"This child is talking nonsense. Alright, it's almost time. Go pick up Guodong..."
Ouyang Wan smiled and patted Zhuang Rui. She was very satisfied with her current life. Every morning and evening, she would go for a stroll in the park with Zhang Ma and Li Sao. The only annoying thing was that there were quite a few retired and widowed old men.
Zhuang Rui drove to pick up Zhuang Min and the others from the station. By the time they returned to the courtyard, it was already dark. Ouyang Wan and Zhang Ma had prepared a table full of dishes and were waiting at home. Xu Qing and Qin Xuanbing had also returned.
When Peng Fei's younger sister, Ya Ya, heard that Nan Nan had come, she ran over from the front yard, and the courtyard became lively in an instant.
Zhuang Rui poured Zhao Guodong a glass of beer and asked, "Brother-in-law, how's the family business?"
"That's right, our 4S store opened early and has the best business in Pengcheng. Those auto repair shops are also doing well. Xiao Si and the others are all running the business now, so I've actually had to manage it less..."
Zhao Guodong took a sip of wine, his face full of smiles. More than a year ago, he never dreamed that he could live such a life. Not only did he own a house and a car, but everyone called him Boss Zhao when he went out, which made him very proud.
However, Zhao Guodong also knew that all of this was given by his brother-in-law. Although he had known Zhuang Rui for many years, Zhao Guodong had a feeling that he could see through Zhuang Rui more and more.
From having nothing to becoming a billionaire, and now even owning a private jet, it only took him a little over a year. Although the wealthy are getting younger these days, Zhuang Rui's rise to wealth seems a bit too legendary.
After hearing Zhao Guodong's words, Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and said, "Brother-in-law, if you're not too busy in Pengcheng, come and stay in Beijing. I'm opening a museum soon, and we're short-staffed right now..."
"Museums? Xiao Rui, I know absolutely nothing about those things..."
Zhao Guodong was taken aback when he heard this. He was fine with listening to the sound of an engine and dealing with cars, but asking him to manage a museum? That would be a bit of a stretch.
"Brother-in-law, we're just asking you to do management. There are people who understand the professional aspects. You and my sister can both come over, and it'll be more lively with the whole family living together..."
Zhuang Rui considered that Huangfu Yun, as his private lawyer, might be busy with other things in the future. This museum was his largest investment project, so Zhuang Rui naturally wanted to find someone he knew to look after it so he could feel at ease.
"this……"
Zhao Guodong hesitated upon hearing this. To be honest, he didn't really want to leave Pengcheng, because his whole family lived there. Whether he could adapt to life in Beijing was another matter.
"Xiao Rui, don't force your brother-in-law. It doesn't matter where he is. Beijing and Pengcheng aren't far apart. He can come over often..."
Although Ouyang Wan also wanted her daughter and son-in-law to move in, she knew that Zhao Guodong's parents were still alive and he had many siblings. If they lived close by, they could take better care of him. If they really came to Beijing, he might not be able to focus his attention here.
"Xiao Rui, let me think about this. Besides, something came up at the auto repair shop, and they need my help to make the decision. Let's talk about it later..."
Zhao Guodong thought for a moment, then said, "Nannan will be starting school in a year. Let her go to school in Beijing with her mother then, since the education here is better..."
"Oh, that's great! I can live with Grandma now, Sister Yaya. I want to go to the same school as you..."
Upon hearing her father's words, the little girl shouted happily.
"You ungrateful brat, your parents have spoiled you for nothing..."
Upon hearing her daughter's words, Zhuang Min tapped Nannan's head with her chopsticks in an annoyed tone, causing everyone at the table to burst into laughter.
"Hmm? Mom, I need to take this call. You guys eat first..."
Just as they were chatting and laughing, Zhuang Rui's phone suddenly rang. After glancing at the number, Zhuang Rui frowned.
"When a family is having a meal, there aren't that many things to do."
Ouyang Wan gave her son a disapproving look.
"Cough cough, almost done..."
Zhuang Rui walked out of the restaurant with his phone in his hand. He dared not ignore the call; if he hung up, Zhuang Rui was certain that Officer Miao would be at his house within five minutes.
