Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 113 The war is coming
"Sing if you want to sing, sing it loud and clear, even if no one applauds for me..."

"Ah—!! Zhou Bichang! Zhou Bichang! Don't change the channel!"

"Mom! There's Yi Hui in it, do you want to see it!"

"I don't want to look, I'm too busy!"

Chen Xuebing hesitated for a moment outside his house when a burst of jubilation erupted inside.

He took out his key, opened the door, and went inside. He found many pairs of shoes by the door, and the feeling of a large family was overwhelming. Even the air seemed warmer.

He peeked into the living room and spotted many familiar faces: Uncle Jiang and Aunt Liu from upstairs, Aunt Sun from next door, Uncle Hu and Aunt Chen from the building next door… He couldn’t even remember the surnames of some of them.

The sounds of sunflower seeds being popped and mahjong tiles clattering filled the air.

The largest table in the house—the kind where you can pull out the boards inside by pulling both ends to make it a large table—has also been transformed into its largest form and placed in the middle of the living room, along with several plates of food.

"Hey! The cadet is back!"

"Hey! Hello, Uncle! Hello, Auntie!"

All the slippers in the house had been worn out, but Chen Xuebing didn't change his shoes. He entered the door with a loud and general shout.

The responses came one after another.

"Hey! Xuebing's gotten so handsome!"

"Wow, it's been almost two years since I last saw you! You've really grown up, Sister Yu! You're so tall and handsome! And so successful!"

"Xuebing, do you have a girlfriend yet? You're in college now, you can start dating. Uncle Jiang will introduce you to one!"

Chen Xuebing couldn't answer any of them and could only chuckle.

He felt both warm and somewhat overwhelmed by this gathering of elders.

Yu Chunyan peeked out from the kitchen with a beaming smile, bringing up the very thing she didn't want to talk about.

"Xuebing, have you greeted anyone? They're all uncles and aunties in the courtyard who watched you grow up, you all have to greet them!"

Chen Xuebing stammered, telling me to call out their names, "Why don't you introduce them one by one?"

This is the situation that people born in the 80s and 90s fear the most. They have experienced the era when relatives and friends liked to come over for gatherings. If there was anything going on at home, a large group of people would gather. As soon as they entered the door, their parents would tell them to greet the people, as if they knew them and therefore their children must know them too.

Especially with relatives, you can't call them uncle or aunt, because you're most afraid of calling them the wrong thing, which is super embarrassing.

To this day, he still doesn't know the boundaries between terms like "cousin" and "aunt." When he was a child, it seemed like these kinds of relatives were everywhere when he went to his hometown in the countryside.

"We shouted! We shouted!" Several uncles and aunts came to Chen Xuebing's rescue.

At this moment, Chen Xuejin also ran over shouting, his eyes fixed on the bag in Chen Xuebing's hand: "Brother, brother, what did you bring back!"

Everyone burst into laughter again.

"Haha, this kid talks about his brother all the time now. He used to despise his brother! Every time his brother beat someone up, he would go home and tell his mother!"

"Hey! Chen Xuejin has a really keen sense of smell! He's missing his brother, so his brother must have brought him something delicious!"

"Oh dear—that kid is so clever! Every time I pass by Sister Yu's door while buying fruit, he calls out 'Auntie, Auntie,' with such a sweet tongue! If I ever bump into him, I'll definitely have to pay him a tax!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuejin ran back to battle with several uncles and aunts.

"Uncle Luo, why are you talking badly about the little kid? My brother beat up Luo Wen, and I stood up for him. What's wrong with that? Tell me, what's wrong with that!"

"Auntie Sun! I didn't call you that because of the fruit! I like you the most!"

"Hey! Xuejin, you like Aunt Sun, but not Aunt Liu?"

"I love you! Aunt Liu, I love you the most too~ I don't like Uncle Luo! I like all the other uncles and aunties!"

Alas--

The wind direction changed immediately.

A group of elders laughed heartily, one feeding him candy, another feeding him oranges, and teasing Lao Luo.

This guy can team up with a group to fight one person, and he's very adept at navigating the older generation's social circle.

Chen Xuebing was a little envious of Chen Xuejin; at least this guy had a good memory and wasn't afraid to call out to people.

He listened to a group of elders talking about the delicious food they had bought. He glanced at the pile of shopping bags in his hand and realized there wasn't much food in them. He felt a little embarrassed. He looked around and saw several children in the yard. He waved to Jiang Hanhan, who was already in the second grade of elementary school, opened his handbag, reached in, and rubbed out two hundred yuan.

"Hanhan, you're the older sister, take Chen Xuejin and the others to the cake shop and supermarket to buy food!"

He liked Jiang Hanhan. She grew up to be a beautiful girl, and every time they met, she would sweetly call him "brother".

Moreover, he had a feeling that Chen Xuejin would also like her when he grew up.

It's not the kind of liking that Chen Xuebing has, but it's that kind of liking.

In his past life, when he returned home, his mother talked to him about Jiang Hanhan, who lived upstairs, going to university and dating a pilot. At that moment, Chen Xuejing suddenly stopped eating and went back to his room in a sullen mood.

