Rebirth: Start to Save the Treasure Girl

"What an ungrateful child I raised."

Grandpa Wu cursed angrily, the veins on his forehead bulging.

“Your child is busy with work, and Hongwei has been frantically searching for so many people, including nurses. You two can just enjoy your retirement.” An old lady said with envy.

"Guilan, you mustn't pretend to be sick to fool the children anymore. It's just a waste of money."

"And you, Lao Wu, too..."

……

A group of people were discussing at once.

Seeing that the two elderly people's expressions were becoming increasingly unpleasant, Xue Rui knew that his sudden visit had put a psychological burden on them.

Before he could speak, Gu Muxue's clear voice rang out from the crowd:

“Why would the old lady pretend to be sick? Mental illness is also an illness. What parent doesn’t worry about their child?”

"It's better to have a daughter."

The old woman's eyes reddened as she felt that the little girl in front of her was so sensible, far superior to her good-for-nothing son.

"Since Auntie is in good health, that's wonderful news," Xue Rui said, turning to Yu Minlan.

"Xiao Yu, take a few packs of cigarettes and distribute them to everyone so they can all go home."

"Good boss."

Before long, the crowd was drawn to the several packs of Zhonghua cigarettes, and the two elderly people looked much better.

Xue Rui took off his suit jacket, picked up a hoe, and walked into the field. His shiny leather shoes instantly turned dusty.

"Child, don't come down. The field is dirty, and you'll get your clothes dirty too," the old woman stopped Xue Rui.

"What's so dirty about it? Everyone eats food from the ground." Xue Rui rolled up his sleeves and deftly began digging a hole.

With the mindset that a thief shouldn't leave empty-handed, Xue Rui thought he should try to find out what the two old people thought and see if they were on the same side.

If you want to quickly build relationships in a rural area, doing farm work together is the fastest way.

Gu Muxue understood Xue Rui's thoughts. She put down her bag, rolled up her sleeves, and followed behind Xue Rui.

However, Gu Muxue couldn't wield a hoe, so she carried a bucket of seeds and followed behind Xue Rui to bury the seeds.

"Grandma, how many seeds should we sow at once?"

"Two eggs in one nest."

Why is this corn red?

"It was like this when I bought it."

How many ears of corn can one corn stalk grow?

Gu Muxue was like a curious child, asking the old man about everything she saw, and every now and then she would jump on the ground to compact the soil, just like a lively and cute little rabbit.

"You're a funny kid. Corn isn't a tree."

The old woman, her face full of kindness, patiently explained to Gu Muxue.

The old man watched the two figures walk away, feeling that their intentions were not pure, because he knew very well that his son didn't have any friends in China.

But he didn't rush to ask, since judging from the other party's attitude, it was someone who needed his help.

Two hours later, the group finished sowing seeds in a large cornfield.

While watering the corn, Xue Rui called Gu Muxue to come and wash her face by the irrigation ditch.

"Mu Xue, is planting corn fun?" Xue Rui asked with a smile.

Gu Muxue didn't answer, but instead flicked the water from her fingertips at Xue Rui's face.

Not to be outdone, Xue Rui scooped up a handful of water and was about to splash it on Gu Muxue.

"You dare!" Gu Muxue threatened verbally, but she had already taken several steps forward.

Gu Muxue and Xue Rui's laughter carried far across the fields.

Not far away, two elderly people stared blankly, their faces adorned with loving smiles. They looked at each other and smiled, thinking of what they were like when they were young.

"Tell me, if Hongwei hadn't gone to university back then, would our grandchildren be this big by now?" the old woman suddenly asked.

The old man pondered for a moment, then sighed deeply: "Yes, Old Wang's son is the same age as our son, and his grandson is already in college. We haven't even met our daughter-in-law yet, and he's already been divorced once. If you ask me, this foreign daughter-in-law is just unreliable."

"Whether he's framing us at his wedding is another matter. What family doesn't call their parents when they get married? Forget about him, just mentioning him makes me angry. It'll make me sick even if I wasn't already." The old woman patted her chest.

But when he looked at the two young people on the roadside, a smile crept into his eyes; he hadn't been this happy in a long time.

"Old man, you stay in the field to water the plants, I'll go back and cook for the children."

Today is a rare occasion for our home to be lively, so she's going to cook a lot of dishes.

"Are you hungry? Come on home, Grandma will cook for you." The old woman beckoned the two of them to walk into the village.

Xue Rui is tall and has a charming way of speaking.

Gu Muxue is playful and lively; she's pleasing to the eye just by looking at her.

Xue Rui winked at Gu Muxue; he had almost finished his analysis.

Wu Hongwei's house is almost the best in the village; it's obvious he's not short of money.

