A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1500 Er Mei: Thank you, Guoming! (Please subscribe!)
Huo Dongfeng fainted once, which calmed his anger considerably, but he still overturned the chessboard in a rage.
"Stop playing, brother-in-law, tell me what you're really thinking. Ermei is my brother, and he's been good to you. He even gave you a flower basket as a reward!"

Hua Shier was exasperated: "Just say what you want to say, don't flip the chessboard! I'm about to win!"

Hongwei, however, beamed with joy: "This round doesn't count, we haven't even finished playing!"

He only has one bitter tea seed left, he has nothing left to lose, this is a brilliant move to overturn the chessboard.

Huo Dongfeng said irritably, "Let's talk about Ermei first. What are you thinking?"

Hua Shier first tidied up the chess set before sitting down opposite Huo Dongfeng:

"Then let me tell you my thoughts. Last time I told you about the bulletproof vest that Ermei wore in the movie, you should have asked him about it, right? What did he say?"

Huo Dongfeng readily admitted, "I asked, and the two women were indeed wearing bulletproof vests, but they said it was just in case!"

Hua Twelve chuckled:
"What if? If the odds are that low, would you wear that thing? Once his case is settled and you can visit him again, go visit him in prison and ask him personally how many people want him dead!"

In the original story, Er Mei foresaw her own fate. One time, after drinking, she confided in Huo Dongfeng that too many people wanted her dead, which was why she spent money lavishly and lived one day at a time.

Hua Shier patted Huo Dongfeng on the shoulder:

"Now that I've said all this, shouldn't you understand my good intentions? I'm doing this to save him!"

"Look, now that he's been arrested, no one wants to step over him to get ahead, so his life isn't in danger. Besides, given his status, no one can bully him inside, and he'll have food and drink!"

"By the way, I have a friend named Guo Dapao. A fortune teller told him he would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life, and the prediction was incredibly accurate. Now he's in jail. I've practically helped Ermei defy fate!"

Huo Dongfeng laughed in exasperation: "So, should I thank you on behalf of Ermei?"

Hua Shier waved his hand magnanimously:
"Hey buddy, don't be so polite with thanks!"

Huo Dongfeng felt like he was about to faint again, all because of his brother-in-law. He said helplessly:
"If you really care about Erhao, you should just tell him directly. Why resort to such extreme measures!"

Hua Shier pointed at Hongwei: "Ask your junior brother if I mentioned this to Ermei when your hotel opened?"

Hongwei, having just finished dressing, testified, "Guoming tried to persuade me, and I think he made some sense, but Ermei wouldn't listen!"

Huo Dongfeng laughed angrily: "So you reported him the very next day?"

Hua Twelve suddenly asked an unrelated question:
"Did you visit Ermei's mother before you came?"

Huo Dongfeng was stunned. He knew that Ermei only had her mother and no other relatives. In order not to burden her mother, Ermei had not been back for a long time.

Now that Ermei is in trouble, it's only right and proper to inform her mother.

Huo Dongfeng gave his cheap brother-in-law a deep look, sighed, got up and left. Hongwei greeted Hua Shier and then quickly followed.

Er Mei's mother lives in the tractor factory's residential area.

Huo Dongfeng last came more than ten years ago. Now the building is still the same old building, but the paint on the walls is peeling off even more, and the lights in the stairwell are broken, making it pitch black even in broad daylight.

He and Hongwei went up to the third floor and knocked on the door.

The person who opened the door was a middle-aged woman, around forty years old, wearing an apron, and looked unfamiliar.

"Who are you looking for?"

Huo Dongfeng poked his head inside: "Is Auntie home? It's me, Huo Dongfeng."

Before the woman could reply, the old woman's voice came from inside the house:

"Who?"

"Auntie, it's me, Dongfeng!"

There was a moment of silence inside, then footsteps approached from afar.

The door opened, and an elderly woman with gray hair stood in the doorway. She stared at him for a few seconds, then a smile slowly spread across her face.

"Dongfeng? It really is you! Come in, come in!"

Huo Dongfeng was pulled into the house, and the anxiety in his heart eased slightly.

The old lady invited him to sit down and asked the nanny to pour him some water.

Huo Dongfeng looked around. The room was spotless, not much different from more than ten years ago, except for a photo of Er Mei on the wall, framed and polished to a shine.

"You child, how many years has it been since you last visited?"

The old lady sat opposite him, holding his hand:
"I didn't even properly thank you for taking that knife for Er Mei back then."

"Auntie, please don't say that, it's all what I should do." Huo Dongfeng held the old lady's hand, unable to bring himself to say what he really wanted to say.

