Chapter 97

Chapter 53: Leave a Favor

In the end, the huge sum of five million yuan was still handed over to Deputy Chief Ning. He solemnly placed the passbook inside his police uniform, occasionally touching it, afraid of losing it. Luo Jie and You Kai were even more nervous, following closely behind him. If it weren't for the police car not far away that had accompanied the Guo couple, the three of them would have called the station and asked for armed escort. The three were extremely grateful to Fang Mingyuan—receiving such a large sum of money, Deputy Chief Ning felt that even if he knelt down and kowtowed to Fang Mingyuan, it would be worth it. The police station was often short of funds, with various travel expenses and medical expenses often being delayed, resulting in the inability to replace police equipment due to lack of money. The large sum of money that Fang Mingyuan gave up would certainly lead to a倾斜 (tilt) in the allocation towards the police station, which would be like a timely rain!

With this money and the police equipment donated by the Guo Shipping Group, the Fengyuan Long-Distance Bus Station Police Station would be completely transformed. The bright prospects made the three of them extremely happy. They never thought that this police duty would not only bring them a bright future but also benefit the station.

"Alright, alright, it seems you, Mingyuan, are a very determined young man. I won't try to give you advice. In the future, if you want anything, you can call me, and I'll send it to you! This way, I won't do good deeds that turn out badly because I don't understand your situation." Yu Qiuxia, smoothing her long hair, smiled as she hugged her daughter. This was her sincere thought; this young man seemed to have a strong sense of self and was not easily persuaded. Since her husband and she couldn't leave immediately, they might as well take it slowly. Moreover, he didn't look very old, and there was plenty of time in the future.

Moreover, she believed that as Fang Mingyuan grew up, Hong Kong would become increasingly attractive to him. By then, he might even propose to go to Hong Kong without her having to say anything. However, she underestimated Fang Mingyuan's cunning. This young man was already a contracted author for a Japanese comic magazine, and if all his assets were cashed out, he would be a small tycoon in the current domestic market. His ambition was not to become a high-level employee of a capitalist, but to stand at the top of capital. Therefore, the Guo family could be his friends or allies, but they could never be his bosses.

"Thank you, Sister!" Since Yu Qiuxia was so understanding, Fang Mingyuan naturally didn't mind calling her a few more times. Being mysteriously connected to the Guo family in Hong Kong left him feeling a bit dazed. Although he used to curse such plot twists when reading books or watching TV dramas, now that it had happened to him, he thought it wouldn't be bad if such things happened a few more times. A person he might have had to go to great lengths to connect with was now inexplicably linked to him. This favor might help him avoid a major disaster in the future!

"Qing'er, say goodbye to your big brother!" Seeing that it was getting late and the Fang family should be having dinner, Yu Qiuxia, having said what she wanted to say, decided to take her daughter back to the hotel to rest. After the day's ups and downs, the fatigue was like an irresistible tide, overwhelming her.

"Big brother, goodbye!" The little girl waved her hand at Fang Mingyuan obediently.

"Leaving now? Why not stay for dinner?" Fang Mingyuan asked a bit surprised. Although Auntie might not have prepared enough, there was a decent hotel not far from here. They could order a table there, and with what Auntie had prepared, it should be quite a feast.

"No, after a busy day, I also want to rest well. To be honest, if it weren't for you, I would probably still be full of worries and unable to eat or drink." Yu Qiuxia stood up with her daughter and said, "This is my phone number, and the address in Fengyuan is on the front. The back has my phone number and address in Hong Kong. Keep it well. I remember your uncle's address, but do you have a phone at home?" Although she asked, she didn't really have much hope.

Fang Bin politely handed her a business card, "Mrs. Guo, this is the phone number of our restaurant. You can usually reach me through it."

"Fang Family Restaurant?" Yu Qiuxia raised an eyebrow and looked at Fang Mingyuan with a smile, "So, Mingyuan, you're also a young master? Can I call you Young Master Fang in the future?"

Fang Mingyuan was drenched in sweat, "Sister Qiuxia, you're teasing me! A small town restaurant, it's not worth mentioning. But if you have time in the future, you can come to our place and try our signature dish, fish head with pancake!"

Although Yu Qiuxia and her daughter were repeatedly invited to stay for dinner, they ultimately did not stay, and Deputy Chief Ning and the other two naturally didn't stay to disturb them.

"Fang Mingyuan, I really don't know how to thank you. This time, it's all thanks to you and your uncle. If we three get promoted, it will be entirely due to your help. If there's anything you need from me in the future, as long as it's not illegal, I'll do it without hesitation!" Deputy Chief Ning held Fang Mingyuan's hand and said softly as they were leaving.

