I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

"Mom, you and Dad should get some rest. I'll hang up now."

"Okay, okay! Son, take care of yourself while you're out there, don't overwork yourself!"

After hanging up the video call, Jiang Chen let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as happy as if he had drunk honey.

Unbeknownst to him, a storm was rapidly brewing around his family in that small county town.

The news that the Jiang family had received a pile of gold artifacts spread like wildfire throughout the village and neighborhood in less than a day.

The small shop at the village entrance, which also operates as a courier station, has become the latest "information exchange center".

A group of middle-aged women who had just finished square dancing gathered together, each holding a handful of sunflower seeds, and were having a lively discussion.

"Hey, have you heard? Jiang Jianjun's son bought his mother a gold bracelet that weighs almost a pound!" A well-informed middle-aged woman said in a low voice, sounding mysterious.

"What do you mean 'small pound'! I heard it from Wang Xiuying herself, it's over 58 grams! And there's a necklace of the same weight!" Another woman immediately corrected her, her tone full of envy.

"And that's not all! There's also that huge gold ring he bought for his dad, Jiang Jianjun! I heard it's as big as a lump of copper, enough to blind someone in the sun!"

"My goodness! How much does this cost? It must be at least tens of thousands!"

Just as everyone was marveling at the scene, a sour voice broke in.

"Really? Is it just gold-plated?" A middle-aged woman who always loved to make sarcastic remarks curled her lip. "How much does Jiang Chen earn in Shanghai in a month? My nephew is also in Shanghai, a top student who graduated from a 985 university, and he only makes a little over ten thousand a month. He works like a dog, where would he get the spare money to buy this?"

"Exactly! Could it be a fake product bought online, just to save face?"

These rumors quickly reached the ears of Jiang Chen's second aunt, Sun Yumei.

She was in her own supermarket, legs crossed, eating sunflower seeds and watching TV.

An old neighbor who came to buy soy sauce told her about it, embellishing the story as if it were news.

After hearing this, Sun Yumei spat out the sunflower seed shells in her mouth onto the ground with a "pui" sound, her face full of disdain and contempt.

"Get rich? With Jiang Chen's abilities?"

Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the few customers in the store to hear clearly.

"Let me tell you, don't be fooled! Do you think I don't know what kind of person that kid is? He's always been quiet and reserved since he was little, what kind of future could he possibly have!"

Sun Yumei rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "In my opinion, he probably couldn't make it in Shanghai, so he borrowed a lot of money from those online lending platforms to put on a show! He just wants to flaunt it when he comes back for the New Year!"

"Once the New Year is over, and those debt collection companies come knocking on our door, I wonder where his older brother and sister-in-law will put their faces!"

After she said that, the surrounding customers started looking at her strangely.

Why would an aunt wish for her nephew to be unhappy?

Jiang Wei, Jiang Wei's cousin who works for a state-owned enterprise in the provincial capital, also heard about this from his mother.

He didn't believe it at all and replied to his mother directly on WeChat.

[Jiang Wei]: Mom, please stop making a fuss. Do you think I don't know Jiang Chen's level? In a place like Shanghai, he's lucky if he can even support himself. He's probably just renting or buying a fake, specifically to make a show of himself when he goes home for the New Year. I've seen too many people like that, obsessed with saving face and suffering for it.

[Second Aunt]: Exactly! Just like you thought! Wait until you come back for the New Year, and see how I expose him to your face!

These malicious speculations and sarcastic remarks, like a virus, were passed back to Jiang Chen's mother, Wang Xiuying, through the mouths of some gossipy relatives.

In the afternoon, Jiang Chen was deciding which 4S store to go to to look at cars when he received a call from his mother.

The voice on the other end of the phone lacked the joy and pride of midday; instead, it was filled with worry and unease.

"Chenchen, tell Mom the truth, was the money you used to buy that gold... legitimately obtained?"

Jiang Chen's heart skipped a beat, and his brows furrowed instantly.

"Mom, what's wrong? What happened?"

"N-nothing...nothing..." the mother stammered, "It's just...it's just that your second aunt and the others are spreading rumors outside, saying that you...saying that you took out an online loan, and that you bought counterfeit goods..."

Wang Xiuying became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and her voice even carried a hint of sobs.

"I've lived most of my life and never been talked about behind my back like this. If you're really having difficulties, we can return all these things, but I don't want them! We can't do something illegal just to save face!"

Hearing his mother's worried and aggrieved words, Jiang Chen felt as if something had clenched his heart, and a surge of anger shot from his chest to the top of his head!

It's my second uncle's family again!

They kick you when you're down.

As soon as I start to do well, they become jealous and spread rumors and slander!

A leopard can't change its spots!

"Mom! Don't listen to their nonsense!"

Jiang Chen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger, and spoke in an extremely firm and calm tone.

"Don't worry, every penny I earn is hard-earned and clean! It's a hundred times cleaner than their money!"

"That's just jealousy! Naked jealousy! The angrier you get, the smuger they become. You should wear that gold bracelet and go for walks every day, so they can see and envy you!"

Jiang Chen's words were like a reassuring pill, calming the mother on the other end of the phone down a little.

"Don't take it to heart, and don't argue with them. The innocent will clear themselves."

Jiang Chen's gaze turned incredibly cold and sharp at that moment.

"When I go back home for the Lunar New Year, they will naturally know what is real and what is fake."

The moment Jiang Chen hung up the phone, the gentleness on his face vanished, replaced by a frosty expression.

These taunts and slanders were undoubtedly the first long-range attack launched against him by his second uncle's family.

Didn't they say they were putting on a brave face?

Didn't they say they bought counterfeit goods?

it is good!

very good!

Jiang Chen picked up his phone again and opened the car app.

His fingers traced the various brands before finally settling on the logo that shone with four circles!

Audi A6L! Top-of-the-line version!