Chapter 17 The Seventeenth Day of Not Running Away The seventeenth day of not running away...
For the next two weeks, Chen Bozheng and his group truly braved wind and rain.
The weather in Shenzhen is strange; it's hot and rainy in the summer, and most people don't want to go out in this kind of weather, but Chen Bozheng and his friends are out and about every day.
One day when Chen Bo came back, he had a bandage on his arm. Wen Chan was startled when she saw it.
"It's nothing serious, just a cut," Chen Bozheng said.
The fat man, not understanding Chen Bozheng's meaning, glared and said, "Brother Zheng, what do you mean by 'a gash'? The day before yesterday, we were driving on a mountain road, and damn it, the villagers actually came out and blocked our way, and even threw firecrackers at us! At first, we thought they were bombs, and our car almost crashed into the mountain. Then those people rushed up, slashing people with knives, puncturing tires..."
"Cough cough cough!" Lin Qingfeng coughed so hard he almost passed out.
The fat man's voice grew softer and softer.
Fatty looked at Chen Bozheng's ashen and speechless face, then at Wen Chan's half-smiling face, and chickened out. He scratched his head and said, "Well, I'm going to take a shower, I smell all sweaty."
The fat man ran off in a flash, and Lin Qingfeng and the monk chickened out and followed him.
Wen Chan looked at Chen Bozheng, her fingers pressing on the gauze. She didn't dare to press too hard, but even a light press made Chen Bozheng sweat profusely from the pain, yet she pretended to be nonchalant.
"It doesn't hurt?"
Chen Bozheng coughed and said, "It's alright, it's all stitched up now. The doctor said it will scab over in a few days."
Wen Chan was both annoyed and amused. "You're just lying to me. Show me the truth."
She reached out to tear the gauze.
Chen Bo held her hand and said, "Don't look at it. It's nothing serious. I've had much worse injuries before. You're not that delicate."
Wen Chan wasn't unaware of this; she had noticed many scars on Chen Bo's back when she watched him box, clearly from a fight.
"Just be careful yourself. You're a grown adult, you don't need someone to remind you to be careful. If something happens to you, all the money you've earned will be for nothing."
Chen Bozheng smiled and readily agreed.
The matter seemed to have been moved on, but Wen Chan secretly called Fatty over to inquire about it.
The fat man, exasperated, squatted down on the ground. "Sister-in-law, why did you target me?"
Wen Chan said, "Just tell me directly, and I won't bother you. If you were accidentally slashed, why is Chen Bozheng trying to cover it up? Is something wrong?"
The fat man touched his nose and gave Wen Chan a thumbs up. "Sister-in-law, it's a real shame you're not a policeman. You were absolutely right."
The fat man looked around and, seeing that no one was around, said, "Brother Zheng took a knife for Boss Ye. Boss Ye was so moved that he patted his chest and said that he considered Brother Zheng his brother."
No wonder.
He gritted his teeth at the sound of cicadas.
Chen Bozheng is really ruthless to himself; he's willing to go all out.
He at least knew to keep it from her.
"Brother Zheng repeatedly told us on the way that we were not allowed to tell you this, so please don't tell Brother Zheng that I told you," the fat man said, bowing to Wen Chan.
Wen Chan composed herself and said, "Don't worry, I won't say anything."
After that, when I went to buy treasury bonds, nothing went wrong.
In early July, the day to exchange treasury bonds arrived. Boss Ye and others carried sacks of treasury bonds into the bank.
The bank staff initially thought they were there to cause trouble and were even planning to call the police.
They were stunned when they heard that they had come to exchange treasury bonds.
"How many treasury bonds do you have?" The bank manager rushed over upon hearing the news, looking hurried and somewhat nervous.
If Chen Bozheng and his gang hadn't been dressed in a way that didn't resemble thugs, the police would have arrived by now.
"Over a million, I guess." Boss Ye slammed his hand on the table, beaming with pride. "I saw in the newspaper that the exchange will take place today. You guys hurry up and count it to see if the amount is correct."
Treasury bonds worth over a million?
The bank manager's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He ordered several staff members to open the sack and close the bank doors.
It took all morning just to count the treasury bonds.
