Chapter 37. Ah. Woman.
Seeing that Ye Huaizhang was indeed unaware of the existence of the underground wine cellar, Ye Baoling began to act coy.
She hesitated, saying, "It's so late, let's do it another day."
"Is it any different whether we go underground during the day or at night?" Ye Huaizhang's curiosity had been fully piqued, and he was unwilling to wait.
Ye Baoling asked him again, "You really didn't know this wine cellar existed before?"
Ye Huaizhang answered truthfully, "I don't know."
The activist was already dressed and waiting for her.
Ye Baoling smiled slyly and said, "Then... if I take you in, how do you plan to repay me?"
Ye Huaizhang rolled his eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. "Am I just an outsider to you?!"
"Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, and close husbands and wives should do the same."
Now that I know about the underground wine cellar, do you think I can find the entrance?
It should still be possible.
It may just take a little while.
"Not necessarily!" she stubbornly insisted.
Ye Baoling, who still held the upper hand, didn't waste any words and went straight to her demands: "My demands aren't high. In the future, no matter what secrets are discovered in this wine cellar, you must tell me. I have the absolute right to know. You can't hide from me and secretly enjoy the secrets of the wine cellar all by yourself. I will only take you in if you agree to that."
The request is not excessive at all.
Ye Huaizhang immediately agreed: "You discovered the wine cellar. Even if you don't make any demands, I won't deliberately avoid you."
Ingratitude is not his style.
Seeing that he readily agreed, Ye Baoling got out of bed. "You can't go in wearing your pajamas. Change your clothes; there's dust in there."
The couple changed into sportswear, put on sneakers, and brought flashlights.
Ye Baoling also secretly brought lock-picking tools.
After entering the secret room through the mirror entrance and closing the door, Ye Baoling turned on the floor switch.
Looking at the inconspicuous wooden switch on the bookshelf, Ye Huaizhang tried hard not to show his surprise. He asked, "How did you find the switch?"
"It was accidentally knocked open."
"..."
The stairs leading down were narrow, so Ye Huaizhang took a flashlight and went down first.
The stairwell tunnel was pitch black and unusually quiet.
Ye Baoling followed Ye Huaizhang down to a spacious area where the two could walk side by side. Only then did she say, "From here, we'll go underground."
"Have you been here many times?"
"No, just a few times."
Ye Huaizhang: "No wonder I used to go to the secret room all the time."
Ye Baoling muttered sarcastically, "Heh, you saw me sneaking in and out of the secret room before, thinking you knew my every move, did you think you were so great?"
"..."
Yes, somewhat.
"Actually, you're the fool."
"..."
Ye Huaizhang, who was called a fool, retorted, "Do you think there's some treasure in here and want to keep it for yourself, so you're sneaking in and out like that?"
If she finds something and wants to keep it for herself, isn't that only natural?
And her main reason for exploring was curiosity!
Ye Baoling retorted: "When you asked me to marry you before, what did you say? If I marry you, I won't be an outsider, I'll be one of our own, right? Since we're family, and I even have the surname Ye! It's not illegal for me to take you for myself, is it?"
Ye Huaizhang deliberately provoked her: "You'll have to ask the police."
Ye Baoling stood still and refused to move: "Ye Huaizhang, do you believe that you can't get into the wine cellar without me?"
The young master, who had no idea what was going on below, immediately shut up.
He immediately admitted his mistake: "It's not illegal, you're right. Let's go."
Seeing that his attitude in admitting his mistake was acceptable, Ye Baoling said a few more words to him before continuing on her way.
When Ye Huaizhang arrived at the third basement level and stood in front of the tall iron gate, he was somewhat shocked.
He had never imagined that there would be a wine cellar beneath the foundation of the mansion that he was unaware of.
When Ye Baoling probed him a while ago, he never doubted her motives or considered that possibility; he was careless.
They pushed hard, but the iron gate didn't budge.
