We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

Ye Jianguo immediately lowered his voice and glanced warily towards the door.

Chen Xiulan also realized what was happening.

"No one can tell you about this."

"You can't tell your uncle or aunt either. If word gets out, they'll be asking you for money one day and asking someone else for help the next. You'll never have a peaceful life again."

"Listen to Mom."

Ye Chen nodded.

"Only the three of us know about this."

The three walked out of the self-service bank.

With the sunlight shining on him, Ye Jianguo felt light and refreshed, and he walked much faster than when he came.

When he reached the street corner, he suddenly stopped.

"I won't be going home for lunch."

Chen Xiulan instinctively objected.

"There's still some noodles in the pot, and I've chopped half of the vegetables. I can just stir-fry a couple of things when I get back."

"Can it be the same today?"

Ye Jianguo pointed to a pie shop that had been open for more than ten years across the street.

"Let's go there, order two meat dishes and a bottle of beer, and celebrate properly."

Touched by the light in her husband's eyes, Chen Xiulan's hesitation vanished, and a smile appeared on her face.

"You're right, today is definitely a day to celebrate! Let's go get a good meal."

The three of them entered and ordered braised fish, twice-cooked pork, stir-fried vegetables, a plate of peanuts, and three meat pies.

They're all ordinary dishes, so it won't cost much.

But when the food was served, the worry that had been weighing on the couple's faces for so long had dissipated.

Ye Jianguo poured himself a glass of beer and poured half a glass for Ye Chen.

He picked up the cup, opened his mouth several times, but finally managed to utter only one sentence:

"Chenchen, this money didn't come easily."

"Whatever you do in the future, you have to be careful and not spend money recklessly."

"Dad, I understand."

Ye Chen raised his glass and clinked it against his.

Chen Xiulan sat next to her, muttering to herself to drink less, but the smile on her face never stopped.

Ye Jianguo no longer needed to think about who to give those two packs of cigarettes to.

Chen Xiulan no longer needs to calculate the cost of groceries while worrying about whether she will receive her salary next month.

Seeing his parents' relaxed brows, Ye Chen felt relieved.

If you could start over, how much money you make would just be numbers.

Only when the money can stop these two people from suffering can it be considered that the money was truly spent in the right place.

After finishing his meal, Ye Jianguo went to the counter, took out a hundred-yuan bill, and paid the bill.

The shopkeeper handed over a few crumpled bills.

Normally, he would count it at least twice.

Today, however, he casually stuffed it into his pocket and turned to push open the curtain.

The sun shines brightly in the county town on an autumn day.

The family of three walked home along the street.

Ye Jianguo walked at the very front, taking large and steady steps.

Chen Xiulan lagged behind by half a step, still carrying the unfinished twice-cooked pork in her hand.

With the 4.68 million yuan safety net, the two of them felt much more at ease.

When he met familiar neighbors who greeted him, Ye Jianguo responded with an exceptionally loud voice.

Ye Chen walked behind, his gaze calmly sweeping across both sides of the street.

This is the county seat of Huaicheng County.

Large areas of the red brick wall have fallen off, revealing gray-white cement underneath.

Most of the houses along the street are single- or two-story brick and tile houses with large courtyards, but the houses are old and dilapidated.

In other people's eyes, these houses are cramped to live in and won't fetch a good price.

In Ye Chen's eyes, however, it was just a pile of money that no one had picked up.

Autumn of 2010.

There are less than two years left before the large-scale shantytown renovation project in Huaicheng County is completed.

Two years later, the main axis of the county town will be expanded eastward, and most of the bungalows in the county town will be demolished and replaced with apartment buildings.

These bungalows are incredibly cheap compared to what we'll see in later generations.

As long as the property rights, courtyard area, and resident information are verified, and the next batch is accepted in batches, there will be no loss whether the resettlement housing is exchanged or compensation is received two years later.

Ye Chen quickly came up with a plan.

I got home at just two o'clock.

Chen Xiulan changed into slippers, picked up the takeout box, and went into the kitchen.

