Zhao Guodong thought for a moment, and realized he didn't actually have anyone like that on hand.
He could trust his own family members, but Zhao Guodong never let them get involved in the auto repair shop or 4S store. Although he didn't understand what a family business was, he knew that it was difficult to manage a company with too many family members. So, despite giving his family a lot of money, he didn't let any of them work there.
"Da Chuan? He's definitely not a good fit. That kid's in Hong Kong right now. He's getting married at the end of the month and is so busy he's practically forgotten his own name..."
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment, took out his phone, and said, "How about this, I'll ask Brother Zhou to come over and help. He can make more trips back and forth each day..."
If we're talking about someone Zhuang Rui can trust, Zhou Rui is definitely one of them. And it's already November, the Tibetan mastiffs are about to enter their mating season. All the efforts the kennel has made over the past six months are going to come to fruition. Renqing Cuomu also came over from Tibet a few days ago. With him there, Zhou Rui can relax a lot.
Sure enough, as soon as Zhuang Rui mentioned it on the phone, Zhou Rui readily agreed and immediately drove over from the dog kennel. Zhao Guodong opened the safe on the spot to demonstrate to Zhou Rui, and then handed him the key and combination to the safe.
Having not seen Brother Renqing Cuomu for a long time, Zhuang Rui simply bought two live sheep and took them to the Tibetan Mastiff Farm. That evening, they held a bonfire dinner at the farm. By the time Zhou Rui took him back to the villa, Zhuang Rui was already quite drunk. The Tibetans' capacity for alcohol is truly impressive.
Chapter 413 Returning to the Capital
In November, Pengcheng was already chilly and the trees along the roads were bare. However, in Yunlong Villa, where Zhuang Rui lived, the artificially planted turf kept the villa looking as spring-like as ever.
Zhuang Rui hired a professional company to "dress up" all the tropical trees planted in the garden, wrapping layers of something around their trunks to ensure they could survive well in winter and remain lush and green.
In winter, people are more prone to drowsiness. Even though Zhuang Rui's lips were so dry they were about to crack, he still wanted to sleep a little longer. However, the ringing of his cell phone, which he didn't know where it was, disturbed his sweet dream. After searching for a while, he finally found his cell phone in his pocket on the floor.
The room had central air conditioning, keeping the temperature a constant 27 degrees Celsius. Zhuang Rui was wearing shorts. He ran to the refrigerator, grabbed a drink, and then crawled back into bed before pressing the answer button.
"What are you doing, kid? Did your sister-in-law leave and you've been messing around outside?"
Ouyang Jun's dissatisfied voice came from the phone. He had called Zhuang Rui several times that morning, but Zhuang Rui only answered now. Little did he know that if Zhuang Rui hadn't been so thirsty that he couldn't sleep, he definitely wouldn't have heard the phone ring.
"Fourth Brother, it's not good to disturb someone's sleep. What time is it? Don't you think your wife will mind calling so early?"
As Zhuang Rui spoke, he picked up the remote control from the bedside table and opened the automatically controlled baffle on the ceiling. A ray of sunlight immediately shone on his face, causing Zhuang Rui to squint slightly. It seemed that it was getting late.
Sure enough, no sooner had Zhuang Rui finished speaking than Ouyang Jun shouted, "What time is it? It's almost noon! You must have been out gallivanting yesterday..."
"Fourth Brother, get to the point. We're still unmarried young men, we can do whatever we want, unlike those married grooms who need their wives' permission to go out for a drink..."
Zhuang Rui took a sip of her drink to soothe her throat, which was burning. She chatted with Ouyang Jun on the phone. Actually, Ouyang Jun wasn't as bad as he made him out to be. Although the big star had considerable charm, it was still beyond her ability to keep Ouyang Jun. She managed him like a free-range sheep, letting him go wherever he wanted, as long as he came home to sleep at night.
"Get out of my way, are you trying to provoke me? Is your fourth brother that kind of person? I told you, if you tell your sister-in-law to go east, she wouldn't dare go west, I'd make her..."
