Zhuang Rui spotted Qin Haoran standing next to Ouyang Jun and quickly went over to greet him. This incident was not his mother-in-law's fault; it was mainly due to Muta's arrogance.
"Xiao Rui, I... I'm so sorry about this..."
Qin Haoran's expression turned grim. Looking at Zhuang Rui's tanned complexion, he knew that his son-in-law had suffered quite a bit this time.
In contrast, Qin's Jewelry suffered no losses. The diamond was intact, and fingerprints were extracted from Zhuang Rui's house to open the safe, a technique already used in all of Qin's jewelry stores.
"Dad, let's not talk about this anymore. Every cloud has a silver lining. Without this experience, where would we get these treasures?" Zhuang Rui waved his hand, letting the matter drop.
"Huh? King Kong, why are you dressed like that?"
Zhuang Rui suddenly saw Jin Gang stroll in from outside the door, but he was wearing a military overcoat. The coat was quite big, but on him it looked like a mandarin jacket, which was a bit comical.
"Ho ho!"
Jin Gang hadn't seen Zhuang Rui all afternoon, and when he saw him, he immediately became excited. He tugged at Zhuang Rui's clothes, then proudly shook his own jacket, looking quite smug.
"Not bad, not bad, haha..."
Seeing King Kong's smug look, Zhuang Rui laughed heartily. He understood what King Kong meant; it was saying that since others had clothes to wear, it also had them. This guy's ability to imitate was truly remarkable.
Seeing everyone in the room laughing, King Kong grinned broadly and smiled憨厚ly. It was especially interested in children, and when it saw Zhuang Rui's two lumps of treasure, it immediately rushed over and brought its dark face close to Fang Fang's eyes.
The little guy is only one month old and doesn't know fear at all. When he saw King Kong, he reached out his little hand to grab the fur on King Kong's head.
"King Kong, don't get angry..."
Although he knew that King Kong wouldn't get angry, Zhuang Rui was still startled and quickly told King Kong something in his mind.
"Ho ho!"
Jin Gang turned to Zhuang Rui and called out, then stretched out his two large, fan-like hands, asking Ouyang Wan to place the baby in his arms.
"I'll do it, King Kong. Be gentle, don't use force..."
Not to mention Ouyang Wan, even Zhuang Rui was on tenterhooks, taking the child from his mother's arms and carefully placing it in Jin Gang's palm.
Seeing that Zhuang Rui had fulfilled his wish, King Kong's ugly face beamed with joy. However, instead of excitedly pounding its chest, it gently shook its arms like a cradle, making the child laugh incessantly.
King Kong's movements were extremely gentle and careful. He smiled when he saw the child in his palm and even pouted and whistled, something he had learned from Zhuang Rui.
"Hey, this gorilla is just like a human..."
"Yes, she even knows how to soothe a child..."
"You wouldn't believe it, in other countries, there are gorillas who act as babysitters and grow up alongside children..."
King Kong's behavior surprised everyone. Its cautious manner gave people a sense of security, and even Zhuang Rui, who had been on tenterhooks, couldn't help but laugh.
Chapter 849 Godparents
"What's wrong? Why are you so happy? Xiao Rui, why are you so dark-skinned?"
A loud voice came from outside, and the thick windproof curtain was lifted, revealing Ouyang Lei, with two gleaming gold beads hanging on his shoulder, walking into the house.
"This...this is the gorilla you were talking about?"
As soon as Ouyang Lei entered the house, he was startled by King Kong. He reached for his waist with his right hand, but since he hadn't brought a gun to the family dinner, he found nothing.
Zhuang Rui had told Ouyang Lei about this before, but King Kong's size was truly terrifying. Even Ouyang Lei, who had actually experienced the battlefield, felt his heart pounding as he looked at it.
Looking at Zhuang Rui, who was tanned dark, and then at that gorilla, Ouyang Lei finally understood what it meant to be birds of a feather flock together.
"oops!"
As soon as Ouyang Lei's wife entered the house, she screamed upon seeing Jin Gang. Zhuang Rui was so frightened that he quickly looked at Jin Gang, worried that he might be disturbed and throw the child away.
Fortunately, King Kong only glanced at the two of them and continued to play with the child in his arms, looking extremely honest and kind.
"Big brother, sister-in-law, King Kong is very well-behaved, he's alright..."
After Zhuang Rui invited Ouyang Lei and his wife to sit down, Ouyang Lei looked at King Kong with great interest, but his wife was quite frightened and sat more than ten meters away from King Kong.
