I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

Su Qing stood to the side, holding a sun umbrella that protected against ultraviolet rays.

She pointed to the door and urged them impatiently.

"That's a fifty-year-old wild soft-shelled turtle! Take it or leave it! Go open the door!"

Jiang Chen deliberately dragged out his voice and shouted loudly.

"Drink! I have to drink! My mother-in-law personally cooked this to nourish me, how could I dare not drink it?"

Jiang Chen yawned widely as he walked back.

He switched the baby in his other hand and used his free right hand to touch the brass handle on the door.

"Honey, you know, my mother-in-law has been stewing turtle with 'longevity water' every day. She even adds some century-old wild ginseng from our village."

"I've been drinking bowl after bowl of this nourishing soup, and I'm so hot-tempered I have nowhere to vent it."

Jiang Chen started talking nonsense.

Su Qing blushed.

She glared at Jiang Chen and cursed.

"Stop talking nonsense! Tianci and An Yan just celebrated their 100-day celebration. What kind of nonsense are you thinking about all day?"

Jiang Chen chuckled.

"I'm just responding to the village's call for more children to bring good fortune. My great-grandfather is hoping that our family will have two more big, healthy boys."

"Uncle Mancang keeps complaining at the entrance of the ancestral hall that our big courtyard is still too empty. He insists that I have more children to make it lively enough."

Su Qing slapped Jiang Chen's arm.

"If you want to have children, you can have them yourself! I've already had enough of a struggle with these two little devils in my life."

"You're such a leisurely village chief. You just wander around the village all day wearing those cheap 9.9 yuan shorts, leaving all the family business to your subordinates," Su Qing complained coquettishly.

Jiang Chen shamelessly replied.

"That's because I know how to use people well. The professional management team I hire with tens of millions in annual salaries—can't they even handle cold chain logistics?"

The two were arguing.

Jiang Chen's fingers had just touched the brass doorknob.

"Ding-dong!"

A long, drawn-out synthesized electronic sound resounded loudly in Jiang Chen's mind.

Surprisingly, the voice contained a rare, human touch of praise.

Since the industrial chain of Jiangjia Village was completely finalized, the system has become a completely emotionless cash-back machine in the past six months.

Jiang Chen himself had almost forgotten about this thing.

The sudden commotion had left his head buzzing.

Jiang Chen stood there, stunned.

The action of pushing the door abruptly stopped in mid-air.

Su Qing stood at the bottom of the steps.

Seeing Jiang Chen standing there motionless, she nudged him in bewilderment.

"What's wrong with you? Why aren't you opening the door?"

Su Qing leaned closer to take a look at the gate.

"Did you forget your front door key?" Su Qing asked, puzzled.

Jiang Chen came to his senses.

He pulled his hand away from the doorknob.

"I didn't forget my keys." Jiang Chen's mind raced.

He carefully handed the sleeping An Yan to Su Qing.

"Honey, take the kids inside first. It's windy outside, don't let An Yan catch a cold." Jiang Chen gestured with his chin towards the bluestone path outside the yard.

"I've been playing chess with my great-grandfather under the tree for ages, and now I'm craving a cigarette. I'll stand here for a smoke before I go inside."

Su Qing rolled her eyes at him.

His face was full of disgust.

"Why are you smoking so late at night! An Yan will make a scene tomorrow if she smells the smoke on you." Su Qing complained.

Jiang Chen smiled apologetically.

"I'll just smoke half a cigarette! To relax! You stay inside and let that turtle soup cool down while you wait for me," Jiang Chen promised loudly.

"You can stay outside!" Su Qing slammed open the half-open brass door.

"Wait until the smell has completely dissipated before coming inside, otherwise you'll be sleeping in the guest room tonight!"

Su Qing carried her daughter and quickly walked into the courtyard.

The heavy door closed again in front of Jiang Chen.

The summer night breeze blew in the direction of Changsheng Reservoir.

