Chapter 144 New Home
Zhuang Rui turned around and saw his boss's astonished expression. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "I applied some medicine for Officer Miao. By the way, where's the safflower oil you brought?"
No wonder the boss was surprised. From his angle just now, he could only see Zhuang Rui's back. Hearing those ambiguous words, Wei Ge, who already had a vivid imagination, unconsciously started thinking about... well, you know. Although this was in public, human desires are endless, and it's possible that the two of them did something just now.
"Officer Miao?"
They even knew each other's surnames so quickly. After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Wei Ge was even more convinced that the two were having an affair. He was heartbroken. He ran three or four kilometers in twenty minutes to get the safflower oil, but Lao Yao beat him to it.
"What are you standing there for? Give it to me."
Zhuang Rui snatched the safflower oil from the eldest brother's hand, then squatted down and poured some into his palm. After vigorously rubbing it to warm it, he applied it to Miao Feifei's ankle. Judging from his skillful movements, he really did have the air of a traditional Chinese medicine doctor specializing in treating injuries.
In fact, after Zhuang Rui used spiritual energy to heal her, Miao Feifei no longer felt any pain. While Zhuang Rui and Yang Wei were talking, she tried to move her ankle. Apart from the swelling not completely subsiding, it seemed no different from usual. What she didn't know was that Zhuang Rui had only used a very small amount of spiritual energy; otherwise, even this swelling would have disappeared immediately.
When the safflower oil came into contact with her skin, Miao Feifei first felt a cool sensation, which then turned into a burning heat, as if Zhuang Rui's palm had magic power. A heat surged up from her ankles, and Miao Feifei couldn't help but groan in comfort. This stunned Yang Wei, who was standing to the side. He thought to himself, "So this is how you pick up girls!" He was filled with regret. He was the one who brought the safflower oil; how could he have let his youngest sister use it?
Miao Feifei put on her shoes and socks and tried walking around. Sure enough, the pain was gone, which made her look at Zhuang Rui in a different light. She had always assumed that a broken bone would take a hundred days to heal, at least two or three months of rest, but she never expected Zhuang Rui to actually cure her.
"Thank you. Your family's medical skills are truly remarkable."
Miao Feifei knew that being knocked down by the Grand Cherokee had nothing to do with Zhuang Rui, so she said thank you.
"Family-inherited medical skills? Youngest son, you don't have..."
"Brother Wei, you should thank Officer Miao for being so magnanimous; he's not holding it against us."
Zhuang Rui quickly interrupted Yang Wei, turned his back to Miao Feifei, and kept winking at his boss. Now was not the time to discuss this issue; it was time to hurry up and drive away.
Viagra was a perceptive man, and upon hearing this, he immediately said to Miao Feifei, "Officer Miao, I was indeed wrong today. I wasn't paying attention while driving, and you see, I've realized my mistake. Could you please... please let me off the hook?"
Yang Wei originally wanted to say that he had treated me like a fart, but when he got to the edge of his mouth, he realized that it was a bit impolite to say that to a lady, so he swallowed the words back down. However, Miao Feifei understood what he meant. Although she often joked with a group of men before, Yang Wei's words made her blush.
"I won't impound the car..."
"Thank you, Officer Miao, you really keep your word..."
Zhuang Rui said with a happy expression.
"However, your driver's license will remain with me. Go to the driving school's training course for those who violate traffic rules tomorrow. You can come back to get your license back when you've passed the skills test. I'm from the XX District Traffic Police Squadron."
Miao Feifei's next words greatly frustrated Wei Ge. Confiscating his driver's license was tantamount to taking away his manhood. Just as Wei Ge was about to beg for help, he had a sudden thought: this girl told me to ask her to get my driver's license back. We'd get to know each other after a while, right? Wei Ge immediately turned his worry into joy and nodded repeatedly.
To be honest, Yang Wei's driving skills, while a bit terrible, are actually quite careful. He'd drive at 40 kilometers per hour if he could, and he'd never go 80. Plus, he's the typical slow-paced type of person from Zhonghai. He's been driving for several years and hasn't had any major accidents. It's mostly just rear-ending other cars or scratching the paint. Because there were very few cars on that road, Wei got a little carried away, which almost led to a serious accident.
