Chapter 261: Chapter 258: Great Fortune Ahead_1
Zhou Ning paused briefly. It had been almost a month since they last made contact, and such a time point had come. She went to Huining Province, and it seemed she already knew the reason the laboratory had asked her to leave on a business trip.
After all, this case had caused a major shock in Qindao City. Many officials were implicated, and Xia Shouchang held such a position; it was impossible for him to be unaware of the relationships involved.
Especially since Wang Guanli’s photo had been posted, no one was a fool. With a bit of thought, everyone could figure out what was involved.
Seeing Xia Momo’s reaction, Zhou Ning wasn’t surprised. He quickly said,
"Mr. Xia, tomorrow He Shancun and Xiaoyu are getting married. We’ve just finished up here and are preparing to head back to Qidong today. I wanted to ask if you would like to come back with us."
The person on the other line was silent for a moment.
"I need to change my clothes. I’ll drive myself back later. I know where my second uncle’s house is; I’ll go find Xiaoyu directly. You guys go ahead."
Zhou Ning gave an "Oh" in response, hung up the call, and Mr. Zhao, who was beside him and had heard everything clearly, quickly gestured to everyone.
"Let’s go, let’s go. We’ll head out first. Mr. Xia needs to get ready; girls take longer."
Mr. Zhao’s call got an immediate response from everyone. Zhu Xingxing frowned slightly and glanced at her own clothes up and down.
"I should go home and change too. Sister Xiaoyu is getting married; I want to dress up for the occasion."
Mr. Zhao gave her a dismissive look.
"Go on, why join in the hustle? It’s only natural for Mr. Xia to freshen up after returning from a business trip. No matter how much you dress up, you’ll look the same. Just go like this; I think it’s quite good."
Zhu Xingxing pursed her lips tightly. Even though she was somewhat dissatisfied, she refrained from pointless chatter. With laughter, they all descended the stairs, with Liu Yongxin riding in Zhou Ning’s car and Mr. Zhao driving an Iveco because they had quite a few people to transport. Yang Xuetong drove Zhao’s car, carrying everyone towards Qidong.
Once in the car, Liu Yongxin looked at Zhou Ning and couldn’t help but speak up,
"Look here, lad, don’t let this matter cause a rift with Mr. Xia. She’s a good girl. As for her father’s choices, that’s not something she can influence. You need to separate the two, understand?"
Zhou Ning nodded. In fact, the investigation team hadn’t touched Xia Shouchang, and Zhou Ning had already breathed a sigh of relief. However, the matter between him and Xia Momo wasn’t something that could be resolved with a word or two.
"Don’t worry, Master. I’ll figure it out."
Liu Yongxin hummed in response and then sighed,
"Mr. Hu is currently acting as the head of the bureau, and Xu Dayuan has also taken a big step to become the captain of the Criminal Police Brigade. According to the bureau’s usual promotions, he’s destined to be a deputy director, as all were deputy directors who simultaneously served as captains.
However, there doesn’t seem to be any movement in the Technical Department. I don’t know what Mr. Hu is planning."
Zhou Ning smiled, knowing that Liu Yongxin felt he had put in a lot of effort and everyone else had been promoted while his own situation remained without news. Liu was worried that Zhou Ning wouldn’t be satisfied.
Actually, Zhou Ning hadn’t thought too much about it. It had been over a year, and to go from working in Qidong to working in the city bureau as a team leader was already a rapid pace for an ordinary person. As for becoming a leader, he really wasn’t ready and knew his own capacity.
"Master, I’m still a newcomer. Right now, our second group takes on major criminal cases, and even the combined caseloads of group four and five, led by Zhu Zuozhang and Feng Zhijian, aren’t as heavy as mine. I’m not concerned about promotion; instead, I hope the sixth phase of the software gets completed quickly. That’s what I truly value."
Liu Yongxin stared at Zhou Ning, and seeing his sincere words and genuine lack of resentment, he finally felt a bit relieved.
"My disciple is truly like me in that regard," he said.
They both laughed. On their way, Liu Yongxin constantly groused about his son while the pair chatted merrily. Upon reaching Qidong, they first dropped Liu Yongxin off at his home as he too needed to get ready.
"I’ll pick you and Mistress up tonight," Zhou Ning said.
Liu Yongxin quickly waved his hand in refusal.
"No need for that; we’re close enough. We’ll go straight to your second uncle’s place. I also want to have a talk with your grandfather. You go on with your work; I expect He Chunyang and the others will also head there early."
Zhou Ning didn’t say much and quickly went back to his second uncle’s house. The place was filled with people, many of whom Zhou Ning recognized, and Zhou Xiaojun was bustling about.
Seeing Zhou Ning return, Zhou Xiaojun excitedly rushed over.
"Bro, you’re finally back! Grandpa was just talking about you; go inside and see him."
Zhou Ning greeted the guests and then made his way to his grandfather’s room. The old man was sitting on the sofa with a somewhat solemn expression, which alarmed Zhou Ning as he quickly approached.
"Grandfather, are you feeling alright?"
The old man waved his hand and looked Zhou Ning up and down before gesturing to another sofa nearby.
"Sit down, tell me about the case the news mentioned this morning. The one your team is working on, the one with several deaths in a big group and the press conference?"
Zhou Ning nodded slightly, his gaze shifting back and forth on the old man’s face. Logically, his grandfather hadn’t met Wang Guanli and wouldn’t know his parents’ deaths were related to him. So, why all of a sudden such concern about this matter?
"The city bureau established a secret investigation group in collaboration with the ministry’s task force. What about it, Grandfather?"
