Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 286, Section 285: What kind of money do we collect?

Xiong Guiyuan also stormed off, taking several truckloads of "stolen goods" with her.

Master Feng has a knack for knowing when not to say what he should say and how to provoke a woman.

Xiong Guiyuan can accept her business failure, but she cannot accept her vision being rejected—especially by a "country bumpkin" who has never even left Fancheng.

She studied abroad, has extensive knowledge, and has seen a wider world, so she certainly has the right to be proud.

When some people are unhappy, others are happy, like Feng Xiuhu.

He hummed a little tune as he wandered around the house, already fantasizing about boxes of gold pillars being moved into his home.

Gu Zhili still hadn't returned for dinner, but Er Mazi secretly came over.

Feng Xiuhu was not surprised at all by Er Mazi's sudden visit.

Because in the letter he gave to Gu Zhili to prove his identity to the brothers, he wrote the following sentence: "Sanmazi's hand injury has not healed. In order to ensure that the plan goes smoothly, he is to stay at home and not participate in this kidnapping."

Sanmazi's injuries had long since healed, so when Gu Zhili took out the souvenir to show him, he couldn't help but want to object, but fortunately, Ermazi was quick-witted and stopped him in time.

Er Mazi guessed that Feng Xiuhu's words had a hidden meaning, but it was inconvenient to say it in front of Gu Zhili, so he took the opportunity to run to Feng Xiuhu's house to ask.

Er Mazi was dressed in a Western suit and tie, looking neat and presentable.

Actually, it wasn't just him; all the brothers who moved to the Upper Town changed into new clothes—after all, they would be active in the Upper Town from now on, and if they were still covered in patches like before, they would attract attention.

Feng Xiuhu invited Er Mazi to sit down and have dinner together, but Er Mazi politely declined: "There's not enough time. Miss Ali sent the brothers out to scout the location at night. I also took this opportunity to come here. After listening to the squad leader's instructions, I have to hurry back."

Feng Xiuhu stopped trying to persuade him and went straight to the point: "Ali is my new subordinate. She is capable, but I'm not sure if she is truly devoted to me. So this is a good opportunity to test her loyalty. Go back and tell Sanmazi to secretly follow Ali when the brothers move out tomorrow and see if she does anything else or contacts unrelated people—but be very careful not to follow her too closely. Ali comes from the temple."

Er Mazi nodded in agreement: "That woman is indeed capable. During the day, she taught the brothers how to use sleeping pills, using Big Ears as a demonstration. And guess what? Goodness, Big Ears was completely dazed all day long, and only just before we left did he fully wake up."

Er Mazi was indeed clever. As soon as Feng Xiuhu finished speaking, he immediately changed his words—he had called her Miss A Li a moment ago, but now he called her that woman.

Having explained everything, Er Mazi didn't linger any longer. After saying goodbye to Feng Xiuhu, he hurriedly left.

The conversation just now took place at the dinner table, and Feng Xiuhu didn't try to hide it from Xiyao at all, so Xiyao heard everything clearly.

As soon as Er Mazi left, she immediately pouted and said coquettishly, "I knew Master was just flattering me. Ah Li has only been here a few days. How could Master be bewitched by her? And what's with all this talk about love? Master, are you deliberately trying to provoke me with those words?"

She feigned shyness and said, "Who told me I can't handle being provoked? Master, you just teased me and I blurted out everything on my mind."

Feng Xiuhu lowered his head and ate his rice, too lazy to explain to her.

Just then, someone else opened the door and came in.

Feng Xiuhu looked up and saw that it was Shunzi who had returned.

He glanced at the grandfather clock on the wall and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you leaving work so late today?"

Shunzi took off his helmet and armor, and sat down at the dining table.

He explained, "I was held up by Mike."

Shunzi was unaware of what had happened to Mike, so she was puzzled.

"It's really weird. I don't know if Mike is out of his mind or if those officials are out of their minds, but they're chasing after Mike and fawning over him. If you didn't know better, you'd think Mike was their son."

As if he had thought of something funny, Shunzi grinned and laughed: "Brother, you didn't see it. Those officials actually started fighting in order to get Mike to ride in their car. You pulled my hair, I pinched your thigh, and everyone on the street gathered around to watch the show."

Feng Xiuhu casually asked, "So who won in the end?"

Shunzi shook his head: "Nobody won. Mike was afraid of making a big scene. When he saw me watching the show, he came to ask me for help. I went up and yelled, but they weren't afraid. It was only after Mike said that I was your brother that these officials stopped. In the end, I sent Mike home first, and then came back, which delayed things."

Feng Xiuhu nodded: "Don't help him next time. He has to learn to adapt on his own." "Adapt to what?"

Shunzi asked, puzzled.

Feng Xiuhu thought for a moment: "Get used to the bitterness of love."

Shunzi scratched his head, feeling that his older brother's words were becoming increasingly unpredictable.

Feng Xiuhu then remembered something else: "Don't go to the church tomorrow. Tell Chief Guard Byrne that Elder Vadra is personally preaching the doctrine, and I want you to come to the Great Cathedral to help with guard duty."

"Row."

Shunzi agreed.

Feng Xiuhu then instructed: "Remember to bring your men, and a few more empty suitcases. I'll give you a list later, and you put people in according to the list—and most importantly, collect the money before letting them pass."

Shunzi was confused: "What money do you want?"

Feng Xiuhu couldn't hide his joy when he thought of this: "Whatever, it can be a ransom or an entrance fee, it will all end up as a donation."

……

The next day arrived quickly.

Yesterday's incident left a small but unpleasant feeling in Quivervan's mind.

The situation was completely unknown, so it was clearly not a good time to settle scores. Therefore, taking a cautious approach, Quiver later specifically asked someone to inquire about Mike's background.

He learned from several deacons that Mike was close to a priest named Feng Xiuhu, but he had never heard of him having any dealings with government officials.

Everyone told him that, aside from being Feng Xiuhu's friend, Mike was just an ordinary butler with no background or talent, so ordinary that he could be easily overlooked.

But what he had witnessed yesterday was still fresh in his mind, and Quivervan was convinced that Mike was no ordinary man, so he decided to thoroughly establish his presence on the ground before making any further moves.

He told himself that this was just an inevitable little accident during the process of integrating into a new environment, and a necessary step.

It wasn't just him who would experience this; Quivorvan believed that Elder Findlay might also encounter the same thing when he arrived in the future.

So, after dealing with the morning's academic affairs, Quivorvan felt it was time to visit Elder Vadra.

This was the order he had planned long ago.

The reason for not visiting on the first day was to avoid leaving Elder Vadra with a bad impression of being a "sycophant," while prioritizing church affairs also highlighted his down-to-earth and conscientious good image.

Secondly, he was, after all, a confidant of Elder Findlay. If he rushed to curry favor upon arrival, it would inevitably make people think he was opportunistic.

So this is just right.

He even deliberately skipped lunch.

As the saying goes, opportunity favors the prepared mind.

Quivervan secretly rejoiced at his decision.

Because that was the first question Vadragio asked him when they met.

"Have you had lunch, Bishop Cuyver?"

PS: Findlay's greeting mainly focuses on a "question," while Vadragio is responsible for the "answer."

(End of this chapter)