"Ho ho!" Upon hearing Zhuang Rui mention himself, Jin Gang barked twice at Ouyang Lei and his wife.
Ouyang Lei frowned and said, "Xiao Rui, you didn't say it was this kind of gorilla. What if it hurts someone if we leave it here? Or... should we send it to the zoo?"
King Kong's appearance is really hard to trust, and Ouyang Lei is doing this for Zhuang Rui's sake.
“Big brother, it’s alright. King Kong is very intelligent. Besides, I’ve taken over Fourth Brother’s clubhouse. King Kong can stay there…”
Are you kidding me? Send him to the zoo? That way Zhuang Rui wouldn't have brought King Kong out. In Zhuang Rui's heart, animals and people are equal, and the animals in his home are all his friends.
"Zhuang Rui, so you wanted my club just to house this guy?"
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Ouyang Jun interjected, saying that he originally thought Zhuang Rui wanted to build a manor in the suburbs, but he didn't expect it was for this gorilla.
To spend hundreds of millions to buy one's own clubhouse for an animal—such a gesture left Ouyang Si Shao speechless and in awe.
"Not entirely. With more animals at home, the courtyard house feels a bit small. Your place is big enough, so let them run around..."
Zhuang Rui's idea was that his family still lived here, and he would go to the clubhouse every day. The golden eagle would definitely be willing to go there. As for the white lion, it could stay in the courtyard.
"Alright, big brother's here. Let's eat first. I still have something to give everyone after we finish eating..."
After Zhuang Rui finished speaking, he asked Jin Gang to hand the child over to him. Jin Gang was very obedient, but there was a hint of reluctance in his eyes. It seems that he is quite addicted to being a nanny.
After arriving at the restaurant, Zhuang Rui suddenly remembered something and turned to Qin Xuanbing, saying, "By the way, Xuanbing, go and call Peng Fei and Zhang Qian over. I have something to tell you..."
Although Qin Xuanbing didn't know what was going on, seeing Zhuang Rui's serious expression, she turned around and went to the front yard to call for help.
"Brother Zhuang, what can I do for you? Greetings, sir!"
As soon as Peng Fei entered the restaurant, he saw Ouyang Lei, who was wearing a lieutenant general's uniform, and instinctively saluted him.
"You're not a soldier anymore, you don't need to salute..."
Ouyang Lei waved his hand. He greatly admired Peng Fei. During the time Zhuang Rui was missing, Peng Fei's tenacity, perseverance, and never-give-up spirit made Ouyang Lei look at him in a different light.
If Peng Fei weren't currently with Zhuang Rui, Ouyang Lei would have already considered recalling him to the army.
"Peng Fei, how's your rest? Your body will probably need a few months to recover. Hao Long will be with me during this time. You should rest at home and take care of the wedding while you're at it..."
Zhuang Rui waved, gesturing for Peng Fei and Zhang Qian to sit down next to him.
After Peng Fei sat down, Zhuang Rui stood up and said, "Mom, I've known Peng Fei for over a year, and I treat him almost like a younger brother. Today, I'm making a decision for you: I'll become your adopted brother, and you can become your adopted son. What do you think?"
As soon as Zhuang Rui said this, the room fell silent.
Although we have entered modern society and the practice of recognizing godparents is not as elaborate as in ancient times, it is still a very solemn event in Pengcheng.
According to the customs of Pengcheng, a godson who is truly recognized and accepted as an elder through kowtowing and offering tea is expected to serve the elder like a biological son, caring for them in their old age and seeing them off in their final days.
Despite their brotherly relationship, Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan have never formally recognized each other as godparents.
If Peng Fei recognizes Ouyang Wan as his godmother, he will have to wear mourning clothes and kneel on the altar like a son after Ouyang Wan passes away.
Ouyang Wan was slightly taken aback, because Zhuang Rui had not mentioned this to her before. However, Ouyang Wan also liked Peng Fei's simplicity and knew about Peng Fei's background, so she nodded in agreement without much hesitation.
More importantly, although Jin Yu was largely responsible for Zhuang Rui's escape from danger, Peng Fei's unwavering spirit also moved Ouyang Wan.
After seeing Ouyang Wan nod, Peng Fei quickly pushed back his chair, came to Ouyang Wan's side, and said, "Auntie, my parents are both dead, and I live with my sister. It was Brother Zhuang who brought me out of poverty, which is why I have the life I have today. If you don't mind, I'll call you Mom..."