The old man stared into Zhou Ning’s eyes, sighed deeply after a long while, and said,
"On this joyful day, I won’t say much else, but Xiao Ning, you must be careful about your safety. As an ordinary citizen, of course I hope that all these criminals and those who bully people are punished."
"But as a family member, I still hope you don’t take unnecessary risks. When you were in Qidong, although you were involved in many cases, I never felt so anxious and worried."
"These past few weeks, for some reason, I’ve been feeling especially anxious, always dreaming that something has happened to you. Grandpa is old and can’t bear the pain of losing any of you. Grandpa hopes you can stay safe and sound, can you promise me that?"
Zhou Ning held the old man’s hand—it might have been a kind of intuition—as he tried to control his emotions and gave the old man a smile.
"Grandpa worries too much. Actually, in this case, we were only responsible for investigating the murder process of the three victims. As for the economic and other issues that this case involves, those were already under covert investigation by the department. We were just assisting; no charging into battle, so don’t worry about me so much. Otherwise, come live with me, and you can see me every day."
The old man patted Zhou Ning’s head and sighed deeply.
"Good child, it’s a relief that you’re alright. There are too many people at home and it’s noisy. I’ll stay at your place for a while. I can bring a few old fellows there to play chess, and when it’s time to eat, have Xiao Jun come and call us."
Zhou Ning naturally had no objections. However, since he had been away since the second day of the New Year, the place had not been cleaned. Zhou Ning quickly got up to leave.
"Don’t worry, Grandpa, let me tidy up a bit first. I haven’t lived here for a month, and there’s probably dust everywhere."
The old man stopped Zhou Ning and started laughing.
"You scoundrel, your second aunt cleaned it up a long time ago. Go call everyone; we old folks will go there. That way, you all can chat more comfortably."
Zhou Ning helped the old man out and, together with Zhou Xiaojun, sent these grandfathers to Zhou Ning’s house. Just as they got back downstairs to his second uncle’s house, they heard shouting from behind. Turning around, Zhou Ning saw Mr. Zhao and Xia Momo coming over.
After not seeing her for over half a month, Xia Momo had lost a lot of weight and her complexion wasn’t great. Zhou Ning hurried over.
"You’ve lost so much weight. Aren’t you used to the food in Huining Province?"
Xia Momo looked at Zhou Ning with worried and anxious eyes. It seemed like any previous misgivings had vanished completely.
"The food in Huining is too spicy, and it’s mostly meat dishes. Even when there’s fish, it’s river fish, which I’m not used to."
Zhou Ning nodded.
"You prefer bland food and like to eat shellfish. Next time, I’ll ask the R&D center to cultivate a few more male operators who can be dispatched. After all, it’s not just one trip to Huining Province that will end it; there are many provinces and cities that will want to order software and equipment later on."
Xia Momo smiled and nodded at Zhou Ning.
"I rushed here so I could enjoy the feast. Now I can have a good meal."
Mr. Zhao came closer, looking discontentedly at Zhou Ning.
"How come I didn’t know Mr. Xia likes shellfish? I say, Zhou Xiaozhou, do you know what I like to eat?"
Zhou Ning pushed away the chubby face and gave Mr. Zhao a disdainful look.
"You, lad, apart from leafy greens, wouldn’t refuse anything else. You never have the words ’dietary restrictions’ in your menu. Without exception, you’d welcome fish, eggs, meat, milk—there’s no ’favorite’ for you, just ’I’ll have it all’."
With that comment, Xia Momo laughed and covered her mouth.
Mr. Zhao pushed Zhou Ning and then Zhu Xingxing came over, seeing everyone’s expressions and brimming with curiosity.
"Mr. Xia, don’t laugh. Come on, tell me, what’s going on?"
Through snickers and pauses, Xia Momo finally managed to explain how Mr. Zhao had just been mocked. Zhu Xingxing laughed so hard she punched Mr. Zhao.
"You really don’t have any dietary restrictions. When you came to my house as a kid, my mom bought roast duck, and by the time the dishes were on the table, all that was left were two duck skeletons. We were all dumbfounded. There you were, your mouth greasy, looking so innocent, but with a bloated belly, hurrying your mom to leave early, claiming your stomach felt uncomfortable."
Mr. Zhao coughed and tugged at Zhu Xingxing’s sleeve.
"Let’s stop bringing up old things. You came to my house, hugged ’Fortune Comes with Blooming Flowers’ and nibbled on it. You destroyed a perfectly good half pig’s head; is that not why I call you Zhujing?"
Zhu Xingxing got worked up, grabbing the soft flesh under Zhao Xinli’s arm, and Mr. Zhao winced in pain, continuously making faces at Zhou Ning.
"Zhou Xiaozhou, save me quick."
Zhou Ning shook his head and pulled Xia Momo to one side, heading inside through the building entrance while looking back and saying:
"You guys keep flirting here; I’ll take Mr. Xia to see Xiaoyu. Tonight, I’m planning to have a meal with everyone from Qidong, since this is the most complete gathering we’ve had. Doctor Lu and the others will be arriving later."
As soon as Mr. Zhao heard this, he hurriedly dragged Zhu Xingxing along, breaking free from her grip and clasping his hands in appeal.
"Truce, okay? You’ve bullied me all day, but let’s not mess around today. Accompany Mr. Xia to check on Xiaoyu. I’m not sure if she’s finalized her bridesmaids yet or if she needs some help. This feels like my own little sister is getting married, even though Mr. He’s a family friend too. Suddenly, it’s like someone has run off with my sister. Zhou Xiaozhou, do you feel the same way?"
Zhou Ning shook his head with a look of emotion.
"I should thank Mr. He. At least now his family fortune is in Xiaoyu’s pocket."
