Chapter 163 A strange phone call
At the beginning of July, my psychological counselor certificate finally arrived and I hung it in my studio. But even with it, it wasn't very useful. The entrance control was extremely strict, and my night talk sessions were completely dry.
I had only one choice, which was to move back to Foshufendian. But the three or four miles round trip was too inconvenient.
The inconvenience is secondary. Once I move out, everyone will know that I was forced out by the Xiang family.
There is a famous "broken window effect" principle in psychology. If someone breaks a piece of glass in your house and you don't replace it in time, all the glass in your house will be broken.
As soon as I move out, things big and small will happen:
For example, if the sewer pipe is clogged, if it's someone else's, the property management will come and fix it right away, but if it's yours, no one will.
For example, when paying electricity bills, your family pays twice as much as others. You question it, and they say it's based on the numbers on the meter. As for whether the property management has accelerated the meter, you have no evidence.
What follows is predictable: My parents walk down the street, actively greeting people, but they are ignored. They go to the Fengqing Pavilion to sit for a while, and some people who were originally chatting happily, see them, and then one by one, find excuses to leave.
They are old and naturally sensitive and suspicious. If these things happen a few times, their minds, which are younger than children, will be strongly stimulated, and they will feel that life is meaningless and they will become more and more lonely.
As for other people, it is human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm. If you can avoid trouble, don't do it. Since your family and the Xiang family are enemies, some people who originally had no objections to my family will exclude us because they need help from the Xiang family.
It was terrifying to think about it. No wonder Uncle Xiaolin and her neighbors thought it was not worth it for Xiaolin to find a fortune teller who had no power or influence.
My only choice, Wan Shanhong, is not to move. Not only that, I must also defeat this village tyrant.
Of course, it is not easy to defeat the Xiang family. Even Brother Long doesn't dare to confront them.
Take your time and bide your time.
Days passed by, and I didn't find any opportunity to take action.
One night, I was sitting alone in my studio when my phone rang. Seeing it was an unfamiliar number, I ignored it. Then, the unfamiliar number rang again.
"Uncle Wan, I am Li Zhihai's son."
A young boy's voice came from the other side.
"That Li Zhihai?"
"That's Li Zhihai, the security guard at your complex."
I calmed down and said, "Oh, I only know your father's name is Lao Li, I don't know his name. What's the matter? Why are you calling me so late?"
"My father was beaten by the Xiang family and is now in the hospital. He asked me to call you."
My heart was pounding. I asked, "Is anyone from Director Xiang's family in the hospital?"
"No, it was my uncle who sent my father to live in the hospital."
"When did it happen?"
"Yesterday. Now he is staying in our Huaxiang Town Hospital."
"Okay, I'll be right over."
I called my brother-in-law and asked him to go out with me.
After getting in the car, I said to my brother-in-law, "Let's go to Huaxiang Town Hospital."
"What's up?"
I told him about Lao Li's son calling me, and then analyzed: "Lao Li should be..."
My brother-in-law nodded.
The car drove out of Dongcheng District and sped along the provincial highway. About an hour later, we arrived at Lao Li's hospital room. His arm was broken and his legs had several injuries.
Old Li was still conscious and angrily told me the reason for the incident:
He was a close relative of the Xiang family and had been helping them with odd jobs. Some time ago, the Xiang family didn't want him to be a security guard and fired him.
Because his wife had run away with someone else and he had to support his son's education, the family was in financial difficulty. Thinking that he still had more than half a month's salary to pay, he went to the Xiang family to ask for money. The Xiang family scolded him for being a traitor and a good-for-nothing.
Old Li really needed the money, so he threw a tantrum at the Xiang family and was beaten by the Xiang family's two sons. It was the children's uncle who took him back.
Old Li finally cried, "That family is so tyrannical, they've lost all conscience. Master Wan, they bully you all the time. I was wondering if you had the guts to deal with them. They make fake liquor, and it's killing people."
I was ecstatic inside, but my face remained calm. I said calmly, "Be more specific."
Old Li then recounted the Xiang family's affairs in detail.
I secretly recorded the conversation on my phone.
Before leaving, I left him a thousand yuan and said, "Just rest and recover. I may not be able to defeat him, but you must not tell anyone about the Xiang family now."
That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. I thought, he's been making fake wine for a long time, he must have someone protecting him, and if I act rashly, I might get into trouble.
The next day, I said to Yifan, "Go to the Xiang's Famous Cigarettes and Liquor Shop on Times Spring Avenue and buy me two bottles of Maoye wine. Remember, not Maotai. I can't afford that."
Yifan was clever: "I know. Just buy those unknown brands."
I smiled and said, "You can only buy it over there."
At noon, I brought a bottle of "Caoye Wine" to my father and said, "53 degrees, you try it."
My dad is an alcoholic, always having a few drinks with every meal. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become a section chief after working his entire life. He drank a glass immediately and shook his head: "Who gave it to you? It burns my throat."
I took a sip and said, "It's not spicy, but it just scratches my throat."
My father nodded: "Yes, it pierces the throat. It is mixed."
"68 yuan a bottle."
"Not worth it, absolutely not worth it."
I sat alone for several days, and then I finally came up with an idea.
I can turn mineral water into wine. So, I add some ingredients to the wine, raising the 53% alcohol content a little bit, making it sharper and more irritating to the throat.
I can also turn baijiu into water, then add some ingredients to it and reduce the 53% alcohol content to 35%. It's so light that it has no bird flavor. I can even reduce it to 15%, just like drinking beer.
I'm planning to make a scene at the "Xiang's Famous Cigarettes and Liquor Shop".
However, if we want to make this matter bigger, we have to rely on public opinion.
One day, I called Lao Xiao.
Before I could open my mouth, Lao Xiao said, "If you didn't look for me, I would have looked for you. It's about the same thing. Come over here. Mr. Chen wants me to be in charge of the development of Taiyi Mountain. I'm struggling."
"Okay, but I still owe the bank a loan of 500,000."
"It's a small matter. I need the group to pay you one million first. I boasted to Mr. Chen about you and praised you to the sky. He is in Beijing for the CEO training. Otherwise, he would have come to visit you a long time ago."
"Even Liu Bei had to visit Zhuge Liang three times at his cottage. You just call me and ask me to come, and I'll come? If the boss is unhappy, he'll also have opinions about you. Let him come and invite me, and you'll have less responsibility. You just recommend it, and he'll make the final decision."
Lao Xiao smiled and said, "You have a lot of ideas, but what you said makes sense. Let's invite him to come over in September."
"Okay, let's talk about it later. I have something I want to talk to you about."
"you say."
"I'm looking for a TV reporter, preferably a man with a sense of justice, because I bought a bottle of fake wine last time, and I think the store had more than one bottle or one case. You should have friends who are interested in this."
Lao Xiao laughed heartily. "I'm having tea with the reporters right now. No problem. When will you come?"
"The sooner the better."
I'll get back to you later.
I took out a cigarette and smoked it slowly. After about five minutes, the message came:
"Shu Xiaoting, a reporter for the 'Help You' column on the Provincial Economic TV Station."
I replied, "A boy."
"She's braver and more righteous than men, and she's a beauty. Why don't you look her up online?"
"Okay then."
"She'll be here tomorrow afternoon."
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