Zhuang Rui quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it to Peng Fei. Peng Fei pulled Zhang Qian down with him, knelt on both knees, and held the teacup above his head with both hands, saying respectfully, "Mom, have some tea." "Good, good children, you are all good children. I'll drink this tea..."
Ouyang Wan took the teacup, took a sip, and then pulled Peng Fei and Zhang Qian up, telling them to sit back down. After that, Ouyang Wan hurriedly went to her room, and when she returned to the dining room, she was carrying a pair of red jade bracelets.
Ouyang Wan placed the bracelet on Zhang Qian's wrist and said, "Child, this is a token of my love. When you and Xiaofei get married, I'll have another gift for you..."
"Godmother, I want one too..."
Seeing that he could get a good deal, Liu Chuan immediately shouted.
"Get out of here. You already have a wife. How about I give you King Kong to be your nanny?"
Zhuang Rui glared at Liu Chuan with annoyance, which made everyone in the room burst into laughter.
After the godparents were formally recognized, the atmosphere became even more lively. This meal was the most delicious Zhuang Rui had ever eaten. Of course, Jin Gang felt the same way; although it couldn't sit at the table, Zhang Ma prepared a large pot of food for it. ...
"Sister-in-law, Xiaoqian, you both pick a few items, take the good ones..."
After dinner, back in the private room, Zhuang Rui opened two sacks filled with jewelry and allowed each of the women in the room to choose a few pieces.
Upon seeing these shimmering jewels, the women in the room were immediately captivated. Even someone as composed as Ouyang Wan was somewhat surprised; there are truly few women in this world who can resist the allure of jewelry.
Moreover, the women present had very discerning eyes; in the end, none of them chose finished jewelry. Instead, they selected some top-quality pearls and gemstones to take back and have master craftsmen make them themselves.
Zhuang Rui asked Ouyang Lei's wife to pick out a few more items to bring to his two sisters-in-law, Ouyang Lu and others, who were working outside Beijing. This was to treat them equally and avoid any gossip from his family.
It should be noted that the wives of the Ouyang brothers were all from wealthy and noble families, with family backgrounds similar to those of the Ouyang family. These daughters of officials and noble families might not care about such things; what they value is face.
Not only were the women astonished by the jewelry Zhuang Rui displayed, but even well-traveled individuals like Ouyang Lei and Qin Haoran were amazed by the gold coins. Just how much wealth would these things represent?
The next day, Zhuang Rui called Professor Meng and briefly explained what had happened to him abroad, asking for another week off.
Zhuang Rui had no choice. He had just returned home and had too many things piling up. Yesterday, he had been receiving non-stop phone calls from Huangfu Yun and others.
However, Zhuang Rui didn't have time to deal with business matters right now. Instead, he first went to visit the two old men at Yuquan Mountain.
The two remaining founding generals of the country were also very happy to see Zhuang Rui. In particular, Old Master Ouyang drank several cups of wine at noon despite the doctor's objections, which made Old Master Song say that he was making a fuss over nothing.
After leaving Yuquan Mountain, Zhuang Rui returned to the courtyard house, drove the borrowed Hummer, and took Jin Gang and Jin Yu to Ouyang Jun's clubhouse.
Ouyang Jun was very efficient. He raised the original iron fence by three meters and installed surveillance cameras in every blind spot, making it look like a small private estate.
At this time, all staff members except security guards had left the club. According to Ouyang Jun, these security guards were all obtained by him from the Beijing Garrison Command, and their loyalty was absolutely guaranteed.
Ouyang Jun was quite meticulous in his work. He removed his top-notch chef and hired several ordinary chefs for Zhuang Rui. Otherwise, it wouldn't be good for Zhuang Rui to live here without anyone to cook and buy groceries.
Zhuang Rui didn't dare to call Jin Gang out of the car directly. He got out of the car himself and gave a speech to all the security personnel. Even so, Jin Gang still frightened everyone quite a bit.
Only after Zhuang Rui repeatedly reassured them and offered to double their wages did the security guards finally calm down.
Of course, King Kong's憨厚 (honest and simple) performance also put the security guards at ease. Otherwise, living with a modern version of Godzilla, I doubt anyone could get a good night's sleep.
To help King Kong adapt to the new environment, Zhuang Rui stayed at the manor for two whole days. Only after King Kong became very familiar with the security personnel and the surroundings was Zhuang Rui able to return to the courtyard house.
Chapter 850 Press Conference (Part 1)
"Hello, Mr. Zhuang..."