165: Chapter 164 The Old Man's Intention

Cao Xiao spoke those ambiguous words with nonchalance. Others might have been confused or even misinterpreted them, but he believed that the sharp and perceptive Huang Chunxiang would certainly grasp the layers of meaning within. The reason he spoke so cryptically was simply because he didn't want Huang Chunxiang to find any obvious flaws in his words, while also wanting to subtly convey several points: first, the responsibility for the events in South Africa did not lie with him; second, those items were all gifts from others; third, he was now a soldier with special privileges, and not just anyone would dare to cross him; fourth, if things truly became troublesome, he would nominally hand those items over to the state while actually using military power to protect them himself; and fifth, he would release some misinformation to muddy the waters and then strike down any reckless small-timers with thunderous force to make an example of them.

To deal with his difficult future mother-in-law, the 'Empress Dowager,' Cao Xiao had exerted every ounce of his persuasive power. As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly turned to leave.

"Stop right there! This matter isn't over yet! Do you think your little cleverness and some smooth talking can smooth over such a massive incident? Don't even dream about it! Stand properly! Attention!"

With a long face, Cao Xiao straightened his body before slouching again. He cast pitiful glances toward the others for help, but they either feigned ignorance or gloated at his misfortune. His fiancée was even more engrossed in her phone, not even sparing him a glance, which truly broke his heart.

Mother He called out to Cao Xiao. Just as she was about to speak again, Father He stopped her and said to Cao Xiao with heartfelt sincerity, "Xiao Xiao, we know what you did in South Africa. Our Hongdu Group doesn't go looking for trouble, but we are certainly not afraid of it. Do you think opening a company abroad is really that simple? The reason the Hongdu branch there could grow to its current scale is because we intentionally used forceful means to intimidate others back then. No one dared to target the branch lightly; otherwise, how could we still have half the shares to give you now? We had already made arrangements before you went over, just waiting for those fellows to stick their heads out so we could strike and teach them a lesson they wouldn't forget, ensuring they wouldn't dare spy on us for a long time. It was also meant to establish your prestige. I didn't expect that as soon as a minor character jumped out to test the waters, you would go all out and make the Angress Family admit defeat overnight. While your actions did have some deterrent effect, they also startled the snakes. Other factions might not dare to move openly now, but they will still be watching like tigers in the shadows. They will move at the first sign of opportunity and constantly create trouble for you. Moreover, you won't even know who is acting against you, which will give you headaches in the future."

"Thanks to that batch of goods you provided, releasing just a portion allowed us to make a significant profit on futures, which is why we spent so much on this engagement ceremony for you. Originally, we prepared some gifts to build momentum for you, but you ruined it before we could even bring them out. Not only did we fail to achieve our goal, but it had the opposite effect. Hongdu has someone protecting it behind the scenes to reach its current success. No matter how precious the things you brought out are, we have the ability to protect them. However, treasures are different from assets; they are easy to carry and can be taken away instantly. One doesn't fear the thief stealing, but rather the thief's constant craving. We don't care if the items are lost, but we worry that someone will take desperate risks. The world is never short of lunatics who value money over their lives. Your items will definitely drive those outlaws mad. If someone truly uses kidnapping and threats, we cannot guarantee the safety of the person kidnapped. So, it's the same regardless of where the items are placed; even if you can protect the objects, you can't guarantee the safety of those around you."

"My suggestion is that, except for the medicinal herbs, all the other items should be sent to a museum. We can talk about using them later. At the very least, it lets people know that these things no longer have anything to do with us."

After Father He finished speaking, he looked at Cao Xiao seriously, waiting for his response.

Facing Father He, Cao Xiao didn't feel as much pressure, and he was somewhat moved after listening. He only now realized how much Father He and Mother He had done for him behind the scenes. He felt a bit ashamed that he had ruined their well-planned intentions several times. However, hiding behind others to avoid the wind and rain was not what he wanted. Since he dared to do those things, he naturally had the confidence. He was no longer as timid as when he first obtained the industrial mother machine. The path he was to take was destined to be different from others, and he could not stop just because he feared trouble. Therefore, he didn't consider too much before acting, often following his whims because he believed he had the ability to solve any problem. He didn't want to waste time looking back and forth; he would simply hack through the thorns along the way without caring what others thought or did. But facing his family, he had to take their feelings into account. All he could do was explain patiently to put them at ease.

