Inside the city, in a luxurious courtyard.
An elderly man is sitting in a wheelchair, surrounded by his children and grandchildren.
This old man was none other than the patriarch of the Lan family, Lan Shanyue!
Lan Shanyue originally came from a fish-selling background. Later, by chance, he was noticed by Huang Anxiong, who carefully cultivated him, which led to the Lan family's current prosperity.
For the past twenty years, the Lan family has enjoyed smooth sailing and has successfully become one of the top-tier wealthy families in the interior of China, thanks to their reliance on the Huang family.
If the Huang family hadn't met with this misfortune, the Lan family would have continued to prosper. But fate is unpredictable, and who could have imagined that a noble family would end up destroyed and wiped out?
Lan Shanyue already suffered from severe liver disease, and this blow aged him ten years overnight, causing his cancer to worsen. In less than a month, he visibly faded away, like a candle flickering in the wind.
You must understand, he is the pillar of the Lan family. He controls all the connections and resources. If he falls, I'm afraid no one in the Lan family will be able to shoulder this heavy responsibility!
His children and grandchildren were naturally very worried, so they went to great lengths to seek medical treatment everywhere, hoping to keep the old man alive for a few more years so that the Lan family would have enough resources to cope with future development.
At this moment, a young man was administering acupuncture to Lan Shanyue. After a few needles, Lan Shanyue's spirits improved remarkably, and his complexion even showed a slight rosy glow.
"Grandpa, how are you feeling?" Lan Qi couldn't help but ask with a grin.
Lan Shanyue glanced at him and nodded with satisfaction. "Qi'er, Grandpa used to think you were not doing your job properly, but this time, you did a great job. Grandpa feels much better and has some strength again!"
Hearing what the old man said...
Everyone else started praising it too.
"Our Lan Qi truly lives up to his reputation as the eldest grandson of the Lan family! In crucial moments, it's still his grandfather's eldest grandson who matters!"
"Lan Qi, I heard that you went to another place to learn this acupuncture technique from a master?"
"Wow, that must have cost a lot of money, right?"
Hearing these praises, Lan Qi looked smug and said with a smile, "It didn't cost much money. It only cost a million to become an apprentice. It's nothing. As long as Grandpa can get better, even if it cost ten million, I wouldn't blink an eye!"
Hearing this, Lan Shanyue felt even more gratified.
Although Lan Qi was the eldest grandson, he was born to his second son. Moreover, he was mischievous and unruly from a young age and not very promising, which always gave him a headache. Now that he saw that his eldest grandson had improved, he was naturally very happy.
At this moment, Lan Shanyue's second son, Lan Yingze, suddenly stepped forward and said, "Dad, you seem to be feeling better today, so why don't we talk about work? I recently heard some news that the four major families are going to jointly establish a chamber of commerce. This is clearly a reshuffling of the power structure! As you know, since the Huang family fell, although the four major families haven't been deliberately targeting us, our former business partners have gradually distanced themselves from us. Our Lan family is now facing difficulties, so this is undoubtedly an opportunity for us!"
"A chance for nothing!"
At this moment, a square-faced man spoke up. This was Lan Shanyue's eldest son and Lan Ling's father, Lan Yingquan!
Lan Yingquan had a resolute face, and he spoke coldly, "Second brother, we all know what really happened with the Huang family! Our Lan family has always been nurtured by the Huang family, but now that the Huang family has fallen, we are going to side with these murderers. What will others think of our Lan family? I, Lan Yingquan, cannot afford to lose face like that!"
Lan Yingze's face stiffened instantly, and he frowned, saying, "Brother, what time is it? Is this a time to be proud? The development of the family is the most important thing! Do you want our whole family to starve?"
Lan Yingquan was taken aback, then snorted, "I didn't say that! I just think there's no need to curry favor with the four great families! Besides, what do you think the four great families are? They're a bunch of families with no bottom line! Cooperating with them is like asking a tiger for its skin! Do you think they'll treat you like a human being if you side with them? They're just using you as a tool!"
Lan Yingze retorted indignantly, "That's still better than what we're going through, isn't it? It's been over a month already, and you should know better than me how many orders our Lan family has lost. The losses in just this month alone amount to over 20 million! If they want to use you, it at least means you still have value. Even if we can't get the meat, we can at least get some soup, right? If we miss this opportunity, we won't even have a chance to get soup in the future, and we'll probably be squeezed out of the pass!"
"So what if we get squeezed out of the pass? It's no big deal!" Lan Yingquan said dismissively. "Our Lan family has developed for so many years, and we have some connections and resources. At worst, we can just give up on the pass and go to nearby Guanzhong, or even Fengtian! As long as we work hard, we will rebuild sooner or later!"
Lan Yingze shook his head again, "Brother, your thinking is too outdated. It's not like the past few years anymore. The market is gradually becoming saturated. The transportation industry as a whole is losing money, and the competition is extremely fierce. Even if we go to other places to develop now, it's too late. Moreover, the initial investment cost for our industry is very high. If we give up the existing market, to put it bluntly, it's like digging our own grave!"
Lan Yingquan was slightly taken aback, but still said disdainfully, "I think you're just a coward. If you want to escape death, you need to have the courage to cut off your own arm. The bold get rich, and the coward gets scared. I think you just lack courage!"
"You're saying I lack courage?" Lan Yingze was furious. He retorted irritably, "I think you're the one who's recklessly rushing forward! You'd be happy if you could just let all of Dad's life's work go to waste!"
"What nonsense are you spouting! Believe me or not, I'll slap you across the face!" Lan Yingquan said angrily. Although his younger brother didn't get along with him in the past, he never dared to talk back to him like this. He never expected that his younger brother would dare to say such things to him today.
As the elder brother, he still held some authority, and Lan Yingze immediately cowered, too embarrassed to speak.
However, Zhao Meili, the daughter-in-law standing to the side, said sarcastically, "I don't think Yingze is wrong! Brother, you don't have a son, so your mindset is different from ours! We have Lan Qi, so naturally we have to consider his future! After all, he is the eldest grandson of the Lan family and has the important responsibility of inheriting the family business! As for your Lan Ling, as a girl, she will get married sooner or later, so you don't need to worry about the family property!"
Hearing this, Lan Yingquan became even angrier. "What nonsense are you talking about! So what if I only have a daughter? Who says a daughter can't inherit the family business! Besides, we're talking about development now, why are you bringing up the family business! As long as Dad is alive, he's still the boss of this family!"
"Alright!"
At this point, Lan Shanyue finally couldn't listen anymore and waved his hand to interrupt them.
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