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

"Let the water, made from this pure gold and silver, be neatly and squarely printed on the first page of our Jiang family genealogy!"

The old man gripped the pure gold bottle, his eyes filled with unwavering resolve.

Jiang Chen leaned against the big locust tree and grinned.

"Great-grandfather, this rule doesn't make sense."

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his floral-patterned shorts and retorted rudely.

"I'm only in my twenties. According to seniority, this position at the beginning of the book should be reserved for you, sir."

The old man slammed his sandalwood cane heavily onto the bluestone slab, making a dull thud.

"What a load of rubbish about seniority! That's just old almanac stuff used to fool outsiders!"

The old man gave a long scolding in a loud voice.

"Our Jiangjia Village's current extraordinary prosperity is all thanks to you, single-handedly forging ahead through thick and thin!"

The old man took two steps forward and looked directly into Jiang Chen's eyes.

"If you don't sit in this position, this old man won't be able to close his eyes in peace after he's gone! He won't have the face to meet his ancestors in the afterlife!"

The old man's words were firm and left no room for negotiation.

Jiang Chen put away his nonchalant smile and stood up straight.

"Alright! Since you've put it this way, I'll recognize this character!"

Jiang Chen readily nodded in agreement.

"I'll be at the old house at eight o'clock tomorrow morning sharp!"

The old man stroked his beard with satisfaction, then turned and walked away with steady steps.

……

The next morning, the spring sunshine was wonderful.

A gentle breeze dispelled the last vestiges of spring chill in Qinghe County.

In the spacious courtyard of the old house, a magnificent rosewood table sits in the center.

On the table sat a small, pure copper incense burner, from which wisps of smoke rose straight into the sky.

Jiang Mancang squatted by the threshold, holding a pipe in his hand, and whispered to Jiang Youfu next to him.

"Lucky you, this is quite a spectacle today."

Jiang Mancang pointed to the middle of the yard with his pipe.

"The old master even wore his most treasured dark red robe, which he wouldn't even wear for his big birthday celebration."

Jiang Youfu touched his bald head, not even wearing his usual signature red apron around his waist.

"That's the necessary prestige!"

Jiang Youfu answered in his hoarse voice.

"What's Brother Chen's worth now? Forget about having his name on the first page; even if the whole village kowtows and burns incense for him every day, I, Jiang Da Shao, wouldn't say a word!"

Jiang Baichuan, dressed in a traditional Chinese jacket, walked over carrying a specially made white jade inkstone in both hands.

"You two old fogies, stop whispering to each other down there."

Jiang Baichuan rebuked him.

"Today is a momentous day for our Jiang clan, so everyone better stand up straight!"

"Anyone who dares to shirk responsibility and disgrace the Jiang family will be punished according to family rules, I will immediately open the ancestral hall and invoke family discipline!"

On the table sits a brand-new family tree, its pages still fragrant with the scent of ink.

This family tree is incredibly thick, even thicker than the thickest dictionary on the market.

The outer skin is made entirely of top-grade silk brocade, with exquisite gold thread embroidery.

"Uncle Baichuan, this family genealogy book must have cost a fortune just for the brocade cover, right?"

Li Qiang, standing next to him, craned his neck and asked curiously.

Jiang Baichuan proudly raised his chin.

"Of course! This was the patriarch's personal instruction, who sent a special plane to Suzhou and Hangzhou to invite three masters of intangible cultural heritage embroidery, who worked day and night to complete it!"

Jiang Baichuan loudly explains science.

"The paper inside is all specially made gold-leaf Xuan paper, which is resistant to decay and insects. It won't rot even a single corner, let alone hundreds of years!"

"Has Chen-ge'er arrived yet?"

The old man stood in front of the table and asked the question without turning his head.

"Here it comes!"

Ding Xiu, fully armed, strode in from outside.

The crowd automatically parted to both sides, making way for a wide passage.

