It's just that they have money.

Wu Zhichao's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered: "Brother Chen, are you looking down on your brother?"

"It's not that I look down on you." Fang Chen picked up the soup bowl, took a sip, put it down, and looked at him. "I don't lend money, nor do I lend money to others. It has nothing to do with who it is."

Wu Zhichao's smile completely crumbled.

He put down his crossed legs, sat up straight, and his gaze towards Fang Chen changed.

"Fine, if you don't want to lend it, then don't," he said, a hint of displeasure in his voice. Then, he changed the subject, "How about we play cards? Old Zhang and the others are all here tonight, we're one short, Chen-ge, why don't you join in?"

Fang Chen sneered inwardly.

First, borrow money; if you can't borrow it, invite them to play cards.

This approach isn't very clever.

Three or four acquaintances sit at a table, seemingly for fair entertainment, but in reality they pass cards to each other and secretly collude; outsiders sitting there are just throwing money away.

This kind of thing is the same whether it's a big city or a small town.

They go to great lengths to lure you to the card table, and once you're there, you're just a lamb to the slaughter.

"No," Fang Chen said. "I don't play cards."

"Just have a game," Wu Zhichao advised with a smile. "You have money now, why are you afraid of losing a little?"

"It's not that I'm afraid of losing," Fang Chen said calmly, looking at him. "It's that I don't like it."

Wu Zhichao's smile vanished completely.

He stood up, patted his pants, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Fine, Brother Chen, you're a big shot now, you look down on our little fry. Then I won't bother you any longer, you guys enjoy your meal."

Xiang Pingping glanced at the doorway, then at Fang Chen, and whispered, "Chaozi wasn't like this before."

"The past is the past." Fang Yuan put down his bowl, his voice low. "He hasn't had a proper job in the past few years, he's been fooling around all day long, he's gone astray. It was the right thing to not lend him the money, lending it to him would be like throwing good money after bad."

Fang Chen didn't say anything, picked up his bowl and continued eating.

After dinner, Xiang Pingping cleared the dishes, while Fang Yuan brewed a pot of tea. The father and son sat in the main room, drinking and chatting.

"You handled Chaozi's matter quite well," Fang Yuan said. "But while you're at home these few days, he'll definitely come looking for you again. He's thick-skinned and not afraid of being refused."

"I know," Fang Chen said. "I won't go with him."

"I'm just coming back to share the good news, see if there's anything the family needs, and to rebuild the house."

Fang Yuan picked up his teacup, blew away the foam, and slowly took a sip.

"Your mother and I have thought about the house before," he put down his teacup and looked at Fang Chen. "This house is the same size as you. When it was built, the builders said it wouldn't be outdated for thirty years. It's not even thirty years yet, and it's already outdated compared to other houses. But since you don't come back to live here, it's fine for your mother and me to make do like this."

Fang Chen leaned back in his chair and said with a smile, "I came back to discuss this with you. Do you like the current layout, or would you like a redesign? The land is big enough to build a larger one, so I'll have a place to stay when I come back."

Fang Yuan was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "You don't need to consider us, just make your own decision. Even if you build us a palace, we won't be used to living there."

"Okay, I'll find someone to design it. I'll show you the design when it's ready, and we'll start construction once you're satisfied."

"You little rascal," Fang Yuan laughed, reaching out to gently pat him on the head. "Now that you have money, you start causing trouble."

"This is called improving your life, not making a fuss. Money in your hand is not money; it's only money when you spend it."

Xiang Pingping came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands, and sat down next to Fang Chen: "What are you two talking about, so happy?"

"Let's talk about rebuilding the house," Fang Yuan said.

Xiang Pingping's eyes lit up, but then she hesitated, "Are we really going to build it? That must cost a lot of money, right?"

"I have 30 million. As long as I don't gamble or do drugs, our family can't spend it all in two lifetimes." Fang Chen held her hand. "You two just need to figure out what kind of house you want, and I'll take care of the rest."

Xiang Pingping looked at her son, her eyes reddening again, but she held back and simply squeezed his hand tightly.

"Chenchen," Xiang Pingping's voice suddenly softened, "Now that you're in a better position, have you thought about your personal life?"

Fang Chen's heart skipped a beat. Here it comes.

"Mom, I'm only twenty-five, there's no rush."

"Twenty-five isn't a rush?" Xiang Pingping's tone rose a little. "When your dad and I were twenty-five, you were already two years old."

Fang Yuan didn't say anything, but his ears were clearly perked up.

"That's your generation." Fang Chen leaned back in his chair, trying to appear more relaxed. "These days, young people in the city are considered to be getting married at thirty."

"That's in the city," Xiang Pingping persisted. "You came from here, your roots are here. Your cousin is a year younger than you, he got married last year, and he's about to have his baby. Uncle Li's daughter behind our house, she's the same age as you, and she just had her wedding last month."

Fang Chen was both amused and exasperated: "Mom, you've done a really thorough job of intelligence gathering."

"If you're not home, won't I have to listen to what other people are saying?" Xiang Pingping sighed. "All of Mom and Dad's friends who have children are either already married or preparing for their weddings. You don't even have a girlfriend!"

Fang Chen sat up straight, deciding to take this topic seriously.

"Mom, it's not that I don't want to find someone, it's just that good girls are really hard to find these days."

"Why is it hard to find someone? If you're saying there aren't any suitable women at home, that's true, but aren't there plenty of girls on the streets of big cities?"

"There are girls everywhere, but not many are suitable." Fang Chen counted on his fingers, "You have to have compatible values, compatible personalities, compatible families. These things sound simple, but finding the right one is harder than finding a needle in a haystack."

Xiang Pingping opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't find the words for a moment.

Fang Yuan spoke up at this moment, his voice not loud, but every word was heavy: "Your mother isn't urging you to get married tomorrow, she's just telling you to take it seriously and put some thought into your personal life."

"I know." Fang Chen paused, then lowered his voice, "There's one more thing you all need to think about."

"What is it?" Fang Yuan and Xiang Pingping asked in unison.

Fang Chen looked at his parents, his expression turning serious: "I have a lot of money now. To be honest, this amount is beyond what an average family can handle. If someone I don't know anything about marries me just for the money, do you think we can have a good life together?"

The main room fell silent for a moment.

Xiang Pingping's expression changed from eagerness to hesitation, and then to worry.

"You mean... you're afraid someone will lie to you?" Her voice trailed off.

"It's not a matter of deceiving or not," Fang Chen said. "It's a matter of impure motives. Whether someone likes you or just likes your money, you can't tell in a short time. If you rush into marriage, by the time you figure it out, it might be too late."

Fang Yuan held his teacup and remained silent for a long time.

He put down his teacup, looked at Fang Chen, and his gaze held a complex mix of emotions.

Xiang Pingping also quieted down.

Okay!

Fang Chen's sophistry succeeded.

However, that's what they say, but what they really think is another matter.

Fang Chen is twenty-five years old.

Before, we didn't have money; now that we do, we still haven't had enough fun!