Seeing that the two of them were chatting, Zhong Yuan tugged at Jiang Xiaoli's arm.
"Little Pear, you're really optimistic about Lao Shen's movie? Aren't you afraid it'll lose money?"
Jiang Xiaoli said with a smile, "Brother Yuan, do you really think I'm a money-giving brat who just throws money around?"
Zhong Yuan looked conflicted. After a long pause, he whispered to her, "Little Pear, could you share some of your investment with me?"
Jiang Xiaoli nodded, "Sure, but Brother Yuan, you won't have much money left after buying the house, right?"
Although Chung Yuan holds 8% of the shares in "Yu-Chia Technology", "Yu-Chia Technology" is currently a money-devouring beast and will not pay out large dividends in the short term.
His savings mainly came from the profits from the steamed bun shop over the past two years. He bought houses in Xijing and Kyoto, and he doesn't really control his spending, so he doesn't have much money left.
Zhong Yuan gritted his teeth, "I still have more than 1.6 million yuan on hand, I'll invest 1 million!"
Seeing his gritted teeth, "Brother Yuan, you've really pulled out all the stops here, haven't you?"
Zhong Yuan rubbed his face to control his expression. "You're not afraid of investing so much, so why should I be? Anyway, if I lose, I'll just stay home and freeload. You and Brother Zong will have to support me!"
Zong Jia laughed when she heard his shameless words, "You've managed to get us stuck with you."
Zhong Yuan snapped his fingers. "That's right!"
Jiang Xiaoli smiled and agreed, "Okay, you can hand it over to Brother Dafu later."
She turned to Zong Jiayu and asked, "Comrade Zong, would you like to earn some pocket money?"
Zong Jia squeezed her hand. "Okay, thanks for the pocket money, Xiao Lizi. Consider it 5 million."
After seeing Shen Zhaokun off, Dafu, upon hearing that the others had all contributed money, also expressed his intention to contribute 1 million yuan, just like Zhong Yuan.
Zhong Yuan put his arm around Dafu's shoulder. "Fuzi, are you a tagalong?"
Dafu was quite frank: "It's a project they both funded; only a fool wouldn't invest!"
...
On Sunday, while everyone else was out and about, Jiang Xiaoli planned to relax at home all day, but she received a phone call right after lunch.
"Miss Jiang, the person you asked me to find has been found."
She sat up abruptly from the sofa. "I'll be at the coffee shop where we met last time in half an hour."
When she arrived at the coffee shop, Song Guoqiang was already sitting in his usual spot and had ordered her coffee.
She took a sip of coffee, and a file folder was pushed in front of her.
Song Guoqiang began, “Ms. An is 56 years old this year and has just retired from the hospital of the Beijing Textile Factory. Her husband passed away in 1972 when he was sent to the countryside for reform and re-education in the Great Northern Wilderness. The couple had two sons and a daughter, who are now all married and have established their own careers. After retiring, Ms. An moved from the textile factory’s residential compound to her old house in Anjia Dingbang Hutong.”
Jiang Xiaoli raised an eyebrow. "She's living in the An family's old house now? Doesn't she have any siblings?"
Song Guoqiang explained, “Ms. An’s father had three sons and two daughters. His wife, eldest son, second son and youngest daughter all died in the war. The youngest son followed Mr. An across the ocean to Great Britain.”
Last year, Grandpa An returned to China alone. His youngest son had passed away many years ago. Besides wanting to return to his roots, he also wanted to see his eldest daughter one last time, as she was already married and hadn't gone abroad with him.
Jiang Xiaoli nodded. She had been worried that if An Suyuan had other siblings, it would be more difficult for her to obtain An Bingguo's relics.
Now that she knew the specific details about the An family, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She then asked, "How is Ms. An's financial situation?"
Song Guoqiang sighed, "Ms. An is in good financial condition, but her three children are all somewhat disappointing."
My eldest son resigned from his government job in 1986 and went to the south to do business with a friend, but lost a lot of money. Now he runs a small shop near his home, but he is addicted to gambling and sometimes gambles big.
The second son made a fortune buying stock subscription certificates during a business trip to Shanghai in 1992, but has now invested all his savings in the stock market and lost a lot of money. His wife is now divorcing him.
Her only daughter is doing better; she works as a math teacher at Kyoto No. 53 Middle School. However, her only son has a congenital disease and requires high medical expenses every month.
Ms. An had been secretly subsidizing her daughter, which her two daughters-in-law were very unhappy about.
Upon hearing about the An family's current situation, Jiang Xiaoli couldn't help but facepalm. This family really had their own problems, but for her, it was a good thing.
She took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Song Guoqiang, saying, "Brother Song, thank you for your hard work."
Song Guoqiang touched the thick envelope and said with a smile, "This is what I do for a living. Just let me know if you need anything."
After saying that, he packed his things and left the coffee shop.
Jiang Xiaoli sat in her seat and thought for a long time before getting up, going to the bank, and then driving to the An family's old house.
"Knock knock knock!" She knocked on the door of the An family's old house.
"Who is it?" A gentle female voice came from the courtyard.
The courtyard gate opened, and a neatly dressed elderly woman looked at her and asked, "Young lady, who are you looking for?"
Jiang Xiaoli smiled and said, "Grandma An, I'm here to see you."
Ahn So-won led her into the main room. "Young lady, are you here to see me for a medical consultation?"
She thought it was a referral from a former colleague at the hospital, as patients often came to her since she retired over a year ago.
Jiang Xiaoli waved her hand, "Grandma An, it's like this, I was asked by my elders to come and offer incense to Grandpa An."
Ahn So-won paused, then asked, "Who is your elder in the family?"
She smiled slightly, “Grandma An, my grandfather met Grandpa An in Great Britain. You may not have heard of him. He was always concerned about Grandpa An’s health after he returned to China. When he learned that Grandpa An had passed away, he specially asked me to come and visit him.”
An Su-won's doubts lessened somewhat, and she led Jiang Xiao-li into the inner room to offer incense.
Back in the main room, Ahn So-won chatted with her, "Young lady, did your grandfather ever mention my father's life in Great Britain? To be honest, my father fell seriously ill and passed away a few days after returning to China, and I really know nothing about his life over the years."
Jiang Xiaoli had already thought about her words before she came: "My grandfather did not return to China, and he did not tell us much about Grandpa An's affairs."
Ahn So-won nodded. "I understand. Sigh, I've been alone for so many years. I was so happy when my father came back to Korea last year, but I never imagined that our father-daughter bond would only last a few days."
The two chatted for a long time, and Jiang Xiaoli had a pretty good grasp of An Suyuan's personality. She said, "Grandma An, I have to apologize to you."
Ahn So-won asked suspiciously, "Little Pear, what are you apologizing for?"
She replied, "Besides visiting you and Grandpa An today, I actually have another matter I'd like to discuss with you."
"What is it?" Ahn So-won frowned.
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