Chapter 180 The Richest Man Flees in Disarray
A slightly dilapidated yellow taxi was speeding along the wide main road.
The heating in the carriage was on full blast, and there was even a musty smell mixed with cheap leather and tobacco.
In the back seat of the car, a man wearing an orange sanitation worker's vest was slumped over.
It was Jiang Jianguo, the richest man in Beijing, who had just crawled and scrambled out of a haystack.
He was like a fish out of air, panting heavily.
He disdainfully tossed the tattered straw hat, covered in rotten leaves and mud, onto the doormat.
He also ripped off the large mask that was pressing painfully against his ears.
His old face, swollen to a liver color from lack of oxygen, excruciating pain, and extreme anger, was revealed.
"Excuse me, could you please turn the heating down a bit? I feel stuffy."
As Jiang Jianguo panted, he reached out to pull at the sanitation worker's vest that was two sizes too small.
The taxi driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror, his eyes filled with undisguised suspicion.
Why is a sanitation worker dressed like this not sweeping the alley, but running out to hail a taxi?
Moreover, the place where I took the taxi was in the prime inner-city area where land is extremely valuable.
"Hey bro, cleaning must be tough work, right?"
The driver, a kind-hearted Beijing native, casually turned the heater down by one notch.
"But judging from your shoes, they don't look like they're for manual labor."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Jianguo's heart leaped into his throat.
He subconsciously shrank his muddy leather shoes under the seat.
"Ah... well, I found these high-quality replicas at a street stall, they cost a few dozen yuan a pair."
Jiang Jianguo gave a dry explanation and then immediately shut his mouth.
He was in no mood to deal with a taxi driver's small talk.
His hand was pressed tightly against his lower back, where a tearing, throbbing pain was emanating from.
That fall headfirst from the wall into the green belt must have seriously injured him.
The slightest movement sends that excruciating, tingling sensation straight to the top of your head.
When has he, the head of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate, ever suffered such inhuman torture?
Jiang Jianguo gritted his teeth, turned his head, and stared intently at the rearview mirror outside the car window.
In the mirror, the antique-style archway of Nanluoguxiang is getting smaller and smaller in view.
Until it was completely submerged by traffic.
But the jarring scenes in the courtyard seemed to have taken root in his mind.
That plate of Longjing shrimp looked incredibly tempting.
That cup of steaming hot tea.
Song Wan's rare, gentle smile, full of appreciation and satisfaction.
And then there's my precious daughter, who's usually as cold as ice, but now acts like a sweet tea-serving maid.
All of this was tearing at Jiang Jianguo's already fragile nerves.
"You brat..."
Jiang Jianguo let out a silent roar through gritted teeth in his heart.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms.
"Don't think you've won just like that!"
"A plate of shredded shrimp and a few pretentious, flowery words—you think you can swindle the Jiang family?"
"Keep dreaming!"
Jiang Jianguo's chest heaved violently, his eyes burning with an indomitable fighting spirit.
Song Wan has excellent taste; the fact that this guy has caught her eye shows he's got some skills.
But Jiang Jianguo is a businessman through and through.
In the world of business, talent and skill alone are far from enough.
"Even having a wife to back you up isn't enough!"
"I built the Jiang family's empire from scratch, and ultimately, I'm the one who calls the shots!"
"If you want to marry my daughter and step into the Jiang family, you'll have to ask me if I agree!"
The father-in-law's unreasonable competitive spirit swelled to its peak in the cramped back seat of the taxi.
Meanwhile.
Let's shift our focus back to Nanluoguxiang, which has now returned to tranquility.
Outside Lin's Restaurant.
The cold wind continued to blow against the withered vines on the wall.
Lin Mo was casually leaning against the heavy wooden door with its bronze knocker.
His clean white shirt looked rather thin in the early winter wind.
But he exuded an indescribable sense of ease and relaxation.
Lin Mo's gaze swept past the bluestone path at the entrance of the alley, calmly watching the yellow taxi disappear around the corner.
Then, his gaze slowly moved downwards.
It landed at the base of the wall on the old shared bicycle that had fallen to the ground and was covered in mud and dead leaves.
One of the bicycle's pedals has completely broken off.
The rear wheels, still blowing in the cold wind, made a faint and comical turning sound.
Lin Mo looked at the crime scene, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.
A smile, tinged with a mix of helplessness and amusement, appeared on his face.