Since his wife knew it was a wine cellar and contained French red wine, it means she went inside.
He turned to look at her: "You went to learn lock picking?"
Quite smart.
Ye Baoling's lips curled up. "Beg me."
He smiled helplessly; she had spoken to him in the same way last time at the hospital.
He wanted to stand his ground, but in the end, he had to give in.
Today he was sensible and quickly gave in, "Please, wife."
Ye Baoling's decision to tell Ye Huaizhang about the wine cellar was a decision she had made after much deliberation.
She wanted to continue exploring the secrets of the wine cellar, but she couldn't do it alone.
After weighing the pros and cons between Chen Yulan and Ye Huaizhang, she chose him.
She had already shared secrets with Yulan regarding company shares and stock trading, and had even used Yulan's identity to hold shares on her behalf.
Therefore, she doesn't want to involve Yulan in matters related to the secret room for the time being.
Moreover, Ye Huaizhang knew about the secret room and was her legal husband; no matter what, he was the best choice at the moment.
Ye Baoling took out the lock pick and opened the iron gate lock very skillfully.
Ye Huaizhang exclaimed, "The technique is quite good."
Ye Baoling said with a hint of pride, "Diligence can make up for lack of talent. I've put in a lot of effort."
Pushing open the iron gate, the light from the flashlight shone inside, and Ye Huaizhang was still slightly shocked.
Such a huge cellar, so much red wine!
It must have been hidden here for at least several decades, right?
He walked to the wine rack, picked up a red wine bottle and examined it closely. "Produced in 1946 by Domaine de la Romanée-Conti."
This is an excellent batch of French red wine.
Why didn't his grandfather tell them about the wine cellar before he died?
Ye Baoling said, "In 1946, you weren't even born yet."
"My dad is still a child."
Ye Huaizhang walked around the wine rack once, and finally stopped in front of the wooden rack that was missing two bottles of red wine.
Ye Baoling explained, "I didn't take it. When I came in, there were already two bottles of red wine missing."
Ye Huaizhang recalled what she had just said, "You just told me that you would share any secrets you discover here with me?"
“Yeah, right.” Ye Baoling glanced at him sideways. “Now that you’re in, you won’t regret it, will you? Turning the pig’s belly into shit!”
What nonsense are you spouting!
Ye Huaizhang was speechless: "Am I really that shameless?"
"You'd better not have it."
Their current relationship is such that they're better at having sex than talking.
"I don't," Ye Huaizhang said, trying to remain calm. "Do you think there are other secrets here?"
Yes.
Ye Baoling voiced her thoughts, "If there are no other secrets, why would they build an almost completely enclosed wine cellar here? Also, this wine cellar should have other entrances and exits, otherwise how were all these wine racks and wines brought in? It's impossible that they all came in through that small hole in our room, right?"
Especially the section above ground level, with its narrow staircase barely wide enough for one person to pass through, it would have been impossible to bring in the wine racks from the cellar.
Ye Baoling pointed to the iron gate at the entrance: "And this iron gate, how did it get in?"
Ye Huaizhang nodded: "There should be another entrance/exit."
"I've come here several times, but to no avail."
Looking up and taking a closer look at the surrounding walls, they were solid cement and sand walls, without any joints or cracks.
The ground is made of small floor tiles.
Ye Huaizhang: "Is the entrance/exit under the floor tiles?"
"I can't rule out that possibility, but I've checked all the floor tiles in the four corners and didn't find any switches or entrances."
Ye Huaizhang carefully examined the four corners and the open space, but indeed found no switch.
It's most likely under the wine rack.
There are twelve wine racks in the cellar, arranged in three columns and four rows.
The wine rack was filled with red wine, so heavy that it couldn't be moved at all.
The only option was to use the cumbersome method: take out the bottles of red wine one by one, and then move the wine rack.
Since they didn't have to work tomorrow, the young couple decided to get started right away.
