Chapter 55

Money, they're after money.

"I have no money," Shanhu said. "You don't need to bother with this anymore. Just leave. When I left home, we agreed that from now on we would be two separate families."

Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning for saying that?

Shanmu was instantly enraged, his face trembling with rage.

His wife quickly tried to smooth things over. "Honey, be polite to your brother-in-law. He was just saying things in anger. He's still young, why are you taking it to heart? Shanhu, you two brothers have relied on each other since you were little. Your brother said some silly things before, why did you take them seriously?"

Gu Jinshui watched from the side, thinking to himself, "This woman is really good with words. No wonder she was able to team up with Shanmu to drive Shanhu out of his house empty-handed and still get a good reputation."

"I'm telling the truth. Aren't you all here for my money?"

Shanhu frowned, probably because he had been holding back his anger for days, and now he let it all out. "Stop pretending to be a good person. You used to call me Street Hoodlum, a hooligan, and you even falsely accused me of peeping at you while you were taking a bath. When you kicked me out of the house, you said you were afraid I would do something bad and implicate you. Now that I have money, you're not afraid anymore. It turns out money really is a good thing."

When an honest person who never gets angry suddenly does, that's truly terrifying.

Not only were the Shanmu couple frightened, but Gu Jinshui and the others were also quite startled.

After regaining his senses, Shanmu became furious and embarrassed, his face turning bright red. "Is what your sister-in-law said wrong? You have money, so what? Look at the state you've become! Living in this shabby house, and your girlfriend ran away when you were about to get married! I think if you continue associating with these people, you're destined to be a failure in this life, and no woman in the world will want you!"

"The father of my child!"

After Shanmu finished hurling a string of insults, the woman pretended to intervene, saying, "Why are you saying these things? They're so hurtful. Even if you care about someone, you can't say things like that."

Shanmu's chest heaved with anger, and he turned his head away as if he didn't want to look at Shanhu.

The woman smiled at Shanhu again, "Huzi, what you said is all true, but all of that is in the past. Your sister-in-law apologizes to you. Your brother and I sincerely want you to go back. If you keep going like this, when will it end? If your future partner sees your situation, she won't dare to marry you, right?"

She glanced meaningfully at Gu Jinshui and the others, not daring to be too direct, but the implication was that Shanhu's reputation was ruined by following them.

"Who said that? I'm willing!"

A clear, crisp female voice rang out from the doorway.

Gu Jinshui and the others turned around and saw a girl with a long braid and dark skin standing at the door. The girl was dressed simply, in a gray jacket and black pants that had been washed until they were almost white.

"Dalin, this... this is none of your business, you should go home."

Shanhu seemed to know the girl, and waved to her.

The girl bit her lip, raised her chin, and walked in. "Shanhu, do you think I'm joking? I'm serious. If you're willing, let's go get our marriage certificate right now."

Ah?

Gu Jinshui almost burned his hand with the cigarette butt.

He quickly flicked off the ash, stomped out the cigarette, and then looked at Shanhu, "Shanhu, who is this girl?"

"There was a girl in our Compound who used to help me collect recyclables."

Shanhu scratched the back of his head. What he didn't mention was that he had saved this girl once before. In this kind of Compound Courtyard, all sorts of people come and go.

Although Dalin was a bit dark-skinned, he had a good figure and worked odd jobs to support his mother and sister. As a result, he was targeted by someone who ambushed him in the alley in the middle of the night. Fortunately, Shanhu heard the commotion outside that night, ran out and chased the person away, so Dalin was safe.

Shanhu said to Dalin, "Don't be ridiculous. This is a big deal for a young girl like you. Don't talk nonsense about marriage. Go home. This is none of your business."

"I'm serious, I agree to this, and my mom agrees too. If you don't like me, just pretend I didn't say anything." Dalin looked at Shanhu, "But I really like you. Even if... even if you... you know, I'm still willing to marry you."

Gu Jinshui and Douzi exchanged a glance.

Douzi asked with his eyes, "Does that mean...?"

