The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 562 Lin Juan
The fact that there were no surveillance cameras in the village deeply shocked Qin Huai. He even subconsciously looked towards the door, wanting to see if the caregiver outside was eavesdropping, and then couldn't help but ask:

"There are no surveillance cameras in the village, so where were you demolishing during your relocation project?"

Lin Qi didn't answer Qin Huai's question. Instead, he looked at Qin Huai warily, sized him up, and asked, "Boss, are these two your new underlings?"

An Youyou said, "No, this is my new boss, my new employer. He is expected to give me 52% of the company's shares to help me make a comeback. When that happens, he will treat you to a life of luxury. He won't be short of 30 gold bars, let alone 3."

Lin Qi looked at Qin Huai with immediate respect. He opened his mouth, wanting to give Qin Huai a proper address, but he didn't know how to begin.

Qin Huai spoke first: "Mr. Lin, you can just call me Qin Huai."

An Youyou then introduced Shi Dadan: "This is my friend, Lao Shi."

Lin Qi looked at Shi Dadan with a gaze full of respect.

At this point, Qin Huai realized what was wrong with Lin Qi.

He has the body of a seventy- or eighty-year-old, but the soul of a thirty- or forty-year-old. Lin Qi's dementia is indeed very serious; he doesn't recognize his grandchildren or his children, but he accepts the fact that An Youyou is the eldest in a second.

Qin Huai speculated that Lin Qi's memory might have regressed to the years when he received An Youyou's letter. Back then, Lin Qi could even accept that his boss had come back to life and sent him 10 yuan. It wouldn't be surprising if he accepted more or even that his boss had been reincarnated rather than resurrected.

However, Lin Qi's memory has not completely deteriorated. He still remembers some important things that are coming soon, such as the demolition, his wife's serious illness, and his children's disappointment.

Surprisingly, the communication went quite smoothly.

An Youyou quickly asked Lin Qi to sit down and whispered to her where the gold was buried, whether there were really no surveillance cameras in the village, or whether Lin Qi had forgotten.

Then he casually inquired about how Lin Qi had been doing these past few years.

Lin Qi was deeply moved. He never expected that his boss would pay attention to him while also caring about the three gold bars. He burst into tears and cried like a 70-year-old child.

Then, while feeling moved, she recounted her experiences over the years in a somewhat illogical manner.

In Lin Qi's logic, he was originally just an honest and conscientious farmer and accountant in the production team, waiting for the leader to come back and make him rich. He didn't do anything like stealing chickens or dogs. At most, he would use his position to get some benefits for his family (get two more work points). Later, he encountered a good thing like half of the village being demolished, and his old house happened to be demolished as well.

Yes, the Lin family owns two houses in the village.

Lin Qi originally thought that with his hard-earned savings over the years and the money his son sent back from working in the city, he had built a new house in the village, and his life was complete.

Just as they achieved a small success, another great success came – the entire village was demolished, and his old house, which had been uninhabited to begin with, was torn down, leaving behind a new house.

After the new house was demolished, in addition to receiving three new apartments, Lin Qi also received a large sum of compensation. Lin Qi had experienced the years when inflation was at its worst in Shanghai. Although he didn't have much money in his pocket during those years, he witnessed firsthand how his boss's savings became worthless.

Lin Qi didn't understand economics, but he understood his boss. He always remembered his boss telling him that money was useless, and it was safer to exchange it for gold bars and bury them in the ground. So Lin Qi exchanged all his compensation money for 10 gold bars and buried them under a big tree in the yard of his new house. Over the years, because his children and wife needed money, he dug up 7 bars and sold them, leaving 3 bars remaining.

At this point, Lin Qi confidently patted his chest and assured An Youyou that the three gold bars were definitely there. At least they were there when he ran out of the nursing home a month and a half ago to check if the gold bars buried under the tree were still there.

Hearing this, An Youyou was so moved that she almost cried.

Let's get back to the gold bars.