"This man is really sick; he's so happy even though he's been detained."
Miao Feifei secretly thought to herself that if Wei Ge heard this, he would definitely be greatly shocked. Miao Feifei then said, "The cost of my motorcycle repair will be included in the ticket. You can check it at the bank yourself. The fine must be paid within fifteen working days."
After Miao Feifei finished speaking, she ignored Yang Wei, who was nodding like a chicken pecking at rice, nodded to Zhuang Rui, turned her motorcycle around, and drove off. However, she wasn't going on patrol; instead, she returned to her residence in the villa area. Having such a good reason, she was definitely going to rest for a few days. As for asking for leave, that was easy. Everyone knew she was parachuted in to gain experience, and no one would make things difficult for her regarding a few days of sick leave.
"What... what's going on here, youngest brother? I ran around all this time, brought back the safflower oil, and she used it all, and she didn't even say thank you. Instead, she confiscated my brother's certificate. This woman..."
"Alright, Wei-ge, you really need to be more careful when you drive in the future. With what you did today, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for the police officer to charge you with intentional assault. I think you really should go to driving school and learn properly for a few days. I don't want to hear the news that your car is going to end up under a truck one day."
Zhuang Rui interrupted Yang Wei and offered some earnest advice. He said that with his terrible sense of direction and driving skills, why did Yang Wei insist on driving all the time? Yang Wei's parents had arranged several drivers for him, but he had refused them all.
"Okay, come on, little one, I'll treat you to a meal to welcome you back."
Wei agreed and then put his displeasure aside. After all, it wasn't the first time his driver's license had been confiscated. After speaking, Yang Wei habitually opened the driver's side door, but just as he was about to get in, he remembered that he didn't have his driver's license anymore. He reluctantly gave it to Zhuang Rui and obediently sat back in the passenger seat.
"White Lion, you're back."
Zhuang Rui whistled, and the white lion, which had disappeared somewhere, immediately rushed out, leaping onto the back door that Zhuang Rui had already opened like a white lightning bolt.
"I must say, youngest brother, your Tibetan Mastiff is really much better than Qiangzi's."
Zhuang Rui had met Qiangzi, whom Yang Wei mentioned, a few times. He was also the descendant of a wealthy businessman in Zhonghai, a so-called "second-generation rich kid." However, he wasn't as ambitious as his older brother and spent his days walking dogs and playing with birds. If he were to act in a late Qing Dynasty film, he would look exactly like a Manchu nobleman without any makeup.
"Compared to my White Lion? He's not worthy! Boss, someone offered 40 million RMB for my White Lion. That mutt Qiangzi dares to call himself a Tibetan Mastiff?"
Zhuang Rui said with a disdainful look. Yang Wei didn't know about this and quickly asked about it. While driving, Zhuang Rui selectively told Wei Ge about his situation over the past two months, which Wei Ge found very interesting. Afterwards, Wei Ge complained that Zhuang Rui hadn't invited him when he went to Tibet.
After all that commotion, it was almost 9:30. After driving off the road, the two found a roadside food stall, ate something quick, packed some braised dishes to go, and bought a case of beer to load into the car. They planned to go back to Zhuang Rui's new place and have a few more drinks; as Wei Ge said, a welcome drink was a must. ...
"Hey boss, could you give me a more specific address? I can find it myself, I don't need your directions."
As Zhuang Rui drove, he complained to Yang Wei. They had just finished eating at ten o'clock, but it was almost eleven o'clock now. Despite Yang Wei's directions, they still couldn't find the neighborhood where he rented an apartment. Yang Wei insisted on giving Zhuang Rui a surprise and hadn't told him the name of the neighborhood.
“That residential area is called Cuiyuan. It’s around here. You know, I’m not very familiar with this area. Turn right, it seems to be on the right.”
Wei Ge touched his nose somewhat awkwardly. It wasn't that he was unfamiliar with this place; apart from the roads within a few kilometers of his home, it seemed there were hardly any other places in Zhonghai that he knew well.
"Come on, if I listen to you again, neither of us will be able to sleep tonight."
