Hero of heart The amazing son in law complete
Chapter 7406
“Xiaoxiao, that’s a beautiful name.”
Charlie muttered something casually and pinched the kitten’s chin.
The kitten was quite well behaved, its eyes half closed and its head slightly raised as he held it.
Charlie was a little surprised and said, “This kitten is quite brave; he is not afraid of humans at all.”
Maria Lin smiled and nodded, then said, “Xiaoxiao is more affectionate than most stray cats. Maybe because she was often bullied in the cat community, she feels that people are more reliable than other cats of her kind.”
After saying that, she looked at Charlie’s handsome face and expression as he lowered his head, and thought, “If the young master knew that his mother was still alive, he would definitely be overjoyed, wouldn’t he? For twenty years, I thought my dearest relative was long dead, but I never thought that his mother was still alive. Perhaps there is nothing more comforting than this.”
At this moment, perhaps liking Charlie’s gentle caress, Xiaoxiao slowly got up, arched her back, and stamped back and forth a few times with her two front paws before burrowing into Charlie’s arms.
Maria Lin smiled and said, “It seems Xiaoxiao really likes you, Young Master.”
While speaking, she took out her phone, opened the camera, and said, “Young Master, may I take a photo of you and Xiaoxiao?”
Charlie didn’t think much of it, nodded slightly, and looked at the camera while holding Xiaoxiao.
Maria Lin pressed the shutter button, and a high-resolution close-up photo was taken. Because the lighting in the courtyard was dim, the phone automatically activated the flash.
In the photo, Charlie’s angular facial features are highlighted by the flash, making him look even more handsome than he actually is, as if an automatic beauty filter had been applied.
Maria Lin handed her phone to Charlie, smiling she said, “Young Master, take a look, is the photo good?”
Charlie didn’t care about any of that. He glanced at the photos casually and smiled, “Pretty good.”
Maria Lin smiled happily, took back her phone, and casually opened WeChat to send the photo to Margaret An.
She had never thought of photographing Charlie as a souvenir before. She had wanted to take a photo of Charlie just now, firstly because she felt the man and cat were a perfect match, and secondly because she wanted to send the photos to Margaret An to see.
For years, Margaret An had never dared to approach Charlie. Back when Charlie was in the orphanage, things might have been a little better, as the staff would secretly take some photos for him to see.
However, recently, Charlie’s powers have grown stronger, and the people who were always by his side have slowly begun to distance themselves. It may be difficult for him to constantly see Charlie’s latest photos.
By this time, An Seikei had left Kinkaku-ji and gone to Aomori Prefecture, which was several hundred kilometers away from Kinkaku-ji.
Aomori is located in the northernmost part of mainland Japan and is famous for its apples and other cash crops.
Anseongkei has its own orchard here, as well as a deep processing production line for apple-related products.
Aomori apple production accounts for half of Japan’s total apple production, and Anseongkei accounts for half of Aomori’s apple production. Furthermore, the company handles major export business.
After Margaret An and Changying Wade married, in addition to helping their family make money, they also invested in various industries around the world through various shell companies and nominee shareholders.
These investments include highly profitable technology, energy, and industrial companies, as well as smaller, less profitable businesses. For example, their investment in Apple in Aomori was large, but the actual profits were not high.
However, this is not a problem for them. Their investment in Aomori is primarily driven by its geographic location and unique industrial characteristics, which offer many advantages.
Aomori Prefecture has a low population density, about a third of the average population density in Japan. The advantage of a sparsely populated area is that it’s easier to hide, especially in the form of farms, where outsiders are less likely to discover them.
Furthermore, Aomori’s geographic location was quite strategic for the Ansei. A few hundred kilometers to the south were the developed areas of mainland Japan, such as Tokyo and Osaka, and a few tens of kilometers to the north was Hokkaido.
Aomori is separated from Hokkaido only by the Tsugaru Strait and is also connected by an undersea tunnel. By boat, you can travel east to the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East, and west to the vast Pacific Ocean. From Aomori Port, it’s only seven or eight thousand kilometers to San Francisco, making it a highly strategic location.
An Seiki controlled Aomori’s apple export business by acquiring large orchards and suppressing export prices and profits, making it impossible for competitors to match.
Others grow apples to make money, but they don’t care about making money, so their profit margins are the lowest. With low profit margins, the price-performance ratio is naturally higher in the eyes of consumers.
Margaret An’s main goal in controlling Aomori’s apple exports was to use these exports to create a cross-border shipping route, allowing her to transport specialty goods through apple exports.
Fearing Charlie’s investigation, he moved here after the death of the Void Concealment Mage, settling in the largest estate under his command. The hillsides are lined with apple trees, everything is managed by his men, and a hidden security system has long been established, greatly ensuring his safety.
At that time, he was in his own building on the farm, enjoying apple juice freshly extracted using traditional pressing methods, when he suddenly received a photo from Maria Lin. He was overjoyed, holding his phone with both hands, staring intently at Charlie in the photo.
She hadn’t seen a photo of Charlie this clear in a long time. Seeing her son’s handsome face and the rare, relaxed smile on his face as he held the kitten, her mood instantly improved.
