Luo Weimin stayed at the warehouse for about an hour. When he left, he told Wu Jun that he had put a case of liquor in the supermarket.
Watching the Audi A8 drive off into the distance, Wu Guangkun sighed. "Life isn’t easy for Mr. Luo."
"Yeah," Wu Jun sighed. "That’s why, Second Uncle, you should probably set your sights on someone else."
"Who said I’m interested in her?" Wu Guangkun retorted stubbornly. "Can’t a man ask a few questions? Don’t bring this up again."
"Alright, alright, I won’t," Wu Jun agreed with a smile.
Earlier, while they were chatting, Wu Jun had asked Luo Weimin about his situation with Xu Xiulan.
Having just made some progress with Xu Xiulan, Luo Weimin was in high spirits and dying to tell someone about it. He was looking for a willing ear, so he told Wu Jun the whole story.
Luo Weimin met Xu Xiulan while her late husband, Wang Degeng, was hospitalized with a serious illness. At the time, Luo Weimin was in the same hospital room as Wang Degeng due to his own health problems.
Xu Xiulan’s devotion to Wang Degeng—her constant presence and meticulous care—filled Luo Weimin with admiration.
After Wang Degeng passed away in the hospital, Xu Xiulan left.
After she was gone, Luo Weimin lost all appetite for food and drink. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Xu Xiulan’s face.
When Luo Weimin had recovered and was discharged, he asked some of his fellow patients for Xu Xiulan’s address and managed to get it.
After scouting out her neighborhood a few times, he saw Xu Xiulan working as a cleaner in the residential complex. He decided to give up his comfortable life of leisure and got a job as a security guard in the same complex.
He endured the sun and the rain, working that job for over a year, all just to spend a little time with Xu Xiulan each day.
A year passed before Xu Xiulan finally began to emerge from the grief of losing her husband.
Seeing the time was right, Luo Weimin made his move. He cared for her with the tender, protective manner of an older brother, which deeply moved Xu Xiulan.
Everything was going well. It seemed they were on the verge of finding love again in their golden years.
However, when Luo Weimin’s children heard that the woman their father was pursuing was a widow—one who had already lost two husbands, no less—they vehemently opposed the relationship.
’With their family’s status, what kind of woman couldn’t he find? He could have his pick of young, unmarried girls, so why insist on a widow?’
Unbeknownst to Luo Weimin, his daughter, Luo Zhenping, went to Xu Xiulan’s home and caused a terrible scene. She hurled the nastiest insults she could think of, calling Xu Xiulan a gold-digger trying to scam her father for his house, a shameless old woman, and a "husband-killer." It was a deeply humiliating experience for Xu Xiulan.
When Luo Weimin found out, his blood pressure shot up from pure rage. He was rushed back to the hospital, so furious he nearly died. He spent several hours in the emergency room as doctors fought to save his life.
After Wang Degeng’s death, his son, Wang Hongliang, had already found his stepmother Xu Xiulan to be an eyesore. He used this incident as a pretext to kick her out of the house, calling her an old, shameless disgrace.
By the time Luo Weimin regained consciousness, he could no longer get in touch with Xu Xiulan.
Xu Xiulan had learned that Luo Weimin was a "fake security guard" who had approached her with ulterior motives. Stung by this and deeply hurt by the abuse from his daughter, she changed her phone number and WeChat account in a fit of anger. She had no idea he had been hospitalized.
After Luo Weimin’s brush with the Ghost Gate, his children didn’t dare interfere anymore. They decided to let him do whatever he wanted.
Later, Wu Jun went to Alliance Road District to get revenge on Wang Hongliang. Through a twist of fate, this allowed Luo Weimin to get back in touch with Xu Xiulan. He had been cautiously rebuilding their connection, and they had only recently started speaking to each other again.
Wu Guangkun suddenly asked, "Jun, what time do the suppliers make their deliveries? They’re like ghosts. Every morning when I get to work, the goods are already here."
Wu Jun’s heart sank when he heard his second uncle’s question.
’Even my laid-back second uncle noticed this issue?’
Wu Jun said, "Large trucks aren’t allowed in the city during the day, so they deliver late at night. I just come over to receive the shipments whenever I’m free in the evening. I didn’t bother calling you."
"Oh, I see." Hearing Wu Jun’s explanation, Wu Guangkun didn’t press the issue. He told Wu Jun he was going to the restroom and walked toward the public toilet not far from the warehouse.
When Wu Guangkun returned from the restroom, Wu Jun said he had to go run an errand, and he drove off in his pickup truck.
