18: Chapter 18 The Blushing Sister-in-Law

Guo Kui hurriedly whipped out his lighter, stepped forward, and deftly lit it for him.

Guo Jianjun, who was just reaching into his pocket for his own lighter, paused and cast a sideways glance at him. "You brat, you're awfully observant today, aren't you?"

After saying this, Guo Jianjun mimicked a Taoist exorcist, making a gesture to ward off evil spirits. "No matter what filthy thing you are, get off my brother immediately! He's already a fool; possessing him is just a loss for you…"

Watching his cousin's antics, Guo Kui didn't get angry; he just laughed foolishly.

His intention to curry favor because he needed something was impossible to hide.

After joking around, Guo Jianjun rubbed his temples and took a deep drag of his cigarette. "Kuizi, you know the rules of our little circle better than anyone. For all these years, it's just been the four of us—me, you, and The Zhao Brothers, Boss Zhao and Zhao the Second—solid as a rock. Adding an outsider for no reason breaks our old rules and is bound to create rifts and conflicts later on."

Guo Kui hurriedly chimed in, his voice low. "Brother, I understand everything you said. Adding someone rashly really does go against the rules. After all, one more person means more competition; I'm crystal clear on that."

"But then again, there isn't just one abandoned mine pit in these mountains, and this isn't our exclusive trade. There's also Old Man Zhou's team, who have been Gold Panning on the other side of the mountain all this time."

He scratched his head, his tone becoming increasingly sincere. "That's exactly what I was thinking. Even if we don't bring Zheng Jing into the fold, he'll eventually head into the mountains to try his luck anyway. He's unfamiliar with the area, and if he accidentally wanders into Old Man Zhou's territory, it would ruin the peace we've maintained for years. It's better to keep him in our team where we know him well and can keep him in line. That way, he won't disrupt the unspoken rules of the mountain. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Guo Jianjun glanced at his cousin with a look of resignation. "What you say does make sense. Zheng Jing grew up with you. If he really went wandering around Old Man Zhou's territory alone, outsiders wouldn't know the truth and might mistakenly think we were pulling the strings behind the scenes."

Guo Kui clapped his hands together. "Exactly! Our county is such a small place; if Old Man Zhou and his crew ask around, they'll know about my relationship with Zheng Jing. Then others will associate it with us, unnecessarily disrupting the delicate balance between both sides."

Guo Jianjun cast a sideways glance at him. "So, you assumed from the very beginning that I would eventually relent?"

"No, no, Brother, I really didn't think that!" Guo Kui hurriedly waved his hands and shook his head.

Guo Jianjun rolled his eyes at him, too lazy to argue. He knew his cousin's personality all too well.

To put it nicely, he was loyal and valued relationships; to put it bluntly, he was just plain simple-minded.

He was certain that if he insisted on refusing, this brat would definitely take Zheng Jing into the mountains on his own.

If they didn't know the rules and wandered around blindly, and once they crossed the line into Old Man Zhou's territory, they would break the long-standing silent agreement between the two teams. If a real conflict broke out, no one would be able to go Gold Panning in peace in the future.

Rather than that, it would be better to just accept Zheng Jing and keep him in the team where he could be supervised and looked after.

Anyway, the mining area was vast, and adding one more person wouldn't really affect the earnings of the others.

Seeing Guo Jianjun's expression soften, Guo Kui struck while the iron was hot. "Brother, if it were anyone else, I would never dare to ask. But Zheng Jing is a childhood friend who grew up wearing the same pair of pants as me; I know his character too well. He's tight-lipped, reliable, knows his place, and understands boundaries. He won't go around blabbing to outsiders, nor will he cause trouble by wandering aimlessly. Brother, for my sake, please make an exception just this once!"

Guo Jianjun remained silent for a long time, but eventually, unable to resist his cousin's repeated pleading, he slowly relented, while clearly laying out his bottom line. "Fine, I can agree to this. But The Zhao Brothers have been our partners for so many years; we can't make decisions behind their backs. We should inform them."

"I'll give them a call later. As long as The Zhao Brothers don't have any objections, it's settled. But I'll say this upfront: from now on, if Zheng Jing follows us into the mountains, he must strictly adhere to the rules—no crossing boundaries to steal territory, no recruiting outsiders on his own, and absolutely no blabbing about our Gold Panning activities in the mountains to others."

Guo Jianjun had his own concerns. The abandoned mine pits in the mountains were quite large, but they were abandoned pits after all, and resources were limited. Adding one more person like Zheng Jing didn't matter, but he was afraid that Zheng Jing might bring his own relatives and friends later on, which would ruin all the rules and cause endless trouble.

Guo Kui nodded so hard it was like he was pounding garlic, repeatedly assuring him. "He can definitely do that! Thank you, Brother, thank you so much! May you live a long life!"

This was something he had just learned from Zheng Jing, and he found it appropriate for any situation, so it just slipped out.

Guo Jianjun tossed the two cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes he had brought back to him. "Get lost! Remember to knock next time you come in! No, wait, it would be better if you stopped running over to my house so much!"

If it had been anyone else who had barged in and caught his wife in such an intimate moment, ruining his good time, given Guo Jianjun's temper, he would have already slapped them across the face.

But with this cousin, he couldn't bring himself to hit him, and scolding him felt futile.

The reason was simple. When he was six years old and young and ignorant, he played with matches and accidentally set fire to his uncle and aunt's new bridal chamber.

That was the foundation of the couple's livelihood! It was all burned to the ground by his fire, causing his uncle's family to be poor for many years.

Because of this debt, he had always been exceptionally tolerant and accommodating toward Guo Kui, his uncle's only son. Except for his wife, he was willing to yield to his cousin in every other aspect.

Guo Kui picked up the cigarettes with a grin, not taking his cousin's harsh words to heart at all. "Don't be like that, Brother, you keep the cigarettes! I'll go tell Zheng Jing clearly right now, make him behave and follow the rules. He won't cause you any trouble, and he definitely won't break the unspoken agreement in the mountains."

Guo Jianjun said coldly, "I can't say for sure whether he'll cause trouble or not, but if you stop causing trouble for me everywhere, I'll be thankful enough."

Guo Kui agreed readily and turned to walk out, excited. Before leaving, he yelled cheekily toward the window of the house, "Sister-in-law, I'm leaving!"

Inside the house, Cousin-in-law Li Lanwei heard this, and the flush that had finally faded from her face instantly turned bright red again.