Zhuang Rui pulled Ouyang Jun back, saying, "This isn't Beijing. Even if you call the dean, what good will it do? If they don't respect you, you'll just be left helpless."
"Oh, that's a private room. Visiting is allowed. Just walk straight from here, turn the corner, and it's the second room. But you can't stay for too long."
The young nurse found a way to save face, and then secretly glanced at Ouyang Jun. Ouyang Jun's tone was too domineering when he spoke, as if he could summon and dismiss the hospital director at will. If she knew that Ouyang Jun did not know any hospital director at all, she would definitely show Ouyang Jun what a shrew was like.
"Let's go, Fourth Brother, are you still planning to treat someone to dinner?"
Zhuang Rui pulled the somewhat reluctant Ouyang Jun toward room 812.
"Da Chuan, what are you doing here? What time is it?"
Pushing open the door to the ward, Zhuang Rui discovered that, in addition to Zhuang Min and her brother-in-law lying in the hospital bed, Liu Chuan and Zhou Rui were also there.
"Fourth Brother, you're here too?"
Zhuang Min and Liu Chuan spotted Ouyang Jun behind Zhuang Rui and quickly stood up to greet him.
"Hmm, I heard my brother-in-law had some trouble. Come with Xiao Rui to see how he is. Is he alright? If not, we can go to Beijing to see a doctor."
Ouyang Jun walked to the bedside and looked at Zhao Guodong, but Zhao Guodong's head was wrapped up like a rice dumpling, and his face could not be seen.
"Xiaomin, what's this?"
Zhao Guodong had taken a nap in the afternoon and was now fully awake. When he saw a stranger standing in front of him, calling him his brother-in-law, he couldn't help but look at Zhuang Min.
"He's your maternal uncle's older brother. You can just call him Fourth Brother."
After hearing Zhuang Min's words, Zhao Guodong propped himself up and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Fourth Brother. It's such a small matter, yet you came all the way from Beijing. By the way, does Mom know about this? Don't tell her..."
"Auntie, I don't know. I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help. You should lie down and rest..."
Although Ouyang Jun was arrogant outside, he couldn't put on any airs in front of his own brothers.
"Da Chuan, what happened? Have you figured it out yet?"
Seeing Ouyang Jun talking to Zhao Guodong, Zhuang Rui pulled Liu Chuan aside.
"No, I really don't know if it was Zhang Yufeng who did it. I called Brother Wang to his auto repair shop this afternoon, but he knew nothing about it and refused to admit it. I can't do anything about it."
Liu Chuan scratched his head. Zhuang Rui also knew the Brother Wang he mentioned. He was an old subordinate of Liu Chuan's father and was now the head of the Public Security Section of the branch bureau. He happened to be in charge of this matter. After receiving Zhuang Rui's call, Liu Chuan asked Brother Wang to take people over to investigate, but there were no eyewitnesses at the time, and no one saw the person who hit him with the club.
"Let's get him locked up in jail for a day first."
Zhuang Rui was well aware of these police tactics. They could use the name of a criminal suspect to drag you in and lock you up for 24 hours. Even without evidence, it was good to vent his anger first.
Zhuang Rui had few relatives growing up, so he valued family ties the most. Zhao Guodong had always treated him very well, taking care of him like an older brother. When Zhuang Rui first went to university, Zhao Guodong and Zhuang Min were not yet married. Every time Zhuang Rui came home for vacation, Zhao Guodong would take five or six hundred yuan from his meager salary and give it to Zhuang Rui to use.
Seeing his brother-in-law's miserable state, Zhuang Rui was already burning with rage.
"I want to, but..."
Seeing Liu Chuan's hesitant expression, Zhuang Rui asked curiously, "What's wrong? This is nothing to Uncle Liu, is it? If you don't dare to say it, I will."
Zhuang Rui treated Liu Chuan's house like his own home, knowing that Liu Chuan's father was extremely protective of his son, and that as long as he asked, Liu Chuan would definitely help.
