When I went home for Chinese New Year, I spent a million times more money on my foreign wife.

After finishing the dumplings, Chen Ma went to the kitchen to clean up.

Chen Yang stood up, and Chong Leizi nodded.

Lei Zi turned and left, returning two minutes later with four Black Kite security personnel, each carrying a long black gift box.

"Mom, stop what you're doing and come out for a bit."

Chen's mother wiped her hands and came out, only to see four more boxes on the dining table.

Chen Yang opened the first one.

A set of jade jewelry from the Tsarist era, consisting of a necklace, earrings, a bracelet, and a brooch—a four-piece set. The green of the jade is so intense under the light that it seems to drip with water, and each facet of the gemstone bears the patina of over a hundred years.

"Mom, this set is for you. I found it at an old shop in Mo City; it's 120 years old."

Chen Ma glanced at it twice and reached out to touch the necklace.

"If I wear this out, won't people think it's fake?"

"Just wear it, don't worry about whether it's real or fake."

Chen Ma closed the box, hugged it to her chest, and didn't say anything, but her hands were clenched tightly.

The second box was pushed in front of Chen Yue.

Chen Yue opened it, and inside was a sapphire ring. The oval-shaped main stone was about the size of a thumbprint, surrounded by a ring of small diamonds.

"Brother, this—"

"It was bought at the Mo City Auction House. It's from the 19th century. You can wear it for fun."

Chen Yue put the ring on her ring finger and compared it; it was a size too big.

"My hands are too thin."

"I'll have someone change the name later."

Chen Yue didn't take it off, clenching her fist to prevent it from falling, and opened the third box with her other hand.

Inside was a complete set of limited-edition Cuban cigars, accompanied by a handmade silver cigar cutter, and underneath was a bottle of dark liquor with a yellowed label.

"Dad, this is for you. The cigar is a limited edition, and the liquor is from 1947; there are only a few bottles left in the world."

Mr. Chen picked up the wine bottle and looked at it under the light.

"Born in 1947? Older than me."

"Please drink slowly, don't finish it all at once."

"I'm not like you, wasting things." Mr. Chen carefully put the bottle back in the box, then picked up the cigar cutter and examined it over and over for a long time.

The fourth box is flat and larger than the first three.

Chen Yang didn't move, but glanced at Katyusha.

Katyusha stood up, pulled the box in front of her, and opened it herself.

There were three sets of clothes folded inside.

The first outfit is a long trench coat with a unique sheen in the fabric; it's not ordinary silk, but has a subtle matte texture. A handwritten serial number is sewn into the lining, indicating it's a one-of-a-kind piece.

The second outfit was a dress with a clean cut, a very narrow waistline, and subtle patterns on the hem that could only be seen under the light.

The third outfit is a short jacket paired with wide-leg pants in the same color scheme, with gold thread trimmed around the cuffs and collar.

"These three outfits are what I ordered in Mo City." Katyusha picked up the trench coat and held it up in front of Chen Ma. "Mom, this one is for you."

Chen Ma took a step back.

"Me wearing this?"

"Please wear it. I've had someone measure your size; it won't be wrong."

"Why would I wear this at home—"

"Wear this when you go out." Katyusha draped the trench coat over Chen Ma's shoulders, took two steps back to look at it, and said, "It fits."

Chen Yue clapped her hands beside her.

"Mom, it looks beautiful, so beautiful."

Chen Ma looked down at her trench coat and touched the sleeve.

"This material is really comfortable."

"Royal fabric, all handmade." Katyusha handed the second dress to Chen Yue. "This one's yours."

Chen Yue took it, her eyes lighting up.

"Sister-in-law, you have such good taste."

"I'll keep the third one for myself." Katyusha folded the short jacket and put it back in the box.

Mr. Chen sat on the sofa with a teacup in his hand, looked at the boxes and wrapping paper all over the table, and shook his head.

"Did you empty the place in Mo City this time?"

"No," Chen Yang said. "I just bought some local specialties."

Mr. Chen didn't reply, but took a sip of tea.

Chen Ma had already put on the jade necklace and was looking at herself in the full-length mirror in the living room. Chen Yue, wearing the sapphire ring that was a size too big, was taking pictures with her phone. Katyusha sat back down next to Chen Yang and poured herself a glass of hot water.

A system notification suddenly popped up:

"Special weighting triggered - Harmony in the family brings prosperity. The host provides the ultimate material and emotional value to the spouse and immediate family members, which is judged as the highest priority consumption behavior. This rebate rate: Special tier. Bonus technical reward: Space-based defense system networking solution (simplified civilian version)."

Chen Yang stood up, walked to the window, and dialed Lei Zi's number.

"Where?"

"downstairs."

"Come up."

Thirty seconds later, Lei Zi pushed the door open and came in.

"Boss."

What is the current security level around the Snow Palace?

"Three layers of ground defense, two drones patrolling 24 hours a day, and nuclear-grade vaults and data centers underground. This is already the ceiling for civilian-grade defenses in China."

"not enough."

Lei Zi didn't say anything, he just waited.

Chen Yang took out his phone from his pocket, brought up the technical document that the system had rewarded him with, and handed it over.

"Have someone review this plan, and implement as many of the projects as possible. The key components are the low-Earth orbit satellite monitoring network and the high-altitude early warning module. I need to have real-time tracking of the movements of every aircraft, vehicle, and person within a 50-kilometer radius of Snow Palace."

Lei glanced at the document, his pupils dilating for a moment.

"Boss, this thing—"

"Can you do it?"

"Yes. Give me two months."

"One month."

"receive."

Lei Zi turned and left.

Chen Yang returned to the dining table and sat down. Katyusha was helping Chen's mother put away the box containing the jade jewelry, while Chen Yue was still taking pictures of the ring.

Mr. Chen stood up from the sofa, picked up the bottle of wine from 1947, and walked towards the flower room.

"Dad, where are you going?"

"Put it in the greenhouse where the temperature is stable, and drink it slowly."

Chen Yang picked up the half-cup of coffee that had gone cold on the table and took a sip.

Katyusha finished packing her things and came back, sitting down next to him.

"What were you saying to Lei Zi just now?"

"Upgrade security."

"Spending money again?"

"This time it's free. It's a gift from the system."

Katyusha didn't ask any more questions. She picked up the Mo City auction catalog on the table, turned to the page with the folded corner, and continued reading.

Chen Yue, carrying a dress, walked by and stopped.

"Brother, I need your signature on the expansion plan for the drone production line tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.

"Put it in my study."

"Okay. Goodnight, brother. Goodnight, sister-in-law."

Chen Yue went upstairs.

The living room fell silent, with only the clock on the wall ticking.

Chen Yang leaned back on the sofa, looking at the light reflected from the dome outside the window.

Katyusha turned a page of the catalog and put her feet up on the coffee table.