Wu Jun drove his pickup, expertly navigating to the real estate agency he had worked with twice before, and found his agent.
"Mr. Wu, why come all the way down here yourself? You could have just called, and I would have appeared before you in a flash," the real estate agent, Li Jingwei, greeted him enthusiastically as he walked in.
"I had some free time, so I dropped by," Wu Jun said, getting straight to the point. "Little Li, I have to trouble you again. I need you to find another warehouse for me, one with roughly the same area as the one in Xiao’anshe."
"No problem, just a moment," Li Jingwei said, delighted to get more business from Wu Jun. He turned, poured him a glass of water, and said, "Have a drink while I look up some listings on the computer for you."
"Great, thanks." Wu Jun sat down to wait for the results.
His second uncle’s offhand comment had sparked a new idea in Wu Jun’s mind regarding the warehouses.
’As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows,’ he thought. ’I should rent at least two warehouses and use them in rotation.’
’The warehouse in Xiao’anshe will be Warehouse A, and this new one will be Warehouse B.’
’While Wu Guangkun and the others are shipping goods out of Warehouse A, I can be ’receiving’ new stock at Warehouse B.’
’Once Warehouse A is empty, I’ll move them over to Warehouse B. Then I can go back to Warehouse A to ’restock’.’
’By rotating like this, the risk of exposure will be much lower. No one should get suspicious.’
"Oh, by the way, Little Li," Wu Jun added, "this time, the warehouse needs to be far from the Xiao’anshe area. I don’t want to rent in Xiao’anshe."
"Of course, Mr. Wu. Your wish is my command," Li Jingwei replied, continuing his search on the computer.
"Mr. Wu, I’ve found a warehouse next to Alliance Road District that fits your requirements perfectly. It’s 680 square meters and a good distance from Xiao’anshe. It was previously used for food storage, and the last tenant cleaned it thoroughly before they left, so you can use it immediately after renting." After searching for a bit, Li Jingwei turned to Wu Jun. "Would you like me to take you over to have a look?"
’Near Alliance Road District?’
The address Li Jingwei mentioned sounded familiar to Wu Jun. Then it clicked. ’Isn’t that the same district where Wang Hongliang lives?’
"Alright, let’s go take a look."
Wu Jun and Li Jingwei left the office. Wu Jun drove, heading with the agent toward Alliance Road District.
As Li Jingwei once again settled into Wu Jun’s pickup, he remarked, "You’re really low-key, Mr. Wu. With your status, I feel a Mercedes would be more your style."
"My driving skills aren’t there yet, so I’m just practicing on this thing for now." Wu Jun wanted to buy a luxury car too, but he couldn’t afford it yet.
’A man’s car is a reflection of his status,’ he mused. ’I’ve lost count of how many people have made fun of me for driving a pickup truck.’
’Last time at the Shimen Grand Hotel, someone mistook me for a delivery driver. It was mortifying. The first thing I’m doing when I have money is getting a new car!’
After about twenty minutes of driving through traffic, Wu Jun parked in front of the warehouse, following Li Jingwei’s directions. They both got out of the truck.
As Li Jingwei fumbled for the keys, he began his sales pitch. "Brother Wu, this warehouse is in a great spot. Just across the road is a commercial street, so it’s convenient for food and shopping. All the residents from Alliance Road District shop over there. It’s way more bustling than the Xiao’anshe area. You can wander over whenever you have free time."
Li Jingwei opened the warehouse door and led Wu Jun on a quick tour inside. "So, Brother Wu, what do you think? If this doesn’t work, I can take you to see some other places."
Wu Jun asked, "What’s the annual rent for this warehouse?"
Li Jingwei replied, "The landlord is asking for 150,000 a year. I think I can talk them down by about 5,000."
"Alright, this is the one." The warehouse’s location was better than the one in Xiao’anshe, and it was nearly 100 square meters larger. The price was acceptable, so Wu Jun made the decision on the spot.
After buying a car for Cui Zhishen that afternoon, Wu Jun’s savings were wiped out again. He had no choice but to borrow 200,000 from his "Little Aunt" to tide him over.
He had paid her back 400,000 last time. The only person who would lend him 200,000 without a moment’s hesitation was her. Getting money from her was as easy as withdrawing it from his own bank account.
Wu Jun sent her a text, entering the "withdrawal password": Little Aunt.
Ma Siyu: How much this time?
Wu Jun: 200,000.
A moment later, Wu Jun received a transfer notification:
[Alipay transfer received: 200,000 yuan.]