Chapter 146 Pyramid Scheme (ETL) Part 2

Chapter 146 Dig a hole and push the MF in!

When Gu Ye went to that shop again in the afternoon, he asked Xie Cheng to come along, so that he could have someone to talk to and keep him entertained.

When Gu Ye arrived, a large number of people had already gathered for the lecture. He glanced at them from afar and saw they were all elderly. Looking at the cars parked outside, many were bicycles and electric scooters. It seemed that not all the people who came lived nearby, but they weren’t too far away either.

Gu Ye’s luxury car was too eye-catching; everyone would take a second look, so Xie Cheng reminded him, “Put on your mask so no one recognizes you.”

Gu Ye said helplessly, “If I go in wearing a mask, I won’t look like a good person and look more like a reporter. Why don’t you go ask if they accept young people? We can listen to a couple of classes too.”

Xie Cheng laughed, “I should have my master listen.”

Gu Ye urged, “If you’re not afraid your master will beat you to death, then go ahead.”

Xie Cheng got out of the car with a smile, “I’m hoping he’ll stand up and beat me up.”

When Xie Cheng went into the shop, he saw more than 20 elderly people sitting in the small living room, all carrying cloth bags. They seemed to have come to listen to the lecture for the sake of receiving something. Upon seeing a young man enter, the person in charge smiled, but with a hint of wariness in his eyes, and asked, “Excuse me, how can I help you?”

Xie Cheng smiled and said, “My father isn’t in good health. I was wondering if you sell health supplements here?”

The person in charge politely said, “I’m sorry, sir, we don’t sell health products here. We just teach seniors about health and wellness. If it’s convenient, you can let your father come and attend a couple of classes. The classes are free.”

Xie Cheng asked curiously, “What kind of classes? And they’re free?”

The person in charge smiled and said, “No need to pay. We just teach seniors about health and wellness so they can all stay healthy.”

Xie Cheng asked doubtfully, “Then how do you make a living?”

“We’re paid by our boss. The boss is a very famous health expert.”

“Who is he?”

Seeing Xie Cheng’s skepticism, an older person chimed in, “Young man, it really is free here; they even give things away! How could they not charge you if it’s a scam?”

Xie Cheng smiled and said, “I never expected such a good thing.”

The other elderly people chimed in, “Yes, they are all very nice people, and what they say makes sense. They are really teaching people about health and wellness.”

Seeing that he couldn’t get any information out and that the person in charge was becoming increasingly wary of him, Xie Cheng said, “Alright, I’ll go back and tell my dad to come and listen to the lecture.”

Back in the car, Xie Cheng said with a complicated expression, “They really don’t want young people here. They don’t sell anything on the spot. I don’t see anything stock in there. It’s really like they’re doing a good deed, giving lectures to these old folks.”

Gu Ye scoffed, “If what these scammers were doing could be seen through right away, they’d definitely be investigated. I heard they take high-achieving seniors on free trips, probably to places far from their children, just to scam them. I can already imagine how they scam them, saying it’s only for high-achieving students, not available for outsiders, just pay up. The more you buy, the more you get, the better it is.”

Xie Cheng said with disgust, “Isn’t that unethical?”

“Scamming the old folks, how can it not be unethical? They’re scamming pensions, life-saving money. Let’s go back, I’ve already arranged with that old lady to pick up the goods tonight.”

Xie Cheng asked suspiciously, “What goods?”

Gu Ye grinned mischievously and recounted the events of the previous night to Xie Cheng. Xie Cheng was amused, “That’s what you call ‘what goes around comes around.’ That guy’s got what’s coming to him.”

These days, burning paper money is avoided to prevent fires and environmental pollution, so designated areas are set up for burning it at quiet intersections. But in a city like the Capital, where are the quiet spots? The only places to burn paper money are near the outer ring road, and even then, it’s usually in a small building. Burning paper money anywhere else will result in a fine. During Qingming Festival and the Lantern Festival, there are incredibly long queues (to burn offerings). And even then, you can only burn paper money; you can’t burn larger items.

