The Enthusiastic Sister-in-Law

Back home, Zhang Shuai immediately took the USB drive out of his travel bag. He was terribly curious about what secrets it held and why it could be worth tens of millions.

There was an old computer in the rental apartment, left behind by the landlord. It was simply too outdated to be worth much, so the landlord had been too lazy to haul it away. Zhang Shuai had never used it before, since he had never paid for internet service and there was no broadband in the apartment. The computer could not go online, but it could still play the contents of a USB drive without an internet connection.

He turned on the computer and inserted the USB drive, only to discover in shock that it was encrypted. Without a password, there was no way to open it.

Zhang Shuai was somewhat disappointed. He had no ability to crack an encrypted USB drive; only professionals with profound computer knowledge could manage such a thing.

He put the USB drive into a drawer and locked it away, then took out the gray stone again and examined it carefully. He could not tell what was special about it at all. Perhaps only after cracking the USB drive's contents would he learn what was so unusual about this stone.

There was no helping it. The stone could only be locked in the drawer for now as well.

Then Zhang Shuai counted the two bundles of cash. They were all hundred-yuan bills, exactly two hundred thousand yuan—not one bill more, not one bill less. Adding the three thousand yuan those people had paid as compensation for his electric scooter, he now had two hundred and three thousand yuan on hand.

Zhang Shuai had never possessed so much money before. For a moment, he was immensely excited, constantly calculating in his heart how he should spend it.

Zhang Shuai first took a thorough shower, then went to a barbershop for a haircut. After that, he bought several decent sets of clothes and shoes at the mall, spending nearly three thousand yuan in total.

As the saying went, clothes made the man, just as gold adorned the Buddha. With a new hairstyle and new clothes, Zhang Shuai transformed himself into a handsome man. Compared with his former image, it was like heaven and earth.

Quite a few people used to call him Fatty Zhang, but his figure was now excellent, no worse than those fitness coaches. He had eight-pack abs and firm, powerful lines in his arms—a bona fide stylish hunk. He had nothing whatsoever to do with the word "fat" anymore.

Now that he had money, he had to repay Wang Qiang immediately. Wang Qiang was Zhang Shuai's only friend in this world and had always helped him from childhood to adulthood. Though Zhang Shuai never said it aloud, he had always kept that bond of friendship in his heart.

He checked the time. It was already nearly four in the afternoon.

So Zhang Shuai sent Wang Qiang a WeChat message, saying that he would be going to his place for dinner that evening.

Wang Qiang replied quickly, saying that was fine. He would have his wife prepare the food and wait for him, and the two brothers could have a proper couple of drinks that night.

Zhang Shuai certainly could not show up empty-handed this time. The first time he had gone to Wang Qiang's home, he had just arrived in the city from the countryside and had not had a penny to his name, so he had bought nothing. That had been somewhat discourteous. Now that he had money, there was no way he could visit empty-handed.

So Zhang Shuai went to the mall. He first visited a children's clothing store and bought two sets of good-quality clothes and shoes for Wang Qiang's child, Lele. Then he bought some fruit, milk, and snacks.

Carrying the items, he hailed a cab and went straight to the residential complex where Wang Qiang lived.

Wang Qiang lived on the twenty-eighth floor of Building Six. Zhang Shuai entered the elevator carrying bags of all sizes and had just raised his hand to press the button for the twenty-eighth floor when a young woman stepped in.

The woman was dressed fashionably and looked to be around twenty. She wore a cream-colored cropped camisole on top and a black bodycon skirt below. Her figure was graceful, her short choppy hair reached her ears, and she wore light makeup. She had a fair bit of beauty to her—by any measure, she counted as a pretty young woman.

After entering the elevator, the woman pressed the button for the twenty-sixth floor, and the elevator doors closed.

The elevator slowly rose. Zhang Shuai noticed that the woman kept sneaking glances at him. When the number reached the fifteenth floor, she suddenly struck up a conversation.

"Handsome, do you live in this building too? How come I've never seen you before?"

