Chapter 431: Chapter 431: The First Batch to Make Their Fortune
Granny Bo also pulled her granddaughter, Lin Sisi, away. When Lin Sisi saw Gu Jiaojiao pushing Mu Ziquan’s wheelchair, she had wanted to rush over and yell at her.
Granny Bo covered her mouth and dragged her away as she whimpered, feeling too ashamed to thank her young benefactor.
Bo Zhao Feng and his wife also left, dragging along their resentful-looking daughter.
Even after they were some distance away, Bao Tingting was still muttering, "Dad, that woman is just a caregiver. Why are you so afraid of her?"
"You ignorant fool. I’ll deal with you when we get home," Bo Zhao Feng warned in a low voice. "Is this how your mother normally teaches you?"
’My husband is basically calling me a fool, isn’t he?’ Mrs. Bo thought, but she had no proof.
"Waaah... Dad, you don’t love me anymore! What’s so great about that caregiver that all of you are siding with her?"
"I don’t know who she is, but for the heads of several major families to show her such favor, there must be a reason she’s worthy of it. Do you understand?"
Bao Tingting wanted to argue, but a look from her mother stopped her. "Tingting, since when do you dare to question your father?"
"Dad, Mom, I’m sorry. I’m not questioning you, I just don’t get it. She clearly said she was a caregiver."
"So you believe whatever she says? She also told you not to mess with her. Why didn’t you believe *that*?"
Bo Zhao Feng stopped and looked at his daughter, his frustration with the girl’s foolishness palpable.
But Bao Tingting was his own flesh and blood, so all he could do was try to teach her patiently. He softened his tone and said...
"Tingting, do you know who was on the second floor of the Mu residence?"
"I don’t know," Bao Tingting replied, still sulking.
"Then let me tell you. The Family Heads of the Imperial City’s four great families were all up there. And that ’caregiver’ you were talking about was eating on the second floor with them. Do you understand now?"
"Dear, even you weren’t invited upstairs by Uncle?" Mrs. Bo said, feeling it was unfair to her husband.
"Hmph. So you’re aware I wasn’t invited. The Bao Family may have some standing in the Imperial City, but it’s far from enough."
"I also heard the girl say herself that she was Ziquan’s caregiver. Now it seems she was deliberately misleading everyone."
Mrs. Bo added unhappily, "She knew perfectly well that Ming Jun and his mother were at my table, yet she still thrashed them without holding back."
"You think she beat them up for my benefit? How naive can you be! In the Mu residence, what kind of weight do I carry?"
"Dear, you’re already very accomplished. Please don’t sell yourself short. They say the ignorant are fearless. That girl probably doesn’t know how influential you are."
"Not only does she know who I am, she knows I’ve been looking for her. And she clearly has no interest in the favor our Bao Family owes her!"
"Dad, what are you talking about? I don’t understand."
"That girl saved your grandmother’s life once," Mrs. Bo quietly told her daughter.
"What? She’s the person Grandma goes out looking for every day? Then why didn’t Grandma go up and greet her today?"
"She doesn’t need us to," Bo Zhao Feng said. His estimation of the girl rose to a new height.
After most of the Mu Family’s guests had left, Mr. Han and Elder Xiao slowly made their way downstairs.
Elder Xiao stepped forward. "Jiaojiao, does your hand hurt? Next time something like this happens, just call that boy Xiao Rui to handle it."
"Haha, it’s more satisfying to do it myself. That mother and son are connected to the Bao Family. Do you think Granny Bo will blame me?"
"Hmph! Look at the kind of people she raised. She wouldn’t dare blame you. She wouldn’t have the nerve," Old Mu said indignantly.
"You can’t blame Granny Bo for this," Gu Jiaojiao said reasonably. "A daughter married off is like spilled water. Her daughter has been thoroughly assimilated by the Lin Family."
"What’s the big deal about the Lin Family? Didn’t that boy say it himself? Before the war, the old master of the Lin Family was just someone’s butler."
