Mixed in 1980

Chapter 549, Extra Chapter 3: Zhao Yuanyuan

I am Zhao Yuanyuan, Chen Fan's lazy wife.

If I had to describe myself in one word, it wouldn't be "lazy," but rather "lucky."

People as lucky as me are truly rare.

She was spoiled by her elders when she was very young, and there were also a group of older brothers and sisters in the yard who pampered her, especially her eldest sister and Qiu'er.

Anyway, my life has been smooth sailing.

If I had to point out any difficulties, it would be the hurdle of going to the countryside. My goodness, I'm a useless person who's always been waited on hand and foot, and you want me to work in the fields?

This is going to kill me!

I cried on my first day of work, and I cried a lot. It was so hard, it was not a life for a human being. I dreamed of going home.

Fortunately, I was with Qiu'er.

After I was sent to the countryside, she took care of me. Without her here, I really wouldn't have been able to hold on. I might have ended up like some other educated youth, hanging myself from a tree.

If there was anything to be happy about back then, it was probably that during the off-season, we could go up the mountain to pick mushrooms, and then use the mushrooms to exchange for money or tickets to have a meal of meat.

And catching insects.

All sorts of insects, which I never dared to touch before, turned out to be rare delicacies after I came to Dali, so I take every opportunity to get them.

They prey on both field mice and mountain mice.

My family sends me things from time to time—food, clothes, and other necessities. My older sister sends me things every month and has even come to visit me in person.

I cried as soon as she arrived.

I really want to go back with my older sister, but that's impossible. That's just how times have changed.

Fortunately, the return of educated youth to the city has begun.

Thanks to my older sister's help, Qiu'er and I were able to return to the city, join the dance troupe, and become honorable temporary workers. After a year, we would have the opportunity to become permanent employees.

In 1980, Qiu'er started dating.

I initially looked down on Chen Fan, that bastard. He was too talkative, slippery, and full of tricks. He didn't seem like a decent person at all.

He always managed to trick Qiu'er into it.

Several times I tried to sabotage it, but I finally came up with a plan: I would let my older sister take a look. She's very knowledgeable and will always be able to see through my scheme.

I never expected my older sister to think highly of him.

In modern terms, she's exhausted. Let it all end. She's done with it. Qiu'er is trapped in this mess for life.

However, Chen Fan's family is really well-off.

My godmother and Sister Min are both very kind. Well, I've also benefited. I have many more people who are good to me, especially my godmother, who really treats me like her own daughter.

Minjie and Xiaoyi were both envious.

Who can blame us for having a sweet tongue?

In 1981, I went to Hong Kong with Chen Fan on business. Chen Fan slept with my older sister, and my mother was furious. She picked up a broom and wanted to kill him.

You bastard, that's not how it works.

My two older sisters are both outstanding, why should they both benefit him? And he even has two wives, this is turning back the clock, it's not fair.

I'm so angry!
For the next year or so, I didn't give Chen Fan a kind look and would often trick him in front of my godmother, making him get a beating.

Chen Fan is a really wicked person.

I complained about him, and he tried to influence my parents by brainwashing them, wanting to marry me off as soon as possible. I know he just thinks I'm an eyesore.

I won't let him have his way.

They married both of my older sisters and then wouldn't even let me cause any trouble. There's no such logic in the world.

Anyway, during that period, we were like oil and water.

Until 1983, when she encountered robbers, things took a complete 180-degree turn. Her mother developed psychological trauma and became dependent on Chen Fan.

This is very wrong!
I didn't want to get involved with them like my older sister did, so during that time I really messed with Chen Fan. It was best if we both disliked each other.

Slowly, you'll get through it.

Unfortunately, there were bad people among the crowd. Those two bastards, Big Sister and Qiu'er, actually threw us onto the same bed. Well, let's just destroy it.

My innocence is gone.

One husband with three wives, to hell with that... Well, it's not so bad. Chen Fan has one good point: he's really responsible and he spoils people.

They'll spoil you rotten.

If he's in any trouble, just sweetly call him "brother," and he'll definitely give in.

There's nothing wrong with this kind of life.

The eldest sister is such a jerk.

Good heavens, who am I? A lazy person, someone who aspires to be a couch potato, and she actually wants me to start a business? That's practically asking me to die!

I understand my older sister's thoughts.

In the early stages of Chen Fan's rise to wealth, he relied on all-in gambling, becoming rich overnight but also becoming a beggar overnight. His older sister started her business to leave him a way out.

And I was dragged into it too.

Luo Shen, a top-tier global skincare brand, remains one of the most profitable skincare brands in the world even decades later.

It doesn't really mean much to me.

The family isn't short of money, so making money isn't very meaningful, especially after Chen Fan settled down. The eldest sister's thoughts were similar.

