"Brother, I believe you!"
Huang Jian stared at Li Chonglou, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration and shock.
He wanted to give this piece of Spring Water Jade to Li Chonglou, partly because they hit it off, and partly because of his connection with Tian Lingli.
More importantly, it was a favor for the respect Li Chonglou had shown him the previous night.
Jade has a price, but friendship is priceless.
The road of life is long, and if he could make a friend like Li Chonglou, it would be greatly beneficial for his future.
But he hadn't expected Li Chonglou to be so unfazed by this precious jade.
There was not the slightest hint of possessiveness in his eyes.
It was as if he was accustomed to such things.
This level of composure was certainly not something a person in his early twenties should possess.
Huang Jian once again confirmed his choice was correct; between Li Chonglou and Zhao Hui, he chose Li Chonglou.
As for people like Zhao Hui, he looked down on himself, and he also looked down on Zhao Hui.
A good-for-nothing dandy, the face of a nouveau riche.
What a joke.
Of course, by stopping Li Chonglou from being too harsh last night, he had also gained favor with Zhao Hui, not offending either side.
"I've come to Shuyu this time for an appraisal competition at the end of the year. This competition involves both personal grudges and company promotion," Li Chonglou asked Huang Jian for a solid wood box, placed the Spring Water Jade inside, and put it in his bag. He said slowly, "It's quite important to me."
"This Spring Water Jade will also be one of my competition entries. It will be returned to its owner after the competition."
"But before that, apart from the four of us, no fifth person can know about it."
He had to make this clear to Huang Jian.
Huang Jian was kind-hearted and loyal, but such people were usually not very tight-lipped.
If not warned properly, it was very likely that word would leak out, and Lu Weishen would know in advance, making the whole effort pointless.
"Don't worry, not a word will slip!" Huang Jian patted his chest, vowing solemnly.
Li Chonglou patted his shoulder, signaling him to look at other collections.
Besides this box of jade, there were also some pottery jars. They were very old but held no real significance or value.
They were all daily necessities and not up to competition standards.
However, just for this piece of Spring Water Jade, his trip to Shuyu was already worthwhile.
"I'll arrange lunch. After eating, I'll take you to the mountains!" Huang Jian said very politely.
Li Chonglou, however, was not concerned with such matters. His mind was on the precious item, and he had no time to waste here.
He directly refused, "Let's eat in the mountains too. There's no time to delay. What if the treasure is picked up by someone else if we're late?"
"Sometimes, it's just that uncanny."
Huang Jian frowned upon hearing this. After a few seconds of consideration, he clapped his hands, "Alright, you're right. Let's not delay, let's go!"
After speaking, he went to greet the factory workers, informing them that he would be away for a few days to Shanxia Town and to contact him by phone if anything came up.
Then he got into Li Chonglou's car and they headed onto the main road.
Less than half an hour after they left, several Toyota Land Cruisers roared in and stopped at the factory entrance with a screech.
From the leading car, a burly man with a sinister expression and a face full of rough flesh jumped out.
The man had a scar on his left brow bone, fierce eyes, and exuded a ferocious aura.
"Grab them, find the one named Li Chonglou, and break his limbs before dragging him out!"
"Yes!" At his command, over a dozen burly men emerged from the other cars, instantly scaring the factory workers pale.
A few minutes later, the person in charge of the factory was escorted and knelt before the burly man.
"I'm asking you, where did Li Chonglou and the others go?" The burly man drew a combat knife from his waist and pressed it against the face of the person in charge.
The icy, bone-chilling blade had already shattered the responsible person's courage.
He immediately wet his pants and shivered uncontrollably, "Don't... don't, I'll tell you... Mr. Huang took them to the mountains..."
"They didn't even eat, they said they were going to Shanxia..."
The sinister look in the burly man's eyes intensified. He withdrew the dagger, kicked the person in charge over, and said, "Listen carefully, if anyone leaks information, you will all die. Think carefully."
"In Shuyu, going against Young Master Zhao is truly a death wish!"
Then, a ferocious and violent smile spread across his face, "Shanxia Town, it's truly a good place for murder and robbery."
"Brothers, follow me to Shanxia and send that kid on his way."
"Smash this factory!"
Boom, crash!
For a moment, various shattering sounds erupted from the factory.
The waste compacting and baling machines were all smashed to pieces.
Even Huang Jian's car parked at the entrance was flattened into an iron disc.
The factory workers were all weak in the knees, terrified and prostrate on the ground, daring not to breathe.
Long after these people left, not a single one dared to pull out their phone to call Huang Jian.
They all had families and children and were afraid of provoking these lawless individuals.
For them, loyalty was no longer as important as their families.
--
Li Chonglou and the others were unaware that Zhao Hui's men had already begun their retaliation.
Driving on the expressway towards the mountains, they experienced scenery vastly different from that of Qin Province.
Shuyu's location was unique, half plain and half mountainous.
The first half hour they were speeding on a well-paved road, but the next half hour it was all winding mountain paths.
At most, it was two cars wide, with frequent 180-degree turns, making people accustomed to city life like Zhou Yacheng and Tian Lingli incredibly nervous in the car.
"I'd only heard about it before, never been to the mountains, I didn't expect the scenery of our Shuyu to be so beautiful." Despite her nervousness, Tian Lingli was still full of curiosity and took out her phone, wanting to stream.
However, Li Chonglou stopped her, "If you stream now, it will undoubtedly tell Lu Weishen what I'm doing."
Tian Lingli had no choice but to give up.
Huang Jian quipped, "Often, people don't pay attention to the scenery around them, only thinking of faraway places."
"When they get older, they'll miss their hometown and be content with the ordinary."
"What a profound thought. You're not old, how do you have such an idea?" Li Chonglou teased with a smile, "Could it be a seventy-year-old soul in a twenty-year-old body?"
Huang Jian's depth of thought far surpassed his age.
But Li Chonglou didn't believe he was a重生者 (reincarnator) like himself.
His actions and demeanor did not resemble a重生者.
"Alas, age doesn't represent anything. Experience is the cornerstone of life. My parents passed away early, and from the age of eight, I depended on my foster mother." Huang Jian's expression turned gloomy upon hearing this, as if thinking of something sad. "When I was fourteen, my foster mother also passed away. From then on, I was utterly alone."
"If not for the government, I wouldn't even have been able to attend school."
After speaking, he seemed to realize he had created a somber atmosphere and forced a smile, "Let's not talk about these things. It's better now. I have my own business and won't starve to death."
"Although it's recycling waste, I've managed to save enough to buy a house and a car."
"It's just that I haven't found a wife yet. I'm content!"
"Simplicity is a blessing. You, old brother, are fortunate to enjoy this simple life," Li Chonglou sighed, a hint of envy rising in his eyes.
His lifelong goal was actually the same as Huang Jian's: to be with his family simply.
But fate would not let him go, always pushing him to keep moving forward.
All freedom and leisure were always backed by someone who persisted and worked hard.
Huang Jian was no exception.
He only hoped that this trip to Shuyu would allow him to thoroughly deal with Lu Weishen, thus stabilizing the rear in Qin Province.