From Wage Slave to Tycoon

Su Chen, however, saw no signs of fatigue on the faces of his parents or his uncles. Instead, they were all wreathed in smiles, which moved him deeply.

For the older generation, the New Year was all about reunion. Simply having the whole family sit down for a meal together was a joyous occasion.

But for Su Chen’s generation, the concept of extended family was fading. They didn’t really care much for anyone beyond their immediate household.

With so many relatives, they moved on to the next house as a large group right after lunch. The lineup was much the same as when they had offered incense on the first day of the New Year: Master Su, the three Su brothers, and the three Su siblings.

Everyone else was resting at home.

......

After two or three straight days of feasting, Su Chen felt like he had gained several pounds and was even starting to get a little potbelly.

"Xiaochen, we’re going to your grandmother’s house today." Chen Shufen called out to Su Chen just as he was about to leave for another relative’s house for a holiday meal.

"Huh? To Grandma’s?" Su Chen paused. It was already the fourth day of the New Year. Traditionally, his mother, Chen Shufen, would visit her family on the second day. Since it was already the fourth, if they didn’t go soon, he was afraid the neighbors would start their usual gossip.

"Alright, Mom. Pack up three sets of the gifts I bought. We can..."

Before Su Chen could finish, Chen Shufen emerged from the house, laden with bags of all sizes. He took a closer look. This wasn’t three sets’ worth of gifts; it looked more like four or five.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Su Chen didn’t say anything more. He had bought plenty of gifts. Aside from what he had set aside for his grandparents and the set he’d sent to his third grand-uncle, none of the other relatives had received any.

The reasoning was the same as with the New Year’s meals: it was best not to be the one who sticks their neck out.

Of course, this was a lesson Su Chen had only just learned over the past two days.

After loading the gifts into the trunk, Su Chen was about to ask if his dad was coming when Su Zhuyun himself hurried downstairs, dressed in a full suit.

Seeing the gleaming leather shoes and the perfectly pressed suit, Su Chen gave Su Zhuyun a surprised look.

"Dad, why are you so dressed up today!"

A light smack landed on the back of Su Chen’s head.

"What do you mean, ’dressed up’? We’re visiting your mother’s family today to give her some face. Of course I have to dress formally!" he said, turning to Chen Shufen with a tender look. "Isn’t that right, honey?"

"Mhm," Chen Shufen nodded, a little bashful.

Su Chen, taking all this in, shivered. He thought to himself, ’They’ve been married for ages and they’re still acting this lovey-dovey.’

He shook his head, opened the door of the white G-Wagon, and climbed inside.

Chen Shufen’s family home was just across the Yangtze River from Su Chen’s, but getting there required a massive detour over the cross-river bridge on the outskirts of Fuzhou.

What should have been a drive of less than five kilometers as the crow flies turned into a journey of nearly forty.

The village where Su Chen’s grandmother lived was more densely populated. Even though it was by the main road, houses were packed in on all sides.

The moment the white G-Wagon entered the village, it drew a crowd of onlookers. This was unavoidable.

Most villages in the southwest were impoverished. Forget a Mercedes G-Wagon—even a B-class sedan worth a little over a hundred thousand yuan would become the center of attention.

"Whose rich relatives are these? A Mercedes G-Wagon! That’s got to be worth one or two million!" one of the more knowledgeable young people exclaimed, recognizing it at a glance.

"One or two million? Holy cow! We have relatives that rich from this poor place? They’re probably just passing through!"

"Maybe not. Look, the G-Wagon is slowing down."

Many people stood in their yards, craning their necks. When they saw the white G-Wagon pull into Chen Changjie’s property, they all gasped in surprise.

"Why’s it pulling into Chang Jie’s place? Don’t tell me the Chen family’s fourth daughter is back!"

"That’s very likely! I heard Chang Jie learned how to run that hot pot restaurant in town from his brother-in-law. They say business is so good it’s insane!"

"Looks like Chang Jie’s brother-in-law has really made it big with that hot pot business. How else could he afford a luxury car worth one or two million? Ah, if only I were related to their family, maybe I could get a few scraps."

At these words, many onlookers sighed with envy. Those who were actually related to the Chen family, however, felt a stir of excitement. They slowly ambled back to their own homes, already scheming for an excuse to drop by Chen Changjie’s place.

The car had just come to a stop when Chen Changjie, hearing the noise, hurried outside. The moment he saw Chen Shufen rummaging through the trunk, his face lit up with excitement.

After opening a hot pot restaurant in town last year with Chen Shufen’s help, business had started out slow. He was only serving three or four tables a day, mostly to local residents.

But that situation lasted less than a week before things changed dramatically.

The town wasn’t very big to begin with, so when customers started recommending the restaurant to their friends, word-of-mouth spread quickly. Soon, the place was packed solid every day, sometimes staying open until eleven or even midnight.

For a small town, staying open that late was nothing short of a miracle.

In the two months leading up to the New Year alone, after setting aside Chen Shufen’s initial investment, he had earned nearly a hundred thousand yuan. To put it in perspective, he could never save that much in an entire year at his old job.

With the hot pot restaurant booming, Chen Changjie had simply called his son, Chen Rui, and his wife back to help out. Chen Rui had been reluctant at first, only agreeing to come back after his father’s repeated insistence.