While Jiang Tao was at home planting trees, watering them, and studying Bitcoin USB drives, the Jiang household was bustling like it was hosting some grand celebration, with waves of guests coming and going.
Relatives from Jiang Wen's seven aunts and eight uncles, including cousins who hadn't been in touch for ages, all showed up. And not one of them came empty-handed—cigarettes, alcohol, candies, teas, they brought all sorts of gifts.
All of Du Yongmei's cousins, except for one who was bedridden with a long illness, showed up in full force.
With so many guests flooding the house, Jiang Bing, who had planned to go out and have some fun, was roped into helping by her parents. She had no choice but to stay home, dutifully entertaining guests, serving tea, pouring water, washing fruit, and so on. By the end of the day, her face was stiff from smiling.
"This is truly 'poor in the city, no one cares; rich in the mountains, distant relatives appear!'" Jiang Bing muttered under her breath, watching the noisy, lively scene at home.
Listening to everyone's flattery and envy directed at her parents, she couldn't help but grumble quietly. From early morning until now, nearly thirty groups of relatives had come by—it was almost as grand as the scene when her eldest and second brothers got married!
Although Jiang Wen and Du Yongmei had always kept a low profile and never bragged about anything after moving to Beijing—not even posting on social media—some observant people still picked up on the clues that the Jiang family had truly made it big.
There's no such thing as an impenetrable wall. When Jiang Tao decided to hire villagers from Jiangjiazhuang to work at the food factory, he knew it wouldn't be long before the news of their family starting a company spread. He just didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
As Jiang Wen and Du Yongmei entertained their relatives, listening to their endless praises, their vanity was greatly satisfied. In all of Jiangjiazhuang, only the village chief, a retired military officer, had received such treatment when he returned to the village. The Jiang couple felt they had truly brought honor to their family line.
Even though Jiang Wen knew these relatives were flocking to them because of their son's influence, he still felt deeply gratified.
The members of the Jiangjiazhuang "village entrance intelligence station" had moved their base to the front of Jiang Wen's house today. Watching the constant stream of people coming and going, they gossiped among themselves.
"The Jiang family has really struck it rich this year! Look at all these relatives rushing to bring gifts. Some of them are old relatives who haven't visited in over a decade!"
"During the New Year, Jiang Wen's second son drove back in a Mercedes-Benz. It's only been a short time since the New Year, and I heard they drove back two this time!"
"My grandson said the two Mercedes-Benzes the Jiang family brought back are worth three or four million combined! Who in our village could afford that kind of money?"
"Even if the village chief's son had that kind of money, he wouldn't spend it on two cars!"
"Three or four million could buy three or four houses outright in Ping County! We wouldn't even dare dream that big."
"No wonder they say the Jiang family has really made it this time! It feels so sudden."
"Did they win the lottery or something? Maybe they hit a jackpot worth tens of millions?"
"Who knows! Whatever the case, they're truly rich now—they've completely turned their fortunes around!"
"Fate is decided by the heavens. Last year, Jiang Wen and his wife were still working odd jobs with me. This year, I'm still doing odd jobs, but they're managing their son's factory!"
"Speaking of their second son's food factory, I heard the lowest salary there is over 5,000 yuan a month. They even provide housing and pay for pension insurance. After retirement, they'll get Beijing's pension benefits!"
"No wonder all these relatives are coming to cozy up—they all want Jiang's second son to arrange jobs for them!"
"I've always said since he was a kid that Jiang Wen's second son would make something of himself. Look, I was right!"
"Ugh, if only we had a kid as capable as that, we could enjoy a comfortable life too!"
The old men and women at the Jiangjiazhuang intelligence station pointed and chattered at the Jiang family's doorstep, their words dripping with envy and jealousy.
The Jiang household stayed busy until past 5 p.m., when things finally started to calm down. The relatives who came to reconnect were tactful enough not to overstay and beg for a meal, avoiding any annoyance.
Once the excitement at the Jiang house died down, the group of idle old folks who had nothing better to do returned to their usual spot at the village entrance. There, with people constantly coming and going, there was always someone to gossip about, and the topics never ran dry.
"Mom, Dad, you two are still smiling? I'm exhausted from today—more tiring than a full day at work!" Jiang Bing complained loudly while cleaning up the pile of disposable paper cups on the coffee table.
