Super Rich: Starting the game by going back ten years to buy Bitcoin

Li Yichen stood at the exit of Hongqiao Railway Station, holding two cups of hot soy milk in his left hand and his right hand in his pocket.

My watch vibrated.

"Brother, train G7562 has arrived at the station and is opening its doors."

He took two steps forward, his gaze passing over the crowd and fixed on the automatic turnstile.

Three minutes later.

A woman in her fifties pushed her way out of the crowd.

She had her hair permed into small curls, wore a bright red down jacket, and black cotton shoes. She was carrying a huge snakeskin bag in her right hand and a bulging canvas bag slung across her left shoulder.

The opening of the burlap sack wasn't tied tightly, and a piece of cured meat was sticking out. Oil stains had stained the bottom of the sack a dark color.

Li's mother.

Five or six meters behind her, Li's father, carrying another woven bag, walked more slowly. His gray hair was shaved very short, he wore a dark blue cotton-padded jacket, and faded sneakers. He stood upright, his face expressionless, but his eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings.

Li Yichen went to greet him.

"mom."

"Hey! Son!" Li's mother's voice suddenly rose, and several passengers around her turned their heads in unison.

She tossed the burlap sack to the ground, freeing her hands to look her son up and down. She pinched his arm, patted his shoulder, and finally reached out to touch his face.

"You've lost weight, haven't you? Look at your sunken eyes, haven't you been sleeping well again?"

"You haven't lost weight, you're still quite strong." Li Yichen handed over the soy milk. "Have this on the way, it's your favorite flavor."

Li's mother took the soy milk with one hand, while pinching his face with the other.

"Don't try to fool me. You've always been like this since you were little. When you're busy, you don't even remember to eat—"

"Mom, this is the exit, people are coming and going." Li Yichen bent down and reached for the snakeskin bag.

"Don't move! There's cured meat, sausage, and dried sweet potatoes inside. It's heavy. I'll carry it myself."

"I can't carry it?"

Li's mother grabbed the bag: "I said I'll carry it myself! Go and worry about your dad."

Li Yichen turned his head away helplessly.

Li's father had already walked up to him, clutching the woven bag in one hand and holding the cup of soy milk in the other, quietly taking a sip. Seeing Li Yichen reach out to take the bag, he took a half step back.

"No need, I can do it myself."

Li Yichen sighed.

"Dad, you're over fifty, this bag must weigh at least forty or fifty pounds—"

"So what if you're over fifty? Can't someone over fifty carry a few dozen kilograms?" Mr. Li's voice wasn't loud, but the competitive spirit in his tone was stronger than anyone else's.

Li Yichen admitted it. He couldn't argue with her.

He walked ahead, leading the way, with the clattering sound of his mother dragging her snakeskin bag behind him, mixed with her constant muttering.

"Why did you book first-class seats for us? It's such a waste of money. Second-class seats are perfectly fine; four hours will pass in the blink of an eye."

"Is it wrong to let you enjoy yourself just this once?"

"Enjoy? Do you know what kind of look that lady in the first-class seat across from me gave me when she saw me carrying that snakeskin bag?"

"What kind of look is that?"

"That look in her eyes—" Li's mother pulled the soy milk straw out of her mouth and gestured, "It was like she was looking at someone who was going to the city to sell sweet potatoes."

Li Yichen almost burst out laughing.

We arrived at the parking lot.

Looking up, I saw the U8 parked in the B3 section, closest to the elevator. Its black body gleamed under the underground parking lights.

Li Yichen pressed the remote key, and the taillights flashed twice.

Li's mother dragged the snakeskin bag to the car and stopped.

She walked around the car for a short while, touched the door handle with her finger, and then looked into the car window.

"Is this your car?"

"Um."

"How much did you buy it for?"

"Around a million."

The soy milk in Li's mother's hand wobbled, and the brown liquid almost spilled out of the straw.

"How many?!"

One million.

Li's mother turned to glare at him, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something but swallowed it back. She then glanced at Li's father beside her.

Li's father's expression didn't change, but the thumb of the hand holding the soy milk rubbed back and forth on the cup several times.

"Get in the car." Li Yichen opened the back door.

The first thing Li's mother did after getting in wasn't to fasten her seatbelt, but to press her hand twice on the leather seat.

"This seat—is it genuine leather?"

"Um."

"The air conditioning is nice, it's warm." She looked around, then touched the heated and cooled cup holder on the center armrest. "What's this? Can I put cups in it?"

"Yes, it can be used for both heating and cooling."

"My goodness," Li's mother muttered under her breath, and shoved the soy milk cup inside.