The old lady looked at him and suddenly smiled:

"Is there something you want to tell me? About Ermei?"

Huo Dongfeng was taken aback.

The old lady patted his hand: "Go ahead and tell me, I know what I'm doing."

Huo Dongfeng gritted his teeth:
"Auntie, Ermei was taken away by the hat yesterday."

After he finished speaking, he waited for the old lady to cry or curse so that he could comfort her.

After waiting a few seconds, nothing happened, and the old lady even smiled.

"Auntie, please don't scare me!" Huo Dongfeng's heart sank. Oh no, the old lady must have been too shocked. He should have been more tactful.

The old lady smiled and waved her hand:
“A young man came by yesterday. Our housekeeper knows him. I think he’s some big star named Cui Guoming. He told me that he’s the one who reported Er Mei, so that Er Mei can’t continue to live like this!”

"That young man was so kind. He even treated my illness, and the rheumatism in my leg doesn't hurt anymore. When Ermei comes out, I'll have to make him thank him properly."

Huo Dongfeng was completely dumbfounded:
"Auntie, are you being sarcastic? He reported Er Mei, and you're thanking him?"

The old lady smiled, but as she smiled, her eyes welled up with tears.
"Dongfeng, you don't understand. Ermei is always out fighting and killing. How long has it been since she came home? As her mother, I can't sleep at night. I'm afraid the phone will ring, afraid someone will knock on the door and tell me some bad news."

She wiped her eyes:

"Now it's all good. I know where he is, and I know he's safe inside. He won't die out there one day!"

"Last night was the most restful night's sleep I've had in years."

Huo Dongfeng opened his mouth, but said nothing.

The old lady held his hand, then suddenly remembered something:
"By the way, Dongfeng, do you have any connections? If you do, could you find someone to help Ermei stay in jail for a few more years, reform her, and prevent her from going astray again as soon as she gets out?"

Huo Dongfeng was speechless. A few more years in jail?

If your son has a few more years in prison for his crimes, he might be eating peanuts!
But looking into the old woman's cloudy eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

He took out a paper package containing 20,000 yuan he had withdrawn from the bank that morning and stuffed it into the old woman's hand.
"Auntie, this is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."

The old lady quickly declined, saying, "No, no, how can I take your money?"

"Take this." Huo Dongfeng pressed her hand. "Ermei is my brother. Since he's not here, I'm your son. I'll take care of you in his place."

The old woman looked at him, and tears finally fell.

After leaving some money for Er Mei's mother, Huo Dongfeng finally understood why Hua Shier had reminded him to come when he came out.

He was thinking that maybe being arrested was a good thing for Er Mei!
Li Xiaozhen and Yang Baihui had traveled extensively through Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, Macau, and Beijing before finally returning. They were both shocked to hear that Hua Shier had reported Er Mei.

Li Xiaozhen was extremely anxious. She hadn't seen much of the world, but she had heard of Ermei's notorious reputation in society.

"Cui Guoming, you're really something! I've only been away for less than a month, and you've already caused such a huge mess at home!"

Hua Shier laughed and said, "Who told you two not to take me out to play and leave me at the airport? Do you regret it now?"

"you!"

Li Xiaozhen was truly regretful. Who knew that leaving this man alone at home would cause such a huge disaster!
Seeing his wife was almost in tears, Hua Shier gently comforted her:

"Okay, okay, don't worry, everything will be fine!"

He immediately began to distort the truth, claiming that his report was made by Er Mei, who wanted to retire from her criminal activities and had asked him to do so.

Li Xiaozhen was a hundred percent skeptical: "If he wants to retire from crime, why doesn't he go to the police station and turn himself in? It makes you look bad!"

"Isn't it because he can't save face? Being reported and then turning himself in—which sounds better to people? He only came to me because he thinks I'm Huo Dongfeng's brother-in-law, someone he can trust."

Hua Twelve started bragging:
"You guys don't know, back then, Ermei and Huo Dongfeng almost knelt down and begged me to report him. You know Hongwei, right? He's Huo Dongfeng's junior brother. He was only wearing a black shirt and said that if I didn't agree, he would run out naked!"

"I only agreed because I was giving Huo Dongfeng face and also because I was afraid of offending him."

"Everything I've said is true, I swear it!"

Huo Dongfeng and Hongwei: Then send it!

Hua Shier: I swear on the lives of my sister Cui Xiaohong and brother-in-law Huo Dongfeng!

Huo Dongfeng:
Hua Shier made a series of whistles and whistles, which startled Li Xiaozhen so much that she finally calmed down.

