The whole mountain is my hunting ground.

Chapter 1904 The Whereabouts of Stock Certificates: Sudden Interrogation of Zhao Youcai

If you were to ask who the most famous person in the Yong'an Forest Area is, without a doubt it would be Zhao Jun, the Tiger-Taming General. He appears on television and in newspapers, his fame resounding throughout the mountains.

In Zhao Jun's previous life, the most famous figure in the history of Yong'an was his maternal grandfather, Wang Changfu, a wealthy merchant nicknamed "Big Slap Wang".

The legend of Wang Dabazhang was still mentioned by the older generation when Zhao Jun returned to his hometown in disgrace.

How much wealth such a tycoon actually possesses remains a mystery.

But people in that era were simple-minded, just like the woodcutter who thought that the emperor's life consisted of using a golden carrying pole.

Back then, the people of Shibadaogangzi had the impression of Wang Dacaizhu as someone who never had to worry about food or drink and was extremely wealthy.

But just how rich they were, no one in the Shibadaogangzi area knew after those Wang family farmhands and bandits from various mountain strongholds moved south one after another.

This meant that when the Wang family was classified as a middle-class household, the people of Yong'an didn't understand, but they also lacked concrete evidence. In the end, because Wang Dazhang was always charitable and well-liked, and with the secret protection of Zhao Guofeng's father, the Wang family managed to secure a safe place.

After that, the Wang family lived the life of ordinary people. Wang Meilan, like any other woman in the forest area, did farm work, dug wild vegetables, got married, was filial to her parents-in-law, and had children.

As the only son of the Wang family, Wang Qiang's life from childhood was similar to that of his peers, climbing trees to steal birds' nests and wading into rivers to catch shrimp...

This kind of life turned the question of how much wealth the Wang family actually had into a complete secret, so secret that even Wang Meilan and Wang Qiang didn't know.

As the treasures of the Wang family were unearthed one after another, Wang Meilan and Wang Qiang thought that their family's entire fortune had been recovered.

What they never expected was that their father also owned shares in several establishments in the town below the mountain.

Leaving aside the match factory and flax factory, Shanhe Baijiu Factory is the largest factory in Shanhe County.

The history of this distillery can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty. There were two wine vats in the factory that could hold thousands of kilograms of wine. One of them was destroyed in the 70s, and the remaining wine vat is said to be so clean that even the water used to wash it can make people drunk.

If the distillery had its own shares, wouldn't that be a huge financial burden?
The Wang family is known for its greed; the Wang siblings' eyes were practically sparkling with excitement.

Seeing the siblings' reaction, Wang Sanxi quickly seized the opportunity and said to Wang Meilan, "Lanzi, your Uncle Sanxi has had a hard life. He's never even had a wife, let alone children. Yaoguang and his wife are willing to take care of me in my old age, so I'm counting on them."

Now Yaoguang has to squat by the fence, and his wife might have to walk on the sidewalk. Oh dear, you can't just let this family fall apart like this.

So what was Uncle Sanxi thinking? He was hoping you'd be lenient and reduce Yaoguang's sentence by two years. How about this, so his wife could have something to look forward to.

Wang Meilan dismissed Wang Sanxi's words. While she was kind-hearted, she knew better than to be lenient in certain situations. Wang Yaoguang was about to break her son's arms and legs; how could Wang Meilan possibly be so forgiving?

Seeing Wang Meilan's impatient expression, Wang Sanxi quickly said, "Those years weren't very peaceful, as you all know. Back then, my brother Fu's family fortune was piled up like rubbish. So, he hid some things that he needed to hide."

After that, he left behind these shares, all with share certificates. You have to take these share certificates down the mountain to those factories to find them. If you don't have these certificates, you'll be wasting your time; they issue certificates, not people.

"Grandpa," Zhao Jun asked with a smile after hearing Wang Sanxi's words, "So you mean you know where my great-grandmother hid all these stock certificates?"

"Yeah, kid." Wang Sanxi nodded repeatedly and said, "I know."

"Then why don't you take it and exchange it for shares?" Zhao Jun's next question stunned Wang Sanxi.

