Chapter 15 - Overseas Chinese in the United States

After everyone outside had left, Xiaojiu leisurely went up to the second floor and said to Wang Dechang and his brother, "You two esteemed bosses have graciously visited. Just tell me directly what's the matter. If it's something I can help with, I will definitely do so. If I can't, there's nothing I can do about it." Wang Dechang opened his mouth and said, "It's my matter, Little Master. I contracted a factory owned by a Hong Kong boss. When we were chatting, I learned that he used to be from the mainland. During the war years, he fled to the United States, made a fortune there, came back to Hong Kong to establish a company, and even invested in several factories in Shenzhen. He has made a great deal of money. Unfortunately, now in his sixties or seventies, he has been unable to find the graves of his parents. When he fled, he was only in his twenties. He couldn't come back when his parents passed away, and it was the relatives at home who found a place to bury them. But now all those relatives have passed away, and no one knows where they were buried, so it has become a regret. Seeing how filial he is, I casually mentioned you, Little Master, saying that with your excellent magic skills, you must have a way to find his parents." "So this time I'm here to pave the way. If you have a way, we'll go back and tell him." Xiaojiu said, "This is a small matter. It's no problem. Just ask him to come and pick me up then." The two brothers were very happy and said, "Then we'll go back and tell Mr. Xu, the Hong Kong boss. As for the required fee, you can discuss it yourselves later. We're just doing a good deed to help. Money is not a problem for Mr. Xu." Xiaojiu was also delighted. "Money is not a problem" was exactly what he liked to hear. Since Mr. Xu was not short of money, he decided to ask for a higher price. Of course, the two brothers would get some benefits, otherwise they wouldn't be so enthusiastic. The two brothers bid farewell and left with their driver. Liu Heping rubbed his hands happily and said, "Little brother, do we have another business opportunity?" Xiaojiu said, "Don't worry. I'll take you with me. You'll definitely get your share of the benefits then." The two brothers looked at each other and smiled. Just when they were short of money, a big boss came to their door by himself. Judging from the tone of the Wang brothers, this Mr. Xu had a lot of money. Since he made US dollars, he must be very wealthy. Two or three days later, a Mercedes - Benz and a Rolls - Royce drove up to the door of Xiaojiu's house. An old man in his sixties or seventies got out of the Rolls - Royce, supported by a woman. It was not clear whether she was his granddaughter or his secretary. Behind them were also four bodyguards. Zeng Wenxiu happened to be making tofu at home, preparing for the Spring Festival. She was a bit surprised to see so many people coming in and quickly asked them what they wanted. The old man spoke with a Cantonese - accented Mandarin, and Zeng Wenxiu couldn't understand a single word. She could only shout loudly for her eldest son to come down. The two brothers were hiding on the second floor watching a video tape. It was the winter vacation now. Zeng Wenxiu's voice was quite loud, and Liu Heping heard it clearly on the second floor. He was enjoying the video and didn't want to move. He pushed Xiaojiu and said, "Go down and see what Mom wants." Xiaojiu ignored him and said, "Mom is calling you, not me. Besides, I'm the boss and you're the employee. How can you ask the boss to run errands? I think you don't want your salary anymore, huh?" Liu Heping had no choice. He couldn't afford to offend either of them. So he had to get up and go to see what his mother wanted him for. When he came to the downstairs hall and saw a group of people, Liu Heping asked them what they were doing. The old man spoke again, saying that he was looking for Master Xiaojiu. Liu Heping had worked in Guangzhou after all, so he could understand Cantonese - accented Mandarin. Realizing that this person might be the wealthy man introduced by the Wang brothers, he immediately said politely in standard Mandarin, "Is this sir surnamed Xu?" The old man nodded and said, "I'm surnamed Xu. I was introduced by the Wang brothers." Liu Heping immediately said, "You're here to find my younger brother. He's upstairs. Please go up." Then