Although Luo Jun's private investigator was quite capable, his assessment of Lin Qi's assets was flawed. He could only deduce that Lin Qi should have some retirement savings, but he didn't realize that Lin Qi had converted all his compensation money from the demolition into gold bars. With the price of gold rising steadily over the years, gold has proven to be a very reliable store of value. Lin Qi used these gold bars to support his granddaughter in buying a house, his daughter in buying a car, and to pay for his wife's chemotherapy. He still has several hundred thousand yuan in cash in his bank account, all of which is retirement money given to him by his children over the years.

Lin Qi was talking about gold bars when she remembered she had a bank card with money in it. She hurriedly went to look for her bank card, intending to tell An Youyou the card number and PIN, but after searching for a long time, she couldn't find it and almost cried again.

An Youyou was also anxiously helping Lin Qi search.

Qin Huai listened for a while and keenly noticed something amiss with the payment. He asked, "Mr. Lin, what weight of gold bar are you referring to?"

An Youyou had been poor for three lifetimes and had no concept of the size of a gold bar, let alone the housing prices in Shanghai.

Lin Qi was still looking for his passbook, muttering that there was still more than 30 yuan in it. When Qin Huai asked him this, he answered smoothly: "The gold bars are of course the big yellow croaker. The boss once said that big yellow croaker is valuable."

Qin Huai: ...

Here's a little-known fact: "Big Yellow Croaker" is a common name for a ten-tael gold bar. The "tael" is an old unit of measurement, with one tael roughly equal to 31.25 grams. Therefore, a single "Big Yellow Croaker" weighs approximately 312.5 grams.

An Youyou:! ! !

"Xiao Qi!" An Youyou was even more moved. "I knew then that out of all these underlings, you would definitely be the most successful in the future!"

Lin Qi was also very moved and became even more eager to find the passbook.

Looking at the absurd scene before him, Qin Huai scratched his head and turned to ask Shi Dadan, "Old Shi, do you think we'll get arrested for defrauding the elderly after we leave the nursing home today?"

Shi Dadan was munching on an apple when he thought seriously for a moment: "Aren't we just scamming the elderly?"

Lin Qi continued talking while searching for the bankbook. Because of his poor memory, Lin Qi often repeated the same thing over and over again, so Qin Huai could only listen to the key points.

After becoming rich, Lin Qi went to the city and lived a good life for a few years. However, he felt that life in the city was just so-so, so he decided to move back to the village to wait for his eldest son. Lin Qi returned to the village and lived there for a few years.

After Lin Qi's wife passed away from cancer, his children were worried about him living alone in the village and forcibly took him back to the city. As a result, Lin Qi was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in less than a year after returning to the city.

Of course, Qin Huai's conclusion was based on Lin Qi's account and the information provided by the private investigator. According to Lin Qi, he didn't actually have Alzheimer's; rather, his children and grandchildren suddenly disappeared, only occasionally reappearing. In their place, several unscrupulous young and middle-aged men locked him up in this place, preventing him from going home. They pretended to visit him, showing concern and care, but in reality, they probably found out he had three gold bars and wanted to swindle money from him.

At this point, Lin Qi assured An Youyou that the three gold bars he possessed were a top secret, the kind of secret even his son and daughter didn't know about. The swindlers hadn't tortured him, so he hadn't revealed a single detail.

Lin Qi asked An Youyou to dig for gold bars first, then find his son and daughter, and if possible, the boss should bring him out of here.

Lin Qi's illness made his descriptions of recent memories increasingly chaotic, often causing him to become dizzy while talking. However, he remembered past events very clearly. For example, when he received a letter from An Youyou and discovered that the letter contained a note about his boss giving him 10 yuan, he felt ecstatic knowing that his boss had been reincarnated with his memories intact.

Yes, Lin Qi was absolutely certain at the time that An Youyou had not been resurrected, but rather that she had not drunk the Meng Po soup when she was reincarnated.