Zhuang Rui ignored Yang Wei and turned directly into a side road on the left. He knew about Cuiyuan; he should have just said so earlier.
Cuiyuan is one of the earlier high-rise residential buildings in China Overseas. It is very close to the famous Bund and not far from the pawnshop where Zhuang Rui works. It takes about ten minutes to drive there. If he had lived here before, Zhuang Rui would not have had to go through the hassle of commuting by subway and bus every day.
The people living in Cuiyuan are all people with some status or assets. The housing prices here are also high. In 1997, it was only a little over 3,000 yuan per square meter, but now, even 7,000 yuan per square meter might not be enough to sell. In recent years, the housing prices of land near the Bund have risen rapidly.
When Zhuang Rui heard that Yang Wei had rented a house in Cuiyuan, he was indeed pleasantly surprised. He had longed for a high-rise apartment building with an elevator for a long time. In the past, when he took the bus back to his damp and dark rented room in Zhabei, passing by those high-end residential and office buildings lining both sides of the road, Zhuang Rui could only look on with envy.
After driving the car to the entrance of Cuiyuan Residential Area, Yang Wei took out a room card and handed it to the security guard. Then he turned to Zhuang Rui and said, "You need to get a car card tomorrow, otherwise it will be very inconvenient for you to come and go like this."
Zhuang Rui nodded and, following the road signs, parked the car in the underground parking lot. He then took Bai Shi and Yang Wei up the elevator. The apartment Yang Wei had rented for him was on the eighteenth floor, and judging from what Wei Ge had said, the view from the balcony was quite nice.
Chapter 145 Investment
"So, youngest brother. Is the three thousand yuan monthly rent for this place worth it?"
Upon reaching the sixteenth floor and opening the door, Zhuang Rui immediately fell in love with the apartment.
This is a three-bedroom, two-living-room suite. There is an entryway at the entrance, where a ceramic Buddha statue of Guanyin is placed. The living room is not very large, but it is decorated very elegantly. On the wall opposite a row of gray fabric sofas, there is a 34-inch LCD TV. The fact that the owner of this house bought an LCD TV in 2004 suggests that he is quite wealthy.
Zhuang Rui looked around, casually placed the braised dishes on the glass table in the dining room, and went to check out the bedrooms. There were two bedrooms plus a study. The bedding in both rooms was new, presumably changed by the eldest brother. However, this guy didn't seem to have any good intentions, reserving a room for himself. He definitely wasn't planning anything good.
This apartment isn't actually very big; it's just over 100 square meters with three bedrooms and two living rooms. However, it's in a good location, very close to the Bund, and the community is quiet and elegant with 24-hour security patrols. Plus, it's on the 18th floor, so you can enjoy the Bund view from the balcony. The rooms are fully furnished. For such an apartment, a monthly rent of 3,000 yuan is indeed not expensive.
According to the eldest brother's introduction, the landlord is quite a character. It is said that he is a descendant of a former dynasty's scion. However, this second-generation scion, after inheriting his ancestor's vast fortune, refused to inherit his ancestral culture. He is a surrealist painter living in Shanghai, who is interested in foreign famous paintings with little clothing, such as "The Bathers of Valpinçon" and "Cupid Flirting with Venus." In the bedroom left for Zhuang Rui, there is a half-naked woman holding a jar. Perhaps due to a lack of artistic talent, Zhuang Rui admired it for a long time but still felt that it was not as good as the nude art photography magazines sold in Xinhua Bookstore.
However, it's fortunate that this young master had a forward-thinking mindset, as he decorated the house in a way that was very internationally compatible. It had everything: air conditioning, color TV, refrigerator, and washing machine. Even the telephone had fax and caller ID. What's even more remarkable is that in the study, there were several peach wood shelves, which, although empty, were clearly made specifically for displaying antiques.
"Youngest brother, take a shower first, then we'll come out and have a drink. Tell me all about your experiences over the past two months."
The eldest brother's voice came from the living room. Zhuang Rui took out a few changes of underwear and went into the bathroom, which had a water heater and a washing machine. He threw his dirty clothes in there.
