At this moment, Lan Haibei looked at Zhuang Rui with a hint of suspicion on his face. He waved his hand, signaling Yan Kai to release Zhuang Rui, and walked over to him, asking, "Your surname is Zhuang? Haven't we met somewhere before?"
"My surname is Zhuang, but I've never seen you before..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head; he had absolutely no recollection of the person in front of him.
Does Mr. Zhuang live in Beijing?
Blue Seashell then asked another question.
"Yes, what's wrong?"
Zhuang Rui nodded in reply.
Seeing this, everyone was a little confused. Others were practically pointing fingers at them and saying that they were ill-mannered, so why was Lan Haibei trying to get close to them?
Only Uncle De knew the truth. Although he didn't know how Lan Haibei knew Zhuang Rui, judging from the scene, she probably knew Zhuang Rui's background, which was why she asked such a question.
"Mr. Zhuang lives in Yuquan Mountain, right?"
As the questioning deepened, Lan Haibei's expression became increasingly respectful.
"No, my maternal grandfather lives there... Why is Mr. Lan asking these questions?"
Zhuang Rui answered casually, but stopped halfway through his sentence. Was it necessary to tell this person about his own affairs?
"Mr. Zhuang, I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry, this was our fault..."
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Lan Haibei's doubts were finally resolved, but her unease only intensified.
Before the Lunar New Year, President Lan represented the Yan family of Zhonghai to go to the capital to wish a big shot a happy birthday. Although he only left the gift and left, he met Zhuang Rui once. However, Lan Haibei did not know the relationship between Zhuang Rui and the Ouyang family.
When Lan Haibei first saw Zhuang Rui, he seemed somewhat familiar. After asking him a few questions, it became clear to her that Zhuang Rui's relationship with the Ouyang family was no longer a secret.
Chapter 598 Background (Part 2)
"Uncle, why are you apologizing to him? But he hit me first!"
Putting aside the strange atmosphere in the room, Yan Kai, who was standing to the side, couldn't hold back any longer. This was the first time he had ever been hit in his life. Of course, although he was the one who started it, Yan Kai, who had suffered the loss, naturally believed that Zhuang Rui had struck first.
"Smack!"
A crisp sound rang out as Lan Haibei slapped Yan Kai hard across the face, so hard that Yan Kai almost spun around on the spot.
Well, the second beating Yan Dashao has received in his life has come so quickly. Yan Kai, with five red finger marks on his face, was completely stunned. He never expected that his uncle, whom he regarded as his savior, would actually hit him.
"You...you dare hit me? I'll tell my aunt, I'll tell my mom..."
It took Yan Kai more than a minute to react. To everyone's surprise, he started crying like a child, almost rolling on the ground in tears.
"That's enough, you two. Take him to the car, take his phone away, and I'll take him directly to see the old man later..."
As soon as Lan Haibei mentioned the old man, Yan Kai immediately stopped crying. He was more afraid of the man in his family than Ouyang Jun was of his grandfather. Ouyang Jun's fear was mostly out of respect.
Meanwhile, Young Master Yan, while claiming to be the old man's father, secretly hoped that the old man would kick the bucket soon, so that no one could control him.
"Mr. Zhuang, I'm so sorry, it's because we haven't disciplined him properly. I'll tell the old man when I get back..."
The reason Lan Haibei kicked Yan Kai out was partly to protect him. The person in front of her was the real princeling, and Yan Kai was no match for him. If anyone really wanted to mess with Yan Kai, even the old man couldn't do anything about it.
The power balance between the Yan family of Zhonghai and the Ouyang family of Beijing was like that between an aircraft carrier and a small raft, leaving Lan Haibei no choice but to apologize in a humble manner.
"This is a family matter, you don't need to tell me..."
Zhuang Rui replied casually, then turned to Qi Zhu, who was standing dumbfounded to the side, and said, "Sister Qi Zhu, thank you so much for your help this time. Let me find you a place to eat; I'm starving after all this..."
Zhuang Rui and the others originally planned to eat before getting on the highway, but this incident disrupted their plans. Now it's almost 7 o'clock, and Zhuang Rui's stomach is growling with hunger.
"Alright, alright, now that we're here, it's only right that I treat everyone..."
Upon hearing this, Qi Zhu realized that a young antique shop owner could command such respect from Lan Haibei, who was over fifty years old. It seemed that this Teacher Zhuang was not as simple as she had thought, and Qi Zhu was now filled with curiosity.
"Officer Fan, the matter has been clarified. Is there anything else you need? May we leave now?"