Seeing Wang Sanxi in a daze, Zhao Jun smiled and asked again, "Didn't you just say that certification doesn't discriminate based on people? I don't believe that if you can hold onto those stock certificates, you can still rely on Wang Yaoguang to support you in your old age."

Hearing Zhao Jun's words, Wang Meilan and Wang Qiang both looked at Wang Sanxi with strange eyes. They had been dazed by the stock market earlier, but now the two sisters realized something was wrong.

Wang Sanxi's lips trembled slightly. Seeing this, Zhao Jun laughed and said, "Alright, old man, if you don't have anything else to say, we won't keep you any longer. As for Wang Yaoguang, we don't ask for a heavy sentence, but it's impossible for us to ask him to give a lenient sentence."

After saying this to Wang Sanxi, Zhao Jun said to Wang Meilan and Wang Qiang, "Mom, Uncle, you two go back inside."

"Hey?" Seeing this, Wang Sanxi hurriedly stopped her, saying, "Lanzi, don't worry, let Uncle Sanxi tell you what happened."

Wang Meilan stopped in her tracks, but she frowned as she looked at Wang Sanxi and said, "Uncle Sanxi, you're not trying to fool me."

“What are you trying to fool me for, Lanzi? Here’s what happened.” Wang Sanxi said, “My brother Fu seems to have buried some valuable things in the mountains a while ago, but these stock certificates, they’re paper, wouldn’t they turn to dust if buried in the ground? He just gave out some certificates, and they’ve all been handed over to one person.”

Then my rich brother told him, "Only when his eldest daughter, that is, you, takes something to that person will he give you all these certificates."

Upon hearing Wang Sanxi's words, Zhao Jun and Wang Qiang both looked at Wang Meilan.

When the wealthy Wang gave away his fortune, Wang Qiang was still a child. Those were turbulent times; it was uncertain whether Wang Qiang would even grow up to be an adult.

Therefore, it is understandable that Wang Dabazhang would choose Wang Meilan as the contact person.

After all, Wang Meilan was a daughter, and Wang Dabazhang had married her off to a poor family. Even if something happened to the Wang family, it wouldn't affect Wang Meilan.

Moreover, Wang Dazhang understands his daughter's personality and knows that Wang Meilan will definitely not mistreat Wang Qiang if she wants to find what he left behind.

"Lanzi." Seeing that Wang Meilan had fallen into deep thought after hearing his words, Wang Sanxi quickly said to her, "You don't know this person, but I do, and I know where he is. If you can... say a word for Yaoguang, I'll tell you where he is."

Wang Sanxi's words only made things worse. As soon as he said them, Zhao Jun, Wang Meilan, and Wang Qiang exchanged glances and looked at each other.

Who is Wang Dabazhang? Since he left wealth to his children, how could he not leave even a single word?

In that case, what's the point of him hiding anything?

At that moment, Zhao Jun, Wang Meilan, and Wang Qiang all thought of the same person.

Seeing Zhao Jun and the other two exchanging glances, Wang Sanxi felt uneasy. But the old man also believed that Zhao Jun and the others didn't know any clues, otherwise they wouldn't have waited until now to cash in their shares.

Thinking of this, Wang Sanxi smiled slightly, already having a plan in mind.

Once he felt at ease, Wang Sanxi even put on airs. He coughed lightly and said, "This guy is almost eighty years old, and he's crying and wailing, saying all this stuff, without even having a sip of water."

After saying this, Wang Sanxi asked Zhao Jun, "Kid, where is my second brother's grandson's house? I'm going to check on him."

Wang Sanxi thought Zhao Jun and Wang Meilan would keep him, but to his surprise, Zhao Jun pointed south and said, "Old man, go that way, and then ask about Wang Dalong."

After saying this, Zhao Jun seemed to remember something and quickly added, "When asking for directions, don't ask those scumbags; anyone else will do."

"This..." Wang Sanxi was at a loss with Zhao Jun, but seeing that Zhao Jun, Wang Meilan, and Wang Qiang did not intend to keep him, Wang Sanxi gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll stay at my grandson's house for a few days. If you need anything after that, hurry up and come find me."

