Chapter 272 Illegal Fundraising!
On New Year's Eve, when the New Year's Eve dinner was almost ready, Gu Qingming and Li Mingfang arrived.
"It's been so busy! Especially today! So many people drove over to buy fruit, chicken, duck, lamb, and beef! Ah Xiang and I have been helping to keep order the whole time! We were worried that things would get noisy during the Lunar New Year! Luckily, everyone was in a hurry to go home for their New Year's Eve dinner, and they didn't linger after buying their things. The vendors' goods were selling out one batch after another! It was so lively! We can rest tomorrow, and then we have to go back to open the shop!"
Gu Qingming said with a smile while eating.
The second day of the Lunar New Year is the day to visit one's maternal grandparents' home. There are still a lot of people shopping at the market, so they have to rush back early in the morning.
"It's good to be busy. When you're busy, there's hope for the future!" The old lady smiled from ear to ear.
This year has been the best year for their family. Everyone is healthy, the children are doing well in their studies, the family shop is thriving, they've bought several more houses in Beijing, and they have savings in their bank account. This year has truly been a comfortable one!
After finishing the New Year's Eve dinner, the old lady took out the sunflower seeds she had grown and stir-fried them, while everyone gathered around the charcoal fire to keep warm.
A cold wind howled outside. Gu Yin held a roasted orange and peeled it as she said, "After the New Year, everyone should go learn to drive. Uncle and Aunt, and Mom and Dad should all go. Then we'll buy two more cars. It will be more convenient to go to the county and the city with cars."
Otherwise, in this freezing weather, it would be heartbreaking for Gu Yin to see him constantly riding his bicycle up and down.
The men in the family's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
"I wanted to go before the New Year, but I didn't have time. I'll go learn after the New Year when things are a bit easier!" Gu Qingming really wanted to learn to drive, mainly because he often encountered elderly people asking him to help deliver goods, but he didn't drive and couldn't help them!
"Should we learn too?" Li Xiang and Li Mengxin wondered. They thought it was enough if one or two people in their family could drive, but they didn't need to.
Gu Yin smiled and said, "Go learn, and wait for Big Brother. When Ahua comes of age, she will also go learn. It's more convenient to know how to drive. If there is an emergency, you can just drive away. If you don't know how to drive, you have to wait for a car, which wastes time and is inconvenient."
"Yes, go learn whenever you have time! We'll go after the New Year!" the old man decided.
Everyone became excited.
"What kind of car should we buy then? I think we should buy a minivan to haul things, and a sedan for the family, what do you think?!" Gu Qingming shared his idea.
"I think it's a good idea!" Gu Qinglang agreed, and no one else had any objections.
The next day was the first day of the Lunar New Year. The old lady put out candies in the yard early in the morning so that the children could grab them when they came to pay their respects.
After finishing breakfast, Gu Le also ran out to visit other children to wish them a Happy New Year. Gu Yin and the others were already in high school, so it was fine for them to go or not, and no one would say anything.
The first person to come and offer New Year's greetings was Li Li. He brought a large bowl of beautifully braised pork, a box of fruit, and an old hen.
"It's enough that you came! Why did you bring so much stuff? You have everything at home! Take the things back with you when you leave! It's to help your grandma recover!" the old lady said with a helpless smile.
Li Li put the things down, and the old hen was taken directly to the chicken coop.
Then she smiled and shook her head: "This braised pork was made by my grandma. We still have a lot at home, enough for the New Year! We also have a lot of old hens. My grandma raised too many this year, and there are so many eggs that we can't eat them all. That's enough for her to get enough nutrition!"
The elderly in the village can't do heavy work, so they all raise chickens, ducks, and pigs. They slaughter them non-stop during the Spring Festival. This year, the Gu family and Li Li's family are better off, so they are willing to eat more and slaughter one or two pigs every now and then to nourish their bodies.
Li Li has grown much taller in just one year!
The old lady knew that Grandma Li had raised a lot of chickens this year, so she didn't dwell on it and smiled, "Have you eaten yet? I'll heat up the food each time, and then you can have some more?"
"I've already eaten, I came after I finished eating! Grandma Gu, you go ahead with your work, no need to entertain me!" Li Li said with a smile as he sat down by the fire.
The old lady was going to make some fried pork cracklings, so she didn't stay long and went to the kitchen.