As for the problems Father He mentioned, he wasn't worried at all. In a few days, news of that super oil field would be exposed, and the relationship between China and South Africa would become even closer because of it. The South African side would definitely not allow their domestic factions to do anything to damage the relationship between the two countries. Even if someone was blind enough to cause trouble, he wasn't afraid of any demons, ghosts, or conspiracies. Absolute strength breaks all schemes; at worst, he would just solve the problem at its source.

Those jewels and dresses were carefully prepared gifts for He Yueyou, containing his affection; they were Yueyou's personal belongings. He was unwilling to put them in a museum for people to visit at will, nor would he tolerate others touching Yueyou's things. Moreover, putting them in a museum wasn't necessarily a good thing. The value of those items was simply too great; few people could resist the temptation. If they were lost, they could be found, but if they were damaged by clumsy hands, he would certainly regret it to death.

"There won't be any problems on the South African side. I will gradually strengthen our forces there. Furthermore, the state will have major moves there soon. In the long run, cooperation and exchange between the two sides will continue to strengthen, and we can take advantage of that to develop rapidly. Additionally, the Angress Family will obtain a great opportunity, and their strength will expand rapidly, allowing them to protect us. In a year or two at most, the problems we worry about won't exist. Those items are Yueyou's personal belongings, and I won't hand them over to anyone. The domestic security environment is excellent; there aren't that many stupid outlaws, and they couldn't escape even if they got the goods! Even if someone truly seeks death, I can guarantee that no one can succeed in a kidnapping within the scope of Huanghe City! Don't worry about this matter! I will handle it properly."

"Since you want to handle it yourself, we'll believe you one more time. If anything goes wrong, you'll have to face the consequences yourself!" Seeing Cao Xiao's firm attitude, Mother He didn't push further. After a pause, she changed the subject. "Regardless, you made a mess of the engagement ceremony, so you owe us an explanation. Now that you and Yueyou are engaged, we are considered one family. Isn't it time you gave us the full details of your situation?"

Cao Xiao felt something was off about her words. Seeing Mother He's half-smiling expression, alarm bells immediately rang in his mind. The issue with the betrothal gifts was merely that he hadn't consulted them in advance; there was nothing else to explain. As the bride's family, they naturally hoped the gifts would be as valuable as possible. Even if it caused some waves, they wouldn't truly be angry with him. Cao Xiao felt Mother He must have another motive. As for his own situation, many things involved the industrial mother machine, so he didn't dare say much and couldn't explain it clearly. What could be said was already out in the open, and anyone following him would know, so there wasn't much to talk about.

Regardless of Mother He's hidden meaning, he took on a submissive posture and said, "Auntie, whatever you say, I'll do it! You already know some of my situation. It's not that I'm intentionally hiding things from you, but some matters are classified. I can't violate my principles. I hope you can understand!"

"Fine! I won't beat around the bush with you. Since you can bring out so many good things at once, it means you must have more in your hands! The betrothal gifts you brought out today were all prepared for Yueyou; none of them were for me! I've handed over my most precious daughter to you, and you don't have any token of appreciation at all?" Mother He said, looking at Cao Xiao with a feigned expression of sadness.

"Auntie, how could I be that kind of person! There's still one betrothal gift that hasn't been shown today! That's my tribute to you both. Please see if you're satisfied with my filial piety?" Hearing this, Cao Xiao realized it was a false alarm. It turned out Mother He's intent was elsewhere! He was a bit speechless, but as long as he could appease the two of them, everything else was secondary. He hurriedly took a document bag from his coat and handed it to Mother He with a fawning smile and a slight bow.

