Free Web NovelChapter 711: Chapter 681: The Scene
Xu Chunliang believed that Luan Yuchuan came to pay respects today most likely for the dragon bone. Especially since Granduncle passed Renhe Hall to him, this matter has already been stirring rumors, inevitably leading people to think more.
Luan Yuchuan led the group to burn paper and incense, and Bai Mushan specifically went to comfort Elder Xu; the two of them were old acquaintances.
Luan Yuchuan didn’t stay long, coming and going in a hurry. He only prepared five hundred in gift money, but he presented a couplet commissioned from a renowned calligrapher, Mr. Tianchi—’Three paths of cold pines weep with cold dew; half-created broken bamboos wail in the wind.’
Fan Lidada, noticing the signature, immediately understood the couplet was invaluable. Mr. Tianchi’s writing is indeed worth a thousand gold per word; after all, as the head of Equatorial Capital, his gestures are truly generous.
He initially thought Xu Chunliang might find managing a funeral in a foreign place would result in a dull scene, but from how things are now, it’s not going to be small-scaled.
Xu Chunliang instructed Zhang Haitao to hang up the couplet. Mo Han didn’t leave with Luan Yuchuan, and her gaze towards Xu Chunliang carried a hint of profound meaning. She still remembered seeing Xu Chunliang and Zhou Renhe drinking tea together at the Taibai Residence. That day, they didn’t see eye to eye, but at the time Mo Han would never have thought Xu Chunliang and Zhou Renhe had such a relationship. Now, after everything was clear, she felt somewhat manipulated by Xu Chunliang.
But upon reflection, she realized she didn’t really lose anything; recently, Xu Chunliang had extended many favors to her, equivalent to finding all the dragon bones that were unobtainable at the Taibai Ghost Market.
Despite this, Mo Han still felt somewhat unsettled, softly saying, "I didn’t expect Elder Zhou to actually be your granduncle."
Xu Chunliang nodded, saying: "I have you to thank for that."
"What does this have to do with me?"
"Last time, when you invited me to the Taibai Residence, I happened to meet his old man; otherwise, we wouldn’t have recognized each other."
Mo Han thought this reason was a bit far-fetched, but since Xu Chunliang was dealing with a funeral, there was no need to argue over this matter. She sighed and said, "You don’t need to be too sad. The old man passed away naturally after a fulfilled life."
Xu Chunliang shook his head: "If it weren’t for encountering the sneaky thief, he wouldn’t have left so suddenly." Though he hadn’t brought this up in front of his grandfather, he had long resolved to find out the thief who sneaked into the old house and duly punish him. In fact, he had already identified a few suspects; once the funeral was over, he planned to address the matter.
At this time, more people were arriving, the brothers Lu Ming and Lu Qi, Fu Guomin, along with his son, Fu Xuedong, came over.
As more distinguished guests came to mourn, the influence of Elder Zhou’s funeral was becoming increasingly significant.
When Qin Zhengyang arrived, noting the numerous luxury cars parked along the roadside, he assumed Renhe Hall held significant influence in Jizhou and that Elder Zhou was highly esteemed locally. After all, Xu Chunliang, as an outsider, had few friends locally. But later he noticed that most of the license plates were from out of town, predominantly from Dongzhou.
It was only after getting out of the car that he realized this funeral for Zhou Renhe was being handled by Xu Chunliang, as both his sons were not present.
Tong Guangsheng and Qin Zhengyang arrived one after the other. When Qin Zhengyang saw Tong Guangsheng getting out of the car, he hurriedly went over to greet him: "President Tong is here too. You should’ve told me earlier so we could come together."
Tong Guangsheng replied: "I came from Dongzhou." He had come along with his old comrade, Gao Xinhua.
Wang Jinwu and Shu Yuanhang were also on their way. Mainly, Shu Yuanhang had a surgery today, and Wang Jinwu was waiting for him to finish so they could come together.
Gao Xinhua brought condolence money on behalf of several colleagues, representing Changxing Hospital in offering a wreath. Although Xu Chunliang had left Changxing, they still had to maintain the proper etiquette.
Zhao Feiyang didn’t come personally but entrusted Gao Xinhua to express his condolences to Xu Chunliang.
Gao Xinhua brought condolence money for many people, some too busy, others considering Jizhou too far. After all, it was Xu Chunliang’s granduncle who passed away, and sending condolence money sufficed for the courtesy.
Xu Chunliang didn’t have any objections. Relationships vary in closeness, and one cannot generalize; truly, if not to comfort his grandfather, he wouldn’t have orchestrated such a grand affair.
The situation changed around noon that day, when a black Audi with Dongzhou plates arrived at the scene. In fact, an Audi A6 wasn’t eye-catching among the many luxury cars present, but this car bore a notable low-numbered plate from Dongzhou.
The person who got out was Secretary Zhou from Dongzhou, making the situation extraordinary.
Secretary Zhou had been in Jizhou for a meeting over economic deepening cooperation across three provinces and seven cities in the Jianghuai Region. Hearing about the funeral at Xu Chunliang’s house and after brief consideration, he decided to come personally. His personal visit had its reasons: firstly, he admired the young Xu Chunliang; secondly, in the Capital City, Xu Chunliang had helped him greatly. Thanks to this young man’s help, the second phase of Dongzhou’s subway was smoothly approved. Another reason was his beloved son Zhou Deming was dating Xu Chunliang’s cousin Zhen Chun, making it likely for the two families to become in-laws in the future.
