Fatty Ma was somewhat unconvinced by what Song Jun said. He had worked his way up from the bottom and knew a lot about things in the underworld. Although he had never been to Myanmar, he knew that in places where there was fighting, there were often international mercenaries operating.
Upon hearing this, Song Jun showed a hint of disdain on his face and said, "Mercenaries? If they kidnap you, their employer, you won't even have a chance to seek justice. Listen to me, brother, there will be an exchange group going to Myanmar next year. We'll just slip you in there."
There's a group of people in Beijing who started a jade gambling club last year. However, their approach is somewhat different from that of jade gambling in Pingzhou. It's more about comparing eyesight and seeking some excitement, with money being a secondary concern.
Song Jun didn't say some things. This exchange group was actually organized by people in their circle in Beijing. They were just using the name of the country. With this name, it would be safe to go to Myanmar. After all, this small, barbaric country wouldn't dare to offend the increasingly powerful Chinese government.
"Let's forget it. The water over there is so murky, we're not going to wade in. This little bit of money is enough for me to live on for a lifetime."
Zhuang Rui backed down. His interest wasn't actually in jade and gemstones; he preferred antiques. The history embedded in those objects could easily captivate one.
Zhuang Rui's words greatly displeased Song Jun and Fatty Ma. The two brothers shared the same thought: without Zhuang Rui by their side, they felt uneasy.
Chapter 232 The Prodigal Son Returns Home
Although Song Jun and Fatty Ma bombarded Zhuang Rui relentlessly, Zhuang Rui still hadn't made a decision. He was scheduled to take the preliminary exam for Peking University's graduate program in January, and whether he would have time then was uncertain.
Back at the hotel, Zhuang Rui was interrogated again by Wei Ge and Lao Si, mainly about his financial situation. After having dinner with Zhou Rui that evening, Zhuang Rui decided to leave Guangdong the next day.
Guangdong is the headquarters of Xu's Jewelry. Although the head of Xu's Jewelry, who is still lying in bed, has not taken any action against him, Zhuang Rui still feels uneasy about staying here.
Although Zhuang Rui reaped a considerable reward from this jade gambling venture, he wasn't particularly happy. The ups and downs and overnight riches in jade gambling don't feel real. People always remember those who win, while the many who lose everything are forgotten.
Zhuang Rui and his group's jade gambling spree may well be portrayed as a legendary tale, inspiring more people to dream of getting rich overnight. Of course, with more people investing in jade gambling, there will also be those who lose everything.
Having witnessed his own gambling successes and others' failures, Zhuang Rui felt a sense of brutality, or perhaps the restlessness of people's hearts, beyond the excitement and mystery of gambling on stones. This might be one of the reasons why gambling on stones is so attractive.
The next morning, after saying goodbye to Fatty Ma, Zhuang Rui and Lao Si drove back to Zhonghai with Wei Ge and Zhou Rui. Song Jun had already flown back to Pengcheng the night before. According to him, it was better to buy Zhuang Rui a villa sooner rather than later, as there were quite a few people eyeing that house.
It was already early morning of the next day when they arrived in Zhonghai. After dropping Wei Ge off at home, Zhuang Rui immediately called Uncle De. Hearing that Uncle De was already up, he drove to pick him up and took him to a teahouse.
Zhuang Rui had no choice; he didn't have time to stay in Zhonghai any longer. Song Jun had already called yesterday, saying everything about the villa was settled and they were just waiting for him to go back and sign the papers. Zhuang Rui hadn't even discussed buying the villa with his mother yet, and he was feeling a bit anxious. He just wanted to finish things in Zhonghai as soon as possible and hurry back to Pengcheng.
Zhou Rui had driven all night and stayed in the car to catch up on sleep. After Zhuang Rui and Uncle De settled down at the teahouse, they ordered several baskets of soup dumplings and dim sum. The morning tea in Zhonghai is different from that in Guangdong; each has its own unique characteristics.
"You little rascal, you're really daring. I wouldn't even dare touch jade gambling, but you went and gambled away your entire fortune. Luckily, you won. If I find out you're such a gambler again, don't call me Uncle De anymore. This is the first time, and it's a one-time thing..."