After leaving the bathroom, the eldest brother had already set up a small round table on the balcony. The balcony was also decorated quite uniquely. In one corner, there was even a miniature rockery with a water circulation system, in which several goldfish that Zhuang Rui couldn't name were swimming leisurely. Seeing this, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but admire the homeowner's ingenuity, which had so well blended the natural mountain scenery with modern civilization.
"Boss, where is the landlord now?"
Zhuang Rui brought over a case of beer that was placed by the door, opened one bottle and handed it to Yang Wei, then took out a bottle for himself and opened it as well. The two of them didn't use glasses, just clinked their bottles together and drank straight from the bottle, which was quite enjoyable.
Yang Wei picked up a piece of braised meat and put it in his mouth, answering vaguely, "I don't know, I just heard that the guy squandered all the things left by his ancestors, got a sum of money, and went abroad to study some kind of performance art. He's a complete spendthrift. Why are you asking about this?"
"This house is nice; if possible, I'd like to buy it."
Looking at the beautiful Bund view outside the balcony, Zhuang Rui really had this idea. He bought a house in Zhonghai so that his mother could come and live with him. Even if his mother couldn't let go of her old friends in Pengcheng, she could come and stay for a few months every year, and he could fulfill his filial duty.
Most importantly, Zhuang Rui was extremely satisfied with this house. Even if he didn't continue developing his career in China Overseas, he could keep it as an investment, since the prices in China Overseas were changing almost daily. The upward trend was very strong, and a lot of capital from other places, such as Wenzhou, had entered the China Overseas real estate market. The upward trend in housing prices had already spread to various cities across the country. Even the house that Zhuang Rui bought in Pengcheng a little over a month ago had increased in value by 20%.
"You want to buy this house?"
Yang Wei was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this. After receiving Zhuang Rui's definite answer, he said, "The landlord originally wanted to sell this house, but the asking price was a bit high, so it has been listed for a long time without being sold. I know the property manager, so I rented it for you. Young man, the landlord wants to sell this house for 9,000 yuan per square meter, which is 1,000 to 2,000 yuan more expensive than a typical high-rise apartment with an elevator. Are you sure you want to buy it?"
Yang Wei actually wanted to ask Zhuang Rui if he had that much money, but he was too embarrassed to ask directly, so he brought up housing prices instead. What he said was true: in early 2004, the average price of housing in China Overseas was around 5,100 yuan per square meter, and high-rise apartments in slightly better locations were around 7,000 yuan per square meter. This descendant of a former dynasty's son had priced his property at 9,000 yuan per square meter. Indeed, few people were interested.
However, neither of them knew that in three to five years, due to the fact that land near the Bund would basically no longer be approved, the housing prices here would skyrocket, and the price of this house would increase by at least four or five times, probably even fifty or sixty thousand yuan per square meter.
"A slightly higher price isn't a big problem. This house is in a good location, and the price will only go up, not down. If you don't buy it now, you might not be able to buy it later. Oh, right, I almost forgot about that."
As Zhuang Rui was speaking, he suddenly jumped up as if his butt was on fire, rushed into the bathroom, found the shirt he had thrown into the washing machine, and took out the check for 1.5 million. Luckily, he didn't have the habit of using the washing machine. If he had turned it on after taking a shower, the 1.5 million would have been lost.
Back on the balcony, Zhuang Rui handed the check to his boss and said, "Brother Wei, this money should be enough to buy this house. Please help me with this. As for the rest, just deduct the deposit and expenses and give it to me later."
Yang Wei took the check, glanced at the number, and laughed, "You've really struck it rich, throwing over a million around like that. You know, my monthly allowance is only a few thousand. I'll be begging you for money from now on."
After asking Zhuang Rui, Yang Wei learned that the money was what Zhuang Rui had won gambling on jade in Nanjing that day. He smacked his lips for a long time but couldn't say a word. It seems that sometimes when fortune comes, you can't stop it. However, Yang Wei was also very happy to see his brother, who had been the worst off in the past, get rich.
