Me! A high-ranking official!

At 2 p.m., the sunlight made the steps in front of the Housing Management Bureau scorching hot.

Standing in the shade, Zhao Jianguo saw a dilapidated rural bus parked at the intersection. Zhao Dayong and Wang Xiulan helped each other squeeze off the bus. The elderly couple were wearing polyester jackets that they only wore when visiting relatives. Wang Xiulan was also clutching a faded coarse cloth bag tightly in her hand, which was bulging with fresh produce that had just been picked from the field.

Looking at his parents' graying temples and hunched backs, Zhao Jianguo felt a sudden pang of sadness. For years, he had been forced to act like a subservient son in Cao Wenting's household, suffering the brunt of her mistreatment. Even buying his parents nice clothes for holidays required him to defer to Xu Qingqing. Now, with millions in his pocket, they could finally hold their heads high.

"Dad, Mom! Over here!" Zhao Jianguo went to greet them and took the cloth bag from his mother's hand. It was heavy and full of farm eggs that still smelled of mud and freshly picked green beans.

"Jianguo, you said on the phone that you were buying a house... what kind of house? Don't you have a place to live in the county?" Zhao Dayong rubbed his calloused hands, his eyes revealing the innate awkwardness and awe that a rural person has towards government buildings.

"Dad, that house belongs to someone else. We're buying it for you today." Zhao Jianguo smiled and turned to look at Liu Tao, who had been waiting nearby.

Liu Tao was still wearing that intimidating haute couture suit today, but as soon as he saw the elderly couple, he immediately shed his boss-like demeanor, quickly walked over, and greeted them warmly, "Uncle, Aunt! I'm Liu Tao, Jian Guo's high school classmate. I even used to steal grapes from your house!"

The elderly couple paused for a moment, then smiled broadly after recognizing Liu Tao.

"Alright, we can catch up later. We need to get down to business." Zhao Jianguo winked at Liu Tao.

Once inside the housing management bureau hall, because it was a full-payment transfer, and because Liu Tao, a big boss from out of town, had already arranged a smooth process with the real estate agent, the paperwork was completed very quickly.

But when Wang Xiulan saw the total price of the house on the verification form, her eyes widened in shock. She grabbed Zhao Jianguo's arm, her voice trembling, "Four...four million?! Jianguo, are you crazy?! Where did you get so much money?! How many zeros is that?! You...you mustn't do anything illegal!"

Although Zhao Dayong didn't speak, his hand trembled so much that he wrote his name crookedly as he held the pen to sign. His cloudy old eyes were fixed on his son, and his chest heaved violently.

"Mom, what are you thinking?" Zhao Jianguo lowered his voice and patted his mother's hand reassuringly. "I partnered with a few bosses to do some legitimate business and made money. It's all clean money, not a penny is missing! The three large courtyards will all be registered in your and Dad's names. They will be our Zhao family's heirlooms from now on."

Hearing their son's words, the elderly couple felt a slight sense of relief. But as they walked out of the hall and saw the three bright red property deeds in their hands, Wang Xiulan's tears streamed down her face. Wiping away her tears, she berated him, "You spendthrift! Four million! Just to buy one of those dilapidated brick houses in Xiaozhai Village that's about to collapse? Were you scammed? If you put that money in the bank, the interest alone would be enough for our whole family to live a life of luxury! Why did you waste it like this?!"

Zhao Dayong tapped his pipe, his face still stern as he scolded, "Exactly, it's too expensive, and they have no sense of propriety in their work!"

But the awkwardness that had been on his deeply lined old face had vanished, replaced by an undisguised, even slightly trembling, pride! His Zhao family had toiled the land for generations, and today, his son had bought him three large courtyard houses in the county town! More than four million yuan in real money! What a glorious honor for his ancestors!

Seeing his parents' complaining yet stubborn expressions, Zhao Jianguo's eyes curved slightly, but he didn't rush to explain.

In the afternoon, he asked Liu Tao to go ahead and attend to the supermarket business. He then took his parents to the best restaurant in the county and booked a private room. He ordered a table full of fancy dishes that the elderly couple had never seen before, and also warmed a pot of fine wine for Zhao Dayong. During the meal, although the elderly couple still felt the pinch of the money, they couldn't suppress the rosy glow on their faces.

After a satisfying meal, as the sun began to set, Zhao Jianguo hailed a car and took his parents to Xiaozhai Village.

The evening breeze swept across the broken walls and ruins, revealing a sense of desolation.

Looking at the overgrown wasteland, Wang Xiulan slapped her thigh in frustration: "Jianguo, four million yuan for this mess? If it rains heavily, there won't even be a place to take shelter!"

Zhao Jianguo stood amidst the ruins, turned around, and the setting sun shone on his face, revealing a composed and strategic demeanor.

"Father, Mother, you can rest assured." He pointed to the dilapidated courtyard around him, his voice steady and powerful: "This is the government's top priority for the next stage of cultural tourism development, and it is also a key tourism project that I am personally in charge of. In two months at most, this place will be completely closed off and transformed into an ancient-style experience area."

He walked up to his parents and said, slowly and deliberately, "By then, the prices of houses here will be changing every day! These three courtyards you own are the most valuable commercial properties! If you're willing to put in the effort, we can open a teahouse or a restaurant here, do some small business. If you find it too tiring, you can just rent them out. The rent alone will amount to a huge sum of money you can't even imagine in a year!"

The elderly couple were completely stunned by the blueprint drawn up by their son. They didn't understand what a cultural tourism project was, but they understood the government's priorities and that their son was personally involved.

Zhao Dayong took a deep drag on his pipe, exhaling a long breath. His rough, calloused hands slammed onto his son's shoulder, his voice slightly hoarse with excitement: "Good! Good! Good! My son, you've really made something of yourself in the county! You're a big leader now!"

Wang Xiulan was so excited that she clasped her hands together, tears welling up in her eyes: "Thank God, my Jianguo has finally made it through! You suffered so much humiliation in front of that family before, it broke my heart..."

When "that family" was mentioned, the smile on Zhao Jianguo's face slowly faded, and the surroundings became quiet, with only the rustling of the early summer evening wind blowing through the weeds.

He took a deep breath, knowing it was time to speak his mind.

"Dad, Mom." Zhao Jianguo lowered his eyes, looking at the muddy ground beneath his feet, his voice low but unusually calm: "There's something I've been keeping from you... Xu Qingqing and I are divorced."

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

He continued, "Not only are we divorced, but Cao Wenting was also taken away by the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection a few days ago for embezzlement and bribery... Our two families have completely broken off relations and will never see each other again."