Uncle De didn't drink the tea that Zhuang Rui had poured for him. Instead, he put on a stern face and gave Zhuang Rui a few harsh words of reprimand. Although Zhuang Rui had been a manager for a few days, in Uncle De's eyes, Zhuang Rui was still that naive young man who had just entered society.
"Yes, Uncle De, I understand. This time it was just a case of being excited about the hunt. Even if I go again, it won't be like this time..."
Zhuang Rui knew that Uncle De was doing it for his own good, but he hadn't said anything definitive. Who knew what would happen in the future?
"Sigh, you've gotten too big for your britches, ignoring Uncle De's advice. Let me tell you, collecting is about culture; you can find joy in reading history. There's also wealth involved, and it's a wealth with substance, unlike gambling on jade, where people will see you as just a money-grubber. I wanted you to take the postgraduate entrance exam so you could accumulate more theoretical knowledge. Archaeology is different from collecting, but it exposes you to many valuable artifacts, and there's a fairly professional theoretical system for dating and authentication. Now that you have the money, you'd better study hard. If you fail, Old Meng will just laugh at me for nothing."
Uncle De treated Zhuang Rui like a nephew, so he spoke to him rather casually. This time, he had gone to great lengths to persuade Zhuang Rui to apply for his old friend's graduate program, which is why he gave Zhuang Rui another warning here.
"Hehe, put it down, Uncle De, I guarantee you'll pass on the first try. We were an excellent student in school, both in character and academics..."
Zhuang Rui has also been researching information about postgraduate programs in archaeology. Classical Chinese and chemistry are his strengths, so there shouldn't be too much of a problem.
"Alright, stop joking around. Let me see that Ru ware porcelain fragment you found."
Uncle De interrupted Zhuang Rui, who was also somewhat curious about the broken porcelain shards Zhuang Rui had mentioned on the phone.
Zhuang Rui opened his handbag and carefully took out the broken pieces of porcelain wrapped in a towel. Uncle De was both amused and exasperated. What does it mean to be an amateur? It perfectly describes someone like Zhuang Rui.
However, after the towel was lifted, Uncle De's attention was completely focused on these broken porcelain shards. The cleaned shards had a faint sky-blue color and fine lines like spider silk, which made the porcelain body look even more delicate and smooth.
"Indeed, it's Ru ware porcelain. Moreover, it's official Ru ware from the Northern Song Dynasty. The inscription on it was engraved later, not printed before firing. Zhuang Rui, is this really a set of broken porcelain? It doesn't matter. Even if one or two pieces are missing, or there are some chips, it's not a problem. This kind of porcelain is priceless!"
After looking at it for a long time, Uncle De's face showed a look of shock. He originally thought that Zhuang Rui had found a Southern Song Dynasty imitation of Northern Song Dynasty Ru ware. Now it seems that it is genuine Northern Song Dynasty Ru ware, and its price is several times higher than that of the Southern Song Dynasty.
"I've pieced it together roughly, and it should be a set. Anyway, I'm leaving it to you, Uncle De. Once it's fixed, I'll leave it with you. I don't have time to pick it up right now."
Zhuang Rui didn't know much about porcelain. He didn't realize that even though it was just a fragment of Ru ware porcelain, it was a priceless treasure in the eyes of porcelain collectors.
"Alright, I'll put it in the bank safe deposit box after it's repaired. With that spendthrift son of mine, he might just steal it and sell it."
Uncle De smiled wryly. Every family has its own troubles. His eldest son is a bookworm and his job as a university teacher is relatively stable. But his youngest son is good-for-nothing. He's over thirty years old and still sponging off his parents. Uncle De has secretly sold off several of his valuable collections.
"Alright, Uncle De, you can decide what to do. I'm a bit busy this month. I'll come see you again after this month."
Zhuang Rui had to rush back to Pengcheng today. After asking the waiter to pay the bill, he got up to say goodbye.
