How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 471 Pay off the debt

This year there is no 30th; the 29th is Lunar New Year's Eve.

Early in the morning, Zhang Wen drove his car out of the city.

The trunk was packed full, with boxes of things like oysters, sea cucumbers, bird's nests, and lobsters piled up like a small mountain. Even the back seat had several boxes of exquisitely packaged imported fruit, the aroma of which could be smelled through the packaging.

However, he didn't buy these New Year's goods. They were gifts from his older brothers and sisters, as well as students like Tang Yi and the Future Girl. He couldn't refuse them, so he simply brought them all back to his hometown.

Most importantly, there were the two black leather suitcases on the passenger seat, containing a total of two million. One million was used to pay off the gambling debts left by his parents, and the other million was used to thank the creditor couple for raising him; otherwise, after all these years, the grass on his grave would be two meters high.

Now, he can be considered to have returned home in glory.

The car drove into the familiar town. It had been two years since I'd been back, and a lot had changed. The roads were wider and the buildings were taller.

The creditor's family owns a supermarket. The man's name is Zhang Fude and the woman's name is Li Xiuwen. Although they are not considered wealthy in this town, they have long since reached a comfortable standard of living.

Despite the fact that the couple was very strict with him from childhood to adulthood, he never lacked food or clothing; they were typical examples of people who were cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

The car slowly stopped outside a supermarket called "Jiajiale".

The supermarket isn't big, only about 300 or 400 square meters, but it's small yet complete, offering everything from food and drinks to pots and pans, vegetables, and fruits.

Zhang Wen opened the door and got out of the car; this is the place.

Compared to two years ago, the supermarket hasn't changed much; a row of red lanterns hangs under the eaves, and couplets have been pasted on both sides of the door.

The first line of the couplet is: Business prospers and reaches all corners of the world.

The second line is: Abundant wealth flows to the three rivers.

Horizontal scroll: Harmony brings wealth.

Zhang Wen carried the two black leather suitcases through the door, and an electronic voice announced "Welcome" from the side.

A middle-aged woman was putting on makeup in front of the mirror while sitting at the cashier, and another middle-aged man in a leather jacket was on the phone, his voice as loud as ever.

"Hurry up, all of you, don't dawdle, or I'll slaughter you all without leaving a trace..."

The man turned around as he spoke, but when he saw Zhang Wen standing in the doorway, his voice stopped abruptly, and he froze on the spot.

"Uncle, Aunt, it's been a long time. You still look so young," Zhang Wen said with a smile.

The middle-aged woman shuddered, her hand that was applying lipstick stopped, and she remained motionless as if she had been acupunctured.

The middle-aged man stared blankly for a while before snapping out of his daze. He swallowed hard and asked with a look of surprise, "Wen... Zhang Wen? Why are you back?"

The middle-aged woman looked up, her expression as if she had seen a ghost, unaware that her lipstick had fallen to the ground.

"Uncle, Aunt, I'm back to wish you a Happy New Year," Zhang Wen said upon hearing this, then raised the black leather suitcase in his hand. "I've had some good luck this year, and I've made a little money doing business outside. Today, I'm going to pay back the money my parents, whom I've never met, owe you."

"Pay back the money?" Zhang Fude was stunned for a moment, then said in disbelief, "What kind of business can you do to earn a million? Don't do anything illegal or immoral. Your aunt and I aren't in a hurry for the money. You can pay it back in a few years."

Li Xiuwen nodded repeatedly, then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked in a stammering voice, "You, you didn't sell your kidney, did you?"

“Auntie, look at my physique, do I look like I’m going to sell a kidney? Besides, what kind of kidney can sell for a million?” Zhang Wen placed two boxes on the cashier’s counter. “Here’s two million, one to pay off debts, and the other to thank you.”

"Two million?"

Zhang Fude and Li Xiuwen exchanged a glance, both seeing doubt and unease in each other's eyes.

The other person graduated only two years ago and isn't a top student from a 985 university. What kind of job can earn two million in such a short time?
Aside from those listed in the criminal law, they really couldn't think of any other jobs.

Li Xiuwen gave her husband a wink and pointed towards the main entrance. Zhang Fude immediately understood, went out and pulled the roller shutter door of the supermarket to prevent anyone from coming in and seeing. Li Xiuwen then opened the two boxes, and inside were neatly stacked bundles of bright red banknotes, which were genuine.