The bank manager treated Mr. Ye to lunch. It was the first time he had ever been treated so politely by a bank manager. Although he was rich before, there were just too many wealthy people in Shenzhen, and these bank managers would usually look down on his small amount of money.
Manager Jian and his colleagues didn't even have time to eat; they were still counting treasury bonds.
Boss Ye chuckled and said to Chen Bozheng and the others, "I think our goods will keep them busy enough. Xiao Chen, Xiao Wen, before you leave, you must let us treat you to a good meal. Your sister-in-law said she wants you to stay in Shenzhen for a few more days."
Chen Bozheng said, "Brother Ye, we're all family, so let's not stand on ceremony. We've been out for so long, we need to go back now, or our families will worry."
Upon hearing this, Boss Ye subconsciously looked at Wen Chan and replied, "Oh right, I almost forgot. We should go back soon. As the saying goes, a mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles."
Wen Chan found Boss Ye's words strange and wondered to herself if Boss Ye had gone mad with joy.
Inside the counter, the bank staff counted the amount and said to Manager Jian, "It's a total of 1.15 million treasury bonds. Manager, we don't have that much cash on hand. What should we do?"
"It's alright, I'll ask my supervisor right now and see how to arrange it." Manager Jian had seen a lot, and having studied in Japan, she had witnessed many things.
After communicating with the leadership and discussing with Mr. Ye and others, both parties reached an agreement that the payment would be directly transferred to Mr. Ye's company's bank account.
Suddenly, a long string of numbers appeared on Mr. Ye's bankbook.
The couple were tactful; after deducting Chen Bozheng's share of the payment for goods, they also gave him 50,000 yuan.
"Brother Ye, sister-in-law, you've given us way too much." Chen Bozheng and the others were stunned.
The proprietress handed the money directly to Wen Chan, saying, "Hey, if you won't accept it, then my sister will. This is just a small token of our appreciation. Besides, what kind of relationship do you have with us now? If you're leaving, your brother and sister-in-law should at least offer something in return."
Wen Chan looked at Chen Bozheng.
"If you don't want it, then consider it a gift from my sister-in-law."
Chen Bozheng chuckled.
The proprietress laughed and said, "It's better for Xiao Wen to manage the money. Money is meant to be managed by women, so it's settled then. We're all straightforward people, so let's not drag things out. Are you going back by train or plane? Do you want me to help you book tickets?"
"No need, we've booked sleeper berths," Chen Bozheng said. "We're leaving the day after tomorrow."
After Wen Chan returned home, she divided the 50,000 yuan among everyone, giving each person 10,000 yuan, which was just right. When Fatty received the money, he could hardly believe it.
Lin Qingfeng exclaimed, "Brother Ye and his wife are so generous! They're so magnanimous!"
Chen Bozheng also found it a bit strange, but they didn't have anything that would allow Boss Ye and his wife to scheme against them. He said, "Let's all hide the money separately. Be careful when we get on the train. We'd better take turns guarding it."
Their goods also traveled back to Beijing on the same train.
Lin Qingfeng and the others all agreed.
The next day, everyone went to buy local specialties to take home, but Chen Bozheng took Wen Chan to the hospital.
He bought an appointment with a specialist from a scalper and had Wen Chan undergo an examination.
Wen Chan only then realized that the reason Chen Bozheng brought the original owner of this body to Shenzhen was actually to bring her here for medical treatment. However, he did not expect that the original owner of this body did not trust him enough and was tricked into running away with the money.
Because Shenzhen is backed by Hong Kong, the medical equipment here is more advanced. After the CT scan, the doctor looked very serious.
He looked at the CT scan, his eyes scanning Wen Chan.
Wen Chan felt a little nervous, her fists clenched, and her palms were unknowingly covered in cold sweat.
"How is it?" Chen Bo asked. "Dr. Xu, can you give me a definite answer? Can you perform the surgery here?"
The doctor put down the CT scan and shook his head. "No, it can't be done. She needs bypass surgery for her heart condition. There are very few cases of this surgery in China, and the risks are very high."
Wen Chan's face turned pale, and she bit her lower lip.
Chen Bo glanced at her, then took out a red envelope from his pocket and handed it to the doctor without making a sound. "Dr. Xu, we came all the way here for you. Dr. Zhang from X Hospital in Beijing said you are the number one cardiologist in China. If you can't help, who can?"