“My dad retired last month. I didn’t tell the old man about it; I secretly contacted Brother Wang. But now is the crucial time for Brother Wang to be promoted to deputy director, so we can’t afford any problems, so…”
"Uncle Liu has retired? I really didn't know that."
Zhuang Rui understood now. Although the saying "when a person leaves, the tea cools" might not necessarily apply to Liu's father, if he approached someone and was refused, Liu's father would lose face big time. People are usually most sensitive when they have just stepped down from their leadership positions, so Liu Chuan didn't bother to contact his father at all.
"Then we really can't tell Uncle Liu about this. By the way, how's Uncle Liu feeling after retirement? In a couple of months, after my house in Beijing is finished, I'll have Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu come and stay for a while. Otherwise, it's quite lonely for my mother to live alone."
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and then said, "Let's talk about it tomorrow. They must have had a purpose in ambushing us. Let's wait for them to come to us. You and Brother Zhou should go back."
Zhou Rui, who had been silent, nodded and said, "I'll be spending the next few days at the auto repair shop."
"Why waste time on that? Xiao Rui, let's find a place to sleep first. I'll take care of this for you tomorrow. Arrest them first. We'll get beaten up and then wait for them to come knocking on our door. That's not how you do things..."
After chatting with Zhao Guodong for a few minutes, Ouyang Jun walked over and overheard Zhuang Rui's words. He immediately started complaining. He wouldn't stand for being humiliated and forced to swallow his anger. After all, when Ouyang Jun was young, he was quite the troublemaker in Beijing.
"Fourth Brother, do you know anyone in Pengcheng?"
Zhuang Rui asked a question.
"Alright, let's talk about it tomorrow. It's almost midnight."
Ouyang Jun stretched, looking confident and smug.
Chapter 328 is no pushover.
"Sister, why don't you take Fourth Brother to my place? I'll stay here today..."
Seeing that his older sister looked tired, Zhuang Rui decided to stay and keep her company at the bedside, since there was another bed in the room reserved for caregivers.
"No need, what can you do with your clumsy hands? I'll stay. You all go back. Da Chuan, don't tell your parents about this..."
Zhuang Min, however, was worried about her younger brother and insisted on staying behind herself.
"Okay, I'll come again tomorrow morning."
Zhuang Rui had been driving for eight or nine hours and was quite tired. After exchanging a few words with Zhao Guodong, he left the ward with Ouyang Jun and the others.
People in Pengcheng love to eat mutton, especially in the summer. There are many barbecue stalls along the roadside. Zhuang Rui and Ouyang Jun hadn't eaten yet, so they pulled Liu Chuan and Zhou Rui to find a barbecue stall and sit down.
Old Beijingers have a special fondness for barbecue. Back in the 1980s, Wangfujing Street was lined with barbecue vendors from Xinjiang, but they've been banned from doing so in recent years. Ouyang Jun hadn't had any for a while, so the group ordered some lamb skewers and lamb kidneys, and enjoyed them with beer.
"Fourth Brother, how are we going to handle this tomorrow? Do you have any acquaintances in Pengcheng?"
After everyone had finished a bottle of beer, Zhuang Rui asked Ouyang Jun, "Liu Chuan's father is currently unable to exert any strength, which is indeed a bit difficult to handle. Right now, Brother Wang from the branch office is at a critical juncture in his promotion, so it's not appropriate to force the issue. Besides, the police can't just arrest people for no reason. If they say I beat someone up, they need to provide evidence. These old thugs are definitely well-versed in this."
“I don’t know anyone here. The old man was from the Fourth Field Army back then. He has a base in Guangdong, Fujian and Northeast China, but not in Jiangnan.”
Ouyang Jun shook his head and drank the beer in his plastic cup. This barbecue stall was great in every way, except the drinking cups were a bit too small.
"So how do we handle this?"
Zhuang Rui was completely confused by Ouyang Jun. Just a moment ago, he was so confident that he would handle this matter, but it turns out he knew absolutely nothing about Pengcheng.