It was the first day of her break, and she had planned to go out, have some fun, maybe take a trip, and enjoy a nice lunch. Instead, her parents dragged her out of bed early in the morning to entertain the relatives who kept pouring in. From just after 7 a.m. until past 5 p.m., it was a longer day than a regular workday and far more exhausting!
"You're a young girl, what do you know? Think about it—why are all these people coming to our house and not someone else's?" Jiang Wen pulled out a pack of premium cigarettes his son had given him, lit one up, and took a satisfying puff. After being flattered all day, Old Jiang was feeling quite pleased.
Jiang Bing pouted and said, "Why our house? They're all here for Second Brother, obviously. They're all trying to butter him up, but since he's not here, they're buttering you up instead."
"Doesn't matter why they're here, Old Third. You need to understand that only families with real influence get this kind of treatment. Look around Jiangjiazhuang—besides your village chief's second uncle when he comes back and everyone flocks to his house, who else has this kind of pull? Relatives we haven't seen in decades are climbing over each other to visit. Honestly, your dad doesn't mind at all—I'm actually quite pleased. As the old saying goes, 'If you're rich but don't return to your hometown, it's like wearing fine clothes in the dark.' Even the great Chu overlord Xiang Yu, after gaining power, wanted to return home in glory to honor his family."
Hearing her dad's words, Jiang Bing felt there was some truth to it. It was like Dongzi from Donggou—every holiday, he'd send benefits to the folks back in his hometown. Having money was one thing, but building a good reputation and earning respect in the hometown was another.
"Alright, alright, you two, stop chatting and hurry up with the cleanup. Didn't your second son say we're going to the Magnolia Hotel tonight? He said he invited a lot of guests, so we need to get there early to greet them," Du Yongmei urged, grabbing a broom and dustpan to speed up the cleaning.
When Jiang Bing heard her mom mention dinner at the Magnolia Hotel, her complaints vanished, replaced by excitement. Her parents didn't yet know the significance of tonight's dinner, but Jiang Bing did! Tonight, her second brother had invited all the shareholders of the Tianjiazhuang cattle farm project, and it was definitely about dividing profits. Jiang Bing had invested 200,000 yuan in the project and was likely to get around 340,000 yuan back. In just over a month since the New Year, one project had netted her a 140,000 yuan profit! That was as much as she'd made running her online store for two years!
"Mom, Dad, Little Sister, you guys busy?"
"Mom, Dad, Little Sister, sorry we're late!"
"Grandpa, Grandma, Little Aunt!"
Jiang He and Zhang Xiaoyan walked into the courtyard with their two sons, greeting their parents and sister.
"Whoa, Boss Jiang! You're looking sharp now—way better than that old black bear vibe you used to have!" Jiang Bing turned around, gave her eldest brother a once-over, and teased him with a grin.
Dressed in a black suit, black leather shoes, a blue shirt, and sporting a short, sharp haircut, Jiang He looked like a completely different person compared to the overworked factory worker from before the New Year. Even Zhang Xiaoyan, who used to always look worried and miserable, now seemed radiant. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Zhang Xiaoyan's smiles in one day now outnumbered all the smiles from the first half of her life combined.
Jiang He and Zhang Xiaoyan had taken over the Jiantao Supermarket in Li Town exactly one month ago. Last night, after tallying the accounts, they were so excited they barely slept. In the past month, the supermarket's total revenue reached over 160,000 yuan. After expenses, the net profit was just over 40,000 yuan. A monthly income of 40,000 yuan! Back when Jiang He was slaving away at the factory day and night, he'd only made about 40,000–50,000 yuan in a whole year. Now, they'd earned that in just one month! Sure, the supermarket kept them busy, and they were tired by the end of the day, but it was nothing compared to the grueling factory work. Most importantly, they were earning far more than they ever did at the factory.
The couple was deeply grateful to their brother for giving them such a great opportunity. Zhang Xiaoyan would call Xu Li every few days to check in, and the bond between the sisters-in-law had grown stronger than ever.
"Eldest, Xiaoyan, you're here! How's the baby doing?" Du Yongmei greeted her eldest son and daughter-in-law, her eyes drifting to Zhang Xiaoyan's belly. She already knew about Zhang Xiaoyan's pregnancy, having heard about it from Xu Li during a phone call, who had heard it from her own mother-in-law. Word had spread, and now everyone knew the Jiang family was about to welcome a new member.