This was accompanied by the chirping of cicadas.

Jiang Chen stood on the steps outside the gate.

He pulled a slightly deformed cigarette case from the pocket of his floral-patterned shorts. He took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and pressed the windproof lighter.

A cluster of blue flames leaped out.

Jiang Chen took a drag. He exhaled a cloud of grayish-white smoke.

He started cursing in his mind.

"You damn system, what's wrong with you today? What are you doing banging on my head in the middle of the night?!" Jiang Chen questioned irritably.

The system interface unfolded automatically in front of Jiang Chen's eyes without his control.

This time, the scale was particularly grand.

The entire edge of the virtual panel was enveloped in golden light. Lines of large text scrolled rapidly across the screen.

"Host detected to have completed system concealment phase. Final settlement in progress."

"The system is detecting all hidden metrics data of the host. Please be patient."

Jiang Chen was chewing on a cigarette.

He kicked off one of his flip-flops and stepped barefoot onto the bluestone slab.

"Final settlement? What do you mean by that?" Jiang Chen sneered in his mind.

"Are you planning to give me a breakup fee and run away?" Jiang Chen asked sarcastically.

The system's electronic voice carried an air of solemnity.

"Please do not make any unfounded speculations, host. This system is bound to your soul and will never be unbound."

"This settlement is the highest-level assessment of Jiangjia Village's overall development over the past year. The achievement of various hidden indicators will directly determine whether the host can obtain the system's ultimate achievement."

Jiang Chen was amused.

He crossed his arms and stared at the blinding golden light before him.

"Sure! You do the math." Jiang Chen boasted loudly to the system.

"In the past six months, I, Jiang Chen, have transformed a dirt-poor village into a super empire that makes the world's wealthiest families beg for food. Do you think I'm afraid of your auditing?"

The system ignored Jiang Chen's arrogance.

"The review of the first hidden core indicator has begun," the system announced.

"Family cohesion is under review. We are currently scanning the psychological sense of belonging among all members of Jiangjia Village."

Jiang Chen shook the ash off his cigarette.

"This thing doesn't need scanning?" Jiang Chen said with a look of disdain.

"You don't even know how much welfare I've given to the village. There are 500 top-of-the-line leather Wuling Hongguang vans in the whole village, and everyone gets one."

"The cash dividends during the Lunar New Year are packed in sacks. Everyone goes to Changsheng Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital for free medical treatment. Now even Li Cuihua, the widow who used to collect waste paper, walks around the village with her head held high," Jiang Chen said loudly.

He got more and more excited as he talked.

"Even stubborn old bastards like Lianjiang Youfu are now obediently cooking in front of the ancestral hall. Jiang Xuewen, who was driven out of the village, has suffered greatly outside and dares not come back."

"Now even Jiang Haoran's gang of thugs are working diligently in the cold chain logistics park. Qiangzi keeps an eye on them every day. Those guys are carrying hundreds of boxes of frozen pork a day now, and they don't dare to utter a sound. They even have to thank me for feeding them every day," Jiang Chen proudly reported.

"The cohesion in Jiangjia Village is now unbreakable! Even a mosquito would have to ask if it's surnamed Jiang before it can fly in!"

The system flashed with golden light.

A huge golden seal smashed onto the screen.

"Data verification complete. Not a single person in the village harbors any thoughts of betrayal. The Jiang family rules have been deeply ingrained in the subconscious of all clansmen."

A line of bold, imposing characters froze on the screen.

"Family cohesion: Max level!" the system announced directly.

Jiang Chen exhaled a smoke ring.

"You're smart to know what's good for you." Jiang Chen threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out.

"Continue! What's next?" Jiang Chen urged.

"Checking the second hidden core indicator: Family wealth value," the system announced mechanically.

Jiang Chen shifted his position and leaned against the brass door.

"Does this even need to be investigated?" Jiang Chen asked confidently.

