A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1447 A Happy Ending! (Please Subscribe!)

PS: I forgot about Li Jia in the first two chapters, so I've corrected it.

"Brother, I've checked, they live here, the car is parked in the yard."

He said with a greedy tone, "Brother, these people have at least tens of thousands of yuan in their hands!"

The man called "Big Brother," wearing a military overcoat and with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, slapped the other man across the face upon hearing this and then cursed:
"Damn it, are we doing this for money? They broke the rules and burned Xiao Jiu. We're avenging our brother, don't you understand?!"

The man covered his left cheek where he had been hit, looking aggrieved.
"Understood, brother. Then we'll just focus on revenge and not take the money!"

The older brother slapped his younger brother again, making him stagger.
"Damn it, that's tens of thousands of yuan! You think you can just say you don't want it? Or why don't you become the boss?"

The younger brother was almost crying from being whipped, and kept apologizing!
The older brother spat the nearly burnt-out cigarette onto the ground, then took out another and put it in his mouth. A sensible younger brother quickly took out a match and lit it for him. Only then did the older brother say:

"Third brother, go scout ahead!"

The one called "Third Brother" was a shrewd-looking young man. He nodded and walked directly into the guesthouse. The old man behind the counter, who was listening to a radio, asked:

"Who are you looking for?"

The third brother took out a cigarette and handed it over, then asked with a smile:

"Grandpa, are there some refrigerator sellers staying here? I wanted to buy a refrigerator this afternoon, but I didn't bring enough money and I'm ten yuan short. They told me to take the refrigerator first and pay them back at your guesthouse later!"

The old man nodded: "They're really nice. Go upstairs, it's the second floor. Rooms 203 and 204 are where they live. Come up and take care of your business, then come down quickly. We close after 10 o'clock!"

The third brother nodded: "Alright, I'll give them the money and come downstairs, don't worry!"

After he finished speaking, he went upstairs, looked around, confirmed the rooms 203 and 204, came downstairs, waved to the old man, and left the guesthouse.

Back in the alley across the street, the third brother reported to the eldest brother:

"Brother, I've found out. It's on the second floor, rooms 203 and 204. There's only one old man keeping watch at the guesthouse at night, and it closes after 10 p.m.!"

The leader glanced at his watch; it would be 10 o'clock in half an hour. A sinister glint appeared on his face.
"Okay, let's wait until after 10 o'clock to make our move, get the money, and then leave a mark on each of them!"

He had barely finished speaking when he heard someone ask from behind:

What kind of mark should we leave?

The eldest brother turned around and cursed in an annoyed tone:

"It's not like it's the first time they've done this. Men cut off their fingers, women slash their faces, do you even need to ask!"

But in that instant, the boss felt a chill run down his spine. The few henchmen who had been behind him just moments before had vanished. The alley was deserted, and the cold wind blowing in the night gave him a creepy feeling.

"Third brother, where are they?"

The eldest brother casually pulled out a dagger and then asked the third brother who had just reported to him.

But no one answered behind him. He turned around abruptly and saw that the third brother who had just been reporting to him was gone.

The eldest brother was completely terrified. He rushed out of the alley, turned around, and shouted:

"Third brother, fourth brother, fifth brother, where are you? Come out here right now, stop messing around with your eldest brother!"

But after calling for a long time, there was no response.

Just then, a sound seemed to come from afar. In the dim light of the guesthouse entrance, two figures, one black and one white, floated towards them. Yes, they floated. One held an iron chain in one hand, and the other held a stick in the other. The sound coming from the chain was the clanging of the iron chain.
The eldest brother's eyes widened, and he froze on the spot in fright. He recognized these two looks; he had seen them in comic books. These were the looks that had captivated Sun Wukong.

He thought he was hallucinating, so he bit his tongue hard. The pain instantly brought him back to his senses, but the two figures were still there. The leader turned and ran into the guesthouse, shouting as he went:
"Help! Someone, help me!"

To his surprise, the guesthouse was completely empty.

"Where are they? Where have they all gone? Help!"

He ran from the first floor to the second floor, but there was no one there. When he tried to run back down to the first floor, he saw the two people already standing at the bottom of the stairs watching him.

This guy was ruthless; he wet his pants on the spot, then turned around, pushed open the corridor window, and jumped off the second floor.

The next day.

Early in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, Uncle Hat, who was on duty at the police station, heard a commotion outside. When he went out to look, he saw several young men with panicked expressions kneeling outside the police station, pleading incessantly.

The man pleaded, "Your Honor, please spare me! I'll confess everything. I'm a thief; I've stolen money."

The man said, "I killed one person. He found out I stole his money and insisted on taking me to the police station. I stabbed him, and unexpectedly, he died."

The worst off was a guy whose pants were completely soaked, his legs deformed, lying there grinning foolishly and kowtowing, crying, "I'm going to hell! I don't want to go to hell!"

The man on duty, wearing a hat, didn't know what was going on, but from what these guys were saying, he knew something big was happening, so he quickly ran back to get his colleagues to come out and arrest them.
Hua Shier's side, the boys slept in one room and the girls in another, but no one slept well that night except for Hua Shier, because they made money, a lot of money, three people who made ten thousand yuan in one day! It's like winning five million in the lottery in later years. How could anyone sleep?