he turned to his mother and said, "They have something to do with my brother. I'll take them upstairs first." Zeng Wenxiu nodded and said, "Then you go and take care of it. Anyway, I can't understand a single word they say. Let my younger son deal with it." When these people went upstairs, they heard Xiaojiu laughing heartily because an American cartoon, "Tom and Jerry," was being shown on the TV. Afraid that Xiaojiu would lose his demeanor as a master, Liu Heping quickly called out, "Little brother, there are guests." Xiaojiu then held back his laughter and looked towards the stairway. He saw a woman in her twenties supporting an old man as they were climbing up. Xiaojiu picked up the remote control and turned off the TV. He said to the old man and the woman, asking them to sit down, and told his elder brother to make them two cups of tea. The old man said, "Master Xiaojiu, I heard from Boss Wang that you have a way to find the graves of my parents. Is that true?" Xiaojiu nodded and said, "This is not a difficult matter for me. Before we start, we need to discuss the price first. If I can't help you achieve your goal, I will return all the money to you. This is my working style. As a person who practices Taoism, it is only natural that I take money from others and help them solve their problems and relieve their disasters." When the old man heard Xiaojiu say it was no problem, he immediately said, "Master Xiaojiu, you can name your price. I've been waiting for this moment for many years. I hope you can help fulfill my filial piety as a wandering son and complete my long - cherished wish. Besides the price you mentioned, I will also present you with gifts." Xiaojiu didn't want to waste time talking and directly extended two fingers, meaning 200,000 yuan. The old man didn't hesitate and said, "It's a deal for two million yuan." Xiaojiu was taken aback. He had clearly asked for 200,000 yuan, but this old man said two million yuan. The old man was not stupid at all. After years of hard work, he had amassed a fortune of hundreds of millions of US dollars. He was actually hiring Xiaojiu at the price of the top feng shui masters in Hong Kong because he had asked many people in Hong Kong, and no one had the ability to do this. The old man thought that two million yuan was still a bargain. He would even be willing to pay 20 million yuan as long as he could find the graves of his parents. Xiaojiu swallowed his saliva and said, "Alright, I'll go with you." Just then, Liu Heping came in with the tea and heard this. When he heard the figure of two million yuan, he was so shocked that he almost dropped the glass in his hand on the floor. He thought that his younger brother was being too greedy by asking such a high price. It was really ruthless. But since there was money to be made, he definitely wouldn't say anything. How could he blame his younger brother for asking for too much? Xiaojiu told Liu Heping to pack a set of clothes as he was going to go with this Mr. Xu. Liu Heping went to pack the clothes, and Xiaojiu led Mr. Xu downstairs. Seeing the four big men still standing at the door, he felt that Mr. Xu really had a grand entourage. Xiaojiu said to his mother, who was making firm tofu, "I'm going to help this Mr. Xu. I'll be back in a few days." Zeng Wenxiu said, "Are you going alone?" Xiaojiu said, "Of course not. I'll definitely go with my elder brother. You won't feel at ease if my elder brother doesn't go with me, right?" When Zeng Wenxiu heard that her elder son would go with him, she felt relieved and didn't try to stop them. She just told Xiaojiu to go and come back quickly, and when he came back, she would fry tofu for him. Xiaojiu liked the braised tofu with streaky pork the most. Xiaojiu nodded and said, "Mom, don't worry. I'll be back soon." Xiaojiu and his brother followed Mr. Xu all the way to Zhaoqing, where Mr. Xu was from. Along the way, they were definitely treated to delicious food and good accommodation, staying in a luxury hotel. Liu Heping inquired and learned that the presidential suite of the hotel cost several thousand yuan a night. He exclaimed that it was simply like robbing people. He himself couldn't earn that much in a whole year for just one night's accommodation. He realized that it was really great to follow his younger brother, getting to enjoy good food and see the big world. He could only sigh that Mr. Xu was really rich.