Love Lock

Chapter 152 White Wolf with Empty Gloves

As soon as he rushed through the gate, Zhang San pointed to a gray-blue house in the distance and shouted excitedly.

"My lord, look! It's that gray-blue house. The treasure that Magistrate Luo and his men dug up must be hidden inside that house."

Wei Dabao looked in the direction Zhang San pointed, and saw that the gray-blue house was at least four or five hundred square meters.

The house was square with a pointed roof, looking both peculiar and sturdy. Wei Dabao became even more convinced that this was where that bastard Luo Hai hid his treasures.

"Quick! Quick! We need to get there right now!"

Wei Dabao, unable to wait any longer, swayed his obese body and strode forward. Zhang San and Li Si followed closely behind, and the guards also caught up.

They walked along a cement path, flanked by lush green crops and cement irrigation ditches.

But Wei Dabao's eyes were fixed on the house, and he had no time to pay attention to the surrounding scenery.

He had no time to think about why this area, which was originally a barren wasteland that no one wanted, could now be planted with lush green crops.
The farmers who were working saw someone rushing in with tools and were so frightened that they dropped their tools and ran far away.

After wandering along the path for a while, Wei Dabao's mouth gradually opened wide.

After circling around to the side, Wei Dabao was surprised to find that what was in the distance was not a single house, but a whole row of those bluish-gray houses, arranged neatly.

Good heavens! How many treasures would that hold?

"Quick! Quick!"

Wei Dabao's eyes lit up with excitement, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.

"They all belong to me! All the treasures here belong to me!"

As Wei Dabao walked, he muttered to himself, his face full of greed.

His pace quickened, as if if he slowed down even a step, the treasure would be stolen.

No sooner had Wei Dabao and his group entered than Luo Hai accompanied Han Lei to the wasteland project site to check on the project's progress.

After arranging her work in Fufeng County, Han Lei planned to visit the Marquis of Champion's family in the capital.

She stopped by Qingshui County to check out the projects there, and also planned to bring a few of her brothers from the Qingshui County Big Character Team to Beijing.

As soon as Luo Hai and Han Lei got off the carriage, the wounded soldiers of the Big Character Team felt a great sense of kinship upon seeing Han Lei, and at the same time, they all shamefully surrounded her to apologize.

The captain of the first-year team bowed his head and said, "Miss Han, we have failed your trust and have not guarded this place properly. Just now, a group of people rushed in with weapons, saying they wanted to steal some treasure. Although we captured most of them, they still managed to break in."

"I'm sorry, Miss Han. We were incompetent and could only catch these people." The senior pointed to the group of guards who had been electrocuted on the ground and bowed his head in apology.

"Please punish me, young lady."

"Miss Han, I'm sorry."

"..."

The wounded soldiers of the large squad were unaware that Zhao Zun had asked Han Lei to be called Princess Consort, so they still addressed her as Miss Han.

"Let them go in then, there's no point in hiding anything now. But have any of you gotten hurt?" Han Lei smiled slightly, her concerned gaze sweeping over each of them.

Han Lei initially only equipped the Big Character Team members with stun guns, intending to guard against petty thieves, but she never expected that someone would bring a large group to rob them!

Wei Dabao's guards all brought weapons; during the earlier conflict, some of the Big Character Team members must have been injured.

But they all gave evasive answers and shifted their bodies, trying to hide their injuries.

Han Lei knew they were feeling guilty and were too embarrassed to say it.

She didn't expose him, but instead took out some medicine and gauze from her spatial storage and handed them to the freshman captain, asking him to help his brothers treat their injuries after he came down.

“Let’s go in and take a look,” Han Lei said, turning to Luo Hai.

"Okay!" Luo Hai nodded.

Seeing that the two of them were about to go in to check, the freshman captain quickly handed the medicine and gauze to another brother and personally accompanied them inside.

Han Lei and the others jogged along, and she could see Wei Dabao's obese body hurrying forward from afar.

Luo Hai also recognized Wei Dabao and turned to introduce him to Han Lei in a low voice.

“Miss Han, that fat man is called Wei Dabao. He is a relative of Prime Minister Wei in the capital. A few days ago, Wei Dabao and several of his servants were sneaking around gathering information in the wasteland. I caught them and locked them in the dungeon. They were only released half a month ago. I didn’t expect them to show up here again today.”

