Chapter 323 Birthday Banquet Invitation
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window frame, casting dappled shadows on the floor.
When Su Wantang woke up, the seat next to her was empty, still warm.
She stretched and felt completely relaxed. Her legs, which had been massaged by Lu Jingyan last night, no longer felt sore or swollen.
I put on my clothes and went downstairs. Wang Ma had already put warm milk and millet porridge on the table.
"Miss, eat it while it's hot. Commander Lu went for his morning exercise early this morning and said you should sleep in a little longer."
Su Wantang smiled and agreed. Just as she sat down at the dining table, she saw Gao Jianjun rushing in from outside, holding a thin envelope in his hand.
"Sister-in-law! An urgent secret letter from Shanghai!"
The envelope was unsigned, except for a begonia flower mark.
Su Wantang took the letter and opened it.
The letter was written in Du Kangnian's unique "slender gold" calligraphy style, with strong and powerful strokes, but the content was frighteningly brief.
"Feng Jianguo abused his power to coerce people and forced Derentang to use substandard medicinal materials. This is one reason why Qian Hao lost millions."
In just one sentence, Qian Hao's motive for taking the risk was linked to the most direct evidence of his crimes along Feng Jianguo's line.
Su Wantang handed the letter to Lu Jingyan, who had somehow appeared behind her.
After reading it, Lu Jingyan's eyes darkened, and he remained silent.
Su Wantang picked up another document on the table, which was a copy of the Derentang black account compiled by Sister Lan overnight.
She turned to one of the pages and pointed to a record on it.
"Look here, on the third day of the twelfth lunar month, 500 catties of 'top-grade' astragalus were put into storage, handled by Feng Jianguo. Quality inspection report: Grade A. Amount recorded: 30,000."
She turned to the next page, which contained another, even more private ledger.
"On the same day, I sent a gift to the Feng family: two cases of 1982 Moutai, one pound of tea, a red envelope, and two thousand yuan."
With each entry and exit, each action both overt and covert, all the evidence matched perfectly.
Feng Jianguo not only abused his power to forcibly dump substandard goods, but also pocketed huge kickbacks from it.
This complete chain of evidence is enough to nail him to the spot.
“This Feng Jianguo has quite the nerve,” Lu Jingyan said coldly.
Su Wantang put down the ledger, took a sip of milk, and slowly picked up a copy of yesterday's Beijing Daily.
Her gaze lingered on a small section of the newspaper.
"The Beijing Hotel will host Madam Feng's 80th birthday celebration on the 20th of this month, at which time..."
Su Wantang lightly tapped the words "Beijing Hotel" and "80th Birthday" with her fingertips.
She raised her head and looked at Lu Jingyan, a calculating glint in her peach blossom eyes.
"Jingyan, what do you think? How about we send a big gift to Old Madam Feng?"
Lu Jingyan immediately understood what she meant.
He reached out and wiped the milk stains from the corner of her mouth, his tone indulgent.
"You can send it however you want."
Su Wantang smiled.
She picked up the phone and dialed a number.
The phone rang three times, and an excited yet restrained voice came from the other end.
"Mr. Bai?"
It is Li Yuanchao.
"It's me." Su Wantang lowered her voice, mimicking Bai Shu's hoarse tone.
"Reporter Li, we have a big story. Do you dare to take it?"
Li Yuanchao, on the other end of the phone, was breathing rapidly.
"I dare! Just say the word! I'll go through fire and water!"
"On the 20th, at the Beijing Hotel, it's Feng Jianguo's mother's birthday celebration. Take your camera and go join the fun."
"good!"
"At that time, someone will hand you a 'gift,' which you will open, read aloud, and take a picture of in front of everyone."
Su Wantang's voice was devoid of any emotion, "Can you do it?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yuanchao answered decisively, "I can do it! Don't worry!"
After hanging up the phone, Su Wantang looked at Lu Jingyan.
Lu Jingyan had already picked up his phone and dialed Gao Jianjun's office.
"Jianjun, come to me."
Less than five minutes later, Gao Jianjun came running back like a whirlwind.
"Brother, sister-in-law, what's up?"
Lu Jingyan briefly explained the situation and then instructed, "Find a few retired soldiers who are skilled and quick-witted. On the 20th, deliver a gift box to the Beijing Hotel and hand it over to the designated person. Remember, the person must be able to get in, the gift must be delivered, and the person must be able to leave unscathed afterwards."