Ye Huaizhang: "Starting from the first row, move all the wine racks to the wall and place them against the wall."
After removing most of the bottles, the two of them worked together to finally move the wine rack.
They moved the wine rack to the wall and put the wine bottles back in one by one.
It took more than an hour to move just one row of four wine racks.
The remaining two rows decided to go back to sleep first, and continue after they woke up.
After returning to her room and taking another shower, Ye Baoling fell asleep shortly after getting into bed.
When she woke up, she found that Ye Huaizhang was not there. She looked at the alarm clock and realized it was already past 10 o'clock!
She got up and went downstairs for breakfast, but the maid said that the young master had gone out early in the morning.
Ye Baoling decided not to go back to the Gu family today; she was going to continue her efforts in the cellar. As soon as she reached the second basement level, she saw lights coming from below.
She was so startled that she quickly turned off the flashlight.
Take your time and walk slowly downhill.
The large iron gate outside the wine cellar was wide open, with a high-wattage battery-powered light hanging at the entrance and another one inside the cellar.
She peeked inside from the doorway and saw that the wine racks had been pushed against the wall.
It must have been Ye Huaizhang who came to do it this morning.
But there was no one in the wine cellar.
She straightened up and was about to go in when she saw a figure suddenly walk out from behind the door, startling Ye Baoling so much that she almost dropped her flashlight.
Hearing the sound, Ye Huaizhang turned to look at her: "Awake?"
"You scared me to death. Aunt Zhang said you went out. When did you come back?"
"I went out and bought two light bulbs... I just finished moving them."
The work is finished.
So, she arrived at just the right time.
The two stood at the door and looked inside. The marks on the original spot where the 12 wine racks were placed were still clearly visible because there was no dust.
The two checked each of the 12 marks and found nothing unusual.
Ye Baoling asked him, "Did your grandfather reveal any information before?"
Ye Huaizhang shook his head: "No."
"Will you tell your dad that you didn't tell him?"
Ye Huaizhang was quite confident: "The possibility is not high. This bedroom used to be where my grandfather lived. After I came of age, he gave the room to me. When I was 20, he told me about the secret room and the safe."
The implication is that he was the successor chosen by his grandfather, and his father was only the nominal eldest son.
Ye Baoling asked in confusion, "You told me before that your grandfather was ill for more than a year before he passed away. Why didn't he tell you about the existence of the wine cellar during that time?"
"That's what I can't understand either."
"He thinks it's unimportant, he forgot? How could he forget? When he told you about the secret room and the safe, he should have told you everything at once. I checked, a bottle of this red wine is worth tens of thousands now. There are hundreds of bottles here." Ye Baoling stood diagonally opposite him, and she began to doubt whether her previous judgment was correct.
"Could this wine cellar be like a series of wine jugs, with small openings, large bellies, and only one outlet?"
This statement amused Ye Huaizhang.
"If there's only one exit, then, as you asked before, how was the iron gate brought in?"
"yes……"
We should not easily dismiss our initial judgment.
They searched again, but still found nothing.
She joked, "If all else fails, we'll just tear up all the floor tiles!"
Ye Huaizhang: "Then what's the difference between us and Sun Dianying?"
When Sun Dianying was unable to open the underground palace of Empress Dowager Cixi during his looting of the Eastern Qing Tombs, he finally used explosives to blow it open.
Ye Baoling laughed and said, "The difference is that Sun Dianying succeeded, while we are still hesitating."
A genius of sophistry!
They both laughed.
"Let's rest first and go back to think of some ideas. My grandfather left behind two diaries; I'll study them to see if there are any clues."
Ye Baoling did not object.
*
Another week has passed, a new beginning.
Ye Baoling arrived at the company early in the morning, and after the morning meeting, she received a letter of commendation from the administration department.
Ye Baoling was granted early promotion to a regular position with a salary level of 5 and an additional bonus of 1,000 yuan.
Wang Simin also received a reward of 500.