Their major in university was always predominantly female, and with only five boys in the class, they were naturally assigned to the same dormitory. The eldest, needless to say, was a local tyrant, while the second eldest was from Beijing and rarely mentioned his family. However, his background was undoubtedly very strong; he got a job at a ministry in Beijing right after graduation and was doing quite well now.
The fourth brother's family is in Guangdong. Judging from his extravagant spending habits, he even surpasses the eldest brother in some respects, so his family must be quite well-off. Of the five brothers, only the third brother and Zhuang Rui come from ordinary families. The third brother is from Weinan, Shaanxi Province, which is close to Xi'an. His parents are farmers, and his family is considered the poorest. However, after returning home, he has a good job and is now living a comfortable life.
As for Yang Wei's words about ripping off Zhuang Rui, they weren't entirely unfounded. When Yang Wei was young, his family was relatively poor, and he lived an ordinary life until the early 1990s when things started to improve. Yang Wei's parents were quite strict with him, giving him at most ten thousand or twenty thousand a month. You could tell from the beat-up cars he drove. The children of wealthy businessmen of his parents' level all drove BMWs and Ferraris.
"Alright, stop bothering me. Even a single hair from your father's head is thicker than my waist, and you still want to take advantage of me."
Zhuang Rui looked at Yang Wei with disdain and opened two more bottles of beer. It was almost April, and the night breeze wasn't too cold on his face. Looking at the beautiful lights of the Bund, drinking beer and chatting, Zhuang Rui felt indescribably happy.
"Don't mention my father. He spends all his money on junk. If he bought the real stuff, that would be fine, but he still can't bear to throw away that whole room full of fakes. Enough said, let's drink."
Wei Ge harbored deep resentment. A while ago, he ran out of money and took a vase from his father's room that was supposedly worth over a million yuan, intending to sell it for some cash. However, when he showed it to Uncle De, Uncle De found it to be nothing more than a modern craft item, worth maybe a hundred yuan. Wei Ge was so angry that he smashed the vase on the spot and was later scolded by his own father for being a spendthrift.
The two brothers drank until after 2 a.m., leaving a pile of empty bottles on the balcony before going to their rooms to sleep. Zhuang Rui, however, had to go to work the next day, and after only a few hours of sleep, he was woken up by his phone alarm. He went to his older brother's room and saw him sleeping like a log, so he didn't disturb him. After washing up, he took White Lion downstairs…
At 7:50 a.m., Zhuang Rui parked his car in the backyard of the pawnshop, tucked the box containing the Zhu Kexin purple clay tea set under his arm, held the couplet by Lian Sheng in his left hand, and carried a plastic bag containing a gift for Uncle De in his right hand. Then, he walked into the pawnshop with Bai Shi and ran into the cashier Xu Ling, who was exchanging money with bank staff.
"Zhuang...Rui, oh no, good morning, Manager Zhuang."
Xu Ling spotted Zhuang Rui immediately and greeted him.
"Xiao Zhuang, you're back to work. How's your recovery going?"
"Good lad, not bad, you've got guts. When you got injured, we guys were saying we'd come to visit you, but who knew you'd be discharged so quickly."
Upon seeing Zhuang Rui enter, several bank security guards who were on good terms with him surrounded him, asking him all sorts of questions about his situation.
Chapter 146 Taking Office
"I was just saying I wanted to thank you guys. If you hadn't arrived in time, I'd probably be dead by now. In a few days, I'll treat you to some drinks. You must come!"
Zhuang Rui quickly bowed deeply to express his gratitude for their concern. After waking up, he heard from Uncle De that after the bullet grazed his eye that day, if the bank staff hadn't arrived quickly, the assailant might not be standing here today if he had fired another shot.
"Hey, this little guy is so cute."
A security guard, seeing the white lion following Zhuang Rui, reached out to stroke its head. Unexpectedly, the lion lunged, knocking the guard, who was about 1.8 meters tall, to the ground. Keep in mind, the white lion was only two months old, about the size of a German Shepherd. Its strength was terrifying; even when Zhuang Rui was playing with it, he would sometimes find himself pinned to the ground.
At this moment, the white lion's fur stood on end, and its large mouth was half-open, aimed directly at the man's throat. The person next to it had no doubt that this bite would definitely tear the man's throat apart.