Chapter 228 Treasure
Their accent is so rustic. My daughter struggles to read; she squints and stares at price tags at the market for ages. The whole family only has an elementary school education; they're really uncultured and don't understand these customs.
She spoke sincerely, with a hint of self-deprecation in her tone, trying to dispel the other party's doubts with a humble attitude.
The boss was skeptical, his gaze sweeping over her face, never quite letting his guard down.
It wasn't until he saw Zhao Lin pick up a pen and carefully write his name on the contract signature page—each stroke crooked and awkward, like a primary school student learning to write for the first time, and the handwriting was almost identical to the sample Shen Cuifen had written on the paper earlier—that he barely believed it and his expression softened slightly.
Shen Cuifen deliberately wrote her characters poorly, making each stroke intentionally long and crooked, and even deliberately omitted a stroke from the character "heart," pretending that she couldn't recognize it either.
When she handed in her sample, she even pretended to sigh, "Mom, I've practiced this name so many times, but I still can't write it well."
Zhao Lin suppressed a laugh, secretly praising his daughter's realistic acting.
After taking the pen, she calmly lowered her head and copied the characters stroke by stroke, even imitating the pauses and breaks in the strokes perfectly. In the end, she signed the three crooked but very convincing characters "Zhao Lin".
After thanking Attorney Bai, Zhao Lin respectfully thanked him, handing him a bottle of mineral water with both hands, and said sincerely, "Thanks to you for coming today, otherwise I wouldn't have been confident at all."
Attorney Bai waved his hand, saying it was his duty, and after instructing them to keep the documents safe, he got up and left.
Afterwards, Zhao Lin and the man went directly to the bank to transfer the money.
The two entered the bank lobby one after the other, completing the formalities quickly and efficiently. As soon as the message that the funds had been deposited popped up on their phones, the man turned around and left without saying a word, his steps hurried, leaving not even a trace of his back, as if afraid of being caught up.
Shen Cuifen watched as Zhao Lin meticulously stuffed the contract, transfer order, and notarized document into the dark brown leather bag, his movements as delicate as if he were collecting a family heirloom.
She then saw her mother carefully stuff the purse into the inside pocket of her coat, patting it to make sure it wouldn't fall out, the whole process as tense as if she were carrying out a secret mission.
This scene filled her with panic and fear. Her palms were sweating unknowingly, and all sorts of "what ifs" kept flashing through her mind—what if the documents were lost?
What if the boss changes his mind?
"Mom, you've spent so much money all at once. What if you run out of money later?"
Shen Cuifen finally couldn't help but speak, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper, her eyes filled with worry, her brows furrowed, and her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Zhao Lin reached out and pinched her little face. His fingertips were rough and calloused, but full of tenderness.
A confident smile played on her lips: "Silly girl, why are you worrying so much? Your mother's business is very stable, we won't go hungry. Do you think I'm acting impulsively? I've been watching this land for three months, and I've even had people find out about the surrounding planning maps. The subway line will be completed, and the new district will be built, both of them are a sure thing."
Her tone was confident, and her eyes gleamed with shrewdness.
Besides, that piece of land will at least triple in value in six months.
This deal was incredibly profitable.
She had it all figured out: the current purchase price was only 800,000, but once the project was announced, the price would soar to more than 2 million.
Moreover, this is a conservative estimate.
She squinted, as if she could already see that wasteland transform into a commercial district with towering buildings, bustling with traffic and crowds.
Upon returning home, the first thing Zhao Lin did was glance at the table.
On the dilapidated dining table were piled dirty plates that hadn't been washed the night before, with grease congealed on the rims of the bowls, emitting a faint sour smell.
Her gaze swept across the table, and sure enough—the crumpled one-yuan note that had been pressed at the bottom was nowhere to be seen.
She gave a cold laugh, having already anticipated this.
With Zhou Anguo's shifty-eyed appearance, he must have taken the money when no one was around and disappeared without a trace, probably gambling it away again.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, she and Shen Cuifen worked together to push the wardrobe aside.
The two of them exerted all their strength, and the wooden wardrobe rubbed against the cement floor, making a screeching sound, and dust fell down in a flurry.
A narrow gap appeared in the corner of the wall, large enough to fit an A4-sized file folder.
Zhao Lin quickly took out his briefcase from his coat pocket, unzipped it, checked all the documents one by one, stuffed them deep into the crack in the wall, covered them with an old cloth, and finally used wide tape to firmly seal them from the outside to ensure that they would not be easily discovered.
After doing all this, the mother and daughter looked at each other and finally breathed a sigh of relief, their shoulders relaxing.
Zhao Lin suddenly stopped what he was doing, turned to look at Shen Cuifen, and asked in a low but serious voice, "Where did you put your compensation money?"
Shen Cuifen hurriedly said, "I've hidden it! If you need it, I'll go get it right now!"
Zhao Lin nodded: "I'll spend it tomorrow."
The next morning, the mother and daughter set off for the bank in town.
The weather was gloomy that day, and the wind was blowing hard, swirling a few withered leaves around the street corner. There was a long line of people in front of the bank, mostly employees' family members who came to withdraw money.
Shen Cuifen clutched the bankbook in her pocket tightly, her heart pounding, afraid that someone would bump into her and cause her to lose it.
Zhao Lin walked ahead, his steps steady as if carrying a thousand-pound burden, his back straight, showing no sign of fatigue.
At the bank, she had Shen Cuifen buy a five-year government bond. Standing in front of the window, her voice was soft but unusually firm: "Choose the kind that can't be withdrawn within five years. Don't get it wrong."
Her tone carried an undeniable resolve, as if she wanted to completely seal off the money, preventing it from ever returning home.
The teller was a woman in her early thirties, wearing white gloves and a gray-blue uniform. She glanced at the mother and daughter, and seeing Zhao Lin's resolute gaze, she processed the paperwork on the spot without saying a word.
The moment the stamp was struck, it made a crisp "thud," like a verdict, which sounded particularly harsh to Shen Cuifen's ears.
Five hundred yuan in compensation, plus two hundred yuan in college entrance exam bonus, were exchanged for a piece of paper.
It was a red certificate, densely covered with terms and numbers, and stamped with the bank's large red seal.
Shen Cuifen clutched the sheet, her hands trembling, her knuckles white, cold sweat seeping from her palms: "Mother... do you intend to leave the family with not a single penny? This money... is it just locked up like this? Five years... what will we eat? What will we wear?"
Hearing her trembling voice, Zhao Lin reached out and gently rubbed her face. His fingertips were rough, yet incredibly tender.
She smiled, but her gaze wasn't directed at her daughter; rather, it seemed to be fixed on a road with no end in sight: "You child, you're too meticulous. You know our family's situation right now. The longer we hoard money, the faster it will cause trouble."
She didn't say much, but the meaning behind her words was like a thorn, piercing Shen Cuifen's heart.
How could she not know about the gossip going around in the house?
The matter of the eldest brother Jianguo being falsely accused has not yet subsided, the second brother Liguo has just returned from out of town, and the third brother Chenglong is running around trying to find connections and ask for favors every day. The whole family is like hanging on a thread, and it may break at any time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