Dr. Xu was also very frank. "If it were any other heart disease, it would be easier to handle. There's really nothing we can do. However, if you have the means to go abroad for treatment, I can recommend a doctor in the United States. He has performed this kind of surgery hundreds of times with a very high success rate. It's just that the cost might not be cheap."
"How much money do you want?" Chen Bozheng pressed.
Dr. Xu thought for a moment, "Not counting the cost of going abroad, the surgery alone costs 300,000 US dollars."
"So expensive?" Chen Bozheng was shocked.
Dr. Xu took off his glasses and said helplessly, "There are cheaper options in the US, some forty or fifty thousand US dollars, but the success rate is hard to say. That doctor is a big name in the industry. It's different abroad than in China. Their doctors are all about money. The three hundred thousand US dollars is the extra cost to get him to personally perform the surgery and ensure a high success rate."
As I left the hospital, the weather was a bit chilly, and the wind rustled the leaves on the trees lining the road.
Street vendors were calling out to sell pineapples and watermelons.
Seeing that Chen Bo was frowning and not saying anything, Wen Chan kicked him with her foot.
Chen Bo turned around, revealing a face with sharp features and taut cheeks, as if he were sulking.
"Why are you angry? I'm not angry at all," Wen Chan said. "I think the watermelons over there are quite sweet. Let's buy one and take it home to eat."
Chen Bo was looking at Wen Chan's smiling face. She was wearing a white dress, her long, seaweed-like hair was tied in a high ponytail, and her fair face had curved eyebrows and eyes.
Men and women walking by kept turning back to look at her.
Chen Bozheng didn't say anything, but walked back to the stall and said, "Give me two watermelons, the sweetest ones."
"Let's have another pineapple," Wen Chan said, leaning closer and pointing to the peeled pineapple.
Chen Bo was glancing at her sideways.
Wen Chan coughed and clutched his chest.
Fatty and the others were packing their things with big bags and small bags when they heard Chen Bozheng shout "Eat something!" The group immediately ran to the yard and saw that Chen Bozheng's hands were full of fruit and snacks.
The table was completely filled with the fruits and snacks I bought.
Lin Qingfeng was stunned. "Brother Zheng, why are you buying bowl cakes? These are for kids."
"Stop talking nonsense. Eat it if you want, don't eat it if you don't." Chen Bozheng's ears turned red, and he snatched the bowl-shaped rice cake. "If you don't eat it, give it to someone else."
He was talking about someone else when he placed the bowl-shaped rice cake next to Wen Chan.
Lin Qingfeng, Fatty, and Monk exchanged knowing smiles, and the three of them lowered their heads to exchange glances.
"Sister Yanzi." Lin Qingfeng's home in a large courtyard house in Mao'er Hutong, Beijing.
Lin Qingfeng's younger siblings were busy cooking and doing their homework. When they saw Yanzi come in, they all called out to her.
Yanzi came in carrying a takeout roast duck. "Cooking? Perfect timing! I bought a roast duck on my way back to add some dishes for you. By the way, where's Aunt Lin?"
"My mom..." Lin Xiaohong was about to speak when she called out "Mom" to Yanzi's back.
Liu Yan turned around and saw Aunt Lin coming in carrying a pile of shoe boxes. Liu Yan greeted her, and Aunt Lin nodded kindly to Liu Yan. When she saw that Liu Yan was still carrying things, she frowned and said, "Yanzi, you brought us vegetables again? Didn't we say no? You don't earn money easily selling clothes, how can you spend money like this?"
Liu Yan put down the roast duck and helped Aunt Lin bring in the shoe boxes. "It's not much money. But you, Fengzi repeatedly told you not to take on these jobs before he left. Why did you bring so many cardboard boxes to fold?"
"I'm fine, cough cough cough." Lin's mother coughed uncontrollably after only a few words.
Lin Xiaohong quickly poured a glass of water and handed it to her mother.
Lin's mother drank a few sips of water and felt much better. She held Liu Yan's hand and asked, "Yanzi, now that you're here, let me ask you, has Fengzi called home again these past few days?"
Liu Yan shook her head and asked with concern, "Auntie, what's wrong? Are you short of money at home? I don't have any extra, but I always have a few dozen yuan."
