Siheyuan: Rebirth 54 years ago, neighbor is stupid

Li Zhenmin nodded: "It must have been like this at the beginning. This is also the reason why Lou Bancheng agreed so readily when I asked him for donations the first time."

"But this is just something that everyone can see on the surface. There are actually deeper reasons..."

"That is, now that Lou Bancheng and I have fallen out, he will set his sights on you. Even if it's not you, he will set his sights on other workers."

"You guessed it right. He just wanted to have some workers in his family."

"Logically speaking, there is no need to do this. After all, he has everything he needs. Even if he does nothing, his family's wealth is still much greater than that of ordinary people."

"But think about it, why would they look for someone else to change the composition of some of their offspring?"

“It’s all about profit!”

Xu Damao frowned in confusion: "Benefits? What does it mean?"

Li Zhenmin explained: "That is to say, their family's money is not clean and needs to be laundered or transferred to their descendants, so that even if they are investigated one day, they can still keep some. If you marry Lou Xiao'e, their family's dowry will definitely be more than you can imagine."

"If you are not found out, you can make a lot of money, but if you are found out, your life will basically be ruined."

"So everything depends on whether you can afford the gamble. My advice is don't gamble, otherwise I won't be able to protect you when the time comes."

After such a straightforward explanation, Xu Damao finally understood everything.

Although he is still not sure about the future, he has always believed in his master's vision and advice.

"Master, what do you think I should do?"

Xu Damao became a little conflicted.

Li Zhenmin said angrily, "I don't know what kind of person you are. Do you dare to swear that you will marry Lou Xiao'e? You are just suffering from excessive hormones. You wouldn't be so excited if it was someone else. You might as well pursue Ding Qiunan."

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao looked embarrassed and didn't know how to refute for a moment.

Li Zhenmin waved his hand and said, "Go away. Since Lou Xiao'e has passed the assessment, I won't interfere. She should do what she needs to do."

Xu Damao knew that his master said this but in fact he certainly didn't want to lose face for his disciple. After all, even Lou Xiao'e was at least a friend. Since she entrusted him to pass on the message, she would definitely give him some interest-free money.

"Okay, I'll go back now."

.........

Time flies and it is the Lantern Festival.

Everything was going smoothly at the school. After the Lantern Festival, school would officially start. Li Zhenmin took advantage of the holiday, had breakfast, and took He Yuzhu on a motorcycle to Baoding.

The journey is 200 kilometers.

Fortunately, Sijiucheng is the capital, and the surrounding road construction is much better than other places, so the speed along the way was reasonable, and it took about three hours to reach Baoding.

Li Zhenmin and He Yuzhu found He Daqing and Bai Guafu's home in Baoding according to the address.

It was almost noon at this time. The two did not go to look for He Daqing immediately, but had a meal at a nearby restaurant. They also asked for some information and learned about He Daqing's situation here.

Restaurants are transit stations for grassroots news, and neighborhood gossip and even news from all over the world are discussed here.

Although the conditions here are not as good as those in the old city and the restaurant seems very simple, today is the Lantern Festival and there are quite a few people eating in the restaurant.

When Li Zhenmin and his companion entered the restaurant, the owner immediately came up to them with a smile on his face.

"Please come in, my two guests. Please tell me what you would like to eat first."

The shopkeeper took Li Zhenmin and the other man to find a seat. He wiped the stool again and again while talking, and his attitude was extremely respectful, as if he was serving his master.

The reason for such enthusiasm is that the clothes worn by the two people in front of them are obviously not something that ordinary people can afford, not to mention that they came here on motorcycles.

Who can afford to ride a motorcycle these days?

Naturally, they are people of status, either government officials or senior leaders in factories.

The two men looked unfamiliar, and since they came to this kind of street restaurant, they must be from other places working here. It is very likely that they came here to experience the local food or understand the local people's customs.

"Make a few of your signature dishes, boss, and you can cook them yourself. Also, get some of your best wine for you to try."

Li Zhenmin gave an order casually.

"Okay, I'll make it for you two right away." Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself that he might have really met an extraordinary person today, so he nodded and bowed hurriedly to give the orders.

Today is the Lantern Festival and there are many people in the store, but these two gentlemen can naturally cut in line.

After giving the instructions, the shopkeeper immediately poured some wine and brought over a few side dishes.

"You two should eat something to fill your stomach first. If you have any instructions, just let me know."

The shopkeeper was a shrewd man. He did what he was supposed to do and didn't ask about other things to avoid causing any unpleasantness. He then turned around and left immediately with a smile on his face.

Li Zhenmin shouted, "Is the shopkeeper free? If so, let's eat together."

When the shopkeeper heard this, he was overjoyed, thinking to himself that his guess was right, and that he would definitely want to know some details from him next.

"If you two don't mind my invitation, I will naturally obey your orders."

The shopkeeper sat down immediately and poured wine for Li Zhenmin and He Yuzhu while talking.

Then the three of them started chatting, talking about everything under the sun and about the neighbors nearby.

After learning that Li Zhenmin and the other man were from Sijiu City, the shopkeeper showed even more respect to them. In his heart, he already regarded the two men as imperial envoys.

Imperial Envoy....

That must be a big shot...

Who is it?

The shopkeeper thought so in his mind and quickly searched for relevant information in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more familiar this handsome man named Li looked. He felt like he had seen him somewhere, but he just couldn't remember where.

Seeing that they were getting along well, Li Zhenmin asked, "Boss, is the chef He Daqing from the cotton mill you just mentioned really that good? To be honest, I am quite interested in food."

The shopkeeper immediately turned around and said with a smile: "Hey, He Daqing, his cooking skills are of course impeccable. By the way, I heard that he used to be from the old city, and he seemed to be the chef of some big factory. It's a pity that he came here..."

When he said this, a look of regret flashed in the shopkeeper's eyes.

Li Zhenmin was puzzled and asked, "Why do you say that? Why is it a pity?"

Seeing how curious Li Zhenmin was, the shopkeeper suddenly became interested and began to explain.

"I actually know this. The neighbors all know about this privately. They all say that He Daqing is a big wronged person."

"You said He Daqing was a good cook, so he must have been treated well in Beijing. But unfortunately, for some reason, he came to Baoding to work in the cotton mill just for the White Widow."

"That's nothing. After all, it's common for men to make mistakes because of women. But he not only has to support the White Widow, but also her two adult sons."

"What's more important is that it's been two or three years, and the White Widow hasn't given him a child yet. In addition, the White Widow's two sons are not good to him..."