novelraw Chapter 82: Uncle
Chapter 82: Uncle
Chapter 82: Uncle
2025-04-02
Chapter 82: Uncle
He was so eager to go home and count his money, only to find the money chest was empty!
Shen Yuan leaned feebly on the couch, his face ashen, flipping through account books while gasping as if in pain.
That so-called Wanfu Garden mentioned above required too much investment!
Such a large investment, and since it was approved, it meant there was support from higher-ups.
As for whether it would be profitable, no one could predict.
At this moment, he felt weak all over, with a void in his heart.
Profitability was a matter for the future; right now, the money box was almost empty.At least, it was empty from his perspective!
After quickly finishing the account book, Shen Yuan forced himself to appear composed and called the steward and a few trusted followers who remained at home for questioning.
After their questioning, he summoned his two sons.
Shen Qing and Shen Liu arrived in good spirits.
"Father, you're back. You were gone for so long, I don't know..."
Shen Yuan said calmly, "Close the door."
"Oh!"
Thinking it was another urgent secret matter, Shen Qing and Shen Liu quickly closed the door, glancing outside before doing so to ensure no one else was nearby.
Once the door was shut, they turned to find their father's face as dark as a pot's bottom.
The two of them: ???
Shen Yuan suppressed his emotions and asked in a deep voice, "Did you bring any money certificates with you?"
The two, not understanding, produced a few.
Shen Yuan continued, "Just these? Is there more?"
Hesitantly, they produced a few more.
Shen Yuan snatched them, stacking the money certificates together and fanning them across their faces like a fan.
It didn't hurt, but Shen Qing and Shen Liu were left bewildered by the slapping.
"Extravagant spendthrifts!"
Shen Yuan lamented heartache.
With a bang, he slammed the money box in front of them.
"The whole box is almost empty now?!"
Shen Qing now understood the situation and, no longer anxious, smiled and said, "Oh, Father, you're talking about this. It's all worth it!"
He recounted the glorious prospects of Wanfu Garden that Wen Gu had spoken to him about.
Shen Liu added, "I think Cousin's reasoning is sound, so all that money was invested."
Shen Yuan, holding the money certificates, fanned them back across their faces with a swish.
"Be more mindful! Do you believe everything others say? The money in this box concerns our whole family's livelihood!"
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
He couldn't sit still. Shen Yuan desperately wanted to speak to his nephew, whom he hadn't seen in many years!
He had Shen Qing and Shen Liu lead the way, and Shen Yuan, holding back his frustration, got into the carriage and headed towards Jingxing District.
Even from a distance, as they approached Jingxing District, Shen Yuan saw the high-strung fabric tents.
"What are those?" he asked.
Shen Qing replied, "It's a bridge."
"What bridge? What bridge is it? It's so close to Chinese New Year, that's too unlucky!" Shen Yuan was very displeased.
Shen Qing was bewildered.
How was it unlucky?
And besides, wasn't Chinese New Year still far away?
The district gate was busy with people coming and going. Shen Yuan took a look, got out of the carriage, and walked into the district, wanting to see what had been built with the money from the money box.
Shen Qing and Shen Liu, familiar with the way, led their father further inside to find Wen Gu.
As they neared the place of work, they saw Wen Gu chatting with over ten people.
Upon seeing the uniforms of the Patrol Division, Shen Yuan instinctively leaped behind a pile of building materials nearby.
He peeked out, observing from the shadows.
Shen Qing, seeing the scene ahead, was about to speak to his father when he turned and suddenly couldn't find Shen Yuan.
Looking around, he found him behind a pile of building materials.
"Father, what are you hiding for?"
Shen Yuan lowered his voice and waved at them to hide: "Quick! Quick! The Patrol Division is investigating a case!"
He had seen many examples of the Patrol Division's methods while he was away.
He decided not to get involved, choosing instead to find out what had happened.
Shen Qing and Shen Liu did not hide but looked ahead in confusion.
"It doesn't look like they're investigating a case," Shen Liu said.
By this time, Shen Yuan had also seen the jovial atmosphere of those talking and laughing. He walked back calmly, carefully dusting the dirt from his robes.