Han Lei raised an eyebrow and asked softly, "Did they mention the treasure?"

The freshman captain nodded: "Yes, judging from their tone, it seems they consider this place a hiding place for treasures."

Han Lei chuckled, a sly glint in her eyes.

"This fat guy is quite amusing. But... since he's a relative of the Wei family..." Han Lei suddenly stopped in her tracks, a brilliant idea flashing through her mind.

She beckoned Luo Hai and the freshman captain closer and whispered something to them. A moment later, all three of them wore wicked smiles.

As Wei Dabao and his group walked further ahead, they felt an increasingly unpleasant smell of feces permeating the air.

Zhang San wrinkled his nose and couldn't help but say, "Sir, this tastes wrong. Have we come to the wrong place?"

Wei Dabao didn't care at all, and instead quickened his pace.

"What do you know? The more inconspicuous the place, the more likely it is to hide a great treasure! Hurry up and follow me!"

As you walk further on, you hear the squeals of pigs growing louder and louder, as if they're right next to your ear.

Li Si hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "Master, why are there pigs squealing here? Should we..."

"Shut up!" Wei Dabao interrupted him impatiently. "No matter what it is, as long as there's treasure inside, it's mine!"

Finally, they rushed to the row of gray-blue houses.

Wei Dabao rested his hands on his knees, panting heavily, but his face was flushed with excitement.

Before he could even rest, he pushed open the door and eagerly peered inside.

However, the scene before him left him dumbfounded.

The house contained none of the gold and silver treasures he had imagined, but rather a group of fat pigs, grunting and squealing, huddled together in low cubicles, the air thick with the stench of excrement.

"How...how could this be?" Wei Dabao's eyes widened, and the smile on his face instantly froze.

Zhang San and Li Si were also stunned, looking at each other, at a loss for what to do.

"Master, this...this looks like a pig farm..." Li Si stammered.

Wei Dabao's face turned ashen instantly. He turned around abruptly and slapped Li Si across the face.

"Useless! Didn't you say there was treasure here? Why are there only pigs here?"

Zhang San and Li Si were so frightened that they immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Master, please calm down! Master, please calm down! We only guessed because we saw that the security here was so tight..."

Wei Dabao gritted his teeth, trembling with anger, his obese body shaking uncontrollably.

He looked around and saw that the farmers who had been hiding far away were now peeking out from the lush green fields, secretly watching them with what seemed to be a mocking smile on their faces.

Wei Dabao felt a surge of anger rush to his head. He had thought he would make a fortune today, but he never expected to make such a fool of himself.

He grew angrier the more he thought about it, and with a sudden wave of his hand, he roared at the guards behind him, "Smash it! Smash it! Smash this lousy place!"

The guards looked at each other, but dared not disobey Wei Dabao's orders. They had no choice but to bite the bullet and rush into the pigsty, wielding sticks and swords, and begin to smash and destroy things indiscriminately.

The pigs were startled and ran around in all directions, their squeals and the sounds of smashing things blending together, creating a chaotic scene.

"Stop! What are you doing?"

Luo Hai's voice suddenly rang out at the entrance of the pigsty.

The guards stopped what they were doing and, along with Wei Dabao, all looked towards the door.

Upon seeing Luo Hai, Wei Dabao's anger flared even more.

"Luo Hai, you've come at the perfect time!" Wei Dabao shouted through gritted teeth. He strode over, his obese body swaying, and pointed at Luo Hai, launching into a tirade, "Tell me, why are there so many pigs in there?"

Luo Hai looked at him blankly, "If it's not a pig, then what is it?"

"Hmph! And..." Wei Dabao stormed to the pigsty entrance, pointed to the lush green crops around him, and asked angrily, "Why are all those crops planted?"

Luo Hai suppressed a laugh and replied, "That's strange. If it's not crops, then what is it?"

"You...you..." Wei Dabao trembled, unable to speak from anger.

Finally, he roared in anger, "Luo Hai, you bastard! Why are you raising pigs here? Why are you growing crops here?"