As soon as the call connected, Miao Feifei's voice was accusatory and questioning: "Zhuang Rui, what's the deal with Yu Zhenping meeting with your people this afternoon?"
"What? What happened?"
Zhuang Rui pretended to be confused. He should have informed the police about the matter of Monkey lending Yu Zhenping 1,000 yuan, but he was busy looking at his museum at the time and forgot about it after hanging up with Monkey.
"Yu Zhenping hasn't returned to his rented place yet. Tell me quickly, what exactly did he do with Monkey this afternoon?"
The person on the phone sounded a little angry.
"Hey, Officer Miao, doesn't your police force have someone watching him?"
Zhuang Rui asked, puzzled.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before someone reluctantly said, "I...I lost them..."
"Hey, Officer Miao, you guys are so capable of making him lose all his money, how come you can't even keep up with a person?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui immediately laughed gleefully. "I'm asking you something, and it's confidential. You guys are so capable, how come you can even lose track of a living person?"
Actually, the police can't be blamed for this. Yu Zhenping was too small a target, and when he left the restaurant, he deliberately lingered around the school gate again. It was during the time when the school let out in the evening, and he disappeared into the crowd, making him very difficult to spot.
Although there were seven or eight investigators following Yu Zhenping, the sudden appearance of hundreds of students made it impossible to pinpoint his location. The investigators who were stationed near Yu Zhenping's rented apartment waited for several hours without seeing him return, which led them to conclude that Yu Zhenping had likely left Beijing.
Having lost track of their target, Miao Feifei was already under immense pressure. Zhuang Rui's mockery triggered an outburst, and she retorted sharply, "Mr. Zhuang Rui, please answer my question, or you will receive a police summons. We have reason to suspect that you deliberately assisted Yu Zhenping in escaping our surveillance in order to secretly trade cultural relics with him..."
"Fine, you police have a lot of power, you can summon me. Alright, that's settled then..."
Upon hearing Miao Feifei's words, Zhuang Rui immediately flew into a rage. "Why is she taking her anger out on me when she's so incompetent? I'm not going to put up with this anymore!" With that, Zhuang Rui hung up the phone.
Just as he was about to go back for dinner, Zhuang Rui's phone rang again. He saw that it was Miao Feifei again and immediately pressed the reject button. He may not be a big official, but he has a lot of power. I don't evade taxes or break the law, so what can you do to me?
"Zhuang Rui, I apologize for what I said earlier. I didn't mean to blame you, but we need to know what happened this afternoon that led to the suspect's disappearance. We hope you can cooperate..."
The phone didn't ring again, but Zhuang Rui received the text message. Based on Zhuang Rui's understanding of Miao Feifei, the somewhat stiff tone of the message meant that Miao Feifei was apologizing to him.
"Officer Miao, this afternoon Yu Zhenping called Monkey and said he was penniless and wanted to borrow some money. I felt it wouldn't be right to refuse him, so I asked Monkey to lend him 1,000 yuan. As for where he went, I really don't know..."
After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Rui made the call again. Of course, he didn't mention that he asked to borrow 1,000, but Monkey gave him 2,000 directly.
Chapter 684 Double Happiness
"You... why didn't you notify us about such an important situation?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Miao Feifei immediately became anxious again. If Yu Zhenping had money, he might continue to go undercover, and all the work the task force had done would be in vain.
"Hey, Officer Miao, I'm not a police officer. I'm usually so busy with other things. I'd forget about this little thing as soon as I mentioned it. Besides, I only have so much money. After buying a train ticket, I probably won't have much left. Do you think he won't come back to me?"
Zhuang Rui was oblivious to the consequences of his actions; he didn't know that the police could make such a blunder, which is why he spoke with such confidence.
“You… I have nothing more to say to you, Zhuang Rui. I'm telling you, if Yu Zhenping contacts you again, you must notify us immediately…”
Miao Feifei angrily hung up the phone. Although Zhuang Rui's words made some sense, with Yu Zhenping missing, the matter was no longer under the control of the police. If she had known it would turn out this way, she would have preferred to arrest him earlier.
Although they have set up checkpoints at major long-distance bus stations and train stations to arrest the person, the task force knows that the person has extremely strong counter-surveillance capabilities, and the hope of catching him is very slim.
