Chapter 510: Lu Jiajie, Sold
Chapter 510: Lu Jiajie, Sold
Lu Jiaxin had planned to go on a trip, but due to her concerns about Lu Jiajie, she decided to stay home. However, she didn't laze around; instead, she spent her days locked in her room, sketching designs.
Five days later, Yan Yijun received a phone call. He then knocked on Lu Jiaxin's door and shared the news as soon as he saw her: "Boss, we have news about Lu Jiajie."
Lu Jiaxin immediately asked, "Is he still alive?"
"Yes, he is," Yan Yijun replied.
A wave of relief washed over Lu Jiaxin. "As long as he's alive, that's all that matters."
Yan Yijun lowered his voice and continued, "He is alive, but his situation is likely dire. He was sold by Leng Wu to work in the gold mines."
According to Laogeng, it was their boss who forced Leng Wu to tell the truth by holding a wooden barrel to his head. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gotten any information out of him.
"What can we do to get him out of there?" Lu Jiaxin asked.
"Laogeng has found a middleman," Yan Yijun explained. "The intermediary said we can ransom him for 10,000 green coins."
In the past six months, they had already spent over 100,000 green coins on the search, not to mention the additional 50,000 they had paid the mercenaries. Now, with the opportunity to bring Lu Jiajie back for just 1,000 coins, there was no room for hesitation.
"Tell Laogeng to get him out of there immediately and send him home," Lu Jiaxin instructed.
It was true that she was spending money like water, but she had no choice. Despite her constant reminders to only invest and not to leave the country, her greed had gotten the better of him. She hoped that this incident would serve as a lesson and that if something similar happened again, she wouldn't intervene. If he ended up dead, it would be his own doing.
"Okay," Yan Yijun replied.
That day, Lu Jiajie was working in the mine when he suddenly heard the manager call his name. His heart skipped a beat as he recalled that everyone who had been summoned like this in the past had never returned. Was today his final day?
Lu Jiajie didn't want to die, especially not when he had Qiangqiang and Xiaofeng relying on him. Over the past few months, he had countless times cursed himself for not heeding Jiaxin's advice and choosing to invest money instead of fleeing to Chang Maozi. But now, no amount of regret could change the past.
The manager eyed Lu Jiajie with a scrutinizing gaze. In all these years, no one who had been sold to the mine had ever had their family come looking for them. This reflected the considerable influence of the people backing this young man.
Lu Jiajie seethed with hatred, but having witnessed the brutal methods of these people, he dared not show any sign of resistance. He kept his head down, careful not to let them see the anger burning in his eyes.
The manager approached Lu Jiajie and locked his hands in cuffs before saying, "Come with me."
Once outside, Lu Jiajie realized that he was being led to the mine's office area, a zone typically off-limits to the workers. If they intended to kill him, they probably wouldn't bring him to this part of the mine. Could it be... A glimmer of hope ignited in his heart.
When Laogeng laid eyes on Lu Jiajie, he pulled out a photo from his pocket and compared it with the young man's face. Despite the harsh treatment he had endured, there was still a resemblance. Speaking in Mandarin, Laogeng asked, "How many brothers and sisters do you have in your family?"
Lu Jiajie's heart raced, but he forced himself to remain calm and replied, "My name is Lu Jiajie. I have two brothers and two sisters. My second brother was adopted. My father is the second of three brothers. My eldest uncle is the village head, and he has three sons but no daughters. My youngest uncle used to be the general manager of the Si Jiucheng Department Store but is now retired. He has only one daughter, my cousin Lu Jiaxin."
Although Lu Jiajie's appearance had been ravaged by his ordeal, his features still bore a resemblance to the photo. Laogeng's deliberate question was to ensure they had the right person, and Lu Jiajie's clear response confirmed his identity.
Laogeng turned away from Lu Jiajie and spoke with the intermediary and the mine's supervisor. After a brief exchange, he handed over a stack of green coins to the supervisor.