In summary, Secretary Zhou found it necessary to pay a visit.
Secretary Zhou’s presence was akin to dropping a bomb among the officials in the Dongzhou system, also proving Xu Chunliang’s place in Secretary Zhou’s heart and their close relationship.
Secretary Zhou greeted Xu Changshan, who was exceedingly touched holding the hand of Dongzhou’s chief. He hadn’t expected that the high-ranking official he held in such distant regard was so approachable.
Secretary Zhou said: "Old sir, you must take good care of your health."
Xu Changshan, somewhat stirred, said: "Secretary Zhou, you’re so busy with work, yet you took the time to come over. Thank you, truly thank you."
Secretary Zhou replied: "Old sir, between our families, there’s no need for formalities. If there’s anything you need help with, just let me know."
Xu Changshan nodded repeatedly.
Listening around, people began to wonder about the relationship between these two families.
Although Qin Zhengyang was standing quite far away, he understood that these two families might soon seal a marriage alliance. Xu Chunliang was certainly the center of attention today; he was glad he had come. Even Secretary Zhou had attended, so it was imperative for him to be here.
Fu Guomin felt the same way, standing by the side. Secretary Zhou spotted him and nodded, but did not shake his hand, having no intention to stay too long to avoid undue impact.
Lu Ming, Fan Lidada, and others stood near Fu Guomin, a group of officials from Dongzhou waiting for their leader’s review.
Secretary Zhou said, "You all are good friends of Xiaoxu. Working hard these days, I see."
Several people responded in unison, "It’s not hard!"
Secretary Zhou came and went in a rush, and when he was leaving, Xu Chunliang escorted him to his car.
Secretary Zhou patted Xu Chunliang’s shoulder and said, "Take care of the elderly; put work matters aside for now."
"I understand, thank you, Secretary Zhou."
At this time, a Maybach pulled up nearby, and from the car emerged a tall and impressive gentleman—Qiao Rulong, in charge of Hua Tou’s discipline inspection work.
Upon seeing Qiao Rulong, Xu Chunliang first spoke briefly with Secretary Zhou, asking him to wait a moment, then invited Qiao Rulong over, offering introductions between the two.
Qiao Rulong was there at the request of his sister Mei Ru Xue to pay respects, and although Xu Chunliang and Mei Ru Xue weren’t discussing marriage yet, the Qiao Family understood it was only a matter of time. It wouldn’t look right for them not to show up when the Xu Family was in mourning.
Secretary Zhou knew of Qiao Rulong but hadn’t interacted with him before. He warmly shook hands with Qiao Rulong, and the two chatted by the car for a while.
Fan Lidada was curious; Secretary Zhou hadn’t even shaken hands with the cultural tourism director Fu Guomin, yet he was showing such cordiality to a young man. He quietly asked Fu Guomin about it.
Fu Guomin whispered to him that the new arrival was Qiao Rulong, a rising talent at Hua Tou. Given his age and background, he might in a few years become the leader there.
Fan Lidada sighed inwardly; such were true connections. For years, he had struggled to get a minor promotion, while some people seemed naturally favored by the system.
Lu Ming nudged Fan Lidada with his elbow and said, "You’re realizing your lower rank, aren’t you?"
Fan Lidada said, "Deal with accounts, go, let’s deal with accounts!"
The conversation between Qiao Rulong and Secretary Zhou didn’t last long, yet they left a good impression on each other. Secretary Zhou invited Qiao Rulong to visit Dongzhou, and Qiao Rulong promised to organize Hua Tou’s visit to Dongzhou soon.
Secretary Zhou couldn’t stay long; after exchanging contact information with Qiao Rulong, he got in his car to leave. Watching Secretary Zhou’s car depart, Qiao Rulong said to Xu Chunliang, "Xiaoxue will only come tonight, so she asked me to come first."
Xu Chunliang responded, "I didn’t mention it to her."
Qiao Rulong said, "So, you’re treating our Qiao Family as outsiders."
"No, I was considering she’s still away for study and didn’t want to disturb her."
Qiao Rulong replied, "A woman’s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea; you might think you’re doing her a favor, yet she might not see it that way."
Xu Chunliang said, "You seem to understand women well."
Qiao Rulong sighed, went to offer incense in the mourning hall, despite his distinguished status, acting quite discreetly, and fully observed the rites in front of Elder Zhou’s memorial photograph.
Xu Chunliang also developed a good impression of his future brother-in-law; Qiao Rulong indeed showed great respect to the Xu Family this time, largely attributed to Mei Ru Xue’s influence.
After consoling Xu Changshan, during the account dealing, he heard about the rule of not exceeding five hundred, jokingly teasing Xu Chunliang, "Even with your low rank, you’re aware of avoiding suspicion."
Xu Chunliang replied, "One should never harbor intentions to harm others, yet it’s wise to remain cautious against potential harms—the best approach economically is to be cautious."
Qiao Rulong added, "Lifestyle habits should also be cautious."
While he hadn’t stayed long, he’d already noticed Mo Han and Ji Jiajia busy on the scene. Qiao Rulong had quietly investigated Xu Chunliang before, aware of the many women around him. However, he didn’t see it as problematic; a remarkable man having beauties around is expected. He himself experienced the same—handling well is pivotal; a smart man shouldn’t blunder in this domain.
The second update delivered! Again, with patience and understanding, under feasible conditions, Octopus will certainly strive to complete the updates.