"Mmm, I see."
He looked up.
"Who is Wen Gu?" he asked.
"That one, the one who looks like a frail scholar," Shen Qing replied.
Shen Yuan searched.
Among the crowd that looked like soldiers, there were three scholars with distinctly different auras.
One was younger, one looked stiff, and the remaining one was refined and calm, with a subtle resemblance to how he remembered him as a child.
He was even chatting and laughing with the people from the Patrol Division.
He's not simple!
The person they were looking at also turned towards them, said a few words to the person beside him, and then walked over.
"Cousins," Wen Gu approached.
"Who are those people over there? Are they all from the Patrol Division?" Shen Liu was curious.
"Not all. Patrol Officer Pei promised to allocate ten men to help me here recently. They just arrived today."
Since the Patrol Division was sending people today, Pei Jun was unavailable, and such a small matter didn't require his personal presence; instructions could be relayed.
Wen Gu said, his gaze shifting to Shen Yuan, and asked, "This gentleman... looks familiar."
Just as Shen Qing was about to introduce him, Shen Yuan stepped forward, a wide smile on his face, and exclaimed excitedly:
"You must be Wen Gu, I'm your Uncle! We haven't seen each other in years, you've grown so big!"
Shen Yuan's eyes welled up with tears, yet a warm smile graced his face.
Shen Liu beside him: ???
Wen Gu also called him "Uncle."
He had only met him a few times as a child, and the impression was faint. In this era of inconvenient travel and poor communication, it was normal.
This was only because the Shen family used to be merchants and had opportunities to meet. Most people never saw each other again after parting ways.
Now, to escape disaster, they were reunited in Xin Prefecture City.
This Uncle Shen was rather interesting.
Wen Gu had been chatting with the Patrol Division personnel earlier and hadn't expected his uncle to suddenly appear here.
However, the timing was acceptable.
Wen Gu had noticed his uncle the moment he appeared, including the moment he suddenly darted behind the building materials to observe in secret.
He had simply pretended not to notice, chatted a bit longer with the Patrol Division personnel, and then looked over.
Shen Yuan, appearing very excited to see a relative, said, "Uncle just returned to Xin Prefecture City and came in a hurry, unprepared. I don't know what you like..."
He grabbed Wen Gu's hand and stuffed two money certificates into it.
Shen Qing and Shen Liu's eyes widened.
These were the same money certificates their father had taken from them not long ago, still warm!
Shen Liu: "Father, you just... *oof*!"
He received an elbow from his father.
Uncle Shen smiled broadly, his slightly plump face appearing exceptionally warm.
He said to Wen Gu, "I won't disturb you; public duty comes first! Go on, go on. Your cousins are here with me. They can show me around the construction site. I'll go back after a look. We're family, don't be so formal."
Wen Gu agreed, but still asked Cheng Zhi to accompany him.
Some of the construction of Wanfu Garden was halted due to weather. The current progress was not very revealing. Shen Yuan went to look at the flying bridge covered by the fabric tents.
Wen Gu had once explained the various considerations regarding profitability, which Cheng Zhi remembered clearly and also relayed to Shen Yuan.
And it wasn't a vague explanation; he even presented some data.
Shen Yuan was sensitive to numbers and had strong calculation skills.
He silently did some calculations.
The investment was indeed very large, and the benefits would be substantial.
Although he still felt reluctant, he said, "Very good, very good."
It was worth the money they had spent!
On the way back, in the carriage.
"Father, I told you this before, why didn't you believe me?" Shen Qing looked at his father with dissatisfaction.
Shen Yuan shot him a sideways glance: "With so many Patrol Division personnel here responsible for security, it must be very important!"
Having worked for the Zhao family for so long, he was aware of some of the connections.
"Then, Father, the money certificates you took from us earlier..."
"It's easy to lose them if you carry them around. They're locked in the money box, to prevent you from carelessly spending them again in a moment of excitement."
Shen Yuan thought of the money box at home.
The money that had been spent was spent, but fortunately, the reward he received for his current work was also considerable, and he could use it to replenish some of it later.
As for the remaining money, he just needed to guard it well.
(End of Chapter)