"It's something I did with my classmates. I don't manage anything; I just own a small share."
Zhuang Rui smiled, naturally not saying that the snow mastiff was his, but after hearing Ouyang Jun mention it, he really missed the white lion.
Although Zhuang Rui had asked Zhuang Min to put the phone to Bai Shi's ear to say a few words these past few days, Bai Shi had been inseparable from him for the past six months, and he hadn't seen him for over a month. He was really getting used to it.
"If you have any purebred mastiffs, please reserve one for me. Money is no object."
Ouyang Jun was quite envious when he saw Song Jun's Tibetan Mastiff. It would be nice to keep one at the club.
"Yes, there will be mastiffs next year, and I'll save one for you then."
Zhuang Rui received a call from Liu Chuan yesterday, saying that at the Tibetan Mastiff exchange meeting in Shanxi, the Golden Lion King brought by Renqing Cuomu shone brightly, not only winning the title of Mastiff King, but also signing more than a dozen breeding contracts.
Liu Chuan, that kid, was asking for an exorbitant price, charging at least 200,000 yuan per breeding session. Even so, many mastiff farms were eager to arrange breeding, and before the puppies were even born, the farms had already made millions in profit.
"By the way, let me tell you about my family. My grandparents, who are your maternal grandparents, are still alive. It's just that my grandfather's health isn't very good. He'll be turning ninety in a few months, and I don't know if he'll make it to that time. I also have two uncles who are currently working in other cities, and three cousins who are also pursuing careers in government and are not in Beijing. Oh, and you also have two older cousins, but they've been married for seven or eight years and rarely come to Beijing."
Ouyang Jun felt it was necessary to explain the layout of the house to Zhuang Rui.
"Your grandfather's name is Ouyang Gang?"
Zhuang Rui asked in a deep voice. He had a feeling that his mother's experiences over the years were inseparable from this resounding name. Although he was his maternal grandfather and a respected founding father, Zhuang Rui still addressed him by his first name.
"Yes."
Ouyang Jun agreed and glanced at Zhuang Rui thoughtfully.
As the two were talking, the car entered the city. After driving for another half hour, the car entered the entrance of a residential area. The guards at the gate were two armed police officers. After carefully checking Ouyang Jun and Zhuang Rui's documents, they allowed them to pass.
"More than twenty ministerial-level officials live here, so the inspection is more thorough. Look, this is where Miao's father lives, but I heard that the girl doesn't live here."
This community consists of individual villas. It's shaded by green trees, and although the houses are a bit old, the environment is very nice and quiet.
Ouyang Jun parked his car in front of a small building. Seeing that there were lights on in the rooms inside, he didn't park the car in the garage. Instead, he got out of the car and led Zhuang Rui into the building.
Upon entering, one is greeted by the living room, brightly lit. An elderly man in his fifties sits on the sofa, wearing glasses and reading documents. Opposite him sits a man in his thirties, who nods to Ouyang Jun as he enters.
"Brother Wang, you're here too. Have you eaten yet?"
Ouyang Jun greeted the man in a rather loud voice, which made Ouyang Zhenwu, who was focused on reading documents, look up. When he saw Zhuang Rui behind Ouyang Jun, he immediately threw the documents in his hand onto the coffee table and stood up as well.
"Xiao Wang, that's enough for today. You can go home now."
Ouyang Zhenwu didn't speak to Zhuang Rui, but instead sent his secretary away. This family matter shouldn't be known to outsiders.
"Okay, I'll pick you up on time tomorrow."
Wang Yu agreed, stood up and walked out. As he left, he glanced at Zhuang Rui and felt a little strange. His boss was most opposed to Ouyang Jun bringing people home. Usually, Ouyang Jun would go through him first if he had anything to do. Today, he brought people home without informing him. This was a bit unusual.
Regardless of Wang Da's mood, after he left, Ouyang Zhenwu took a few quick steps forward, scrutinized Zhuang Rui for a while, and muttered to himself, "He looks just like... just like my little sister..."
"Dad, let him sit down first. We can talk about it slowly."
Ouyang Jun rarely saw the old man lose his composure, so he quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Yes, child, come with me to the study. Xiao Jun, pour two cups of tea."
Ouyang Zhenwu regained his composure, waved to Zhuang Rui, and turned to walk towards the study.
"Please sit down and order whatever you like. Make yourself at home."
