Lin Wanwan had worked in the fields even when she was pregnant with Doudou and Dingding; she wasn't this delicate. Thinking this, she said, "Let's all go together. We'll take the sons, and it'll be like a vacation."
If Old Master Du were to know, he'd surely be furious. My funeral, and your whole family goes on vacation? That's incredibly disrespectful.
"Alright, I'll buy a soft sleeper so you can be comfortable. The kids are starting school soon, so a few days of fun will be perfect before they do.
We can also check out the island I bought for you. I haven't had a chance to visit it yet."
"What island? You can buy an island?"
"Of course! It cost me ten billion."
"How much?"
"One billion, really, one billion. Not that much, you'll love it when you see it. It was a good purchase, don't worry about that little bit of money."
Lin Wanwan was furious. He was truly extravagant. She suddenly said, "How much money do you have left?
From now on, any expense over a million requires my approval. We can't be so wasteful. Think about it, if I have two more sons, you'll have six sons. In the future, there will be expenses for their education, houses, weddings, and raising grandchildren."
Xie Sui was helpless. "Wanwan, you're spoiling the children. Getting married is enough, why do we need to raise grandchildren?
Let them raise their own. Am I raising a bunch of good-for-nothings? Let's not talk about that, it's still a long way off. I'll have people tidy up the island in advance, and we'll have a good vacation."
Lin Wanwan went back to prepare their luggage. This time, not only her eldest sister, but also her eldest nephew and Qingqing and Wenwen, and her second sister and her youngest son were going. When they heard they were going to Hong Kong, the children went wild, their eyes sparkling as they looked at their uncle.
Xie Sui's heart softened. "Then we'll all go. At worst, I'll charter a whole carriage, and we'll go out as a group."
Her second sister said, "You just indulge them. How much will this cost?"
Xie Sui said, "It won't cost anything. We'll get Old Master Du to reimburse us."
Lin Wanwan's eyes curved into a smile. Old Master Du would be furious if he knew.
"Can it work?"
"It must work. We're leaving tomorrow, so get everything ready. Don't bring too many clothes; we can buy new ones there. These clothes are too old-fashioned for Hong Kong."
The girls and her second sister were most excited at the mention of buying clothes. As long as they were female, who didn't like shopping?
Xie Sui really did charter a whole soft sleeper carriage. If it weren't for Xie's father and mother having to take care of grandma, they would have brought them along too.
Grandma was old, and the arduous journey of several days would be too much for her. Xie Sui dared not risk it.
Old Master Du was dressed very plainly, almost unnoticeable in a crowd. Du Feiyang accompanied him. Upon seeing the Xie family of over a dozen people, his jaw nearly dropped.
"Brother Xie, Eldest Sister, Second Sister, are you all going?"
"Yes, we're going on vacation. To broaden our horizons. The children are also on summer break, so it's a good time to have fun. Feiyang, didn't you say your father was going to reimburse us?"
Du Feiyang glanced at his father and chuckled dryly, "Dad, do you think we should reimburse them?"
Old Master Du smiled kindly. "Of course, we'll reimburse you. I'm delighted you're coming, and I welcome you to attend my funeral."
Xie Min: "..."
It was a bit awkward, feeling strange.
"Let's get on the train first. Old Master is an elder, please go first. I'm telling you all, no noisy behavior. If you disturb Old Master's rest, I'll spank you."
"We won't, Uncle. Don't worry."
Qingqing was already a young lady and could take care of her younger brother. Doudou and Dingding were in charge of the two younger ones. Xie Lan's son, Huzai, was much more sensible and obedient, and wouldn't cause trouble.
The group boarded the carriage. Including the bodyguards, the carriage was filled to capacity.
After the initial excitement wore off, the children were tired and went to sleep. Lin Wanwan was also tired and napped on the lower bunk.
Xie Sui and Xie Min took turns holding Xiao San and Xiao Si, and talked about Old Master Du. Xie Min stuck out her tongue. "Old Master is something else, having fun. He really wants us to attend his funeral?"
"If he doesn't go, he'll truly be dead. Even if he comes back to life, the eldest branch will kill him."
Xie Min said, "This is the result of marrying too many concubines. In ancient times, wives and concubines fighting for favor and property was not uncommon. I didn't expect Hong Kong to still allow concubinage?"
Seeing it to believe it.
Xie Sui said, "It's been abolished, but the concubines married before still enjoy the rights of legal spouses. We can't just leave them without a way to live, right?
Those married afterward don't have this status; they are not legal. They are mistresses.
However, wealthy families don't care about this; many children are born without official status."
Xie Min said, "Don't you learn these bad habits. It causes unrest in the household and even endangers your life. How tragic."
"Am I that foolish? Do you think six children will leave me much energy to mess around?"
Old Master Du in the next carriage: "..."
Are you two deliberately saying this for the old man to hear?