"Okay, okay, stop it, Fourth Brother. Just say what's on your mind. I want to sleep a little longer. I drank too much with the guests from Tibet yesterday..."
Sunlight warmed Zhuang Rui, and he felt sleepy. In the dead of winter, what could be more comfortable than sleeping in a warm, cozy bed?
Another point is that Ouyang Jun, this older single man who responded to the national call for delayed marriage and childbearing, seems to have recently developed a bit of marriage syndrome. He'll chatter on and on with anyone he can find. Zhuang Rui was quite annoyed by him when he was in Beijing, and even now that he's in Pengcheng, he still manages to keep calling.
"Didn't you want to hunt for antiques? There's been demolition in the west of the city recently, and I heard they've unearthed a lot of good stuff. If you can make it back in time, go check it out, or you'll miss out..."
Ouyang Jun said sullenly. He knew he had been talking too much lately, but it depended on the person. If Fourth Brother Ouyang didn't think highly of him, he wouldn't bother talking to him. There were hundreds of people in Beijing who wanted to listen to his rambling.
"Really? Fourth Brother, you're not trying to trick me into going back so you can buy me a drink, are you?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui immediately perked up. He felt that his collection room was too spacious and had always wanted to find some good items to fill it. In addition, he also wanted to get some genuine old huanghuali or mahogany furniture, so that it would match the old house and make the house seem more cultured.
Zhuang Rui had only visited Panjiayuan and Liulichang a few times, and his luck hadn't been great. Although he found a few decent items, they were just bait for the vendors or shops, leaving him feeling cheated. There was plenty of huanghuali and old mahogany furniture, but everyone was asking for three to five million yuan. No matter how rich Zhuang Rui was, he wouldn't be a sucker.
He had seen that screen before at Ouyang Jun's club, and later he ran into Ouyang Jun at the black market in the capital. Knowing that Ouyang Jun also knew people in this field, he gave him a heads-up and asked him to keep an eye out for him. Of course, he didn't need to notify him about black markets like the one last time; that was just a recruit training camp where everyone was just there to pay their tuition.
"Get lost, Fourth Brother wants to drink. There are so many people offering to treat me that the line stretches from Qianmen Street to Yuquan Mountain. Do I need you, kid? I've already told you, whether you come or not is up to you..."
After chuckling and cursing, Ouyang Jun hung up the phone. He really wanted to drink with Zhuang Rui. He seemed to be doing quite well out there, but life was tiring. He could only say a fraction of what he wanted to say to people, and he had to be careful when drinking, afraid of drinking too much. Nothing beats sitting with his brothers, having hot pot, and enjoying a few drinks.
After hanging up the phone, Zhuang Rui lay on the bed and thought about it. Things in Pengcheng were basically settled. The 4S Audi dealership had a professional manager hired by his brother-in-law, and Xiao Si and others were keeping an eye on the auto repair shop. Zhao Guodong should be able to leave now.
"Hey, brother-in-law, pack your things, we're heading to Beijing today..."
As for his jade processing workshop, he was quite at ease leaving it to Luo Jiang to manage. Moreover, with Zhou Rui overseeing things, he figured there wouldn't be any problems. So he dialed Zhao Guodong's number.
"Leaving today? Didn't you say you'd wait two days?"
They had agreed on everything yesterday. Zhuang Rui planned to stay in Pengcheng for two days, meet Liu Chuan after he returned, and then leave. Zhao Guodong couldn't understand why Zhuang Rui had changed his mind today.
“I miss my niece, is that not okay? Are you coming or not? If you're not coming, I'll take the motor vehicle myself.”
Zhuang Rui, of course, refused to say that he went back to Beijing to rummage through things. He knew that as long as he brought Xiao Nannan along, Zhao Guodong would definitely drop what he was doing and go with him.