Zhuang Rui looked at Lao Fan. Although he knew what had happened before, there was no need to ruin his job now. No one had an easy time in this society, and Lao Fan had always been quite capable. It was just that the tea in the office was a little inferior.
"This...this..."
In this situation, Old Fan had no say. He could only look to Director Lu for advice, and after Director Lu nodded slightly, he said to Zhuang Rui, "Mr. Zhuang, I'm really sorry, you can leave now..."
"Xuanbing, Uncle De, let's go. I don't know if we can make it back to Zhonghai today..."
Zhuang Rui called out to the group and walked straight out of the police station, leaving a room full of people looking at each other in bewilderment.
"Mr. Lan, what exactly happened?"
After Director Lu kicked Jiang and the others out, he asked Lan Haibei, "I'm a bit confused right now. I've asked people on both sides to put in a good word, but Lan's attitude changed a little too quickly when she saw the person in question."
"Director Lu, this matter... sigh, I'm really sorry to trouble you. It's all because the younger generation in my family is ignorant. Please don't ask anymore. That young man's background is much more powerful than you imagine..."
Lan Haibei gave a wry smile. Although Zhuang Rui had left, the matter might not be resolved. He didn't know what kind of person Zhuang Rui was, but he had to go back and tell the old man about this. Otherwise, if the other party really sought revenge on the Yan family through some channel, there would be no way to prepare.
Lan Haibei had no idea that Zhuang Rui didn't take Yan Kai seriously at all. Especially seeing a grown man in his twenties crying in public, Zhuang Rui would only make himself look stupid if he really took it to heart.
Upon hearing Lan Haibei's words, Director Lu secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, he had come with the attitude of prioritizing harmony; otherwise, if he had provoked someone he couldn't afford to offend, Secretary Li would probably have become a coward.
After leaving the police station, Lan Haibei rushed back to Zhonghai overnight and told the old man in charge of the family about it. The old man was so angry that he almost had to be hospitalized. After giving Yan Kai a severe beating with his cane, he issued a house arrest order, forbidding him from stepping out of the house.
Afterwards, Old Master Yan also sounded out his old superior in Beijing. Hearing that the superior's words contained no ill intent, he was relieved. However, he did reprimand the entire family, and the Yan family's atmosphere changed somewhat. But that's a story for later. ...
"Sister Qi Zhu, thank you so much for today..."
At a hotel in the city, Zhuang Rui raised a glass to Qi Zhu. No matter what, she came over immediately after receiving Uncle De's call. Although Uncle De owed her this favor, Zhuang Rui was the one who had to repay it.
"Brother Zhuang, even if I hadn't come, I doubt they would have dared to do anything to you, would they?"
Qi Zhu realized that Zhuang Rui was no ordinary person and intentionally tried to befriend him. The former teacher became his subordinate, and their relationship became much closer.
"That's hard to say, I always run into this kind of bad luck when I go out..."
Zhuang Rui shook his head. He had met quite a few scions of powerful families, but those who liked to cause trouble were often those with little background who would constantly boast, "My dad is XXX." These people had never suffered a loss; they were just a bit arrogant and ignorant.
Qi Zhu smiled, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Brother Zhuang, there's something I'm not sure if I should ask. It's okay if you don't want to tell me..."
"Sister Qi Zhu, what do you mean..."
"Brother Zhuang, that General Manager Lan is a very influential person in Zhonghai, but why did he treat you that way?"
Qi Zhu was curious, and she really wanted to know Zhuang Rui's background. To be treated with such humility by Lan Haibei was definitely not something that could be done simply by having money.
"this……"
Zhuang Rui was taken aback. He hadn't expected Qi Zhu to ask about this. It was fine to tell his friend who his maternal grandfather was, but it seemed a bit like showing off for him to say it himself. Zhuang Rui couldn't help but glance at Uncle De.
Uncle De understood Zhuang Rui's meaning and said, "Xiao Qi, Zhuang Rui's maternal grandfather is Old Master Ouyang Gang, but this child doesn't like to show off. Just know that, and don't tell anyone else about it..."
"Huh? It's him?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Zhu covered her mouth in surprise. Perhaps those born in the 80s and 90s wouldn't know this name, but for Qi Zhu, who was over forty, it was definitely not unfamiliar. Once upon a time, the old man's figure could often be seen in national news.
Now Qi Zhu understood that Lan Haibei was a powerful force in Zhonghai, but compared to Zhuang Rui's background, it was really insignificant. Not to mention the old man's illustrious reputation, even if you randomly picked any second or third generation member of the Ouyang family, they would be someone the current Yan family could not afford to offend.
