Mixed in 1980

Chapter 550 Extra Chapter 4: Chen Fan - Waiting in the Underworld

I am Chen Fan, an outlier.

There shouldn't be someone like me in this world, but if I exist, there's a reason for it. I never think about why something like rebirth exists.

What I want is to live a good life.

In her previous life, her career went through ups and downs, and her relationships and family were a complete mess. If it weren't for Xiaoyi and Xiaoxi, her later years would have been incredibly miserable.

If I could do it all over again, I would make sure my two girls live a worry-free life, and if possible, I would find a woman to spend my life with.

As for the people and events I encountered in my past life, I have no intention of paying attention to them or pursuing them. A brand new life requires a brand new path.

This life has to be different!
Qiu'er's appearance fulfilled all my fantasies.

Her looks, figure, and temperament perfectly match my aesthetic, and we share the same values. She's the type I'd kill for and she'd set fires for. There's no one more perfect than her.

Later, Ali and Yuanyuan also became my wives, and I had no other emotional needs.

As for money...

From the moment I was reborn, I was certain that I would not lack money. Reform and opening up is the process of the times, and there will be countless opportunities in the coming decades.

If you can't make money, you might as well just kill yourself.

My initial idea was to have three wives and live the life of a wealthy man; it was a life I could never have had in my past life.

I never thought I would become the richest person in the world.

Being the richest person in the world isn't easy; it's tiring and troublesome, and it's not my goal.

Having money isn't always enough; it doesn't guarantee you can keep it. Having lived two lifetimes, I've seen far too many cases like this.

You need to be rich and influential.

With influence, others will not dare to act rashly.

Even at this time, I didn't have much ambition. I wanted to start some real businesses and link them with employment, so that no one would dare to make any moves.

All these changes are the fault of the British devils.

I want the port, and I'm not asking for nothing in return. I'm not asking for less money either. Just sell it to me directly. Why do you have to create all this trouble?

I'm not one to take things lying down.

Especially after being reborn and making a lot of money, why should I still suffer humiliation? Especially humiliation from foreigners, that's even more unacceptable.

If you don't want to be bullied, you have to become big.

Therefore, I joined forces with the government and co-founded Xinghuo Real Estate to force the British to hand over the port, as well as telecommunications, electricity, gas and other companies.

In this way, the influence is maximized.

That's not enough. My success is due to the support of the government. Without the government's backing, I would have been ruined by the British in Hong Kong sooner or later.

We need to get closer to the government.

Qiu'er established a foundation, spending lavishly on education and infrastructure development in mainland China, demonstrating an excellent relationship with the government.

With these as a foundation, I can confidently go around the world to make money, and then return to the mainland to invest in infrastructure.

He accidentally became a tycoon.

They're huge conglomerates!

We can't compare to the American tycoons; we don't have that kind of mentality in China. If anyone dared to play like that, the higher-ups would just slap them to death.

But my wealth remains immense.

To put it bluntly, in terms of personal wealth, no one in the world is richer than me. Even a single hair on my leg is thicker than the waist of the world's richest man.

The richer you are, the more philanthropy you should do.

An eternal truth.

After the 1998 financial crisis, my reputation soared, and I wanted to retire then. I had enough money to last several lifetimes.

But the children haven't grown up yet, so they still have to keep going.

Speaking of children, one has to talk about things from a past life. That child... I was lying in my sickbed and I didn't even visit him more than a few times, let alone fulfill my filial duties.

Of course, I wouldn't give him my family fortune.

I don't know what he'll do after I die. I guess he'll take his aunt and cousin to court. But I've already told him not to give him a hard time.

Go back to this life.

At first, I was quite resistant to having children, fearing that I would give birth to a terrible child like in my previous life.

After the birth of the eldest child, the feeling of blood connection instantly shattered my original thoughts.

All five children are very filial.

They are all very capable, especially the second son, who was able to expand the business further after taking over, which is quite remarkable.

Even if my grandchildren have no successor, I'm not in a hurry.

The legacy Lao Tzu left behind is substantial.

Passing down morality and charity, descendants will understand the hardships of life, and most of their wealth will be preserved, giving them a chance to rise again.

I have no regrets in this life.

Because of my long-term practice of the Eight Vajra Exercises, I had truly mastered some techniques. At the age of eighty-five, I sensed that my time was up.

No regrets.

Having died once, he had long seen through everything. Before he died, he called all his children and grandchildren to him and said goodbye to them one by one.

There are also three wives.

I'm leaving. Qiu'er really wants to come with me? That won't do. There are still many good days ahead. What's so good about going down there?