As for why... this involves something the deceased didn't know, but An Youyou's underlings did—back then, Lin Qi, Xu Chenggang, Jiang Weiguo, and Chen Shun specially went to Guangdong Province to collect An Youyou's body (An Youyou died of illness in Guangdong Province), bought a good coffin, and chose a good burial site for her.

As for the money An Youyou saved, part of it was used to buy a coffin and a burial plot, most of the remaining money was given to Chen Shun, and the remaining small portion was divided equally among Lin Qi, Xu Chenggang, and Jiang Weiguo.

Lin Qi inherited An Youyou's estate back then.

Incidentally, Xu Chenggang, the wealthiest among the underlings back then, secretly consulted a feng shui master. The master said that An Youyou died tragically and that she needed to be worshipped for at least 30 years so that she could be reincarnated peacefully in the afterlife.

At that time, Lin Qi didn't even have land to cultivate, and Jiang Weiguo bought him the boat ticket from Shanghai to Guangdong. Naturally, such a difficult task wouldn't fall to him. Lin Qi didn't know how Jiang Weiguo and Xu Chenggang had discussed it, but he firmly believed that his Ninth and Thirteenth Brothers had performed the rituals very well. When An Youyou sent Lin Qi the letter, less than 30 years had passed since his death; his reincarnation so quickly indicated that the rituals were effective.

Qin Huai and the other two were dumbfounded after hearing this.

Believe it or not, although it's outrageous, Lin Qi's logic is self-consistent.

An Youyou doesn't even need to reveal that she's a spirit; she can simply admit it openly: "Yes, I just didn't drink the Meng Po soup and was reincarnated." Anyway, Lin Qi knows An Youyou is his boss, and he believes everything she says now, even though he's not entirely clear-headed.

An Youyou didn't go through the trouble of revealing that she was a spirit. She just repeatedly checked whether the gold bars were buried in the correct location. She planned to dig them up that very night to avoid any unforeseen complications.

As for the rest, there's not much to say.

Lin Qi's life was actually quite ordinary. Even the seemingly enviable demolition and relocation involved half the village being demolished together. Because his old house was small, Lin Qi received less land and the smallest number of houses among the demolished households in the village.

He spent most of his life as a farmer, toiling in the fields, barely managing to support his two children. The most memorable thing about his life was actually the legendary days he spent begging with An Youyou as a child; after all, not everyone has such a powerful leader who could support 13 followers by begging.

Lin Qi finished recounting everything he could, but still couldn't find the bankbook.

An Youyou didn't really want the bankbook; three gold bars were enough. It would be very easy to get caught if she tried to withdraw money using Lin Qi's bankbook, and it would also be easy to get caught if Lin Qi transferred money to her in her current online state. An Youyou still had this basic legal awareness.

An Youyou eventually became a little envious of Zhao Cheng'an. Her senior brother was better off; he didn't have dementia and could transfer money anytime.

Having received the gold bars, An Youyou naturally had to do her bidding.

An Youyou wasn't stupid; she could tell that Lin Qi's illness was indeed very serious, otherwise the Lin family wouldn't have hired two caregivers to look after him. Moreover, it was true that Lin Qi didn't acknowledge his children and grandchildren, and they seemed quite filial, because the group of swindlers Lin Qi mentioned frequently visited him at the nursing home, showing him concern and trying to find out the whereabouts of the three gold bars.

As the eldest sister, An Youyou has an obligation to maintain her younger brother's family relationships at times like these.

"Xiao Qi, I'm very disappointed in you," An Youyou said earnestly. "Do you think the boss came all this way just to ask you for gold bars?"

Qin Huai: ...? It wasn't before, but it isn't now?
Lin Qi was taken aback.

"Boss, I've already made it big, and all your kids are hanging out with me now."

