In the convertible jeep, Heitou was driving and Sun Bo was sitting in the back and driving.
In the back row were Lu Ming and He Mojun, with Yaya sitting in the middle.
Following the jeep was a sidecar motorcycle, ridden by Leibao, Heifeng and classmate Zhao.
Lu Ming specially brought magic playing cards from Pirlo and performed magic for Yaya, making Yaya laugh all the way.
It is more than seventy miles from Sansha Town to Jingyang Town. The dirt road is very bumpy and the car cannot drive fast. It took nearly an hour to get there.
Jingyang Town is a small town at the foot of a mountain. In the distance, there are deep mountains and dense forests, with peaks upon peaks. The darkness and depth of the towering mountains stretch as far as the eye can see.
The Guo family mansion has three courtyards and a deep courtyard. It is the house of an old-fashioned country gentleman, completely different from the house of a nouveau riche like Brigade Commander Hu.
But it was as lively as a boiling pot inside.
Guo Youxi, the second son of the Guo family, and his wife were quarreling loudly. A shrill female voice kept calling out "Old Hu Tu" which pierced the eardrums. It could be heard clearly outside the yard. It must be Guo Youxi's wife, scolding Guo Youdong's family who had absconded with the money. She even blamed her parents-in-law, calling them "Old Hu Tu" and "Old Hu Tu".
"Let's go to my parents first!" He Mojun was a little helpless.
"Ah, I came here empty-handed." Lu Ming just remembered that He Mojun had mentioned when she was talking that she had brought her parents here as well. Since she was an only child, it would be very convenient for her to bring her parents here.
"It's okay, just don't write the check."
Lu Ming smiled. In fact, his sister-in-law had not changed much. She was still as sharp-tongued and unreasonable as ever.
There was a grocery store in the town. Lu Ming went there and bought four gifts, which were snacks, two bottles of white wine, a bag of candies and a few packs of cigarettes. However, the snacks looked like they were made by someone in the town, the white wine didn't even have a trademark, and the candies were obviously expired. Some of the candies were collapsed, and the cigarettes were not in strips and were tied together with hemp ropes.
This is the best gift I have ever chosen, and it only cost me 50 cents in total.
In Donghai, a four-color gift for 5 cents is much more decent than this. Inconvenient transportation and expensive and scarce supplies make the prices of non-essential consumer goods higher in areas with extremely low incomes.
Lu Ming could only shake his head as he held the four-color snacks.
He Mojun's parents lived in a small courtyard not far from the Guo family mansion. The brick walls and tiled houses were quite conspicuous in the small town.
When they saw Lu Ming, He's parents were filled with shame. They called him "Third Young Master" and kept complaining that their daughter was not ambitious, and that she was unworthy of the Lu family and brought disgrace to the family.
He Mojun had been hiding for a long time, as if she knew what her parents would say when they saw Lu Ming. Besides, the Guo family was in chaos, so she naturally had to go back and take a look.
Lu Ming had no impression of He's father and mother, but the old couple recognized him the first time they saw him. Now they were like two sinners. They might even be wondering why their daughter brought her brother-in-law here. How could she face them
Lu Ming felt even more helpless. Seeing Yaya staring at him eagerly, he took out the playing cards again, and Yaya immediately cheered.
Halfway through, Liu Jingtang came over and reported on the situation of taking over the coal mine.
He was scolded by his old friend and even broke off the friendship with him, so he was in a low mood, but there was nothing he could do as it was his duty.
"Third Young Master, did you buy the Guo family's mine?" He's father heard the voice and asked hesitantly when he came to pour water for Lu Ming after Liu Jingtang left.
Lu Ming nodded, "Yes, but I left a well for the Guo family, so there is no problem in maintaining their current life." He kept telling He's father and mother that they could call him the third son or A Ming, but they insisted on calling him the third young master, and there was nothing he could do.
After hearing what Lu Ming said, He's father sighed softly and didn't say anything more.
It was almost time for dinner when He Mojun came back.
"Have you sent people to the mountains?" Lu Ming asked.
He Mojun was stunned: "Are you serious?"
On the way to Jingyang Town, Lu Ming asked He Mojun to find someone to go to the mountains to deliver a letter and meet Hei Laoliu.
He Mojun thought Lu Ming was joking.
Lu Ming said: "Of course, since I'm in Jingyang, I can meet him by the way. Besides, it's better to solve the problem quickly than to drag it out."
He Mojun looked at his parents and said to Lu Ming, "Let's go to the side room and talk." He then said, "Dad, Mom, please keep an eye on Yaya."
The east wing was very tidy. After entering, He Mojun stared at Lu Ming with her beautiful eyes: "Do you know how many people Hei Laoliu has and how many guns he has?"
Lu Ming nodded: "There are more than 300 people, and only 40 to 50 of them can be called guns."
He Mojun looked at his expression and asked, "Although Hei Laoliu has never done anything like massacring a village, burning, killing, or looting, if you don't get his way, he is no more merciful than the old jackals, do you understand?"
Lu Ming smiled and said, "His so-called benevolence is based on others obeying the rules he set. He doesn't charge random fees. He always sets the so-called protection fee at his discretion so that people can pay it. For example, he sent someone to my place and said it was 1,000 yuan a month. In fact, for most coal bosses, they would give it to him just to seek peace. If they don't give it to him, it would seem like they are ungrateful. Then his subsequent revenge would be taken for granted by others."
"So, his benevolence is just an illusion. He is very smart, or he has a good military advisor."
He Mojun frowned slightly, "Have you communicated with the city police?"
Lu Ming shook his head: "No need, I brought an armed force with me. Since Hei Laoliu is a smart man, then talking to him is like giving him a way out. I hope he is really smart and will not only abide by the rules he made, but also understand that sometimes, you must abide by the rules made by others."
He Mojun looked at Lu Ming with surprise in his eyes. The implicit meaning in his uncle's words was that he was here to make the rules.
After not seeing him for a few years, my brother-in-law has really become a different person, completely different from before.
If I didn't disbelieve in ghosts and gods, I would really suspect that the brother-in-law in front of me was some kind of mountain spirit or ghost.
Lu Ming raised his head and smiled: "Sister-in-law, I have an impression that you studied law in college, right? After the honeymoon, you insisted on going out to work, but in the end you didn't go... My family was not so open-minded at that time."
He Mojun sighed: "It's all in the past, why are you still here?"
"Okay, sister-in-law, you ask someone to go to the mountains. I'll write a letter and take it over. Ask Mr. Hei Liu to come to Jingyang Town for a gathering tomorrow if he has time. In addition, I have to ask someone to go to the county overnight."
He Mojun nodded: "Since you have a plan in mind, I will ask someone to do it, but Sanzi, you really have to think about it carefully. There are no good men and women among the bandits in the mountains."
Lu Ming smiled: "I know."
He Mojun stood up, walked to the door and said, "For dinner, Nan's father wants to invite you to his house. Maybe he still holds out some hope. I think you should eat here and stay here tonight." Somehow, in front of this former brother-in-law, he couldn't say the words "father of the family" anymore.
Lu Ming nodded: "Well, I'll stay here." The relationship is too complicated, and it would be awkward to dine at the Guo family.