Xie Cheng chuckled mischievously, “Sending a shipment like this isn’t easy; he should have burned 2 or more at once.”

Gu Ye grinned mischievously and did the math, “He can sell one for 3,500 yuan, and the old lady is using hell money to buy it. What’s the difference between that and getting it for free? He wouldn’t give her even one more.”

Xie Cheng felt a strange sense of satisfaction, “Serves him right! Who let him cheat the old man and woman of their money!”

…

That evening, after having a late-night snack, Gu Ye and Xie Cheng went to see the old lady again. From afar, they saw the old lady looking terrible and arriving empty-handed.

Gu Ye blinked. “Grandma, where’s my stuff?”

The old woman said angrily, “That boy lied to me! He made 10 of them out of paper to fool me. These things definitely don’t have the same function as the real one!”

Gu Ye’s eyes widened, and he said angrily, “How can he do business like this? Fooling an old person like that?!”

“That’s right!” Hearing Gu Ye’s words, the old lady became even angrier. “I’ve already paid the money, and he gave me these unusable things. How can I give them to you? Can I give you something made of paper? Isn’t this cheating?”

Gu Ye and Xie Cheng both looked indignant. “That’s outrageous! We don’t want counterfeit goods!”

The old lady’s face turned ashen. “Yes. This cannot be, I have to go find him.”

Xie Cheng added fuel to the fire, “It’s so unethical! This isn’t human behavior. Make him give more, double the compensation!”

Holding his car keys, Gu Ye said, “How can you cheat consumers like this? We’ll take you to him!”

And so, Gu Ye and Xie Cheng got the old lady into the car. Following her directions, they drove to a residential area. “Grandma, go get it. We’ll wait for you at the gate.”

The old lady reassured Gu Ye, “Don’t be afraid, I definitely won’t lie to you. I’ll give them to you once I get hold of the stocks.”

Gu Ye said gratefully, “Thank you, Grandma, you’ve worked so hard.”

It was already past midnight, and there were hardly any pedestrians outside. Gu Ye and Xie Cheng parked their car on the side of the road. After the old lady left, the two of them stomped their feet with laughter, “That’s despicable, deceiving an old lady.”

“He deserves a beating!”

The two tore open a bag of sunflower seeds and ate them while waiting.

Not long after, smoke began to rise from a building in the distance. Xie Cheng was startled, “Holy crap! Could he have been scared by the old lady and started burning the stocks now?! What if the building catches fire?”

Gu Ye sniffed. “If there’s mugwort, the smell when it’s burned will definitely be pungent, and the neighbors will smell it too.”

They parked on the roadside near the main entrance and clearly saw the security guard answer a phone call and then run towards the building. Immediately afterwards, many lights in the building turned on. Gu Ye clicked his tongue and drove the car a little further away. Less than 2 minutes later, they heard fire trucks and police cars arriving with sirens blaring.

Xie Cheng grinned mischievously, “That kid’s probably going to get arrested.”

Gu Ye said disdainfully, “He deserved it. He brought it on himself. It would be best if he brought up what he did before, so he wouldn’t be released and would be arrested again.”

The old lady was overjoyed to receive the goods. Upon coming outside, she saw Gu Ye’s car parked far away. She floated over, smiling, and said, “Young man, I got the goods. He said he’d compensate me with 2 extra, giving me 12 in total. These 10 are yours.”

Gu Ye noticed the old lady only had one in her hands and reminded her, “Grandma, that’s not enough (since she mentioned she got 12).”

The old lady smiled and said, “My calculation is still alright. When he comes back, I’ll ask him for that remaining one.”

“Pfft!” Xie Cheng was amused and whispered to Gu Ye, “This old lady is stubborn.”

Gu Ye nodded. Many older generations are just that stubborn.

Gu Ye drove back and stopped in a secluded spot. He lit an incense stick for the old lady. “Grandma,” he said, “let’s chat. Do you live in that neighborhood?”