Gao Jianjun's eyes lit up when he heard that.
This is exciting!
He patted his chest and assured her, "Don't worry, brother! Leave this to me! I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly for your sake! Anyone who dares to stand in your way, I'll teach them a lesson they won't forget!"
Just then, a sweet, delicate voice came from outside the courtyard gate.
"Excuse me, is this where Commander Lu lives?"
Wang Ma went to open the door and saw a stylish young woman standing there.
The woman sported the latest trend of big, wavy curls and wore a tight-fitting red wool dress that accentuated her voluptuous figure. Her waist was incredibly slim, and as she walked, her rounded hips swayed gracefully, making onlookers dizzy.
She was carrying a fruit basket and had a warm smile on her face.
“I just moved to Compound No. 3. My husband is Director Zhao from the Logistics Department. My name is Zhao Lijuan. I heard that Commander Lu’s wife is pregnant, so I came here to see her.”
Before Wang Ma could speak, Su Wantang came out of the house.
She was only wearing a loose-fitting loungewear outfit and had no makeup on, yet she was even more eye-catching than Zhao Lijuan, who was dressed up meticulously.
"Mrs. Zhao, you're too kind," Su Wantang said calmly. "I'm not feeling well, so I won't invite you in. Please take your things back."
This is a blatant rejection.
Zhao Lijuan's smile froze for a moment.
Before she arrived, she had heard from the gossipy women in the compound that the new daughter-in-law of the Lu family was very arrogant and didn't give face to anyone.
Seeing it today, I can see that it truly lives up to its reputation.
But she was still unwilling to give up and put on a smile again.
"Comrade Su, you're too kind. I'm planning to host a tea party at home in a couple of days and invite all the ladies in the compound to join in the fun. You must do me the honor of attending!"
Su Wantang raised her eyelids and glanced at her.
"We'll see."
After saying that, she turned around and went back into the house.
Wang Ma smiled apologetically at Zhao Lijuan, then slammed the door shut.
Zhao Lijuan stood at the door carrying a fruit basket, her face flushing red and then turning pale.
She gripped the fruit basket tightly in her hands, her fingernails almost digging into her flesh.
What gives this wild girl of unknown origin the right to be so arrogant!
She gritted her teeth, turned around, and walked away angrily.
Inside the house, Su Wantang acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to eat her breakfast.
Gao Jianjun watched from the side and couldn't help but grimac.
"Sister-in-law, this woman is obviously no good. The way she twists her waist is like a pretzel."
Su Wantang was amused by him and didn't reply.
She didn't take him seriously; he was just a clown.
Her mind is currently focused on the big gift she is about to give out.
Over the next few days, Su Wantang reviewed all the evidence that Du Kangnian and Sister Lan had sent over.
The ledger was copied clearly, and every entry was marked in red.
The batch of substandard medicinal herbs that Du Kangnian had sent from Shanghai through a middleman were also repackaged into small glass bottles and labeled.
After everything was prepared, she found an extremely exquisite mahogany gift box.
The box is engraved with a "longevity and good fortune" design, and it looks quite valuable.
She carefully placed the pieces of evidence into the box one by one, and on top of them was a birthday invitation she had written herself.
"May Madam He Feng enjoy boundless happiness and longevity."
The signature reads: "Someone who knows what your son did."
After doing all this, she closed the lid and placed the gift box on the table.
Lu Jingyan watched her calmly and composedly arrange everything, like a general about to go into battle, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration and pride.
The night before the birthday banquet.
Light snow fell in Beijing.
Su Wantang stood by the window, watching the snowflakes fluttering outside.
She gently stroked her already protruding belly, a tender smile on her face.
She lowered her head and whispered to her stomach.
"Baby, Mommy is going to clear some obstacles on your way."
"There's going to be a good show tomorrow."
Lu Jingyan walked up from behind, draped a thick coat over her shoulders, and then stretched out his arms to embrace her and the child in her womb from behind.
His hand rested on the back of her hand, as they both felt the pulse of life within her.
He didn't say anything, but simply rested his chin gently on the top of her head.
Outside, the wind and snow were fierce, but inside, there was a peaceful warmth.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com