The heavy atmosphere seemed to be solidified and lasted for half a minute.
Shu Guan stood aside and said nothing. His third uncle, Teng Yanping, also seemed not to know what happened. He wanted to speak several times, but in the end he didn't ask anything.
It can be seen that the expressions of the three brothers of the Rong family are very strange and wrong at this moment.
The person who finally broke the silence was his second uncle Rong Duanxing. He sighed heavily, patted Rong Duanfu's arm and said:
"Brother, it's been so many years, you'd better put that matter down..."
Rong Duanfu panted heavily and remained silent. However, his chest, which was rising and falling rapidly, eventually calmed down. After another dozens of seconds, he smiled bitterly at Rong Duanfu. After a moment he said:
"I'm just afraid something will happen again."
"My eldest nephew..."
At this time, Rong Duanming seemed to be about to say something, but Rong Duanxing immediately interrupted him.
"Third brother, stop talking."
So Rong Duanming closed his mouth and said no more.
"Everyone, sit down."
Rong Duanfu finally returned to normal. He forced a smile and asked the others to sit back in their chairs.
"Duanming, please tell Xingyun about your matter. In front of Mayor Wu, Xingyun's words are more effective than mine."
Then, Rong Duanfu said this to Rong Duanming in a deep voice.
Rong Duanming was startled again.
This fortune teller has more face than his eldest brother in front of Wu Xicheng, the mayor of Shencheng City?
How can this be!
Rong Duanming glanced at Shu Guan suspiciously and hesitated for a moment, but still told him what he had encountered this time.
In the past two years, Rong Duanming has been supporting the Rong family's business in Shuzhou. In order to help the Rong family open up the situation, he naturally wanted to make friends with the warlords in Shuzhou.
Since the end of the rule of the Great China Dynasty, Shuzhou has been in a state of warlord chaos. There are so many warlords, large and small. So far, they only belong to the government of the Republic of China in name. In fact, they are independent. The small kingdom is one of the continents where the situation in Dahua is the most chaotic today. The decrees of the government of the Republic of China have no meaning at all in Shuzhou.
But this time, Rong Duanming was entrusted by a very powerful warlord in Shuzhou to help him purchase a batch of arms and ammunition in Shencheng.
The Rong family itself is not engaged in the arms business. It was purely because of the help of the great warlord that they contacted the sellers in Shencheng and sent the arms back to Shuzhou through the Rong family's own freight company. In fact, this batch of arms was given to the great warlord by Rong Duanming half-bought and half given away.
This batch of arms was supposed to be shipped back to Shuzhou years ago, but unfortunately when it was being loaded on the dock a few days ago, the Shencheng City Government seized both the ship and the cargo.
This time Rong Duanming rushed back from Shuzhou mainly to deal with this matter, otherwise he would not be able to explain it to the big warlord. Although the big warlord has not paid so far, they are waiting for these years of arms. Later, he will start a war with another old rival to seize territory.
Although Rong Duanfu did not formally come forward, he asked people to inquire in private, and found out the reason why the Shenzhen City Government withheld this batch of arms.
The reason is actually very simple, that is, the big warlord in Shuzhou has always been unwilling to deal with the central government of the Republic of China. He is a very disobedient kind of thorn. The government of the Republic of China does not want this batch of arms to be obtained by that big warlord.
It is said that there is also an instruction from the President.
This would make things more difficult to handle. The Rong family is really not suitable to come forward to find Wu Xicheng. Otherwise, people will think that the Rong family supports the big warlord against the central government of the Republic of China. If the president is dissatisfied, and suspicion, it would be even more troublesome.
So just now Rong Duanming begged Rong Duanfu to come forward and help him plead with Wu Xicheng, the mayor of Shencheng City, but Rong Duanfu kept silent and silent.
After listening to Rong Duanming's story, Shu Guan smiled and said:
"Fourth uncle, I understand. I'll ask Wu Xicheng about this."
Then he turned around and asked Rong Duanfu:
"Can I call Wu Xicheng directly from here?"
At this time, Rong Wei happened to pass by them, and Rong Duanfu waved.