"Hiss! Brother Wei, why are you so angry?" Luo Hai pretended to take a breath and said with puzzlement, "A few days ago, this county unintentionally obtained some grain seeds. Is there anything wrong with clearing land here to try planting them?"

Wei Dabao was so angry that his chest hurt!
His chest heaved. "And what about the pigs? How can you, a dignified county magistrate, raise pigs?"

"Hahaha..." Luo Hai laughed, then turned to point at Han Lei and said innocently, "My niece and I jointly own a restaurant in the county town called Tongfulou. Brother Wei knows about it!"

"What does that have to do with pig farming?" Wei Dabao pressed.

Luo Hai said matter-of-factly, "Brother Wei, haven't you noticed that all the ingredients at Tongfu Restaurant are made with pork? If we don't raise pigs, where would we get so many ingredients?"

Oh my goodness!

After hearing Luo Hai's explanation, Wei Dabao covered his chest with one hand and pointed at Luo Hai with the other, so angry that he couldn't say a word.

His long-awaited "treasure trove" turned out to be nothing but filthy, smelly pigs and crops.

Just when Wei Dabao was about to vomit blood from anger, Han Lei stepped forward.

"uncle."

Han Lei looked at Luo Hai, her voice soft and gentle, seemingly carrying a touch of innocent charm.

She asked Luo Hai, "This gentleman looks extremely wealthy and his surname is Wei. Could he have some connection with the Wei family, the prime minister in the capital?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Hai smiled knowingly and nodded.

"Yes, this is Master Wei, a local gentry from Qingshui County, who is related to the Wei family of the Prime Minister in the capital."

A glint flashed in Han Lei's eyes, as if she had discovered some incredible secret.

She bowed slightly, her tone respectful: "Oh! My apologies. I didn't know that Young Master Wei Chengchao is your..."

Wei Dabao was furious and somewhat impatient, but seeing that Han Lei was pretty and sweet, he couldn't take his anger out on a beautiful woman!

Therefore, his tone softened somewhat.

He waved his hand casually, saying, "That's my cousin."

"Oh, in that case, it really is fate." Han Lei's smile deepened.

Destined?

Wei Dabao looked at Han Lei with a puzzled expression.

"Not only do I collaborate with my uncle on the Tongfulou business, but I also partner with your cousin Wei Chengchao on two businesses in the capital. One is called Yuanyangzan, which specializes in women's products, and the other is called Zuixianniang, which specializes in fine wines. Both businesses are doing very well now, with customers flocking to them."

As Han Lei spoke, she deliberately showed a hint of pride on her face. She took out a small pot of Drunken Immortal Wine from her sleeve, uncorked it gracefully, and then handed the pot to Wei Dabao.

"This is Drunken Immortal's Brew. Why don't you try it and see if you consider it a fine wine?"

Wei Dabao's attention shifted from the treasure to the wine, and his anger naturally subsided considerably. Although he didn't reach out to take the wine jug, he instantly smelled the aroma of the wine wafting in the air.

He sniffed, a hint of surprise on his face: "Isn't this Tongfulou's Drunken Immortal Wine?"

Han Lei smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Yes, Wei Chengchao specializes in selling this wine in the capital."

The anger on Wei Dabao's face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of surprise.

He slapped his thigh suddenly. "Oh dear! Isn't this a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple? So it turns out that you are the real owner of Tongfu Restaurant and Zuixian Brew. May I ask your surname and how I should address you?"

Wei Dabao's gaze swept over Han Lei, and he couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

He knew how booming Tongfulou's business was; no one in Qingshui County could rival it. The daily flow of money was enough to make anyone drool.

But he never expected that behind such a booming business, there was such a sweet-looking, young girl.

Han Lei smiled slightly, "No, no, my surname is Han, and Magistrate Luo is my uncle."

She paused, her tone somewhat indifferent: "What boss behind the scenes? Mr. Wei, you flatter me. It's just that we're all cooperating to make money together."

Wei Dabao was surprised that Han Lei, at such a young age, was not only good at business but also spoke so humbly. He couldn't help but look at Han Lei with more admiration.

Wei Dabao's change in attitude naturally did not escape Han Lei's shrewd eyes.

