Xie Sui saw these people off and looked around. An aunt he knew asked, "Why did they come to your house? What's the matter?"
"It's nothing, aunts, come in for some tea."
"This, would it be disturbing?"
"Wanwan misses you all too, it's fine, come in."
Xie Sui invited them, and they were eager. Lin Wanwan was also happy to see everyone. They chatted about village gossip and children, and the courtyard was soon lively.
Xie Sui observed these talkative aunts. They didn't know anything, which meant the news hadn't spread from the village.
It was strange. Besides his mother and grandmother, who else could possibly know?
Xie Sui let them chat while he took the children and bodyguards to the river to fish, letting the children play in the mud and experience the simplest joys.
They didn't catch any fish, but they got bitten by mosquitoes. Xie Sui found some common herbs, chewed them, and applied them to the children's bites. Their little faces turned sallow green, and the clean children became dirty.
The bodyguards' lips twitched. If you said the boss doted on his children, he let them play in all sorts of dirt and mud, treating them like toys. If you said he didn't, he wouldn't let them freeze or starve. Such a father was rare.
"Let's go back for dinner and a bath, Mom is waiting for us."
"Bath."
Little Fourth pointed at the naked children playing in the river, and they wanted to jump in and play too.
Xie Sui had grown up like this too. The river water, warmed by the sun all day, wasn't cold for bathing. He simply took off the children's clothes, then his own, leaving only his underwear, and took the children to the river to bathe and teach them to swim.
The children were delighted, their laughter constant. They also played with the village children. It was only when Xie Dad called them back that they were willing to leave.
The gossipy aunts from the village had already left. Lin Wanwan's smile remained undiminished. The relaxed environment made her feel at ease, and she ate well, vomiting less.
"Why is this wet? Where did you go to bathe them?"
Xie Sui gave a guilty smile, "In the little river. They were covered in mud from playing, so it was a good time to wash them. I'm exhausted, you should drink some milk powder and sleep."
The two children fell asleep drinking milk, their little snores sounding as if they had been mining coal.
"You, you're so old, and you still love to play so much."
Lin Wanwan saw that his hair was also wet and knew he had been playing with the children. She was a little helpless.
"A man is a boy until death. Even if I'm eighty, I can still swim and play in the mud."
Lin Wanwan was speechless, "Fine, as long as you can swim then. Hurry up and eat, aren't you hungry?"
As soon as she reminded him, Xie Sui's stomach rumbled. He quickly started eating.
Xie Sui stayed in the village for seven days. His phone rang constantly, and Du Feiyang was almost going crazy. But he was enjoying himself in the village, coaxing his children and accompanying his wife. He also wanted to spend time with Pan'er, but he didn't have time.
Lin Wanwan also knew Xie Sui was busy. It was already a great deal that he could drop everything and stay with her in the village for a few days. Feeling better, she suggested they go back.
She also missed her two children. No matter which child, they were all her treasures, and she couldn't neglect any of them, trying to be fair and take good care of them.
Xie Sui said goodbye to his parents and returned to the county town with some vegetables from home.
Before he could rest, Du Feiyang dragged him away. So many things were waiting to be handled. There was no way he could be lazy; he was being treated like a donkey.
In his many years of life, he had never worked so hard. He felt like he had gotten thinner, almost like a dried monkey.
Speaking of Dried Monkey and the others, Xie Sui had other plans. He and Wu Xiong were not people who could work a regular job. It wasn't impossible to support them financially, but when people were idle, they tended to cause trouble. Xie Sui wasn't their father, and he couldn't look after them forever.
So he opened a company for them, ostensibly for consulting and trade, but in reality, it was for gathering information, doing shady business, and lending money at high interest. Keeping a group of underlings made it easier to get information.
However, he strictly forbade them from harming anyone and told them not to be too arrogant, because the mainland was not Hong Kong, and they could end up in serious trouble.
He didn't expect them to make money; he just wanted them to have something to do. Xie Sui also subsidized them monthly.
Dried Monkey was also resourceful and quickly became familiar with the underworld in the county town. Even Li Jiaqing was now working for them as a subordinate.
Where there is darkness, there is light. If they didn't do it, someone else would, and perhaps even more ruthlessly. It was better to let Dried Monkey keep them in check, which was also a contribution to social stability.
Xie Sui was just comforting himself. He still wanted to develop some information channels for himself. He didn't harm others, but he had to guard against them.
As soon as he arrived at the company, Dried Monkey came in. Xie Sui said, "Sit down, how have things been lately?"
"Alright, barely breaking even. Brother Xie, I've investigated what you asked me to."
"Oh, good, efficient. Who did it?"
Even though Xie Sui had thought of many people, he never expected it to be Wu Linlin.
"How could it be her?"
"I didn't expect it at first either. Someone saw her, especially you being pregnant. I found it even more unbelievable. Brother Xie, what does she want?"
