They toiled until the wee hours of the morning, finally managing to replace all the appliances and bathroom fixtures.
What remained were the beds in the various rooms, which would have to wait until the next day to be exchanged.
On the first day living in the small villa, there was an unusual excitement stirring within.
Song Yanxi sat on her new bed with a plop, wiggling and shifting to the right.
It was as if she were testing its resilience.
Under the veil of night, only a heartwarming night light lit up the room.
After her bath, Song Yanxi didn't bother with playing the role of a policewoman and simply cozied up to Chen Pingsheng's body.
"Husband, what time will your parents arrive tomorrow?"
"Probably around four or five in the afternoon."
Chen Pingsheng stroked her damp hair; in the heat of summer, she wore an ultra-thin silk nightgown.
It was somewhat transparent, revealing a flash of white.
"Let's hurry and get everything in the house sorted out by tomorrow morning so we can go pick them up in the afternoon. The day after, we'll have a family meal."
This plan was actually quite good, considering the distance from the train station to their place.
It would be about a half-hour drive.
"Knock knock~"
At this late hour, only the little one would knock on the door; Chen An'an tiptoed into the room.
Moving into the new house, which was both large and beautiful, was a change for her.
Accustomed to the rental house they had lived in, she simply could not fall asleep on her first night in the new home.
With no other choice, she came to bunk with her parents.
Chen Pingsheng pulled her into his arms. Time indeed flew by, and the little one was almost six years old already.
Now that their circumstances had improved, he wanted to discuss with Song Yanxi the possibility of having another child.
...
At dawn, the first light was breaking.
Chen Pingsheng got up and stretched lazily, still busy with replacing the beds in the rooms.
Then came the task of swapping out old tables and chairs for new ones.
There was no shortage of things to do, joyfully busy in their burgeoning happiness.
By noon, after having replaced the beds, only tables and chairs were left to be taken care of.
All in all, just the furniture they'd bought these two days cost nearly two hundred thousand yuan.
And if one included the tree purchased for Little An'an's backyard, the total approached three hundred thousand yuan.
Indeed, that single tree cost a hundred thousand yuan.
It was planted ceremoniously in the backyard with Chen An'an carefully digging the soil before planting it herself.
By the time the tree grew tall, she too would be much older.
By four in the afternoon, Chen Ping had finally arrived at Capital Train Station with his younger sister and parents.
He had specifically driven the Panamera to pick them up. His sister, at just twenty-one, was nine years his junior.
She had also been working in Sha City since finishing high school, working as a receptionist at a professional beauty salon.
Her wages weren't high, but she was frugal.
After a few years, she had saved a little money. As for his parents,
his father had been in the tractor business since the 90s.
Selling watermelons in the summer and sugarcane in the winter.
These circumstances were considered decent back in their hometown, but in Capital City, they were simply rustic country folk.
His mother, Peng Ying, had always helped him with the small business ventures.
They both endured much hardship in their youth, and now seeing their son so successful,
there couldn't be anything more comforting.
"Brother, nobody believed me when I said you bought a Porsche," said Chen Qi, filled with excitement.
She couldn't imagine her own brother driving a Panamera.
"Get your driver's license quickly, and once you have it, I'll get you one."
"Really?" Chen Qi rejoiced.
"Of course, it's true. Now that you're here, don't leave. Stay in Capital City, you won't be shortchanged with your brother here."
He had only a few close relatives; his parents were getting on in age.
His two older sisters were married and had not come along this time.
Chen Pingsheng turned to his parents, "Mom and Dad, you must be tired after a day on the train. Rest up today, and tomorrow I'll take you to visit the Palace Museum and Tiananmen."
Chen Jianjun was nearly sixty, and since his grandfather's time, they had harbored a dream to visit Capital City one day.
Only today did they have the chance to fulfil it.
"Aren't we going to see your fruit shop first?"
"There's nothing much to see there."
Starting in June, the recharge campaign for the second East Street store came to an end, and the other three stores launched their campaigns simultaneously.
This month, Chen Pingsheng's income would surely not be lower than last month's, it was just a matter of seeing how much the random multiplier would increase.