Some of the older colleagues in the department were a little jealous and egged them on to treat everyone to a meal.
Wang Simin, who is usually very generous, was stingy today. "If I make money from stocks, I will definitely treat you, but this is the result of my hard work, and I want to save it."
Ye Baoling laughed and said, "We'll talk about it when the money comes in. The bonus hasn't arrived yet. I don't have any money right now."
As a result, Liu Haonan put down his newspaper and said, "I'll treat everyone to lunch."
"Wow, the sun rose in the west? Did you win the lottery?"
Liu Haonan: "I resigned. I won't be coming back after this week."
Everyone was surprised and asked him where he was going to take up a high position.
Liu Haonan mumbled, "Go work at a relative's company."
"What company?"
“An investment company.” Liu Haonan was unwilling to elaborate.
The crowd was skeptical, but they still laughed and said, "Brother Nan, don't forget us when you make it big."
Qi Yuxiu had to go out in the morning, so she asked Ye Baoling to attend a meeting hosted by Ye Qingtang's product department in her place.
The Ye family members usually don't attend these mid-to-low-level meetings, but Ye Baoling still cautiously asked, "Who else is attending?"
"The product department, marketing department, brand department, administration, and our logistics team have developed a jasmine tea-flavored herbal tea and are going to hold a product launch event. They may need us to coordinate the work. Just write it down and tell us what we need to be responsible for. If it's too difficult for us to complete, we'll decline it, and if it's easy, we'll take it on."
"knew."
At the coordination meeting, Ye Baoling ran into Lu Baohua, the deputy manager of the product department who had helped her last time.
The product department needed logistical assistance to arrange security and shuttle buses. Ye Baoling wrote them all down and said she would report back to Manager Qi and give them feedback, saying there shouldn't be any major problems.
We also need an English translator, but no department has a suitable candidate. It's not that there aren't people who can speak English, but the time is too tight. Those who can speak English are all busy, and those who can't speak English can't help.
Because the translation work was relatively simple and did not require facing other people in front of the camera, Ye Baoling volunteered to help.
After the meeting, Lu Baohua came over and thanked him with a smile: "Our Director Qu asked me to thank you for your strong support."
Ye Baoling smiled and said, "I can't help with anything else."
Lu Baohua: "Don't be too modest. I saw the commendation notice posted by the administration department on the bulletin board this morning. You took down those old hands. Your strength in all aspects should not be underestimated."
Ye Baoling said modestly, "I was forced into this situation. If it weren't for the help of my colleagues, I wouldn't have been able to get through this. Manager Lu, when will you give me the documents that need to be translated?"
"I'll have a colleague bring it to you later. You can translate the first draft, and then it will be handed over to someone else for revision."
"OK."
Ye Baoling used her lunch break to translate a few pages of product instructions and gave them to her colleagues in the product department when she returned to work.
The colleague was surprised by Ye Baoling's efficiency.
There's no way around it; for the 21st-century working class, high efficiency is the top priority.
As it was nearing the end of the workday, Qi Yuxiu returned from outside and immediately called Ye Baoling into her office.
"Arlene, there's something I need to discuss with you."
"What's up?"
Qi Yuxiu put down her bag, pulled out a chair and sat down. "You sit down too."
After Ye Baoling sat down, she said, "I was in a meeting upstairs just now, and I ran into Director Qu from the herbal tea product department when I came downstairs."
Ye Baoling met with Director Qu at the coordination meeting this morning.
This Director Qu is quite different from Qi Yuxiu; she's in her thirties and very fashionable and capable.
"Director Qu speaks highly of you. The product department is currently very short-staffed, and she wants to transfer you over to help."
This surprised Ye Baoling somewhat.
Do you want to go?
She longed to visit more departments and learn more about how the company operated.
However, having finally gained Qi Yuxiu's trust, she didn't want to miss out on other opportunities.
After all, Qi Yuxiu is Ye Kaishen's person.