Upon entering the study, Ouyang Zhenwu noticed that Zhuang Rui seemed somewhat reserved. He assumed that his official demeanor had intimidated him, and his expression became even more amiable.
"Um."
Zhuang Rui nodded and sat down opposite Ouyang Zhenwu. He wasn't being reserved, but rather feeling excited about the upcoming revelation of his mother's history.
"Xiao Jun, the tea is fine here. You can go now."
After seeing Zhuang Rui sit down, Ouyang Zhenwu spoke to Ouyang Jun, who had brought in tea.
"What? I'm going out? Dad, you're kicking me while I'm down!"
Ouyang Jun had finally managed to invite Zhuang Rui to his home, but the old man wouldn't let him listen in, which immediately made him angry, and he started shouting loudly.
"Get out. You need to work on your temper..."
Although Ouyang Zhenwu's voice was not loud, it was full of authority. Ouyang Jun shuddered and obediently retreated.
"Your name is Zhuang Rui, and your mother's name is Ouyang Wan, right? Your mother may not have mentioned to you that you have an uncle like me. Sigh, it was because we brothers didn't dare to stand up for you back then that you suffered for so many years."
Ouyang Zhenwu didn't beat around the bush with Zhuang Rui and directly revealed his identity. Seeing Zhuang Rui's attire, he felt a little bitter. It seemed that his younger sister's family wasn't living a very good life.
“Uncle Ouyang, please tell us what happened back then. We didn’t have a hard life. Apart from Mother being in a bad mood sometimes, we were happy most of the time.”
Zhuang Rui hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't bring himself to call him "uncle." After all, he had been used to living with his mother and sister for more than 20 years, and the sudden appearance of such an elder was a bit hard for Zhuang Rui to accept.
"This is all because your grandfather was too stubborn, and your little sister's personality is most like his. Otherwise, things wouldn't have come to this. That was more than thirty years ago, when your mother had just turned nineteen..."
As Ouyang Zhenwu recounts his experiences, a secret of the Ouyang family, which had been buried for over thirty years, is revealed once again.
The story is quite cliché. It takes place during a particularly chaotic period in the country. A great leader made a statement that was misinterpreted by those below, leading to a large number of veteran cadres or founding heroes being sent to local areas for labor reform.
At that time, Ouyang Gang was sent to a rural area in Pengcheng to participate in labor reform, while Zhuang Rui's maternal grandmother was also a women cadre and was sent to a place in Fujian. Because the capital was too chaotic at that time, her sons and husbands had all gone to other places, so Ouyang Gang insisted on taking his most beloved youngest daughter with him.
Coincidentally, Zhuang Rui's grandfather, also a "stinking intellectual," was sent down to that rural area and received even worse treatment than Ouyang Gang. He was imprisoned in a cowshed. The two were in the same boat and became friends over time.
Although Zhuang Rui's father was also implicated, he fared better off. He often secretly went to the countryside to visit his father, who was imprisoned in a cowshed, and brought him some food. After doing this many times, he became friends with Ouyang Wan.
Later, Ouyang Gang felt that the rural environment was too harsh and not suitable for a girl's life, so he asked Ouyang Wan to stay at Zhuang Rui's old house in the city. However, he did not expect that his decision would cause Ouyang Wan and Zhuang Rui's father to develop feelings for each other and secretly get together.
Zhuang Rui's grandfather didn't survive that period and passed away in the third year after being imprisoned in the cowshed. After five years in the countryside, Ouyang Gang was recalled to Beijing. Just as he was about to leave with his daughter, he discovered that his most beloved daughter had secretly married Zhuang Rui's father.
This enraged Ouyang Gang. You see, he had betrothed his daughter to the son of one of his old comrades when she was young. If that old comrade were still alive, this matter would be easy to resolve. After a drink, he would at most lower his head and admit his mistake.
However, Ouyang Gang's old comrade-in-arms passed away two years ago, and the descendants are not living well. If he breaks off the engagement now, others will think that he is a snob and kicks someone when they are down, and that he looks down on this marriage. This is absolutely unacceptable to Ouyang Gang, who has been a man of his word and a veteran of many battles.
At that time, Zhuang Rui's older sister had not yet been born. Enraged, Ouyang Gang ordered his daughter to return to Beijing with him. However, Ouyang Wan was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. Once she made up her mind, no one could change it. She insisted that she was right and had not done anything wrong. Even after her father said that he would disown her if she did not return to Beijing, Ouyang Wan still stayed in Pengcheng.
