Fu Weidong thought she had come to her senses and immediately agreed. “Alright. You don’t need to wash the dishes at home.”
Fu Yunzhu got off the bed, slipped on her patched, worn cloth shoes, and headed straight for Gu Yu’s house.
But just as she reached the village entrance, she heard a group of people talking animatedly.
“Don’t worry, Auntie Liu. Every bit of money you invest is recorded clearly by Brother Yu. Once our appliance store starts making a profit, we definitely won’t let you suffer any losses.”
Fu Yunzhu looked up and saw a circle of people gathered at the village entrance. A man sat in the middle of them, and even while seated, his unique presence made him stand out head and shoulders above the rest.
Behind him stood a young man, loudly and enthusiastically hawking and explaining things.
“What if we lose money?” someone asked anxiously.
“Yeah, that’s a huge investment.”
The young man laughed. “Brother Yu started with nothing and helped sell your eggs and vegetables throughout the entire county. From small street stalls to full-scale market booths and storefronts has he ever once made you lose money?
“The money you’re holding now wasn’t it all earned for you by Brother Yu? Now villagers from neighboring villages are even coming to us on their own initiative to sell their produce. You could say we’ve monopolized all the vegetables and farm products within ten miles. Are you still afraid Brother Yu won’t be able to pay you back if there’s a loss?
“Put this money in, and I guarantee you’ll earn double again.”
Hearing the word “double,” and with the facts right in front of them, everyone’s eyes lit up.
“Gu Yu, is what He Yong said true?” they asked, referring to the doubling.
After all, this was a large sum of money that Gu Yu had long been using to purchase goods and keep things turning over. It had only just landed in their hands and hadn’t even had time to warm up.
Gu Yu, who had been sitting silently in his chair the entire time, finally gave a lazy nod. “Mm.”
“Then we’ll invest.”
Fu Yunzhu drew in a sharp breath. It seemed this man had been playing the game of turning nothing into something all along first leveraging the villagers’ eggs, vegetables, and labor to make money, then returning high profits to build their confidence, and finally siphoning off the profits in their hands for even higher-level investments.
Once these villagers invested again, they would have no choice but to cooperate fully and submit to his commands.
In the end, he gained both capital and manpower. To come up with such a financing method in an environment like this was truly impressive.
Just then, someone noticed Fu Yunzhu. “Yunzhu, you’re here looking for Gu Yu again?”
The people who had been standing in a circle automatically made a path for her.
When Fu Yunzhu finally saw Gu Yu’s face clearly, the blood in her veins seemed to freeze. That young man looked exactly like her ruthless capitalist husband. Coupled with his manner and bearing, Fu Yunzhu was one hundred percent certain it was him. He had transmigrated here.
No wonder he could come up with such a financing method even in this environment.
This black-hearted capitalist had graduated from Stanford Business School, created a Chinese legend on Wall Street in just three years, and after returning to China, took control of the entire commercial lifeline of the imperial capital within five years.
She didn’t know whether his appearance would be a blessing or a curse for these villagers. Judging by what she knew of him, the people gathered around him would most likely spend the rest of their lives as his workhorses.
Gu Yu lifted his eyes and keenly caught the fleeting trace of something unusual on Fu Yunzhu’s face. He immediately beckoned to her, his voice low and gentle. “Come here.”
Hearing his voice, Fu Yunzhu quickly gathered herself and suppressed all her emotions. When she looked up, she met his faintly smiling gaze and froze for a moment.
When this bastard wasn’t smiling, his phoenix eyes carried a cold, authoritative severity that was deeply oppressive. But when he was trying to charm someone, they became gentle and affectionate like peach blossom eyes dangerously easy to fall into.
She hurriedly looked away, pretended to be her former self, and walked over obediently, softly calling out, “Brother Gu Yu.”
She absolutely could not let him recognize her.
Gu Yu looked at her current demeanor and felt momentarily dazed, as though that brief instant earlier had merely been an illusion.
He Yong asked again, “Yunzhu, what did you come to see Brother Gu Yu for?”
“It’s nothing,” she replied. “I just came to take a look.”
Hearing that, Gu Yu lowered his gaze. This was something Fu Yunzhu usually did.
Seeing that Gu Yu didn’t say anything, Fu Yunzhu spoke again. “Since you all have things to discuss, I won’t disturb you any further.”
“Alright,” Gu Yu replied.
Watching Fu Yunzhu’s retreating figure, he lost all interest in continuing.
After the meeting dispersed and he returned home, Gu Yu went into his room, took out a calendar, and flipped through it page by page.
Finally, he took out five cards and laid them out in order. His gaze fixed on the date on the last card.
Today was the last day yet his wife still hadn’t come?
Gu Yu’s heart sank once again…
As soon as Fu Yunzhu returned home, Fu Weidong came up to her. “What did Gu Yu say?”
Fu Yunzhu shot Fu Weidong a sideways glance. “When I went, Gu Yu was holding a meeting at the village entrance. There were a lot of people, so I didn’t talk to him about it.”
Fu Weidong’s expression immediately darkened. “Then wasn’t that trip for nothing?”
Fu Yunzhu smiled. “How could it be? After seeing him just now, I’m even more certain of my idea. If Dad really dotes on me, then prepare eighteen hundred yuan as my dowry.”
He Cuihua, who had been sitting quietly nearby, immediately exploded upon hearing this. “Fu Weidong, look at how you’ve spoiled Yunzhu! If people heard this, they’d definitely curse her as a money-losing burden.”
Fu Yunzhu didn’t get angry. “Mom, how could this be a money-losing burden? You should have heard long ago how much money Gu Yu has made doing business in the village. And when I went today, he was discussing investing in an appliance mall.
“Home appliances in department stores are extremely expensive. I heard that selling just one television or washing machine can bring in profits equal to half a month’s salary for an ordinary person.
“To you, this eighteen hundred yuan dowry feels like the sky is falling, but in Gu Yu’s eyes, it probably isn’t worth much at all.”
After finishing, Fu Yunzhu sighed softly to herself. Fu Yufen, oh Fu Yufen there’s a road to heaven you refuse to take, yet you insist on barging through the gates of hell. The current Gu Yu is no good person, but he should still fetch a good price in front of that mother and daughter.
When He Cuihua heard this, calculations began forming in her mind, and her tone softened. “Yunzhu, even if we sold your father, we still couldn’t scrape together eighteen hundred yuan. If Gu Yu knew the blind date was actually your younger sister, he definitely wouldn’t ask for a dowry.”
Fu Weidong nodded in agreement.
Fu Yunzhu smiled faintly. “That’s true. But I’m not willing to accept it. If you return to me the child support money my mother has sent me all these years, I’ll give up this marriage.
“Otherwise, if I can’t marry, I’ll make Gu Yu into a heartless scoundrel. I’ll go to the village entrance and loudly announce that I’m unwilling to swap marriages that it’s Gu Yu, after becoming successful, who looks down on me and wants to break off the engagement to marry my sister.
“I’ll also go to the school and ask how teachers educate their students. Two people not studying properly one actually setting her sights on her future brother-in-law, and the other wanting to become a modern-day Chen Shimei.”
“Fu Yunzhu!” Fu Weidong roared.
Fu Yunzhu immediately retreated to the doorway. “If you dare force me, I’ll go to the village entrance and spread it everywhere.”
“Nonsense!” Fu Weidong was furious. “Your sister and Gu Yu are both future college students of this village. Ruining their prospects what good does that do you? Can’t you behave yourself for once?”
Fu Yunzhu did not back down in the slightest. “If you want me to behave, then return to me the child support my mother has sent back all these years.”