Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

Seeing Jia Zhangshi hugging him and crying her heart out, Yan Fugui, Qin Huairu, Yi Zhonghai... all looked at him with disbelief.

The police could only patiently explain, "Comrades..."

“I’ve already inquired about the situation in your courtyard from Xu Damao and the others…”

“Xu Damao promised you that as long as you do foreign trade with him, he can double the money you invested in a year.”

"But haven't you considered that, apart from smuggling, it's possible for a legitimate business to double its capital in such a short time?"

“In a normal foreign trade business, if you invest 10,000 yuan, it's already very good if you can earn 2,000 to 3,000 yuan a year.”

"Aside from smuggling, I don't recall any other legitimate business that could double the capital in a year."

"So you've all been fooled by Xu Damao..."

"But there are also reasons on your part."

"If you are not greedy and maintain a little rationality when investing, you will not be deceived by Xu Damao."

"With so many neighbors in this courtyard, why were you the only ones who were scammed by Xu Damao? Most of the other neighbors didn't invest in Xu Damao..."

"I won't say any more..."

"You can ask your son about the specifics during tomorrow's visit."

Yi Zhonghai's face looked extremely grim at that moment.

If Xu Damao is indeed arrested for smuggling, all the payments and goods will be seized by the police. Not only will the 500 yuan he lent to Banggeng be lost, but the 1,000 yuan he secretly invested in Xu Damao will also be lost.

To avoid the Jia family finding out about the money and affecting his relationship with them, which could lead to Qin Huairu ceasing to support him in his old age, Yi Zhonghai couldn't directly ask Xu Damao's parents for the money.

The more Yi Zhonghai thought about it, the more anxious he became.

Seeing that the two police officers were about to leave after giving their instructions, I immediately asked, "Officer..."

"No matter what, those neighbors who invested in Xu Damao are innocent and victims as well..."

"I wonder if they can get their money back from Xu Damao, even just a portion of it would be helpful..."

“Yes… Officer Xu…” A neighbor who had invested money in Xu Damao immediately stood up.

Sobbing and crying, she said, "That money is my savings of more than ten years. If it's all gone, how am I supposed to live?"

“I was deceived by Xu Damao. If I had known that Xu Damao was not in the business of appearance but in smuggling, I would never have invested in Xu Damao.”

"Officer, I am also a victim. Can you please return the money to us? Just the principal is fine."

"If all else fails, we'll give you half back, please..."

Several other neighbors then stepped forward, wanting to get their investments back from the police.

The only solution Yi Zhonghai could think of was to put pressure on the police together to reduce the negative impact of the incident. Perhaps the police would refund a portion of everyone's investment.

However, Yi Zhonghai clearly underestimated the determination of the public security bureau to severely punish this matter and make an example of someone.

When the police officer in charge saw these people blocking his way, seemingly begging for mercy but actually threatening him, his serious expression was replaced by anger, and he cursed them without any politeness.

"What do you want to do? Rebel?"

Do you know what investing means to you?

“You invested money with Xu Damao, which made you the bosses of the entire smuggling operation.” “Our superiors have decided not to hold you accountable since you were unaware of the scheme.”

“If it really comes down to it, you will all be held jointly liable and will be arrested and detained for a year or two.”

"Get out of my way before I lose my temper."

"Otherwise, I would definitely report what happened in the yard today to the leaders."

"Not only will you not get your money back, but you'll also get arrested."

"Have you thought it through: are you going to save the person, or neither the money nor the person?"

“I’ll count to five, and if you still don’t move aside after that, I’ll write down your names and hold you accountable for your investment in smuggling.”

Upon hearing that they were going to be detained by the police for a year and a half, the neighbors who were standing in front of the police immediately backed down.

Compared to money, life is obviously more important.

In addition, the amount of money they invested in Xu Damao was not much. Apart from Yan Fugui, the Jia family, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong from the backyard, and the other neighbors in the courtyard, the total amount invested in Xu Damao was only a little over two thousand yuan.

Some people get seven or eight hundred yuan, while others only get three or four hundred yuan. There's absolutely no need to put yourself in jail for such a small amount of money.

Once the two policemen had completely left the courtyard, the neighbors who had been watching the commotion immediately started talking about it.

In recent months, Yan Fugui and the Jia family have been bragging to them about how amazing their son is. He said that by working with Xu Damao in foreign trade, he can double the initial investment of several thousand yuan in a year and become a millionaire in two years at most.

Now things are really messed up. Not only did he not earn a single penny, but his son, who did business with Xu Damao, was also arrested by the police. He has to go to the police station to pay a fine if he wants to get out.

Aside from Yi Zhonghai, who invested almost all of his retirement savings in Xu Damao, the one who truly felt hopeless was Yan Fugui.

He not only lost his hard-earned retirement savings of decades, but also dragged his three sons into the mess.

If one son has to pay a fine of 3,000 yuan, then three sons would have to pay a fine of 9,000 yuan. Even if the Yan family sold their property, they still couldn't come up with that much money.

Listening to the mocking comments from his neighbors and seeing them pointing and whispering about him, Yan Fugui moved home step by step like a walking corpse.

Because the neighbors who had come to watch the commotion were still gathered in the courtyard, the news that the three Yan brothers had been arrested for smuggling had not yet spread, and Yan Fugui's wife was unaware that the Yan family's world had collapsed.

Seeing her husband enter the house with a deathly pale face, like a walking corpse, and sit in a chair without saying a word, she immediately panicked.

"Old Yan..."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Please don't scare me. You're the backbone of the Yan family. What would I do if something happened to you..."

"Old Yan, wake up... don't scare me anymore..."

"What exactly happened? How did things get like this after just one trip to the Central Court?"

"Didn't you take the police to the Intermediate People's Court to look for the Jia family...?"

"Could it be that the police's investigation into the Jia family is also related to us...? Speak up... I'm so anxious."

"It's over..."

Yan Fugui's wife squatted down beside him, crying and shouting for a long time, but Yan Fugui only managed to utter these two words.

Faced with this outcome, Yan Fugui's wife became even more anxious, grabbing Yan Fugui's arm and pressing him for more details. (End of Chapter)