Xu Li, seeing three pregnant women suddenly popping up around her, was privately starting to feel anxious herself.
"Doing great, Mom. We had a checkup a couple of days ago, and the baby's developing well," Zhang Xiaoyan said, gently rubbing her belly with a glow of maternal pride.
"That's good to hear! Before the next New Year, our Jiang family will have another member. Eldest, you'd better take good care of Xiaoyan. Don't let her work herself to death like before," Du Yongmei said, giving her eldest son some earnest advice.
"Don't worry, Mom, I'll take good care of Xiaoyan."
"Grandma, don't worry! We'll take care of Mom too!"
"Grandma! Mom says it's probably a girl this time! We're gonna have a little sister soon!"
The family chatted in the courtyard for a bit before heading out together. The seven-seater Mercedes GLS was just the right size for everyone.
When Jiang Bing drove them to the Magnolia Hotel, they saw her second brother, his wife, and her parents already waiting in the parking lot. After parking, the group got out and exchanged greetings with Jiang Tao and his family.
Xu's parents and Jiang's parents went ahead to the reserved private room in the hotel, while Jiang Bing took her two nephews inside to find Xu Sha and Jiang Xue to play with. Jiang He and Zhang Xiaoyan stayed behind with Jiang Tao and Xu Li to wait for the other guests who hadn't yet arrived.
As they waited, the two brothers and their wives chatted and laughed. Being siblings from the same mother, there was a deep, familial bond that even the closest friends couldn't match. Jiang He and Zhang Xiaoyan asked how Jiang Tao and Xu Li were doing in Beijing, while Jiang Tao and Xu Li asked about how the supermarket was going. The mutual care and concern warmed their hearts.
After a short wait, Du Yongmei's younger brother arrived with his partner, Tian Mingrong. A little later, Liu Zhiyuan showed up, driving with his cousin Hao Zhiming and Shan Yifei, the three of them arriving a bit late.
"Sorry, Brother Jiang, Sister-in-law! There was a small accident on the way, and it held us up a bit," Liu Zhiyuan said apologetically. He, Hao Zhiming, and Shan Yifei had left even earlier than Jiang's parents, but they hadn't anticipated getting rear-ended by a female driver at a T-junction in the county town. Dealing with the traffic accident had delayed them by about half an hour.
"No worries, as long as everyone's okay. Accidents happen on the road," Jiang Tao said with a smile, patting Liu Zhiyuan's shoulder reassuringly. He genuinely wasn't upset about their tardiness. Besides, it was only around 6:40 p.m., still about 20 minutes before the agreed-upon 7:00 p.m. meeting time—not late at all.
"Hey, Zhiyuan, look! Isn't that the X3 that rear-ended us?" Shan Yifei's gaze caught a red BMW X3 driving toward them.
Hao Zhiming, looking nervous, warned Jiang Tao and Xu Li, "Brother Jiang, Sister-in-law, step back! That woman drives like a maniac!"
Hearing Hao Zhiming's warning, Jiang Tao and Xu Li quickly stepped back, retreating into the gap between the Mercedes G-Class and the GLS. Liu Zhiyuan, Hao Zhiming, and Shan Yifei also hurriedly jumped to the side, treating the red BMW X3 with its damaged front bumper like a dangerous beast.
Screech!
To everyone's surprise, the BMW X3 came to a stop right in front of them. The driver's door opened, and out stepped a woman in her thirties with meticulously applied makeup. She wore a cropped black leather jacket, blue jeans, and brown Martin boots—a stylish and polished look.
"Liu Yuan?"
"Jiang Tao! What a coincidence, running into you here! This must be your wife? She's beautiful!"
As Jiang Tao and Liu Yuan's eyes met, they greeted each other simultaneously.
"Brother Jiang, Sister-in-law, what a coincidence! Are you guys eating at the Magnolia too?" The passenger door of the BMW X3 opened, and He Jing stepped out, smiling as she greeted Jiang Tao and Xu Li.
He Jing was dressed like a vibrant young woman today, wearing a brown leather jacket, a fitted black dress, and white sneakers. Her face carried a bright, cheerful smile as she greeted Jiang Tao and Xu Li.