Chapter 73: Hundred Longevity Picture
Hu Meili kept her mouth shut and insisted that she was in love with Yang Zhiqiang but could not get him, and that she drugged him on impulse. However, Captain Xu was not fooled by her story and quickly found out that Hu Meili and Aqiang knew each other.
Captain Xu immediately took Aqiang to the police station.
Although Aqiang is a man, he is not as brave as Hu Meili. When he was taken to the police station, he was scared out of his wits. Before Captain Xu could ask him any questions, he confessed everything tremblingly.
It was indeed Aqiang who robbed Old Lady Yang and pushed her to injure her. Just as Shi Yue guessed, his purpose in doing so was to let Hu Meili live in the Yang family as Old Lady Yang's savior so as to implement their honey trap plan.
As for why they targeted Yang Zhiqiang, the reason was very simple: they were hired.
It turns out that Hu Meili was not a poor girl who ran away from marriage. She and Aqiang were two vagrants who made a living by stealing. They occasionally took on some cheating jobs in the black market for money.
About half a month ago, a man came to them with money and asked them to use the beauty trap to trap Yang Zhiqiang, and then set up a trap to ruin Yang Zhiqiang, preferably to make Yang Zhiqiang lose his reputation.
The man was very generous in giving money, a thousand yuan at a time. He also promised Hu Meili and A Qiang that as long as they could ruin Yang Zhiqiang's reputation, he would not take a penny of the rest of the money they extorted from Yang Zhiqiang, and Hu Meili and A Qiang would handle it all.
Hu Meili and A Qiang were dazzled by the green bills a second ago, and just as they came to their senses, they were stunned by the big pancakes falling from the sky. They took the job without thinking.
After all, the two of them used to be petty thieves, and they knew all kinds of people. They quickly found out about Yang Zhiqiang's situation and knew that he had an elderly mother whom he cared about very much. So they immediately decided to start with his mother, Old Lady Yang.
Everyone knows what happened next. Aqiang robbed Old Lady Yang, and Hu Meili acted as her savior...
Captain Xu arrived at the Yang residence with the results of his investigation and said to Yang Zhiqiang, "That's pretty much what happened. It's just that Aqiang and Hu Meili couldn't clearly explain the identity of the man who hired them, so we haven't been able to find him yet. Perhaps you've offended someone recently?"
A gloomy look flashed across Yang Zhiqiang's eyes. He gave a wry smile and said, "Well, Captain Xu, you don't know I'm a businessman. In our line of work, harmony is the most important thing, and offending others is the worst taboo. So if you ask me to explain, I really can't say it."
Captain Xu nodded. The results of their investigation were the same. They did not find any obvious hatred between Yang Zhiqiang and anyone.
He said, "Hu Meili and Aqiang have been transferred to the detention center. We will prosecute them later. As for the man who hired them, we will continue to investigate. Because we have no clues, the investigation is quite difficult, so you'd better pay more attention during this period. After all, we don't know if he will find other ways to target you."
Yang Zhiqiang nodded: "Okay, I will pay attention."
Captain Xu: "Okay, I have nothing else to say. I have something else to do at the bureau, so I'll leave first. If you have any clues or ideas, please contact us."
"Okay, Captain Xu, take care..."
Yang Zhiqiang saw Captain Xu out.
Captain Xu walked out of the Yang family's house and bumped into Shi Yue.
Seeing Shi Yue coming back with two children, he smiled and greeted Shi Yue: "Hey, Shi Yue, why did you take the children out?"
Shi Yue: "Well, I just got off work and picked up the two kids from the martial arts gym. They're going to martial arts class."
Captain Xu was surprised: "Wow, you sent your daughter to learn martial arts?"
He looked at the soft and cute Shi Qiu Shui beside him with an incredible look on his face, and couldn't understand what Shi Yue was thinking. Even if he sent his child to extracurricular classes, they should have been learning dance or art. Why did he send his daughter to practice martial arts? It would be so painful for a little girl of such age to practice martial arts.
Captain Xu's surprise was visible to the naked eye, and Shi Yue knew what he was thinking without him even saying a word.
He shrugged and said, "Well, there was no one to look after it during the summer vacation. Someone happened to recommend that martial arts school and said it was pretty good. Xiaoqiu also wanted to go there, so I sent her there."
