Chapter Thirty-Six: Joined Forces

The words that came from Shen Guodong’s mouth grew more and more explosive with each revelation. Zhang Ailian, Liu Chuan-zhi, and the others all turned pale.

Before the incident with the construction project, he had been a locally renowned self-made man, a “ten-thousand-yuan household.” At his peak, he had savings of thirty to forty thousand yuan and had even built a small Western-style house. Life seemed to be on the rise, promising ever better days—until suddenly, everything collapsed. Not only did he lose everything, but he was also left heavily in debt. Among his creditors, Zhang Xuelian had lent the most money, and they had been deeply grateful to her for it.

The next few years were hard. Later, Liu Jianguo tried raising shrimp; after nearly half a year of hard work, just when the harvest was near, someone poisoned his pond. In those days, the facilities were far from sophisticated. Unless you caught the culprit red-handed, even the police could rarely find the perpetrator after the fact. Because of this, the Liu family, on the verge of prosperity, fell silent once more. Thoughts of getting rich vanished entirely.

Yet now, hearing Shen Guodong’s revelations, the shock was overwhelming. Was it really Zhang Xuelian behind it all? Could that be? She was Zhang Ailian’s closest younger sister—how could she do such a thing? He found it impossible to believe.

But Shen Guodong was not one for lies.

His information hadn’t been acquired recently; he only learned the truth much later, long after even Liu Yueru had left him. To verify it, Shen Guodong had spent a fortune, determined to find out whether it was true. The results matched reality closely; there was little discrepancy. He had puzzled over it, unable to comprehend it at first.

In the end, he realized the root of it all: vanity. Especially in rural areas, relatives often delighted in seeing each other do worse than themselves. If anyone made a little money or got ahead in some way, others would become consumed with jealousy. Such things happened all the time.

Had this story come from someone else, Liu Chuan-zhi and Zhang Ailian would have dismissed it as nonsense. Even if Shen Guodong himself had told them before this year, they would not have believed him. But given his current status, he had no reason to fabricate such a tale.

Thus, both of their faces changed instantly. They looked at him, dumbfounded and speechless. “Guodong, is what you said true?”

“Would I lie?” Shen Guodong shot back with a cold laugh. “I’ve never lied, Aunt. If you have the guts, come and confront me.”

Zhang Xuelian’s face was ashen, turning green and then white.

She pointed at Shen Guodong, stammering, “You—you—how could you slander me like this? Sister, you know what kind of person your son-in-law is, right? You believe the things he says? We’re real sisters—born of the same mother and father!”

At those words, Shen Guodong almost laughed. “You dare talk about being real sisters? Because of your jealousy, you’ve harmed your own sister several times. If it weren’t for your actions, my father-in-law would be a famed wealthy man by now—he’d never have had to return to farming. It’s easy for you to say, but do you realize how many years your actions cost the entire family? Have you ever thought about that?”

At this point, even the most skeptical had to concede the truth. Zhang Xuelian’s frantic, exasperated expression only made everyone angrier.

“Brother Wang, do it,” Shen Guodong commanded lightly. “Add one more to the list.”

For him, it was a mere sentence, but for Zhang Xuelian and her son Chen Gantian, it was a catastrophe. The two of them completely lost their composure.

They stared, wide-eyed, unable to comprehend what was happening—utterly at a loss.

In her panic, Zhang Xuelian pleaded, “Sister, I was wrong—I’m sorry! It was my pettiness. Please, beg him for mercy for me.”

Zhang Ailian, who had been feeling a twinge of sympathy, hardened at the sight of her sister’s desperation. Now, she felt only numbness. Any last shred of hope she had held was shattered. No matter how she looked at it, she could never have imagined her own sister would do such a thing to her.

In that instant, her entire demeanor changed. There was nothing left to be said.

What followed was predictable. To curry favor with Shen Guodong, Brother Wang would not go easy on that mother and son. Even from far away, their screams could be heard, echoing so loudly it sent chills down the spine.

On the way home, all the relatives were condemning Zhang Xuelian’s actions. Chen Gantian, once praised to the skies, was now utterly cast down—just as the saying goes, “When the wall falls, everyone pushes.” Naturally, Shen Guodong was now elevated to a pedestal. Flattering words poured in from all sides, nearly overwhelming in their abundance.

Yet Shen Guodong paid no heed to these fair-weather friends. He knew well: today they lifted you up, tomorrow they would trample you into the dirt. Chen Gantian surely understood this all too well.

Back at home, many relatives sensed that Shen Guodong was displeased with them and quickly took their leave.

Whether or not they could win his favor was uncertain, but they absolutely could not afford to incur his resentment or disgust—or they might end up like Chen Gantian, with nothing to show for it.

Still, each felt a measure of disappointment. It was hard not to regret: if only they had known Shen Guodong would become so wealthy and powerful so suddenly, they would have treated him much better during his hard times.

Even among the family, attitudes had changed.

“Guodong, as your father-in-law, I must say this: you’d best not get involved with those underworld types. Once you fall in, it’s hard to get out. We were angry before because we wished you’d amount to something. If you can find honest work, even if it doesn’t pay much, we’ll help you however we can,” Liu Chuan-zhi said.

Compared to wealth and power, the elders preferred that Shen Guodong live a peaceful, upright life. It might not bring riches, but it would at least be stable and calm—something all parents desired for their children.

Shen Guodong reassured them. “Don’t worry, Father-in-law. I know what I’m doing. As for Baldy and me, it’s just mutual benefit—I use his status and wealth, he uses my abilities.”

“So long as you keep your own counsel.”

There was nothing more to be said; the logic was self-evident.