Ouyang Jun glanced at Zhuang Rui and said, "What do you mean, how should we handle it? Brother, if you ask me, we should each prepare a machete. If we have those triangular scrapers from the army, that would be even better; those things can't stop bleeding..."
"Wait, wait, Fourth Brother, stop! What do you need those things for?"
Zhuang Rui interrupted Ouyang Jun when he heard what he said sounded bizarre.
"Listen to me, don't interrupt. The four of us are enough. Grab your weapons and go straight to that guy named Zhang... Zhang something. We'll each give him a stab, and he won't be able to lie. That'll be the evidence. We'll be helping the police solve the case."
As Ouyang Jun got carried away, his blood boiled, and he forgot all about decorum. He took off his expensive designer shirt, draped it over his shoulders, and revealed his fair upper body. There was even a knife scar on his chest.
When Ouyang Jun was young, he was toughened up by his grandfather. When he was a little older and released, he became a local tyrant in Beijing. It wasn't because he relied on his grandfather's reputation, but because he earned it through his own hard work. He often led a group of people to fight at other schools. Zhuang Rui's classmate, Yue Xiaoliu, used to follow him around and cheer him on when he was a child.
There were quite a few troublemakers in Beijing in the 1980s, and Ouyang Jun could be considered one of them. He was ruthless and had connections. As long as he didn't kill anyone, he was generally fine. Over time, he became quite famous, much better than those spoiled brats who relied on their parents' money to play with women.
As he got older, his father became stricter with him, so he stopped fighting. Besides, in today's society, everything revolves around money. Ouyang Wanzhu transformed himself, first making money by selling licenses, then dabbling in the entertainment industry for a while, and finally opening a film company and a club.
Although he earns less money than before, it's still a legitimate business, so it won't give anyone grounds for criticism or cause for trouble. Even though Ouyang Jun has gone into business, he still has to be mindful of his family members' political careers; the officialdom is a battlefield without gunpowder. Besides, there are people in Beijing's circles he can't afford to offend.
But after arriving in Pengcheng, Ouyang Jun no longer had so many concerns, nor did he need to be as careful as he was in Beijing. After a few drinks, the restless spirit within him was stirred up, and he had long forgotten his original plans. He slammed his fist on the table and shouted that he was going to grab his weapons and go find those people.
Ouyang Jun's words were exactly what Liu Chuan, who always wanted to stir up trouble, wanted. Liu Chuan immediately picked up a bottle of ice-cold beer, gulped it down, wiped his mouth, and said, "Fourth Brother is right. Why bother with all that effort? He's just a greenhorn. It's not their time anymore. Fourth Brother, I'll get my gear ready tomorrow. Let's go get him."
"Hey, I didn't realize you had more guts than my brother. Let's just do it this way, who cares if it was that guy or not. Let's beat him up first..."
After hearing Liu Chuan's words, Ouyang Jun found him much more agreeable than before. He picked up his wine bottle and clinked it against Liu Chuan's. The two of them were now like oil and water, completely compatible.
"You two, shut up! When will this end? Fourth Brother, if you're really going to do this, fine, I'll call Uncle tomorrow. You'd better go back to Beijing first. I'll handle things here myself..."
Zhuang Rui was initially stunned by Ouyang Jun's remarks. Personally taking a machete to kill people? That's ridiculous. This isn't a movie, where someone single-handedly storms the enemy's lair. Zhuang Rui thought Ouyang Jun had watched too many movies and had too much of a hero complex.
"Hey kid, you're not manly at all. Just imagine how cool it would be if we brothers took knives and hacked people to pieces..."
Before Ouyang Jun could continue, he saw Zhuang Rui pull out his phone from his pocket and quickly changed his mind, saying, "Alright, a rich man shouldn't sit under a dangerous roof. Can't we just not go? This is so boring."