"Okay, okay, I'll go now. I don't have much to pack. Your sister has been in Beijing for several days now. See you at the train station later..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui mention his daughter, Zhao Guodong was really anxious. However, he was too busy to take care of her, and his mother-in-law doted on her granddaughter, so she had been leaving her to herd sheep in Beijing. Now, hearing Zhuang Rui's words, he became even more anxious than Zhuang Rui. He called his apprentice and drove straight to the train station.
Zhuang Rui, however, was not so quick. After getting up and washing up, he took out an inconspicuous backpack and went to the basement.
The shelf that used to be full of jewelry boxes is now empty, with only three slightly larger boxes and a dozen or so smaller ones.
Aside from the blood jade bracelet already given to her mother as a gift for her grandmother, and the bracelet intended for Qin Xuanbing, these are the only remaining ornaments from that piece of red jadeite, and of course, the most valuable ones. These three bracelets, along with pendants, earrings, and other items, are worth at least 50 million RMB.
Zhuang Rui, considering that he would be studying and living in Beijing for the next few years, planned to bring all these things to Beijing. He was reluctant to sell such a rare and precious blood jade bracelet. It would be nice to keep it as a dowry for his niece when she grew up. Besides, he could also leave it to his daughter-in-law as a family heirloom when he had a son.
While lost in thought and chuckling to himself, Zhuang Rui packed the treasures into his backpack, closed the doors and windows of the villa, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the train station.
Since the addition of motorized trains, the journey from Pengcheng to Beijing takes only four or five hours. Although the ticket price is exorbitantly expensive, it is still more cost-effective for Zhuang Rui than flying. Not only is the waiting time long, but if there is strong wind or rain, there will be a long wait. For some people nowadays, flying is not the best choice for travel.
When they arrived at Beijing West Railway Station, it was only a little past 5 p.m. Zhuang Rui and Zhao Guodong took a taxi to the courtyard house, just in time for dinner. However, Ouyang Jun showed up uninvited and sat there casually waiting for Zhuang Rui.
Seeing that Ouyang Jun's face was already flushed with alcohol, and he was still pulling him to have a toast, Zhuang Rui said helplessly, "Fourth Brother, you're getting married soon, can't you spend more time with your wife?"
Everyone else had already finished eating and left. Zhao Guodong took the gift he had just bought on the way to coax his daughter, otherwise the little girl would really forget about her dad.
"Xiao Jun, drink less."
Ouyang Wanwen, who wasn't used to the smell of alcohol, frowned and left, leaving only the two brothers in the restaurant.
“Your sister-in-law and Xiaomin went shopping. I have something to tell you. Hehe, I also built a courtyard house. Introduce your senior brother to me later, and I’ll decorate it just like your house.”
After seeing his aunt leave, Ouyang Jun smiled smugly. He had been eyeing Zhuang Rui's house for a long time, and after searching for several months, he finally found one a few days ago.
"Sure, you've met my friend before. I'll call him later, and we can see the place tomorrow. By the way, Fourth Brother, how big is your house?"
When Zhuang Rui heard about this, he thought it was a good thing. It would also help Gu Yun get some business, and he should also go and visit Old Master Gu. He still had a piece of mixed-color soft jade with the old man, and he wondered if it had been carved into something yet. That was a gift he had prepared for his grandfather's seventieth birthday.
"It's only a little over a thousand square meters, with two courtyards, much smaller than yours. Hmm, you can go see it tomorrow. I'll call Xiaobai along and have him accompany you to the old houses in the west of the city to hunt for antiques..."
Mentioning this, Ouyang Jun looked depressed. That 5,000-square-meter apartment, which cost only around 100 million a few months ago, has now risen to over 200 million. Ouyang Jun was envious but couldn't afford it, so he had to settle for a small courtyard house.
Chapter 414 Unearthing the Old House (Part 1)
People are just like that sometimes. Ouyang Jun is one of them. Before getting the marriage certificate, he was thinking about getting married, and because of this, he had a falling out with his father, Ouyang Zhenwu, for many years. Now that he has finally gotten his wish, he has become anxious and insecure, drinking one glass of wine after another. Before long, he almost slipped under the table.