"Live well and watch over my children."

"Especially the second son, he's not easy to deal with. I'm afraid he might suddenly get arrogant one day."

"There are many good days ahead. Technology is advancing rapidly. Please take a look for me and tell me about it later so that I can broaden my horizons."

I'm quite at ease with Ali.

She won't do anything rash. A simple "big sister" or "little brother" will leave behind the most beautiful memories, and that's enough.

I still feel somewhat guilty towards Yuanyuan.

I promised her I would have a proper relationship with her, but I couldn't do it before I died. All I can do is apologize to her. If there is an afterlife, I will definitely have a relationship with her.

I am leaving!
It was peaceful, with no pain.

When I closed my eyes, my soul left my body. It felt quite strange. There were no ox-headed or horse-faced guardians to pick me up, but I vaguely knew where I should go.

I glanced back at my three wives, then drifted towards a mysterious place, eventually arriving at a bluestone road with an uneven surface.

After walking along this road, we arrived at the riverbank.

Red flowers bloomed all over the riverbanks, like a wildfire spreading across the land, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

There is a bridge over the river.

Many people come here, walk onto this bridge, drink a bowl of soup, and then go to the other side of the river.

I know where this is.

After drinking that bowl of soup, all past worries vanished like smoke.

I don't want to drink it.

I'll wait by the river. The scenery here is truly beautiful. I can't see it while I'm alive, but I can appreciate it properly after I die. Anyway, I'm not in a hurry.

"Hey, wanna come?"

A man dressed in white, carrying a stick, came over.

"I'm not leaving!" I knew who he was.

He also knew who I was: "It's time to get going. Life is a cycle, and a new beginning is just around the corner. You should be happy."

After hearing this, I curled my lip in disdain: "You've never been reincarnated, how do you know? People come into this world crying and leave amidst the cries of others."

“That’s the rule!” said the man in white.

I remained unmoved. He wanted to make a move, but for some reason, he didn't dare. Seeing this, I grinned. I really am an oddball.

So I stayed.

The man in white often came to persuade me, and later a man in black came too, along with minotaurs and horse-headed men. Life is really interesting.

No matter how much I tried to persuade him, he just wouldn't leave.

Many years have passed in the blink of an eye. As if by some unseen force, I went home and found my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all there.

The three wives were also there.

Ah Li was dying. After giving her last instructions, she closed her eyes and her soul left her body.

Very old.

When he saw me, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile.

As the corners of her mouth turned up, she quickly transformed, returning to the way she looked when they first met at age twenty.

"Big sister!" "You brat!"

They smiled at each other and hugged.

Ali grinned and said, "I dreamt about you last night. You were going to take me to reunite with you."

"Let's go!"

She glanced at Qiu'er, Yuanyuan, and the children, took Ali's hand, and slowly walked forward, returning to the riverbank.

"Is this the River of Oblivion?"

"Correct!"

“What a beautiful view.”

"Yes, I never get tired of looking at it. Let's settle down here from now on."

"No house?" Ali asked, puzzled.

I scratched my head: "Before, I lived alone. It wasn't too hot or too cold, there were no mosquitoes, and it didn't rain or thunder, so I didn't build a house."

"You, you don't know how to manage a household on your own," Ali rolled her eyes at me.

"That's why I'm waiting for you!"

We started building a house. If we couldn't build a proper one, we'd build a mud-brick house, just enough to resemble a home.

People in white clothes, black clothes, and minotaur-like and horse-headed people often come by, repeating the same old tune, urging us to cross the river quickly.

There are no doors.

Life was uneventful. Every day, I would take Ali for a stroll, and sometimes we would sit by the river and watch people come and go as they stepped onto the bridge.

Ali asked, "Will we have to cross the river again in the future?"

I paused for a moment, then shook my head slightly: "I don't know, probably. They won't let us stay here indefinitely. After all, there are still rules."

Ali frowned slightly as she looked at the old woman selling soup on the bridge: "I don't drink that stuff."

"Okay, I won't drink!"

“If we really have to reincarnate, in the next life, I’ll still be your wife, and then I’ll throw Qiu’er and Yuanyuan onto your bed.” Ali laughed.

Life went on uneventfully like that.

More than ten years later, as if by some unseen force, I took Ali's hand and said, "Come on, let's go home and pick someone up. I wonder if it's Qiu'er or Yuanyuan."

Still the same scene.

After saying goodbye, Yuanyuan closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw me and rushed over to me. In an instant, her body returned to the appearance of when she was twenty years old.