The old lady was in a good mood after delivering the goods to Gu Ye. She said with a smile, “Yes, oh my, your car is really nice. I never rode in one when I was alive. When will my son and grandson be able to buy such a nice car?”

“Even in death, you still worry about your son. That’s a mother’s heart!” Gu Ye smiled and added, “You and your son must have had a very close relationship. How heartbroken he must be without you? You don’t look very old, are you around 70?”

The old woman smiled and said, “I’m exactly 70 now. I have 2 sons, the older one is over forty, and the younger one is over thirty. They’re both married and have established their own careers, so I have no worries. My husband passed away early. After I died, I thought he would come to take me away, but he didn’t. Maybe he went to be reincarnated. My sons and daughters-in-law are both very filial. They’re all good people. I have no regrets.”

Gu Ye narrowed his eyes. “What do your sons do?”

The old lady smiled and said, “My eldest son and daughter-in-law are both teachers, and my youngest son and daughter-in-law are both doctors. They’re so busy, they don’t even have time to come home for holidays.” As she smiled, her eyes reddened slightly. She laughed twice to cover her embarrassment, “Haha, they are filial, buying me so many things. My daughter-in-law gives me pocket money every month, depositing it into my account, and she buys me clothes too. I get several packages every month.”

The more the old woman spoke, the more Gu Ye and Xie Cheng sensed her sorrow. Towards the end, the old woman said quietly, “Anyway, everything’s fine.”

Gu Ye sighed. “Well then, is there anything you want to say to your family? I’ll pass it on for you. Your son can’t see you, can he?”

Hearing that, the old woman was also puzzled. “He really can’t see me. I went home on the 7th and 49th days after my death, but they couldn’t see me. But the person who sold me things can see me.”

Xie Cheng laughed, “Doing too many bad things naturally brings in negative energy, making you more susceptible to ghosts.”

Gu Ye picked up the conversation, “Tell me, and I’ll pass it on.”

The old lady smiled and said, “Just tell them I’m fine. They haven’t had time to come back to see me. I know their difficulties. Tell them not to blame themselves and to live their lives well.”

“Okay,” Gu Ye nodded, “I’ve written it down. Tell me your son’s name and contact information, and I’ll go see him tomorrow.”

The old lady had memorized the numbers. As she spoke, Gu Ye wrote it down on his phone, reassuring her, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely get it done.”

After seeing the old lady off, Gu Ye said, “Tomorrow I’ll go find out more about what happened from the old lady’s son. I heard there’s a doctor who just moved to that neighborhood and even went to that shop. I suspect that person is the old lady’s youngest son. If so, he definitely has something on him, but the evidence isn’t enough.”

“Alright, we’ll go tomorrow afternoon. Let’s get a good sleep this morning.”

Gu Ye took the cushions and distributed them to the wandering ghosts who had come to him to borrow money, telling them, “They’re definitely useless, but you can try them anyway.”

Thinking of the one he had at home, Gu Ye said earnestly, “I’ll take that one to the King of Hell when I get back home.”

Xie Cheng said irritably, “Don’t be so reckless! It’s one thing to tease your dad and mom, but why are you teasing the King of Hell?”

Gu Ye stroked his chin, puzzled himself, “I just want to tease him, I don’t know why.”

He didn’t have this strong feeling in his previous life, but after being reborn, he enjoyed teasing the King of Hell, even wanting to deliberately annoy him. Gu Ye thought deeply that he had probably caught some kind of virus during his rebirth.

Gu Ye stubbornly delivered the cushion to the King of Hell, earnestly telling him, “This is a tribute to you. No more burning paper money during Qingming Festival, so please keep it safe.”

After that, Gu Ye went to sleep until noon the next day, when Xie Cheng woke him up for lunch, and then they went to find the old lady’s sons.

First off, find that doctor.

Raw word count: 6664 (whole chapter)

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