Chapter 64
"Hey, how are things going between you and Shanhu lately?"
He Chunlian asked.
Gu Jinshui, sipping his soda, laughed and said, "It's all good. We just finished something, and we think we'll make some money. We might be able to go back in a few days."
This morning, He Fei, being the impatient type, had already taken the land deeds and house deeds to the Overseas Chinese.
He Chunlian was happy to hear that they were coming back and said, "That's good. I was worried about you all not being home, and Lin Lu was also nervous. She was probably too embarrassed to mention it, but she kept coming over to ask about the situation. You should tell Shanhu to call the girl later."
"Yes, I just called."
Gu Jinshui laughed and said, "They don't even let me hear what they're saying, how rare!"
He Chunlian couldn't help but laugh, saying, "I thought Shanhu was being careless and had forgotten he had a wife. As long as he gets a beating, that's fine. It's not easy being a young girl. By the way, Jin Shui, there's something..."
He Chunlian then recounted what Song Chaohua had said.
Gu Jinshui was taken aback, his foot stepping on the nearby step, his brows furrowing. "Is that so?"
"It can't be wrong." He Chunlian said, "This is what their daughter told our Second Girl. This matter is a long and complicated one, and we can't help you with it. You have to figure it out yourself."
"Okay, I understand."
When Gu Jinshui saw He Fei carrying a bag, his chubby face broke into eight wrinkles with a smile, looking just like a Tianjin Goubuli steamed bun.
He said a few words to the old lady and then hung up the phone.
He Fei nodded at him and said, "Come on, let's go to your room."
Gu Jinshui and Shanhu followed behind him. As soon as they entered the house, He Fei threw the military green suitcase onto the bed. "Guess how much money is in here!"
"Is there money in here?" Shanhu asked in surprise.
Gu Jinshui, "US dollars?"
"That's right, buddy." He Fei smugly, raising his chin. "This bag is worth a full fifteen hundred US dollars."
"Right now, one US dollar can be exchanged for two and a half yuan on the Black Market, which is equivalent to..." He Fei's mind couldn't process it.
Gu Jinshui stepped forward, unzipped his jacket, and casually said, "3750 yuan."
"Okay, buddy, you've got a quick mind."
He Fei exclaimed in surprise, pulling out a handful of US dollars and scattering them in the air. "I've never seen so much money in my life! Now I'm rich!"
Judging from his tone, Gu Jinshui knew that this kid must have been holding back a lot of bad luck in the past.
Come to think of it, what was the situation a few years ago? Back then, anything related to culture was subject to criticism and struggle sessions. Teachers, professors, and doctors were all sent to farms for reform through labor. He Fei's family was in the antique business, so it was even worse. To put it bluntly, they were small capitalists. They probably had some valuables at home, but they would never dare to show them off. They couldn't expect to get any good jobs. If they were allowed to stay in the city, they were lucky.
Gu Jinshui held a US dollar bill, then suddenly rubbed the money in his hand and smelled it.
He Fei laughed and said, "Brother Gu, what are you doing? Haven't you ever seen money before?"
Shanhu came over to look at the money, then looked at Gu Jinshui: "Brother, isn't there something wrong with the money?"
Although Shanhu was a rough man, his intuition was quite sharp, or rather, he understood Gu Jinshui and knew that if Gu Jinshui were happy, he would not react this way.
"This money can't be wrong, don't be ridiculous, this is US dollars, you know US dollars, it's different from our money." He Fei shook his head with a smile, "What kind of person is he? He wouldn't give us money, would he? The Lin Family just did a deal with him for 150,000 US dollars."
"This money is fake."
Gu Jinshui tossed the money down and said decisively.
He Fei was stunned. He looked at Gu Jinshui and said, "What... what did you say? This money can't possibly be illicit. Don't make me laugh."
Gu Jinshui looked at He Fei and remained silent for a long time.
Sweat dripped from He Fei's forehead, and the joy on his face faded like the tide.
Chapter 73 The Seventy-Third Day of Being Eavesdropped On
"It's all fake, it's all fake!"
