Chapter 40

Reporter Song called his old classmate and asked, "Do you dare to report the anti-corruption news?"

The old classmate asked lazily, "Are you willing to give it up?"

Reporter Song gritted his teeth: "It's too big, I can't follow it."

The other party became interested: "Can you tell me in detail?"

"I don't have firsthand information."

The other party was deflated: "Are you kidding me?"

"A few days ago, an official from the Education Bureau was arrested. This woman broke the news."

"Where is she?"

"Our city."

"Help me keep her safe. I'm going to buy a ticket now. I'll definitely be there tomorrow."

Reporter Song immediately replied to Tao Zhi, "I want an exclusive. If you agree, see you in the cafe tomorrow."

Tao Zhi replied with one word: "Okay."

The next day, after the meeting, Tao Zhi pushed the file bag over without saying a word.

The old classmate took it and pulled it out to look at it on the spot.

Inside the bag were: a description of the case, an index and copies of evidence, a medical certificate, photos, recordings, written testimony, etc. The reporter was surprised by how comprehensive the preparation was, which showed that Tao Zhi had really put in the effort and could save them a lot of time.

Tao Zhi said, "I won't say more. This is all the clues and evidence I can provide. I'll leave the rest to you two."

The old classmate put away his tools and said sincerely, "If the evidence is true, I promise you, this will definitely be reported in the newspaper."

Tao Zhi thanked them solemnly. She had asked Wen Xu in advance and left his contact information this time.

She did everything she could. Tao Zhi waved her sleeves and went home to accompany her child to study, regardless of the flood behind her.

**

When Cheng Jun came back, he walked around the whole house and didn't see anyone.

He called the old man: "Dad, where is my mom?"

"At home."

"I didn't see anyone?"

"Where are you?"

"In a villa in the city."

"Silly son, we are all back home."

"Ah, what's going on?"

"Cheng Man's college entrance exam, isn't this a problem?"

Cheng Jun was shocked when he heard this. He had forgotten about this. He turned around and said, "Dad, I'll be right back."

"Okay, okay, drive safely."

A car? His father reminded him that the car was still at the brick factory. He was so eager to go home that he hired a car to take him all the way back to his hometown.

When he got off the bus, Cheng Jun saw the two three-story buildings and suddenly felt a little unfamiliar. The factory was still in operation, and the roar of the machines awakened his memory.

He ran upstairs and saw his mother watching TV. "Mom, why are you alone?"

"Your father is in the office, and your brother and sister are back home."

"Didn't you say you would accompany Cheng Man to take the college entrance exam?"

"Isn't this accompanying you?"

Cheng Jun pointed at the snacks, then at the large color TV, "Are you just going to accompany me like this?"

Tao Zhi waved her hand at him: "Don't block me from watching TV. Cheng Man said that I'm not allowed to go to school, so I have nothing to do, so I'll just find some fun on my own."

Cheng Jun sat down next to her: "Why did my brother and sister go back to their hometown?"

Tao Zhi touched his forehead and said, "You don't have a fever, why did you suddenly become stupid?"

Cheng Jun propped up his forehead with his hand and said, "It's all because of this trip. It was too much of a shock to me. My brain couldn't handle it, so it burned out."

Tao Zhi gave him a slap: "You are the only one who can speak."

"Did they take the kids out to play?"

"Children love to go to the countryside, where they can climb mountains and play in the water, feel free and unrestrained, and have a group of friends of the same age."

“Now that the board factory is no longer doing it, what are their thoughts?”

"Cheng Xing said she'll go wherever I go, but Cheng Hui still wants to do something with her career."

"Mom, I've decided to listen to you and develop the land in City S."

Tao Zhi sat up straight immediately. "Do you have money?"

Cheng Jun snorted: "I'm completely broke right now."

"Then how do you develop it? Just by talking?"

Cheng Jun smiled evilly: "I have land."

Tao Zhi still couldn't figure it out: "How many bricks did you sell? How could that customer be willing to use his land as collateral?"

"This client has a lot of land. At this point, he wants to exchange resources and use the land to pay off his debts, which maximizes his profits. Furthermore, the extra money he'll give me and my partner is his reward."

Tao Zhi suddenly realized, "You mean, he's already entered?"

Cheng Jun affirmed Tao Zhi's idea.

"Mom, have you ever heard of selling pre-sale apartments in Hong Kong?"

Tao Zhi shook her head. She only had a limited understanding of many things that happened after her death. Although she read the newspaper daily, she only learned current knowledge and had no ability to predict the future. She could only remember a few fragments of what she had seen at Wangxiang Terrace. Even that little fragment was enough to sustain her for half her life.

"Let's put it this way. As long as I've dug a hole on the land, I can apply for a 'pre-sale permit' from the Land and Resources Bureau, and then I can start selling the pre-sale units. After receiving the down payment and mortgage loan, I can use this money to continue building on top of the property. To put it bluntly, I'm using the buyers' money to build the house. As long as the proceeds from the sale of the house can cover all construction expenses, then I've made a killing, earning free money and getting a ticket to the real estate industry."

"Oh, it's a pre-sale property."

"Yes, yes, Mom, you understand."

“Is it a big risk?”

"Fifty-fifty, as long as we can turn it around, entering the market now is like picking up money for free."

Since the opportunity has come, just follow it. It is what Cheng Jun deserves.

"Mom can't give you any advice, but we can build it with better quality so that problems don't arise after living in it for 10 or 20 years."

Cheng Jun smiled and said, "I'm the one who checks the bricks myself. As for the other building materials, we're both in the same business and semi-acquaintances."