Seeing that the time was right, Han Lei changed the subject and got straight to the point.

"Now, Wei Chengchao and I are preparing to open a clothing store in the capital. The clothes we sell there are novel and beautiful, and an annual income of one million taels of silver is definitely not a problem. Mr. Wei seems to be a lucky man. I wonder if you would be interested in joining us to make money together?"

Does it bring in a million taels of silver every year?
Upon hearing this, Wei Dabao's eyes lit up as if he had seen a mountain of gold and silver.

He didn't find the great treasure today, but he found such a booming business.

Earning a million taels of silver every year—isn't that the treasure he's been longing for?

Wei Dabao was not about to let this opportunity slip by. He nodded repeatedly, his eagerness barely concealed in his voice.

"That would be wonderful! Come on, come on, this master is treating. I hope Miss Han will do me the honor. Let's go to Tongfu Restaurant now and sit down to chat."

Han Lei and Luo Hai exchanged a glance, and both saw a fleeting smile in each other's eyes.

Wei Dabao looked at Han Lei expectantly, but Han Lei shook her head as if she was having trouble, her tone carrying a hint of apology.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Wei. Perhaps next time, as time is tight this time. The shop in the capital is already under renovation, and I need to rush there to meet with Wei Chengchao to discuss the upcoming opening."

Upon hearing this, Wei Dabao's face immediately showed a hint of disappointment, thinking that the duck he had almost gotten was about to fly away.

He opened his mouth, about to say something, but Han Lei smiled and continued, "I'll be back in a month, and then I'll meet with Master Wei again. If Master Wei wants to join, I can count you in right now."

Upon hearing this, Wei Dabao's heart stirred, but he hesitated.

He had only met Han Lei once, and she immediately asked him to invest money in a business partnership. What if Han Lei was trying to scam him? Wouldn't his money be wasted?
Although he had the Tongfulou business to show for himself, he was still somewhat worried.

Just then, the captain of the first-year team walked over and whispered to Luo Hai, "Magistrate, young lady, we should set off now, or we won't make it to the post station before dark."

Upon hearing this, Han Lei looked up at the sun, then turned to Luo Hai: "Oh! It's almost noon. Uncle, I'll be setting off now."

Luo Hai nodded, his tone tinged with concern: "Okay. Be careful on the road."

Then, Han Lei looked at Wei Dabao and said apologetically, "Never mind, Mr. Wei. Let's cooperate again next time! I have to go now."

"Hey! Miss Han, you just said you'd count me in."

When Wei Dabao saw that the business was about to fall through, he panicked and quickly took out several five-thousand-tael silver notes from his pocket and handed them to Han Lei.

Just now, the freshman team leader came over and called Luo Hai "Magistrate." Wei Dabao suddenly remembered that Magistrate Luo was Han Lei's uncle.

With Luo Hai here, he has the best guarantee. What else does he have to worry about? Since the county head and his cousin Wei Chengchao dare to cooperate with Han Lei, what doesn't he dare to do?
When Han Lei saw him hand over the silver note, she quickly reached out and stopped him, her tone indifferent.

"Oh! Master Wei, there's no need for the silver notes."

"Why is that?" Wei Dabao was stunned. When you go into business together, don't you have to put up money?

Han Lei explained, “It’s not safe for a young lady to carry too much silver on her way to the capital. If Master Wei is sincere in wanting to join the clothing store, I will speak with Wei Chengchao and have him calculate your share. You can just wait to receive your profits. As for the silver notes, you can settle the matter with Wei Chengchao later.”

When Wei Dabao saw that Han Lei refused to accept the banknotes, his hesitant heart finally settled down, and he trusted Han Lei even more.

"Oh! Very good. Miss Han is so generous." Wei Dabao stuffed the silver notes back into his pocket, secretly pleased.

Sharing profits first, then paying money—isn't that practically getting something for nothing? No wonder Luo Hai and his cousin were willing to cooperate with this Miss Han; who wouldn't want such a good deal?

As he carefully put away the silver notes, he said repeatedly, "You're right, the journey won't be peaceful. But don't worry, Miss Han, when the time comes, I will definitely pay my share of the silver, not a single copper coin less."

Let's go for the whole process, thank you.