"Hmm? What is this? An asset transfer agreement? An oil field in South Africa? Isn't South Africa an oil-poor country? How can there be such a large oil field in the coastal region? Over a hundred million tons! What's going on? How did you get the extraction rights for such a large oil field!" Mother He curiously took the document bag. After opening it and seeing the title on the first page, she was a bit confused, but as she read the contents, she was shocked. She asked solemnly while flipping through the pages rapidly without looking away.

"What oil field? Let me see!" Seeing Mother He so serious, Father He couldn't help but ask curiously, reaching out to take the document.

"Here! Xiao Xiao, what exactly is going on?" Mother He tossed the document to Father He and stood up to look at Cao Xiao seriously.

Cao Xiao smiled and said, "Auntie, I can actually tell you now, but everyone must keep what I say next a secret! China National Petroleum Corporation discovered a super oil field near Lake St. Lucia in South Africa, with reserves of over a billion tons! And the person who discovered this oil field is someone you know—Yueyou's uncle, Elder Ren's son, Ren Keyong. Due to my relationship with the Angress Family, the embassy and China National Petroleum Corporation commissioned me to contact the Angress Family to handle the mineral rights issues first. I also went there to investigate. I guessed that the appearance of that super oil field wasn't accidental, so I had people investigate and prospect in the surrounding areas. Sure enough, another oil field was discovered not far from that super oil field, so I bought the mineral rights for that area. The relevant documents issued by the South African government have been processed and are on their way. This asset transfer agreement is just for others to see; those mineral rights documents are registered in Uncle's name. As long as you are prepared, you can go and extract it at any time."

"Xiao Xiao, are you saying our country found a large oil field with reserves of over a billion tons in South Africa? And Little Ren discovered it? Plus you found one yourself?" Elder Chen asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Teacher. We bought the mineral rights for that entire area. Once both sides reach an agreement, it will be announced in a while," Cao Xiao said with certainty.

Having received a positive answer, Elder Chen suddenly laughed happily and said, "Haha! This is great news for us! Our generation almost turned the whole country upside down looking for oil, but we have a large household and a large oil deficit. Finding such a large oil field abroad can alleviate much of the energy tension! It's worth a good celebration. However, Little He, if you don't mind, give a portion of the shares of your oil field to the Petroleum Corporation! You don't have the technology, and doing this can also share a lot of the pressure for you. The Petroleum Corporation won't let you lose out."

"Yes! We will consider what you said. We'll contact the Petroleum Corporation after we send people to prospect it clearly," Father He said, rubbing his temples after finishing the document with a frown.

"Uncle, Teacher, the news that I discovered that oil field hasn't been leaked yet, so everyone should be careful to keep it a secret. Also, it's best not to send people over in the near future. Wait until the negotiations are settled and the news is announced!" Cao Xiao reminded them.

"Alright! Let's put the oil field matter aside for now. Xiao Xiao, this oil field is a gift for Old He, so what about my gift?" Mother He said, looking at Cao Xiao with a beaming smile.

"Auntie, just say what you want. As long as I have it, I'll give you whatever you want." Cao Xiao felt a bit helpless, thinking: You guys are one family, okay!

Seeing Cao Xiao's long face, Mother He immediately pretended to be unhappy and said, "Ahem! Don't look so reluctant. I'm telling you, you've already gotten a huge bargain by marrying my daughter. If you're unwilling to even give me a small token of appreciation, can we still count on you to take care of us when we're old? Yueyou, how about we just cancel this wedding! This person isn't sincere; Mom's afraid you'll be mistreated in the future!"

Cao Xiao's legs nearly gave way when he heard this. He thought: I already said I'd give whatever you want, is this really necessary? He forced a smile that looked worse than crying and said, "Auntie, I'm not reluctant at all! I really don't know what you like! Tell me what you like right now, and if I have it, I'll bring it to you immediately! If I don't have it, I'll search heaven and earth to find a way to get it for you!"

"Well, that's more like it! I quite like perfume, but chemical products can hurt the skin. I think that ambergris you brought out is pretty good—all-natural and you don't even have to spray it on your body. Give me eighty or a hundred pounds to keep at home, and I won't need perfume anymore," Mother He said with satisfaction.