The car drove out of the underground parking garage and merged into the traffic flow on the elevated road.

Li's mother leaned against the back window of the car, everything was new and exciting to her. She looked at the tall buildings and the overpasses over and over again. She kept talking.

"Son, what's the name of that round building?"

"Oriental Pearl Tower".

"Wow, that's so tall—where's that bottle opener-like thing next to it?"

"Global Financial Center"

"The buildings in this city all look like aliens."

Li's father sat in the passenger seat, saying nothing. But Li Yichen noticed out of the corner of his eye that his father's head was slightly turned towards the window, his eyes darting around faster than his mouth.

Half an hour later.

The car turned into Tomson Riviera.

The iron gate slid open automatically, and the security guard stood ramrod straight in his booth. Two rows of plane trees spread their branches overhead, and neatly trimmed holly bushes surrounded the bases of the streetlights.

Li's mother was silent.

She pressed herself against the car window, her neck turned at an uncomfortable angle. Garden villas flashed by, one after another, the artificial lake reflecting the winter sun.

"Who lives in here?" she asked in a low voice, her confidence significantly diminished.

"Neighbors, I guess."

"Neighbors—" Li's mother swallowed and glanced out the window again, "Your neighbors all drive those cars with headlights that look like longan beads."

Li Yichen didn't reply, turned the steering wheel, and drove the car into his own yard.

The engine stalled.

The automatic sensor lights in the yard came on, casting a warm yellow glow on the porch steps.

The two elderly people got out of the car and stood in the middle of the yard.

Li's mother looked up at the villa's exterior. It was three stories high, with a white facade and floor-to-ceiling windows reflecting the sunlight. There was an osmanthus tree in the yard, its leaves still green even in winter.

She didn't say anything.

Li's father also remained silent.

The two of them stood there, craning their necks, staring for almost ten seconds.

"Let's go in and take a look." Li Yichen pushed open the door.

A wave of warmth wafts from the entryway.

Li Niannian stood in the center of the living room wearing a light blue apron, wiping her hands on the apron twice, just about to greet someone.

There wasn't enough time.

A small head popped out from behind the sofa.

Miao Miao, with her short legs, circled around the corner of the sofa, her arms outstretched, and rushed over.

"Hello, Grandpa! Hello, Grandma!"

A childish, high-pitched shout echoed in the living room.

Everyone stopped moving.

Li's mother's hand was still in the same position as when she took off her coat, with one sleeve hanging on her elbow.

Mr. Li's hand, holding the woven bag, hung in mid-air.

His eyes were wide open.

His gaze shifted from Miao Miao's face to Li Yichen's face.

Then the gaze moved from Li Yichen's face to Li Niannian's face, who was standing next to him.

Finally, it landed on the crooked little bun on Miao Miao's head.

The air freezes.

A full five seconds.

Li's mother's lips trembled twice, and her voice rose by half an octave:

"Son—this child…this, this is yours?!"

Li Yichen's mind went blank for a moment.

broken.

He glanced down at Miao Miao, who was rushing over to hug his leg, and then at Li Niannian, whose face was already turning red.

Before he could even explain.

His mother had already squatted down.

Her hands trembled as she touched Miaomiao's little face, her eyes red-rimmed, and she began to stammer incoherently:

"My dear granddaughter—you're so pretty—you look just like your dad when he was little—why didn't you tell me sooner—what's your name, my darling—"

"My name is Miaomiao!" Miaomiao squinted as she was touched, and patted Li's mother's arm. "Grandma, your hands are so warm."

Tears streamed down Li's mother's face.

Although Li's father didn't squat down, his legs were already moving uncontrollably towards Miaomiao. The woven bag in his hands loosened halfway, and the smile on his lips was impossible to hide.

"Wait, wait, wait—"

Li Yichen took three steps forward and stopped his mother from pulling Miaomiao into her arms.

"Mom, let me explain."

"What are you explaining? Isn't it obvious?" Li's mother wiped her face, her eyes filled with tears of joy. "I knew you were hiding it from me, having a child outside and not telling the family—"

"No! Mom! Miao Miao isn't my child!"

Li's mother's expression froze.

"What?"

"She's not my daughter." Li Yichen took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "Sit down first, and I'll explain things to you clearly."

He pressed the two elderly people into the sofa.

Then I explained it from the beginning.

Li Niannian and Miaomiao are biological sisters from Yunnan Province. Their parents have passed away, and Miaomiao was diagnosed with leukemia. Li Niannian would carry her sister on her back and sing at the night market late at night to earn money for her medical expenses. He met them and took them in. Li Niannian is now a villa manager, and Miaomiao's illness is under control.