"Okay, drive carefully on the road. By the way, you must come over at the end of September. I'll take you to Beijing to visit Lao Meng. He's doing archaeological work in Shaanxi right now..."
When Uncle De saw Zhuang Rui downstairs, he gave him a few words of advice. ...
By the time Zhuang Rui and Zhou Rui drove back to Pengcheng, it was already dark. Zhou Rui had been driving almost the entire way from Guangdong to Zhonghai and then to Pengcheng. He was exhausted by then, so he parked the car downstairs and went upstairs to sleep.
"Xiao Rui, you must be tired. Go take a shower and eat first. Call Zhou Rui down too."
Upon entering the house, Zhuang Rui found that his sister's family was also there. Nannan ran and jumped into Zhuang Rui's arms, hugging her uncle's neck tightly and refusing to let go. His mother remained as serene as ever, but her words revealed deep concern.
"Little girl, come down quickly, your uncle is tired. If you don't behave, your uncle won't like you anymore."
"No, I haven't seen my uncle in so long, I want to sleep with him tonight..."
"Mom, I already called and told you not to wait for me to eat. You guys eat first. Zhou is tired, let him take a nap."
Zhuang Rui looked at the food on the table, which hadn't been touched, and knew that his family was waiting for him to come home for dinner.
"Go play with the white lion, your uncle needs to take a bath."
As expected, the little guy's attention was diverted by Zhuang Rui's words, and he cried out as he pounced on the white lion following behind Zhuang Rui.
"Mom, I have something to tell you. I made some money this time and I want to buy a new house. Look, the white lion is so big now. It's easy to scare people by having it coming and going around here."
After taking a shower, Zhuang Rui sat down at the dining table and cautiously brought up the topic of buying a house. Although he felt he was an adult, in this family, his mother still had the final say.
"Hey bro, where are you buying it?"
Before Zhuang's mother could reply, Zhuang Min asked the question.
Zhuang Rui glanced at his mother's face and said, "Yunlong Manor has good air quality there, and Mom can even take a walk by the lake in the morning."
"What? You bought it there? Bro, those are all villas, I heard they cost tens of millions a unit."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Zhuang Min was so shocked that she dropped the piece of chicken she was holding with her chopsticks. She knew that her younger brother had some money now, but to want to buy a villa was just too outrageous.
"Just buy it, why make such a fuss? But Xiao Rui, Mom is used to living here. I'm surrounded by old colleagues, so I'm not lonely. I won't go to the villa anymore. I'll just take Nannan there for a day every weekend."
Mrs. Zhuang was quite open-minded and didn't feel there was anything wrong with buying a villa. She was just used to living here and didn't want to move to a villa. However, fearing that her son might overthink things, she said she would stay there one day a week.
"Well, I won't be staying there often. I'll buy you a car, and you can drive there whenever you want."
Seeing that his mother didn't object to him buying the villa, Zhuang Rui was overjoyed. Taking advantage of his mother's good mood, he continued, "Mom, there's something else. I want to apply for the graduate program in archaeology at Peking University. I might be spending a lot of time in Beijing these next few years. How about you come and live with me in Beijing for a while after I get accepted?"
"Beijing?"
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhuang was stunned for a moment, her face turning pale, and her outstretched hands, which were about to pick up some food, stopped above the table.
Chapter 233 The New Home (Part 1)
"Xiao Rui, don't other schools offer archaeology programs? Do we really have to go to Beijing?"
Mrs. Zhuang put her chopsticks back, looked at Zhuang Rui and asked, her expression still not very pleasant.
"Mom, Uncle De has an old friend at Peking University, and he wants me to apply to his graduate program..."
Zhuang Rui also noticed that his mother seemed to be in a bad mood, so he answered honestly. He also recalled a past event: when he was choosing a university after graduating from high school, it seemed that his mother had strongly advocated that he go to Zhonghai. At that time, with Zhuang Rui's grades, it would have been an easy task for him to get into one of the top universities in Beijing.
"How about we just give up and not take the exam? I'm too lazy to go out anyway."