Lin Qi: !
“You’re sick now and your mind isn’t clear, so the eldest son specially spent a lot of money to arrange such a good nursing home for you and hired people to take care of you. But you’re disobedient and cause trouble every few days. Do you know how busy I am with my business right now? I’m busy with countless things every day and have to get up at two or three o’clock every morning. Now I have to make a special trip for you.”

Lin Qi felt extremely guilty: "Boss, I'm sorry."

An Youyou waved her hand: "There's no need to say such things. I know you're worried about the three gold bars. I'll go dig them up tonight. You don't need to come to the village anymore. Just stay here and rest assured. If you need anything, just tell the person the boss sent to take care of you."

"Xiao Qi, you should be able to tell that the boss came here today specifically to test you, right? You did a good job, the boss appreciates you."

Lin Qi was excited and wanted to find her bankbook again.

Just as Lin Qi was rummaging through the drawers again, footsteps and voices came from outside.

"Someone came to see my grandfather? Was it someone from the village? Uncle Liu, Uncle Zhang? Or..."

"No, they are three unfamiliar faces. The registration information says they are the eldest son's granddaughter, and that they are descendants of Mr. Lin's old friend from many years ago. They came to visit him after hearing that Mr. Lin was living in a nursing home."

“An old friend from many years ago, my grandfather still has…”

Qin Huai quickly signaled to An Youyou with his eyes to stop Lin Qi, who was rummaging through drawers and cabinets. The real granddaughter had arrived, and if they continued searching for the savings book, the three swindlers in the house would be caught on the spot.

Lin Qi could only sit obediently on the bed, her face full of regret and confusion at not finding the bankbook.

There was a knock on the door.

"Grandpa, may I come in now? Do you remember me today? I made your favorite meat buns. Jiang Yong is working overtime today and doesn't have time to come see you. Xiao Ran is still at school. I'll bring him to see you when he comes back for winter break."

"Go in," Lin Qi said sullenly, clearly unhappy.

The door opened, and a woman carrying a lunchbox, who looked to be around 40 years old, with newly permed hair, and who resembled Lin Qi somewhat, walked in with a smile.

Very cautious.

"Grandpa, do you still recognize me?"

Lin Qi said unhappily, "Don't call me grandpa. I have a granddaughter. My daughter Juan is still in elementary school. Don't try to get close to me."

Seeing that her grandfather didn't remember her again, Lin Juan could only smile helplessly, put down the lunchbox, and look at Qin Huai and the others.

Qin Huai and his group obviously didn't know Lin Juan. The private investigator had given them information about Lin Qi's children and grandchildren, but Qin Huai and his group didn't pay much attention to it. They only knew that Lin Qi had only one granddaughter named Lin Juan.

Lin Juan seemed to know Qin Huai.

She paused for a moment when she saw Qin Huai, then blurted out, "Master Qin."

Qin Huai was stunned: "You know me?"

Lin Juan smiled and said, "Of course I know you. You were featured in Zhiwei's column. But you probably don't know me. My name is Lin Juan, and my husband's name is Jiang Yong. He is the editor-in-chief of Zhiwei. I read your column before Zhiwei was published. My husband even exclaimed to me that he hadn't seen such an excellent and young pastry chef like you in many years."

"I never expected that you would know my grandfather."

Qin Huai was surprised by the coincidence that Lin Qi's granddaughter knew him, and quickly said, "I came with my friend."

“She was an old friend of her grandmother, Mr. Lin.”

Lin Juan nodded and said with a smile, "I didn't expect to have such a connection. Master Qin, how many days will you be staying in Shanghai? If you have time, would you do me the honor of coming to my house for a simple meal?"

“My husband went to Huang Ji’s in Suzhou to eat your fruit and he really liked your cooking. He has always regretted that he has never met you.”

“Uh… sure.” Qin Huai laughed. “No need to regret it, I have other signature snacks that Editor-in-Chief Jiang can enjoy these next few days.”

We hope that after you finish your snacks, the Lin family can forgive the three of us for conspiring to defraud Mr. Lin Qi of three gold bars.

(End of this chapter)