One Yuan First Recharge: I'm Actually the Boss Behind a Fortune 500 Company

Wang Hao and Wu Liang drove back to the village one after the other, followed by a small truck loaded with firecrackers and fireworks. Such a scene was rare in the village.

As soon as the car turned into the alley, a neighbor peeked out to look.

"Wow, whose family bought so many firecrackers?"

Aunt Li from next door was sitting at the door picking vegetables when she saw this long line of cars and her eyes widened in amazement.

Wu Liang arrived at his own yard, called for the truck to stop, and began unloading the goods.

His family buys a lot of firecrackers every year, so the neighbors aren't too surprised, but this year it seems like there are an unusually large number.

Wang Hao continued driving and stopped at the gate of his own yard.

As soon as he got out of the car, Li Xiuying and Wang Jianguo came out of the house, and his second uncle and aunt also came out from the neighboring yard to see what was going on.

"Haozi, what's this...?" Wang Jianguo stared blankly at the small truck behind them.

"Dad, Mom, I bought some firecrackers," Wang Hao said with a smile. "Let's have a proper celebration this Chinese New Year."

The truck driver parked the truck and began unloading the goods.

Strings of bright red firecrackers and boxes of colorful fireworks quickly piled up into a small mountain in the yard.

Li Xiuying looked at the mess on the floor and opened her mouth, "Haozi, how much did all this cost? Why did you buy so much?"

"Mom, it's Chinese New Year, it should be lively." Wang Hao helped the driver unload the goods.

"Our family wasn't well-off before, so we could only buy a little bit each year. Now that I'm earning money, I can buy more to make our home more festive."

My second aunt came over and touched the largest box of fireworks: "Oh my, such a big box, it'll take a while to store it!"

"This is called 'Auspicious Start,' and it's specially shown at midnight," Wang Hao said.

"Second Aunt, you and Second Uncle should come and watch too, we'll set them off together."

My second uncle squatted down and examined the specifications of the firecrackers: "Five thousand shots? Such a big string, it must take two or three minutes to go off, right?"

"Pretty much." Wang Hao nodded. "We'll put out one string of food for the New Year's Eve dinner, another string at midnight, and the rest whenever we want."

Just then, a man walked in from the alleyway. It was Old Chen from the village, carrying a hoe as he returned from the fields.

Old Chen stopped when he saw the commotion in Wang Hao's yard, his eyes wide with surprise: "Jianguo, what's going on with your family... buying so many firecrackers?"

Wang Jianguo's face showed a hint of embarrassment, yet also an undeniable pride:

"Old Chen, these were all bought by the kids. I told them I didn't need to buy so many, but they wouldn't listen and just wasted money."

"This isn't just wasting money!" Old Chen walked over, looking at the firecrackers scattered all over the ground.

"That's impressive! Jianguo, your Haozi has really made something of himself! Driving a nice car and buying so many firecrackers, the New Year will be so lively."

He turned to Wang Hao: "Haozi, you're doing pretty well out there, aren't you?"

"It's alright... Uncle Chen," Wang Hao said modestly. "It's just hard-earned money."

"Can hard-earned money buy so much?" Old Chen laughed.

"Don't be modest, great, that's wonderful, your parents have finally made it through."

Li Xiuying listened from the side, her face beaming with smiles, but she said:

"Old Chen, don't praise him. This kid just loves to spend money recklessly. With so many firecrackers, how long will it take to set them off?"

"I don't care how long I leave it, as long as I'm happy," Old Chen said with emotion. "If my son were even half as successful as Haozi, I'd be laughing in my sleep."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Old Chen picked up his hoe and left, glancing back a few times with envy in his eyes.

By this time, the truck had been almost completely unloaded. The driver had Wang Hao sign the receipt and then drove away.

The courtyard was piled high with firecrackers and fireworks, red and green, which looked festive.

Auntie touched the largest box of fireworks: "This is really beautiful. It will look gorgeous when we set it off."

"I'm glad my second aunt likes it," Wang Hao said. "We'll put it out together then."