"Your father is just worried; he wants to see with his own eyes the shops you own," his mother Peng Ying gently persuaded.
Chen Pingsheng simply detoured to the second store on East Street, a high-end fruit supermarket with more than four hundred square meters, which definitely didn't exist in his hometown.
Placed in Sha City, it would absolutely be one of the top.
The first store is almost as big, only the third to fifth stores are a bit smaller.
Of course, not by much.
After all, these three stores together had an investment of one million six hundred thousand.
The location is worse than the second store, but better than any other fruit shop.
At the moment, his public investments were just these five fruit supermarkets.
In a little over a year, earning a steady three to four million yuan should not be a problem.
Allocated to his wife, that would be over two million yuan.
With this money, Song Yanxi could live a very comfortable life.
Chen Jianjun and Peng Ying were utterly amazed, never expecting that their son could expand the business to such a size in just a few short years.
As long as these five stores were there, the days ahead would surely be good.
When they got home, that was when the real shock came.
Learning that this house cost fifteen million cash.
Chen Qi nearly jumped three meters high.
What's the situation, did his brother win the lottery?
Is there a trick to it? Teach your silly little sister, too.
Really tired from the train ride, Chen Jianjun and Peng Ying stayed on the ground floor.
Little sister Chen Qi also stayed on the ground floor, with just the right number of rooms.
By the time Song Yanxi finished cooking, it was already seven in the evening.
After eating, the old couple went to sleep, but Chen Qi wanted to go out for a stroll nearby.
Song Yanxi took her and Little An'an to the big shopping mall outside.
Besides buying her two new outfits, she also gifted her a Longines Elegance collection watch.
About sixteen thousand or so.
As a sister-in-law, she had never been so generous to her own sister Song Wu.
But she was very willing to spend on Chen Qi.
Little An'an, seeing her aunt receive a gift, also clamored for a purchase.
After choosing back and forth, she picked out a large doll.
Song Yanxi scolded her, "You're about to fill a room with dolls, and you still want to buy another one?"
Little An'an cleverly replied, "The others are for hugging, this one is for looking."
Alright, you win.
The large doll, a little less than a thousand.
Chen An'an chuckled with a silly smile.
After the three returned home, Chen Pingsheng was playing chess with his father Chen Jianjun in the backyard, and upon seeing them return, he said:
"Yanxi, in a couple of days, teach your little sister how to drive, and then I'll take her to sign up for a driving school. Once she's learned, I'll give her the Audi as a gift."
Chen Qi had never stayed in Capital City, and back then getting a driver's license wasn't so strict.
There were plenty of places where you could buy one, just needed to spend some money.
As for the Audi A4, he felt it was very suitable for his little sister Chen Qi.
Anyway, it had only been bought half a year ago and was just like new.
"Brother, aren't you being too generous? I have my own money; I don't need your gifts. Look, this Longines watch my sister-in-law bought me, beautiful, isn't it?"
Chen Qi showed off the new quartz watch she had purchased.
More than ten thousand wasn't particularly high-end, but sure to last a good ten years or so.
"It looks good, having a car is a must for a girl's family,"
Chen Pingsheng said, "Besides, you're reaching the age where you'll be looking for a partner, and without something to your name, it's easy to be looked down upon."
He had experienced this downside himself.
For a full six years, his mother-in-law's family had never taken a proper look at him.
With only this one sister, how could he not treat her a bit better.
"Brother, if you give me sister-in-law's car, what will she drive?"
"Of course, I'll drive my Panamera,"
Chen Pingsheng explained, "I'm still going to buy a big car for myself. You see, after you all came, there's not enough room in my car, which is so inconvenient."
Song Yanxi really liked her Porsche.
Ever since she had it, the Audi A4 was seldom driven.
So might as well give it to her; he was still keen on buying a seven-seater.
He had already chosen his targets.
Range Rover, BMW X7, and Lincoln Navigator.
He would choose from among these, for men should drive big cars.
The key point was to project an air of dominance.
On the morning of the next day,
Chen Pingsheng drove his Panamera with his family to watch the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen.
Like his father's generation, he had a special affection for the flag-raising ceremony.
Watching the motherland become increasingly prosperous and strong moved him to tears.