"Wood, I think Fourth Brother's idea is pretty good. Think about when we were kids, we would fight. Once we beat the other person into submission, they would never dare to mess with us again. No matter if they were the one in charge of the fights, we would just beat them up to vent our anger."
Liu Chuan, that muddle-headed fellow, hadn't grasped the situation yet and still agreed with Ouyang Jun's idea, muttering to himself as he tried to persuade Zhuang Rui from the side.
"What are you talking about? You're about to get married yourself. What if something happens to you and Lei Lei ends up living a widow's life? Stop talking nonsense. Finish this bottle and that's it. Go home and sleep. This is none of your business."
Zhuang Rui was quite angry with these two, they seemed to be under the influence of alcohol. Ouyang Jun was the older brother, so he didn't dare to scold him, but he wasn't so polite to Liu Chuan. He took away all the bottles of wine in front of him, leaving only one opened bottle.
"This is boring, I'm not drinking anymore. Let's go..."
Seeing that Zhuang Rui wouldn't accept his advice, Ouyang Jun, having lost his drunkenness, wanted to indulge himself a bit, something he rarely did outside Beijing. However, his cousin, nicknamed "Wooden Head," stopped him. But Ouyang Jun didn't seem to realize that if his cousin said something inappropriate, how would Zhuang Rui explain it to his uncle?
It was past 1 a.m. when they returned to Yunlong Manor. Ouyang Jun was exhausted and didn't even bother to look around Zhuang Rui's villa before finding a guest room to sleep. Zhuang Rui was also very tired and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Only after White Lion patrolled its territory did it return to the small wooden house that Zhuang Rui had built for it.
"Get up, get up, brother. I said your villa is nice. How much did you pay for it? If this were in Beijing, you couldn't get it for less than fifty or sixty million."
The next morning, Zhuang Rui was woken up by Ouyang Jun. The guy looked like he had just finished running, covered in sweat, but he was in high spirits and excitedly looked around at the furnishings in Zhuang Rui's room.
"It's not that expensive, a little over ten million, about the same as your club, Fourth Brother."
As Zhuang Rui spoke, he glanced at his watch and saw that it was already past eight o'clock. He quickly got up, intending to visit his brother-in-law and then go to the auto repair shop to keep watch and see if the person who had hit him with the club would actually show up.
"Hey, what's all this stuff in the garage for? What's it used for?"
After washing up, Zhuang Rui and Ouyang Jun left the villa. As soon as they entered the garage, Ouyang Jun stared wide-eyed, and Zhuang Rui was also stunned. He was exhausted yesterday and hadn't looked around properly after parking. Now he realized that the huge garage was completely full of machines, except for his own parking space.
After careful examination, Zhuang Rui recognized that these were the grinding wheels and other jade-making machines that he had asked Zhao Guodong to buy. Although the items were not large, there were quite a few of them, which took up more than half of the garage space.
"I still have some raw materials on hand for making jade artifacts. I'll have someone come and make some small items in a few days."
Zhuang Rui casually explained to Ouyang Jun, then opened the car doors and got in.
"Is it that kind of jade piece from the jewelry store last time? If it's that kind, you have to give me one when I get married."
Ouyang Jun later learned from Xu Qing how rare that kind of jade was, and that it couldn't be bought with money.
"Pretty much, but I don't have any imperial green jadeite left. I'll give you a nice bracelet when you get married."
Zhuang Rui smiled wryly; the item hadn't even been made yet, and he'd already been blackmailed.
Ouyang Jun, looking smug, laughed and said, "Whatever. Anyway, if this is a gift from a billionaire like you, it would be beneath you if the price were too low. By the way, where are we going?"
"I'll go check on my brother-in-law first, then I'll go to the auto repair shop and keep watch."
Zhuang Rui explained his plan.
"Hey kid, why are you so honest? This is most likely Zhang Yufeng's doing. Just grab her and that's it. Alright, I'll handle it..."
"No, your method won't work."
Zhuang Rui realized that his cousin was definitely not someone to be trifled with.