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

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Jiang Chen was sound asleep when he was awakened by bursts of clear and cheerful laughter coming from the courtyard.

That was his mother Wang Xiuying's voice.

His voice was at least eight octaves louder than usual, with tremendous penetrating power, filled with barely suppressed excitement and confidence.

"Oh dear, I told him not to buy it, but he insisted!"

"Tell me, how much trouble can washing dishes take? This little metal thing cost several thousand! This kid is such a spendthrift!"

Jiang Chen could imagine, without even opening his eyes, that his mother was standing with her hands on her hips, a smug smile on her face, saying no but secretly overjoyed.

Sure enough, soon the voice of neighbor Aunt Zhang, tinged with envy and a hint of sourness, rang out in the courtyard.

"My goodness! Is this what city dwellers use in a dishwasher? You just put the dishes in and it washes them clean? This is such a luxury!"

"Xiuying, you are so lucky! Your Jiang Chen is really successful now, driving such a nice car and being so filial. He even remembers small things like you washing the dishes."

Aunt Zhang's tone was filled with undisguised envy, jealousy, and resentment.

"Unlike my husband, who toils like a log on construction sites in the county town for a pittance, he can't even afford to buy these expensive things, let alone get a kind look from us!"

Hearing these praises, Wang Xiuying felt more comfortable than drinking iced soda on a sweltering summer day, but she remained modest.

"Hey, it's all the same. As long as the kid has the intention, that's enough! I also feel bad about him spending money; I even scolded him last night!"

"But seriously, this machine is really great. I don't even need to wet my hands, and it washes them cleaner than I can by hand! I'll bring your dishes over later to try it out..."

Jiang Chen turned over, preparing to go back to sleep.

But at that moment, Aunt Zhang's tone suddenly changed.

Her voice was much lowered as she leaned close to Wang Xiuying's ear, with a mysterious concern in it.

"However, Xiuying, there's something I, as her sister-in-law, don't know whether I should say or not."

"Your Jiang Chen is truly promising; the whole village can see that."

"But...he's so young, and suddenly he's so rich, with luxury cars and renovations...where did this money come from...is it legitimate?"

"You'd better keep a close eye on him, don't let him go astray!"

"It's all over the village, everyone's saying all sorts of things, some really nasty things, like how someone so young can afford a car worth hundreds of thousands, maybe he's been doing some shady business outside?"

In the courtyard, Wang Xiuying's hearty laughter abruptly stopped.

Jiang Chen's drowsiness vanished instantly.

He could even clearly feel that his mother's originally high spirits outside the door instantly plummeted to freezing point.

"What...what nonsense are you spouting!"

Wang Xiuying's voice suddenly became sharp, filled with offended anger!

"My son Chen'er's money is all earned through his hard work and his own abilities! Our company is American... that... big listed company in America! We have shares! What do you know!"

Wang Xiuying rattled off all the words Jiang Chen had taught her the night before.

However, Aunt Zhang was clearly not buying it.

She grabbed Wang Xiuying's arm, looking heartbroken and saying, "I'm doing this for your own good, why don't you appreciate it?"

"Oh, my dear sister, don't be angry! I was just concerned about your family!"

"What does 'going public' mean? What are shares? We're all from the same village, who knows anything about that! We just agree on one thing: there's no such thing as a free lunch!"

"I'm just worried that you two will be kept in the dark and cause yourselves a lot of trouble for the children!"

"Listen to your sister-in-law's advice, quickly find out the truth. If it's legitimate money, then we can celebrate the New Year in style! If not... then quickly find a way to return the money, we can't afford to touch it!"

Aunt Zhang's words sounded reasonable and full of the "care" of an elder.

But the unspoken meaning behind those words was like needles pricking Wang Xiuying's heart.

This made her extremely angry, but she just couldn't let it out!

They're doing this "for your own good," and if you get angry, it makes you seem guilty!

"Don't worry about it! We know our own family matters!"

Wang Xiuying abruptly shook off Aunt Zhang's hand, turned around, and slammed the door shut with a "bang".

"I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"

Wang Xiuying stormed into the house, her chest heaving, and repeated her conversation with Aunt Zhang verbatim to Jiang Jianjun and Jiang Chen, who had just gotten up.

She paced back and forth in the room in a panic, stamping her feet.

"Listen to this! What kind of talk is this! My son worked hard and earned his money honestly, and in their mouths, it's all considered dirty?!"

"Pah! They're just jealous! Utterly jealous!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jianjun's face turned ashen with anger. He puffed on his pipe, his old face taut amidst the swirling smoke.

"These gossipy women! They're just saying 'sour grapes' because they can't have them! They can't stand to see others doing well!"

He slammed his pipe on the table and stood up abruptly.

"No way! I have to confront them! I need to make them apologize to my Chen'er in front of the whole village!"

As Jiang Jianjun spoke, he tried to rush out.

Jiang Chen looked at his parents, who were about to explode with anger, but his face still held that calm and composed smile.

The calmer he remained, the more anxious Wang Xiuying became.

"Son! How can you still laugh! The fire's practically burning your eyebrows!"

Wang Xiuying walked quickly to Jiang Chen, her eyes red with anxiety.

"If our reputation is ruined, what will the villagers think of our family? How will you face them in the village after that?"

"And your sister! Lingling is about to take her college entrance exams and get married! If people gossip about her brother's money, saying it's ill-gotten, what a huge impact that would be!"

The elderly couple chatted back and forth, their anxiety palpable, like ants on a hot plate.

Jiang Chen finally finished dressing. He stood up, patted his parents on the shoulder, and comforted them with a smile.

"Dad, Mom, don't be angry. It's not worth getting angry with these people."

"People can say whatever they want."

A hint of amusement flashed in Jiang Chen's eyes.

"If we rush out now to argue, wouldn't that just prove what Aunt Zhang said—that we're guilty?"

"What should we do? Just let them say that?" Jiang Jianjun asked anxiously.

Jiang Chen shook his head, walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and slowly took a sip.

"No rush."

His voice carried a calming power.

"Let them say it, the more outrageous the better, the wider the better."

"In this play, the supporting actors need to warm up the atmosphere first."

"Only our protagonist can appear at the most crucial moment and deliver the final blow."

Jiang Chen looked at his parents, who were completely bewildered and didn't understand at all, and smiled mysteriously.

"You two can rest assured."

"Just wait and see."