

João said, "Originally I only knew his French name, Henri. When he bought that painting and asked for your contact information, I inquired about his Chinese name—he said it was Hou Guangbi."

Su Xinghui became even more certain that this Hou Guangbi must be from the Hou family of Zhuangyuan Alley.

Hou Dali's father was named Hou Guangji, so Hou Guangbi must be of the same generation—that would make him Hou Dali's uncle or elder cousin. Next time he returned to Shangjun, he would have to tell Hou Dali this news and have him reach out to Hou Guangbi.

Su Xinghui took a sheet of paper, wrote down his current address and phone number on it, and handed it to João: "Mr. João, when you return to France next time, please give my contact information to Mr. Hou Guangbi."

João took the paper and nodded: "Of course, Mr. Su. I should be returning to France next month—I'll deliver your contact details to Mr. Hou. He is an elder worthy of my respect."

Su Xinghui asked again: "Mr. João, do you know what Mr. Hou Guangbi does for a living?"

João said, "The Hou family are prominent merchants in Paris—their businesses include hotels, textiles, leather goods, machinery, and more. Mr. Hou himself is a man of great bearing; I believe he must be an important member of the Hou family."

Su Xinghui nodded. It seemed the Hou family had developed quite well overseas. As for why they had never returned to visit relatives, Su Xinghui roughly understood their psychology.

They had once served the Kuomintang and followed them across the strait, eventually making their way to Paris. Over these decades, mainland China's political climate was never stable—how could they dare return?

Though mainland China has now opened up, overseas Chinese still do not know the true situation at home. Overseas media have been heavily slandering China, portraying the mainland as monstrous. After seeing such reports, how could overseas Chinese with historical stains dare return?

This situation may not improve until the new century.

Su Xinghui said, "Thank you, Mr. João!"

João stood up: "Mr. Su, then we'll head back to Jiangcheng. If you create any new works, please remember to hold onto them until I come again—I'll pay you a price you'll be satisfied with."

Su Xinghui nodded, seeing João and Huang Zhaoxian down the stairs and off to their car.

Back in his room, Comrade Qi Jian came over and asked, "Comrade Xinghui, was that a foreigner just now?"

Su Xinghui nodded: "Yes, Secretary. He's a French client who came to buy my paintings."

Comrade Qi Jian nodded in relief: "I've often seen you paint, though I don't understand art—I just think your work is excellent. It turns out there are people who recognize talent—foreign merchants are even buying your paintings. How much did you sell them for?"

Su Xinghui replied casually: "Nine paintings, 180,000."

Comrade Qi Jian had asked casually, but upon hearing the number, his eyes widened in shock—he sat speechless for over a minute before asking: "How much?"

Su Xinghui said: "180,000."

He pulled out the contract and the pile of cash from the drawer and showed them to Comrade Qi Jian. After looking, Qi Jian sucked in a sharp breath: "Comrade Xinghui, you're a millionaire now! Having a special skill really pays off—if I had such a talent, my family's life would be solved."

Su Xinghui laughed: "It's just luck—this foreign merchant happened to appreciate my work. Foreigners have money; otherwise, I couldn't have sold them for so much."

Comrade Qi Jian asked again: "You're so familiar with him—this isn't your first time selling paintings, is it?"

Su Xinghui said: "Third time. The first two sales totaled 200,000."

Comrade Qi Jian shook his head: "I can't compare to you—I doubt I'll ever earn this much in my lifetime."

Su Xinghui said: "Secretary, don't be so pessimistic. Our country's economy is booming—your income will surely grow too."

Comrade Qi Jian said: "I hope so. Aren't you going to deposit all this money in the bank right away?"