Stay Home Daddy: I Was Reborn After My Daughter Passed Away
Chapter 256: Two hundred and fifty-six Gu Zhigang was tricked_1

Chapter 256: Two hundred and fifty-six Gu Zhigang was tricked_1

"Your big brother, your big brother got himself into some shoe polish company a while back after hearing about it from god knows where, and even bought shares. A few days ago, he said he was going to Huacheng for a meeting, and since he left, we’ve lost all contact with him. It’s already been a full week, Chenzi, please come back soon, Mom really doesn’t know what to do..."

Shen Cuizhi spoke until her eyes reddened, and she couldn’t help but choke up.

Although Gu Zhigang was well into his thirties this year, he was, after all, Shen Cuizhi’s son.

It didn’t matter how old a child was; in the eyes of their parents, they were still children.

Shen Cuizhi was genuinely afraid that something dreadful had happened to Gu Zhigang.

On the other end of the phone, Gu Chen frowned,

This situation sounded a bit like a pyramid scheme!

Could it be that his big brother had been fooled by a pyramid scheme organization?

"Mom, don’t panic, I’m coming home right now."

In the year 2000, the audacity of pyramid schemes was egregious.

The number of people they had deceived couldn’t just be counted on one’s fingers—some had even been cheated out of their entire fortunes!

Hearing this, the few people who were just chatting and laughing instantly fell silent, and their expressions turned serious, especially Ji Pianran, who looked at Gu Chen with eyes filled with concern.

It seemed that something must have happened at Gu Chen’s house!

After finishing the conversation, Gu Chen hung up, looked apologetically at Ji Guangsheng and Wu Shuhui,

"Dad, Mom, something has come up at home, I need to leave."

Upon hearing this, Ji Pianran immediately stood up, staring at Gu Chen with her bright eyes, intense and piercing.

"I’ll go with you!"

Even though she didn’t know what had happened, she felt like she had to be by Gu Chen’s side.

Ji Guangsheng quickly said, "Go on, head back home, and call us at any time if you need anything."

Even though he didn’t ask any questions, it wasn’t hard to tell from Gu Chen’s expression that something serious must have happened at home.

Ji Guangsheng was always willing to help Gu Chen with any difficulties.

Gu Chen nodded, "Don’t worry, you two get some rest early."

Having said that, he picked up Tiantian, who had only eaten a tiny bit of meat. "Tiantian, let’s go home."

Hearing they were going home, the little one subconsciously glanced at the table full of delicious food she hadn’t eaten yet.

Her lips pouted, her expression pitiful.

"Daddy, Tiantian wants to eat another piece of meat."

She was truly hungry.

Feeling sorry for her granddaughter, Wu Shuhui immediately said, "You two go on, we’ll have Bai Guang take Tiantian back later. At the end of the day, the child is young, and she can’t just make do when it comes to eating."

Gu Chen didn’t refuse; he nodded, "Okay, then Pian Ran and I will go ahead."

...

By the time they arrived home, it was already quite late. As Gu Chen’s car turned into the alley at the entrance of his house, he saw Shen Cuilan squatting at the doorstep. She was dressed in dark blue homespun clothes with arm covers on her sleeves.

Her short hair was peppered with gray as she lowered her head, looking somewhat pitiful.

Only when she heard the sound of the car did she touch her face, then looked blankly towards the Santana.

As they approached, Gu Chen stopped the car and got out with Ji Pianran.

"Mom," Gu Chen called out.

Ji Pianran quickly took a few steps forward, helped her mother-in-law to stand up, "Mom, let’s go inside and talk."

Gu Chen hurriedly opened the door, and Ji Pianran assisted Shen Cuilan into the house.

She led her to a small table inside the house, picked up an iron pot from it, and went over to the thermos on the windowsill to pour Shen Cuilan some water.

Shen Cuilan had no appetite for water; as soon as she sat down, she grabbed Gu Chen’s hand and recounted the cause and effect of the story in one breath, clarifying every detail.

After finishing, she let out a sigh of despair, patting her thigh, "What a sin!"

She truly couldn’t understand, what kind of magic did selling shoe polish possess?

Having such a good job at the furniture factory, why did he get obsessed with selling shoe polish instead of sticking to a steady job?

It was truly bizarre!

She even began to suspect that there was something wrong with her son’s mind.

"Mom, what about those people my brother dragged into investing? Doesn’t anyone know where my elder brother has gone?" Gu Chen asked.

To Gu Chen, this scheme sounded like a pyramid scheme, strictly speaking, a precursor to direct sales.

In the past, pyramid schemes were rampant, one hideout following another, impossible to eradicate completely.

But the main reason was still money, the source of desire.

If not controlled properly, it became the source of sin.

Recruits developing more recruits, expanding infinitely.

Gu Chen believed that these people must be the downline developed by his brother.

Maybe some of them knew something; otherwise, with Huacheng being so large, even using Baidu might not help to find someone.

At the mention of these people, Shen Cuizhi’s face became even sourer with helplessness.

"Don’t even mention it; these people chase us every day for money. Seeing the situation worsening, your sister-in-law took Dong Dong back to her parents’ house to hide, which made even your second brother’s family suffer. To avoid trouble, your second brother leaves the house before dawn and doesn’t return until after dark," she said.

Gu Chen frowned; he had not realized the situation was this serious.

"Then why didn’t you come to me sooner?" Gu Chen said.

Shen Cuizhi shook her head—she was too ashamed. Ever since Gu Zhigang started working and making money, he looked down on Gu Chen, thinking his younger brother was a failure who tangled up in troubles without ever helping out.

She, being their mother, saw everything. Though Gu Chen suddenly returned home this Chinese New Year and was very good to the family,

Shen Cuizhi still felt guilty on behalf of Gu Zhigang.

She had thought to grit her teeth with her husband and wait for Gu Zhigang to return before making a plan, but a week had passed, and there was still no sign of him.

Now she was afraid Gu Zhigang might never come back.

Having no other option, she had bitten the bullet and come to find her youngest son, Gu Chen.

"I... ah," Shen Cuizhi sighed, her eyes reddening again.

Seeing this, Ji Pianran quickly handed her a tissue, "Mom, don’t cry; if there’s a problem, we’ll solve it. We will definitely find elder brother for you."

Seeing the concern on Ji Pianran’s face made Shen Cuizhi even more upset, and she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.

When trouble came, her eldest daughter-in-law took the child and turned her back to return to her parents’ home.

Her second daughter-in-law was constantly in a bad mood at home because she felt it disrupted the normal life of their family of three.

Only her youngest daughter-in-law not only had no complaints but was also comforting her.

Yet, these years, the one she had worried about the least was this youngest daughter-in-law.

With this realization, the stark contrast struck her, and she was both moved and ashamed.

"If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have let Zhigang go no matter what," Shen Cuizhi lamented.

Looking at the haggard Shen Cuilan, Ji Pianran sighed and then looked towards Gu Chen, "Let’s first get something to eat for mom; she needs the energy to stay strong."

Shen Cuilan had no desire to eat; she shook her head, "No, not eating."

Ji Pianran gently patted her shoulder, comforting her tenderly.

"Mom, don’t worry; now that you’ve told us about this, it’s our issue too. Gu Chen and I will definitely help you find elder brother. What you need to do now is to eat well and take care of your health. If you fall ill, it would be a greater loss," she said.

Seeing Ji Pianran patiently consoling her mother-in-law, Gu Chen felt a warmth in his heart.

He had not expected her to care so much about his family’s affairs.