Volume 3: The Richest Man in the World Chapter 20: Zhou Yijin's Disappearance
After the meal, someone went to clean up the dishes. Wu Chengjian and Tan Sanniang went back to the house. Tan Sanniang said, "You are used to taking a nap after dinner, but I'm afraid you can't sleep here. Why don't you go back first?"
Wu Chengjian nodded: "Okay. I'll come again next time."
Tan Sanniang said, "Also, if it's convenient for you to make some arrangements for Lian'er in Shenxianzhou." She whispered, "If I'm not mistaken, you probably have another difficult time to overcome. Try to handle such small matters before then, so as to avoid a commotion. For someone like Lian'er, a small wave can knock her over and sink her into the sea. "
She had followed Wu Chengjian for many years and knew many secrets. She was experienced and intelligent, so even if Wu Chengjian didn't tell her in detail, she could still predict some things.
Wu Chengjian agreed, and Tan Sanniang accompanied him out of the village and all the way to the dock.
Bihe was secretly delighted to see that Haoguan and Sanniang were still as close as ever, with no signs of alienation between them at all.
After seeing Wu Chengjian off, the smile on Tan Sanniang's face faded, and she kicked three times on the way. Bihe didn't notice it, and was still very happy. When they returned to the manor and everyone left, Tan Sanniang said to Bihe, "I want to be alone." Then she closed the door - this had never happened before. Since the construction of the charity manor, the door of Sanniang's room was always open during the day, and only half-closed at night to prevent someone from looking for her urgently.
Bihe said "oh" and didn't think anything of it. She walked away to do other things. Suddenly, she remembered a trivial matter and came back to find Sanniang. When she reached the door and was about to knock, she suddenly heard a faint sound from inside the door.
She hesitated for a while, then didn't knock on the door. She put her ear close to the crack of the door, and heard the sobbing from inside that was suppressed but still could not be suppressed. Bi He was stunned: "Girl... is she crying? Why is she crying? Hao Guan is fine."
Sanniang in the room was just sobbing intermittently. After listening for a while, I vaguely heard her say, "Why... come... to apologize to me... on her behalf!" Then, she continued to cry without stopping.
After reconciling with his wife and clearing up the grudge with his confidante, Wu Chengjian was in a very good mood. He remembered that Ye Youyu mentioned Lao Gu, and guessed that Zhou Yijin was doing something behind the scenes. Thinking that his "blue-faced confidante" not only had to plan for him to deal with the business and officialdom, but also worried about his own private affairs, he couldn't help but come to Manqian Penglai.
Unexpectedly, when they arrived at Manqian Penglai, they couldn't find Zhou Yijin. When they asked the servant, the servant said, "In the morning, the master received a letter saying that he had to go out, so he took Xiaojiu brother and went out on a small boat. He hasn't come back yet."
Wu Chengjian didn't take it seriously. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened.
Unexpectedly, this time it was different.
The next day, Wu Chengjian came again, but Zhou Yijin had not returned. This was rare. He did not return all night and did not leave any message. Could it be that he encountered something urgent?
However, thinking about Zhou Yijin's ability, he probably could handle any problem, so he didn't take it to heart. Maybe he was traveling somewhere and forgot to return.
Three days passed with still no news. Wu Chengjian became anxious and sent people to search privately for two days, but to no avail. He knew something had really happened and quickly invited Mr. Liu Sanye and Chen from Foshan.
Master Liu complained, "Something happened to Master Zhou? Why did you tell us now? It's been five or six days, so even if there were any clues, they might have disappeared."
Wu Chengjian had been through many great events, and his ability to hide his emotions was well-honed. But at this moment, his annoyance was evident on his face. Chen from Foshan knew that he was in a state of confusion, and he spoke for Wu Chengjian, "Master Zhou's movements were erratic, and he occasionally went out for a day or two. Who would have thought that something had happened? Third Master, don't blame Official Hao. He's already feeling bad, so you should send people to search for him."
So the Hongmen launched a large-scale attack, and they did not start searching in Guangzhou, but instead searched the entire Guangdong Sea from the beginning. Liu Sanye estimated that many days had passed since the incident, and if something really happened to Master Zhou, the people who did it would not stay nearby.
The Hongmen's move alarmed most of the people in Guangdong. Many people secretly offered a reward, and even a little information could get a lot of money. Who among the leaders of the black and white worlds in Guangdong Bay didn't know that Yihe Xinghaoguan was generous? Since he attached so much importance to this matter, as long as you bring him information, you can probably get ten times the reward.
Unexpectedly, after such a thorough search, no trace of him was found. Half a month passed... a month passed... three months passed... Zhou Yijin was still not found. Some people brought some clues, but they were either false news or hard to tell true from false. In the end, it was all in vain!
Wu Chengjian's mind was becoming more and more confused. Not to mention the two follow-up steps of "forcing Qi Guan and responding to Heshen" set by Zhou Yijin , he had no intention of taking care of the daily affairs of Yihe Bank.
Fortunately, he had reconciled with his wife and the rear was stable. Ye Youyu tried his best to keep up many stalls. There were capable people in the bank such as Liu, Ou, and Yao. The government was also very respectful to Wu Chengjian because of the influence of the two previous major events. With the help of Liu Sanye and Foshan Chen, the reconstruction of Yuehai Bay and the business of Yihe Bank were not affected. The Wu family's wealth continued to prosper, getting closer and closer to the well-rooted Tonghe Bank.
