"Surprise?"
Qian Duoduo's face was filled with confusion, but then he seemed to recall something, his expression darkening as he said, "You told someone else about my condition?"
As his voice fell, the door to the rooftop was pushed open.
This also drew his gaze.
When he saw the person who had arrived, his heart skipped a beat.
This wasn't a surprise at all; it was a fright!
"Dad, why are you here?"
The newcomer was around fifty years old, portly. Qian Duoduo's appearance was about seventy percent like his father.
Together, there was no need for an identification; one could tell at a glance that they were father and son.
Qian Youcai gritted his teeth, squeezing out a sentence from between them: "If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have known what you, you little beast, have been doing out here."
"Dad, explain yourself!"
Qian Duoduo's face was filled with fear. He instinctively shrunk into a corner, and without forgetting, he shot an angry glance at Mu Feng: "You actually told my dad about this. What have I ever done to you, what grudge do we have?"
Mu Feng didn't turn his head, a humble curve playing on his lips.
Meanwhile, Qian Youcai's face turned crimson with anger, and he roared furiously, "You little brat, hurry up and apologize to the Young Master!"
"Our Qian family's current standing is all thanks to the Young Master's grace."
"You dare to disrespect the Young Master. Today, I'll beat you to death, you little brat!"
As he said this, he had already unbuckled his belt.
Without any pretense, he lunged forward and struck Qian Duoduo with a sharp crack of the belt.
Qian Duoduo finally reacted, wailing in pain.
"Dad, spare me! I don't even know who this Young Master is. You never told me!"
"If you knew, you'd just go out and spout nonsense. There's a lot you don't know. If it weren't for the Young Master sending me a message asking me to buy those medicinal herbs, I wouldn't have known you almost caused our Qian family to have no descendants."
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. The leather belt in his hand landed several more times.
Qian Duoduo desperately wanted to hide behind Mu Feng, but that was the edge of the rooftop. He feared that in his father's rage, he might be kicked off the edge.
"Two lashes are enough!"
Hearing Mu Feng's voice, Qian Youcai finally put his belt back. He glared fiercely at his incompetent son before turning to bow ninety degrees to Mu Feng.
"Young Master, I apologize. It's our son who has caused you trouble."
"When I return, I will surely give him a good thrashing."
Mu Feng turned around, a smile on his face, and said, "Old Qian, I've already told you, helping you back then was just a small gesture. You are not a member of our Flying Eagle, there's no need to call me Young Master."
Qian Youcai, however, stubbornly replied, "If it weren't for your help in overcoming the difficulties, for blocking that shipment for me, all my assets would have been sunk overseas. I wouldn't even have been able to afford the ticket back."
"That also includes the lives of my family. Young Master, you have saved my life."
Mu Feng didn't bother to correct him again. "I contacted you this time for another matter."
"Young Master, please speak. Whatever you command, I will not shirk my duty, even unto death!" Qian Youcai said without hesitation.
"You've been controlling the flow of gold in Qinghai for the past three years. I need to find all the gold transaction records from the previous seven years, whether they were aboveboard or circulating secretly. Can you find them?"
Upon hearing Mu Feng's words, Qian Youcai's eyes showed a thoughtful expression. After a slight hesitation, he finally spoke, "I can't be entirely certain about this. I have records of all gold circulation within the last three years."
"However, searching for records from seven years ago might be difficult, but it's not impossible. If it was a large-scale flow, someone would surely know."
"I can find out the general details within three days at the most."
Mu Feng nodded. "Good. Call me anytime you have news."
The gold he was looking for was the Mu family's stored wealth from back then. He remembered this matter clearly. His grandfather liked to store gold, and even more so, he liked real gold and silver, keeping it in their own home.
Therefore, in their family's underground vault, there was a ton of gold.
If those people had taken the gold, it would have inevitably flowed into the market.
Only when money circulates can it generate more money.
Not everyone had the same peculiar hobby as his grandfather. Back then, their Mu family was a dominant force in Qinghai's business world and had no shortage of money.
Qian Duoduo looked at Mu Feng with a mix of curiosity and fear.
"You little brat, hurry up and come back with me. What are you standing here for?" Qian Youcai glared, his eyes filled with severity.
"Dad, I want to follow the Young Master from now on, to be a humble servant at his side."
"As someone so clever, I'm sure I can serve the Young Master comfortably." Qian Duoduo's eyes were full of pleading. With his back to his father, he kept gesturing to Mu Feng.
Mu Feng smiled faintly. "Do you really want to follow me?"
"It's a very dangerous thing. Around me, you could face mortal danger at any moment."
"It's fine, I'm not afraid, Young Master. You are the savior of our entire family; you are my second father. So please, let me follow you and give me a chance to repay your kindness."
Qian Youcai knew his son's character very well. If he were to serve someone, the best outcome would be to infuriate that person.
But before he could speak, Mu Feng smiled and said, "Since he wants to follow, let him stay with me for a couple of days."
"Thank you, Young Master!"
Qian Youcai left quickly, and he also had to investigate the task Mu Feng had given him.
At this moment, on the rooftop, Qian Duoduo finally breathed a long sigh of relief. He reached out and touched his back, saying with lingering fear, "You scared me to death. My back is soaked with cold sweat."
"You have no idea how fierce my dad gets. He looks all smiles, but when he acts, that belt comes straight for you."
"Look, my arm is already bruised purple from the belt!"
Mu Feng smiled. "Stop complaining. Come on, I'll take you to do something."
"Can you tell me how you helped my dad? Why is he so respectful to you?" Qian Duoduo leaned in with great anticipation.
It was as if the person who had been jumped on and beaten wasn't him.
"It's nothing, just a casual word or two," Mu Feng said lightly. "And you don't need to call me Young Master anymore. Just call me by my name."
"That won't do! If my dad hears it, I'll be in trouble. He's too stubborn."
"I'll just call you Brother Feng then!"
"As you wish!"
Qian Duoduo immediately asked curiously again, "Brother Feng, where are we going now?"
"To show you the world!" Mu Feng's lips curved into a devilishly charming arc.