436: Chapter 430: Own Residence 436: Chapter 430: Own Residence After listening to Brother Qiang’s words, Chen Hai was momentarily startled.
“My cousin, in his fifties, still can’t settle down?”
“At his age, he still goes abroad?”
He was somewhat speechless inside and muttered to himself.
But after thinking it through, Sun Jinzhong’s temperament seemed to have always been like that.
Only when the distillery was operational did he settle down for a while, earnestly devoting himself to the business.
As for the bankruptcy of the distillery, though he found it regrettable, since it had come to this, he had no choice but to accept it.
To be honest, his heart had always been on the Tao Path.
Buying the distillery had merely been a spur-of-the-moment decision.
In terms of business, whether it could develop significantly or not, he really didn’t care much.
For him, having money when he needed it was already enough.
The stock certificates of dozens of companies stored in his storage pouch ensured a substantial income each year.
Moreover, with the billions of cash in his bank account, though he found the bankruptcy of the distillery regrettable, he wasn’t much bothered by it!
“By the way, what about my cousin Jiang Dalong?”
“When I left Liuyuan County, his gravel plant had already successfully launched.”
“Given the market prospects of this business, logically speaking, his business should be thriving, right?”
Suddenly thinking of this, Chen Hai spoke up, asking.
Whether it was Sun Jinzhong or the Tong Daqiang in front of him, their relationships with Jiang Dalong should be good!
Even if the distillery went bankrupt, with Jiang Dalong around to look after them a little, these two guys shouldn’t have ended up as a delivery driver and a construction worker doing bricklaying…
“In the early years, Brother Long’s business really was thriving!”
“He and his gang almost monopolized the river sand market in Liuyuan County.”
“Many outsiders came here wanting to get a piece of the business, but what was the result?
They all lost everything, ended up in a dismal state.”
“Besides the river sand business, they later got involved in demolition.
At their most prestigious, they strutted around the county town!”
“Unfortunately, during the crackdown on organized crime, they all ended up in prison.”
“People say when Brother Long was arrested, they found several billion in cash at his home.”
“His case was very serious, being the gang leader, he was sentenced to a suspended death sentence.”
“He has been in prison for eleven or twelve years, maybe after a few more years inside, he could be released!”
…
Speaking of Jiang Dalong’s affairs, even Tong Daqiang couldn’t help but feel intensely sentimental.
That guy, when he first started the gravel plant, Chen Hai had warned him to accumulate some experience in the real estate related industry and, after earning a certain amount of money, to end this business as soon as possible and get out!
Perhaps it was the profits from the violent monopoly that were simply too lucrative.
He and his gang not only couldn’t bear to give up on the business but became addicted to the euphoria of raking in money every day.
Jiang Dalong probably didn’t take Chen Hai’s warning to heart at all.
Seeing him end up like this now, even Chen Hai didn’t know what to say!
Life is unpredictable, and fate is truly a strange thing.
Small circumstances can be changed, but major destiny is difficult to defy.
Whether it was Jiang Dalong, Sun Jinzhong, or the Tong Daqiang in front of him, perhaps they never had the destiny to be immensely wealthy.
Chen Hai might have pushed them too high.
When accidents happened and Chen Hai could no longer support them, not only could they not continue their splendid life, but their fates could end up even more tragic than before.
Hearing Tong Daqiang talk about these things, he suddenly felt that always shouting about defying fate seemed rather foolish.
People should still hold some reverence towards fate.
With his ability, being able to change his own destiny was already quite an achievement; meddling in others’ destinies didn’t seem like a good thing!
It was already seven or eight o’clock at night.
Normally, Tong Daqiang would work until eleven or twelve when he couldn’t endure any longer and would then rest.
There was no choice, such was life.
People like them wearing the Yellow Robe needed to work harder than average to earn more money.
Having run into Chen Hai, who had given him a large tip, he naturally lost any motivation to continue working.
They ordered some barbecue and beer, and in the hotel room, the two of them ate, drank, and continued their casual conversation.
In the past twenty or thirty years, too much had happened!
From Tong Daqiang’s mouth, Chen Hai learned some news that was utterly devastating to him.
His father, Chen Zhonghua, had died of lung cancer about seven or eight years ago.
His mother, Jiang Meixian, was still well, just that after the relocation, where she moved to, Tong Daqiang also didn’t know much.
Unfortunately, his cousin Sun Jinzhong had gone to earn a fortune in Myanmar North.
He had tried to actively reach out to Tong Daqiang, but Tong Daqiang could never manage to contact him.
