Rebirth: He refused to Divorce Again-Chapter 1443: Stumbling Into the Trap

So when they arrived in Jinling City, even though it was night, the Old Patriarch was in surprisingly good spirits.

Yubao Square had already been sealed, and the remaining dozen or so antiques were confiscated as illegal goods.

When they arrived at the Gu Family yard, Third Uncle Gu rushed over upon hearing the news. As soon as he saw the Old Patriarch, he burst into tears, but before the Old Patriarch could speak, Grandpa Gu angrily reprimanded, "Why are you crying? If there’s a problem, solve it. Does crying solve anything? Aren’t you embarrassed at your age?"

Gu Qingfeng slowly spoke, "Your father is right. Tell me exactly what happened."

Third Uncle Gu wiped away his tears and sat opposite the Old Patriarch, and then began to recount the events of that day in detail.

It turned out that this matter was actually orchestrated by the brother of Gu Qiaoqiao’s second aunt, who is Gu Zhihai’s brother-in-law.

Second Uncle Gu’s brother-in-law lives in Sanlitun. A few days ago, he called to say that there was a big landlord in their village who wanted to sell some heirloom antiques because they needed money urgently for a sick family member. This seemed normal enough. As it happened, Gu Lei had business elsewhere, so Gu Zhixing volunteered to go to Sanlitun with Second Uncle Gu.

There really were some antiques, and they looked genuinely impressive, quite old. Gu Zhixing’s eye for these things was decent. Normally, he shouldn’t have taken them, but he thought he should exercise some judgment, so he made the decision.

Moreover, this batch of antiques wasn’t expensive; it was ridiculously cheap, like at a giveaway price.

However, they couldn’t be moved because there were two large furniture pieces made of pear wood—old items you can’t find anymore—so they had Boss Xu from Lifeng Security provide a vehicle.

They collected a total of fifteen items, loaded them all onto a truck, and brought them back to Yubao Square in Jinling City.

Then the next day, a foreign buyer came inquiring about an ancient Blue and White Three-legged Cauldron.

By chance, among the batch of antiques, there was this Blue and White Three-legged Cauldron. So it was sold to this foreigner at a hundred times the price. At the time, Gu Zhixing and Gu Zhihai were quite smug about it, thinking the profit was enormous—just one transaction netted them a hundred times the money—enough for them to live on for a year.

What seemed like such a happy deal—it was just a business transaction—unexpectedly led to the Public Security coming the very next day to seal off Yubao Square. They said someone reported that they were smuggling antiques, illegally purchasing looted national Grade I protected cultural relics from tomb raiders, and selling them abroad, causing significant loss to the nation.

This charge nearly crushed Gu Zhixing and Second Uncle Gu. They were then taken away for interrogation.

Originally, this had nothing to do with Gu Lei; he hadn’t even had a chance to look at that batch of items. He was frequently traveling around collecting antiques for Yubao Square, so naturally, he too was called in for questioning.

The situation was just like that—not as complicated as one might imagine. In fact, it was simple.

Yet this simplicity made it all the more difficult to investigate. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Gu Qiaoqiao didn’t speak but stayed deep in thought for a long while. There was no doubt that this trap was set for the Gu Family. However, it wasn’t particularly clever; if Gu Lei had been involved, this plan wouldn’t have succeeded. So, although the pit was dug, someone had to jump in.

Gu Zhixing and Gu Zhihai jumped in foolishly.

But they couldn’t be entirely blamed. After all, they lack experience. In their line of work, there are many times they make the wrong calls and suffer losses, learning through the setbacks, just like the Old Patriarch once did.

But now that the matter has blown up, it’s not simply a lesson bought with money; if things don’t resolve well, they could end up in prison.

There are two critical points to this matter: the home of the so-called landlord ancestor and the foreign buyer of the Blue and White Three-legged Cauldron.

Second Uncle’s brother-in-law might not be suspicious, but we shouldn’t exclude the possibility that he was bribed by outsiders to trap his own family. Such things are difficult to predict.

So Gu Qiaoqiao asked, "Third Uncle, where is Second Uncle’s brother-in-law now?"

"He was also called in for questioning. I don’t know if he’s back home yet," Third Uncle said dejectedly.

"Does Second Aunt’s family have a telephone?" Gu Qiaoqiao asked.

Glancing at Granddad’s serene face, Third Uncle Gu said in a low voice, "Second Brother’s house is in a remote place, no line available to install a phone even if they wanted to, and everyone thought they might move houses soon, so they didn’t bother installing one."

Without a phone, contacting them is indeed inconvenient.

"Has Second Aunt been here?" Gu Qiaoqiao asked.

"Yes, she came and cried for a long time yesterday before going back."

"Did Second Aunt mention anything about her brother?"

"Yes, she mentioned that. Second Aunt’s family home is in Sanlitun, her brother graduated high school but hasn’t found a job. He went to talk to Second Aunt about it, and later discussed it separately with Second Uncle. Beyond that, Second Aunt doesn’t know anything else."

Gu Qiaoqiao tightened her brow, "Third Uncle, do you remember anything about the foreigner who bought the Blue and White Cauldron?"

"Yes, I remember him."

"Did he have a translator with him?"

Third Uncle Gu thought for a moment, then shook his head, "No, he didn’t have a translator."

"Then how did you communicate? Could he speak Mandarin well?" Gu Qiaoqiao asked, puzzled.

"At the time, I was busy on the other side of the counter, so I didn’t hear them speak, but they seemed to communicate clearly through gestures. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to complete the deal. I meant to ask about it that night, but got too busy and forgot," Third Uncle Gu said, lowering his head in frustration. "We’re finished, this is it, we’re done for."

Afterward, he looked at Gu Qingfeng, shamefully saying, "Granddad, we’ve let you down; we’ve disappointed all your efforts."

Gu Qingfeng pondered for a moment, then looked steadily at Third Uncle Gu, sighing deeply before slowly speaking, "They say experience is the best teacher. There are no sure deals in this world; remember this lesson."

Third Uncle Gu was stunned; it took him a while to react. He looked up in gratitude, his eyes glistening with tears, not expecting the Old Patriarch not to scold him. He thought he’d get hit with a cane or at least be scolded.

After all, the three of them had shamed Yubao Square.

Third Uncle Gu choked up and said, "Granddad, we will definitely remember this lesson, but right now Eldest Brother and Second Brother are still in there. If they’re found guilty, this family will fall apart."

Gu Qingfeng looked at Gu Qiaoqiao, "Qiaoqiao, come take a walk with me."

Gu Qiaoqiao stood up, smiled softly at everyone, and said, "What’s done is done; regret and anger accomplish nothing. The only thing is to find a way to resolve it."