Gu Jinshui nodded: That's definitely what she meant. This girl is amazing, she's willing to marry him!

The Shanhu didn't speak, but its lips moved.

Dalin's face flushed red at first, then gradually lost its color. She clenched her hands, her thick eyelashes trembling. "I understand. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

She turned and left, tripping over the threshold as she went out. The girl fell to the ground, probably scraping her hand, but she didn't utter a sound.

However, a single tear fell to the ground.

"Eh,"

It pains me to see Douzi like this.

The girl stood up and left without complaining of pain.

"Who is this person? This is really strange. In this day and age, there are still people who come to your door and offer themselves up."

"My sister-in-law said with a mocking smile."

Gu Jinshui ignored her and patted Shanhu, "What are you standing there for?"

"I."

Shanhu was somewhat at a loss.

Gu Jinshui immediately said, "Hurry up and chase after her! This young girl finally mustered up the courage to tell you what's on her mind. If she runs away and something happens to her, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Yes, yes." Shanhu's mind was a complete mess at that moment, and he chased after them without thinking.

Gu Jinshui looked at Shanmu and his wife and smiled, "What's going on? Are you two planning to wait here?"

The Shanmu couple dared to be defiant towards Shanhu, but they were inwardly afraid of Gu Jinshui, a smiling tiger, and left with a sheepish smile.

At dusk.

Gu Jinshui brought a piece of meat home and said to He Chunlian, "Mom, we won't be cooking tomorrow night."

"What? You're treating?" He Chunlian teased.

Gu Jinshui laughed and said, "It wasn't me, Shanhu is treating. He got his marriage certificate today and is inviting our whole family to his wedding banquet tomorrow night."

He Chunlian was taken aback. She stopped chopping the vegetables, wiped her hands on her apron, and said, "Wait, what happened? Didn't they say the previous one broke up?"

"This is a new one." Gu Jinshui glanced at the fried minced meat next to him, his mouth watering, and casually pinched off a small piece and threw it into his mouth. He Chunlian slapped the back of his hand, "You don't even wash your hands before eating. You're not even as hygienic as your daughter."

Gu Yousi, who was called out, was holding half an apple and slowly grinding it with her front teeth. Upon hearing this, she raised her head, which can be considered as a response.

"Hey, isn't it only natural that my daughter surpasses her parents?"

Gu Jinshui was extremely pleased with himself.

He Chunlian was utterly speechless. This guy's skin was thicker than a city wall. "What's with the 'new' one? Can there be a new and an old person in a marriage?"

"You know what, what happened today is truly unheard of."

Gu Jinshui found the whole thing quite amusing. He recounted how Lin Lu came to confess her feelings, how Shanhu was startled, how Lin Lu ran away, how Shanhu chased after her, and how the two of them blushed when they returned. They then went to the Lin Family and told Lin's mother, who immediately told them to get their marriage certificate.

In less than two hours, Shanhu went from being single to being married.

Not to mention Gu Jinshui was stunned, even He Chunlian, an old sparrow, was wide-eyed with amazement, slapping her thigh and exclaiming, "This is truly amazing! I always said that Shanhu was destined for good fortune, and this has proven it!"

Gu Jinshui's lips twitched.

His mother didn't say that before. She said that if Shanhu became a bachelor in the future, they, as his brothers, would have to help him out.

Chapter 63 The Sixty-Third Day of Being Eavesdropped On

Although Shanhu's marriage was rushed, fortunately, he had everything he needed.

He had pre-ordered a lot of chicken, duck, fish, and meat, which were originally supposed to be returned, but now that he's getting married, there's no need to return them.

As for relatives and friends, he mainly invited Gu Jinshui, Douzi and others. Lin Lu only had a few cousins. Therefore, although the wedding was rushed, it was not difficult to make it decent.

Early in the morning.

Just as Gu Jinshui was about to leave, someone called to say that Chen Dengxing was looking for him.

Gu Jinshui immediately knew it was about the Blood-Infiltrated Jade, so he quickly made a phone call and then rushed to Chen Dengxing's house.