Jiang Chen changed into an exquisite Suzhou embroidery custom-made Tang suit and strode into the courtyard.

The sunlight shone on the subtle gold thread pattern on his clothes, reflecting a dazzling luster.

"Great-Grandpa, I'm here."

Jiang Chen stopped and spoke in a loud voice.

The old man turned around, looked at the tall and straight Jiang Chen, and nodded in satisfaction.

He took the solid gold sealed bottle out of his sleeve and carefully unscrewed the cap.

The dull, viscous liquid sloshed around in the bottle.

The old man tilted the bottle and poured all the liquid inside into the white jade inkstone that Jiang Baichuan was holding.

Jiang Youfu stared wide-eyed and craned his neck to lean forward.

"My goodness! This gold liquid is so bright it's blinding."

Jiang Youfu clicked his tongue and exclaimed.

"Great-grandfather, how many gold bars must have been used to make this?"

"Five whole yellow croakers, each weighing ten taels!"

The old man answered loudly.

"These are all my most treasured items, hidden away in the cellar back in the day, and today they're all for Chen-ge'er to use!"

Jiang Mancang gasped in shock upon hearing this.

"Great-grandfather is so generous! That's real money!"

Jiang Mancang exclaimed in admiration.

The old man ignored the astonishment of those around him.

"Baichuan, open the family tree for me!"

The old man gave a loud order.

Jiang Baichuan respectfully lifted the cover of the silk brocade and turned to the first page of the family genealogy.

The entire beginning of the scroll was blank, without any messy writing.

This is the absolute top and core location of the entire Jiangjia Village.

The old man picked up a specially made pure wolf hair brush from the brush holder.

This pen is not dipped in a single drop of ink; its tip is fully saturated with the pure gold liquid from the white jade inkstone.

The old man's chest rose and fell as he steadied his breathing.

His weathered eyes were fixed on the top of the Xuan paper.

The entire place was completely silent. Hundreds of core clan members stood in the courtyard, not daring to breathe too loudly.

The pen tip landed steadily on the paper.

The old man exerted force with his wrist, writing the two large characters "Jiang Chen" without any hesitation.

The characters are vigorous and powerful, penetrating the paper and carrying a grand and unrestrained spirit.

The golden liquid reflected a dazzling light under the spring sunshine.

This means that Jiang Chen's name will forever be ranked first in the Jiang clan, enjoying the incense offerings of Jiang family descendants for thousands of generations.

"Beautiful handwriting!"

Jiang Yaohua stood at the front of the crowd and cheered loudly.

The elderly overseas Chinese, who had just returned from abroad, was so excited that his face turned red.

"With Brother Chen's name firmly in this position, our overseas branch can finally rest easy. This is what it means to have a pillar of support when returning to one's roots!"

The old man put down his calligraphy brush and pressed his hands heavily onto the rosewood table.

He turned around and faced the dark mass of his clansmen in the courtyard.

"Listen up, everyone, young and old!"

The old man pointed at the family genealogy on the table with a calligraphy brush and roared.

"Everyone knows how poor Jiangjia Village used to be. When we were so poor we couldn't even afford to eat, who would even give us a second glance?"

Jiang Mancang followed suit, waving his pipe.

"That's right! I used to go a whole year without being able to eat a big meat dish, but now, thanks to Brother Chen, every household in the village eats giant soft-shelled turtles from Changsheng Reservoir every day!"

Jiang Mancang loudly echoed.

The old man continued to raise his voice as he spoke.

"It was Brother Chen who led us, throwing money at road construction, chartering planes to airlift vegetables, and using open tactics to crush those heartless capitalists from the city!"

The old man's voice was booming.

"They practically pulled us out of the mire and sent us soaring to the heavens!"

The entire clansmen listened with great enthusiasm.

"Now we've merged with thirteen surrounding towns, and the entire province's fresh produce logistics depends on us."

"Those billionaire tycoons outside are lining up to give us money!"

The old man announced, word by word.