However, the parents still maintained their farming habits, indicating that they had no material desires and were a very traditional small-scale farming family.

The way the elderly couple looked at them was with a constant, maternal smile, something Xue Rui understood all too well.

The elderly person's greatest wish is for their children to be by their side, and ideally, for they would have another grandchild, for many children bring many blessings.

Did Wu Hongwei take the two elderly people to the United States?

That was absolutely impossible. The old man would rather disown his son than leave him in the place where he was born and raised.

As for Wu Hongwei's mother, she clearly wants Wu Hongwei to come back. She's already gone to the trouble of faking illness; what else wouldn't she do?
Xue Rui believed that as long as he promised to keep Wu Hongwei in China, Wu would agree to whatever he asked.

Xue Rui felt that bringing Wu Hongwei back to China was practically a sure thing.

"Mu Xue, let's not bring this up later, just keep our heads down and eat," Xue Rui said softly.

If we were to ask who was most eager for Wu Hongwei to return to China, it would undoubtedly be his parents.

Gu Muxue gave an "OK" sign.

Gu Muxue jogged a few steps forward, took the old woman's arm, and continued to ask her all sorts of questions.

"Grandma, what's your last name?"

"His surname is Jin."

"Grandma Jin Guilan, your name and surname match so well, they remind me of so many beautiful flowers."

"Oh my goodness~"

The old woman clutched her chest, her heart melting at the sound of Gu Muxue's sweet voice.

"Old Li, have you eaten yet?"

She held her head high, smiling broadly as she greeted the villagers who passed by.

Xue Rui smiled, while Gu Muxue spoke in a coquettish voice, putting on the act of a well-behaved girl, practically a human harvester for old men and women. "I can cook too, but my knife skills aren't good. Xiao Rui always says my shredded potatoes look like potato strips."

Amidst laughter and conversation, the group stood once again in front of the small villa.

This time, Xue Rui entered smoothly, but the courtyard was very different from what he had imagined.

Although it was spotless, it felt cool everywhere, like an empty house that hadn't been lived in for a long time.

Upon entering the living room, two black and white photographs immediately catch the eye, and just one glance evokes a sense of sorrow and loneliness.

Humans are such amazing creatures, extremely sensitive to their environment. Xue Rui only needed to sniff lightly to feel a sense of empathy with the elderly couple.

"The house is too big, and there are too few people. It's not comfortable to live here," Xue Rui murmured.

"It's all my damn son's fault. He finally came home for a few days the year before last, and the first thing he did was to build a new house for us. I thought he was planning to move in, so I happily agreed..."

"As a result, he never came back after that. Everyone in the village envied my house, but I still prefer the old house."

Grandma Jin walked into the kitchen, grumbling on and on.

Xue Rui's lips twitched. The old couple had a lot of complaints about their son, Wu Hongwei.

Anyone who didn't know better would think they had done something utterly heinous.

But companies like Nvidia are constantly racing against time, and it's said that working overtime until the early hours of the morning is the norm.

Especially now that Nvidia is on the rise, Wu Hongwei can't just come back whenever he wants.

And even if he came back, what could he do? He's been away for too long and has no common ground with the villagers. This little mountain village can no longer contain his soul.

Xue Rui looked up and around, spotting a striking red patch in the corner of the living room. Judging from the location and outline of the red cloth, Xue Rui guessed that there was a camera under the cloth...

Xue Rui covered his face, trying hard to suppress his laughter, thinking to himself that this family was really interesting.

The son is using cameras to monitor the family from the US, while the elderly couple is blocking the cameras and faking illness – the three of them are playing a double agent game…

Suddenly, there were footsteps outside the door.

Xue Rui walked out of the living room and smiled at Grandpa Wu: "Hello, Grandpa, we're shamelessly asking to have a meal at your house today."

"What kind of employer doesn't provide meals for workers? Eat up!" Grandpa Wu said with a smile.

"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey."

Xue Rui glanced at the living room camera and thought it was probably recording, so it would be best to talk outside.

"Xue Rui, stop beating around the bush and just tell me what you want with my Hongwei," Grandpa Wu said bluntly.

He had just asked the drivers on the roadside, and the few cars that entered the village alone were worth tens of millions. Although his son was not short of money, this was still far beyond his son's ability.

Xue Rui explained in a seemingly casual manner:

"It's quite a coincidence. Your son and my university professor, Teng Wenbo, were classmates. Last year, I asked my professor to help me keep an eye on a group of talented people who had studied in the United States, so that I could bring them back to China. Recently, I heard that Wu Hongwei is going back to China, so I thought I would make him owe me a favor."