No matter how much money someone can make, they can't compare to Chen Fan.

He was insane. From 1980 to 1988, not counting his assets, he cashed out more than 400 billion US dollars from Japan alone, which was twice the wealth of the richest man at the time.

What was the average salary in China in 1988?
Anyway, once you pull off that big score, you could never spend it all in ten lifetimes. Even by 2025, the richest man in China wouldn't have that much wealth.

Net worth and cash are two different things.

In 1985, my eldest child was born; in 1989, my second child was born; in the same year, I gave birth to twins, my third and fourth children; in 1992, my eldest sister gave birth to my fifth child.

Five children are enough.

I love children and I'm responsible for playing with them. The children are also very close to me. In addition, I also help cultivate their hands-on skills.

Practical skills mean you can take care of me!
If you cultivate it from a young age and make it a habit, then when they grow up, the children will instinctively take care of me. I have to admit, I'm a genius.

I had elders when I was young, I have a husband and sister when I grew up, and I will have children when I get old. That's why I say I'm a lucky person.

The third child is a good kid.

I think it's nice that he's gentle and magnanimous, but in Chen Fan's eyes, it's called being naive and needing to be cultivated from a young age to make up for it.

It's true that the third child is the least troublesome, but when it comes to education, the third child is the one who requires the most attention.

Starting at the age of five, Chen Fan had his eldest sister teach his youngest son the book "If I Were a Liar," and then he learned about Machiavellianism and the like.

In addition, he also allowed his second son to harm his third son.

The second brother is cunning and always manages to outmaneuver the third brother. He gradually becomes more shrewd, which also leaves a shadow on the third brother.

After the college entrance examination, I went straight to Zhejiang University.

Stay far away from the second child.

After all this turmoil, the third son finally succeeded. After graduating from university, he went to Xinghuo Investment, where he worked as an assistant to the second son while also taking over Feixing Mobile.

He did a great job before he retired.

As for the fourth child, I had no hope for her. This girl is just as lazy as I am. I didn't teach her anything else, just how to be sweet-talking and coax people.

With such a wealthy family, as long as she's sweet-talking and keeps her father and brothers happy, she can live a very comfortable life.

The same is true.

As for the fourth brother's creation of jade pebble identification, markets, and stock markets, turning Hetian jade pebbles into financial and securities products, I don't value them much.

It was just to give the girl something to do. Later, all these businesses, including the zoo, were handed over to her little devil, while her second son prepared a new business for her.

The second son is truly devoted to his family.

Letting him inherit the family business is definitely the right thing to do; he can take good care of the children in the family.

Speaking of the fourth brother, I'm also talking about myself.

The fourth child needs to be pushed along, and so do I. I'm pushed along when starting a business, and it's the same with everything else. But I'm just lucky.

During the 1997-1998 financial crisis, I was dragged into it by my older sister and Chen Fan, and then I received the Grand Bauhinia Medal and opened a page of the family tree with my older sister.

In 1996 and 2001, Chen Fan arranged donations again. Later, he was persuaded by his older sister to establish the Liyuan Charity Foundation and finally won the July 1st Grand Prize.

The family genealogy is dedicated to a single page and included in the brief history of the People's Republic of China.

I'm the most awesome person I've ever been!
That's how lucky people are; they don't have to use their brains as someone pushes them along. Anyway, I'm content with my life.

In 2025, the children will separate!
I have no thoughts on this, and I won't worry about it. I've handed over all my Starry Sky Investment to Ye Ling, so why would I care about splitting up the business?
The family owns quite a few businesses.

The kids are enough to keep them busy. Anyone who is not satisfied deserves to be disciplined. Parents can say that the children are like debt collectors, but the children can't actually be debt collectors.

My only request is that the inheritance of the family business be limited to the Chen family. The main lineage of the Chen family's businesses can only belong to the Chen family and cannot be changed.

My mother has her own page in the Chen family genealogy.

However, problems always arise when it comes to passing on traditions.

The saying "wealth doesn't last three generations" is not just an empty phrase; it's the wisdom of our ancestors, but also a curse, as problems inevitably arise in the succession of a family.

Chen Fan lived a wild life.

The third son is doing quite well too; he might not be able to manage a conglomerate, but he can certainly manage a company.

It won't work by the time it reaches the grandchildren's generation.

He wasn't a spoiled brat, and he was considered an elite, but compared to the third brother, he was far inferior. When he took over the company, although he was still in the core team, he no longer had the power to make decisions.

The third brother did this on purpose.

They didn't give up the shares, but they did give up two rotating presidency positions. When the next generation, or the generation after that, comes up with a capable person, they will naturally be able to take back the positions.

It doesn't matter if we can't get it back.