After the initial excitement, boredom set in. Doudou and Dingding brought some extracurricular books to pass the time. Xie Sui didn't need to worry about these two.
Xie Sui then played cards with the Old Master and Du Feiyang, listening to the Old Master talk about the affairs of various prominent families and his glorious past. The children loved to listen; this old grandfather told stories like a movie.
"Grandpa, you're so amazing! Did you really fight with people?"
"Of course! When the old man was young, he fought like a demon with a saber, one against ten. No one could match him. The Green Gang, the Red Gang, they were all his lackeys. We played them like children."
"So amazing!"
Although they didn't quite understand.
Du Feiyang quietly walked away. The old man was addicted to fooling the children, truly like an old child.
Xie Sui pulled Du Feiyang outside the carriage to get some air and smoke a cigarette to relax. He didn't smoke much anymore, only occasionally, but he wasn't addicted.
Suddenly, he saw a shadow flash by and his heart sank, feeling like he had overlooked something.
"Feiyang, you'll travel with us later. Let the Old Master go with my second sister and the others. We'll split into two groups. I suspect someone is targeting you."
"Really?"
"Better safe than sorry. Your eldest brother daring to hold a funeral for Old Master is his last desperate move. Will they let you off?
Perhaps they'll deal with you at the funeral too, and then he can completely take control of the Du family group."
"Damn it, I'll see if Dad will still protect him this time. His son, whom he raised well."
Xie Sui immediately reminded the Old Master not to show himself, and to let Du Feiyang attract attention. The return trip was very dangerous.
They even ate from the dining car. Xie Sui didn't care about the money; the meals were the best. He tipped generously, and the food tasted good.
The Old Master was patient, lying on the upper bunk and rarely coming out. He was in the innermost position, so even those selling snacks didn't find him.
Xie Sui looked at the train attendant pushing the dining cart and glancing around, twitching his mouth. He was very unprofessional. Perhaps he had been paid to check, but he seemed to be a genuine attendant.
"How much for the sunflower seeds? Are the tea eggs flavorful?"
"Definitely flavorful, I marinated them all day."
"Won't they go bad?"
Xie Sui was speechless, truly unprofessional.
"No, I added a lot of salt, they won't spoil."
"Alright, I'll take these sunflower seeds, peanuts, beer, and soda. Here's the money."
He pulled the attendant to a corner and stuffed a stack of money into his hand, about a thousand yuan. The attendant wouldn't earn this much in two months. "Sir, what do you want me to do?"
"Smart. Did someone ask you to see how many people we have? Just tell them you'll find a way to smooth it over, and also inquire about their news. I'll give you this much when I get back."
"Alright, boss, you're generous. Those stingy guys only gave me ten yuan to gather information. I'll definitely do this for you."
Xie Sui: "..."
Is it too late to take the money back now?
I acted too hastily.
The train attendant left, and Du Feiyang couldn't help but laugh. "Brother Xie, look at you being stingy. Oh, you're killing me. You're such a big boss, do you care about a thousand yuan?"
"That's different. Money should be spent where it's needed. My money is what I earned with hard work, not my father's, so I don't feel bad about spending it."
Old Master Du had become numb from his words. He truly didn't consider himself an outsider now, saying whatever he wanted without fear of hurting the Old Master's feelings.
With the train attendant as an inside contact, Xie Sui thoroughly understood the opponent's information. It turned out they were sent by Du Feiyun, but they weren't his people. He had hired some underworld figures from Shenzhen. They often hung around train stations, luring people to hotels, or introducing them to jobs, which were either illegal labor or they would sell people. However, they were the most well-informed.
The leader was a middle-aged man named Song Laohei, the biggest troublemaker in Shenzhen. He also owned a ballroom and kept many people under him; he was not to be trifled with.
Xie Sui always kept a respectful distance from such people, but he wasn't afraid of them. Black Gorilla and Wu Xiong could handle them, and he wasn't without manpower.
When they got off the train, they indeed saw a few people waiting on the platform, openly taking pictures without any attempt to hide.
Xie Sui and Du Feiyang escorted Lin Wanwan and the children out, waiting for the car to pick them up. In just a moment, they were surrounded by a group of touts. "Sir, do you want to stay in a hotel? We have hot water, it's clean and hygienic, and we can add extra blankets."
They winked at them. Du Feiyang cursed, "Get lost! Can't you see my sister-in-law is here? What nonsense are you talking about?
I have a car picking me up. Why would I stay in your crappy hotel? Get lost, don't get in the way."
These young men were not convinced. They were usually very arrogant and didn't expect this Hong Kong guy to be even more audacious.
"You don't like it? Want to fight? Go on, beat them until they can't take care of themselves."
When the professional bodyguards came out, these young men immediately lost their nerve and ran faster than rabbits. They also realized how many people they had and that it wasn't worth causing trouble.