"Xiao Gu, count it, it's exactly seventy-two thousand, is it correct?"

Stacks of banknotes were placed in front of me.

It would be a lie to say that Gu Jinshui wasn't tempted.

He said directly, "Uncle, we're so familiar with each other, is there any need for such formalities? I trust you."

"Haha, friendship is friendship, but rules are rules. You should still count them."

Chen Dengxing chuckled, holding a purple clay teapot in his hands. He took a few sips, clearly delighted. "Xiao Gu, your business is booming! If you come across anything like this again, come find me, and I'll help you sell it."

"Thank you so much, Uncle Chen!"

Gu Jinshui stood up to thank him, and without refusing, counted them himself.

His wife had a pile of gold bars and jewelry, which could be worth at least several hundred thousand yuan if they were liquidated. But Gu Jinshui had never been envious of them. Only this pile of cash in front of him made his eyes water and his heart race.

Seventy-two thousand.

Gu Jinshui counted the total at 72,000, then took out another 2,000 and pushed it in front of Chen Dengxing: "Uncle Chen, this is a small token of my appreciation, please don't think it's too little."

"Hey, you should take this back quickly." Chen Dengxing was a little surprised, but his smile became more friendly. He put down the teapot and waved his hand, "The buyer has already given me a red envelope, I don't need yours."

"The buyer is the buyer, and I am me. This is also my way of showing my respect to you."

Gu Jinshui, "I know it wasn't easy for you to work so hard inside, so I can't let you run around for nothing."

Gu Jinshui is indeed good at handling things. After he said that, Chen Dengxing found him even more pleasing to the eye. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then I'll accept it, but just this once. You don't need to give so much in the future. Just give me a red envelope each time."

This means doing business for the long term.

Gu Jinshui was delighted and agreed with a smile.

He took a tattered nylon bag, threw all the money inside, stuffed it with cotton wool, and no one who saw it would have guessed there was so much money inside.

Chen Dengxing nodded slightly and asked, "Xiao Gu, didn't your master tell you to go to Xi'an to smuggle land?"

"Yes, I do, but I have so many things to take care of at home, I can't let them go."

Gu Jinshui gave a perfunctory reply.

Upon hearing this, Chen Dengxing said regretfully, "That's such a pity. Xi'an is different from Beijing. There are many better goods there. I heard that many of my colleagues have gone. If I didn't have a job that's holding me back right now, I would like to go and have a look myself."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinshui's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Uncle Chen, is there some commotion over there?"

Chen Dengxing glanced at him. "What? Didn't your master tell you?"

What did he say? The Old Master rarely talks to anyone. Gu Jinshui smiled and touched his nose, "I guess Master thought I wasn't very quick-witted, so he didn't tell me."

"Then you should go back and ask your master," Chen Dengxing with a smile, looking like a Maitreya Buddha.

Gu Jinshui felt helpless.

He figured that the Old Master probably meant for him to go when he asked him that day, but he had been so busy for the past month that he had neglected the matter, which made the Old Master unhappy, so he didn't remind him.

Although he realized he had missed a great opportunity, Gu Jinshui was still very happy to have made a fortune today.

At Shanhu's wedding, he even took out a pair of dragon and phoenix bracelets that he had bought that afternoon and handed them to Shanhu, saying, "This is a wedding gift for you two."

The glittering golden dragon and phoenix bracelets have dazzled countless people.

Lin Lu and the other aunties were so fixated on the pair of dragon and phoenix bracelets that they forgot all about eating meat.

This feast is quite impressive today: four cold dishes, eight hot dishes, plus cigarettes, alcohol, and snacks, pairs of pork hocks, braised fish, stewed old hen, and roast duck that just came out of the oven...

"Brother, your gift is too precious. We appreciate your kind gesture, but please take it back."

Lin Lu was dressed like an ordinary bride today, in a red suit, a red skirt, and a flower at her neckline. But the smile on her face added a touch of charm to her. Her confident and open conversation with Gu Jinshui and the others made people think that this girl was really something.

"Yes, brother, you've taken such good care of me all these years, I can't take anything more from you."