The laptop that Wen Ying had delivered was indeed a mid-range model.
It was much cheaper than the one Xie Qian had previously given Wen Ying, priced at 7,600 yuan in the computer city.
It was not that Little Wen was stingy. Old Wen’s work nature determined that he was not suited for a high-end machine.
Little Wen had considered it very thoughtfully.
Old Wen, however, was wondering just how much “a small fortune” meant in Little Wen’s mouth.
The tigress at home had taken four million in one go from Black Heart Cotton.
He himself only got a laptop worth 7,600 yuan. Was this differential treatment a bit too obvious?
Thinking of Chen Ru’s counter-question, Old Wen lost his confidence again.
Chen Ru had four million because she knew how to trade stocks and could manage Wen Ying’s assets. Wen Dongrong truly lacked such core competitiveness.
Even as a mid-range machine, when Wen Dongrong unpacked it at the office, he gained a lot of face.
His colleagues were all very envious that Wen Dongrong had such a filial daughter.
Especially those around his age, or even a few years older with children already working, looked at the laptop in Old Wen’s hands with envy in their eyes.
How rare it was for a child to buy a computer for their parents.
A computer was a big item. In these times, children who did not gnaw on their parents were already “dragons among men”. Those who bought computers for their parents in return were truly few!
The leader happened to pass by and glanced at the computer in Wen Dongrong’s hands: “What did I say? Your daughter is indeed close to you.”
The leader told everyone not to be envious, saying the Wen family was a special case. Normally, a child Wen Ying’s age was just starting university. Where would they have the financial ability to support their parents in return?
Let alone university. Even young people who had graduated and were trying to establish themselves in society found it very difficult. They could barely manage their own lives. Sometimes gnawing on parents was truly a helpless choice.
The leader advised everyone to be open-minded and not compare with children: “Normal children should study when they need to. We should give them ample living expenses and not let them go out to work part-time during school. If the family conditions truly require them to work for living expenses, that’s one thing, or if the job genuinely improves their abilities. Otherwise, part-time work is greatly uneconomical. How much knowledge do they miss out on in the time wasted? After graduation and working, one year’s salary can exceed four years of odd jobs… Oh, I digress. My point is that children like Comrade Wen Dongrong’s daughter are too rare. We should view it with a normal heart.”
Stop talking.
Originally, they were not that envious or jealous. After hearing this, they became even more so!
Stared at by pairs of eyes, the laptop originally worth 7,600 yuan instantly multiplied in value tenfold or more.
So what if the lining inside the little cotton jacket was a bit torn?
So what if the padding inside the cotton robe was black cotton?
Anyway, worn on oneself, outsiders could not see it. What everyone could see was only the bright exterior of the little cotton jacket!
On second thought, if Black Heart Cotton had not sent the computer, he had planned to buy one anyway.
With this gift from Black Heart Cotton, had he not saved several thousand yuan?
A brand-new laptop, plus the 4,000 yuan allowance from the tigress. All in all, it exceeded ten thousand yuan!
This was a huge sum.
Wen Dongrong endured the pain of giving up the chance to Versailles in front of his colleagues. He followed the leader step by step to the office. He needed to confirm again about the Shui Mingyue and Pei Yiyi matter.
Poor Old Wen. Being a loving father was not enough. He still had to worry about his younger brother Wen Changlin.
But Wen Dongrong did this willingly, not feeling at all that his wife Chen Ru was shifting the blame.
The head of the household should handle such big matters!
Wen Dongrong still had considerable authority in the Wen family. Unable to reason with Wen Changlin, he simply used his elder brother status to pressure Wen Changlin into withdrawing money from the stock market.
Wen Changlin was reluctant. Wen Dongrong directly laid down the ultimatum: “Continue trading stocks or keep me as your second brother. You can only choose one.”
In the end, Wen Dongrong won. Wen Changlin had more conscience than Wen Hongyan. Between “continuing to trade stocks” and “keeping his second brother”, he chose the latter.