Shi Qiushui, who was standing by, also said, "I wanted to go! Uncle Xu, I want to practice martial arts so that I can catch bad guys better."
She clenched her fists and said in a cute way. Captain Xu was very happy to hear this. He touched the little girl's hair and said, "Good girl, you have great ambition! Keep going!"
Hearing Captain Xu's encouragement, the little girl's eyes narrowed into slits with joy.
Captain Xu is no ordinary man, he works for the Public Security Bureau! The Public Security Bureau where she dreams of working!
There was still something to do at the Public Security Bureau, so Captain Xu chatted briefly with Shi Yue and then said goodbye and left. Shi Qiu Shui was still grinning foolishly until Captain Xu had left for a long time.
Shi Yue waved his palm in front of Shi Qiushui's eyes and said, "Girl, come back to your senses!"
He jokingly said, "Is it really that serious? Didn't your Uncle Xu just casually compliment you? Are you so beautiful that you almost don't know who you are?"
Shi Qiushui shuddered awake, pouted, and said unhappily, "Dad!"
Shi Yue had a lot of experience in stroking his daughter's fur. Seeing that Shi Qiu Shui was getting anxious, he remained calm.
As if Qiu Shui was about to get angry because he hadn't noticed, he shook the roast chicken in his hand and said in surprise, "Oh, why doesn't this roast chicken feel warm to the touch?"
When Shi Qiu Shui heard this, he immediately forgot that he was still angry and looked eagerly at the roast chicken in Shi Yue's hand.
Shi Yue continued, "Since it's cold, we should eat it quickly..."
Shi Qiushui: "Eat, eat, eat, Dad, let's go home and eat roast chicken, otherwise it will be cold and not tasty!"
She anxiously dragged Shi Yue home, and Shi Yue's mouth curled up into a smile as she was dragging him.
See, his daughter is so easy to coax.
The Shi family had a simple meal tonight. Roast chicken, braised dishes, and pancakes were all bought ready-made from outside. It wasn't that Shi Yue was lazy and didn't want to cook, but it was a celebratory meal that Shi Qiu Shui requested himself.
To celebrate her learning her first set of boxing techniques, I bought her all her favorite foods.
Although Shi Yue felt that his daughter was just looking for an opportunity to eat what she wanted, he still met her request.
Shi Qiu Shui hasn't eaten roast chicken for a few days, so it wouldn't hurt to have one today.
Shi Yue brought Shi Qiu Shui back home. As soon as he put the bag of roast chicken on the table, Shi Qiu Shui's little fleshy hands reached straight for the roast chicken.
She aimed at the drumstick of the roast chicken, which is the most delicious part of the whole roast chicken. After a long period of high-temperature baking, the fat in the chicken drumstick skin was all roasted out, making it crispy and with a strong aroma of oil, while the chicken drumstick meat under the skin was soft and tender. When you take a bite, the rich gravy will burst in your mouth, which is so delicious.
Seeing that Shi Qiushui's hand was about to reach the chicken leg, Shi Yue asked: "Wait, have you washed your hands?"
Shi Qiushui froze, and pursed his lips guiltily: "Not yet..."
Shi Yue: "Go, wash your hands before eating."
"Okay..." Shi Qiu Shui hurriedly ran to wash his hands.
She obediently washed her hands and came back happily.
She held up her soapy, fragrant hands and said, "Dad, I'm done!"
Shi Yue put the bowls and chopsticks on the table. Seeing her come back, he said, "Now that you've washed them, let's eat!"
"Yeah!"
Shi Qiushui swiftly began to eat, waving her chopsticks. Her greatest strength was her relish for eating, and she wasn't picky at all. She'd won several red flowers in kindergarten for this, even though the other kids were all picky eaters in their own ways—some wouldn't eat carrots, others wouldn't eat green peppers. Teacher Xiaolin gave her red flowers because she hoped the other kids would emulate her.
After the meal, Shi Qiu Shui's belly was already full, and Shi Yue was almost the same. He leaned back in his chair and burped for a long time.
The father and daughter ate a lot, a whole roast chicken, several braised dishes and half a pancake.