"Hey, sister-in-law, you're back just in time! Come help me get Fourth Brother to his room. You two don't need to leave today either. Oh, and sister, brother-in-law is here too, he's with Nannan..."
Zhuang Rui, supporting Ouyang Jun who was still mumbling something incoherently, had just stepped out of the restaurant when he saw his older sister and Xu Qing returning, chatting and laughing.
Unlike men, women approaching their weddings often look different. Xu Qing, radiant with happiness, looks every bit the blissful new wife. In this respect, even big stars aren't that different from ordinary people.
"Why are you drinking so much again? You've been doing this a lot lately..."
The big star frowned and, together with Zhuang Rui, helped Ouyang Jun to the guest room. As for what would happen next, Zhuang Rui had no idea. He went down to the basement alone and placed all the items he had brought from Pengcheng on the antique shelf.
Having been back in Pengcheng for several days, and after finishing his work, Zhuang Rui immediately went to his room in the backyard and poured out his longing for Qin Xuanbing, who was far away in England, via computer. After making the beautiful woman blush, Zhuang Rui finally went to bed peacefully. ...
"Brother, what time is it? The people I made plans with have been waiting for ages. Forget it, you can eat on the way."
While drinking yesterday, Zhuang Rui heard Ouyang Jun mention that there were quite a few Ming and Qing dynasty antique furniture pieces in the old houses slated for demolition. This greatly appealed to him, as his living room in the central courtyard was missing just such a set of antique furniture, to be honest. The ones Gu Yun bought were actually replicas; after using them for a while, some parts had even started to peel off.
Jin Pangzi had mentioned several times that he wanted to see Zhuang Rui's collection, which made Zhuang Rui very embarrassed. Not only were there too few items in the basement, but the Ming and Qing dynasty-style furniture displayed in the hall was also rather unpresentable and would make him a laughing stock.
Zhuang Rui got up early in the morning, but he was too embarrassed to pull Ouyang Jun out of bed. It wasn't until almost 10 a.m. that the older brother finally got up and was even swaying as he prepared to go eat breakfast. Zhuang Rui pulled him towards the door.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Call your sister-in-law..."
Ouyang Jun breathed on his hands in dissatisfaction. The weather this year is really cold. There haven't been any icicles under the eaves for many years, but now there's a whole string of them frozen up. Zhuang Rui was thinking of knocking them all down later, otherwise they could easily hit someone when they thaw.
After calling Xu Qing, the three of them got into the car through the side door. Ouyang Jun called the novice he had mentioned yesterday. Zhuang Rui, being impatient in the morning, had called Gu Yun more than an hour earlier, telling him to go directly to Ouyang Jun's courtyard house.
To be honest, Ouyang Jun's courtyard house wasn't very far from Zhuang Rui's. It's just that the two houses were separated by Liulichang. Driving was slower than walking. We were stuck in traffic for twenty minutes. If we were walking, we could cross Liulichang and arrive much sooner.
"Hey, Fourth Brother, this courtyard is not bad, but... it's a bit dilapidated. Maybe it'll have to be torn down and rebuilt..."
When Zhuang Rui arrived at the courtyard house that Ouyang Jun bought, his eyes lit up. It also had a wall built of large blue bricks. However, this courtyard had its own scenery when it was large and its own charm when it was small. There was a small garden in the middle of the two courtyards, with hanging flower gates and corridors. Judging from the appearance, it must have been the residence of an official in ancient times.
However, the gate itself looked rather small and dilapidated, with the stepping stone broken into several pieces. There were also signs of smoke and fire on the gate, making it look like the dwelling of a run-down family from ancient times.
"You're lucky to have gotten that house. Do you know how much effort I put into getting it? Just getting those people without property rights to move out took me over a month. And it still cost me nearly 15 million for this dilapidated place."
Ouyang Jun complained, but he didn't say a word about persuading people to move. This courtyard house also belonged to the government, so Director Zheng had to run around and put in a lot of effort to get the holdouts who were almost unwilling to move out.