When the group came out for breakfast, they were all yawning, and they heard people talking inside the breakfast stall.

One of the men having breakfast was chatting with others about something interesting that happened today. A group of thieves claimed they encountered the Black and White Impermanence (the spirits of death) last night and were so frightened that they turned themselves in this morning. They even confessed to murder and will probably get their comeuppance.

The people around didn't believe it, but a few people eating breakfast testified for the man, and for a while, there was a lot of discussion.

Zhuang Tunan and Lin Dongzhe listened intently, while Hua Shier smiled faintly. He was the one who orchestrated this whole thing. He sensed the malice emanating from those petty thieves and overheard the boss's plan, so he acted in advance, casting a Mirror Space and adding some illusions, and that's how it turned out.

He didn't go on a killing spree; he just threw a few people at the entrance of the police station, giving them a psychological suggestion so they would confess all their crimes.

However, given the harshness of this era, these guys will most likely end up being nothing more than peanuts.

Then someone else said:

“These past few days have been full of strange things. Have you heard? In the next village, there was a group of guys who drove a minivan and preyed on trucks. Yesterday, they were discovered. Their minivan overturned into a ditch, and a few grown men were found naked on the road, having run around naked for half the night. As soon as they got back to their village, they were arrested by the militia. When asked why they were running around naked, they said it was just a hobby.”

Zhuang Tunan, who was eating a fried bun, suddenly spat it out, and Hua Shier laughed and patted him on the back.

Lin Dongzhe was a little worried. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he whispered to Hua Twelve and asked:

"Brother Pengfei, those guys got arrested, they won't betray us, will they?"

Hua Twelve shook his head and said:

"Don't worry, they won't. If they tell anyone, it would expose their robbery. They're not that stupid. Besides, even if they were that stupid, we're not afraid. We acted in self-defense. They drove the car into the ditch themselves. We just got our things back!"

After having breakfast, the group drove to the market to set up their stall. They planned to work all morning, sell as many units as they could, and then head to the neighboring county in the afternoon.

To everyone's surprise, the people who bought refrigerators and tape recorders yesterday told me that even more people came to buy them today. They couldn't keep up with demand; the trucks were completely empty. Some people even asked when they would come back. These days, people only care about big-ticket items. Who doesn't want to bring a big item home for their wedding? If they can't afford a refrigerator, a tape recorder will do. Besides, it's cheaper than in state-run stores, so buying it is like making a profit!

Facing the enthusiastic villagers, Hua Twelve loudly proclaimed:

"The goods will be available tomorrow!"

He told a few people to wait at the guesthouse while he drove back to Suzhou to load the goods. In reality, once he left the county and found a secluded spot, he could simply store the truck in his storage space and travel over 300 li in a flash, without even needing a magic door.

In a secluded spot, Hua Shier released the car again, drove straight to the suburban factory, settled the payment for the goods, loaded another batch of goods, left the factory, and stored the car away in a secluded place. When the time came, he appeared near Guangde.

And so, before the Spring Festival, by running back and forth in Hua Twelve, the group managed to sell seven truckloads of goods, earning a total of over 300,300 yuan.

The day before the Lunar New Year, everyone stopped their activities and returned to Suzhou, where they divided up all the money on the way.

At first, Li Jia said no, saying she was just there to help out. But Zhuang Tunan disagreed, saying he wouldn't have asked her to help if he was just there to make money.

Li Jia's eyes were red.

The group split 50,000 yuan among themselves, leaving more than 3,000 yuan. Of this, 1,000 yuan was used to repay the favors of those who lent them the car, and the remaining 2,000 yuan was used by Hua Shier as public funds for eating, drinking, and having fun.

In the past, no one except Hua Shier would have been willing to spend over two thousand on food, drink, and entertainment. But now they've all figured it out. With fifty thousand yuan in their pockets, three thousand is nothing.

Lin Dongzhe's hands trembled as he held the money: "Brother Pengfei, what are we going to do with so much money?"

Hua Shier chuckled and said, "If you don't want it, just open the window and throw it out of the car!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Lin Dongzhe scratched his head and said with a smile:

"You're kidding me. Who would throw money out of the car? It would just be blown away by the wind!"

Hua Shier laughed as he drove:
"Hey, you don't believe me? I know a guy surnamed Lu who throws money out of his car window when he drives. He's really throwing money around!"

Wu Shanshan reminded them, "No swearing!"

Hua Shier explained, "I meant the 'sa' in 'scattering money,' and the 'bi' in 'coins.' Sā bǐ means to throw money!"

Zhuang Tunan laughed, saying, "Throwing money around is something only idiots do, it sounds the same!"

After the laughter subsided, Hua Twelve finally spoke:
"Dongzhe and Xiaoting, you're both still minors. I suggest you give your money to Aunt Song and your aunt first. Tunan is an adult now, so I don't care whether he gives it to his family or not. But I suggest you buy a house in Shanghai. Once you have a house, everything else is a small matter!"