Ye Jianguo turned on the TV, tuned to the news channel, and leaned back on the sofa to let out a long sigh of relief.

Before the warm atmosphere could even begin, a shrill cell phone ringtone suddenly sounded.

The screen of the old Nokia on the coffee table lit up.

Caller ID: Director Zhang Jianping.

Ye Jianguo paused for a moment, and his brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again.

He answered the call and casually pressed the speakerphone button.

"Director Zhang."

"Old Ye, are you home?"

The person on the other end of the phone spoke very slowly and in a very bureaucratic tone.

"Yes, at home."

"I have something to tell you."

Zhang Jianping didn't beat around the bush.

"The factory is optimizing its production capacity, and Workshop 1 has submitted a list of people to be laid off, and you're on it."

The living room fell silent instantly.

On the television, the news anchor was still reporting the news.

Ye Jianguo sat up straight, his voice lowering.

"I've worked in the factory for twenty years, how come I'm the one being laid off?"

Zhang Jianping scoffed.

"Old Ye, you're forty-four already. How can your eyesight and limbs compare to those of young people? The list was decided by the factory leaders in a meeting. I'm just informing you."

The veins on the back of Ye Jianguo's hand bulged.

Zhang Jianping continued:

"The factory hasn't treated you badly either. They voluntarily signed a buyout agreement and gave you 30,000 yuan to take home. This is a special favor given to you because you've worked here for 20 years."

"Come to the office tomorrow morning and sign the document."

Ye Jianguo suppressed his anger.

"Buying out 20 years for 30,000 yuan isn't calculated that way."

"Then you don't have to sign. The factory isn't forcing you."

Zhang Jianping's voice turned cold.

"However, there's no longer a position for you in Workshop 1. The foundry workshop is short of night shift workers to remove furnace ash, so you can go there to report for duty tomorrow."

Ye Jianguo remained silent.

"The work in the foundry is heavy, and the assessments are strict."

Zhang Jianping added slowly.

"If the target is not met for several consecutive months, the factory will take action according to regulations. At that point, it won't just be a matter of a 30,000 yuan buyout fee."

"You decide for yourself."

The call was immediately disconnected.

The beeping continued, one after another.

Ye Jianguo slowly put down his phone, his face extremely pale.

At the kitchen doorway, Chen Xiulan stood frozen, holding a plate of washed apples.

Water droplets dripped from the apple peel onto the ground.

Ye Jianguo looked down at his rough hands and rubbed his face vigorously.

With over four million in his bank account, he was no longer afraid of losing his job or his family going hungry.

Twenty years of early shifts and night shifts, twenty years of hard work, to be dismissed so easily with 30,000 yuan—no one can swallow that insult.

Money can sustain a living, but it can't make the grievances you've suffered disappear into thin air.

Ye Chen poured a cup of hot water and placed it in front of his father.

"Dad, have some water first."

Ye Jianguo didn't move, only staring at the steam rising from the rim of the cup.

"Is the factory really going to be restructured?" Ye Chen asked.

Ye Jianguo was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"The news has been circulating for half a year."

"Your mother's work section is also on the first batch of downsizing lists, but they haven't been officially notified yet."

Chen Xiulan placed the fruit plate heavily on the coffee table, her eyes already red.

"Zhang Jianping is deliberately trying to frame someone!"

"During holidays, he always hints to the workers to come to his house for a visit. Your dad has a stubborn temper and never sends gifts. This time, when the list came to his hands, he put your dad on it first."

Ye Jianguo said in a low voice:

"I don't care about how much money the factory pays me."

"I just can't swallow this."

"We're not going to stay in this lousy factory for another day."

Ye Chen leaned back on the sofa.

"Didn't Zhang Jianping tell you to sign? Go tomorrow, and you'll get your 30,000 yuan, not a penny less. Sign it quickly and efficiently."

"With 4.68 million in the bank, why stay there shoveling ashes and putting up with his incompetence?"

"We didn't have a choice before, but now we're not going to cater to you anymore."