"Xiaowei, help your brother-in-law call Mayor Wu directly to his home."
Rongwei hurriedly ran towards the second floor.
Shu Guan also stood up and said to Rong Duan Ming:
"Uncle Fourth, let me go upstairs and make a phone call."
Rong Duanming looked at him blankly, his eyes a little confused.
The main reason is that Shu Guan's tone of agreement just now was too casual. This is an extremely difficult matter for the Rong family. From this young man's words, it sounds like asking someone to go to the vegetable market to help. It was so easy for him to come back after buying some groceries.
The most important thing is that this fortune teller just called the mayor of Shencheng, who is now very popular in Dahua politics, by his first name.
What qualifications does a fortune teller have to call the mayor of Shencheng by his first name?
"Duan Ming, I also know that your dealings with those warlords are all for family business, but you are too reckless this time. Our Rong family has never been involved in politics. Dealing with those warlords is a waste of time. It doesn't matter if they send money personally, but there are some things... we would rather not do that business than touch them."
At this time, I only heard Rong Duanfu say to Rong Duanming.
Rong Duanming looked a little distracted. He looked at Shu Guan walking up to the second floor, and finally couldn't help but stand up.
"Brother, let me go and take a look."
After saying that, he hurriedly followed Shu Guan to the second floor.
When Rong Duanming went up to the second floor and walked into the room with the telephone, he heard Shu Guan talking on the phone.
"Mayor Wu, I am Shu Xingyun."
"It turns out to be Mr. Xingyun, hahaha. Happy New Year to Mr. Xingyun! Originally, Xicheng was planning to go to Mr. Xingyun's place to pay New Year's greetings in two days!"
The room was very quiet, so Rong Duanming could clearly hear the voice coming from the other end of the phone.
Regardless of the tone or wording, Rong Duanming could tell that Wu Xicheng, the mayor of Shencheng, who was always known for his strength, was extremely polite and even a little respectful at this time.
Rong Duanming's body shook slightly, and his eyes shone with unbelievable light.
"Mayor Wu, I called you on New Year's Eve because I wanted to ask you for help with something."
“Mr.
"That's it. I thought the elder had a batch of goods that was detained on the dock..."
Shu Guan told Wu Xicheng on the other end of the phone.
Then there was silence on the other end of the phone for about two or three seconds, and then Wu Xicheng's voice rang again.
"Mr. Xingyun, please ask your elder to go through the procedures for receiving the goods after the Lantern Festival."
"Thank you Mayor Wu, but I don't know if Mayor Wu will cause trouble to Mayor Wu if he is so helpful."
"Haha, don't worry, Mr. Xingyun, I will explain it to Mr. President. I don't know when it is convenient for Mr. Xingyun. Xicheng would like to wish Mr. Xingyun a happy New Year in person."
"Mayor Wu's wishes are appreciated by Xingyun, but Xingyun will not be in downtown Shencheng before the Lantern Festival. Happy New Year, Mayor Wu."
"Mr. Xingyun, Happy New Year."
Shu Guan hung up the phone and turned around, only to see Rong Duanming standing at the door, looking at him with his mouth wide open and a dull look on his face.
"Fourth Uncle, Mayor Wu and I have already said hello. He asked you to pick up the goods after the Lantern Festival."
Shu Guan smiled and said to Rong Duanming, his attitude still maintaining the respect of a junior for his elders.
Rong Duanming said "ah" as if waking up from a dream.
He had just heard what Shu Guan said on the phone.
But... is it that simple?
It turned out that he really said hello, and then Wu Xicheng agreed?
Has his eldest brother's prospective son-in-law already gained such a high reputation in Shanghai?
"...Xingyun, thank you very much..."
A smile appeared on Rong Duanming's face. At this moment, he no longer dared to put on any airs in front of this young man. He looked at Shu Guan with a faint sense of awe.
"Fourth uncle, you're welcome, we are a family."
"Yes, yes, it's a family. It's the eldest brother who has the best taste in choosing such a good son-in-law. Xingyun, we will have a few more drinks later."