“Changlin, one cannot be too greedy… No greedy person ends well.”
Wen Dongrong did not trade stocks, but he had seen too many people fall because of “greed”.
Wen Changlin muttered sullenly, “Second Brother, I will listen to you.”
Wen Changlin truly did not think mortgaging the house to trade stocks was wrong.
Wen Changlin entered the market later than Chen Ru. His understanding of financial markets was not as deep as hers, but working in insurance, he had good information channels. He had profited double his principal in the stock market.
Trading stocks was so profitable. Recently, Wen Changlin’s attention had been on the market, his enthusiasm for his main job greatly reduced.
Wen Changlin’s stock trading had his wife’s support. During this year’s Spring Festival, seeing eldest sister-in-law Zhu Meiqun making money from the fruit store, Wen Ying’s little aunt was very tempted.
After the festival, Little Aunt really opened a fruit store.
Fortunately, Little Aunt kept her word and opened the store far from Zhu Meiqun’s, not competing for business.
Zhu Meiqun felt comfortable and taught Little Aunt how to open the store without holding back: how to source goods, how to deal with customers.
Perhaps due to different personalities, plus the location not as good as Zhu Meiqun’s store, Little Aunt’s fruit store was open, but currently, monthly profits were only one-third of Zhu Meiqun’s. Without Zhu Meiqun for comparison, compared to ordinary salaried workers, this income was quite good in Rong City. Everything fears comparison. Little Aunt saw the eldest brother’s family able to buy a house soon from the fruit store and felt quite anxious.
The decision for Wen Changlin to mortgage the house for stocks was agreed upon by the couple.
If not for Wen Dongrong’s firm attitude, how could Wen Changlin bear to withdraw at this time?
Chen Ru could not say much about Wen Changlin. Wen Dongrong could not scold his sister-in-law either. He could only catch his own brother and give him a big scolding.
Fearing Wen Changlin would sneak back in, Wen Dongrong even invoked his elder brother status to force Wen Changlin to swear: never again mortgage the house for the stock market.
Trading stocks was fine with idle money for fun. Mortgaging the house for stocks was purely brain-damaged!
The stocks were sold. Wen Changlin was depressed. His wife was also in a bad mood.
Wen Dongrong was in Jinling and could not return to Rong City to handle this. He specially entrusted Big Brother to supervise Wen Changlin.
Big Uncle Wen did not understand stocks, but he knew Second Brother Wen Dongrong would not harm the family.
Big Uncle Wen neglected even selling fruit. He specially went home and scolded Wen Changlin: “Without your second brother, would you have today? I think Old Two is right. Who mortgages a house to trade stocks? Your brain must be fevered! This is not an ordinary house. It’s in the provincial capital! If you lose the house in stocks, are you going to take your wife and child back to the small county town in the old home?”
Water flows downhill. People climb upwards!
Leaving the rural hometown, struggling desperately to establish in the county town.
Now leaving the county for the provincial capital to strive. Big Uncle Wen did not believe his brother Wen Changlin did not want to stay in the provincial capital.
Who wants to live worse and worse?
Big Uncle Wen did not care if his brother would resent him. He pressed the reluctant Wen Changlin to repay the bank loan.
Wen Changlin had bought an old house, which could not be mortgaged for much at the bank. With principal and profit from stocks, he made over two hundred thousand. After repaying the loan, over a hundred thousand remained.
This over a hundred thousand was not safe in Wen Changlin’s hands.
The honest Big Uncle Wen was truly worried.
An honest man was embarrassed to call Wen Dongrong, feeling he had failed Second Brother’s trust and lacked the ability to handle it well.
Zhu Meiqun could not bear to see her husband worried. She secretly sought help from her son Wen Kai.
Wen Kai, the small-town exam whiz studying in the capital, had made the right friends and interned at a big company. His vision and abilities had advanced rapidly.