"Thank you, Officer Ning!" Fang Mingyuan smiled.

Watching the car with the provincial government license plate leave under the escort of the police car, Fang Ya, Fang Mingyuan, and Fang Bin turned back to the courtyard.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Fang Bin couldn't wait to grab Fang Mingyuan's collar and ask, "Mingyuan, not going to Hong Kong, we can understand, but those five million..."

Fang Ya stopped Fang Bin and frowned, "Youngest, talk is one thing, but don't reach out randomly. What five million?"

"Ask him. That Mrs. Guo offered us five million as a thank-you gift, but he refused it outright and donated it all to the government!" Fang Bin said urgently. He had been holding this question for a long time. He really didn't understand why Fang Mingyuan would give such a large sum of money to the government. With this money, the Fang family could dominate Pingchuan County! Five million! It would take the Fang Family Restaurant decades to earn that much!

"Ah?" Hearing such a large sum, Fang Ya was also surprised, "Mingyuan, is what your uncle said true?" Five million was not the same as five thousand. How could Fang Mingyuan decide without consulting the family?

"Ah..." Fang Mingyuan sighed, "No wonder that Guo Tianyu was so arrogant and looked down on everyone. Our compatriots have been poor for too long. A few dozen to nearly a hundred yuan a month is the source of income for a family. So when faced with a bit more money, it's hard to control oneself and see the truth."

"Second Uncle, Youngest Uncle, do you know what status the Guo Shipping Group has in Hong Kong? Do you know how much their total assets are? Do you think about what it would mean if we accepted that passbook? Have you thought about what would happen if someone knew we had five million yuan in savings?" Fang Mingyuan's series of questions left Fang Bin and Fang Ya speechless.

"I've never been to Hong Kong, and I only learned about the Guo Shipping Group today. How could I know their status and how much money they have?" Fang Bin grumbled, "I'm not a god, I can't predict the future!"

"Let me tell you, the Guo Shipping Group is one of the top companies in the shipping industry in Hong Kong, and even in all of Asia, it ranks high. I don't know how much their total assets are, but I can guarantee they are not less than one billion US dollars, listen carefully, one billion US dollars! Not RMB! Hmph, this is my lowest estimate. It could be ten or eight billion, and I wouldn't be surprised by twenty or thirty billion!" Fang Mingyuan said, frustrated by their lack of understanding.

"One billion US dollars! My goodness, he's a capitalist!" Fang Bin's mouth was wide open. He never imagined that the Guo Shipping Group had such vast wealth. He thought it was just an ordinary company.

"Exactly, a capitalist, a Chinese capitalist. In Hong Kong, he's a big capitalist whose influence can shake the shipping industry! Youngest Uncle, do you think it's better to take that passbook or leave a favor?" Fang Mingyuan asked directly. Fang Bin found it hard to answer.

"Alright, Youngest, Mingyuan is right. We didn't think it through and were blinded by the money. Instead of taking the money, it's better to let the Guo Shipping Group owe us a favor, which might be a lifeline in the future. And even if Mingyuan had taken the five million, how much would actually end up in our hands? It would also attract a lot of envy and make our family uneasy." Fang Ya quickly understood the key points. He felt a bit ashamed and guilty, as two adults in their twenties, they were not as clear-sighted as their young nephew, who had to remind them to understand the subtleties.

"Is that woman trying to harm us?" Fang Bin, not a naive person, quickly realized the risks involved with the money after being prompted by the two.

"No, no, not trying to harm us, but being in Hong Kong for a long time, they don't understand our situation." Fang Mingyuan shook his head, "However, Youngest Uncle, when we saved them, we didn't expect any return. Now, by letting the Guo Shipping Group owe us a favor, what more could you want? Hehe, a loss may turn out to be a gain. One shouldn't be too greedy!"

Fang Bin's face turned red, and he quickly changed the subject, "Alright, alright, they've taken the money. I don't have the face to ask for it back. Let's eat! Second Brother, I'm exhausted today. Those two little girls are really energetic, we circled the zoo two and a half times. If it weren't for the zoo closing, we wouldn't know when we'd get back. Just as we came in, this happened. I'm so hungry, my stomach is growling. Has Auntie prepared dinner? I'm going to eat and then sleep!"

"Uncle, don't always think about sleeping. Have you called home? Don't let Grandpa Zhao and Mayor Zhao worry!" Fang Mingyuan reminded him. The Guo couple had distracted him, and he almost forgot about this.

Fang Bin slapped his forehead, "Oh, that's right. I was thinking about eating first and then calling, but it took so long. I'll go now. You guys eat first, don't wait for me." Saying this, he rushed out of the courtyard.