Just like that, it was the third year of Jiaqing's reign.
There is still no news about Zhou Yijin .
Old man Wu Guoying finally died at the beginning of the year. He had been getting old and sick for a long time, so the Wu family had been prepared for it. It was natural to be sad, but not to be shocked by the sudden news.
The Wu family held a grand funeral. Wu Chengjian was dressed in mourning, with a stubble all over his face, and he didn't care about anything at all.
All the merchants from the Thirteen Hongs came to see Wu Guoying off. The Guangdong Customs and even the Guangdong-Guangxi Governor's Office sent mourning couplets. Pan Youjie, Lu Guanhuan, Ye Dalin and other bigwigs personally carried the coffin. Those who witnessed the funeral secretly said, "Although old man Guoying is dead, he was also the most honorable among the merchants."
This time, Cai Qiaozhu was calm and Ye Youyu was in good health. These two daughters-in-law were both capable of handling big occasions. With them around, Wu Guoying's funeral was grand and proper, and there was nothing wrong to find.
After returning home, Pan Youjie couldn't help but praise: "The Wu family is so lucky to have two daughters-in-law who are both virtuous and capable."
Manager Liu nodded in agreement: "The Wu family is indeed good at getting people. Not only the women in the family, but also the managers in the industry are talented. Although Old Liu is getting older and dimmer, he can see that the Ou family is already richer, and Yao Guangxing is becoming more and more loyal to the Wu family. Not to mention Wu Chengjian's friends outside, not all of them are after the Wu family's money. It seems that the prosperity of the Wu family cannot be stopped."
Pan Youjie said: "Yes, Wu Chengjian is loyal and righteous. Who doesn't like a rich man who is loyal and righteous?"
Shopkeeper Liu heard Pan Youjie's tone was a little strange, and suddenly remembered that his words just now might have offended the boss. He quickly stopped talking and held his breath.
Pan Youjie glanced at him and said with a smile: "Don't be nervous. I'm not saying this with any sourness, it's just a hint of thorns. Hehe."
Manager Liu whispered, "Please give me some advice, sir."
"No righteousness, only interests, this is the style of high officials. Valuing righteousness and interests, this is the family tradition of the Wu family." Pan Youjie smiled: "When my father was still alive, he had already seen through this."
Manager Liu vaguely recalled that Pan Zhenchen seemed to have mentioned this matter: "Yes, the old boss said so."
Pan Youjie laughed and said, "However, you only heard this sentence, not the rest."
"Oh?" Shopkeeper Liu asked, "What did the old boss say in the second half?"
"The Ye family will definitely suffer because of their ruthless pursuit of profit. The Wu family will also be misled because of their excessive emphasis on friendship." Pan Youjie said: "This is my father's judgment. Today, it seems that the old man is very insightful and can foresee the consequences of his two families in more than ten years."
Manager Liu recalled several major events in the past two or three years and nodded, saying, "The Ye family has indeed suffered from the ruthless pursuit of profit. If the officials could treat their daughters better, there wouldn't be so many things that happened later, and they wouldn't be completely exploited by the Wu family now. However, the Wu family values friendship and loyalty, so it doesn't seem to be a hindrance at the moment."
Pan Youjie laughed: "Old Liu. You are not as old as Yihexing and Old Liu, how come you are so old and blurry? Haven't you seen what Wu Chengjian is like now? His eyes are cloudy and his mind is not at home. The Wu family has been able to prosper in the past two years, and this is because of the previous two major events. But the hidden worries of the Wu family are gradually being exposed. Even today's funeral has shown some clues."
Manager Liu recalled the details of today's funeral and suddenly asked, "Is it a conflict between the first and third houses?"
"This is one of the key points." Pan nodded. "Cai is the eldest daughter-in-law of the eldest son's family. She has no mother-in-law as her mother. In such a big occasion today, she should be respected in internal affairs. But today, the two servants of the Wu family have something to do. If Ye nods, the servant will do it immediately. If Cai nods, the servant will look at Ye. Although Ye will agree as long as Cai nods, the servant still has to look at Ye. The power shift within the Wu family is already evident."
Manager Liu said, "The eldest young lady of the Wu family is a rare virtuous person in Xiguan. She may not be tempted to fight because of this."
Pan Youjie said calmly, "Cultivation is cultivation, and the situation is the situation. There is a good line in The Story of the Stone: 360 days a year, the wind and frost are pressing hard. No matter how virtuous you are, you can't stop the wind and frost of human nature, which cuts and stabs you day after day, year after year. If Hao Guan can't be cruel and make a decision when necessary, it's only a matter of time before the Wu family gets into trouble."
Let’s not go into the conversation between Pan Youjie and Manager Liu.
But on this day, Wu Chengjian had seen off all the guests and returned to Henan. Just as he was about to rest, Wu Qi came to report: "Officer Hao, John is here. Do you want to see him?"
"John?" Wu Chengjian was stunned for a moment, then he remembered that Wu Qi was talking about the American.
As old man Wu Guoying was in mourning, even if the people in the country had any urgent business matters, they would definitely put them aside for the time being. However, John had come all the way to Guangzhou, so naturally we couldn't demand that he didn't know the etiquette. Therefore, although Wu Chengjian was not in high spirits, he still said, "Please invite him to Shang Gong Garden for tea and chat."