She smiled and said, "Sister Xiu, I just got promoted."
Qi Yuxiu understood what she meant beneath the surface. "That's what I was thinking too. You've just been promoted, and the cleaning department can't do without you right now. The head of the security department has retired, and I was originally thinking of handing the security department over to you. I always felt that a young girl would be more suitable to manage the security department, so there wouldn't be any head-on clashes."
Management and Security Department?
Ye Baoling also wanted it, but looking at Qi Yuxiu, it seemed that she was no longer the first choice.
She could only smile and say, "Sister Xiu, whatever arrangements you make, I'll go along with it."
Qi Yuxiu nodded slightly: "We'll consider the security department matter later. The product department needs people, and I'd like you to go there on a temporary transfer. Your position will still be in our logistics department, but you'll be temporarily transferred there. This way, you can handle the work of two departments at the same time, and you can also apply for a salary increase to level 6."
How to manage two departments simultaneously?
Just as she wished, Ye Baoling asked with a smile, "Is this alright?"
"Of course, the product department is begging me to release him."
"I have no problem with that," Ye Baoling said, repeating her previous statement. "I'll do whatever Sister Xiu arranges."
This sentence is very important. Whenever she has the chance, she repeats it a couple more times to reinforce Qi Yuxiu's impression of her as capable and highly obedient.
Qi Yuxiu nodded with satisfaction: "Go there, observe and listen more. If you have the opportunity to climb the ranks, we'll transfer your position there."
Ye Baoling seemed to have guessed Qi Yuxiu's idea; Qi Yuxiu wanted her to become an internal spy in the product department.
After all, Ye Qingtang herbal tea falls under Lin Zhong's management, and Ye Kaishen definitely wants to insert his own influence into it.
"Thank you, Sister Xiu, for giving me this opportunity. I will definitely work hard."
Qi Yuxiu smiled and said, "The product department is full of shrewd people. You need to be careful when you get there. I'll talk to them tomorrow, and then you can go. As for the work here, you'll mainly be keeping an eye on the cleaning department. If you get too busy, ask Sister Mei to help you. She used to be in charge of this job, so she has experience. As for the paper money... just don't let her know."
Ye Baoling nodded to indicate that she understood.
*
Ye Huaizhang finished talking to his colleagues about work in the office when Dong Jian knocked on the door and came in.
"Young Master, Xiao Dahai has arrived."
"Let him in."
After Xiao Dahai came in and sat down, he said, "Lai Zhenglan died in an accident."
Ye Huaizhang put the signed document aside, put away his pen, and asked, "How did he die?"
“After we commissioned ‘Bamboo Head’ to issue the kill order, there were many people who responded. To avoid being hunted down, Lai Zhenglan and his son fled to Southeast Asia separately by boat. The fishing boat that Lai Zhenglan was on encountered a storm on the way and sank, killing him.”
Therefore, Lai Cheng-lan was truly taken by fate.
This is the best ending.
Xiao Dahai handed over two photos: one was a photo taken when Lai Zhenglan's body was found, and the other showed a severed finger.
Ye Huaizhang asked, "Whose finger?"
"This finger belongs to Lai Cheng-lan's son, Lai Yao-ming. The ship Lai Yao-ming was on successfully reached Southeast Asia. After arriving in Southeast Asia, he was still relentlessly pursued and killed. He cut off his finger, took a picture, and sent it to us, hoping to beg for forgiveness. Lai Yao-ming sent a message through someone, saying that what happened before was all his father's idea. Now that his father is dead, and he has also cut off a finger, he hopes we can spare his life. He promises that he will never set foot in Hong Kong again."
Ye Huaizhang shook his head slightly and refused: "That's not enough. Let him come to me in person to confess his crimes and see if he has the guts."
Xiao Dahai: "Okay, I'll spread the word."