Zhang Fude's lips twitched involuntarily, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Zhang Wen, aren't you a teacher at Xie An's art exam training school? Is his school that profitable?"

"Uncle, don't mention it. Xie An ran away a long time ago. Now I'm the principal of this school, and I can recruit several hundred students a year. In addition, I also work as the deputy director of the training department at a media company. In short, I'm not the best off, but I'm not the worst off either." Zhang Wen briefly introduced his situation, afraid of being misunderstood.

Zhang Fude carefully examined Zhang Wen's face and, seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, secretly breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on his face. "I didn't expect you to be so successful. That's great."

Li Xiuwen stood up from behind the cashier and said with a smile, "I've seen you're promising since you were little, but..." As she spoke, she handed a box back, "You don't earn money easily, so keep this money for yourself. Save it up to buy a house and get married in the future."

“Yes,” Zhang Fude chimed in, “You just need to pay back the money your parents owe. Your aunt and I don’t need these thank-you fees.”

“Uncle, Aunt, this is a token of my appreciation, please accept it. Besides, I have a girlfriend now, and she owns a house, so I don’t need to buy one,” Zhang Wen said.

"?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fude's smile instantly froze on his face. After a moment, he asked, "Zhang Wen, is your girlfriend the same age as your aunt? Does she have white hair?"

Zhang Wen was speechless.

Are they mistaking him for that Xie An kid?
“Uncle, I didn’t date a rich woman. My girlfriend is young and works at the same company as me. You can rest assured and accept the money.” Zhang Wen said sincerely, then pointed out the window, “See that Maybach? Four million. I bought it, in full.”

Zhang Fude looked outside. He had seen the car when he closed the door earlier and thought it belonged to a neighbor. He never expected it to be this kid's.

"Looks like you've really struck it rich, then I'm relieved." Zhang Fude said, while winking at his wife.

Li Xiuwen hesitated for a moment, then finally put the box away and said, "Zhang Wen, how's your relationship with your girlfriend? Don't forget to send me and your uncle wedding invitations when you get married."

The implication is: I'll definitely give you a big red envelope then.

How could Zhang Wen not understand?
However, he has no plans to get married.

The ancestor hasn't ascended to heaven yet, so how can he, as a junior, have the nerve to get married?
If we're going to get married, we should wait until we've collected enough incense offerings for our ancestors before we do.

"Auntie, don't worry, I will definitely let you and Uncle know when the time comes," Zhang Wen said.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, making the roller shutter door bang loudly.

Li Xiuwen immediately put the box in the cabinet under the cashier, while Zhang Fude went to open the roller shutter door.

"Uncle De, why did you close the door? Didn't I just say I'd be there soon?" the man said casually.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fude's expression changed, and he immediately winked at the people outside, signaling them to leave quickly.

But the people outside didn't understand the meaning of that look and asked in confusion, "Uncle De, what's wrong with your eyes? Are they cramping?"

"Your eyes are the ones that are twitching," Zhang Fude said irritably, wishing he could punch the other person in the face.

"..."

Hearing the familiar voice, Zhang Wen turned his head and saw more than a dozen people standing outside the door. They were all neighbors from the surrounding area, who had lived here for generations. "Uncle Song, Happy New Year!" Zhang Wen called out loudly to the person who had spoken earlier.

"Hey, isn't this Zhang Wen? When did you get back?" the man asked with a smile, but as soon as he finished speaking, his expression froze on his face, and his eyes gradually turned into shock.

Upon hearing this, the people behind also showed surprised expressions and craned their necks to look into the doorway.

"Zhang Wen? It really is Zhang Wen!"

"Let me see, he really is, much more handsome than when he was a kid."

"Why is he back? Could he be back to pay off a debt?"

"Shut up!"

Li Xiuwen couldn't stand it anymore and said to the outside, "Zhang Wen is back for the New Year, so we're not playing mahjong today. You can all go home."

After hearing this, everyone understood the meaning behind Zhang Fude's look and quickly said, "Then we'll be going now. Let's reschedule for another day."

After saying that, they turned and left one by one.

"Hey, Uncle Song, don't go! You guys keep doing your thing!" Zhang Wen shouted.

As far back as he can remember, these neighbors often came here to play mahjong and cards. He would serve tea and water to the players and sell cigarettes, beer and snacks.

"No need. You haven't been back for so long, Uncle De must have a lot to say to you. You two talk." After saying that, Song Shu quickened his pace.