This kid was a senior in high school at the time.

At that time, he and his mother both felt something was wrong and discussed it. However, since they were not the same age, with a difference of two or three years, Chen Xuebing and his mother did not take it seriously.

Later, after graduating from university, Chen Xuebing never dated anyone, and that's when he realized something was wrong.

He was a little doubtful of his judgment at the time, after all, the boys and girls in this courtyard never played together since they were young, so where did the feelings come from?

In this lifetime, he learned that this kid often went to Jiang Hanhan's house to audit Aunt Liu's English classes with her.

At the moment he realized what was happening, Chen Xuebing felt a pang of jealousy.

This kid actually has a childhood sweetheart!

Even he didn't have it!
At this moment, Jiang Hanhan, with her hair tied in a small ponytail, looked at the two hundred yuan that her brother Chen Xuebing took out. She stood with her hands behind her back, too afraid to accept it, and turned to loudly report to her mother:
"Mom, my brother gave me some money and asked me to buy them something to eat!"

"Xuebing, you're just a kid, what are you going to do with money!" Jiang Hanhan's mother, Aunt Liu, immediately got up from the mahjong table and brought over twenty yuan.

When they saw that Chen Xuebing was holding two hundred yuan, they were stunned.

“What are you going to do with so much money? These kids can’t afford to spend so much. Xuebing, we all heard from your mom that you were working while preparing for college entrance exams. You’re such a sensible kid! But making money isn’t easy. Use the money to buy your mom some things, don’t spend it recklessly!”

As she spoke, she pushed Chen Xuebing's hand back and took out her own twenty yuan, handing it to Jiang Hanhan.

"Don't go out to buy it. Whatever you want to eat, just buy it from Auntie Yu!"

"No need, no need, my mom doesn't sell any good snacks! Chen Xuejin doesn't like any of them! Let them buy some that he likes!"

Chen Xuebing was carrying a bunch of things and a bag, so he could only push the money forward a little further.

"Oh dear, you've got it!"

"No need, Aunt Liu!"

"You got it!"

"Do not…"

"You put..."

Chen Xuebing raised his hand, and the bag he was holding fell off, landing on his handbag before falling out again.

They've thrown money around.

The bag was already open, and three bundles of banknotes fell out, along with some loose hundred-dollar bills.

There was about 70,000 yuan inside. 20,000 yuan was Chen Xuebing's emergency fund, and 50,000 yuan was just withdrawn from Alipay to give to his mother. He deliberately withdrew more this time because he was afraid that if he lost the Baosteel warrants bet, he wouldn't have time to take care of his mother. Aunt Liu stared at the ground, stunned.

"Wow, so much money!" a child shouted from in front of the TV, and all eyes turned to it.

Chen Xuebing awkwardly put down the pile of bags in his hand, wanting to pick them up but not wanting to rush to do so.

Several uncles and aunts in front of the sofa gathered around, helping him pick it up while looking on in shock.

"Oh my... Xuebing, you're carrying so much money? What kind of business are you in?"

Chen Xuebing chuckled awkwardly, "I don't usually carry this much; this is for my mom..."

The surrounding air became quiet.

Just then, Aunt Sun from next door came over, staring at the shopping bag that Chen Xuebing had just put down.

"Xuebing, did you buy all of these for your mom?"

"Hmm... there are two more pieces by Chen Xuejin."

"Ugh... they're all foreign brands!"

Now everyone crowded around, rummaging through the shopping bags without any sense of boundaries. That's how it is with neighbors in this old neighborhood; Chen Xuebing was used to it.

"This dress is so exquisite! Where did you buy it?"

Chen Xuebing took the handbag handed to him by an uncle and his smile returned.

"Next to Jiefangbei, Guomao."

"Hey, Guomao! Clothes at Guomao are really expensive! Chunyan! Chunyan! Come out here, look at the clothes your son bought for you!"

"He gave you the money back! A lot of money! You're so lucky!"

Yu Chunyan, who was struggling with frying a fish in the kitchen, heard the noise, turned off the stove, coughed twice, and came out.

"What's wrong?"

Knowing his mother was embarrassed by everyone's envy, Chen Xuebing immediately waved his hand and pushed her into the kitchen: "It's nothing, it's nothing! Come on, come on, I'll help you carry the dishes! Chen Xuejin, take the things and put them away!"

"Yeah!" Chen Xuejin ran over with a proud smile to get the bag.

He knew that Mom must be the happiest person in the world today.

……

Before dinner, Chen Xuebing gave Chen Xuejin two hundred yuan so that he could take Jiang Hanhan and her friends to buy some delicious food.

Chen Xuebing subconsciously categorized "Sister Jiang Hanhan" and "Little Buddies" into different groups, which was somewhat wicked.

One is under six years old, and the other is only eight years old!
He was a little flustered after he finished speaking, afraid that Chen Xuejin would understand.

Fortunately, Chen Xuejin only understood his intention but didn't interpret it in that way. She just said, "I don't owe Sister Hanhan anything. I took English lessons from Aunt Liu. I can pay Sister Hanhan back by tutoring her when I've improved."