After finishing her meal, Shi Qiushui suddenly thought of some gossip. She touched her round belly and asked, "Dad, Uncle Xu is here today. Does that mean that the investigation into Hu Meili's case has yielded some results?"
Shi Yue: "Probably."
Shi Qiushui held up his chin and said, "I don't know if Uncle Xu and the others have found that Ah Qiang and arrested him. He robbed Grandma Yang and even injured her. He's such a bad guy."
Shi Yue glanced at the little girl and said with a smile: "You are a little kid, but you have a lot of things to worry about."
Shi Qiushui: "I just don't want the bad guys to escape!"
Shi Yue was also impressed by his little worrywart. He said, "Okay, don't worry. Your Uncle Xu and the others are so capable, they will definitely be able to investigate Aqiang. Don't worry."
Shi Qiu Shui nodded his little head. Uncle Xu and the others were indeed very powerful and would not let A Qiang go.
Although the little girl was relieved, she was still very curious.
Why did Hu Meili and the others target Uncle Yang? What will happen if they are caught by the police?
Shi Qiu Shui was so curious that he even wanted to ask Yang Zhiqiang next door about it.
"Shi Yue, Shi Yue——"
It was also a coincidence that just as Shi Qiu Shui thought of Yang Zhiqiang, Yang Zhiqiang's voice was heard outside the house.
Shi Yue looked out the window and saw Yang Zhiqiang peeking in. He shouted, "Here, I'm in the room. Come in."
Yang Zhiqiang, who was outside, heard Shi Yue's answer and pushed the door open. Seeing the father and daughter slumped on the stool, he smiled and said, "Oh, did you two just finish your meal?"
Shi Yue: "Yeah, I just finished eating and haven't cleaned up yet."
Yang Zhiqiang glanced at the dishes on the table and asked, "Did you two have a good meal tonight?"
Shi Yue: "It's okay to eat. I ate a bite. Come, sit down. You sit down."
He pulled a chair from the side and gave it to Yang Zhiqiang, who sat down.
Shi Yue: "You come here at this time, have you eaten?"
Yang Zhiqiang: "I ate it, just a bite."
Shi Yue raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, then said, "Did you buy food outside?"
Before, Hu Meili cooked for the Yang family. Now that Hu Meili has been arrested, Old Mrs. Yang, who can cook, can't get out of bed. The Yang family either buys food or asks Yang Zhiqiang to cook for them.
He didn't hear any sound of the Yang family firing just now, so Yang Zhiqiang could only have bought it and eaten it.
Yang Zhiqiang nodded: "Yes, asked me to buy two meals from the small restaurant at the entrance of the alley."
Shi Yue nodded and asked, "Have you ever thought about finding another caregiver?"
He said, "Eating is easy to solve. You can just buy something anywhere and get by. The problem is Aunt Yang. Aunt Yang can't get out of bed now. She needs help even to go to the bathroom. Not to mention the inconvenience for you as a grown man, but the most important thing is that you have things to do in the store. Even if you hand the store over to employees, you still have to check on it from time to time. Aunt Yang can't get out of bed now. What if she has something to do while you're away?"
Yang Zhiqiang: "I also want to find a caregiver for my mother, but it's hard to find one."
He sighed and said, "I'm a bit afraid of snakes now. I don't dare to ask young girls for caregivers, for fear of getting into trouble again. But when you ask for a caregiver, I can't ask someone in his fifties or sixties, otherwise I won't know whether they will come to take care of my mother or I will take care of them."
Shi Yue nodded, that’s true.
Yang Zhiqiang: "I want to find someone in their thirties or forties who's quick at work and has a good heart, but it's not easy to find such a person. I went around the hospital today and couldn't find anyone suitable. I just discussed it with Li Juan and asked her to stop working in the store and be a caregiver for my mother for a while. I can let other people help with the cleaning work in the store first. My mother needs to be alone."
Li Juan?
Shi Yue thought for a moment and said, "Li Juan is quite suitable to be Aunt Yang's caregiver."
She is a caring person and works efficiently. Most importantly, everyone knows that she has good character and would not do anything sneaky or bully Aunt Yang when Yang Zhiqiang is not around.