Grandpa Wu squinted and interrupted:
"Him? Talented? He's almost forty and still single. What kind of talent is that?"

Xue Rui looked embarrassed and subconsciously defended, "Researchers are all very busy, and their colleagues are all men, so they don't have the opportunity to find girlfriends. In addition, people in the United States look down on Chinese people, so it's normal that it's not easy to find one."

“If you speak up for him again, I’ll get angry with you,” Grandpa Wu said curtly.

"What can I say for him? I've made a wasted trip too. But the scenery here is beautiful. I plan to spend a few days in Qinghai with my girlfriend, so it's not a complete loss."

Xue Rui chose to retreat in order to advance, acting as if he didn't care whether Wu Hongwei was there or not.

Grandpa Wu then remembered that Xue Rui's purpose in coming was to keep his son in China, which was exactly what he wanted!
His tone softened considerably:

"I won't let you come for nothing. I'll make sure he owes you a huge favor."

Grandpa Wu's eyes gleamed, and then he chuckled coldly to himself, looking every bit the cunning old fox.

Xue Rui's lips twitched uncontrollably.

No, are these two a family?
There are even fathers who scheme against their sons?
"Don't be surprised. Since he went to America, he's only been home a handful of times. Twice it was when his grandparents passed away, and twice it was when I was faking illness, and twice his mother was faking illness..." Old Wu counted on his fingers, gritting his teeth as he spoke:
“He always says he’ll be back to China next week. I’m sick of hearing it, but he’s never come back on his own initiative. Isn’t it the same as not having a son at all?”

Xue Rui couldn't get a word in edgewise, thinking to himself that this was getting interesting. The old couple had probably told the "boy who cried wolf" story so many times that Wu Hongwei was already immune to it…

"Don't worry, the old man has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Tomorrow I'll just say his mother is dying, and I'll see if he comes back. I've never used this trick before."

Grandpa Wu sat on the ground, beaming with joy, dreaming of a bright future.

"We'll be responsible for cooperating with your performance then. You just need to figure out a way to get him to quit that lousy job."

Grandpa Wu became more and more excited as he spoke, his toes twitching as he crossed his legs.

Xue Rui scratched his head in frustration. He had made many plans on his way here, but he never expected that Wu Hongwei's family would be in this situation!
Grandpa Wu, you're a tough guy.

"Grandpa, that surveillance camera you covered with cloth might also have a recording function," Xue Rui whispered, worried that Wu Hongwei might have installed some other surveillance equipment in his home.

"Hmm?" Grandpa Wu frowned. "No wonder..."

Xue Rui tilted his ear, becoming increasingly curious about Grandpa Wu. He was eager to know how Grandpa Wu outwitted his son.

"Xue Rui, think of a way, we'll listen to you," Grandpa Wu said in a very low voice.

Xue Rui sat on the ground, lost in thought for a long time.

Grandpa Wu's tricks are too ruthless; he'll definitely be able to trick Wu Hongwei into coming back.

But where did he go to deceive them most, leaving Wu Hongwei behind where his chances of success were greatest...?

Wu Hongwei has probably already achieved financial freedom, and now he should be pursuing a sense of accomplishment in his career.

After much deliberation, Xue Rui decided to arrange for Wu Hongwei to go to Chang'an.

His business is there, a computing center under construction, which is currently the world's largest private computing center. That should be enough of a lure.

With the kind advice of her old classmate Teng Wenbo, and with Aunt Jin feigning illness and appealing to family ties, he resorted to moral blackmail...

“Grandpa, why don’t you and Grandma discuss it? Let’s go to Chang’an. That’s my home turf, and I have the best chance of winning. You can treat it as a vacation,” Xue Rui suggested.

"Okay, let me calculate it."

Grandpa Wu closed his eyes and pinched his thumb repeatedly on the pads of his other four fingers, just like a Taoist priest making hand seals, as if he were selecting an auspicious day.

But then again, what are the rules for "faking illness"?
"Grandpa, you can even tell fortunes?" Xue Rui joked.

"Shh~ I'm keeping track of the time." Grandpa Wu gestured for Xue Rui to be quiet.

After about ten seconds, Grandpa Wu opened his eyes, his gaze bright and alert: "Tomorrow afternoon at six o'clock."

Xue Rui asked in a low voice, "What's the... explanation on our side?"

It's better to believe something exists than to believe it doesn't.

Picking an auspicious time is always a good idea.

Grandpa Wu smiled and waved his hand:

"Not really. Tomorrow at six o'clock in the afternoon, which is three in the morning in California, he'll be half asleep and his mind won't be as sharp as usual."

"Impressive." Xue Rui gave a thumbs up.

It's incredibly fine!

Old ginger is spicier, indeed. (End of Chapter)