Zhang Shuai was somewhat surprised. Although his name was Zhang Shuai, no one had ever called him handsome from childhood to adulthood. No girl had ever taken the initiative to strike up a conversation with him, either. It seemed that after slimming down, his image had changed greatly. Even riding an elevator, strange girls were approaching him now.

"I don't live here. A fellow townsman of mine lives here, and I came to mooch a meal at his place today."

The woman looked at the large and small bags in Zhang Shuai's hands and smiled. "You brought so many gifts even though you came to mooch a meal? You really know your manners."

Zhang Shuai smiled. "How could anyone mooch a meal at someone's house empty-handed?"

"Your fellow townsman lives on the twenty-eighth floor? Don't tell me it's that electrician, Pockmarked Wang?"

Zhang Shuai said unhappily, "His name is Wang Qiang, not Pockmarked Wang. Don't you think giving people nicknames is very rude?"

The woman hurriedly apologized. "Sorry. Everyone in our complex calls him that, so we've gotten used to it. I really didn't mean any harm."

Seeing her sincere apology, Zhang Shuai smiled as well. "It's fine, I understand. Actually, I used to call him Pockmarked Wang too when we were in school, but I stopped after we grew up."

As they spoke, the elevator stopped on the twenty-sixth floor. The woman stepped out and even said goodbye to him. "Bye, handsome."

Not long after, Zhang Shuai arrived outside Wang Qiang's apartment on the twenty-eighth floor and pressed the doorbell.

Very soon, a woman wearing an apron opened the door. She had ordinary looks and was not dressed up much. She was Wang Qiang's wife, Jing Fengqin.

At that moment, Jing Fengqin looked at the handsome man outside carrying bags of all sizes, her face filled with confusion. "Who are you looking for?"

Zhang Shuai smiled. "Sister-in-law, it's me, Zhang Shuai! You don't recognize me?"

Jing Fengqin's eyes suddenly widened. She looked Zhang Shuai up and down in disbelief. "You're Zhang Shuai? Oh my, how have you changed so much? You've lost so much weight! If you hadn't said anything, I really wouldn't have recognized you. Quick, come in and sit for a while. Wang Qiang won't be off work for a bit yet."

Zhang Shuai entered the apartment and casually placed the bags in his hands on the coffee table in the living room. "Sister-in-law, where's Lele? I bought Lele two sets of clothes, along with some fruit, milk, and snacks."

Jing Fengqin smiled until her eyes narrowed into slits. "Zhang Shuai, Lele just had some milk and fell asleep in the inner room. You're being far too polite. You're not an outsider—why spend so much just to come have a meal at our place? Let it go this time, but you're not allowed to buy anything next time!"

"Sister-in-law, I've been in Qingshui City for three months now. Brother Qiang has always taken good care of me, and as Lele's uncle, it's only right that I buy Lele a few things."

"You and Wang Qiang have been brothers since childhood. Of course he has to lend you a hand. If you're too formal with us, you're treating us like outsiders. Come, sit on the sofa and wait a while. Wang Qiang will probably be back in half an hour. Today I'll make several good dishes, and you two brothers can have a proper drink."

As Jing Fengqin invited Zhang Shuai to sit, she made him a cup of tea.

"Zhang Shuai, I know all about what you've been through. Wang Qiang told me everything. It hasn't been easy for you either. Listen to your sister-in-law—don't spend money recklessly in the future. Save up properly, find yourself a wife, and start a family and career. Before, when you were fat, I didn't think much of it, but now that you've slimmed down, tsk, tsk, I've realized you're really quite handsome. You're far more handsome than Wang Qiang. With such a handsome young man like you, are you afraid you won't find a wife? Don't worry! Leave your wife to your sister-in-law. I'll find you a young, beautiful, good girl!"

Zhang Shuai felt somewhat moved. Sure enough, no one could fault someone who came bearing gifts. When he had visited Wang Qiang's home last time, Jing Fengqin had not been nearly this enthusiastic.