"I have a monopoly on cold chain logistics across the province. Anyone who wants to transport fresh produce has to defer to me. A single registration fee at Changsheng Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital is a small fortune. Coal mine owners with terminal illnesses and overseas tycoons are lining up to give me money." Jiang Chen counted on his fingers.

"The traditional Chinese medicine doctors only see three patients a day. Those powerful and wealthy people stand outside the gate all day without daring to honk their horns. A few days ago, when my son and daughter celebrated their 100-day celebration, those billionaire bosses lined up to give me hundreds of billions in gifts. I returned them all without even blinking."

Jiang Chen looked at the system panel and spoke domineeringly.

"My current wealth, Jiang Chen, is just a numbers game. I can easily feed those so-called big companies in the provincial capital by letting a few orders slip through my fingers. If you want to check my wealth value, I'm afraid your system's counter will explode."

The system paused for two seconds.

It appears to be performing massive data processing.

Large swaths of golden characters cascaded down the panel like a waterfall.

"The Jiang Group's assets have been found to involve monopolistic agriculture, top-tier medical care, end-to-end logistics, and numerous proprietary patents for cutting-edge technologies. Its cash flow exceeds the combined total of all other conglomerates in the world today."

The screen slammed down with large characters again.

"Family wealth value: Exceeded the upper limit!" The system gave a second rating.

Jiang Chen nodded.

The money and effort invested over the past year has definitely been worthwhile.

"Scanning the third hidden core indicator: Family cultural heritage," the system continued.

Jiang Chen smiled.

He reached up and touched the stubble on his chin.

"Cultural heritage? Go to the back mountain and see that first ancestral hall in China, built entirely with mortise and tenon joints." Jiang Chen pointed in the direction of the back mountain.

"That was built by the descendants of Lu Ban himself, it has its own aura of good fortune. Our Jiang family's ancestors are enshrined inside. Uncle Mancang and those old men keep it spotless every day," Jiang Chen continued.

"Our village has now built the world's first Hope Primary School, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil is displayed on the playground as the school's treasure. The children study there every day."

Jiang Chen patted his chest and said.

"Just two days ago, I spent 100 million yuan to build free canteens in mountainous areas across the country in the names of my children. I also gave Jiang Xiaobei, who was admitted to the police academy, a multi-million yuan mansion as a rule."

"Now the whole internet is calling our Jiang Family Village the most virtuous family in China. What do you call that? That's called discipline! Which old family can compare to this reputation and heritage?" Jiang Chen loudly questioned the system.

The system interface burst forth with an even more dazzling light.

The entire virtual panel was ignited by golden flames.

"Data comparison successful. The Jiang family's cultural heritage is intact, its rules are strict, and the genealogy has been revised." The system began to summarize.

"Its social prestige is awe-inspiring nationwide. Its various charitable initiatives have had a profound social impact."

"Family cultural heritage: Perfect!"

Three consecutive highest ratings.

The golden light on the system panel was so bright that it turned Jiang Chen's face into a dark gold color.

All the words merged into a huge golden vortex, slowly rotating within the sea of ​​consciousness.

Jiang Chen stood in the summer night breeze.

The sounds of my wife and mother-in-law chatting idly drifted from inside the courtyard. Occasionally, the barking of a watchdog echoed from the distant reservoir. Everything seemed so peaceful and serene.

He didn't feel his heart racing at all at that moment.

On the contrary, he felt that everything was a natural progression. This was the prosperous world he had created by throwing money and scheming.

Suddenly, the system interface emitted a long, drawn-out dragon roar.

The sound made Jiang Chen's eardrums go numb.

"All prerequisites have been met." The system made its final announcement in an extremely solemn voice.

"Final rating approved. The system's ultimate achievement will be awarded soon."

Jiang Chen stared at the ever-expanding halo in his mind.

"Stop playing coy with me," Jiang Chen shouted.

"What kind of big prize are they going to give me?"