Lin's mother shook her head: "No, I heard from Gunzi that Fengzi and the others lost their money. There's still no news about these kids, it's worrying."
"Lost it?" Liu Yan panicked. Seeing the worry on Lin's mother's face, she suppressed her panic and said to Lin's mother, "It's impossible. Think about it, Fengzi didn't go alone. He went with the monk, Chen Bozheng, and Fatty. Even if the others are unreliable, Chen Bozheng is always reliable. With him there, nothing will happen."
"It's good that you're alright. I was worried that something might have happened." Lin's mother looked worried. She had delicate features and must have been a beauty when she was young, but time had been too cruel to her. Before she was even fifty, some of her hair had turned white, and her face was full of bitterness, as if all the hardships in life had been particularly cruel to her.
"Half of that 80,000 yuan was borrowed, and I have to pay interest. If I lose the money, how will I repay it when I get it back?"
"That's what Lin's mother said."
Liu Yan's heart skipped a beat. She quickly said a few words to leave the roast duck behind and then left.
She also lived in this courtyard. When she got home, she asked her parents about the stick. Liu's father said, "That's what the stick said a while ago. We thought you knew about it."
Liu Yan felt a chill in her heart. "How would I know? I'm out selling clothes all day long, I don't have time to find out about these things."
Mother Liu said, "If you ask me, this has nothing to do with our family. Yanzi, let me warn you, I don't mind if you helped the Lin family with a small favor before, but if they ask you for money, don't be foolish. Our family can't afford to fill this hole!"
Liu Yan was a little angry: "Mom, you didn't say that before. Didn't you say that Chen Bozheng and his team were quick-witted and knew to source goods from Shenzhen?"
Mr. Liu was displeased. He slammed his hand on the table, his face turning purple. "How dare you talk to your mother like that? Your mother is right. Times have changed. If they really had lost the money, how could we help them? If you were smart, you wouldn't have lost the money in the first place."
Achoo! Achoo!
Strangely enough, after boarding the train, Lin Qingfeng and the others seemed to have developed rhinitis, sneezing one after another, it was practically endless.
Chen Bozheng took a mask directly from his luggage bag and handed it to Wen Chan.
The two of them, one each, were a hundred and eight thousand miles away from Lin Qingfeng and the others.
The fat man protested, "Are you guys making a big deal out of this? We were just sneezing, we're not sick."
Chen Bo stood with his arms crossed, "Hard to say, you guys are all too weak."
"You're the one who's weak," the fat man retorted immediately without hesitation.
Lin Qingfeng also protested, "You can talk about Fatty all you want, but I'm not afraid of the monk, right, monk?"
The monk didn't speak, but nodded.
The fat man's eyes widened as he pointed at Lin Qingfeng and the monk, "Well, you two are heartless and ungrateful, you actually betrayed me."
The three of them were locked in a fierce struggle, or more accurately, the fat man was being utterly and completely dominated.
Wen Chan couldn't stop laughing.
She sensed a gaze on her, turned around, and saw Chen Bo abruptly turn his head away.
Wen Chan: "..."
Problem.
Because they weren't sure when they would be back, Chen Bozheng and his team didn't tell their families. They asked a friend to call a car to help deliver the goods to the tenement.
"Beep beep beep—"
The truck couldn't get into the alley, so Chen Bo tossed a pack of cigarettes to the driver, telling him to wait a moment. Then he jumped out from the back and, together with Lin Qingfeng, called for help to unload the goods.
Wen Chan looked around and realized that the place really hadn't changed much. Well, this place was, after all, part of the Second Ring Road, and they couldn't afford to demolish it.
"Bozheng, Fengzi." Many people in the courtyard were startled to see Chen Bozheng and Lin Qingfeng return. It was dinnertime, and everyone was cooking at their doorsteps.
Chen Bo greeted everyone and went to open his own door.
His house was spacious, located in the west courtyard, and could be considered a separate household when the door was closed.
While Chen Bo was opening the door, everyone came over to Lin Qingfeng to ask, "Fengzi, why are you only coming back now? Has the money issue been resolved?"
Lin Qingfeng didn't react at first, and exclaimed, "What about money?"