Ye Huaizhang wanted to see Lai Yaoming mainly because he wanted to know why they were able to accurately know the location of his new car after he returned from South Africa and why his itinerary was kept very secret, thus causing the car accident.
Who betrayed his itinerary?
This is very important to him.
After get off work, Ye Huaizhang declined all social engagements and went home early.
Once home, he would immerse himself in his study, carefully studying the two diaries left by his grandfather.
*
Ye Baoling didn't go back to the Gu family home today. After get off work, she returned to the third house and found her husband engrossed in studying in the study.
She stood in front of him, but he didn't have time to pay attention to her.
A serious man is the most attractive.
Ye Baoling went closer and saw that he was drawing the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). She asked curiously, "What are you drawing? A Bagua diagram?"
"Information found in Grandpa's diary."
"Any leads?"
"It's still under research; we haven't figured it out yet."
She looked at the two rather old-fashioned diaries beside him and asked, "May I see your grandfather's diary?"
“No.” He refused without hesitation, “There are some of Grandpa’s personal secrets inside.”
Ye Baoling rolled her eyes at him, "At this point, I'm an outsider."
Ye Huaizhang finally raised his head, avoiding her complaints, and said, "This Bagua diagram appears many times in Grandpa's diary. I checked it, and it's not the kind of Bagua that hangs above the door at home, but the Fuxi Bagua diagram."
"You mean the wine cellar's exit might be related to this Fuxi Bagua diagram?"
"That's possible. It's uncertain. We need to investigate further. We should have results soon."
Ye Baoling could tell that he also wanted to decipher the mystery as soon as possible, so she didn't urge him.
Today we will drink the seventh cup of Heqin wine. After drinking the eighth cup next Monday, it will be 49 days.
Ye Baoling discussed with him: "My grandfather wants me to go back to the eldest son's house. I'm trying to stall for time. We'll be 49 days old in a week. I'll go back after 49 days."
Ye Huaizhang paused slightly as he wrote, then continued writing. "You want to separate from me?"
"It doesn't count as separation. I'll just say I'm staying at both the eldest son's house and my maternal grandmother's house, which won't affect our twice-weekly stays."
It doesn't affect twice a week.
She was so direct that Ye Huaizhang nervously retorted, "That's not what I meant."
That's what you mean.
"..."
Ye Huaizhang simply put down his pen. "Then I'll do my best tonight."
Ye Baoling got scared and quickly changed the subject: "Didn't you promise to do three things for me before? Now do something that's very simple for you first."
"what do you want to do?"
“I don’t want my family to know that I work at Ye Qingtang. Can you think of a way to arrange a place for me that they won’t question and that I don’t need to be in the office regularly?”
The matter was simple, and Ye Huaizhang agreed.
He asked curiously, "Why don't you want your family to know that you work at Ye Qingtang?"
Ye Baoling made up a reason: "I want to climb to a high position on my own and surprise them."
Ye Huaizhang nodded slightly: "You really want their approval."
He understands.
Ye Baoling was too lazy to argue, so she just accepted it.
Although she isn't.
"You need to think of a solution for me right away. Tell me tomorrow or the day after tomorrow how you plan to arrange it."
"Understood. I'll have Dong Jian arrange it and let you know."
Ye Baoling then returned to her room.
Before going to bed, Yang Pinxian had someone bring her a cup of Heqin wine.
After drinking the Heqin wine, Ye Baoling could feel her body getting slightly hot within half a minute.
At this moment, Ye Huaizhang was making a transoceanic phone call in his study.
Ye Baoling simply tied her hair up and took a cold shower.
The herbal wine now seems to have no effect on Ye Huaizhang, but it has a stronger effect on Ye Baoling with each cup, though not to the point that she can't tolerate it.
She took a cold shower and then she felt cool.
Ye Huaizhang, who was planning to make a good impression tonight, found her already asleep when he returned after making the phone call.
Oh.
woman.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Ye Baoling: Zhou Gong smells even better.
Ye Huaizhang: Heh.
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