At this time, Sister Sun came in and said respectfully, “Madam, Jing Qing wants to see you.”
As Margaret An enlarged Charlie’s photo and carefully studied her son’s face, she smiled and said, “Let Jing Qing in.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Sister Sun turned around and left, then immediately went in with Jing Qing.
Jing Qing approached Margaret An and said respectfully, “Madam, Jing Qing will be returning soon. I came to say goodbye and was wondering if there was anything else you wanted to say.”
Margaret An put down her phone, smiled, and said, “There’s nothing to explain. You’ve been working hard these past few days.”
“Amitabha.” Jing Qing cupped his hands and said respectfully, “Madam, you truly flatter me. It is my honor to be able to serve you.”
Jing Qing’s feelings for Margaret An were not flattery, but rather genuine respect.
Previously, he was devoted to Buddhism and believed that all beings are equal under the Buddha. However, after attaining enlightenment under Margaret An’s guidance, he realized that both Buddhism and Taoism are under the Heavenly Way, and that all beings are unequal because each person’s distance from the Heavenly Way is different.
Take himself, for example. After attaining enlightenment, his lifespan was several decades or even hundreds of years longer than that of ordinary humans. Does this mean all living beings are equal? Of course not.
Margaret An herself had not yet attained enlightenment, and was probably even further from the Dao than Jing Qing had been after attaining enlightenment. However, according to Jing Qing, the opportunity to draw closer to the Dao was entirely due to Margaret An’s support, so she should respect and be grateful to her.
Margaret An stared at Charlie’s photo for a moment before reluctantly putting her phone down. She then replied to Maria Lin: “Thank you, senior.”
Then he said to Jing Qing, “You’ve been in Japan for a long time, which has caused a lot of trouble at home. Now that everything is settled here, you can go back and take care of your affairs.”
Jing Qing nodded slightly and said, “I plan to leave for Tokyo later and take the earliest flight back.”
Margaret An smiled and said, “Okay, you can decide the time yourself. If you decide to go later, I’ll have someone drive you there.”
Meanwhile, the top floor villa of Zijin Mountain Villa.
Maria Lin looked at Charlie and Xiaoxiao with a smile, then asked softly, “Young Master told me on the phone that he has discovered something new. May I ask what it is?”
Holding Xiaoxiao, Charlie said to Maria Lin, “I met Nanako today, and while chatting with her, I discovered a detail I had previously overlooked. Back then, at Qixia Temple, she received enlightenment from a monk named Jing Qing, which enabled her to attain enlightenment. I wonder what kind of person would risk exposing themselves to enlighten a stranger?”
Maria Lin’s heart was beating fast.
Charlie noticed Teacher Jing Qing, which meant he had caught a glimpse of what Margaret An was hiding.
So he asked Charlie, “Does Young Master think this Master Jing Qing’s identity is questionable?”
“Yes.” Charlie nodded firmly.
Maria Lin said, “I can’t say for sure about such things. For cultivators, their secrets are important, but sometimes they also feel that inheritance is important. Just like my master, when he was in seclusion in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, he still took my father and Victoria as his disciples.”
As Maria Lin spoke these words, she felt nauseous. She already knew Meng Changsheng’s vicious character, but in order not to arouse Charlie’s suspicion, she could only force herself to make an example of him.
Charlie said, “It’s natural to say it was for the sake of inheritance, but Nanako’s going to Qixia Temple wasn’t a coincidence, but something someone else did on purpose.”
After saying that, he then told how Nanako was deliberately lured by a woman in the elevator, including the fact that the woman had disappeared.
Hearing this, Maria Lin frowned.
He knew that once Charlie understood the source of Nanako’s enlightenment, the matter would surely be revealed.
Furthermore, the fact that the woman had left Aurous Hill only added to Charlie’s suspicions.
However, he also knew that Margaret An was helpless, as Charlie had his own methods. Not to mention a young woman, even someone like Master Jingqing, who had a cultivation base but wasn’t high, probably wouldn’t be able to keep a secret in front of him. As long as Charlie found her, he would know everything.
Now that things had come to this, she didn’t dare try to mislead Charlie anymore, as she was a smart woman. She felt that once Charlie began to notice and analyze the anomalies around him, he would approach matters with a dialectical mindset and seek the truth. If she continued to misguide his judgment, he would surely realize something was wrong with him.
Therefore, Maria Lin immediately said firmly, “I think your analysis is very reasonable. If Cai Cai Zi was deliberately brought to Qixia Temple and then Master Jing Qing came to enlighten her by chance, then it proves that they must be in cahoots, and this might be a crucial breakthrough!”
“Right!” Receiving Maria Lin’s affirmation boosted Charlie’s confidence, and he no longer doubted Maria Lin’s previous guidance.
He said seriously, “It might be very difficult to find that woman now, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to find Master Jingqing. As a well-known figure in the Buddhist community, his whereabouts should be relatively easy to track down. Nanako said that she recently presided over the funeral of Master Kōin of Kinkaku-ji Temple in Japan, so she should be returning to Japan soon!”