Rong Duanming nodded quickly and walked down the stairs with Shu Guan.
"Xingyun, how about it? Mayor Wu agreed?"
Rong Duanfu asked.
"Yes, yes, Xingyun called me, and Mayor Wu agreed to release the arms after the Lantern Festival."
Rong Duanming quickly answered first.
And his answer made both Rong Duanxing and Teng Yanping look extremely shocked.
They had only arrived in Shanghai in the past two days, and they still didn't know what kind of prestige the name Shu Xingyun represented in Shanghai's upper class society.
"My eldest brother still has good taste and found a good son-in-law like Xingyun."
Rong Duanming raised his thumb towards Shuguan.
Rong Duanfu smiled slightly. He was not surprised at the result. He was thinking proudly in his heart. You still don’t know Xiao Guan’s true ability. If you knew that Xiao Guan was actually a god, you wouldn’t be so shocked. All dropped!
Rong Duanfu stood up and waved.
"Okay, everyone, let's take a seat!"
"Get ready for dinner!"
…
The atmosphere at this New Year's Eve dinner was extremely joyful and peaceful.
After drinking for three rounds, Rong Duanfu stood up and began to speak. First, he talked about the situation of the family business this year, and then he praised the Rong clan members who were in charge of the family business in various places. For those who performed particularly well, All the tribesmen were given various rewards, and the biggest reward was a direct reward to that tribesman for a garden villa in the Shencheng Concession.
Shu Guan finally realized that the New Year's Eve dinner that the Rong family eats at the old house every year is equivalent to the year-end employee commendation meeting of the Rong family company.
After rewarding those clan members who had made outstanding contributions to the family in the past year, Rong Duanfu began to toast tables in turn and give red envelopes to the children.
Of course, he kept Shu Guan with him during the toast, which could be regarded as officially introducing Shu Guan to the whole family. At this time, Shu Guan just made a phone call and asked Mayor Shencheng to obey orders... Well, obeying orders are four adjectives. The news that Rong Duanming used it... has spread, so the Rong family members did not dare to neglect this young man who was bound to become the eldest son-in-law of their Rong family, and they all came to pay respect to Shu Guan. a glass of wine.
Let's put it this way, if Shu Guan hadn't been a practitioner who had just met the Twelve-Layer Tower for the first time, he would have definitely got under the table today.
After eating, the children happily went to the pond outside the hall to set off fireworks, while the adults went to various rooms on the second floor to play cards and gamble money. Today, as long as those who are healthy will stay up until dawn in the old house.
As for Shu Guan, he was dragged by Rong Miao's cousins to do fortune telling.
It was well past twelve o'clock in the night before he was finally able to escape.
Rong Miao also chatted with those aunts and aunts until this point, and then the elders couldn't hold on and went to bed.
"Are you hungry? I asked the kitchen to prepare a midnight snack."
The two met in front of the stairs, Rong Miao smiled and asked.
To be honest, Shu Guan had just been drinking and hadn't eaten anything at all, so he nodded quickly.
Rong Miao had two bowls of shredded chicken and crab roe wontons brought from the kitchen. The two of them sat in the living room and started eating, looking at each other from time to time. They felt that just eating a bowl of wontons together in such silence was more satisfying than eating. Any delicacies from mountains and seas should make people feel satisfied and happy.
Shu Guan finished a large bowl of wontons, and in the end he drank not even the soup base. When he just put down the bowl, Rong Miao handed over a handkerchief.
This strong woman who acts decisively in the business world has always been a gentle and considerate woman in private.
Shu Guan took the handkerchief with Rong Miao's faint body fragrance and wiped the corners of his mouth, and then finally couldn't help but ask:
"Why can't children hide and seek in old houses?"
This question has really been lingering in his mind for a long time tonight.
Just his words made the smile on Rong Miao's face disappear instantly.
Her body trembled slightly.
Su Guan's eyes flashed with confusion, why was this question like a taboo for Rong Miao, and the same was true for Rong Duanfu.
He stretched out his arms to take Rong Miao into his arms, thought for a while and said:
"If this is something that can't be said, then I won't ask again."