Then, he skipped out and, along with a group of friends, splurged a little, and returned 162 yuan to him.

Dinner was served a little after six o'clock. Everyone was incredibly enthusiastic, praising Chen Xuebing and saying that Yu Chunyan was so lucky. She married a director in the first half of her life and has two good sons to rely on in the second half. They all asked her about her experience in raising children.

When Yu Chunyan learned what had just happened, she was once again being praised to the skies. She had always protected Chen Xuebing and prevented others from speaking ill of his son. Today, she had originally wanted everyone to know that her son had been admitted to university and was doing just as well as he had. But now, not only did everyone know, they were also praising him. She was stunned and didn't know how to respond.

He only brought out the best baijiu in the store, Yuzhou Daqu, and urged everyone to drink.

My mom was drinking for the first time, and her alcohol tolerance was amazing. She drank for more than an hour before stopping.

When Chen Xuebing carried her to bed, he noticed that her face was not only hot, but her cheeks were also damp.

……

The next day, the family of three went out happily.

Visit my father's grave.

The feng shui is very good; it's a martyrs' cemetery.

Chen Xuebing, enjoying the slightly cool mountain breeze, slapped his university acceptance letter on his father's tombstone. In high spirits, he spent half an hour bragging to his father.

Yu Chunyan had been drinking the day before and was feeling a bit dizzy when she saw two police officers in uniforms walking by. Suddenly, she slapped her forehead.

"broken!"

Chen Xuebing was startled. He glanced back at his father's grave and, finding it unharmed, said with lingering fear:
"What's wrong?"

To be honest, Chen Xuebing wasn't superstitious to begin with, but since he had been reborn, his mother's dramatic behavior at his grave still made him a little uneasy.

Yu Chunyan said with some regret:

"You haven't invited your Uncle Zhang and Uncle Zhao yet! You should have invited them to dinner yesterday! They've asked you about your college entrance exams several times!"

Chen Xuebing thought for a long time before he remembered that his mother was referring to his father's old colleagues with whom he had a good relationship.

"Hey, let's do it another day."

"Hmm...that's true. They've taken care of us for so many years, we should treat them to a meal out. Why don't we invite them when we treat your uncle? We'll order a nice meal!"

Chen Xuebing was startled again: "You're going to invite your uncle too?"

"How could your uncle not be invited for such a big event as taking the college entrance exam? Let me tell you, your grandparents and maternal grandparents all passed away early, and your father was adopted. He has no siblings, only your uncle as a relative. You need to spend more time with your uncle, after Mom passes away..."

"Okay, okay! Please, please!"

Chen Xuebing quickly raised his hand to stop his mother from speaking, thinking to himself, "You'll still be able to move and jump in twenty years." He was already feeling sad as soon as he arrived at his father's grave, as if he was going to accompany him.

After saying that, he sighed again:

"I'd like to invite him, but I'm afraid something might have happened at home and he won't be able to come..."

……

Friday, afternoon.

Guanyinqiao, Jinyuan Hotel.

A Toyota suddenly drove into the underground parking lot and braked sharply in front of an empty parking space, revealing the driver's irritability.

Yu Chunyin, her face ashen, backed the car into the garage. Once inside the parking space, Luo Min in the passenger seat was still cursing incessantly:
"If you don't get your money back this time and settle the matter of Lao Hong's 2.8 million, I'm divorcing you!"

Yu Chunyin sighed deeply: "I told you, that money was used to buy land, not to give to Chen Xuebing. That 300,000 yuan was the handling fee he saved by running the land business. They agreed to the Longgang government's tax payment conditions, which required a million yuan in taxes. Besides, several of my brother-in-law's old colleagues are here today. It's Chen Xuebing's college entrance celebration banquet! You're a civil servant, what kind of occasion is this? Why did you have to go up and make a scene?"

"I don't care if he goes to college or not! Three million one hundred thousand! I can't even make ends meet, why would I care about him? Don't give me that nonsense! If I hadn't found out about that three hundred thousand, would you have even mentioned buying the land to me? It's a piece of rotten rural land, who knows if it'll even sell in the future, and you're still hoping for a price increase? You're already broke, and you still want to throw seven hundred thousand into that fire pit? I think you've lost your mind! I'm going to get myself sued by you!"

Luo Min screamed.

"boom!"

"Bah-"

Yu Chunyin's long-suppressed anger finally erupted when he slapped the steering wheel.

"Who's to blame for not having money?! The money to buy the land was borrowed by me! What about our own cash? You took it to pay your good-for-nothing brother! I took the project! And when the money wasn't enough, I had to cover for him! What kind of operation is this?! Do you think I shouldn't do it myself?!"

Luo Min swallowed, feeling a little guilty, but remembering what her brother had told her, she became confident again.

"He didn't lie to you! He was bailed out by the investor he'd agreed to work with, wasn't he? Besides, you signed the contract, the project funds came from your account. Once the money was in the project, how could it run away? How can this be compared to Chen Xuebing's case? He's a liar! Old Hong is here today too, this matter must be clarified, and the land must be returned!"

(End of this chapter)