The supervisor counted the money, ensuring it was the agreed-upon amount, before nodding to the manager who had brought Lu Jiajie. Then, the cuffs binding Lu Jiajie's wrists were unlocked.
Laogeng saw that Lu Jiajie was standing there in a daze, so he said, "Let's go," and strode out.
Lu Jiajie stood rooted to the spot, unable to believe that he was being allowed to leave. Was this a dream? But as he saw Laogeng about to exit the building, he snapped out of his stupor and hurried after him.
Once outside the mine area, Lu Jiajie noticed a car waiting for them. Two burly men sat in the front, and Laogeng opened the back door to get in. Lu Jiajie quickly followed suit and climbed into the vehicle.
As the car started moving, Laogeng spoke up: "Aren't you going to ask who I am?"
Lu Jiajie's mind was still sharp, and he replied, "I don't know who you are, but I know for sure that you were sent by my sister to rescue me."
Laogeng let out a derisive laugh. "If your brain had always been this clear, how did you end up getting sold to this place to mine for gold?"
His cousin was a tycoon in Hong Kong City, yet he had been foolish enough to venture to the border for business, proving just how stupid he was.
Lu Jiajie fell silent, ashamed. What else could he say? Leng Wu had painted a rosy picture, and he hadn't been able to control his greed, so he had followed Leng Wu to Moscow, only to end up in this situation.
"Your sister sent several groups of people to look for you," Laogeng explained. "They searched from the mainland to Moscow and then from Moscow to the border, but they found nothing. Your sister guessed that if Leng Wu had set a trap, he wouldn't dare return to the mainland, nor would he stay at the border. So she sent me here to find you."
"I came here with your photo and Leng Wu's, and I never expected to actually find Leng Wu in Ulaanbaatar. That man is cunning; he hid behind the scenes while doing business. If your sister hadn't been so persistent in searching for you, you would have ended up like the others in the mine, never to leave this place again."
Lu Jiajie felt ashamed and guilty. "How is Jiaxin? Is she doing okay?"
"Your sister is doing fine," Laogeng replied. "But she has been very worried about you since she found out you were missing. She has spent over 200,000 green coins on the search."
The amount spent on finding Lu Jiajie was something Yan Yijun had shared with Laogeng. It wasn't that they expected him to pay it back, but they wanted him to know how much his sister had spent in her efforts to find him.
Lu Jiajie let out a bitter laugh. "It's my fault. If I had listened to her and not gone to Moscow with Leng Wu, none of this would have happened."
"What about Leng Wu?" Lu Jiajie asked.
"He was burned and sent to the hospital. He's still there," Laogeng said. "All his goods were also destroyed in the fire, and he'll never be able to pay off the debt he owes in this lifetime."
Lu Jiajie felt a sense of relief and satisfaction. He knew it wasn't a coincidence; it had to be this man sitting in front of him who had done it. He wondered where his sister had found such a capable person.
That day, they stayed in Ulaanbaatar, checking into the best hotel in the city. Laogeng also called Lu Jiaxin to inform her that Lu Jiajie had been rescued. "Boss, I'll bring him back to the country tomorrow."
"Alright," Lu Jiaxin replied.
"Boss, do you want to talk to Lu Jiajie?" Laogeng asked.
Lu Jiaxin didn't feel like speaking to Lu Jiajie at that moment. "No need. We can talk when he returns to Si Jiucheng. His health is probably very poor, so please take good care of him on the way back."
"Don't worry, boss. I will make sure he arrives home safely," Laogeng assured her. This assignment had been the easiest of all the jobs he had taken on.
The next morning, Laogeng and Lu Jiajie set off on the train back home.
On their way to the train station, Lu Jiajie noticed that it was just the two of them, and he asked, "What about the two big brothers from yesterday? Aren't they coming with us?"
Noticing Lu Jiajie's worried expression, Laogeng explained, "They were hired by your sister to assist me. Now that the task is complete, they will return home. Don't worry; once we cross the border tomorrow and get back to our country, you'll be safe."
"Okay," Lu Jiajie replied.
(End of Chapter)
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