"But you know what kind of person I am and what abilities I have. If there is someone or something else that scares you in this matter, maybe I can solve it."
Rong Miao looked up at him, tears streaming down her eyes, and she sobbed softly:
"Actually, it's not that I don't want to say it, it's just that I'm celebrating the New Year and I don't want to mention those unhappy things. I plan to tell you after a while..."
Shu Guan picked up the handkerchief just now and wiped away Rong Miao's tears.
It was just Rong Miao's next words that made his hand pause suddenly.
"...Actually, I have an older brother."
Rong Miao said as if she had finally made up her mind.
Shu Guan was suddenly startled.
There is another brother?
Ever since she met Rong Miao in Jingcheng, Rong Miao had said that she had only one younger brother in her family. After coming to Shencheng, during the days of contact with the Rong family, Shu Guan had never noticed that Rong Miao had another brother in the Rong family. A trace of what happened to my brother.
Now Que Rongmiao suddenly said that she had a brother.
"My brother is four years older than me. At that time, we were still living in the old house, and my grandparents were still there. We lived with my grandparents since we were young. I remember that when I was a child, my brother loved me very much and always brought me with him. I was playing everywhere in this old house. When I said I wanted cicadas on the trees, they would climb up the trees and catch them for me. For this, he was often taught a lesson by his grandfather, but as long as I told him next time, he would still do it. Climb up the tree and catch cicadas for me."
"Where is your brother now?"
"...He...he disappeared...when I was four years old..."
Rong Miao's face turned extremely pale.
Missing?
Shu Guan raised his eyebrows. The meaning of this sentence was a bit unclear. Could it be that Rong Miao's brother was abducted when he was a child?
"It was a summer afternoon. My brother, I, and several other children at home were playing hide-and-seek in the old house. I remember we had a lot of fun at the beginning that day, because my brother was the oldest. So basically we were hiding from him and he came to us... Later I mentioned that I also wanted to be the one looking for someone, and my brother naturally agreed. I remember when I was young, he would always promise me anything."
"Then my brother and the others went to hide. When they were leaving, my brother proudly told me that he would hide in a place where I would never find him... In fact, I knew that he was lying to me, and he would definitely hide in A place that is easiest for me to find, and then let me find it at once to make me happy. My brother used to do this."
"But that day, I didn't find my brother."
"I found all the other children, but I couldn't find my brother. At first, I blamed my brother for why he hid so well. After I found him, I was going to be so angry that I ignored him for a whole day..."
"...I searched for a long, long time. Of course, I was still young at the time, so I don't know how long I was looking for... Later, I went to find my grandfather in tears. I complained to my grandfather that my brother bullied me and deliberately hid so well that I would not find him. .”
"Grandpa smiled and said that he would accompany me to look for him, but he took me around the manor for a long time, but he still couldn't find my brother. At that time, my grandfather didn't realize anything, but he praised my brother a few times. , this kid is hiding really well, so let’s just leave him alone, he will come out naturally when he gets hungry.”
"Then when dinner came that day, my brother still didn't show up, so grandpa became a little anxious. He asked the servants to find him. At that time, I felt that if my brother was found, grandpa would definitely beat him up... ...If the final result of that day is like this, I swear I will never file a lawsuit against my grandfather again."
"But the servants at home searched every room and corner of the manor, even any place where an eight-year-old boy could hide, such as boxes and cabinets. They opened and searched them all, but there was nothing there. Find my brother."
"The next day, grandpa reported it to the patrol bureau, and then the patrol team also arranged a lot of patrols to come to the manor to look for it. They even called in a few water pumps to drain all the water from several ponds in the manor. But I still haven’t found my brother…my brother just disappeared.”
As Rong Miao told it, Shu Guan's expression gradually became weird.
One afternoon many years ago, a group of children were playing a hide-and-seek game in this manor. One of the little boys went to hide, saying that he would never find him again, and then no one really found him again. More than twenty years have passed and it has not been found.
This does sound like a very strange and even scary thing.
(End of chapter)
