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

"Brother! Dad! Mom!"

Around 4 p.m., Jiang Chen was with his father, Jiang Jianjun, in the yard, studying the newly bought Dyson vacuum cleaner and figuring out the most convenient way to clean the spider webs in the corners of the walls.

Jiang Ling, the younger sister, rushed in from outside like a gust of wind.

The little girl's face, which had been stylish and confident because of her careful dressing up, was now flushed red, and her eyes were watery, filled with grievance and anger.

"What's wrong? Who bullied you?"

Wang Xiuying was preparing dinner in the kitchen when she heard the noise and quickly ran out with a spatula.

Jiang Ling threw her bag on the sofa and ran to her parents and brother, her voice trembling with tears.

"They were all talking badly about my brother at the village store... and saying really nasty things!"

The village store at the entrance.

That was the "News Broadcast Center" and "Intelligence Exchange Bureau" for the entire Jiangjia Village and even several surrounding villages.

Every afternoon, a large number of idle women and men gather here.

They ate sunflower seeds, played cards, and exchanged the latest gossip about everyone's family.

Its information dissemination speed, coverage, and influence are comparable to the Internet in the 21st century.

At this moment, the "mystery of Jiang Chen's wealth" has clearly become the hottest headline topic in this "intelligence center" today.

"What did you say? Tell me."

Jiang Chen put down the vacuum cleaner, pulled his younger sister to sit on a small stool next to him, and spoke gently.

Jiang Ling wiped her eyes and began to recount the story with a pitiful expression.

It turned out that she had come back from her classmate's house in the afternoon and wanted to buy a new notebook at the village store.

Before I even entered, I could hear a lively argument going on inside.

A group of village women were sitting together, spitting as they fiercely debated a core issue—where did Jiang Chen's money come from?

After a morning and a noon of fermentation and artistic processing.

The answer to this question has evolved from Aunt Zhang's vague "not clean" this morning to a precise three major schools of thought and countless niche branches.

Jiang Ling knew the "chief theorists" of these three major schools.

The first faction, which currently has the most supporters, is the "pyramid scheme leader faction."

The sect leader was none other than Jiang Chen's aunt, Liu Cuifen.

Jiang Ling imitated Liu Cuifen's sharp and sarcastic tone perfectly.

"Let me tell you, I know this best! That kid Jiang Chen is involved in a pyramid scheme and has become a big boss!"

"You didn't see it, last time he came back, he was so smooth-talking, he could turn black into white! What else could it be but the result of working in a pyramid scheme?"

"His car and the renovations were all bought with the hard-earned money he swindled from those people! You really dare to eat his meat and take his fish? That's all ill-gotten gains! You'll be punished for it!"

Liu Cuifen's theory was well-reasoned and supported by evidence, and it also carried a high degree of moral judgment. It was very popular among the women in the village who had limited education.

Many people nodded in agreement, as if they could already see Jiang Chen being handcuffed and taken away by the police.

The second group is the more daring and imaginative "soft rice hard eater" group.

The founder of this school of thought was Aunt Zhao Si, who had just returned from her daughter's home in the city at the east end of the village.

Aunt Zhao is "avant-garde" in her thinking and usually loves watching prime-time family dramas.

She used a mysterious, experienced tone to explain things to everyone.

"What pyramid scheme? What are you all thinking!"

"Let me tell you, Jiang Chen is so handsome, a total pretty boy. He must have been taken in by some rich, widowed old woman in Shanghai! She's got him covered!"

"Think about it, that car, the renovations, and all those designer clothes for my sister—everything cost money, right? And every single one of those expenditures was perfectly timed. It must have been money from a woman to be spent so meticulously!"

"That Audi A6L is just a car his rich woman bought for him! That 500,000 yuan card is his monthly allowance!"

This version of the theory, filled with eroticism and melodramatic plots, greatly satisfied the audience's curiosity, and its support rate soared, showing a tendency to overtake the first faction.

The third group, relatively speaking, is more "pragmatic" and "rational," belonging to the "scientific conjecture school."

The village head was Uncle Wang from the west end of the village, who had been buying lottery tickets for twenty years and had only ever won fifty yuan at most.

Uncle Wang, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, analyzed the situation in a deep voice.

"You're all guessing! If you ask me, this kid definitely won the lottery!"

"Think about it, what are the odds of this happening? Why did they suddenly become rich right around the New Year? Isn't this like winning the lottery and returning home in glory?"

"He was afraid that we, his relatives and friends, would ask him for money, so he made up those lies about being a 'company director' and having 'shares in a listed company' to fool his parents!"

"If you ask me, this kid is a dishonest ingrate! He's forgotten his roots after making money! He even lied to his own parents!"

This version, although it attributes Jiang Chen's character to "selfishness," has gained many followers because the logic of "winning the lottery" is the simplest and easiest for ordinary people to understand.

The three major rumors, like three mountains, weighed heavily on the atmosphere in the Jiang family courtyard, making it almost suffocating.

"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"

After hearing his sister's account, Jiang Jianjun was so angry that he trembled all over, and the vacuum cleaner hose in his hand cracked loudly as he squeezed it.

He was honest and upright all his life, and his reputation was what he valued most.

Now, her own son is being portrayed as a "pyramid scheme leader," a "kept man," and a "selfish ingrate"!

This is worse than having your flesh ripped out of your heart with a knife!

"I...I'll fight them to the death!"

Jiang Jianjun's eyes were bloodshot, and he threw down the vacuum cleaner and rushed outside.

Wang Xiuying was so angry that she trembled all over, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She grabbed her husband's arm, crying, "What good will it do you go! You can shut one person up, but can you shut the whole village up?"

She turned her head and looked at Jiang Chen, whose face was calm, her voice filled with despair.

"Son, what am I going to do... How can I face anyone in the village after this...?"

Because of these three rumors, the Jiang family was plunged into a deep sense of gloom and despair.

Only Jiang Chen.

After hearing his sister's account, he was not angry at all; in fact, he almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.

A pyramid scheme leader?

Was he kept by a rich woman?

These elderly folks really have a rich imagination!

It's such a waste of your talent that you're not a screenwriter!

Seeing his parents and sister looking like they were about to have a heart attack, he finally stood up from the bench.

it's time.

In this sitcom titled "Chinese New Year," the emotions of the male and female leads have been effectively conveyed by the supporting characters.

It's time for him, the director and lead actor, to personally step in and add some real juicy details to this play.

Jiang Chen walked up to his mother, who looked utterly desperate, and gently patted her shoulder.

"mom."

He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and spoke in a relaxed tone as if he were talking about something trivial.

"Is our soy sauce running low?"

"I went to the village store and bought a bottle of soy sauce."