He Fei retrieved some US dollars from the Black Market and compared them one by one with the money given by the Overseas Chinese. He examined hundreds of US dollar bills one by one. Although it was difficult to distinguish between real and fake, for people in their line of work, it was not difficult to tell the difference with a little effort.
"How could this happen!" He Fei's clothes were soaked with cold sweat. He sat down on the ground with a thud, his eyes vacant and lifeless.
Shanhu looked at Gu Jinshui. Although he was also heartbroken, he was a content man after all. He was satisfied with the money he had earned these days, so even though the US dollars were fake, he was not too upset.
Gu Jinshui, "If you keep squatting like that, you might really suffer the consequences."
His words brought He Fei back to his senses. He Fei looked up at Gu Jinshui and asked, "Brother Gu, do you have any ideas?"
He quickly got up, walked to Gu Jinshui's side, and poured Gu Jinshui a glass of water from the Guesthouse's thermos, his hands trembling.
Gu Jinshui, "Then Tom and the others haven't left yet, have they?"
"They definitely didn't leave!" He Fei said. "They even told me they were going to visit that old house in a few days. Besides, they are Overseas Chinese; it wouldn't be so easy for them to leave!"
Shanhu scratched the back of his head and said, "Brother, can't we just ask them for our things back?"
Before Gu Jinshui could answer, He Fei said with a bitter face, "Do you think I wouldn't have thought of something if it were that easy? It's a cash-on-delivery transaction, and the money has been in our hands for a while now. We didn't recognize it as counterfeit at first. Now if we go back and say the money is fake, do you think they'll accept it?"
"Besides, they're Overseas Chinese ..." Gu Jinshui lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "Even if we call the police, the local Public Security won't be able to handle it."
"Who says otherwise?"
He Fei felt increasingly aggrieved, and raised his hand to slap himself. "This is all my fault. I was too careless. I thought things would fall into place naturally, and I never suspected that the Overseas Chinese would give me money."
The more flamboyant he was when he came, the more guilty he felt now, to the point that he wished there was a crack in the ground he could crawl into.
This is fifteen hundred dollars.
"Alright, we can't blame all of our losses on you."
Gu Jinshui grabbed He Fei's hand, "Think about it, if our money is fake, then what about the Lin Family's money...?"
He Fei was stunned. Xiao Dou looked at Gu Jinshui, her chubby face twitching. "You mean... you mean the Lin Family was also scammed?"
"They ripped us off for a little over a thousand dollars, and the Lin Family for over a hundred thousand dollars, so how could Tom not rip them off?"
Gu Jinshui, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, left foot on the ground, right foot resting on the table, said, "We can't get justice for this on our own; we need the Lin Family's help!"
These three are from out of town, with no connections or background, so what right do they have to reason with each other?
"Yes, yes, you're right."
He Fei suddenly understood, "The Lin Family is a local tyrant, I don't believe they can suffer this in silence."
The Lin Family certainly couldn't accept this loss.
The $150,000 was obtained by the Lin Family through selling antiques that had been hidden away for three generations. The entire Lin Family was counting on this money to revive their ancestral business.
He Fei arrived with Gu Jinshui and the others. As soon as he mentioned that the US dollars were counterfeit, Lin Wenxiang's face darkened, and he slammed his cup on the table. "Little He, I'll pretend I didn't hear your nonsense because of your Grandpa. What do you mean, counterfeit? We've verified the money."
He Fei was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Gu Jinshui.
Gu Jinshui remained calm, opened their bags, pulled out a wad of US dollars, and threw it on the table. "Checked? If your money is real, He Fei and I will swallow this bitter pill."
Lin Wenxiang's two sons couldn't help but look at the money on the table.
Lin Wenxiang frowned slightly. He looked at Gu Jinshui, Gu Jinshui had his head held high. His thick, dark eyebrows slanted upwards, and his phoenix eyes were long and narrow. Even when he was not smiling, he had an air of menace to him.
Lin Wenxiang's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Bohu, bring the magnifying glass over."
Lin Bohu quickly picked up the magnifying glass his father used. Lin Wenxiang picked up the money, initially not paying much attention, but as he looked at it, one bill after another, his lips trembled and the muscles around his eyes twitched.
"This... this is the money Tom gave you?"
