The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

Chapter 29 Parents Arrive

The next morning.

Chen Pingsheng drove his Panamera with his family to see the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square.

People of his father's generation have a special affection for the flag-raising ceremony.

Seeing our motherland becoming more and more prosperous, I was moved to tears.

This is actually quite normal. People like him, born in the 1980s, haven't really suffered much hardship since birth, except for going hungry twice a day for three days.

After all, the country had already started its reform and opening up at that time.

It was different for his grandfather's generation.

When the Japanese soldiers entered the village, his grandfather hid in a haystack and was stabbed several times by the Japanese soldiers with sharp knives.

In his grandfather's words, it was just a tiny bit short.

He was going to die in that Japanese massacre.

It was pure luck that I survived.

Reality isn't like a TV drama. When the Japanese invaded the village, no matter how the strong men in the village resisted, the Japanese killed them one by one with a single shot.

Miserable.

To this day, a Holocaust memorial still stands there.

When Chen Pingsheng was a child, he watched anti-Japanese war dramas the most. His parents just liked watching them fight the Japanese invaders.

Whether it's exaggerated or not doesn't matter, as long as we beat those Japanese devils until they scream in terror.

The country is now at peace and prosperous.

All of this was achieved by our forefathers who sacrificed their lives, using their bodies and rifles to fight against the enemy's advanced airplanes and cannons.

Now, when watching the flag-raising ceremony again, Chen Jianjun unconsciously raises his hand.

He gave a standard military salute.

This reflects both his unique feelings about that era and his respect for his predecessors.

Most of his grandfather's generation died fighting against the Japanese invaders.

This includes his second grandfather, third grandfather, and others.

And many older relatives.

It's hard to imagine the horrors of that particular era without actually experiencing it firsthand.

Later on, being a little hungry didn't matter anymore; being able to eat a full meal was happiness.

After watching the flag-raising ceremony, Chen Pingsheng took them to see the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and other attractions.

A famous cultural building in Beijing.

The older generation likes to watch these kinds of things.

At noon, we also went to eat at Quanjude, a famous Peking duck restaurant in Beijing.

Shopping all day was more tiring than going to work.

The family didn't drive home until 4 p.m.

The notice was sent out this morning; everyone is coming to his house for dinner tonight as a formal housewarming celebration.

Liu Fen and Song Huamin arrived relatively early, and Peng Ying and Chen Jianjun received them very politely.

After all, when she got married before, Song Yanxi really didn't ask for a single penny of dowry, and even gave 100,000 yuan as a dowry.

It's also her health problem; she had many chronic illnesses from when she was young, and she had to go to the hospital every few days, which quickly drained her savings.

Things have only gotten a little better in recent years, and now seeing how successful my son is, my mood is so good that my illness is getting better faster.

Liu Fen was even more polite than her, mainly because...

This out-of-town son-in-law is now highly sought after.

With his qualifications, if he got divorced, he could easily find someone even at eighteen.

Before the age of thirty, a son relies on his father; after the age of thirty, a father relies on his son.

Now that his son has become successful, everyone treats Chen Jianjun with utmost respect and courtesy.

That's the meaning of making money.

When Zhang Tao arrived, he was carrying a rosewood chair.

When Old Chen moved to his new house, he didn't have much to give as a gift, so he gave him an office chair.

Liu Jing gave him a luxury tea table, which cost over ten thousand yuan.

As for Chen Hao and his group, they also gave them all sorts of high-end furniture.

Now that he's accepted gifts, he'll have to reciprocate when they move into their new house.

Song Yanxi and her mother-in-law Peng Ying cooked four hot pots and six home-style dishes together.

In the sweltering summer, spicy crayfish is a must-have.

There's also the most popular dish in southern provinces: steamed fish head with chopped chili peppers and stir-fried pork.

The dishes were extremely plentiful.

The whole family enjoyed a lively and cheerful meal.

That evening, Chen Jianjun suggested that they have another meal at a fancy restaurant the next day, mainly to invite Song Yanxi's relatives for a get-together.

His son has been living alone in the capital for so many years, and since he's here, he still wants to thank the relatives on the Song family's side.

Liu Fen was naturally delighted to hear that.

Song Huamin was somewhat embarrassed; he understood perfectly well what his in-laws meant.

Chen Pingsheng had been in Beijing for six years, but he had never received the slightest benefit from them.