Just then, Wang Hao's phone rang.

He answered, "Feed?"

"Is this Mr. Wang? I'm from Chengxin Home Appliances. We're almost at your village. Are you home?"

Wang Hao was taken aback: "So soon? Wasn't it supposed to be around three or four in the afternoon?"

"We finished delivering the morning batch, and since your house isn't far, we'll deliver this one first," the delivery driver said. "Are you home?"

"Yes, yes, please come in."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Hao looked at his parents: "Dad, Mom, the appliances have been delivered."

"Home appliances?" Li Xiuying didn't understand. "What home appliances?"

"Just... the things we use at home," Wang Hao mumbled, "air conditioner, washing machine, refrigerator, and stuff like that."

Wang Jianguo frowned: "Haozi, when did you buy this? Didn't you say yesterday you were only buying New Year's goods?"

"I... went to buy it with Wu Liang this morning," Wang Hao said honestly. "The ones we have at home have been used for more than ten years, and it's time to replace them."

"You silly child!" Li Xiuying exclaimed anxiously, "That'll cost so much money! Everything we have at home is still usable, why replace it!"

"Mom, we need to replace the air conditioner; it's cold when you sleep in winter. We also need to replace the washing machine; a fully automatic one will save you the trouble of washing by hand. The refrigerator isn't cooling properly; it won't keep things warm," Wang Hao said earnestly.

"I've already bought everything, it will be delivered soon."

Hearing this from the side, the second uncle couldn't help but say, "Haozi, you're... spending too much. Your parents are right, the things at home are still usable, there's no need to replace them with new ones."

"Second Uncle, it's really necessary," Wang Hao said. "My parents are getting old and deserve to enjoy their retirement. I can afford to pay for this."

Just then, the sound of a truck came from outside.

A small truck pulled up and stopped at the gate of the yard. It was loaded with an air conditioner outdoor unit, a refrigerator, a washing machine, and a sofa covered with plastic film.

Two delivery drivers got out of the car: "Is this Mr. Wang's house?"

"Yes, yes, this way." Wang Hao went to greet them.

The workers started unloading things, and Li Xiuying and Wang Jianguo were dumbfounded as they watched the new appliances being moved into the yard one by one.

"You...you bought all of this?" Li Xiuying pointed to the double-door refrigerator. "How much did such a big refrigerator cost?"

"It's not much money, Mom, don't worry about it," Wang Hao said.

Wang Jianguo walked over to the air conditioner and touched its casing: "Where should I put this air conditioner?"

"Let's install this in your and Mom's bedroom," Wang Hao said. "We can turn on the heater in winter and the air conditioner in summer, so it'll be comfortable for sleeping."

"How much electricity would that use!" This was Li Xiuying's first thought. "How much would the electricity bill be per month?"

"I'll pay for the electricity, don't worry about it," Wang Hao said with a smile. "As long as you two are comfortable, that's all that matters."

At this moment, more neighbors in the alley were drawn over.

It was Aunt Zhang from the front yard, still holding some vegetables she hadn't finished picking:

"Jianguo, did your family... buy new appliances?"

Wang Jianguo's face showed that embarrassed pride again: "Aunt Zhang, the kids bought them all. I told them they weren't necessary, but they insisted on buying them, and the kids just wouldn't listen."

Aunt Zhang walked over, her eyes lighting up as she looked at the brand-new appliances in the yard:

"Wow, this refrigerator is really impressive, it must be a double door! And this air conditioner, it's an inverter type! This sofa looks so soft."

She turned to look at Wang Hao: "Haozi, you've really made something of yourself now. Your parents suffered their whole lives, and now they can finally enjoy their retirement."

Hearing this, Li Xiuying's eyes reddened, but she said, "What kind of happiness is this? This child just wastes money."

"This isn't wasting money, this is filial piety!" Aunt Zhang exclaimed. "If my son were half as filial as Haozi, I'd wake up laughing in the middle of the night. Jianguo, Xiuying, you're so lucky."