Yang Baihui looked at Hua Shier with a half-smile. She could tell he was talking nonsense, but with her connections, she didn't take it to heart. She just wanted to remind the man to lay low for a while.

If Hua Shier knew what she was thinking, he would definitely say:

"Don't worry, they've all been arrested, and they've been completely wiped out. Thanks to the top-ranked guy, Si Xie Leng, for the rockets; one blast and a whole bunch of them were gone!"

To avoid making the two women overthink things, Hua Shier changed the subject and asked them about buying a house in Beijing.

Both women perked up when this was mentioned.

Following Hua Shier's advice, they each bought a courtyard house near Houhai and Yonghe Temple in Beijing, as well as a newly built apartment near a well-known school. This trip cost the two women several million each.

After parting ways with Yang Baihui and returning home, Li Xiaozhen gave Hua Shier a beating, saying:

"It's all your fault for making me spend so much money. I still feel bad about it!"

No matter how Hua Shier explained that this was an investment, Li Xiaozhen wouldn't listen. She insisted on punishing him to vent her anger, so she rode on top of him and punished him severely.

If Hua Shier hadn't had a strong back, he might have had to lean against the wall the next day. He felt the punishment was too terrible and vowed not to let him off easily next time he made a mistake.

After Li Xiaozhen returned, she quickly threw herself into the clothing store business. Before opening, the first thing she needed to do was come up with a name for the store. She wanted to call it "Hong Kong Island Style Boutique" and asked Hua Shier for advice.

Hua Shier suggested changing two words to "Hong Kong Island Fashion Boutique" because "Hong Kong Island Style Boutique" sounds like a store selling sex toys.

The clothing store opening was a small affair; they only invited a few close friends, and everyone who came received a free piece of clothing.

It's said that outsiders are better at chanting sutras; this clothing store has the words "Hong Kong Island" in its name, which is a way of inviting people to come in.

Business was good on the opening day, and it continued to thrive in the days that followed, making Li Xiaozhen very happy. She changed her mind about hiring waitresses and brought in Zhang Xiaomei, who was overweight and didn't want to go out, to help her sell goods.

Being a clothing saleswoman is easier and more respectable than being a waitress in a restaurant, and the best part is that Li Xiaozhen even gives you clothes as a gift, so Zhang Xiaomei readily agreed.

When Hua Shier saw Zhang Xiaomei again, he almost blurted out Sun Yue's name, the crosstalk performer who fought with elephants for food.

They're not exactly the same, but they're about 60-70% similar.

No wonder they say fat people are all potential stars. If Sun Yue lost weight and looked like Zhang Xiaomei before, wouldn't he be the second Lu Han?
Because of the conclusive evidence and his own confession, the case progressed extremely quickly, and the proceedings were swift. A month later, the court held a hearing and delivered its verdict.

"After investigation by this court, it was found that: from 1991 to 1994, before the case was filed, the defendant Liu Ermei gathered unemployed people and engaged in long-term bullying and market manipulation in multiple vegetable wholesale markets, furniture markets, aquatic product wholesale markets, and hardware markets in this city."

"Their actions severely disrupted the normal market transaction order, infringed upon the legitimate business rights of numerous individual merchants, had an extremely negative social impact, and were particularly serious in nature!"

This judge pronounces the following verdict: "Defendant Liu Ermei, having committed the heinous crime of XX, is hereby sentenced to ten years imprisonment in accordance with Article 160 of the Criminal Law!"

After the gavel fell, Er Mei was escorted out by bailiffs. As she passed the gallery, she saw Huo Dongfeng.

At this moment, Er Mei revealed a smile that seemed to be one of relief.

After the ten-day appeal period, the verdict officially took effect, and the two women were transferred from the detention center to prison.

When prison visits were permitted, Huo Dongfeng went to the prison to deposit some money for Ermei.

Upon meeting, Huo Dongfeng looked remorseful:
"Ermei, I didn't know Guoming would do this. I... I, as your older brother, am so sorry!"

Unexpectedly, the two beauties laughed:

"Brother, I've finally been able to get a good night's sleep these past few days. My mom came by yesterday and told me that her leg pain is a chronic problem that's lasted for years. Please thank Guoming for me and tell him that I don't blame him at all, really!"

Huo Dongfeng nodded with red eyes: "Ermei, you'll always be half of the hotel I own. I'll be waiting for you to come out!"

At that moment, Huo Dongfeng's resentment towards Hua Shier dissipated.

In October, Hua Shier and Ji Qiang took the bar exam and the accounting certificate professional knowledge exam, respectively.

Both of them were very confident after the exam and are now just waiting for the results.

Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!