Of course he knew what had just happened.
I also know perfectly well who that person was, who had been perched on the wall, enduring the cold wind for two whole hours.
It was as early as when he came out of the kitchen carrying that plate of Longjing shrimp.
His extraordinary hearing picked up the unusual, heavy breathing outside the wall.
There were also the faint scraping sounds of shared bicycles struggling to keep up with the load.
Even midway through the meal, he could faintly hear the sound of swallowing saliva coming from outside the wall.
The reason why it hasn't been brought up yet.
On the one hand, they didn't want to ruin the rare, harmonious atmosphere in the courtyard where their mother-in-law and old friends gathered.
On the other hand, it was also to leave this proud father-in-law with a little dignity.
If we really expose it to your face.
That richest man in Beijing would probably be so ashamed and angry that he'd want to crawl into a hole and never want to see him again.
"This old man is actually kind of adorably stubborn."
Lin Mo chuckled to himself and shook his head.
At his advanced age, he's even abandoned his status as the richest man in order to keep an eye on his daughter.
This protectiveness is quite touching.
However, the price of this self-inflicted injury was far too tragic.
Lin Mo withdrew his gaze and stopped paying attention to the shared bicycle that had tragically perished.
He turned around and slowly closed the heavy wooden door behind him.
With a dull thud, the wooden door closed.
The cold wind and noise of the alley were once again completely shut out.
The courtyard house has regained the tranquility and peace that is unique to old houses.
Shortly after Song Wan left, Wang Cuncun and Zhou Yang, those two old men, also took their leave, satisfied.
Before leaving, the two argued heatedly all the way back about the academic controversy they had just had regarding the dougong (bracket set) of the Tang Dynasty.
At this moment, only the slightly disheveled stone table remained in the center of the courtyard.
Lin Mo strode back to the table.
He slowly and methodically stacked the rough pottery teacups and blue-and-white porcelain plates on the table together.
The movements were smooth and skillful.
The late autumn sun had already crossed the eaves, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone slabs.
Lin Mo carried the bowls and plates and steadily walked into the kitchen.
The faucet was turned on, and cool tap water flowed out.
He squeezed out a little dish soap and carefully wiped the blue and white porcelain teacup that Song Wan had just used.
White foam swirls on your fingertips, washing away the tea stains remaining on the cup.
While cleaning the tea set, Lin Mo silently considered the current situation in his mind.
Today's unexpected incognito visit, though dangerous, had a surprisingly good outcome.
He easily solved the question about the broken jade that Song Wan had given up on even the experts.
I passed the mother-in-law's test completely and without any doubt.
With the tacit approval of Song Wan, the matriarch of the Jiang family.
From now on, Jiang Ruoyun will no longer have to run around in this alley with the same fear and trepidation as a thief.
With the endorsement of these two masters, Lin's Restaurant's prestige in Beijing's social circles has become as solid as a rock.
Everything is ready except for the final push.
but.
Lin Mo turned the washed teacup upside down on the drainer and picked up a clean towel to wipe his hands.
His eyes became deep and clear at that moment.
He knew very well that the peace and tranquility before him belonged only to this small courtyard house.
Jiang Ruoyun is not an ordinary girl from the alley; she is the sole heir to a multi-billion dollar conglomerate.
She is a top-tier heiress who is closely watched by countless eyes in the entire elite circle of Beijing.
He wanted to stand by her side legitimately and rightfully.
He wanted to shield her from the hidden dangers of arranged marriages and the prejudices of social classes.
Simply hiding in the alleyways to cook a few good dishes and repair a few antiques is far from enough.
He had to step out of that wooden door in an absolutely public and authoritative setting.
They demonstrated their overwhelming strength to all those who doubted them.
Only in this way can we completely silence the gossips of the scions of prominent families in the capital.
Only then could he truly convince his father-in-law, who was obsessed with saving face and valued social standing more than his own life, to shut up.
He's still missing something.
Lin Mo dried his hands, walked out of the kitchen, and went to his quiet room.
The room was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood.
He looked up and his gaze naturally fell on the old-fashioned tear-off calendar hanging on the wall.
He hung it on the wall specifically to record the fermentation cycle of the ingredients.
My gaze passed over the densely packed solar term markings above.
Ultimately, it settled on the eighth day of the following month.
The number was printed in a bright red, with a circle drawn lightly with a brush next to it.