Chapter 1626: Chapter 1928: Zhu Family’s Predicament (2)
Zhu Qing gave a bitter smile and said, "That’s the crux of the matter. The Zhu Family considered this issue a long time ago and invested in many industries. In the first few years, the returns were indeed good, especially if the Zhu Family had increased their investment. But, whether it was due to sheer bad luck or an inherent unsuitability for this line of work, all of the Zhu Family’s investments went down the drain, losing more than half of their assets. Back then, if it weren’t for the Lin Family’s assistance, lending a huge sum of money to the Zhu Family, they wouldn’t have been able to keep turning. Later on, the Lin Family invited the Zhu Family to join them in investments. The Family Head thought, since the Lin Family was the richest in Dengzhou City and their specialty was business, following them surely wouldn’t lead to losses. So, we trusted them, borrowed a significant amount of capital from the Lin Family, but ended up losing everything. Since then, the Zhu Family gave up on financial investments. The money was gone, but the huge debt to the Lin Family remained, and the interest over all these years has been terrifying. More than half of every penny the Zhu Family earns goes to the Lin Family, and it’s still not paid off. If the Zhu Family encounters any trouble requiring financial help, they still need to turn to the Lin Family. After all I’ve said, now you should understand the reason."
So that’s how it is!
Ling Chen nodded, finally understanding the Zhu Family’s predicament. As the saying goes, even a hero can be brought low by the lack of a penny; this is even more true in today’s realistic society. Without money, you can’t take a single step, let alone for a prominent family like the Zhu Family.
"What if you marry someone from the Lin Family? Who will protect my safety? Our agreement was for a lifetime, don’t forget."
Zhu Qing gave Ling Chen a sidelong glance and said, "Don’t worry. I won’t forget. I’ll be away for at most a year or two, and once I’ve had the child, I’ll come back to you."
Ling Chen smiled and asked, "Once you have a child, will you still feel inclined to stay by my side?"
Hearing this, Zhu Qing fell silent, not responding. Seeing her complex expression, Ling Chen asked, "Since there are so many men in the Lin Family, have you taken a liking to any of them?"
Zhu Qing shook her head and said, "I don’t want to continue this topic."
Zhu Qing didn’t want to talk, but Ling Chen did. Seeing Zhu Qing ready to drive away, Ling Chen snatched the car keys and said, "We’ve already talked so much; we might as well discuss more. Tell me your true thoughts. Maybe I can help you."
"Help me? How can you help me? You’re not part of the Zhu Family. You can’t meddle in our affairs."
Ling Chen laughed and said, "The main issue with the Zhu Family is nothing more than a lack of money. If there is money, I suppose they wouldn’t force you to marry into the Lin Family. Hey! I should be better than those Lin Family men. How about I ask the Family Head to betroth you to me?"
"Oh, stop it with these jokes," Zhu Qing said irritably.
"Okay, okay, no more jokes. Seriously, I really want to help you. You’re my friend, and I don’t want you to be unhappy," Ling Chen said earnestly. "You know I am a rich guy without money issues, so don’t be shy with me."
"We’ll see when the time comes." Zhu Qing stretched out her hand and said, "First, give me the car keys. I’ll take you somewhere."
Half an hour later, Zhu Qing drove to a residential area in the southern part of Dengzhou City. After parking, they went straight up to the third floor of a residential building. Ling Chen looked around; the building was rather old, and not many people lived there. Was Zhu Qing bringing him to meet someone?
As he pondered, Zhu Qing stopped outside a room and knocked on the door. A moment later, an old man appeared at the door before them. Looking at the old man, Ling Chen glanced twice and noticed his left eye was blind and several scars marked his face, giving him an aged appearance.
"Oh! Isn’t this Qing," the old man’s face filled with wrinkles squeezed together, full of smiles seeing Zhu Qing.
"Fourth Grandpa, long time no see," Zhu Qing said.
"It has been a long time. I heard you were on a mission?"
Zhu Qing nodded and said, "Let me introduce you. This is Ling Chen, my employer. The Family Head asked me to bring him here to find something." As she spoke, she took a token from her pocket and handed it to the old man.
"Hello, Sir," Ling Chen greeted politely.
"Come in, don’t stand outside," the old man stepped aside, welcoming Ling Chen and Zhu Qing inside.
Entering the room, Ling Chen looked at the furnishings and was surprised. He thought it was just an ordinary home but found the space inside was vast, as if several adjoining homes were connected to form a large house.
In the room, many wooden shelves were stacked with thick papers, most of which had turned yellow with age, indicating they were many years old.
"Qing, what are you looking for?"
"The archives concerning the Netherworld Snake."
"Alright, sit here for a bit. I’ll go look for it." With that, the old man left, and Ling Chen quietly asked, "What is this place?"
"This is where the Zhu Family stores hundreds of years of archives and documents, essentially a secret base for the family." After a pause, Zhu Qing continued, "Fourth Grandpa is the Family Head’s brother. He was severely injured on a mission before, lost an eye, and has some disabilities, so he took the initiative to stay here and guard this place."
"If it’s a secret base, why bring me here?"
"Because I trust you. Besides, even if you had any ulterior motives, you wouldn’t succeed. Fourth Grandpa, despite his health, is more than capable of handling you."
Hearing this, Ling Chen felt a chill. Could this seemingly unimpressive old man be so formidable? Just as he was thinking, the old man returned with a dusty file.
"Here’s what you wanted. Keep it safe."
"Thank you, Fourth Grandpa."
"No need to thank me. Just remember to bring me a few bottles of wine next time you visit."
"I’ll remember."
Outside the residential building, Zhu Qing handed the file over to Ling Chen and said, "You can take these documents back to review. Return them to me once you’re done."
Back at the Zhu Family, as Ling Chen got out of the car, Zhu Houchang approached from across the way. "Mr. Zhu," Ling Chen greeted him with a nod. Zhu Houchang smiled and replied, "Mr. Ling, you must be tired from being out so long; go rest in your room. I’ll call you when dinner is ready." With that said, Zhu Houchang turned his attention to Zhu Qing and said, "Qing, come with me. I have something to discuss with you."
Zhu Qing acknowledged with a nod and followed Zhu Houchang towards the front hall of the Siheyuan.
In the room, Ling Chen took out his phone and called Hu Fei to inquire about the situation over the past few days. Although he wasn’t in East Sea City, there were still matters he needed to keep an eye on.