He spoke concisely, without any embellishment.

But enough.

On the sofa, Li's mother's nose was bright red. She hugged Miaomiao and gently patted the little girl's back with one hand.

"Poor child...losing his parents at such a young age..."

Miao Miao wasn't shy at all while being held; she reached out her little hand and patted Li's mother's shoulder.

"Grandma, don't cry, Miaomiao is all better now."

Tears streamed down Li's mother's face.

Mr. Li sat beside him, his face turned towards the window. His Adam's apple bobbed twice. He rested his hands on his knees, clenching his trousers, and remained silent for a long time.

Li Niannian stood two steps away, her hands twisting the apron straps until her fingertips turned white. Her eyes were red-rimmed.

She bent down and bowed deeply.

"Hello, Uncle and Auntie, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Li's mother freed one hand and pulled her over. She patted Li Niannian's hand with a firm but not too light touch.

"Don't worry about the trouble—from now on, treat this place like your own home. Don't be so formal."

Li Niannian blinked her eyelashes several times, took a breath, and nodded.

Lunch was prepared by Li Niannian.

Six dishes and a soup filled the table. Braised pork ribs, steamed sea bass, braised eggplant, garlic broccoli, stir-fried green beans, a plate of cucumber salad, and a pot of lotus root and pork rib soup.

Li's mother picked up a piece of pork rib, chewed it twice, and then stopped eating.

"Nian Nian".

"Hmm?" Li Niannian quickly looked up.

"Did you make the sauce for these ribs yourself?"

"Yes, I added a little honey and dark soy sauce—"

"Delicious!" Li's mother picked up another piece. "It's much better than what you get at restaurants."

As she chewed, she asked, "Do you know how to make dumplings?"

"Yes, pork and cabbage or chives and eggs are both fine."

"Then you can make them with me tomorrow! I brought flour, ground from my hometown, it makes them extra chewy."

Li Niannian smiled and nodded vigorously.

Miao Miao sat next to Li's father, her legs not reaching the ground, and she swayed back and forth on the chair.

"Grandpa, this shrimp is delicious."

"Eat as much as you like." Mr. Li picked up a boiled shrimp, slowly peeled off the shell, and put it into Miao Miao's bowl.

"Thank you, Grandpa!"

The old man's lips curled into a wide grin, his deep wrinkles stretched taut with laughter. He reached for more chopsticks on the plate—a second, a third, a fourth.

He peeled shrimp more diligently than anyone else.

After the meal.

Under the pretext of "visiting the house," Li's mother dragged Li Yichen upstairs to the second floor.

At the corner of the corridor.

She stopped, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then turned around.

His eyes were incredibly bright.

"son."

Li Yichen held his teacup, a sense of foreboding creeping over him.

"Mom, what are you going to say—"

"Let me tell you something," Li's mother lowered her voice and took half a step closer to him, "that Niannian—I think she's quite good."

coming.

"She's hardworking, can cook, has a good temper, and is quite pretty. She's also so good with children." Li's mother counted on her fingers, getting more and more excited. "Look at the dishes she made today, they're even better than your mother's!"

"mom--"

"Give it your all!" Li's mother patted his arm. "Mom's waiting to hold her grandson!"

Li Yichen almost spat his tea onto the wall.

"Mom! What are you thinking!"

"What do I want? I want you to settle down and get married! How old are you already! Look at Old Zhang's son next door, he's two years younger than you, and his kid is already old enough to run errands—"

"Mom, Niannian is the housekeeper I hired—"

"What's wrong with a butler? Can't you develop feelings for a butler? Don't you know the saying 'familiarity breeds fondness'?"

"..."

Li Yichen put down his teacup and, taking advantage of the moment when his mother started planning "when to hold the banquet," he darted two steps toward the stairwell.

"Mom, I have an urgent matter at work that I need to take care of—"

"Why are you running away! I haven't finished speaking yet!"

Too late.

He rushed down the stairs, taking three steps at a time, and almost tripped on the last step.

In the living room.

Mr. Li was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, with a chess set in front of him.

Miaomiao lay on the opposite side, her two little hands supporting her chin, staring at the red "chariot" on the chessboard.

"Grandpa, where can this go?"

"This thing can go anywhere, in any direction, and as far as it wants. It's amazing."

"Is it stronger than a horse?"

"More powerful than a horse."

"Is he better than my brother?"

Mr. Li was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Li Yichen, who had just rushed down the stairs. The smile lines on his face were deeper than his wrinkles.

"Your brother is even more powerful than a car."