Otherwise, finding Sun Jinzhong would have certainly revealed his mother, Jiang Meixian’s, current whereabouts.
The news of his father, Chen Zhonghua’s death, had made Chen Hai’s mood extremely grim.
He poured beer after beer into his mouth.
Originally a lightweight, now, even if he treated pure alcohol like water, he still wouldn’t feel the slightest bit tipsy.
There was no helping it, his body was just too robust.
Alcohol, as soon as it entered his stomach, would be immediately and completely metabolized.
“Brother Hai, try to see it differently, birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural parts of life.”
“Everyone has to face this eventually.
Both my mom and dad have been gone for several years.
When it happened, I definitely felt heavy-hearted, but as time passed, things gradually got better!”
“Compared to me, at least your mother is still fine.
When your uncle passed, he was already in his seventies; he died a natural death.”
…
As Tong Daqiang continuously comforted Chen Hai while joining him in drinking heavily, several bottles later, Tong Daqiang himself became so drunk he couldn’t tell north from south.
Being a grown man, he didn’t know what sad thoughts came to mind, but as he drank, he suddenly began sobbing uncontrollably, shouting that no matter how good life on earth was, he would never come back again.
It was around eleven or twelve at night when Tong Daqiang’s phone started ringing multiple times.
He answered a call himself, but his speech was slurred.
Chen Hai couldn’t stand to watch, and after seeing that the caller ID showed it was his wife, he kindly informed the person on the line of Tong Daqiang’s location.
Half an hour later, a furious lady stormed into Chen Hai’s room.
She then slapped Tong Daqiang a few times to sober him up a bit before supporting him and heading towards the hotel exit.
She didn’t show any friendliness towards Chen Hai either; when Chen Hai tried to help, she glared fiercely at him and outright rejected his offer.
“For ordinary people, perhaps, this is just life…”
Chen Hai watched as the lady, assisting Tong Daqiang, disappeared at the elevator, a helpless smile on his face.
The reason she acted like this must have been some misunderstanding.
Perhaps, in her eyes, her man Tong Daqiang should have been out earning money late at night.
But instead, he had forsaken his delivery job to drink heavily into intoxication with someone else.
And the one with him, Chen Hai, must have been the instigator of it all!
With such thoughts in mind, it would have been surprising if she had shown any warmth towards Chen Hai.
The next day, around eight or nine in the morning,
After eating breakfast, Chen Hai once again rushed to the original Wenchang Pavilion Community, now known as the Eastern Pearl area.
Finding Building number three, he took the elevator to the eighth floor.
“Apartment 802?
Is this where my mother lives now?”
As he stood by the door, Chen Hai thought to ring the doorbell, but his hand hesitated and he just couldn’t press it.
He, who believed that apart from nuclear weapons, other arms could hardly hurt him, suddenly felt an inexplicable fear in his heart.
His mother’s current location was determined through divination!
In the original Wenchang Pavilion Community, their family had not only owned a residential house but also a storefront.
After the demolition, they received two apartment units and a substantial amount of cash.
The so-called tales of being forced to live under a bridge by developers would certainly never happen.
If such an absurd event did occur, Chen Hai would have driven the developers to bankruptcy and possible suicide; he would never foolishly buy up all their properties with a sweep of his hand.
Struggling inwardly at the door, he hesitated for quite some time.
Finally, with determination, he pressed the doorbell.
After a few minutes, there were sounds from inside, and the door opened.
Chen Hai had been expecting his elderly, white-haired mother, Jiang Meixian.
For this, he had prepared himself mentally, his eyes, unconsciously and uncontrollably, began to well up.
Unfortunately, the person inside was not his mother, Jiang Meixian, but a very unfamiliar middle-aged woman.
“Who are you?” His gaze sharp as a knife, Chen Hai asked sternly.
Seeing such an unfamiliar young man appear at her door, the woman had wanted to question Chen Hai through the security door.
But now, under Chen Hai’s intense gaze, she couldn’t help feeling anxious and her entire body trembled.
“I’m a caretaker hired by this family.
May I ask if you are a relative?”
“The caretaker, who hired you?”
“Is Jiang Meixian living inside?” His expression somewhat softened, Chen Hai asked again.
“Yes!
Aunt Meixian does indeed live here!”
“As a caretaker, my main duty is to look after her!” The woman quickly nodded, responding.
Seeing that Chen Hai could mention Jiang Meixian by name after a moment of consideration, the woman finally opened the door wider and invited Chen Hai into the house.