From Wage Slave to Tycoon

Once the Little New Year was over, time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve.

Su Chen had been swamped during this time, either busy cleaning the house or preparing all sorts of things for the New Year.

His parents had always been the ones to handle these things. Now that it was Su Chen’s turn to prepare them, he finally realized just how tedious it all was.

It wasn’t that it was tiring, like having to move heavy furniture or anything, but rather the sheer number of small tasks. Getting caught up in them could easily eat up half a day.

He was constantly busy, with no time to rest.

"Mom, have all the ingredients for tonight been sent to our hometown?" Su Chen asked, watching Chen Shufen pack for the trip.

"I’m not really sure. Your Third Uncle is in charge of that!" Chen Shufen said, glancing at the time. It was already eleven in the morning. "They should have been delivered by now. You can ask in the family group chat when we’re about to leave."

’Speaking of the family group chat,’ Su Chen thought, ’I wonder which genius came up with the name "A Big Happy Family"... I really don’t know how that name became standard across the whole country.’

"Oh, right. Give your dad a call and ask him where he is!"

With the New Year just around the corner, business at Shufen Hot Pot in the main city district was booming. They had originally planned to close for the holidays two days ago, but their regulars had repeatedly begged them to stay open longer—ideally, even through the New Year itself.

In the end, Su Zhuyun had to post several announcements before they finally managed to close up for the holiday after service last night.

Just as Su Chen was about to make the call, the "A Big Happy Family" group chat went off with a BING BING. He opened it and saw it was his dad, Su Zhuyun, asking if Second Uncle and Third Uncle had headed back yet.

After scrolling through the messages, Su Chen looked up and said, "Mom, Dad’s getting off the highway directly at the hometown exit. He’s asking when we’re leaving. Second Uncle and Third Uncle have already set off, too!"

Thanks to the hot pot restaurant’s explosive success, Su Chen’s second and third uncles had also made a good amount of money. In addition to buying houses, each family had also bought a car, though they were just basic commuter vehicles worth around a hundred thousand yuan.

"Coming!"

Just then, Chen Shufen emerged from the storage room, carrying several bags. Su Chen saw that they were mostly the New Year’s supplies he had bought and hurried forward to take them from her.

"Why are you bringing all this? Didn’t we already pack some things in the car for Grandma and Grandpa?"

Chen Shufen pursed her lips at his words. "This is for your Third Great-Uncle. Remember to bring it over when we go to offer incense on New Year’s Day!"

"Third Great-Uncle?" Su Chen paused, a distant memory surfacing in his mind.

His Third Great-Uncle wasn’t actually that old, about the same age as Su Chen’s own grandfather—around seventy.

The Su family had once been a large clan. In his great-grandfather’s generation, there were three brothers, and Su Chen’s branch was descended from the eldest.

For reasons unknown, his great-grandfather and second great-uncle had both split off to form their own independent households, leaving only the third great-uncle’s branch to inherit what little the family owned.

Later, after both his great-grandfather and second great-uncle passed away, and with the second great-uncle’s family having moved to the city of Fuzhou, the branches rarely kept in touch, except for holidays or major family events.

Since Su Chen’s branch and the third great-uncle’s branch both lived in the same town, they had more frequent contact, but that was only in relative terms.

When Su Chen was a child, he had asked about these things, but the only answer he ever received was a shake of his grandfather’s head and a sigh.

Every year during the New Year, the Su family would gather to offer incense to their ancestors.

After offering incense, they would all have a meal at the third great-uncle’s house. It was a brief, temporary reunion for the Su family; after the meal, everyone would go their separate ways again.

Interestingly, after the family split, it was the second great-uncle’s branch that became the most successful. Within ten years, they had built a shipping fleet from scratch, specializing in freight transport along the Yangtze River.

Meanwhile, the third great-uncle’s branch, which had inherited the family assets, had lost some face by squandering everything. Still, even so, they were much better off than Su Chen’s branch. At least they had produced a construction contractor who helped that side of the family earn a good deal of money.

But compared to the second great-uncle’s branch, they were worlds apart.

As for Su Chen’s own branch, it was a different story. If Su Chen hadn’t acquired his system, his father and two uncles would probably still be working odd jobs just to support their families.

"Let’s go! What are you standing there spacing out for?"

Chen Shufen’s words snapped Su Chen back to reality. Seeing his mom already at the door, he quickly grabbed the bags and followed her.

......

"You know, I have to admit, this Mercedes is a lot more comfortable than your dad’s beat-up old Volkswagen!" Chen Shufen said contentedly from the back seat.

Su Chen gave a wry smile. His G-Wagen alone could buy ten of his dad’s Volkswagens; if it wasn’t comfortable, there would have been no point in buying it.

On the way, they unexpectedly caught up with his second and third uncles. The three-car convoy headed straight for their hometown.

They attracted a lot of attention along the way, especially after they reached the village outskirts where more and more familiar faces appeared. Chen Shufen even deliberately rolled down her window. Whenever she spotted someone she knew, she would have Su Chen slow down so she could strike up a conversation.

The question Su Chen heard most often on the way was, "Did your son buy this car?"

"Oh, wow, Shufen, your son has really made something of himself!"

"Now you can just relax and enjoy life!"

At first, Su Chen was a bit resistant to this behavior, but he gradually succumbed to the chorus of praise. Eventually, he started slowing down voluntarily, even before Chen Shufen had to say a word.