This was actually quite normal for someone born in the early eighties like him, who, apart from being hungry for two meals every three days, didn't really suffer much hardship.
After all, by that time the country had already started reforms and opening up.
It was different for his grandfather's generation.
When the enemy soldiers entered the village, his grandfather hid in the haystacks and was even stabbed a few times with a bayonet.
According to his grandfather, it was just by a hair's breadth.
He almost died in that massacre by the enemy soldiers.
Surviving was purely a stroke of luck.
Reality isn't like a TV drama; no matter how the strong men in their village resisted, the enemy killed them one by one with their guns.
It was too horrific to behold.
Even now, there stands a massacre memorial in their village.
As a child, Chen Pingsheng watched anti-Japanese dramas the most; simply because his parents enjoyed watching the enemy soldiers being beaten.
It didn't matter how exaggerated it was, as long as the enemy soldiers were beaten into howling was all that mattered.
Now the country was peaceful and in a state of flourishing prosperity.
All of this had been achieved by the predecessors who had fought against the enemy's advanced planes and cannons with their bare bodies and rifles.
Now, when watching the flag-raising ceremony again, Chen Jianjun couldn't help but raise his hand.
He gave a standard military salute.
This was both a special tribute to that era and a way to honor his ancestors.
Like his grandfather's generation, most had died fighting the enemy soldiers.
This included his Second and Third Master among many older family members.
Without truly experiencing that period, it was hard to imagine the brutality of that special era.
So much so that later, being a little hungry didn't matter—having a full meal was happiness.
After watching the flag-raising ceremony, Chen Pingsheng then took them to see the Forbidden City, Great Wall, and other places.
Famous cultural buildings of Capital City.
The older generation liked seeing these.
At noon, they even went to eat the famous Peking Duck at Quanjude in Capital City.
A day of touring was more tiring than a day of work.
Not until four o'clock in the afternoon did the family drive back home.
He had already sent out a notice in the morning, today, everyone was to come to his house for dinner, as a formal housewarming celebration.
Liu Fen and Song Huamin arrived quite early; Peng Ying and Chen Jianjun were very polite in receiving them.
After all, during the previous marriage, Song Yanxi indeed didn't ask for a dowry but instead added a dowry of one hundred thousand.
It was also unfortunate for her body, which had many lingering issues from her younger years, leading to frequent hospital visits that drained their finances.
These years had been somewhat better, and now seeing her son so successful, her mood greatly improved and she recovered faster from illness.
Liu Fen was even more polite, mainly,
The son-in-law from another city had now become a sought-after commodity.
With his credentials, if he were to divorce, he could easily find someone at eighteen.
Before thirty, a son depends on his father; after thirty, a father depends on his son.
A successful son meant that everyone treated Chen Jianjun with great respect and politeness.
This is the meaning of making money.
When Zhang Tao arrived, he was carrying a Huanghuali chair.
Old Chen was moving to a new house, and he didn't have anything good to give, so he gave a boss chair.
Liu Jing gave a luxury tea table that also cost over ten thousand.
As for Chen Hao and others, they also gave various kinds of upscale furniture.
Now that he had received gifts, when they moved to new houses, he would also need to return the favor.
Song Yanxi and her mother-in-law Peng Ying cooked four hotpots and six home-style dishes together.
In the hot summer, spicy crayfish were naturally indispensable.
There were also Southern Province's favorite chopped chili fish heads and sautéed pork.
The dishes were indeed rich.
The family enjoyed a lively meal.
Late into the evening, Chen Jianjun even suggested going to a big hotel tomorrow to arrange another gathering, mainly to invite Song Yanxi's relatives.
His son had been alone in Capital City for so many years; since he was here, he wanted to thank Song Family's relatives.
Liu Fen was, of course, very happy to hear this.
Song Huamin, however, felt somewhat awkward; he clearly understood the implication.
Yet, although Chen Pingsheng had been in Capital for six years, he had never benefited from them.
Instead, he had received a lot of cold stares.
Now that the in-laws had suggested inviting the Song family, he was clearly feeling a bit guilty.
Chen Pingsheng himself didn't mind much, mainly because his relationship with Song Yanxi was good.