He certainly received a lot of eye-rolls. Now that his in-laws have proposed inviting the Song family, he's clearly a bit guilty.

Chen Pingsheng himself was fine, but the main issue was his good relationship with Song Yanxi.

Even if they suffer a lot of cold looks.

His wife never blamed him; on the contrary, she scolded all the relatives on her side of the family.

It's good to have a chance to ease tensions now.

When evening came, after Chen Qi helped clean up the dishes, she deliberately pulled her brother aside.

"Brother, tell me the truth, are you a billionaire now, and am I the sister of a billionaire?"

"What are you thinking? Forget about hundreds of millions, your brother doesn't even have a million right now, and he still owes two million for the house."

"Brother, you can't do that! You have to work hard and strive to become a hundred millionaire as soon as possible!"

Chen Pingsheng: "..."

What do you mean? I'm working hard, while you might as well just give up and relax.

"Hey Chen Qi, what's going on in your little brain all day long?"

"Isn't it just that I hope you can become a tycoon as soon as possible?"

Chen Qi pulled him to sit under the old tree in the backyard. "Brother, now that you have a house, a car, and plenty of money, will you have less motivation in the future?"

"Of course not. This is nothing. With your brother's qualifications, he's not even a tiny ant in Beijing. As for you, what are you planning to do if you stay in Beijing?"

“What else can I do besides sell fruit to you? I don’t have a high level of education.”

"Now you know you don't have a high level of education."

Chen Pingsheng remarked, "When we were in school, I always told you to work hard, but you just ignored me."

"Heh..." Chen Qi had something to say about this, "When you were in school, didn't your older sister say the same thing to you every day? Did you listen?"

Goodness, the eldest doesn't mention the third, and the third doesn't mention the fourth.

None of them have any cultural background.

Look at Chen An'an, after finishing her meal she's just sitting there wiggling her bottom watching Teletubbies.

He probably inherited his good genes, so I doubt he'll be able to focus on studying.

From now on, we can only try to leave her a few more houses; collecting rent every day doesn't seem so bad.

Although Chen Qi said his older brother was unreliable, he still admired him in his heart.

She's already decided that she'll talk to her sister-in-law about it tomorrow.

When you start working at a fruit store, there are no special arrangements; you just start as a shelf clerk.

That's all the power she has right now.

Of course, if her brother directly arranged for her to do a job that was close to home, easy, and paid well.

She would happily agree.

She finally has a brother to rely on; it would be foolish for her not to.

The next day at noon, Chen Pingsheng booked a private room at a grand hotel.

The main purpose was to invite my wife's family over for a meal.

His parents had come all this way, so it would be inappropriate not to get together.

At the table, people were naturally toasting and exchanging drinks.

The kind words that were unheard of before are now flowing like a mighty river, never ceasing.

For example, Liu Fen, the mother-in-law, stood up, patted her chest, and said with righteous indignation:

"From the first moment I saw Pingsheng, I felt that he was very promising."

"Are you sure you're talking about me?" Chen Pingsheng said, puzzled.

Liu Fen continued, "Later, when he came to the capital, I clapped my hands in celebration. Why?"
"Isn't this just like a dragon crossing the river? Someone like him is destined for greatness, and he must first... what was that again?"

"To toughen their minds and spirits," Song Huamin awkwardly interjected. This old woman's face changed so quickly.

But you change your mind so easily, don't you have any shame?

"Yes, 'to toughen one's mind and will,' what's the next line?"

"Work your muscles and bones."

"That's right, it's tough and arduous."

Liu Fen, acting like a wise old lady, kept bragging: "That's why I didn't give him much help after he came to the capital, but I always gave him absolute spiritual support."

"It's all for the children."

Even Song Yanxi herself was dumbfounded; her mother really had the nerve to say that.

Back then, I heard her say that as long as Chen Pingsheng bought the house, she would be willing to come to his door, kneel down, and apologize.

Now look what's happened! She's just going to do a stand-up comedy routine herself, forcibly explaining her years of indifference.

The most awkward thing is that Song Wu is the only one left at the table.

As the sister-in-law, let alone being the brother-in-law's close confidante.

It's a good thing that they don't poke you with needles.

Her mother delivered her lines with great conviction: "After forcibly bringing her ashore to clean up the mess, don't leave her alone in the sea!"

Liu Fen even gave her a light kick.

Apologize when you should, and swallow your pride when you should.

It must be admitted that sons-in-law from other places are not what they used to be.

(End of this chapter)