Siheyuan: Start with a big car

Chen Dazhuang never expected that Li Weidong would actually invite his brother.

It’s just that they don’t know Zhou Qing’s strengths and weaknesses at all.

Chen Dazhuang's lips trembled slightly. He hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but finally shook his head and said, "Brother, don't ask, I can't say. Go away and let me be alone."

Chen Daniu became even more anxious when he saw his brother being so stubborn. He stood up and paced back and forth in the room, saying, "Da Zhuang, think about me and our family. If something really happened to you, what would I do in the future? Do you have the heart to let me live a lonely life? There are still our parents watching in heaven, and they don't want to see you being so stubborn."

When Chen Dazhuang heard his brother mention his parents, he felt a sharp pain in his heart. He lowered his head, held his head with both hands, and was silent for a long time. Finally, he slowly said, "Brother, I... I was plotted against. But I can't tell you who that person is. If I tell you, I'll be dead."

Upon hearing this, Chen Daniu squatted down and said anxiously, "Da Zhuang, don't be afraid. I'm here. No matter who it is, as long as he dares to bully you, I won't let him go. Tell me, who is it? Let's work out a solution together."

But after hearing what his brother said, Chen Dazhuang still kept his head down, bit his lips tightly, and said nothing. He was still struggling in his heart that if he gave Zhou Qing away, he would have a hard time living in the future. Zhou Qing would definitely find ways to take revenge on him and his brother.

Chen Daniu was immediately annoyed when he saw his brother's stubbornness. He stood up and walked back and forth in the room angrily, saying, "Da Zhuang, you are going to piss me off to death! Our parents passed away early, and before they died, they told me to take good care of you. But now, you have committed such a serious crime and still refuse to tell me the truth. Are you worthy of our parents' spirits in heaven? Today, I must teach you a lesson on behalf of my parents!"

As he said that, Chen Daniu walked a few steps to Chen Dazhuang, raised his hand and hit Chen Dazhuang. He really beat him hard, and each punch was full of hatred. While beating him, he cursed: "I told you to be stubborn and not to tell the truth. You fool, you are still hiding it at this time. Are you trying to push yourself into a dead end?"

Chen Dazhuang wanted to hold on at first, but after being beaten so hard by his brother, he couldn't bear it anymore. He held his head, curled up in the corner, and kept shouting: "Hey, brother, stop hitting me, stop hitting me, I'll tell you, isn't that enough!"

Chen Daniu stopped, panting, staring at Chen Dazhuang, and said, "Hmph, now you know how to tell me? Tell me, who is behind this?"

Chen Dazhuang had a sad face and sobbed, "It was Zhou Qing, brother. It was Zhou Qing who threatened me. He said that if I didn't do as he said and steal the equipment from the steel mill, he would...he would be rude to me and would cause trouble for you and our family. I really had no choice but to listen to him, brother. I was really forced."

Li Weidong and Section Chief Li heard Chen Dazhuang finally confess outside the door, and hurriedly pushed the door open. Li Weidong asked anxiously: "Chen Dazhuang, tell me, who is Zhou Qing?" Chen Dazhuang sat on the chair, his body trembling slightly, lowered his head and said slowly: "Zhou Qing, he is just an old salesman in a trust store on the surface, but in fact, he is not an ordinary person, he was a very powerful figure before liberation."

Section Chief Li frowned and asked, "Powerful? How powerful? Tell me in detail." Chen Dazhuang raised his head and looked at Section Chief Li and Li Weidong. After hesitating for a moment, he continued, "I don't know the details, but I heard from the older generation that Zhou Qing was a well-known figure in this area before liberation. It seems that many people followed him, and he was very shrewd and cunning. Most people didn't dare to provoke him easily."

Li Weidong and Section Chief Li looked at each other and realized that Zhou Qing was not a simple person and there might be many unknown secrets behind him. Li Weidong then asked, "How did you get involved with him? Why did he threaten you to steal the equipment from the steel mill?" Chen Dazhuang sighed and said regretfully, "Oh, it's all because I was addicted to gambling and owed a lot of debts. Zhou Qing found out about this from somewhere and found me, saying that if I helped him steal the equipment from the steel mill, he would help me pay off my gambling debts. I was also blinded by greed at the time and agreed to his request."

