A carefree soldier king in the city

Chapter 492 Mr. Gu

Old Sun nodded, then took out his phone and said, "Let me ask him if he's home first."

The call was made—

"Hey, Lao Gu, where are you? When are you coming back... It'll be another hour or so... Okay, I'll come find you when I get back... Um, I need your help with something... Okay, you go ahead and do your thing."

After hanging up the phone, Old Sun said, "My friend is out having some business, I'll take you there later!"

Chao Bufan nodded and smiled, saying, "Then thank you very much."

"It's nothing," Old Sun chuckled. "Oh, by the way, who are these two?"

Chao Bufan smiled slightly and said, "This is He Yifei, and this is Lin Xiaomin. They are both my wives."

"Wife?" Old Sun was slightly surprised. Was he kidding? Wife, and two at that.

"I'm sorry you had to see this," Chao Bufan said with a smile.

Old Sun smiled, assuming it was some kind of "state secret." After all, as a native of HX, he understood the belief in "monogamy." Moreover, Shi Tou was a member of the military. So, Old Sun's first thought was that this was also a "state secret," and he nodded without asking any further questions. He changed the subject, saying, "Shi Tou, how long do you plan to stay here? We brothers haven't seen each other for many years. It's not easy to meet again this time. If we have time, let's catch up properly."

Chao Bufan smiled slightly and said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to stay for more than a few days. After completing the mission, I will have to go back to report."

Although Old Sun had never served in the military, he knew that military discipline was extremely strict, so he didn't say anything more and just nodded.

Fearing that it would affect Old Sun's work, Chao Bufan continued, "Old Sun, I see that your shop is doing quite well. Why don't you go ahead and get busy, and then take me to meet your friend when you're done?"

Old Sun laughed and said, "It's alright, as long as your Sister Hong is out there, everything will be fine. By the way, Stone, a few years ago, I heard that Old Xie from our opera troupe died. Did you know about that?"

Upon hearing this, Chao Bufan was slightly surprised and asked, "Is Old Xie dead?"

Old Sun nodded and said, "I heard from Old Jia that he had lung cancer. When it was discovered, it was already in the late stage, and he died a few days later."

Upon hearing this, Chao Bufan gave a bitter smile, his face somber, and said, "Since I enlisted, I've been busy with training every day. Except for missions, I haven't left the army. I've asked for leave many times to go back and visit you, but the army absolutely refused. If it weren't for you taking me in back then, I'm afraid I..." Chao Bufan's face darkened, his expression sorrowful, "You not only taught me how to make a living, but also how to be a person. This kindness, I..."

“Stone,” Old Sun smiled slightly, “let bygones be bygones! We know the rules of the army even if you don’t say them, so you don’t need to blame yourself at all.”

Chao Bufan gave a bitter smile and asked, "Old Sun, do you have any news about Old Squad Leader?"

Old Sun shook his head and sighed, saying, "Since the opera troupe disbanded, everyone has gone their separate ways and developed their own careers. I heard from Old Jia that the old troupe leader went back to his hometown to retire after the troupe disbanded. Old Jia tried to look for him before, but couldn't find him, and doesn't know how he is now."

"Sigh!" Chao Bufan sighed.

After chatting for more than an hour, Old Sun said, "I guess Old Gu has arrived home by now. I'll take you there!"

Chao Bufan grunted in agreement, stood up, and said, "Then I'll trouble you."

"What are you saying? What trouble? Let's go!" Old Sun said.

Upon reaching the counter, Old Sun said to his wife, "Xiao Hong, I'm taking Shi Tou out to run some errands. It'll be a while. Once we're done, you can go back first. Don't wait for me."

Sister Hong said, "I know, you guys go ahead! Stone, if you don't have anywhere to stay tonight, just come stay at my place, it's fine."

Upon hearing this, Chao Bufan smiled and said, "No need, I already have a place to stay, thank you Sister Hong."

“Okay,” Sister Hong said, “come visit me when you’re done.”

Chao Bufan nodded and smiled, saying, "Okay, Sister Hong, we'll be going now. Goodbye, Sister Hong!"

"Go ahead, go ahead," Sister Hong said with a smile.

"Goodbye, Sister Hong!" Yifei and Xiaomin said in unison.

"Goodbye!" Sister Hong nodded and smiled.

After leaving the restaurant, Chao Bufan told Xiaomin and Yifei to go home first, while he followed Old Sun to Old Gu's house. On the way, Chao Bufan asked, "Old Sun, what does your friend Old Gu do?"

"Well, how should I put it!" Old Sun pondered for a moment, then said, "He himself is nothing special, but his father, Old Master Gu, is a very influential figure in this area."

"Oh?" Chao Bufan was slightly surprised and said, "Then tell me about it."

Old Sun nodded and said, "When Grandpa Gu was young, he came here to do business with a friend. In just a few years, his business grew bigger and bigger. Now, the Gu family owns thirty or forty clothing stores of all sizes, six star-rated hotels, five large supermarkets, and even several factories. So, Grandpa Gu is quite influential in this area. Even local government officials have to respectfully call him 'Grandpa Gu.' As for my friend Old Gu, besides helping Grandpa Gu manage these businesses with his two brothers, he spends most of his time at the arena."

"What are they doing at the Colosseum?" Chao Bufan asked.

"What else can they do!" Old Sun replied. "The Colosseum is the burial place of animals, gladiators, and condemned prisoners. Besides watching the gladiatorial games, most people go there to place bets. On ordinary days, there are two matches in the Colosseum, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. But on Saturdays and Sundays, there are four matches a day, sometimes even more than four."

Chao Bufan nodded and said, "People like them have plenty of money. Winning or losing may not be that important to them. What's important is the passion they have in participating."

“That’s right!” Old Sun said in great agreement. “People like Old Gu don’t care when they win money, and they just laugh it off when they lose. By the way, I heard that Old Master Gu often sends daily necessities to the local Catholic and Christian communities for free, and each time he sends several truckloads! So, Old Master Gu is very familiar with the Catholic and Christian godfathers.”

Chao Bufan nodded and said, "Then he's the one to look for."

From afar, Old Sun pointed to an old mansion ahead and said, "That's Old Master Gu's house. It's one of the few large houses around here!"