That night, before the banquet outside the official residence had completely ended, the old master of the official residence returned to his study early.
Looking at the mountain of congratulatory gifts, he was extremely satisfied.
He was extremely fond of money throughout his life, and even after he became wealthy, he still loved gold, silver, antiques, and other valuables.
"The top-grade red coral from the Qian family, the old agarwood from the South China Sea from the Mu family, the golden Buddha head from the Tang family...tsk tsk...I still prefer this one..."
Guan Cheng held up a piece of blue and white porcelain.
He exclaimed in admiration, "What a treasure! That old bastard Zhong Xu wanted to take it with him when he died. Heh, you didn't expect your son to dig it up again. You wouldn't give it to me no matter how much I asked, but in the end it still ended up in my hands. Heh, there's nothing I can't get if I want it."
Guan Cheng was admiring his treasure when there was a rapid knocking at the door.
He frowned, then went over and opened the door.
The person standing outside the door was his grandson, Guan Yingjie.
"Why are you being so hasty? Don't you know I don't want to be disturbed right now?"
When Guan Cheng was admiring his treasures, he hated being disturbed, even by his beloved grandson.
"Grandpa, someone has broken in."
"Who goes there? Are you a thief?"
Hearing someone break in, Guan Cheng looked left and right, fearing that a thief had stolen his treasure.
"I don't know, he injured several of our bodyguards, he's very skilled."
"Have they caught them?"
“They haven’t caught him yet. My father is worried that he might endanger your safety, so he asked me to come and protect you.”
"What kind of person is he? Have you seen him clearly?"
"According to the bodyguard who was attacked, it seemed to be an old man."
"Old man???"
Guan Cheng was puzzled; "Our bodyguards are all young, strong, and skilled. How could they be taken down by an old man?"
“We’re also wondering about it. We’re sending people to look for him, and I estimate we’ll catch him soon.”
"Are they guests?"
"It shouldn't be them. We have a record of everyone who came. The older ones have all gone back. We saw them off personally, so it shouldn't be them."
Guan Cheng nodded; "Understood, you wait outside."
After Guan Cheng finished speaking, he was about to close the door.
Guan Yingjie blocked the door; "Grandpa, let me come in and protect you."
Guan Cheng turned his head and glanced at the treasure in his room. He was a very greedy and selfish man, and he was even wary of his own grandson.
"No need. You can protect me just as well from outside. What's the point of you coming in? You might as well go find that person sooner."
"But Father said..."
"Will you listen to him or me?"
"I...I'll do as you say."
"That solves the problem. If you're really worried about my safety, just send a few more people to stand outside the door."
After saying this, Guan Cheng closed the door.
Guan Yingjie was locked out when his father, Guan Sheng, came over. "Why don't you go in and keep your grandfather company?"
Guan Yingjie shrugged. "He said he didn't need me to accompany him and made me stand here. To be honest, he's just afraid I'll steal his treasure."
Guan Sheng glanced around the room and said in a low voice, "Don't let your grandfather hear these words."
"What are you afraid of? He's so hard of hearing, how can he hear clearly? Dad, you know, Grandpa is really something else. Our family isn't short of money, I have plenty of money, why would I steal those things? To be honest, I wouldn't even want them if they were given to me."
Guan Sheng sighed slightly, somewhat agreeing; "That's just how your grandfather is. When I was little, I took one of his things to play with, and he found out and beat me up. If your grandmother hadn't stopped him, he probably would have hung me up and beaten me."
Guan Yingjie was a little surprised; "It can't be that bad, can it?"
"What do you mean it's not serious? That's just the kind of person he is; no one can touch his things."
"This...Grandpa's personality is quite annoying."
"Actually, I'm annoyed too, but as much as I hate him, our family's success is largely due to your grandfather's personality. He always wants to fight for everything and take everything for himself. That's why our family has achieved what we have today, so please try to understand him."
Guan Yingjie rolled his eyes; "What can I do if he's not understanding? He's an old man, after all."
"Call a few more people to guard him. I'm afraid the person who broke in might do something to him."
"That person must be a thief, trying to steal something while we're having a big birthday celebration today."
"Don't let your guard down, it could also be your grandfather's enemy."
"An enemy?? That can't be right! Grandpa's so old!"
"You'll still have enemies even when you're old. I'm just a little worried now. I'm worried it's that old geezer from the Hu family."
Guan Yingjie scoffed. "Dad, aren't you being a bit of a worrywart? That old man has trouble walking now, and he seems even older than Grandpa. It's questionable whether he can even leave the house. Do you think he has the strength to climb over our high courtyard wall? Don't be ridiculous!"
"Does it have to be him personally? He can hire an assassin."
"Who would hire an old man as a hitman? Dad, would you do it?"
"This... is a bit unreasonable."
Upon hearing Guan Yingjie's words, Guan Sheng realized he had been overthinking things.