Hearing Wang Sanxi's words, Zhao Jun, Wang Meilan, and Wang Qiang all laughed. Wang Sanxi was baffled by their laughter, but since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to leave.

He gave Wang Meilan a deep look, then turned and walked away. Wang Sanxi didn't believe Zhao Jun and the others wouldn't come looking for him; when that happened, they wouldn't be able to hold them hostage.

Thinking of this, Wang Sanxi quickened his pace.

Although Wang Sanxi's visit was ill-intentioned, Zhao Jun and the other two still politely saw him and Zheng Chunli out of the compound.

After watching Wang Sanxi and his companion leave, Zhao Jun and the other two turned and went back into the courtyard.

Walking along the path towards the house, Wang Qiang couldn't contain his joy and said to Wang Meilan, "Sister, Dad left behind some stocks?"

"How would I know?" Wang Meilan said with a smile, and it was clear that she was very happy.

"Huh?" Wang Qiang took two steps forward, then turned around and walked backwards while saying to Wang Meilan, "I heard from that old man that our dad also has shares in Shanhe Bai. Does that mean we won't have to pay for drinks anymore?"

"What else is there to say?" Wang Meilan laughed. "When have you ever seen Wang Fu's kid spend money on a candy ball? From now on, the winery will have to deliver wine to us every month."

"Oh, that's great!" Wang Qiang clapped his hands happily.

"Mom! Uncle!" At this moment, Zhao Jun interrupted the siblings' daydreaming, saying, "Let's not think about such good things yet. We don't even know who has gotten that certificate yet."

“Nephew, we don’t know, but your dad does,” Wang Qiang said, clenching his fist at Wang Meilan. “Sister, you interrogate him!”

"Hmm!" Wang Meilan nodded heavily, a cold glint flashing in her narrowed eyes.

"Sister," Wang Qiang turned around and walked alongside Wang Meilan, saying, "It's not that I'm talking about my brother-in-law behind his back, but this has happened several times now. Can you believe it's infuriating?"

Hearing Wang Qiang's words, Wang Meilan nodded, but frowned at the same time. It was clear that Wang Meilan also had some dissatisfaction with Zhao Youcai.

“Sister.” Wang Qiang raised his palm and gestured, “Your brother didn’t mean anything by saying that. If my brother-in-law knew but didn’t tell me, you can take this thing out and enjoy it, and I won’t say anything. Because we are family, as long as we don’t benefit others, that’s fine.”

As he spoke, Wang Qiang clenched his right fist and slammed it into his left palm, making a loud cracking sound. He said, "What's infuriating is that he didn't tell anyone, acting like nothing happened. You tell me."

Hearing Wang Qiang's words, Wang Meilan's face grew even more gloomy.

“Sister, I’m not trying to badmouth my brother-in-law,” Wang Qiang said again, “but I’m starting to doubt whether he’s truly committed to living with you.”

"Uncle," Zhao Jun quickly interjected upon hearing this. "Aren't you just trying to sow discord between him and me? That's exactly what you're doing!"

When Zhao Jun called him, Wang Qiang realized he had gone too far. He had been so caught up in the joy of still having stocks at home that he had said a few words he didn't know the proper way to talk.

Realizing what he had said, Wang Qiang quickly replied to Wang Meilan, "Sister, I was just kidding. My brother-in-law is a good person too."

Wang Meilan didn't say anything, but quickly walked to the back of the house.

"Mom, where are you going? Aren't you coming inside?" Zhao Jun asked, but Wang Meilan didn't answer. Zhao Jun and Wang Qiang exchanged a glance, then followed Wang Meilan to the backyard.

Upon seeing Zhao Jun and his two companions approach, the hunting dogs tied up in the backyard began to bark to attract their master.

Wang Meilan ignored them, quickly walked into the shed, and then came out carrying a large axe for splitting firewood.

Wang Meilan grabbed a large axe and headed for the donkey shed, where Zhao Jun had just bought a large black goat.

When Wang Meilan approached the sheep, she changed from holding the axe with one hand to holding it horizontally with both hands in front of her.

Seeing Wang Meilan approach with her axe, the little donkey in the donkey shed stared wide-eyed in terror. Meanwhile, the large black goat outside, oblivious to the horrors of life and death, continued leisurely defecating.