Even without the rights, the shares remain, so money can still be made. There's also the wealth left by Chen Fan, giving them confidence to start another business or do whatever they want in the future.

As long as there's no trouble, it's fine.

The third son was ruthless enough to make his son, who wasn't particularly capable, marry two wives and have a bunch of children, so he could find an heir from among them.

Through this generational inheritance, I realized how brilliant Chen Fan was. Wealth and status cannot last; it is morality that should be passed down through generations.

Descendants may lack ability, but they must not produce bad people.

If you have a good heart and don't cause trouble, you can enjoy lasting wealth and prosperity. Not to mention anything else, the gold left by Chen Fan alone is enough for dozens of generations to spend.

Once I receive the July 1st Grand Medal, I will retire completely.

Actually, it was pretty much like retirement before. The eldest brother did all the work, and my older sister and I would only go out for ten days or half a month each year, so it didn't tire us out.

The rest of the time is spent lying flat.

I am a salted fish, a rich salted fish. Life should be like this. Apart from enjoying life, everything else is meaningless.

Occasionally, I have some troubles, but they all come from my little devil.

I have such good genes from my fourth child, how come they all mutated in her? She's so mischievous, just like the fifth child when she was little.

However, with her around, life is a bit more lively.

Anyway, all three of her uncles doted on her, so if anything happened, it would be her three uncles who would take care of it.

I'm too lazy to care.

Life was peaceful until he was eighty-five years old, when Chen Fan finally couldn't hold on any longer. Despite years of health preservation, he couldn't outlive the ravages of time.

However, he passed away without pain.

That shameless old man, on his deathbed, insisted that I call him "brother" one last time. I was about to cry, but he interrupted me.

“My dear wife, I’m leaving now. It’s been so many years since I’ve heard you call me ‘brother.’ Before I go, please call me one last time. You have to let me leave with a smile.”

"Brother..." I forced back my tears.

"That's right, haha... I'm sorry, I promised you I'd have a relationship with you, but I didn't."

He just left like that.

I never blamed him. Dating is just a process. After we got together, he cherished me and spoiled me for the rest of his life.

This is enough.

After Chen Fan left, my eldest sister changed; she became even lazier than me. Qiu'er also changed; she was depressed for a long time.

Everyone needs time to move on.

I'm no exception. I've been lazy my whole life, but now that I'm old, I start to get restless, always trying this or that.

The eldest and fourth sons moved back and were thoroughly exhausted.

The same goes for his three sons.

During that period, I was unreasonable and always wanted to make a scene. However, I was still rational. I could mess with my children, but I wouldn't dare to mess with my daughter-in-law.

Tormenting your daughter-in-law is tantamount to destroying your home.

After two years of struggling, I'm tired and don't want to keep going. My older sister wants to go out for a walk, but I don't want to do anything, so I'll just stay at home and be a couch potato.

By the third year, Qiu'er was also going out frequently.

I'll just stay home and be a couch potato.

At the age of ninety-three, the eldest sister, at ninety-five, could no longer hold on and went to find Chen Fan first.

I wanted to cry, but I held it back.

Actually, I'm quite envious. Over ninety years old, they've lived long enough. But I'm so lazy, just like a tortoise, the less I move, the longer I live.

Though the tortoise lives long...

I didn't intend to die. Chen Fan is gone, my older sister is gone, and if I were to leave too, how would Qiu'er cope alone?
I have to stay with Qiu'er.

Before I knew it, I was a hundred years old and still alive. I even received the July 1st Medal of Honor, which is like a mascot.

Like Qiu'er, we are often interviewed.

I used to be very resistant when I was young, but now that I'm older, it doesn't matter anymore. It's a good thing to leave more of your voice in this world.

Of course, it's even better if someone is there to chat with.

A life spanning over a hundred years, from the 1960s to the 1960s of this century—there's so much to talk about.

When the conversation gets lively, Chen Fan always comes up.

He left behind a lot of words, including about business, family management, and sentiments. Many of them are quite interesting, and it would be good to share them with others.

When I am 105 years old, my time will come.

Life is so long, and I have no regrets, except for Qiu'er: "Chen Fan is gone, my eldest sister is gone, and I'm going too."

"The three of us sisters have a fulfilling life."

"I'm going to find Chen Fan. I still prefer the days when he pampers me. Don't feel bad about it."

I'm just worried that you'll have a hard time getting through this alone.

Qiu'er smiled and said, "At this age, no matter how tough it gets, it won't be many more years. You can go down now, and I'll come find you in a few years."

I laughed too: "Yeah, it's only been a few years. Just hang in there and it'll be over. When we get down there, the three of us sisters will get together again."

"Chen Fan is also waiting for me."

“I dreamt about him yesterday. He said he missed me and wanted me to come down and keep him company. That was so nice…”

(End of this chapter)