Chapter 505: Chapter 506: General Fang
Song Xiaodong hadnât taken Chu Weiye to heart at all, as he was talking to someone in the car.
"Mr. Song, the fact that you could come again this time has brought my father immense joy; he has been eagerly awaiting your arrival," said a man in his forties, who appeared refined, but whose bearing naturally carried a certain majesty. He was Fang Bohan, the sixth son of the Fang familyâs second generation.
Lin Suâer didnât pay attention to business matters, but if Miao Qingqing had been there, she would have been astounded. The assets under Fang Bohanâs name spanned multiple sectors, easily exceeding ten billion yuan. He definitely ranked among the top business magnates, completely out of Miao Qingqingâs league.
Miao Qingqing herself was now worth over a billion, but the gap between one billion and ten billion was not simply a matter of multiplying by ten. Qingyuan Group had already reached its peak, and any further substantial development would require a truly ground-breaking initiative. Maintaining their current achievements could mean that accumulating more assets would be challenging or even slow down significantly.
Fang Bohanâs attitude toward Song Xiaodong, however, was one of utmost respect.
Song Xiaodong said with a smile, "Director Fang, youâre too polite. For someone like you, whose fortune exceeds ten billion yuan, to personally pick me up, Iâm really flattered."
Lin Suâerâs heart gave a lurch, only now realizing that the person in the car with her had a fortune of ten billion yuan; sitting face-to-face with such a wealthy mogul had utterly astonished her.
Fang Bohan responded, "It is necessary. Wealth is but an external possession; it cannot be brought into life nor taken away in death. The most important thing is the well-being of our family, especially my father. I wish for him to live a long and healthy life, which is far more important than any amount of money I could earn."
"I admire your filial piety, Director Fang. I will do my utmost with the task Iâve promised to carry out," Song Xiaodong replied.
Fang Bohan immediately said, "The Fang family will certainly remember this favor."
After chatting idly for a while, the car stopped in a spacious courtyard in the suburbs. On one side of the courtyard were various vegetable plants, while the other side featured a unique garden design, complete with a meandering stream, pavilions, and bridges, offering quite a special charm.
"The scenery here is quite unique," Song Xiaodong couldnât help but compliment.
Fang Bohan replied, "My father is less involved in matters now and enjoys gardening, growing vegetables and fruit. Most of this was created by his own hands. As long as he is happy, he does whatever he pleases."
Lin Suâer felt a bit like Liu Lao Lao entering the Grand View Garden, finding everything in sight beautiful. It seemed like a condensed park combined with a rural homestead. She had never seen a family courtyard as grand and beautiful as this.
Entering a three-story house in the middle, they were greeted by a large living room decorated in an antique style. The furniture was made of mahogany, unlike the usual leather sofas found in villas.
An elderly man with silver hair came forward to meet them, eagerly extending his hand to Song Xiaodong, "Mr. Song, weâve been anxiously expecting you."
Song Xiaodong shook hands with the elderly man and said with a smile, "General Fang, itâs been a while. You seem to be in good spirits."
Elder Fang, named Fang Zhenguo, was a Founding General. Although he was not at the same level as the great generals of the founding era, he had also served as a General. Now, with only a few of the founding generals still living, his presence was especially precious.
"With you treating me the last time, Mr. Song, it would be difficult for my health not to improve," said Elder Fang with a chuckle, pulling Song Xiaodong to sit down. Then, glancing at Lin Suâer, he asked, "Do you have a girlfriend now?"
Song Xiaodong laughed and said, "Yes, this is my girlfriend, Lin Suâer. Suâer, this is General Fang, one of the few remaining Founding Generals in our country."
"Ah! General Fang, hello!" Lin Suâer was startled and hurriedly bowed respectfully to Fang Zhenguo. A Founding General was someone she instinctively held in high regard.
General Fang smiled and nodded, saying, "The young lady is quite polite, very good indeed. But tell me, you lad, how could you go wrong when choosing a girlfriend? Back in the day, I wanted to introduce my granddaughter to you, but you werenât interested."
Song Xiaodong darkened and said, "General Fang, I didnât think I was worthy of your granddaughter. At that time, I was just a soldier, while you were a Founding General. How could I qualify?"
Elder Fang laughed heartily, "Stop flattering me. Now that you have such a girlfriend, I wonât mess around with matchmaking anymore."
Song Xiaodong still held great respect for Elder Fang, even though he had retired and was living a quiet life. No one could erase his great achievements; they wouldnât have the comfortable lives they enjoyed today if not for the blood and sweat of these individuals. As a soldier, he wouldnât dare to show any disrespect to the General.
After a brief chat, Song Xiaodong said, "General Fang, letâs get started."
"Alright!" Elder Fang nodded and then led Song Xiaodong and Lin Suâer upstairs to the bedroom, asking, "Is your girlfriend going to be here as well?"
Song Xiaodong smiled faintly, "Suâer is a nurse, she can assist me perfectly."
"I see," Elder Fang replied with a slight smile, then he took off his upper clothing. As a nurse, Lin Suâer wouldnât find it inappropriate for an old man to remove his shirt in front of a young girl.
"Ah..." Lin Suâer gasped upon seeing Elder Fangâs upper body, covering her mouth with her hand.
Elder Fangâs body was covered in crisscrossing scars that looked quite frightening.
General Fang chuckled and said, "Did I scare you?"
Song Xiaodong explained, "These are scars General Fang got on the battlefield. Each scar has a story, a demonstration of valor. They might look scary, but these arenât the most severe ones. The most serious are these small round scars; those were left by bullets."
Lin Suâerâs eyes widened as she exclaimed, "So many wounds, oh my, thatâs so tragic."
General Fang said with a smile, "Back during the war, it was normal to get injured. Lucky for me, I had good fortune to survive these many wounds. However, I had many comrades who didnât make it."
Lin Suâer quickly said, "Iâm sorry, General Fang, to bring up such a painful subject."
General Fang smiled and replied, "Itâs nothing to be sad about, just some reminiscence."
Song Xiaodong added, "General Fang has some complications from those old wounds, which is why he has some health issues. Otherwise, with his constitution, he would be incredibly robust."
General Fang joked, "I have you to thank for that. Otherwise, I would have been meeting my old comrades two years ago."