Moreover, although his house looks like it has two courtyards, it actually has three courtyards when you include the three rooms next to the gatehouse. Although the area is a bit small, it's cheap.
Zhuang Rui's house is nearly 3,000 square meters and cost a total of 65 million yuan, while Ouyang Jun's only cost a little over 10 million yuan, so he got a great deal. Of course, this also has something to do with Director Zheng's selective approach, after all, there is a hierarchy in how you curry favor with people.
"Hey, Fourth Brother. If you're not satisfied with this courtyard, you can sell it to me for 20 million. You'll make 5 million in profit right away, so you won't lose out. What do you say?"
Zhuang Rui curled his lip. This guy was a typical example of someone who got a good deal but acted innocent. Since the government allowed the sale of courtyard houses, it hadn't even been half a year, and the price of courtyard houses of all sizes in Beijing had tripled and was about to skyrocket. A small courtyard house that could be bought for one or two million yuan at the beginning was now going for over ten million yuan.
Ouyang Jun's courtyard could easily fetch 30 to 40 million yuan if resold. He wouldn't need to advertise it at all; he could just find any real estate agency to list it.
As for Zhuang Rui's house, although it cost nearly 100 million, if he were to announce that he wanted to sell it now, it would be worth 300 million, and there would still be people scrambling to buy it. As the saying goes, things are valued for their rarity, and the more unattainable something is, the better it is. Nowadays, the wealthy people in Beijing are all proud to live in courtyard houses. If anyone still flaunts how big their manor or villa is in a certain place, they will definitely be looked down upon.
"Mr. Ouyang, why didn't you give us a heads-up? Oh, Mr. Zhuang, you're here too? I've had the courtyard cleaned up, but the main gate is a bit dilapidated. Should I have someone replace it?"
The person Zhuang Rui was waiting for hadn't arrived yet, but the chubby figure of Director Zheng from the district appeared instead. Zhuang Rui found it strange; Director Zheng was, after all, a leading cadre at the division level, so why was he going to wander into this alley for no reason?
Little did Zhuang Rui know that when they entered this courtyard house conservation area, they were spotted by someone with ulterior motives. There are many people who want to advance their careers these days, and someone immediately notified Director Zheng, who rushed over here.
"No need. This courtyard needs to be rebuilt. Old Zheng, you'll handle the paperwork, that's all. You go ahead and get busy. I'll have someone come find you later..."
Ouyang Jun waved his hand. This time, his attitude towards Director Zheng was much more amiable, that's for sure. Looking into Zhuang Rui's eyes, compared to last time, the only word to describe him was "amiable," even though Ouyang Jun looked much younger than Director Zheng.
"Okay, just give me a call when the time comes, and the paperwork will be done right away..."
When Director Zheng heard the word "Old Zheng," half of his bones went limp. In this world, some people crave money, and some crave power. Director Zheng is not even forty yet, and by climbing onto the Ouyang family's coattails, he has no worries about his future development.
A few days ago, the district party secretary had a talk with him, saying that a deputy secretary position would be vacant during the upcoming reshuffle, and that he should perform well. Although the title of Deputy Secretary Zheng was a bit awkward, it was a leap from a deputy director-general level to a deputy director-general level position, a hurdle that many people could never overcome in their entire lives. Director Zheng knew that the district party secretary was a member of the Ouyang family, and he understood that he had not made a mistake in choosing sides recently.
Having expressed his feelings, Director Zheng took his leave. In officialdom, it's best to keep things in mind rather than speaking them aloud.
"Brother Gu, over here..."
No sooner had Director Zheng left than Gu Yun walked over from the other side of the alley, rubbing his hands together. Zhuang Rui had only given him a general direction that morning, and he had been wandering around for almost half an hour. The cold weather had really chilled him to the bone.
“Brother Gu, you can’t favor one over the other. My house can’t be built worse than Zhuang Rui’s…”