Li Li looked at Gu Qinglang: "Uncle Gu, isn't Li Tian from our village working in S City? Last night I was playing on the playground and I saw him talking loudly with the villagers, saying that he made a fortune there, that he helped a boss and the boss helped him get rich! I knew it was just bragging. Did you guys know about this?"
Gu Qinglang shook his head: "I don't know the specifics, but I did see him drive back in a car. Maybe he really did strike it rich?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Tian's voice came from outside the door.
Is anyone home?!
"I'm here! Just come in!" Gu Qinglang stood up and called out.
The door was opened, and Li Tian pushed it open and walked in. Despite the cold weather, he was wearing a blue suit, his hair was styled with mousse and combed neatly, and his leather shoes were also polished to a shine.
"Happy New Year! Come on, have some cigarettes!" As soon as Li Tian came in, he took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled out a few, and handed them to them.
Gu Yin could tell the price just by looking at the cigarettes: 35 yuan a pack. It seemed the other party was really doing quite well!
"Wow, such good eyes! You've struck it rich, kid!" Gu Qingming and Gu Qinglang accepted the cigarettes, while Gu Shu and Li Li refused.
Gu Qingming handed them a stool and said with a smile, "They're still young and don't smoke. Come, come, sit down and warm yourself by the fire. It's freezing cold, and they were rescued without wearing a cotton coat. These young people are really tough!"
Seeing Gu Le pinching his nose, Li Tian smiled and put out his cigarette.
"I wouldn't say I'm making a fortune, I just run errands for big bosses and make a little money!"
Li Li asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
Li Tian held the phone up and down, and seeing that the Gu family members didn't look at his phone with the same gleam in their eyes as the villagers, he chuckled awkwardly and put the phone away again.
"The big boss is an investor. Do you understand investment? It's about putting in a small amount of money, manipulating it, and then making a fortune!" Li Tianniu said angrily, then pointed to himself: "Because I helped him out, he started mentoring me. The first time, I was timid and only dared to invest two thousand yuan of my monthly salary. Guess how much I got back after three months?!"
Gu Yin's eyes flashed. This sounded so unreliable. Was it stocks?
"How many?!"
Li Tian didn't hide anything and shouted, "Twenty thousand! In three months! Two thousand! It's become twenty thousand!"
Everyone: "..."
Li Li: "...What kind of investment did you make? The profits are so huge!"
Li Tian said mysteriously, "Stocks! I learned about them from other people. The boss is from Hong Kong, and he's known as the stock market god! He's never made a mistake! He's from Hong Kong!" He then gave a thumbs up.
"The richest man?" Gu Yin exclaimed.
Li Tian slapped his thigh: "No wonder he got into Jianggao High School! Top students are different, so smart! He guessed right away! He's the richest man! He's amazing! I heard his place is bigger than our village! He's always chauffeured around by plane! His tableware is all made of gold! That big boss is so nice, he told me to come back and get a travel permit so I can visit him after the New Year!"
The members of the Gu family exchanged glances, and Gu Qinglang smiled and flattered them, "Then you've really met a benefactor! Congratulations! You'll make a fortune later, but don't forget about us!"
Li Tian waved his hand: "Don't say such things! I came here today to help you make a fortune, right? Don't say I didn't tell you!"
"How do you get rich?" Gu Qingming asked curiously.
“Just like before, you invest money, and I take it to the boss. If you don’t have money, invest five or six thousand; if you have money, invest fifty or sixty thousand! Two months later, I guarantee you’ll have ten times the return!” After saying that, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket, on which several names were written.
"Look, this is the money that other villagers plan to invest!"
Gu Qinglang took the money and looked at it. The lowest price was 3,000 yuan, and the highest was 30,000 yuan! Judging from the name, it was a family with several adult children who had all gone out to work.
Gu Qinglang immediately took a breath. If he was fooled, wouldn't he be finished?
Gu Yin also saw those names and then remembered that there was indeed such a thing as "going to bed with a quilt," but at that time, their Gu family was already in such a state, so this person just didn't come to their door. She didn't know how this person persuaded the villagers. After he left after the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, most families in the village gave him money. As a result, two months later, this person simply disappeared without a trace.
Only after reporting it to the police did I realize that this person was a scammer! The gang was illegally raising funds and then fled overseas from Hong Kong after obtaining the money!
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