"Alright, alright, I'll keep watch here myself. If anyone comes over, I'll call out and tell those people to go find that old man quickly."
"Okay, then be careful."
"knew!"
...
Inside the room.
Guan Cheng wasn't worried about anyone breaking in. He had confidence in the security of his family's residence. Although there had been a slight mishap, his study was located in the safest spot in the entire house, with security patrols outside. Even a fly couldn't get in.
He lay on the wicker chair, holding a teapot in his hand.
She hummed a little tune softly.
"Beautiful lady..."
Suddenly, the lights in the study went out.
He paused for a moment, then sat up. In the darkness, a gaunt figure emerged.
His pupils dilated, and just as he was about to speak, a dagger flew over and shattered the teapot in his hand.
The sound of the teapot shattering caught Guan Yingjie's attention outside the door, and he immediately knocked on the door.
"Grandpa, what happened?"
...
"No...it's nothing, my hands were shaking."
A dagger was pressed against Guan Cheng's throat, and he struggled to speak, fearing he would die at any moment.
"Are you really okay? I just saw your light go out..."
"I locked it myself, you don't need to worry about it. You can leave now, I want to rest for a while."
"Huh? You want me to leave?"
"Yes, get out of here!"
"But my dad..."
"Just listen to me! I'm tired! Your wandering around outside is disturbing my rest."
"Okay, Grandpa, remember to call me if you need anything, and I'll come over and help them."
"Get out of here! And tell your sister not to bother me either."
Upon hearing this, Guan Yingjie, who was standing outside the door, frowned.
He doesn't have a sister, and his grandfather's words were clearly a reminder that the person in question is probably hiding inside.
"Grandpa, I understand!"
After saying this, Guan Yingjie went to inform his father.
In the study.
After hearing the footsteps leave, Xie Laodao slowly put down the dagger.
Guan Cheng swallowed hard. "Brother, you've come here today to take something, haven't you? My room has many treasures. Take whatever you like."
Master Xie chuckled.
He glanced around; "Guancheng, it's not easy to get someone as greedy as you to say that."
Guan Cheng frowned. The other party addressed him by his full name, clearly indicating that they knew him.
That would probably be more than just an ordinary petty thief.
"Who are you?"
Old Xie leaned closer; "What? Don't you recognize me?"
Guan Cheng tried to recall when he had seen that face before.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember.
"Brother, I really can't remember when we met before. Are you mistaken about something?"
"Heh, you stinky toad, your memory is really bad. It's only been a few decades and you have no recollection of it at all?"
Upon hearing the name "stinky toad," Guan Cheng was shocked, and his memories slowly began to come back to him.
He only ever used this nickname when he was a teenager in the guerrilla unit, as his teammates called him.
Judging from the tone of voice and the shape of the face, he finally remembered who the person in front of him was.
"You...you're Xie Xiaojiu???"
"Not bad, at least there's no Alzheimer's."
Upon recognizing an old friend, Guan Cheng grinned, his face so wrinkled it could trap a fly.
"Xiao Jiu, long time no see! Why didn't you say hello? I thought you were some petty thief. You're still the same as before, always resorting to violence. What's going on here?"
Master Xie smiled and said, "You didn't invite me. You're all dressed up today, everyone's calling you 'Lord Official.' Even if I, a poor Taoist priest, came, I doubt I'd even get through the gate."
"How could that be! Look at what you're saying. We're brothers, we've been through thick and thin together. We swore an oath to share both good times and bad. Isn't what's mine yours?"
Master Xie laughed heartily; "You stinking toad, is that really what you think?"
Guan Cheng was very unhappy that Xie Laodao still called him a stinky toad, but he couldn't do anything about it. He had been beaten up by Xie Laodao several times when he was young, and now that the old man was attacking him right away, he dared not offend him.
"Of course that's what I thought. I was celebrating my 90th birthday today and wanted to invite my old brothers over for a get-together. But as you know, life is finite. Many old guys are no longer around. I wanted to invite you too, but I never knew where you were. You left after the victory of the War of Resistance. They said you went back to become a Taoist priest. I inquired about you later and heard that you moved to several different places and disappeared. Even if I wanted to invite you, I couldn't."
Guan Cheng looked completely sincere, and outsiders who didn't know the situation might have thought he was very honest.
But Xie Laodao knew that the old man was full of lies.
"Oh, really? Then I didn't see you invite our old captain."
Guan Cheng's heart skipped a beat.
A flicker of panic crossed his face.
"Yes! I sent him an invitation, but the old captain is in poor health and has difficulty going out now, so he can't come."
"Yes, that's the truth. I saw him tonight, and he gave me something. Can you take a look and see if it's real?"
Old Master Xie took the letter out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
Guan Cheng took the letter with a puzzled look, then opened it. After reading the contents, his expression changed.
"Xiao Jiu!!! This isn't real, it's not real!!!"
...
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