"elder brother……"

With Yuanyuan's arrival, life has become different.

She's lazy.

She's a lazy bum now, and she likes to boss people around. Sometimes, people in black clothes, white clothes, minotaurs, and horse-headed people come over, and she'll order them around.

She's good at coaxing ghosts.

Perhaps knowing that one day they will have to cross that bridge, they cherish their current life and have become more clingy than before.

"If we really have to cross that bridge, can we do without soup?"

"I think so."

"Anyway, I don't care. Even if you want soup, you'll have to find me in your next life. I'm so lazy that I can't take care of myself. You'll have to take care of me."

I agreed.

Even if we don't know what the future holds.

Two years later, we returned home again. Qiu'er's time had come. After she closed her eyes, she opened them again and returned to when she was eighteen years old.

"Comrade Qiu'er, it's been a long time."

"Comrade Chen Fan, it's been a long time. Ah... you bastard, you finally came to pick me up."

Qiu'er pounced on me, pinching and biting me.

Then they pounced on Ali and Yuanyuan, the three sisters playing around just like when they were young.

"Moved to the new house!"

When Qiu'er returned to the riverbank, she fell in love with the place almost instantly. The red flowers blooming along the riverbank stretched as far as the eye could see.

And there is the surging river.

The river water was blood-red, filled with countless wandering ghosts. A hint of pity flashed in Qiu'er's eyes, but she said nothing.

Being able to settle down by the river and reunite with husbands and sisters is already a great blessing; we can't worry about anything else.

"The four of you have been reunited, your wishes have been fulfilled, it's time for you to set off."

The one in white is here again.

"We just got together, why are you rushing me? I won't go even if you urge me, and I won't go even if you don't urge me."

Since they won't make a move, I'll just stay put.

Qiu'er's arrival made life even more interesting. She took her three wives and strolled along the road to the underworld, just as well as when she was alive.

"We should have come down sooner!"

"However, I did gain some experience up there. Let me tell you, this year we built a large base on the moon."

"Wow, this weapon can really go up into the sky."

"Our family is now the world's number one, even stronger than the US back then. We are the ones who can beat you, not the other way around."

"Other people's missiles can't fly if we don't want to."

"A golden age has arrived!"

“Our family is now a genuine developed country with high per capita income and a high standard of living. No one complains anymore about working hard but earning little.”

"I want to be reborn in China in my next life."

"That was a completely new experience, unlike our generation, who came from poverty, especially in the 80s and 90s, when everyone lacked self-confidence."

"Young people these days are very confident."

"When they see foreigners, their words and expressions all convey the same message: barbarians!"

Qiu'er talked on and on, saying that she had promised to broaden my horizons, and she certainly did. Things were developing so fast back then.

Days passed by one after another.

Two years later, a man dressed in ancient official robes came to them and said, "It's time for you to set off."

What if we don't?

I remained firm, having only been with Qiu'er for two years: "There's another question, why don't you force us to set off?"

The official in his robes said, "You have performed great deeds."

That's it!

The Xu Jinqiu Charity Foundation and the Liyuan Charity Foundation have helped so many people, no less than those who were enshrined in ancient times.

Those who have accumulated merit are exceptions.

"But it has already dragged on for a long time. If it continues, it will not do you any good and will have a very bad impact on your next life."

I shook my head; I still didn't want to go.

Does the afterlife really matter?
Turning to look at his three wives, he said, "The afterlife is of no importance: unless the four of us can avoid drinking that bowl of soup on the bridge."

"No, there's no precedent for that."

"We can set a precedent."

"It can't be opened."

"Then forget it, please go back. We're fine here, and it would be best if it stayed like this forever."

Upon hearing this, the man in official robes shook his head: "It won't be long. When the time comes, someone will send you on your way. It will only be a loss for you."

I laughed and said, "Then let's wait for that day."

"This life isn't over yet, so the next life doesn't matter." Qiu'er stepped forward, took my arm, and smiled easily.

Zeng Ali and Zhao Yuanyuan nodded in agreement.

The person in official robes was in a very difficult position. This family is not in the right mind; they don't even understand the principle that when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out.
Where can you find anything good on the banks of the River of Oblivion?

It's a day for the dead.

Just as I was about to try to persuade her again, Qiu'er suddenly said, "We can cross the river, but we won't be reincarnated. We'll become ghost messengers."

"With our merits, is that enough?"

Upon hearing this, the man in official robes' eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter. This time, the underworld had made a huge profit!

(End of this chapter)