The next second, the blunt end of the axe landed on the top of the big black goat.

This axe was modified from an eight-pound sledgehammer. When it struck the face, the big black goat didn't even let out a scream. Its eyes went wide open, and it collapsed to the ground, its limbs twitching.

"Ugh! Ugh!" The little donkey cried out twice for the big black goat, its fur standing on end from Wang Meilan's hammer blow.

"Shut up!" But with Wang Meilan's shout, the little donkey immediately shut its mouth.

"Qiangzi," Wang Meilan said to Wang Qiang, leaning on her sledgehammer, "call the aid workers to make the lamb chops, and remove the meat and bones."

"Hey, sis, you don't need to worry about that." Wang Qiang was also frightened by his sister and hurriedly replied.

Wang Meilan pushed the hammer handle toward Wang Qiang, who quickly caught it. Then Wang Meilan said to Zhao Jun, "Son, drive me and your dad away!"

"Hey." Zhao Jun knew that Wang Meilan was going to interrogate Zhao Youcai, but it was strange that he was pulling Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan out.

Intimidated by Wang Meilan's power in striking the sheep, Zhao Jun knew his mother was angry and dared not ask any further questions.

Wang Meilan stepped over the ram's head, its eyes wide open in death, and walked to the front of the house. Through the screen window of the main room, she called out to Zhao Youcai, "Dad, let's go with our son to Yongsheng to pick up our eldest grandson."

"What are we going to do?" Zhao Youcai asked without looking up. "Let our son go and pick them up, that's all."

After Zhao Youcai finished speaking, he didn't get a reply from Wang Meilan. He looked up and, through the gauze-covered window, he could vaguely see Wang Meilan standing outside the window.

Although he couldn't see Wang Meilan's face clearly, Zhao Youcai could tell that his wife was unhappy.

"What a day!" Zhao Youcai sighed and got out of bed, slipping on his shoes as he left the house.

When the couple walked outside the courtyard, Zhao Jun was already waiting in the car.

Zhao Youcai opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat. Wang Meilan did not get in the car immediately, but instead pulled a piece of oak tree branch about the thickness of a goose egg and about a meter long from the woodpile next to her.

"What are you going to do with that thing?" Zhao Youcai asked Wang Meilan through the car window. Wang Meilan replied in a deep voice, "There are bad people all over Yongsheng. I need to take a stick."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Youcai assumed that Wang Meilan was referring to Pang the Blind and his group, and immediately said irritably, "You woman, all you do all day is talk nonsense."

Upon hearing his words, a cold glint flashed in Wang Meilan's eyes, but she got into the car without saying anything.

Seeing Wang Meilan come up, Zhao Jun started the car, and then Zhao Youcai muttered, "With your skills, even a stick wouldn't help. Someone would just slap you across the face."

Wang Meilan, sitting in the back row, didn't say anything. She placed the stick across her legs and held both ends of the stick with her hands.

Zhao Jun, who was driving, wanted to give Zhao Youcai a hand and kept trying to wink at him, but Zhao Youcai didn't even look at him.

The car quickly left Yong'an Village. When they passed a poplar grove, Wang Meilan called to Zhao Jun, "Son, stop the car."

"Huh?" Zhao Youcai was taken aback. He was about to ask why they stopped here when Zhao Jun pulled the car over to the side of the road.

"Come on!" Wang Meilan said, holding a stick in one hand and patting Zhao Youcai's shoulder with the other. "Get down here!"

I'll make up for yesterday's missed lessons tomorrow. I didn't go for lithotripsy this time; I'll just tough it out. My condition has nothing to do with drinking water. I've been drinking large bottles of purified water since I had kidney stones last year.

When my condition flared up in November, I switched to using purified water for cooking. This time, it's not a water issue; it's probably a kidney problem. Sigh, my health is getting worse and worse; it's been declining year by year since those three injections.

I'll try drinking more water and jumping around to see if it goes down. If not, I'll go to the hospital again on December 13th. It doesn't seem like frequent lithotripsy is a good thing; I only had lithotripsy once in November.