"Jiaojiao, if you’re unhappy, your Big Bro will take care of the Lin Family. I’ll make sure they have no place left in the Imperial City."
"Elder Xiao, let’s just wait and see for now. The Lin Family is the second family to have its own factory. They’re one of the first trailblazers of this era."
"We can’t just crush people who are contributing to the country. Let’s not bring down the Lin Family over my personal grievances."
"Jiaojiao, you’re too kind. Big Bro will do as you say. If the Lin Family doesn’t ask for trouble, we can turn a blind eye and let them thrive."
The old men chatted with Gu Jiaojiao over tea. These were their happiest moments.
Gu Jiaojiao knew that private entrepreneurs began to emerge around the 1980s. At this point, the Empire’s economy wasn’t in great shape.
The people yearned to go into business for themselves, all of them dreaming of having their own place of operation.
This was especially true in the big cities, where policies for self-employment were already in place: business owners were responsible for their own profits and losses, and had to pay their industrial and commercial administration fees and taxes on time.
This ranged from running a small street stall to privately operating a factory. In short, whether it was a large factory or a small stall...
...the model was more or less the same. They were the first wave of private entrepreneurs, and they not only created personal wealth but also contributed to the nation’s economy.
So, the Lin Family was one of the first brave pioneers to make a fortune. It was only natural that a few of their descendants would turn out to be spoiled brats.
’I can’t just take down a family that has contributed to the country,’ she thought. ’But if the Lin Family insists on throwing their weight around and bullying people, then they can’t blame me for being ruthless.’
The Lin Family might be impressive, but she and Su Shuochi already owned massive factories producing medical equipment and appliances.
Any single one of their factories could leave the Lin Family in the dust. Even the Xiao Family’s pharmaceutical plant couldn’t compare to the factories she and her husband owned.
Thus, as she chatted, she laughed cheerfully, completely unaffected by the earlier incident. Seeing Gu Jiaojiao’s expression, Mu Ziquan felt his own spirits lift for some reason.
「As the sun began to set」
Su Shuochi walked into the Mu residence, backlit by the evening glow. He was wearing a set of blue work clothes.
His shirt was tucked neatly into his pants, secured by a snug leather belt. The sharp lines made his already tall frame appear even more long and lean.
Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and his cuffs were slightly rolled up, revealing the perfect, muscular lines of his forearms...
On him, the simple work clothes looked breathtakingly handsome.
His hair was a buzz cut that Gu Jiaojiao had given him herself, making his eyes look even sharper and his features more profound.
When he was silent, he looked just like one of those domineering CEOs from later-era dramas inspecting a construction site. Even Gu Jiaojiao found herself staring, mesmerized.
"Jiaojiao, I’m here to take you home." The moment he opened his mouth, the domineering CEO instantly turned into an obedient puppy.
"Shuo Ci, you’re here! Stay and have dinner with us before you go," Old Mu said immediately, beaming.
"Thank you, Old Mu, but we won’t stay for dinner. We’re heading home now. Mr. Han, Elder Xiao, we’ll be taking our leave."
"We’re about to head home for dinner ourselves. Ah, Shuo Ci, when you’re not so busy, why don’t you bring Jiaojiao over to our place for a casual meal?" Elder Xiao invited warmly.
"Of course. We’ll get going now," Su Shuochi said, taking Gu Jiaojiao’s hand and leading her out.
"Goodbye, my three big brothers! Ziquan, tomorrow, start doing the rehabilitation exercises I taught you."
"Goodbye, Jiaojiao, Shuo Ci."
"Goodbye, Shuo Ci. Goodbye, Jiaojiao. I’ll be sure to do my exercises on schedule."
Su Shuochi led Gu Jiaojiao out of the living room and straight to their car.
Gu Jiaojiao asked in a playfully chiding tone, "You work so hard all day. Why did you still come to pick me up?"
"No matter how busy I am, I’ll always have time to pick you up. Did you have fun today?"
"I had a great time."
Gu Jiaojiao chattered away, telling Su Shuochi all about how she had successfully treated Mr. Li...
...but she left out the part about getting into a fight.
