Footprints of History

If this had happened six months ago, and Lin Qi had called Neil's Coworker a group of thieves, this honest man would likely have become furious. He would have slammed his fist on the table, pointed at Lin Qi's nose, and told him how ridiculous his words were.

Those people weren't thieves; they were just pitiful people forced by life to see no future. They were simply trying to survive. If they were thieves, they had only stolen hope.

At this moment, Neil did not feel any anger at the word "thief." At most, he felt a little uncomfortable and unhappy, and was somewhat dissatisfied with Lin Qi's statement.

The change in his status has allowed him to begin to say goodbye to his past life. He now has a new big house, a car of his own, and even a walk-in closet that he never imagined before, filled with his own decent suits and accessories.

These changes are like a sharp dagger, completely severing the past from the present.

He nodded. "Yes, I know about that. I'm lucky I wasn't involved with them. Is the case over?"

Neil knew what Lin Qi was doing; he would take those houses that might be sold by the factory owners through litigation, and then return them to these "uncles" in another way.

He felt that Lin Qi was somewhat stingy and unfamiliar. He could simply give these houses to these Coworker without any loss to him.

This case is actually quite complicated, because a group of workers, a factory, and a boss are involved in three lawsuits, which raises the issue of weighting.

Determining whose power takes precedence and whose lags behind requires a process and time. Fortunately, Lin Qi performed well during this period, and the judge, citing Lin Qi's complete evidence and procedures, granted him the highest level of authority.

Because he had signed sales contracts and liability agreements with those workers, and everything was in perfect order with no issues, the case was decided to be tried and executed first.

Lin Qi confirmed this, "The implementation process will begin soon, but you know, my intention is to help these uncles..."

Neil finally couldn't hold back any longer, "Exploitation is not help. I believe that if you think exploitation is help, they would rather not have your help!"

Neil couldn't be as indifferent to his old colleagues of many years as he was to ordinary workers. He had begun to learn to be indifferent, but he was still immature.

Lin Qi smiled and looked at Neil. "But if I don't help them, they'll be chased into the street by the police and bank staff."

"If they accept my help, they can still have a home; if they refuse my help, their homes will be destroyed and they will die. Do you know what 'home destroyed and they will die' means?"

Lin Qi patiently explained the meaning of the word to his father, who was not well-educated. "They will be very pitiful. The older children will go astray, join gangs to become thugs, or become performers in street Strip Club, showing their bodies to their uncles or even relatives."

"Their wives will divorce them, or they may not, but you know, there is no love between homeless people, their private lives become decadent, and they might even crawl into someone else's sleeping bag in search of a warm place in winter."

"In the end, they will have nothing, be plagued by illness, and not have a single penny to see a doctor, so they can only..." Lin Qi glanced at the plate that Sera had brought over, which contained some Beef Ribs.

His bright smile was the complete opposite of what he was saying. He stopped, sniffed, and said, "It smells delicious. Can I try some before we begin?"

Sera is a typical ordinary housewife. Life has taken a lot from her, making her easily pleased and satisfied.

Faced with her son's request, she smiled happily, "Of course, I hope you won't find it unpalatable!"

Lin Qi then picked up a Beef Ribs about the length of his palm and ate it in big bites. After finishing, he didn't forget to suck on the bone and his fingers. The thick sauce gave off a rich aroma. Ordinary families would emphasize the saltiness and savory flavor when cooking.

This is because they haven't mastered advanced cooking techniques and can't create multi-layered flavor variations in food. Therefore, emphasizing oil, salt, and sauce becomes very important.

"It's delicious! I'm looking forward to the other dishes!" Lin Qi's generous praise made Sera even happier. She couldn't help but walk over to Lin Qi and press her cheek against his forehead. She didn't use her hands because her hands were a little wet, and Lin Qi's clothes were very expensive.

"Of course, of course, they're all things you like. Wait for me a moment!"

After watching Sera leave, Lin Qi looked away. "Where were we?"

Neil didn't know whether he should act more indifferent or more normal. He kept a straight face, his lips moved slightly, and he said with a hint of sarcasm, "You've told me what the phrase 'family destroyed' means."