Section Chief Li said seriously: "You are so confused! Gambling is illegal, and you are being used by others to commit crimes such as theft."

Chen Dazhuang lowered his head and dared not say a word.

Li Weidong patted Section Chief Li on the shoulder and said to Chen Dazhuang, "It's too late to regret now. Since you have already confessed, you should cooperate with us and tell us everything you know about Zhou Qing, and try to make meritorious service to atone for your sins."

Chen Dazhuang's face was full of helplessness and regret. He made a bitter face, shook his head and said, "Comrade Li, it's not that I don't want to say it, but I really don't know much about Zhou Qing. I only know that he looks like a salesman in a trust store, but he seems to be quite capable secretly. I don't have any other information."

Li Weidong listened and thought, although Chen Dazhuang didn't know much, at least he knew about Zhou Qing, a key figure, and some clues related to him, which gave him a direction for investigation. So he shouted to the door and asked the security officer to take Chen Dazhuang back to the detention room first.

Chen Daniu was watching from the side, and was very worried about his brother's situation. When the security officer took Chen Dazhuang out, he hurried forward and grabbed Li Weidong's arm, and asked anxiously: "Comrade Li, how will my brother be punished? I really have no idea, can you give me a rough idea?"

Li Weidong looked at Chen Daniu's worried eyes, sighed softly, and comforted him: "Brother Chen, don't worry too much. The whole case has not been thoroughly investigated yet. What will happen to your brother depends on the results of the follow-up investigation and how well he cooperates with us. But don't worry, as long as he continues to cooperate actively and tells us everything he knows, we will definitely take all these factors into consideration and try to give him a fair result."

Chen Daniu was still nervous after hearing what Li Weidong said, but he also understood that he could only wait for further news. He let go of Li Weidong's hand, nodded slowly, and said, "Well... okay, Comrade Li, I believe you, and I hope you can find out the truth as soon as possible. My brother is ignorant and made such a big mistake, but he was coerced by others."

Li Weidong responded, "Brother Chen, don't worry. We will do our best. We will not wrongly accuse a good person, nor will we let any bad person go. Don't be too anxious during this period. Go back and wait patiently for news. We will notify you in time if there is any situation." Chen Daniu looked in the direction of the detention room again, then turned around and slowly left the security department with heavy steps.
Li Weidong and Section Chief Li hurried back to the office. Section Chief Li said anxiously as soon as he entered the office: "I think we should stop wasting time and rush into the trust store to arrest Zhou Qing to avoid any more trouble."

Li Weidong immediately shook his head after hearing this and explained with a serious expression: "Chief Li, this is not possible. Think about it, there are many precious antiques stored in the trust store, and there are many customers on weekdays. If we rush in and arrest people, what if Zhou Qinggou jumps over the wall and takes those antiques or customers as hostages? At that time, the situation will be difficult to control and it will definitely cause big trouble."

After listening to Li Weidong's words, Section Chief Li frowned and scratched his head. He said in annoyance, "Oh, you're right. I was so anxious that I almost forgot all this. So what do you think we should do? We can't just sit there and wait, can we?"

Li Weidong thought for a moment, then looked at Section Chief Li with a firm gaze and said slowly, "Section Chief Li, I have an idea. I can pretend to be a customer who is selling ancestral antiques, so that I can have a chance to get close to Zhou Qing, and then find a way to lure him out of the trust store. Then we can find a suitable place to arrest him, which can avoid causing chaos in the store and successfully capture Zhou Qing. What do you think?"

After listening to Li Weidong's plan, Section Chief Li's eyes lit up. He thought about it carefully and felt that this plan was indeed safer. He nodded and said, "Well, this is a good idea. It's feasible. But you have to be careful when you go there. Zhou Qing is not an easy character to deal with. Don't let him see any flaws."