Even with all the cold looks he had received.
His wife had never blamed him once. Instead, she scolded all the relatives on her side of the family.
Having the chance to ease the relationships now wasn't a bad thing.
When evening came, after Chen Qi had helped to clean up the dishes, she pulled her brother aside.
"Brother, give it to me straight—are you a billionaire now, and am I the sister of a billionaire?"
"What are you thinking? Not to mention a billion, your brother doesn't even have a million now. I still owe two million on the house."
"Brother, that's no good, you need to strive and fight to become a billionaire soon!"
Chen Pingsheng: "..."
What's the meaning, I strive and fight and you just lay back comfortably?
"I'm saying, Chen Qi, what in the world are you thinking about all day long?"
"Isn't it just hoping you can become a rich tycoon soon?"
Chen Qi, pulling him to sit under the old tree in the backyard, said, "Bro, you have a house now, and you've got the car and cash. Do you have less motivation moving forward?"
"Of course not. I'm nowhere yet. With your brother's conditions here in Capital City, I'm less than an ant. But what about you? What are you planning to do here in Capital City in the future?"
"I'm just going to sell fruit with you, what else can I do with my low education level?"
"Now you realize your education isn't high enough?"
Chen Pingsheng advised, "Back when you were studying, I always told you to work hard, but you just ignored it."
"Huh…" Chen Qi had her comeback ready. "When you were studying, your older sister also told you that every day. Did you listen?"
Ah well, the oldest doesn't talk about the third, and the third doesn't talk about the fourth.
The whole family lacks educational genes.
Just look at Chen An'an, swinging her hips watching Teletubbies after dinner.
She probably inherited his good genes, and reading might be out of the question for her as well.
It might only be worth planning to leave her a few houses in the future. Spending her days collecting rent might not be too bad either.
Chen Qi verbally doubted her older brother's reliability, but inwardly, she still admired him a lot.
She had already thought it through, and was going to talk to her sister-in-law tomorrow.
Working in the fruit shop wouldn't require any special arrangements; she'd start as a merchandiser.
That was about all she was capable of right now.
Of course, if her brother directly arranged an easy job close to home with high pay for her,
she would happily agree.
Finally having a brother to rely on, it would be foolish not to take advantage of it.
The next day at noon, Chen Pingsheng booked a private room at a big restaurant.
The main purpose was to invite his wife's maternal family for a meal.
It was a rare visit from his parents and gathering them all wasn't something to overlook.
Naturally, there was a lot of toasting at the table.
All the nice words unspoken before now flowed like a relentless river.
Like mother-in-law Liu Fen, who stood up patting her chest, boldly proclaiming:
"From the moment I first saw Pingsheng, I knew he was bound for greatness."
This was definitely about me, Chen Pingsheng wondered confusedly.
Liu Fen continued, "After he came to Capital City, I applauded his efforts. Why?
"Isn't it just like a dragon crossing the river? A man like him, it's as if a great responsibility has been given to him. First, there's something else right?"
"It toughens his resolve," Song Huamin interjected awkwardly, this old lady could really switch faces fast.
You can change, but don't lose your face while doing it.
"Right, it toughens his resolve, and what's the next line?"
"It hardens his body," someone else chimed in.
"Exactly, it's to harden his body," Liu Fen transformed into a wise old granny as she vigorously concluded, "That's why when he came to Capital City, I didn't give any help but supported him completely spiritually.
"It's all for the kids."
Song Yanxi was flabbergasted; her mother really had the nerve to say it.
Back then, she remembered her mother saying as long as Chen Pingsheng bought a house, she'd kneel down and apologize.
Now, she took the stage first with a bit of stand-up comedy, forcefully explaining her years of indifferent sideline watching.
Song Wu felt the most awkward at the table.
As the youngest aunt, let alone being the cherished junior, not getting poked with needles was already something good.
Her mother, delivering a line of talk assertively and swimming her way ashore to cleanse herself, don't just throw her daughter out to sea.
Liu Fen even kicked her lightly.
It was time to apologize and if necessary, lose face quickly.
One has to admit, the son-in-law from out of town isn't what he used to be.
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