Xie Sui's eyes turned cold. "She wants nothing. It's just jealousy. Some people feel like they're being cut when they see you doing better than them. They'll do harmful things for no benefit.
You did well. Here's five hundred thousand. It's the end of the month, give the brothers some bonuses. Only with money can people be loyal. You don't need to worry about this matter, I'll handle it."
"Okay. They're family, after all. I wouldn't want a woman like that even if she threw herself at me."
"Don't talk like that. If you have the ability, find a decent woman and live a good life. You're not young anymore, can you just drift along forever?"
"Yes, Brother Xie is right to scold me, but no woman is willing to be with me. I look like this, I even dislike myself. I won't talk about it anymore. I'm leaving, brother."
"Mm. I brought a batch of videotapes from Hong Kong, as well as televisions. Find two shops later and open a video rental store. Show some movies and charge admission. You can earn quite a bit in a day."
Like a cinema, Xie Sui saw a few opened on his way home and thought Dried Monkey and the others could do this business.
Get two subordinates to guard the place, collect tickets, and it's a highly profitable business. Billiard halls too, all of them. It's less risky than loan sharking and a legitimate business.
Later, there would be karaoke bars and nightclubs, which were suitable for larger places. Xie Sui gave a wry smile. He was actually worrying about these businesses now.
But who asked him to encounter this group of people?
As for Wu Linlin, this woman had ill intentions, and she was his sister-in-law, which made things a bit difficult.
Xie Sui thought about it and went to see her himself. Wu Linlin was living at her parents' house, where she was well-fed and cared for. She also went shopping with friends, watched movies, and ate meals. Her life was quite comfortable.
She had been paying attention to the situation in the village, but nothing had happened, which chilled her. Was Xie Sui so powerful? Suzan Novel Network
However, she wasn't worried. Who would know it was her?
Her mother-in-law didn't even know. But she still felt guilty and didn't return to the village.
Xie Sui found her at a newly opened restaurant, a mid-range establishment, clean and tidy. It was opened by her friend, and a group of people had come to support her.
Wu Linlin, being pregnant, drank some soy milk and watched everyone else drink and have fun.
Suddenly, she saw Xie Sui walk in. Her soy milk spilled, her hands and feet turned cold, and her mind couldn't function.
"Sister-in-law, having dinner?"
Xie Sui tapped on the table, bringing her back to her senses. With such little courage, why did she do bad things behind people's backs? Could her conscience be clear?
In fact, many ordinary people act on impulse, and then deeply regret it after they've done it. Not everyone is inherently evil.
"Ah, yes. Xiao Sui, you, you came to see me?"
Wu Linlin's eyes flickered, and she was so nervous she didn't know where to put her hands and feet.
Her friends knew her cousin was Director Xie, which was why they had been flattering her and were willing to hang out with her. Now that they finally saw him, they were all excited and greeted him one after another, "Hello, Director Xie."
"Hello, everyone. I was passing by and saw my sister-in-law, so I came to say hello. Today's meal is on me. Eat well and drink well."
"Oh, that's too embarrassing. How can we let Director Xie pay?"
"It's fine. Taking care of my sister-in-law is helping me. Well, sister-in-law, I'm leaving now. You all continue eating. We'll chat at home another day."
"Ah, you, you're leaving?"
"I said I was just passing by. Be careful, you're pregnant. Don't be so burdened. Live a good life from now on."
Wu Linlin understood. He knew what she had done, and for the sake of the child, he hadn't pursued it. She felt an indescribable emotion in her heart. She had been so terribly wrong.
"Linlin, your cousin is so charismatic. He's a big director, after all. You're so lucky. Let Director Xie arrange a job for you at the factory, be a leader there, how good would that be?"
Some flattered her, while others were jealous. "What a pity, it's not Linlin marrying him, that would be truly fortunate. Director Xie is so young, is he even thirty?"
"He's twenty-seven. Who knows about fate? Xie Sui is good, but there are many people better than him. Do I have to regret every person I meet? My Xie Chen is also good. He's focused on his career, and when he gets promoted, I'll still have plenty of good fortune. Don't say such sour things anymore. You're superficial. I'm going home. You all enjoy yourselves."
"Hey, Linlin, I'll see you out."
A group of people escorted her out and watched her get on the bus before they felt relieved. Director Xie had just told them to take care of the pregnant woman. If anything happened, they couldn't afford it.
"Really, pregnant and still coming out to play, making everyone worry. What kind of person is she?"
If Wu Linlin were there, she would have felt like her past self, consumed by jealousy.
Xie Sui didn't pursue the matter. That night, he told Lin Wanwan about it, asking her to be on guard. Lin Wanwan found it hard to believe, "What a wicked heart she has! You... Sigh, even if you don't pursue it, you should still warn her. If we hadn't taken precautions beforehand, could the child have been saved?"
Lin Wanwan was very angry. When it came to the child, she couldn't be careless. Wu Linlin was also pregnant herself, how could she do such a thing?
Xie Sui said, "Then shall I go to her house now and give her a warning?"