After returning to Beijing, Ouyang Gang was not assigned a job at first. It wasn't until the late 1970s that he was able to start working again. His three sons also returned to Beijing one after another and learned about this incident.
Ouyang Zhenwu's eldest brother, who is also Zhuang Rui's maternal uncle, had the best relationship with Ouyang Wan. He couldn't help but run to Pengcheng to see his sister, only to find that she already had two children, the youngest of whom, Zhuang Rui, was still breastfeeding. He left all the money he had with his sister and returned to Beijing to confront his father.
Who knew that as soon as the matter was mentioned in front of the old man, Ouyang Gang flew into a rage, not even giving his wife any face. After hitting his son with his cane, he fainted on the spot and almost couldn't be saved.
After regaining consciousness, Ouyang Gang told everyone that he had chosen his own path and had to bear the consequences. No one in the family was allowed to contact Ouyang Wan again, or they would be expelled from the family. Faced with the choice between his sister and his father, the brothers gave in.
However, after Zhuang Rui's eldest uncle learned of Zhuang Rui's father's death, he secretly went to Pengcheng again. But the well-informed old man found out and was so angry that he was hospitalized. Moreover, he sent his eldest son to work in Qinghai. From then on, for the sake of the old man's health, the family never dared to contact Ouyang Wan again.
Zhuang Rui's mother was also a stubborn person. Although Ouyang Zhenwu and his brothers tried to help their younger sister through various channels, Ouyang Wan refused. She raised her children alone, including Zhuang Rui and his siblings, and never told anyone about her family background.
“Sigh, my little sister is too stubborn. If she could just lower her head, Grandpa would have brought you all to Beijing long ago. Xiao Rui, your grandparents have gotten older and their health has deteriorated in recent years. I contacted my little sister once and asked her to come to Beijing, but she refused. Your grandfather’s 90th birthday is in a few months. I think you should persuade her to come and attend. Otherwise, we don’t know if we’ll have another chance.”
Ouyang Zhenwu's words made Zhuang Rui fall into deep thought. In that special era, it was difficult to say who was right and who was wrong. The old man's temper and his mother's stubbornness were among the reasons why the two sides had no contact. Zhuang Rui did not know what his grandfather was thinking now, but he knew that his mother always cared about her parents.
Moreover, the uncles were also helpless in this matter. It wasn't that they didn't want to help their mother, but their stubborn mother refused. The uncles hadn't done anything wrong in this matter.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Rui said, "Uncle, I'll go back to Pengcheng tomorrow and persuade Mother to come to Beijing..."
Chapter 281 Buying the Box (Part 1)
Zhuang Rui stayed at Ouyang Zhenwu's ministerial building that very day. For him, this feeling of family was wonderful. Ouyang Zhenwu awkwardly changed his sheets and pillows himself, which he had never used before. Lying on the brand-new sheets and looking at the unfamiliar furnishings in the room, Zhuang Rui felt incredibly warm inside.
When he was young, Zhuang Rui often envied other people's families with many relatives. Every year during the Spring Festival, children of the same age could receive a lot of brand-new lucky money and many clothes to change into. Now, he also feels the warmth of being cared for by his elders. That feeling is really good.
"Uncle, this...this is too much trouble."
Zhuang Rui slept soundly all night. He was woken up early the next morning by Ouyang Zhenwu knocking on the door. When he saw that fried dough sticks and soy milk had already been laid out on the dining table outside, Zhuang Rui felt a little embarrassed. How could he let his elders buy him breakfast?
"You silly child, you said you feel right at home, why are you being so polite? Did you sleep well last night? Eat up, I have to go to work soon. I'll have Xiaojun take you to the airport. Xiaojun, can you book a flight for the morning?"
Ouyang Zhenwu smiled with satisfaction. Although he hadn't talked with Zhuang Rui for long yesterday, he could tell that Zhuang Rui was an obedient and sensible child, much better than his own son.
"Dad, don't worry. In your heart, I can't even do such a small thing?"
Ouyang Jun, who had just come downstairs, said unhappily that he was very hurt by being kicked out of the study by his father yesterday, and his face was still not very good.
"You brat, you're so unreliable. From now on, spend more time with Xiao Rui and stop going out and messing around all day."