Qi Zhu was a discerning person. Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's identity, she didn't show any change on the surface and continued to call him "Little Brother Zhuang." However, she inadvertently developed a very good relationship with Qin Xuanbing, and by the end of the banquet, they were already addressing each other as sisters.
Zhuang Rui and his group stayed in the city that day and returned to Zhonghai early the next morning. After sending Uncle De home, Zhuang Rui and his group checked in the chicken blood stone at the airport before flying back to Beijing.
In March, Beijing was already warm and flowers were in full bloom. Zhuang Rui's courtyard house was even more fragrant with flowers and lush with greenery. In addition, Xiao Nannan and Ya Ya called him "uncle" and "brother," which made Zhuang Rui's originally depressed mood better.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's voice, the white lion also ran over to join in the fun, pinned Zhuang Rui to the ground and washed his face before letting him leave.
After having dinner with Zhuang's mother that evening, Zhuang Rui and Qin Xuanbing returned to their room and began to weigh the gains and losses of the event.
In fact, Zhuang Rui gained a lot from this trip to Changhua. Dozens of kilograms of mid-to-low-grade chicken-blood stone material are enough to support Xuanruizhai's seal business for several years.
Most importantly, the "Liu, Guan, Zhang" and "Da Hong Pao" chicken-blood stone material is a rare and priceless chicken-blood stone treasure.
Zhuang Rui has already decided to make a seal for himself using the "Da Hong Pao" material, and he plans to show the "Liu, Guan, and Zhang" figurine to his Uncle Gu.
Zhuang Rui originally intended to leave the jade tree he gambled on in Myanmar for Old Master Gu to carve, but Hu Rong kept it for himself. If this piece of chicken-blood stone wasn't given to the old man, he would definitely get a scolding if he found out later.
"Oh right, I almost forgot about that..."
Zhuang Rui suddenly remembered something, took out his phone, and made a call.
Chapter 599 Master Ge (Part 1)
"Mr. Zhuang, you've arrived. Please come in..."
As soon as Zhuang Rui entered "Xuanrui Zhai", Zhao Hanxuan came to greet him. After a month of recuperation during the New Year, Zhao Hanxuan's complexion had recovered a lot. He was wearing a long robe and gown, which reminded Zhuang Rui of the first time he met him.
Back then, Old Zhao had the air of a boss, very refined. But now, although his complexion has almost recovered, he seems to be missing something in his demeanor.
"Hehe, Lao Zhao, listening to you say that, I feel like I'm the guest..."
Zhuang Rui walked in with a smile. When the monkey and Da Xiong in the shop saw Zhuang Rui coming, they greeted him as "Brother Zhuang".
"You're quite the boss, but you don't come often, Boss Zhuang. I've taken care of things; the driver will be here this afternoon..."
Zhao Hanxuan led Zhuang Rui to the rest area for customers in the shop and joked with him with a smile.
"Oh? So fast? There aren't many skilled craftsmen left these days..."
Yesterday, Zhuang Rui suddenly realized something: he had the material for the seal, but he lacked a seal engraver. Many people, after purchasing seal stones, would entrust the seal seller to engrave them for convenience. If the shop didn't have someone who could do that, it would be very inconvenient.
So Zhuang Rui called Zhao Hanxuan yesterday to ask if he knew any seal engravers. Unexpectedly, when he arrived today, Old Zhao had already found someone. If it were Zhuang Rui, he would probably be completely lost.
Zhao Hanxuan nodded and said, "Yes, nowadays it's all machine engraving, very few people do it by hand. Boss Zhuang, the master craftsman I hired is a veteran with decades of experience, we can't pay him too little..."
"Oh? How much is the salary?"
Zhuang Rui asked.
"I mentioned it to Master Ge, the monthly salary is around five thousand. If you agree, I'll call him right now..."
Although Zhuang Rui had said that he was in charge of all matters in the store when he was not around, Zhao Hanxuan still knew what was important and what was not. When it came to the entry and exit of staff, it was better to let the boss make the decision.
"Five thousand yuan..."
Zhuang Rui hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay, five thousand it is. Old Zhao, call him over. Also, if business is good, the salary can be increased..."
Zhuang Rui knew about the computer engraving machine that Zhao Hanxuan mentioned. The price of a typical small and mid-range computer engraving machine is around 2,500 to 2,800 yuan. Even a better precision engraving machine for handicrafts only costs around 3,300 yuan, which is quite low in cost.