They were right. Yu Zhenping was indeed sitting on a coal train, eating roast chicken and drinking baijiu (Chinese liquor). With his physique and dark complexion, even if someone saw him, they would mistake him for a homeless child.
As time went by, apart from the beginning when Miao Feifei would frequently call Zhuang Rui to ask if Yu Zhenping had called, Miao Feifei continued to do so.
However, after more than two months, the task force was on the verge of being disbanded, and Yu Zhenping seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.
Zhuang Rui didn't care and continued living his life as usual. Zhao Guodong couldn't bear to leave his relatives in Pengcheng and ultimately didn't stay in Beijing, but he left his daughter with Ouyang Wan, which brought the old man a lot of joy.
The renovation of Dingguang Museum is complete, except for a few special display cases that are not yet finished. It is estimated that the museum will be able to open in another half month. Zhuang Rui has been busy there these days, and the collections in the basement have been transported to the museum in batches.
Huangfu Yun arrived in Beijing more than a month ago, accompanied by Bass Guimet, the director of the Guimet Museum.
To show his sincerity, Bass Guimet not only agreed to Zhuang Rui's conditions, including more than ten paintings and calligraphic works donated by Frey and the Western Han Dynasty "White Jade Tiger" proposed by Zhuang Rui as trade goods, but also gave Zhuang Rui an additional batch of Dunhuang cultural relics.
This collection of cultural relics includes more than 30 fragmented Buddhist statues from Dunhuang, more than 20 murals stolen from Dunhuang, and most importantly, 130 volumes of Buddhist scriptures that were lost at the time.
Huangfu Yun did not disappoint Zhuang Rui's trust and obtained so many precious cultural relics. The price he paid was seven Picasso sketches.
Everyone has their own preferences, so it's hard to say who benefited and who lost out in this transaction.
After receiving notification from Zhuang Rui, the Ministry of Culture published a special report on the matter. The report caused a stir in the national collecting, archaeological, and Buddhist communities. Countless collectors and eminent monks from all over the country rushed to Beijing to request the appreciation of those Buddhist scriptures.
Jin Pangzi's teacher, at the advanced age of ninety-three, personally went to Zhuang Rui's residence to examine the batch of Buddhist scriptures and ultimately confirmed that they were indeed scriptures lost from Dunhuang.
In addition to handing over a certificate of authenticity, the old man also volunteered to nominate a name for Zhuang Rui's museum. The old man, who had not written large characters in a long time, insisted on writing large characters directly to avoid Zhuang Rui having to enlarge them.
The old man spent more than three hours writing just a few simple names. Even in Zhuang Rui's living room with the air conditioning on full blast, the old man was still exhausted. If it weren't for Zhuang Rui's spiritual energy, he might have really gotten into serious trouble.
Several experts from the collecting and archaeology fields, as well as eminent monks from the Buddhist community, were also present at the time. As soon as the news spread, Zhuang Rui’s museum became a sensation in the entire antique collecting circle even before it opened. Many collectors also frequently invited Zhuang Rui to participate in their self-organized activities, keeping him extremely busy.
As for the museum's security, the outer perimeter was handled by a reputable security company in Beijing, while the internal monitoring and patrols were conducted by Hao Long's comrades, a total of twelve people, divided into three shifts for 24-hour patrols.
Hao Long's comrades-in-arms all came from special forces divisions, and their backgrounds were impeccable. They were also highly skilled and familiar with security work. They could operate and use the surveillance equipment that Zhuang Rui found so complex. Recruiting them cost Zhuang Rui a considerable amount of money.
"Hey...hey, you guys, be careful. Never mind, I'll do it myself..."
Huangfu Yun, the executive deputy curator, has been practically a porter these past few days. To outsiders, his precious swords are just scrap metal, so they don't pay much attention when handling them. But Huangfu Yun is heartbroken. He personally arranges almost every sword on the shelf or in the glass case.
Zhuang Rui, amused by what he saw, said, "Brother Huangfu, this isn't porcelain, it's not that precious. Come, have some water..."
"Come on, these treasures of mine are more precious than porcelain. If the patterns on this sword get scratched, you'll polish them back for me?"