Yang Zhiqiang: "Alas, I can't find anyone else. Regardless of whether she is suitable or not, I can only let her do it for now."
Shi Yue patted Yang Zhiqiang on the shoulder, comforted him, and then asked, "Oh, by the way, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Yang Zhiqiang slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, look at my brain. I came to see you for something, but after being at your house for so long, I forgot what I was talking about."
He said, "Well, Shi Yue, I came to you to ask you to write a couple of characters for me. The father of one of my business partners is about to celebrate his sixtieth birthday. The old man is fond of elegant things, such as calligraphy and paintings. I wanted to cater to his tastes and give him a couple of characters during his birthday party. But I don't know any calligraphy masters, so I thought of you. I saw you writing a sign for Xiao Qiu the other day, and your calligraphy is quite beautiful!"
Shi Yue smiled modestly: "No, no, my handwriting is just average, barely passable."
He really felt so. He had seen so many beautiful calligraphy works in the Great Yu Dynasty, from rare books by famous masters to those by his classmates and senior brothers. Compared with those works, his calligraphy could only be said to be passable.
But this was just Shi Yue's idea. Yang Zhiqiang disagreed with this. He patted Shi Yue on the shoulder and said, "No, we are all family. Why are you being so modest with me?"
Shi Yue smiled helplessly: "I'm not being modest."
In fact, Shi Yue's handwriting is not bad, or it is still good for this era.
After all, he was born into a noble family and was a legitimate scholar who had passed the imperial examination. Even though he was playful and often lazy, he learned to write in the "Tai Ge style" under the guidance of his family and teacher.
When he was writing the signboard for Shi Qiu Shui, someone in the courtyard said that his handwriting was good, so they asked him to write the Spring Festival couplets in the courtyard during the Chinese New Year.
Yang Zhiqiang waved his hands and said, "Come on, come on, Shi Yue, please stop being modest with me. Excessive modesty is arrogance, don't you understand?"
Shi Yue was helpless: "Okay then, I won't be modest with you, okay."
Yang Zhiqiang: "Well, that's pretty good."
He nodded and continued his request: "I just thought that your calligraphy is good, so I want you to write a copy for me, so that I can give it to the old man at his birthday party. Of course, I'm not asking for it for free. I'll pay you, and don't be embarrassed to accept the money just because I'm your brother. Let's treat this as a serious business."
Shi Yue waved his hand and was about to say no, but Yang Zhiqiang interrupted him.
He said, "I'm just a rough guy who graduated from junior high school. I don't know anything about calligraphy or art. So, I'll offer you 5,000 yuan. Just write me a piece of calligraphy that's auspicious and suitable for giving as a gift."
Shi Yue was at a loss for words. He had seen generous people before, but he had never seen anyone so foolishly generous. He didn't ask for anything, but just offered five thousand and asked him to write whatever he wanted. How was this any different from deliberately giving him money?
Suddenly, Shi Yue paused and cast an inquiring look at Yang Zhiqiang.
I thought to myself, could this guy really be giving me money on purpose?
Yang Zhiqiang was puzzled by Shi Yue's gaze. He asked, "What, what happened?"
Shi Yue smiled and glanced at him and said, "Seeing you being so generous, I thought you were giving me money on purpose."
Yang Zhiqiang waved his hands guiltily: "How could that be possible, Shi Yue, you're overthinking it. I'm not a wealthy local tycoon, how can I just give money to others casually?"
Shi Yue: “Isn’t it?”
Yang Zhiqiang: "No, really not!"
Shi Yue: "Okay then, I'll take your job, but five thousand is too much. I'm keeping it to myself, so give me two thousand and I'll draw you a picture of a hundred years of longevity."
"Okay, it's settled then. I'll give you the money tomorrow!" Yang Zhiqiang was visibly happy to see Shi Yue agreed, as if it wasn't him who was going to give Shi Yue the money, but Shi Yue who was going to give him the money.
In fact, Shi Yue guessed correctly. Yang Zhiqiang asked him to write just to give him money.
Yang Zhiqiang did this because he was grateful for Shi Yue's reminder.
To be honest, when Captain Xu came to him and told him that Hu Meili and the others were hired to set up a trap against him, he broke out in a cold sweat. If Shi Yue hadn't reminded him, he would have definitely not escaped the trap set by Hu Meili and the others.