Li Weidong smiled and said confidently: "Chief Li, don't worry, I know what's going on. I will prepare in advance and disguise my identity properly so that he won't notice anything unusual."

Afterwards, Li Weidong began to prepare. He first found some imitations of antiques, carefully selected a few that looked more realistic, and then changed into an outfit that matched the identity of an antique seller, dressing himself up properly. He also deliberately learned some basic knowledge about antiques and market conditions so that he would not reveal any flaws when talking to Zhou Qing.

After everything was ready, Li Weidong took the fake antiques and headed towards the trust store.

...

Li Weidong walked into the Trust Store with those fake antiques in his arms, seemingly casually but actually cautiously. There were not many people in the store, and customers were browsing the goods in front of the shelves, and the clerks were busy in an orderly manner.

Li Weidong quickly scanned the store and soon locked onto the old man Zhou Qing. Zhou Qing was sitting in a corner, wearing a slightly old but neat Zhongshan suit and a pair of black-framed glasses. He was looking down at a booklet in his hand, looking like an old scholar.

Li Weidong calmly walked forward, with a flattering smile on his face, and gently placed the fake antiques on the table in front of Zhou Qing. He said with a smile: "Master, please take a look and see how much these ancestral treasures of mine can be sold for. I really have no choice, my family is in urgent need of money."

Zhou Qing raised his eyelids slightly, looked up and down at Li Weidong through his glasses, then slowly put on his glasses, reached out and picked up the fake antiques, and examined them carefully one by one. His eyes were extremely sharp, as if he could see through every detail of the antiques.

After a while, Zhou Qing put the things back on the table and said expressionlessly: "Humph, these are all fakes. Our trust store doesn't accept such things. You should take them back."

When Li Weidong heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He didn't expect Zhou Qing to see through his plan so quickly. However, he pretended to be very angry. His face flushed red and he raised his voice and said, "Master, what you said is wrong! This is a genuine heirloom from my ancestors. How come it has become a fake in your hands? I think you don't understand antiques at all. If you don't understand, don't get involved here and delay my sale!"

When the customers and shop assistants around heard the noise, they all looked over here. Some people talked in low voices, and the atmosphere in the store suddenly became a little strange.

Zhou Qing frowned, obviously not expecting Li Weidong to be so arrogant. He snorted coldly and said slowly: "Young man, I have been in this business for many years. I can tell whether it is a fake or not at a glance. It's useless for you to make trouble here. Don't affect our business. Take the things away quickly."

Li Weidong had no intention of giving up. He leaned forward, widened his eyes, and continued, "Hey, Master, you are taking advantage of your age! I think you just don't want to accept my things, and deliberately say they are fake. If you don't give me an explanation today, I won't leave!"

Seeing how difficult Li Weidong was, Zhou Qing frowned even deeper. Although he was a little impatient, he was afraid that Li Weidong would continue to make trouble here and affect the business of the store. He had no choice but to pick up the antiques again and patiently analyze them for Li Weidong.

He pointed at one of the fake porcelains and said slowly, "Look at the texture of this porcelain. The real thing has a fine and even texture, and feels warm to the touch. But yours feels much rougher to the touch, and it's obvious that the craftsmanship is not up to standard. And the glaze color. The real thing has a natural and smooth glaze color with distinct layers. Yours is too dull, and it's obviously a modern imitation."

As he spoke, Zhou Qing picked up another fake jade pendant and showed it to Li Weidong against the light: "Look at this jade pendant again. The real ancient jade has gone through years of sedimentation, and the internal texture is natural, with that kind of natural charm. The texture inside your jade pendant is messy and obviously artificial. How can it be real?"

Li Weidong listened to Zhou Qing's analysis with an expression of amazement on his face, his eyes widened, his mouth slightly open, and he nodded from time to time. When Zhou Qing finished speaking, he immediately gave a thumbs up and said with admiration: "Oh, Master, you have a really good eye! I always thought these were real treasures before, but after you said this, I finally understand. Your ability must be top-notch in this field, I really admire you." (End of this chapter)