Huangfu Yun glared at him irritably, carefully placed the Shangfang sword, which was believed to be from the Ming Dynasty, on the shelf, and turned to take the bottled water that Zhuang Rui handed him.
"Brother Huangfu, how about it? Taking on the role of head of this museum isn't too much of a burden for you, is it..."
Watching the workers installing the display cases in an orderly manner under the guidance of the security guards, Zhuang Rui asked with pride.
Although the Dingguang Museum is not comparable to many large museums in Beijing in terms of land area, it is in no way inferior to, and may even be superior in, the quantity and quality of its collection.
The ceramics exhibition hall features a blue-and-white porcelain jar depicting Guiguzi descending the mountain and black pottery from the Longshan culture, complemented by porcelain from the five famous kilns of the Song Dynasty and official kilns of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In addition, there are hundreds of pieces of Qing Dynasty porcelain. The quality of its collection is second to none in China.
The sword and knife exhibition hall, which features the "Dingguang Sword" as its signature piece, brings together stone axes from ancient civilizations to bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and iron swords from the Han and Tang dynasties, showcasing a grand history of warfare.
Furthermore, the sword exhibition hall also features medieval waders, cross swords, two-handed swords, and large two-handed swords that are 1.4 meters long and used for slashing.
In addition, there are spears that continue the Roman style, scimitars in the Persian style, chainmail made of round, diamond or small square metal plates sewn onto leather or thick cloth, and shields that are firmly fixed together with iron bars and rivets. The cross patterns on the shields make it easy to see their origins at a glance.
This was also the first time Zhuang Rui had seen Huangfu Yun's collection. What interested him most were the several strangely styled helmets. Most of these helmets were round or conical, with a strip of iron extending down from the front edge to protect the nose.
One of them is said to be a 12th-century domed helmet, with a slit at the front for the eyes, covering the entire head and face, and many small holes drilled into the panel for breathing.
Upon seeing these helmets and weapons, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but picture the classic character of Don Quixote.
This is also the only sword and knife exhibition hall in China. Although it is not open yet, many collectors from Shandong, Hebei, Tianjin and other places, as well as cold weapon enthusiasts who have heard the news, have already used their connections to ask Zhuang Rui to open it to them in advance. Even Fatty Jin has made several phone calls, wanting to be the first to see it.
Mr. Ma, who pioneered the concept of private museums in China, also called Zhuang Rui, expressing his willingness to share his insights on private museums with Zhuang Rui. Yesterday, Zhuang Rui, along with Huangfu Yun, had a meal with Mr. Ma and received much guidance, from which they benefited greatly.
The calligraphy and painting exhibition hall is also filled with famous artists. Not only are there a series of Qing court paintings, but after Song Jun heard that Zhuang Rui wanted to open a museum, he told his father. The old man not only returned Tang Bohu's "Li Duanduan Picture" but also sent several works by famous Ming and Qing masters, greatly enriching the collection of the calligraphy and painting exhibition hall.
Moreover, Zhuang Rui has another trump card: the remaining thirteen Picasso drawings. Although domestic collectors have been bidding on oil paintings by some well-known foreign painters in recent years, Zhuang Rui's collection of works by top masters such as Van Gogh and Picasso is absolutely unprecedented and unique.
With these collections, and the fact that some departments mentioned the rarity of Zhuang Rui's collection during the exchange of collections between the Dingguang Museum and the Guimet Museum, the collection has become a hot topic on the internet. Many collectors from all over the country have been calling to inquire about the opening date of Zhuang Rui's museum.
However, Zhuang Rui appeared here to say goodbye to Huangfu Yun, because he and Qin Xuanbing had agreed to take advantage of the ten or so days of free time before the museum opened to go to Hainan to take wedding photos.
Zhuang Rui has passed his graduate school interview and will begin his graduate studies in two months. Before that, Zhuang Rui decided to get married. Qin Xuanbing has been living in his house for almost half a year under the title of his fiancée, and Zhuang Rui feels bad about it.
The opening of the museum and the wedding night were both very important events in Zhuang Rui's life, representing that his career and love had reached a ripe and natural conclusion. In Ouyang Jun's words, this was called a double blessing.