Ouyang Zhenwu showed no mercy to his son.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Zhuang Rui quickly put down the fried dough sticks in his hand and rushed over to open the door. It was Secretary Wang who came to pick up Ouyang Zhenwu. There was also a driver in the car outside. However, both of them stared at Zhuang Rui with wide eyes. They did not expect that there would be outsiders living in Minister Ouyang's house.
"Xiao Jun, you're in charge of getting him delivered to me. Xiao Rui, next time you come to Beijing, come stay at my place. I'm going to work now. Sigh, if I weren't so busy lately, I would have gone by myself..."
Ouyang Zhenwu finished the soy milk in his bowl in one gulp, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and got up to walk outside. Secretary Wang picked up his briefcase from the table and followed him out, not forgetting to nod and greet Zhuang Rui. Even if he was stupid, he could tell that this young man had a close relationship with the boss, and it would be good to get along with him.
"Our flight is at 12:50, it's still early, let's go out later, it's as hot as a sauna today."
Seeing his father leave, Ouyang Jun relaxed, his previously upright posture immediately becoming limp as he leaned back in his chair.
Summers in Beijing are hot and dry, the air feels completely dry. If you weren't in an air-conditioned room, your clothes would probably be soaked with sweat if you stood outside for a while.
Ouyang Jun wasn't very interested in the breakfast on the table, so he leaned closer to Zhuang Rui and asked, "Brother, what exactly did my old man say to you yesterday?"
This matter involves a conflict between the elders, so Zhuang Rui couldn't go into details. He vaguely replied, "It's nothing. My mother and grandfather had some misunderstandings before, and my uncle asked me to go back and persuade my mother to come to my grandfather's 90th birthday celebration."
"The conflict between my aunt and my father? It must be my father's fault. You don't know, he's a stubborn old man. Back then, when I didn't want to work in the government, he almost shot me. Luckily, all his antique collections were out of bullets."
Ouyang Jun rarely went to his grandfather's place unless he had something to do. If he did, he would just get scolded. In any case, his grandfather couldn't stand him. The incident back then scared him so much that he ran away to his uncle's place in the south and hid for more than half a year before he dared to return to Beijing.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. We can't interfere with the old man's affairs; we can only try to mediate. By the way, Fourth Brother, could you take me back to the hotel first? I still have some things there. After I check out, I'll need your help to find a jewelry store. I want to buy something."
Zhuang Rui's several jadeite pendants are still in the safe in his hotel room. He also wants to buy a few jewelry boxes to store the pendants separately. Although they are gifts for his mother and older sister, he can't be too casual about them.
"Okay, after I take you back to your hotel, we'll pick up Xu Qing. As for where to buy jewelry, we'll have to ask her..."
Ouyang Jun readily agreed. He assumed Zhuang Rui wanted to bring some gifts back for his aunt, and he had already made up his mind that he would pay for the jewelry himself, mainly because he was afraid that Zhuang Rui would buy something that was not high-end enough.
After Zhuang Rui finished breakfast, the two went out. The house was taken care of by a specially arranged housekeeper. When they arrived at the hotel, Ouyang Jun did not go upstairs, but waited in the car for Zhuang Rui to collect his things and check out of the room.
On his way to pick up the big star, Zhuang Rui called Grandpa Gu, Song Jun, Yue Jing, and Miao Feifei, telling them to come to Beijing a few days later. Grandpa Gu didn't say much. He knew Zhuang Rui had been away for quite some time. However, Song Jun and Miao Feifei threatened Zhuang Rui a bit on the phone, telling him to make sure to inform them next time he came to Beijing.
These phone calls made Ouyang Jun quite surprised. Although his little cousin was poor, he had a really good network of connections. Ouyang Jun was even a little envious of his close relationship with Song Jun, who was like brothers to him.
"Here, this is my cousin. If any good girls join the sect in the future, please introduce them to him."
After meeting the famous star Xu, Ouyang Jun casually introduced her to Zhuang Rui, which made Zhuang Rui blush. This famous star was someone Zhuang Rui had admired in the past.
The big star didn't give Ouyang Jun any face, replying with the same words Miao Feifei had used to tease him yesterday: "Fourth Brother, do you think everyone is Ouyang Ke?"
These celebrities may look glamorous on the outside, but they are actually quite tired. The big star in front of Zhuang Rui was wearing a pair of large sunglasses, and the sun hat on his head covered half of his face, which had a comedic effect similar to the appearance of a big star in the movie "Party A, Party B" that Zhuang Rui watched back then.
"Cough...cough cough..."