So does everyone else.

"Yes, yes, you guys keep talking, we'll come back another day."

Originally a dozen or so people, they all scattered as they walked, each going home, as if they were being chased by a ferocious beast.

Zhang Wen looked at these people strangely. They were familiar with each other, so why had they become so distant? Where had that childhood arrogance gone, the way they used to order him around to light cigarettes?

"Uncle, Aunt, did I interrupt your mahjong game?" Zhang Wen asked, regretting that he should have called before coming back.

"No." Li Xiuwen waved her hands repeatedly and said with a smile, "You can play mahjong anytime, but you can't come back anytime. You sit down first, and I'll go back to the back room and make you something delicious."

As he said that, he was about to leave.

"Auntie, no need to trouble you, I'll do it. Oh, and I also brought you some New Year's goods." Zhang Wen said as he went out the door and opened the trunk of his car.

Zhang Fude and Li Xiuwen exchanged glances and communicated silently.

'what to do? ’

'have no idea. ’

'How did he earn a million so quickly? Send someone to investigate immediately.'

'it is good. '

Zhang Wen carried all the New Year's goods from the car into the supermarket, then picked up a box of high-end fruit, opened the outer packaging, and said, "Uncle, Aunt, these are peaches that a friend gave me. They are especially delicious. You should try them."

After saying that, he took two peaches from the eight and handed them over.

These two are not ordinary peaches, but fairy peaches. As for the remaining six peaches, they are genuine peaches.

Actually, this was a fruit gift box given to him by Tang Yi. After seeing the peaches inside, he thought they looked a lot like fairy peaches, so he decided to replace two of them with the fruit as a way of thanking his uncle and aunt.

Compared to giving money, giving health is a better gift.

"Zhang Wen, you can keep these for yourself. Your aunt and I have plenty of fruit at home." Zhang Defu pointed to the fruit section of the small supermarket, which had more than ten kinds of fruits, such as strawberries, bananas, apples, and durians.

"Weren't these kept at home to sell? This is a small token of my appreciation." Zhang Wen said as he stuffed peaches into the two people's hands, afraid that they wouldn't eat them and would put them back, and then put them on the shelf to sell. So he stared and urged, "Eat up, eat up."

Li Xiuwen felt that the child in front of her was much more cheerful than before. Although she didn't know what the child had gone through in the past two years, she was genuinely happy.

“Okay, I’ll eat it,” Li Xiuwen said with a smile, then put the peach in her mouth and took a bite.

However, it was this one bite that left her completely stunned.

There's something wrong with these peaches!
She looked at the peach, suppressing her surprise, and said to her husband beside her, "Try a bite, the taste is really 'special'."

She emphasized the word "special," as if deliberately reminding someone of something.

After hearing this, Zhang Fude was curious. What kind of peach could be so special that he had never eaten one before?

Thinking of this, he took a bite, and as the pulp and juice entered his mouth, a warm current spread throughout his body.

His eyes widened instantly, and when he looked at his wife, his expression was one of disbelief, as if to say: This is truly special.

When Li Xiuwen met her husband's gaze, she nodded imperceptibly and continued eating without saying anything more.

"Uncle, Aunt, you eat, I'll go cook." Zhang Wen finally felt relieved and walked towards the kitchen.

Zhang Fude and Li Xiuwen stared intently at the young figure until he disappeared before turning their attention away.

The two looked at each other again, and a deep sense of doubt was clearly visible in each other's eyes.

"Did you taste it?" Li Xiuwen asked in a low voice, as if afraid that others would hear.

"Hmm." Zhang Fude nodded seriously.

"How did he get this peach?" Li Xiuwen frowned.

"Could it be Lao Song and his group..." Zhang Fude looked towards the door.

“Impossible. Even you and I can’t eat them, let alone them. These immortal peaches shouldn’t even exist in the human world,” Li Xiuwen said, shaking her head.

"Could it be that some other deity is helping him? Otherwise, how could he make so much money?" Zhang Fude said in a low voice.

"Go investigate immediately. We must find this person, otherwise if the Heavenly Court finds out, we're finished." Li Xiuwen's expression was solemn.

"I'll send someone to investigate right away!" Zhang Fude said, taking out his phone, walking outside the supermarket, and starting to call for help.

Li Xiuwen turned her head to look towards the kitchen...

What exactly have you been through in the past two years?
……

(End of this chapter)