Hearing Zhu Meiqun’s words, Wen Kai gave his mother an idea: “Mom, are you worried that Little Uncle will take the over a hundred thousand and trade stocks again, fearing he will lose it all?”
“Yes. I asked your Second Aunt. She said now is not the time to trade. I still believe your Second Aunt. She works at a bank!”
Zhu Meiqun naturally sided with Chen Ru.
Wen Kai said seriously, “Then find a way to let Little Aunt know. Say our family is recently planning to buy a second house in Rong City. I mean ‘planning’, not that you and Dad really buy a second house.”
“And then?”
“No and then. Just say that. It should work.”
Wen Kai was confident. Zhu Meiqun was half-convinced.
But her son was a university student. No matter what, he had more knowledge than fruit-selling parents. Zhu Meiqun decided to try as Wen Kai taught.
…
In the capital, Wen Kai hung up the phone and looked up to see his rich second-generation classmate’s teasing expression.
“Impressive, bro. You’ve become cunning! Tsk tsk tsk. University really is a big dye vat. It has corrupted the pure you!”
The rich second-generation classmate laughed as he spoke.
Wen Kai was speechless: “University did not corrupt me. It was all you!”
Relatives always compare, especially when both families run fruit businesses. Wen Kai had his mother Zhu Meiqun pretend they were planning to buy a second house. Wen Changlin and his wife happened to have over a hundred thousand. If Third Uncle still wanted to trade stocks, Little Aunt would definitely choose to follow and buy a house!
Wen Kai truly would not have thought of such a method before.
University had made Wen Kai grow a lot.
Not in intelligence, but in emotional intelligence.
Many things he never thought of before now seemed to come naturally.
What Wen Kai said was true. His transformation came from his own efforts, environmental influence, and the subtle impact of his rich second-generation classmate.
Wen Kai thought for a moment and still confirmed with his classmate: “I remember you also invested in the stock market?”
The rich second-generation classmate was frank: “Yes. The market is so hot. I won’t miss such a money-making opportunity.”
Wen Kai’s pursuit in university was how to establish himself in a big city and find high-paying work after graduation.
Entering a big enterprise for an annual salary was common for small-town exam whizzes like Wen Kai. His rich second-generation classmate’s pursuits were different.
Being a debauched rich second-generation was very happy.
Being a sober rich second-generation was hard to be happy.
The rich second-generation’s pain did not come from squandering but from wanting to achieve something and prove himself.
It was really too difficult.
Clearly working very hard yet hard to surpass the previous generation’s achievements.
This rich second-generation classmate who was friends with Wen Kai appeared carefree on the surface but actually very much wanted to prove his ability to the family. He dabbled here and there, sticking a foot in wherever money could be made.
With the stock market so hot, of course the rich second-generation classmate could not miss it!
Wen Kai said seriously: “You heard about what happened in my family recently. My second uncle scolded my little uncle over stocks. The cause was actually my second aunt withdrawing from the market first. She probably feels the stock market outlook is not good…”
The rich second-generation classmate listened half-heartedly and dismissed Wen Kai’s reminder.
He knew Wen Kai’s family background too well.
In the past year or two, Wen Kai’s family conditions had improved slightly, but only to running a fruit store earning hard money, barely able to buy a house in Rong City.
The house bought was not in a high-end community but an old, rundown large one without even an elevator!
The rich second-generation classmate befriended Wen Kai because he valued the person. Wen Kai’s family background was simply not worth mentioning to him.
Family determines one’s vision.
Hearing from Wen Kai that his second uncle was angry over his third uncle’s small amount of money in or out of stocks, and his second aunt’s judgment on the market, truly had no reference value.
Wen Kai saw through his friend’s thoughts and smiled: “You think because my family is poor, my second uncle’s family is nothing special, right? There’s an old saying: even the emperor has a few poor relatives. My family being poor does not mean my second uncle’s family is poor. Not to mention anything else, the money my second aunt invested in stocks is definitely more than yours. You made money in stocks. She only made more. She has run away. You still do not want to run. You are in danger!”
