Chapter 144 Inviting the Enemy into the Trap
Jiang Ruzhen felt the same way, and seeing Zhou Liang persisting, she interjected.
“Comrade, my family runs a business, not a charity. If you are really in trouble, you can go to the government or the neighborhood committee. They will not stand by and watch you die.”
Jiang Ruzhen's words are very much in line with the situation of that era. In the early days of reform and opening up, people in the north were still stuck in the old days of the "iron rice bowl" mentality.
Most people are exceptionally kind, warm-hearted, and selfless.
In situations like the one Zhou Liang described, government officials would unconditionally and enthusiastically rush to help, launching fundraising campaigns or finding connections for them.
Many hospitals can even provide them with free treatment.
But Zhou Liang's daughter is dying, and instead of seeking help from the government, he comes to their clothing store to complain about being poor. It seems very strange.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Liang turned to look at Jiang Ruzhen with an impatient expression. But that one glance shocked him, and a glint of light flashed in his cloudy eyes.
What a beautiful woman, like a star in a painting!
Zhou Liang was stunned for a moment. Although he grew up in the rural suburbs, he had been living in the city for more than ten years since he came to work at the age of fifteen.
Having seen countless city girls with fair, smooth skin and beautiful faces, none of them could compare to Jiang Ruzhen.
They were like specks of dust at the feet of celestial maidens, utterly vulgar.
"Fairy......"
The second brother was very dissatisfied with Zhou Liang's greedy and filthy gaze. He forcefully stepped between the two of them, shielding Jiang Ruzhen behind him.
"There's nothing else, please go back."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Liang snapped out of his daze and realized that his behavior had been inappropriate. He hurriedly knelt down with a thud, hugged his second brother's legs, and cried out.
"You're the big boss! You can't just stand by and watch someone die! Please, have mercy!"
His snot and tears were flying everywhere, making him look very pitiful, and at the same time attracting the attention of the customers in the store.
Everyone turned their attention to this, wondering what had happened.
Anyone who didn't know better would think that the Shen family was lending money and that the victims were driven to desperation and had to come begging for mercy!
The second brother was very surprised to see this, and he and Jiang Ruzhen exchanged glances.
Jiang Ruzhen nodded, and the second brother bent down to help her up and sighed.
"Sigh! You're a good father, but your family's situation is really pitiful. Well, I'm busy right now, so how about I come over to visit you after I'm done with get off work?"
Zhou Liang was delighted to hear this.
She hurriedly wiped away non-existent tears from her face, nodded repeatedly, and told her second brother her home address.
The second brother readily agreed and sent the person away.
As soon as Zhou Liang's figure disappeared, the second brother's face darkened instantly.
Back at the store, I called Huang Mao and asked him to have someone investigate that address.
Huang Mao is a completely different person now. He has become a millionaire and has taken his grandmother to buy a clean and spacious courtyard house in a prime location.
In addition to his original brothers, he has developed many more subordinates, spreading across several small cities and rural areas in the surrounding area.
He is clearly the biggest middleman in Ningxia's garment industry.
However, he was an extremely grateful and loyal person, and always treated Jiang Ruzhen and Shen Lao Er as his closest relatives.
Upon receiving the call from his second brother, he immediately dropped what he was doing and sent Xiao Yi out to investigate.
In just three hours, they had thoroughly investigated Zhou Liang's biography.
They even found out why their relative Huang Fang, who recently came to visit, came to the city.
The second brother, clutching the documents delivered by the blond-haired man, sneered repeatedly, "Damn it, they think I'm a pushover just because I don't show my power."
After hearing what the second brother had said, Huang Mao's dark eyes widened.
"Damn it, how dare he try to take advantage of you! Get your brothers and take him out!"
The second brother hurriedly covered Huang Mao's mouth, looked around, and saw that Jiang Ruzhen and Mei Ling were huddled together talking about something and hadn't paid any attention to him, so he released Huang Mao's mouth.
He lowered his voice and said, "Are you crazy? My mom and Mei Ling are here. If you don't want to live, don't drag me down with you."
Huang Mao glanced furtively behind him and patted his chest with lingering fear.
Besides his grandmother, the person he feared most in his life was Aunt Jiang.
His grandmother doted on him, but Aunt Jiang truly disciplined him.
If anyone thinks he's getting too cocky, they'll definitely teach him a lesson and pin him to the ground.
In less than a year, he learned a lot of business tips from Jiang Ruzhen, as well as good qualities such as integrity, humility, respect, and care.
He respected Jiang Ruzhen as if she were his own mother.
He lowered his voice before asking, "Second Brother, what do you suggest we do?"
"Nothing to do, just let it be!" The second brother grinned wickedly, pressing down on the blond-haired guy's head and whispering in his ear for a long time.
Huang Mao chuckled repeatedly, gave the second brother a thumbs-up, and walked away leisurely.
Just as the second son was about to laugh triumphantly, a small hand pressed down on his shoulder.
He immediately lowered his head and turned to look at Jiang Ruzhen behind him, smiling ingratiatingly.
"mom!"
"Tell me, what kind of underhanded tricks are you two brothers working on?" Jiang Ruzhen asked calmly.
The second son shook his head hastily, "No, absolutely not."
Jiang Ruzhen turned around and glanced at Mei Ling, who was laughing carefree, and whispered.
"I won't expose you, but I'll have to get involved."
"Mom, are you the reincarnation of someone with super hearing? How come you can't hide anything from me?" the second son wailed in anguish.
Jiang Ruzhen gave a smug, wicked smile. "Who told me to be your mother? I can tell how many poop balls you've taken just by the way you stick your butt out!"
As evening fell, the sunset painted half the sky a vibrant red.
The second brother took Mei Ling home before leisurely heading to the address provided by Zhou Liang.
The two met at the street corner. Zhou Liang was so eager to welcome his distinguished guest that he wished he could kneel and greet him for ten miles.
The second son tried to lead the people home, but kept making excuses and instead led them to a small shop on the street.
"Boss, a bottle of good wine, and two side dishes to go with it."
The shop owner opened this shop specifically for drivers transporting goods between the north and south, which is why it's located on a street in the suburbs.
The food wasn't fancy at all, but the portions were generous.
Zhou Liang didn't understand what his second brother meant, but it was pretty much the same.
His goal was to bring the person home, get her drunk, and then put her on the kang (a heated brick bed) so that Huang Fang would lie down next to him.
Whether they got together or not, all that everyone saw was that the two of them slept in the same bed.
At that point, even if the second son had ten mouths, he wouldn't be able to explain himself.
Now, he can achieve the same results without spending any money, so why not?
The second brother took a sip of his drink and sighed, "Brother, I know you're anxious to get my help. But I'm not in a good mood today. Why don't you have a few drinks with me first, and then we'll go to your place."
Zhou Liang picked up his wine glass, smelled it, and, reluctant to drink it all at once, took a sip before replying.
"Alright, alright, I'm not in a hurry for this. I'll do whatever Boss Shen says."
Because of his family's poor financial situation, Zhou Liang hadn't eaten out at a restaurant in a long time. The last time was half a year ago when the team leader had made some money and treated them to a meal to keep them quiet.
Today, he's with the big boss, enjoying good wine and food; he's bound to indulge himself.
It will be something to brag about later.
Each with their own thoughts, they drank and toasted each other until night fell, then they walked home drunkenly, arm in arm.
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