"The genuine articles are all here."
Gu Jinshui pointed to the suitcase. "You don't need to look any further. He Fei already checked it; all the money in here is fake."
Clang.
Lin Jiyuan's hand trembled, knocking the plate off the table and scattering apples all over the floor.
Lin Wenxiang was known for his strict discipline of his children, but at this moment he paid no attention to Lin Jiyuan's trivial matter.
He immediately said, "Quick, get the money Tom gave us back."
"Yes, yes."
Lin Bohu reacted quickly, agreeing immediately and nearly tripping as he turned and ran out.
Seven or eight bags were laid out on the ground, all zipped up, revealing stacks of US dollars inside.
But everyone's face was pale.
Lin Wenxiang's younger brother, Lin Wenyuan, was also there. His pupils contracted as he stared at the money on the ground. "Outrageous! Our Lin Family has been swindled! Brother, we have to get our things back!"
After he finished speaking, he turned around and was about to call for people to surround and stop Tom and his men.
"Come back!" Lin Wenxiang roared, his beard trembling, his face flushed red. "How are we supposed to explain this? How are we supposed to get our stuff back? Our Lin Family, the antique dealers, has been tricked with a gun! If word gets out, our Lin Family will become a laughingstock. And besides, do you think we can even get that stuff back?!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Jinshui knew that the antique given by the Lin Family probably had some dubious origins.
This is all understandable.
His master once told him that in the early years of the "Destroy the Four Olds" campaign, the Red Guards in Beijing searched everywhere for antiques and calligraphy, saying they were feudal dross and had to be burned, smashed, or thrown away. In short, they couldn't have them.
But are those antique paintings and calligraphy really gone?
Not necessarily. The people below might lack discernment and not know what's valuable, but how could those in power not understand the value of antiques?
The origins of the Lin Family's possessions are not necessarily clear, especially since Xi'an is a place with many ancient tombs, and many people rob tombs and sell funerary objects.
These things can't be exposed. If they were to be reported, the Lin Family would be in deep trouble.
Lin Wenyuan a few steps, clearly not listening.
Lin Wenxiang said as he left, "Eldest brother, second brother, you two hold your second uncle back and close the door!"
The Lin Bohu brothers quickly went up to grab their second uncle, closed the door, and dragged him into the main room.
"Brother, I don't care about saving face, but if we can't get this back, our Lin Family will be ruined."
Lin Wenyuan's eyes turned red.
Lin Wenyuan lost over 100,000 yuan just like that; he's not crazy, he just has a good mindset.
Lin Wenxiang gritted his teeth and said, "Did I say I didn't want it? They set this trap for us. Do you think they didn't have a backup plan? What did our father teach us? We must always understand our opponents!"
Lin Wenyuan, panting heavily, plopped down on a stool, struggled free from his two nephews' hands, and ripped open his collar, his chest heaving. "So tell me, what are we going to do about this?"
The hall fell silent.
The Lin Bohu brothers secretly glanced at their father. The two brothers were born at an inopportune time, and they were only a few years old when the political situation became turbulent. Although the Lin Family had slowly recovered in recent years, the two brothers were still inexperienced and could only stare at their father in the face of such a situation.
Lin Wenxiang felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
His eyes suddenly fell on the young man next to He Fei. Despite such a big incident, this young man's expression hadn't changed since he entered the room.
Lin Wenxiang coughed, "He Fei, does that young man next to you have any ideas that can help us?"
"Ah?"
He Fei was taken aback.
He felt a chill run through him; it was all over. He and Gu Jinshui were still relying on the Lin Family to get justice.
Who knew that the Lin Family was all show and no substance, all talk and no action but no real ability.
Gu Jinshui, "I do have a solution, but I don't know if it will work."
"That's easy to say. Tell us quickly. If it works, we'll appreciate it; if it doesn't, it's not your fault."
Upon hearing this, Lin Wenxiang dropped all pretenses and approached Gu Jinshui with great amiability, seeking her advice.
Gu Jinshui glanced at the US dollars on the ground and asked, "Do you want money or goods now?"
Lin Wenxiang paused, picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of water, and said with a wry smile, "Now it's still..."