Li Jia was moved when she heard this, because Hua Shier's words resonated with her.

Zhuang Tunan nodded after listening. He hadn't figured out the specifics yet, but he needed to explain the matter to his family first.

Zhuang Xiaoting asked, "Brother Pengfei, will Mom and Dad hit us?"

Hua Twelve laughed:
"Dongzhe's question is understandable. Have your uncle and aunt laid a finger on you? Don't worry, making money is a good thing. At most, they'll say a few words to you. But you still have me!"

Zhuang Xiaoting's eyes lit up: "Will you put in a good word for me? Will you cover for me? Pengfei, you're so kind!"

Hua Shier chuckled: "I'll just pin it all on you and say it was your idea, then my uncle and aunt won't say anything to me!"

Everyone else laughed, but Zhuang Xiaoting pouted.

Back in Suzhou, Hua Shier drove to the post office first. He suggested that Li Jia send the money back to Shanghai and then collect it after she returned to school, which would be safer.

After sending the money, Li Jia didn't linger. She said goodbye to everyone and went to the bus station to take the next available bus back to Shanghai to spend the New Year with her younger brother.

Hua Shier first drove everyone back to Textile Lane 3, then returned the car to the credit union, and gave Director Zhang a 1,000 yuan red envelope. Both sides were happy.

Back in Textile Lane 3, the Zhuang and Lin families in the courtyard were already in an uproar.

As soon as Hua Shier entered, he heard the Lin family holding a criticism meeting, and he could also hear his uncle Zhuang Chaoying and aunt Huang Ling's voices.

He opened the door and went inside. He saw Zhuang Tunan and the two children standing against the wall as punishment, while the four adults sat in a row. Zhuang Chaoying, Huang Ling, and Song Ying looked furious, while Lin Wufeng pretended to be angry, but actually had a smile in his eyes. He was an actor!
Upon seeing Hua Twelve enter, Zhuang Chaoying said coldly:

"You stand over there too. How old are you? Such a big thing, why didn't you tell your parents? What if something happens? Do you think we need the little money you earn?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Ling coughed. "Tu Nan and Xiao Ting brought back 100,000 yuan. What kind of conditions do you have? You don't need this little bit of money. Have you saved up 1,000 yuan in your salary all these years?"

Zhuang Chaoying also realized what was happening and felt a little embarrassed: "Anyway, it's wrong not to tell the adults. Tell me, are you at the age where you need to earn money?"

Hua Shier quickly shifted the blame, pointing at Lin Wufeng, who was watching the show:
"Uncle Lin knows about this. If he didn't know, we wouldn't be able to get the goods out!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Wufeng's smile instantly froze on his face, and then Huang Ling and her husband, as well as Song Ying, all looked at him.

Song Ying pinched him immediately: "You, Lin Wufeng, so you knew everything all along, and you just thought I was a fool, huh!"

Lin Wufeng pointed at Hua Shier: "Pengfei, this is a breach of martial ethics! I helped you so much, and you betrayed me!"

After a while, the adults all calmed down. They hadn't expected that the children could earn so much money after running around for so many days.

Although they felt it was dangerous, the outcome was good, and things turned out well!
That evening, the two families prepared a large feast and chatted happily about how the money would be used.

Hua Shier's advice is simple: buy a house, buy a house, and buy a house again.

Especially now that Suzhou and Shanghai have both opened up the market to allow the sale of houses, and the conditions are not as strict as in later years, people from other places can also buy houses in Shanghai. Therefore, he suggested that the money be used to buy a house in Shanghai.

Zhuang Tunan said, "I've made up my mind. I plan to buy a house in Shanghai. It will be more convenient if I want to take the postgraduate entrance exam or work there in the future!"

At this point, a disagreement arose, and Zhuang Chaoying's expression changed:
"What, you don't want to go back to Suzhou? Dad can ask someone to help you find a job in Suzhou. Wouldn't it be great if our whole family could be together then!"

Zhuang Tunan remained silent. He still wanted to be with Li Jia and naturally wanted to live in Shanghai.

At this moment, Hua Twelve spoke up to defuse the situation:
“Uncle, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Tu Nan got into Tongji University, so naturally he will have better prospects in a big city. If you use your connections to find him a job in Suzhou, then why bother with him going to university? A vocational school would be fine!”

Zhuang Chaoying wanted to say more, but Huang Ling said:

"Why bring this up so early? Tu Nan still has a year before graduation!"

Zhuang Chaoying thought about it and agreed. The New Year was just around the corner, and there was no need to make things unpleasant over this matter. There was plenty of time to talk to her son.

The next day, the two families went shopping to buy New Year's goods and new clothes. Wu Shanshan, the eldest sister, was also there. She was generous with her money and took her younger brother Xiaojun and younger sister Zhang Min to the market to buy new clothes for her brother and sister-in-law from head to toe.

But Wu Shanshan didn't expect that this one action would bring her trouble.

　Thanks to 08a, Little Tiger of the Demon Realm, and Brother Li Meng of the God of Death for their donations, and thanks to the brothers who voted for monthly tickets and recommendations. Thank you so much!

　　(End of this chapter)