Grandpa Guo patted him on the shoulder. "Hey kid, you're still playing dumb with us. Didn't you lose your money? Fengzi, let me tell you, your mom has been worried sick about you. Yesterday she even went to your uncle to borrow money and got a scolding from him."
"What?!"
Lin Qingfeng has a bad temper and is very protective of his own. Upon hearing this, he didn't care about anything else and ran home.
Chen Bozheng opened the door and came back. Finding Lin Qingfeng not there, he asked around and found out what had happened. He was quick-witted and immediately understood. "This was something Gunzi told you, right?"
"That's exactly what Gunzi said, Zhengzi, you've really gotten yourself into big trouble this time." Grandpa Guo said worriedly, "Your grandfather told us old neighbors to look after you before he passed away, but who would have thought you'd cause such a mess in the blink of an eye. That's forty thousand yuan!"
“Sir, that’s not how it is…” Chen Bo was about to explain when Wen Chan, who had been waiting impatiently outside, came in.
She saw Chen Bo talking to the neighbors, came over to greet them, and then patted Chen Bo, saying, "Fatty and Monk have been waiting outside for ages, why haven't you asked anyone to go out and help move things yet?"
Chen Bozheng said, "That's exactly what I was about to say."
He turned to Grandpa Guo and the others and said, "Grandpa, we've settled the money issue. We've bought the goods, and they're outside. There are too many of them for us to carry. Could you please help us out? I'll pay each of you twenty yuan later, how about that?"
Grandpa Guo was stunned, and several neighbors looked on with suspicion. "Zhengzi, you're not kidding us, are you?"
Chen Bozheng said, "The goods are right outside. Everyone can go out and see for themselves. The driver came to lend a hand after get off work. Let's all help him out and not keep him waiting."
Chen Bozheng was well-liked; with just a call, everyone from cooks to TV viewers, young and old, would come out to help with the moving.
Everyone was incredibly surprised, looking at each other in disbelief.
After the goods were unloaded, Chen Bo gave the driver two hundred yuan, calculated the bill for everyone, and distributed the local specialties he had brought. They weren't anything expensive, just some candies and snacks.
Everyone was astonished when they came out.
Grandma Wang, carrying a bag of canned goods, said to Grandpa Guo, "Hey, didn't that stick guy say that Zhengzi and the others got into trouble? How come Zhengzi is being so generous?"
"Could it be that Stick is just talking nonsense? I bet this kid couldn't do his job well and got kicked out, so he's just spouting nonsense." After thinking for a moment, Grandpa Guo came to a conclusion.
Chen Bozheng's west wing is quite large, with a courtyard where the goods are temporarily stored.
As Wen Chan looked around the three main rooms, Chen Bo came out of the inner room with a thermos and said to her, "What are you looking at? It's not like you haven't seen it before."
A hint of guilt flashed in Wen Chan's eyes.
She coughed, "So we'll sleep together tonight?"
She had already checked; there was only one bed in the room.
Chen Bozheng paused, looking Wen Chan up and down. "I never expected you to be this kind of person."
ah?
Wen Chan was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean?"
"I've only ever made do with Fatty before, but since you want to develop a deeper relationship with me, I'll just have to make do and sacrifice myself," Chen Bo said seriously.
Wen Chan's forehead veins throbbed, and she grabbed a feather duster from the table and threw it at Chen Bozheng.
Chen Bozheng immediately dodged the question and said to Wen Chan, "I was just kidding. I'm going to get some water. You sit for a while. Everyone will be coming here for dinner tonight."
Wen Chan rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. After he ran away, she snorted. She didn't have much stuff, just a few sets of clothes. She could put them away in her room and put them away properly.
While Chen Bozheng was away, she carefully looked at the things in the house. Chen Bozheng's house was very simple. There was only one appliance, a television. There was a long table against the north wall in the living room, with a black and white photo of an old man hanging on it.
She figured this must be the grandfather, Grandpa Chen, whom Fatty and the others had mentioned who adopted Chen Bozheng.
Looking around at the simple surroundings, she finally believed that the legendary richest man had lived such a hard life when he was young.
Not only was he an orphan, but his grandfather had also passed away long ago. No wonder he was so smart, yet he had to start working in society so early.
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