Tao Zhi reminded him, "Precisely because they're acquaintances, you need to be even more rigorous and careful. If you're not comfortable coming forward, hire someone to oversee the project. From the outset, you must strictly enforce quality control. Remember, safety is paramount. It's better to be proactive than proactive."

"Okay, I'll ask someone to keep an eye on this area then."

"Oh, by the way, I'll call you Brother Dachuan, and I'll learn how to be a foreman too."

Cheng Jun refused: "I can't promise you that. If Dachuan learns well enough to build a multi-story building, he might be able to do it. But for someone like me who doesn't have a professional background and no successful case studies in building high-rise buildings, I wouldn't dare give it to him."

"Okay, then Mom won't say any more. So, when you sell me that piece of land, is it a friendship price?"

Cheng Jun smiled: "You just realized it. I only allocated a few hundred square meters to you, not more. This is a place where every inch of land is valuable. If the bank didn't need to repay the loan and I didn't have any cash, I wouldn't even take your money."

"Good boy, you haven't become rich yet, but I am enjoying your blessing."

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, I'm going to be rich soon, mom, you have to say something nice to me."

"Mom wishes you good luck and a peaceful life."

"Tsk, so old-fashioned..."

"This is your mother's most sincere wish."

"Okay, okay, I'll show you everything."

Tao Zhi was so touched that she almost cried in front of the brat. Fortunately, she went to the bathroom first.

In the evening, Cheng Jun saw Cheng Man's pointed jaw and couldn't help but say, "You've worked hard too."

Cheng Man smiled and said, "After ten years of studying, no one paid attention to me. Now is the time to test my achievements. It's no harder than earning money."

"After you finish your exams, I'll send you out to play for a few days?"

Cheng Man raised her eyebrows: "Did you say that?"

"The whole family testified."

"But I still have a few good friends."

Cheng Jun gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I'll take care of it all."

Cheng Xing interrupted: "Brother, I want one too."

Cheng Jun clutched his wallet tightly: "I have no money left."

“You can’t play favorites.”

"You're my sister, shouldn't you treat me?"

"I still have to support Cheng Jin, so I have to save money."

Cheng Jun pouted: "Sister, don't be so stingy. How much money can Cheng Jin spend?"

Cheng Xing was angry: "Wait until you become a father before you say such things."

Cheng Jun sent a distress signal to Tao Zhi.

Tao Zhi found it funny: "There's still a political review and a physical examination after that. Cheng Man can't go anywhere."

Cheng Jun was amused. He spread his hands and said, "It's not that I don't want to invite you, it's just that the objective conditions don't allow it."

Tao Zhi hit him: "Why did you recruit her at this critical moment?"

She turned to comfort Cheng Man: "Don't worry, as soon as the notice comes, your father and I will take the whole family out to play."

When the two little ones heard this, they jumped for joy.

Cheng Man chuckled and rubbed her hands together, saying, "Brother, get ready to bleed profusely."

It was rare to see Cheng Jun get humiliated, and everyone was laughing so hard that they couldn't straighten their backs.

The exam lasted only three days and was finished in a flash.

Cheng Jun was going to S City, and Cheng Xing agreed to go with him so she could get a feel for the area first. When Cheng Mingcheng heard Cheng Jin was going too, he insisted that Cheng Hui come along, too. In the end, everyone except Tao Zhi went to S City to scout out the area.

Tao Zhi was concerned about the Guo family's future, so she had to return to the city. She had a lot to do between the house she had built, the villa she rented, and the village kindergarten. Poor Tao Zhi said goodbye to her family and took a bus back to the city alone.

Cheng Jun wanted Zhao Zihao to take her, but Tao Zhi refused sternly. She also asked Cheng Jun to take him back. Cheng Xing and the old man both got their driver's licenses, so they should be allowed to drive themselves in the future, otherwise it would be a waste of money to learn how to drive.

I was just about to go back to the villa and ran into my neighbor Sister Jiang as soon as I reached the door.

Sister Jiang pulled her to her home: "You are finally back."

"What's wrong, sister?"

Sister Jiang glared at him: "What bad things have you done?"

Tao Zhi was innocent: "What bad thing could I do?"

"Then why do people keep looking for you?"

Tao Zhi was startled: "Who is it?"

"Reporters, police, and a few more waves. I don't know who they are."

Tao Zhi knew what was going on. "Lend me the newspapers for half a month. I'll tell you what it is after you finish reading it."

Sister Jiang immediately took out a stack of newspapers, and Tao Zhi flipped through them quickly.

"Don't you subscribe to the Herald of Justice?"

"Oh, I don't know. I don't read newspapers."

Tao Zhi put down the newspaper clip and said, "Then I'll go home and look for it."

Sister Jiang quickly followed, "Can't you just say a few words first?"

"No." Tao Zhi opened the door. The garden was full of colorful flowers, and Sister Chen had taken good care of it.

As soon as I mentioned Cao Cao, Sister Chen came out to greet me: "I was just saying that I thought I heard your voice, but I just looked for you and didn't see you."

Sister Jiang was surprised: "Have you always lived here?"

"Yes, I'm looking for a house for Teacher Tao."

"With so many people blocking the door, how come no one sees you?"

Sister Chen smiled, and said a little embarrassedly, "I always come back very late, and I work somewhere else during the day. I guessed that Teacher Tao was going to be home, so I stayed here to wait for her."

Tao Zhi found the newspaper from June 20th. It had a bold headline: "On the eve of the college entrance examination: Who cut off the path to success for students from poor families?"