Seeing his mother's appearance, Zhuang Rui felt a pang of pity. His mother had raised him and his siblings all by herself, and Zhuang Rui would never let his mother be sad or upset.
"Mom, it's a good thing that Xiao Rui is going to graduate school. If he's going to Beijing, then let him go. If you're worried, you can come and stay with him for a while."
Zhuang Min's personality is the exact opposite of Zhuang Rui's; she's a bit careless. She was busy feeding the little girl and didn't notice that her mother's mood was a little off.
"Sis, stop talking. I can apply to other schools. I've heard that the archaeology department at Shanxi University is quite good. Let me inquire about it first..."
Zhuang Rui interrupted Zhuang Min, who was stunned for a moment before realizing something.
“Mom, we’re all grown up now, what can we still talk about? Back then, Xiao Rui could have gone to school in Beijing, but…”
"Alright, that's enough. There are some things you kids don't understand..."
Before Zhuang Min could finish speaking, her mother interrupted her. Perhaps realizing her own lapse in composure, Zhuang Min's mother turned to Zhuang Rui and said, "Xiao Rui, Mom is fine. Don't let Uncle De's good intentions go to Beijing. Guo Dong, you two take your time eating. Mom has finished eating."
After speaking, Mrs. Zhuang stood up and returned to her room, leaving Zhuang Rui and the others looking at each other in bewilderment.
"Sister, can't you just say less? You know Mom doesn't like people bringing up her past. Look, you've made her angry again."
As soon as Zhuang Rui returned home, his mother became unhappy because of his postgraduate entrance exam, and she couldn't help but complain about his older sister.
"You heartless bastard! I was just speaking up for you. Besides, we're all grown up now. Mom can talk to us about her worries now. It's okay, I'll go and comfort her later. Mom gets sad a few times every year."
Zhuang Min's personality is somewhat similar to Lei Lei's; she can't keep things to herself. Over the years, she has almost always been the one to ask Zhuang's mother about her past first, and naturally, she has received far more scolding than Zhuang Rui.
"Okay, remember, don't mention that again. Mom wants to tell us, she will. By the way, brother-in-law, how's the auto repair shop doing?"
When Zhuang Rui got home, he hadn't even had a chance to talk to Zhao Guodong yet. After telling his older sister what was going on, he asked his brother-in-law about the repair shop. Actually, he didn't want to care about the repair shop; he just wanted to change the subject and stop talking about his mother's past.
Zhao Guodong poured his brother-in-law a glass of wine and said with a smile, "It's great. We can't even keep up with the demand for repairing trucks right now. I've hired seven or eight more people, and they all have to work overtime tonight to repair trucks. If you hadn't come back today, I would have been staying at the repair shop."
“No, brother-in-law, you have to come home every day, otherwise my sister will definitely say that I’m exploiting you.”
Seeing that his brother-in-law, who used to be so quiet that he couldn't even fart after three blows, was now much more cheerful, Zhuang Rui was very happy and started joking with Zhao Guodong.
What's the point of making money? Isn't it just to make life better for yourself and your family? However, Zhuang Rui wouldn't give money directly, because that would make people lose themselves and not find their own value. The sense of satisfaction Zhao Guodong feels from earning money through his skills is definitely greater than if Zhuang Rui just threw a million or tens of thousands at him.
"I've been so busy. The car accessories business I mentioned to you a while ago has also taken off. The profit margin in this area is huge, much higher than car repair. Once the market opens up, that's when it really starts to make money."
Zhao Guodong was very excited when talking about his current job.
"We've been married for so long, what's wrong with not coming home for a few days?"
Zhuang Min looked unconvinced.
"Sis, haven't you heard that men become bad when they have money?"
"No, no, even the cat that catches mice at our repair shop is male."
Zhao Guodong quickly clarified the situation and, unusually, cracked a joke.
“Your brother-in-law isn’t that kind of person. But Xiao Rui, you’re not getting any younger. You’ll be 26 after the New Year. Have you found someone yet?”
As the eldest sister, Zhuang Min was even more concerned about this matter than Zhuang's mother. Every time Zhuang Rui came home, he would be questioned by Zhuang Min.