"This is all the iron-fisted empire that Jiang Chen built! Today, he's written on the first page. Anyone who dares to utter a single word against him, step forward and let me see!"

No one in the room uttered a sound.

Jiang Shitou, shirtless, shouted loudly in the crowd.

"Anyone who dares to disagree! I, Jiang Shitou, will be the first to stand up and break their legs!"

Jiang Shitou waved his thick arms to express his opinion.

Jiang Yaohua followed and stepped forward.

"Brother Wanshan is right. Our overseas branch has entrusted our entire eight billion fortune to Brother Chen for management, and we are completely willing!"

Jiang Yaohua responded loudly.

The old man looked around with satisfaction.

"The Jiang family will endure for generations! Jiang Chen will be the supreme ruler!"

The old man used all his strength to loudly proclaim.

"Jiang Chen is supreme!"

All the core villagers bowed deeply to Jiang Chen.

The roar was deafening, startling all the sparrows in the old elm tree in the yard into flight.

Jiang Chen watched this scene quietly.

This absolute sense of identity from the depths of his blood, this glory of being revered as a god by the entire clan, was even more exhilarating than having a hundred billion more in his bank account.

Jiang Chen strode forward and firmly lifted the old man's arm with both hands.

"Great-grandfather, the characters are finished, and the rules are established."

Jiang Chen spoke loudly, his voice carrying throughout the entire venue.

"From now on, let's live a peaceful and prosperous life behind closed doors in Jiangjia Village! No matter how big the storms outside are, they won't capsize our super aircraft carrier!"

The history of the Jiang family was definitively settled and perfectly elevated at this moment.

Jiang Youfu, with his bald head, squeezed to the front.

"Brother Chen! This is an unprecedented and joyous occasion, we must celebrate it properly!"

Jiang Youfu made the suggestion in his hoarse voice.

"I'm heading back to the cafeteria right away to prepare a feast! We absolutely have to have braised carp today, for good luck!"

Jiang Chen smiled and waved his hand.

"No need to cancel today. Everyone's been incredibly busy these past few days. Go home early and spend time with your wives and kids!"

Jiang Chen graciously declined the offer.

"If I don't hurry back, my two little devils will cause trouble again."

Jiang Shitou grinned foolishly.

"Brother Chen is right, I need to hurry back and cook for Xiaoya too!"

"She's been craving sour plums these past couple of days!"

Jiang Shitou's blunt honesty caused the entire audience to burst into laughter.

Amidst laughter, Jiang Chen took off his heavy Tang suit jacket and casually draped it over his shoulder.

He strolled briskly towards his large apartment.

The air in the village was incredibly fresh along the way, the smart streetlights in the houses were already off, and the green plants on both sides exuded vitality.

I walked up to my own heavy, blast-proof door.

Just as Jiang Chen reached for the fingerprint lock, a cheerful commotion came from inside the door.

"My dear daughter! Don't climb so high! Come down and wait for your dad to come home for dinner!"

Su Qing's coquettish voice came through the heavy blast door clearly.

Then came the pitiful nagging of his mother-in-law, Jiang Wan.

"Qingqing, don't be mean to her! She's the apple of our eye in Jiangjia Village."

"This little girl is quite resilient; what's wrong with climbing the sofa? She won't fall!"

Jiang Wan loudly defended her son.

Hearing bursts of laughter and the clattering of bowls and chopsticks coming from inside the door, Jiang Chen stood outside the gate.

He looked down at a speck of gold leaf powder that had accidentally gotten on his floral-patterned shorts.

He grinned, unable to hide the smile in his eyes.

Instead of pressing the fingerprint lock to open the door, he slung the Suzhou-embroidered Tang suit that was draped over his shoulder back over his back.

Jiang Chen raised his voice and shouted loudly into the doorway without restraint.

"Honey! Stop disciplining our daughter! I'm the hero who made it onto the first page of the family tree today, did you leave me a double portion of braised pork in the kitchen?"