"Ah! Yes, that's true." Lin Qi quickly repeated what he had said earlier. He actually knew it, but he asked it on purpose to reinforce Neil's impression of the word and everything he had just said.

When an impression is reinforced to a certain extent, it becomes something that is subconsciously accepted.

Lin Qi rubbed his fingers together, which felt a little sticky. He took a napkin from the table and wiped his fingers as he continued, "And all of this comes at a cost. There are litigation fees, evidence collection fees, and the costs of navigating various relationships. You only see the result; you don't know how much effort and sacrifice I made for this. So I don't think my actions were excessive."

"I've been much kinder than sending them to the streets!"

Neil couldn't help but sarcastically remark, "You're so kind!" His emotional shift actually stemmed from two aspects. The first was that people tend to reminisce about the past when they are wealthy, so on this issue, his stance was more inclined to side with his Coworker.

The second reason is that his relationship with Lin Qi seems to be somewhat reversed now. When Lin Qi explains these issues, he feels like he's being "disciplined/educated" by a child, which is not easy for Neil, who comes from an ordinary family, to accept.

However, he was still convinced by Lin Qi's words, and he asked again, "What do you want me to do for you?"

Lin Qi placed the napkin back on the table, his fingers now smooth and no longer sticky. He shrugged. "The court will be auctioning off their house soon. We need to persuade the workers not to cause trouble. We need to keep things under control. Do you understand?"

Neil roughly understood. He nodded, his attitude serious. This concerned the future lives of his former Coworker, and even though they were no longer in contact, he didn't want to go too far with some things.

After finishing their business, the two began to talk about Neil's new life. At this point, Neil became more talkative and his emotions became more lively. He talked most about his interests.

He specifically cleared out a room in the back and converted it into a workshop, which contains various tools and two small benchtop machine tools.

Some of the furniture and small ornaments in his home were made by himself; sometimes things are just that interesting.

When he works hard, he feels bored with his work, as if it has become a source of his pain.

But when he could enjoy a better life without working, he suddenly realized that he still loved those jobs, including the tools they used.

As the two talked, Sera brought all the dishes to the table, and the family sat together, drinking and chatting happily.

Until... Lin Qi left.

The price of growing up is really too high. People who were once family suddenly become "relatives". People who were once close begin to drift apart. This is perhaps the helplessness of growing up, but also an inevitable process.

With Neil's help, the workers did not cause a disturbance after learning the court's verdict; they simply sent two people to speak with Lin Qi on their behalf.

With Neil as the middleman, Lin Qi wouldn't make too many demands on them, and overall everyone was able to accept the outcome.

After all, they broke the law. Now they can resolve the issue without incurring too much consequences, which means they've actually gotten a good deal. Not everyone is as easy to talk to as Lin Qi, or as understanding of other people's difficulties. People should know how to be content.

Although everything seemed to be going well, Lin Qi knew that some things were bound to change unexpectedly.

Whether it's now or in the future, someone will always cause trouble, but he doesn't care much; that's a matter for the future.

For the next period of time, he was busy with these business matters, making sure everything was in order. In mid-March, he and more than fifty bodyguards from Blackstone Security Company boarded a cruise ship bound for Nagaril.

Watching the coastline gradually recede into the distance and finally disappear below the horizon, Lin Qi turned around and walked forward into the sea breeze, his steps steady and composed.

It would take about ten days to travel from the Bayer Federation by sea and land to Nagaril, which was quite fast for this era, but Lin Qi was still somewhat dissatisfied.

However, this outdated mode of transportation also has its advantages; at least some information is transmitted very slowly, which is especially crucial for certain things.

On April 1st, an ordinary and uneventful day, the cruise ship docked at a Outer Port in Nagaril. A shiny leather shoe left the gangway and landed on Nagaril's soil.

The sweltering heat, accompanied by the pungent smells of the sea breeze, created a wave of heat. Lin Qi unbuttoned his shirt, smiled as he looked at the backward city, and took a deep breath.

That's the smell of wealth!