"Second Uncle, I think you should install a phone here. If something happens, it would be more convenient to notify."

"Forget it, a phone costs a thousand yuan, which is half a year's salary for most people. Not to mention the expensive phone bills. I can't afford it. We don't use it much, and it would make colleagues speculate." Fang Ya smiled bitterly. The current courtyard was bought with the family's money at the suggestion of his nephew. Installing a phone would be even more expensive.

The two entered the house, where the dinner table was already set, and Auntie was bringing out the dishes one by one. Feng Qian and Zhao Ya were busy helping, and Liu Yong was setting up the chairs.

"They're gone?" Seeing the two enter, Zhao Ya exclaimed excitedly, "That woman was so beautiful, and the little girl looked like a jade doll. What did they want with you?"

"Yes, Big Brother, what did they want with you?" Feng Qian also stopped what she was doing and tugged at Fang Mingyuan's arm, "I heard Auntie say she wanted to take you to Hong Kong. Is Hong Kong far?"

"Hong Kong is far. From Fengyuan, it would take several days and nights by train. It's by the sea, and the temperature is above twenty degrees all year round. People there, if they haven't been to the north, probably never see snow." Fang Mingyuan answered casually, "Auntie, why did you make so many dishes? You've worked hard."

"Mingyuan, what are you saying? We have guests, so we can't treat them like usual. Your second uncle bought the ingredients in the afternoon and was waiting for you to come back." Auntie smiled and placed the sweet and sour fish on the table, clapping her hands, "Alright! The dishes are ready, everyone can eat. Hey? Where's Fang Bin? Wasn't he with you two sending them off? Where did he go!"

Fang Ya called Zhao Ya and the others to sit down, took a few bottles of soda from the kitchen, and poured them for the three, "No need to wait for him. He's calling Hai Zhuang to inform the school that the children will stay for two days and will return with Mingyuan. He said to eat without waiting for him."

"Mingyuan, what exactly happened? Did you agree to that woman? If Hong Kong is so far, wouldn't we only see you during the holidays?" Zhao Ya persisted, as this was a big deal.

"Go to Hong Kong? What's this about?" Auntie, busy cooking, hadn't paid attention to what happened in the room. Hearing Zhao Ya, she also turned to look at Fang Mingyuan.

"Well, she proposed to take me to Hong Kong to study and offered to cover all my expenses and help me settle in Hong Kong." Fang Mingyuan said while devouring the food on the table. After running around all day, especially at the zoo, which he wasn't interested in, he was really hungry.

"Hong Kong, the one in the south occupied by the British?" Auntie, unlike Feng Qian, had a clear concept of Hong Kong.

"Yes, that's the one." Fang Mingyuan didn't look up, speaking indistinctly. Auntie's cooking was really good, satisfying even him, who had eaten in many restaurants in the future.

"Oh, where did you go today to get so hungry! Eat slowly, eat slowly. If it's not enough, Auntie can make more!" Seeing Fang Mingyuan eating voraciously, Auntie was both happy and concerned, repeatedly urging him.

"Zoo, we ran around all day. I don't know where they got so much energy!" Fang Mingyuan pointed at Zhao Ya and the others, grumbling.

"Mingyuan, you've been to the capital and seen the zoo there. We're from a small place, how can we compare to you!" Zhao Ya said, dissatisfied. Fang Mingyuan didn't argue, just kept eating.

"Alright, alright, let's eat." Auntie had to mediate. She was experienced and understood the little thoughts of Zhao Ya and Feng Qian. Her young nephew was smart in many ways, but according to her husband, he was the only one in his grade to win eleven consecutive championships. Why was he so slow in this area? Was it true that when God gives you some talents, He takes away others? She didn't realize that Fang Mingyuan wasn't clueless but felt awkward facing the young Zhao Ya and Feng Qian, like a pervert with a little girl or a wolf with Little Red Riding Hood. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, so he pretended to be clueless.

"Where are we going tomorrow? Mingyuan, do you have something that can't let you accompany us? It's hard to find you during the holidays. Can't you spend more time with us? Isn't that right, Qian Qian?" Zhao Ya, realizing she needed to form an alliance, included Feng Qian.

"Big Brother has important things to do, we can't interfere with his work." Feng Qian said softly, "If he has time, I believe he will accompany us."

"High! Really high!" Fang Mingyuan thought. This was a subtle way of speaking. If he had nothing to do tomorrow, he wouldn't have the heart to refuse.

As they were talking, the sound of the courtyard gate opening came from outside, and then the curtain was lifted, and two people walked in.

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