Even if he had managed to escape Hu Meili and the others' scheme yesterday, Hu Meili and the others had taken the money with the intention of ruining his reputation, and they would definitely continue to plot against him.
So it is no exaggeration to say that Shi Yue's reminder saved his life. He remembered Shi Yue's kindness, and in order to thank Shi Yue, he came up with this reason to give Shi Yue money.
Of course, the story is true, there really was a birthday party, and he really wanted to give a pair of characters, but he didn't just give characters.
He had already prepared a jade Guanyin as a birthday gift. Shi Yue's calligraphy was at most just a small addition, the kind that didn't matter whether it existed or not.
Seeing that Shi Yue agreed to help him write and that he could give away the money he thanked Shi Yue for, Yang Zhiqiang finally felt relieved. He breathed a long sigh of relief, quickly said goodbye to Shi Yue and went home.
However, Shi Yue raised his eyebrows as he watched Yang Zhiqiang leave.
He is not stupid, and he saw Yang Zhiqiang's guilty reaction just now clearly.
He dared to say that if Yang Zhiqiang hadn't deliberately given him money, he would have eaten everything on the table in front of him!
He could probably guess what Yang Zhiqiang was thinking, which was simply to thank him.
Although Shi Yue felt that Yang Zhiqiang was making a big fuss, he just gave him a reminder. It was a bit exaggerated for Yang Zhiqiang to give him such a big thank-you gift.
But there is no reason not to accept the money that is right in front of you.
Since Yang Zhiqiang has money and is willing to give, he should just accept it generously.
Shi Yue was not a polite person. When Yang Zhiqiang came to his door with two thousand yuan the next day, Shi Yue did not say a word of refusal and took the money directly.
Because it was Shi Qiu Shui who overheard Hu Meili's conversation first, Shi Qiu Shui also took some credit. When Shi Yue got the money, he immediately told Shi Qiu Shui that he would give her half of the money.
It’s just that it’s not easy to give such a large sum of money directly to Shi Qiu Shui, so I keep it with him first.
It's not like other parents who keep the money with me first and give it to you when you grow up. When Shi Yue said he kept it with him, he meant it first. He bought a small lockable box for Shi Qiushui and put the money in it. He didn't keep the key himself, but gave it to Shi Qiushui.
Shi Qiu Shui was quite satisfied with the huge sum of money she had received. In order not to let it go to waste, she also urged Shi Yue to write the Hundred Longevity Picture seriously.
The reason why the Hundred Longevity Pictures are called Hundred Longevity Pictures is because they are made up of one hundred different forms of the Chinese character for “longevity”.
This thing is simple, after all, there are only a hundred "Shou" characters in total, and it doesn't take long to write them; but it is also complicated, because it requires writing in different fonts. For the overall aesthetic appeal, the font and layout must be arranged in detail before writing.
It took Shi Yue five full days to finish this painting of a hundred years of longevity. When he handed it to Yang Zhiqiang the next day, Yang Zhiqiang was shocked.
Yang Zhiqiang hadn't expected Shi Yue's calligraphy to be so exquisite. In the center of the large, open red paper stood a large, golden cursive character for "Shou." Its bold, unrestrained strokes exuded a powerful presence. Surrounding it were characters in various scripts, including official script, regular script, and seal script, each possessing its own unique charm and beauty. Together, they complemented each other, creating a sense of prosperity and grandeur, a symbol of auspiciousness.
Yang Zhiqiang was shocked.
Although he always said that he was an uneducated and rough man, he had been working in the business circle for some years and had seen a lot of good things. From his perspective, Shi Yue's calligraphy was not much worse than that of some current masters.
He even felt that he had given too little, two thousand yuan!
To be honest, Yang Zhiqiang really felt that he had not paid enough, and he even offered to give Shi Yue some extra money, but Shi Yue did not agree.
Yang Zhiqiang couldn't persuade Shi Yue and failed to give Shi Yue the money, so he could only take the Hundred Longevity Painting and leave helplessly.
However, what neither of them expected was that Shi Yue would eventually make a small fortune because of this Hundred Years of Longevity painting.
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