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

Jiang Chen was amused by Jiang Xiaohu's honesty.

He stepped forward and pulled the little guy, whose forehead was red from being bumped, up from the ground.

"Alright, alright, if you keep hitting your head like that, you'll damage it. How will you ever get into Tsinghua or Peking University?" Jiang Chen said with a smile, rubbing his little head.

Jiang Xiaohu chuckled foolishly, looking at Jiang Chen with anticipation.

Jiang Chen turned around and walked back to the square table.

Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of people, he reached for the thick stack of red envelopes on his left.

Instead of taking the top one, he pulled out the thickest and heaviest one from the bottom!

Then, he walked back and stuffed the surprisingly large red envelope into Jiang Xiaohu's hand.

"Here, this is your New Year's money from your brother." Jiang Chen patted his shoulder, his tone full of approval. "Keep it up in the future. Polite kids are always lucky."

Uncle Shunzi, standing in the crowd, saw the thickness of the red envelope in his son's hand and squeezed it slightly through the red paper. His expression changed instantly!

This feel...something's not right!

When he gives red envelopes to other people's children during the Lunar New Year, he usually gives them a maximum of two hundred yuan; he knows exactly how much that is.

But the one my son is holding is at least twice as thick as that one!

"Chen'er, this...this is too much! This is not acceptable!" Uncle Shunzi quickly stepped forward, wanting to return the red envelope.

In his view, it's enough to give a child a hundred or two hundred as a token of appreciation when they kowtow, just for the sake of making it lively. Why give so much?

Jiang Chen waved his hand, stopping him.

"Uncle Shunzi, please don't worry about it." Jiang Chen's gaze swept over Uncle Shunzi's simple and honest face, and he said sincerely, "Last night, you came out to help me move fireworks in the middle of the night without saying a word. You've worked so hard. This money is a reward for the children, and it's also a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it without worry."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding villagers looked at Uncle Shunzi with a hint of envy.

They then remembered that Uncle Shunzi was the number one contributor to last night's fireworks show!

It seems that helping Jiang Chen's family really does have its benefits!

Jiang Xiaohu didn't care about the adults' polite formalities; he was already impatient.

Amidst the curious gazes of the crowd, he quickly tore open the red envelope.

The moment the contents inside were revealed.

"Whoosh—!"

A chorus of gasps erupted from the entire audience!

Five hundred dollars!

Kneel three times, and you'll get five hundred yuan!

This number, like a depth charge, exploded in the hearts of all children and parents!

This is hardly a New Year's greeting!

This is clearly a ritual to attract wealth! It's the road to prosperity and fortune!

"Thank you, Brother Chen! Brother Chen, you are my only brother!" Jiang Xiaohu was so happy that he almost jumped up on the spot, holding up the five hundred yuan, his face flushed with excitement.

This scene was instantly broadcast throughout the entire team through countless eyes.

The back of the line erupted in cheers!

"Five hundred! I saw it! It's true! Little Tiger took five hundred!"

"My God! What are you all standing there for! Hurry up! Anyone who dares to cut in line again, I'll make them pay!"

"Son! Listen to me! When we go in later, if you dare to kowtow less than once, see how I deal with you! Little Tiger kowtowed three times, you'll have to kowtow at least four!"

The art style that followed became unusually harmonious, even carrying a hint of eerie fervor.

The children, like wind-up assembly line workers, lined up and entered the yard, then proceeded to bang their heads against Jiang Jianjun and Wang Xiuying.

Auspicious sayings are also diverse and endless.

Wishing Uncle and Aunt boundless happiness and longevity!

"Wishing Brother Chen abundant wealth and daily riches!"

"Wishing Lingling grows more and more beautiful and gets into a prestigious university!"

Jiang Chen was happy to cooperate.

He discovered that he could tell at a glance who among these children was sincere and who was opportunistic.

Those children who were usually well-behaved and sensible in the village, who genuinely treated him like an older brother, and who had clear eyes, never received less than two hundred yuan in red envelopes from Jiang Chen!

Kneel loudly, three hundred!

A creative way to say good fortune: Four hundred!

For someone like Jiang Xiaohu, who is sensible and whose parents have helped him, the maximum is 500!

As for those who looked away, clearly forced by their parents to come, and whose kowtowing was just going through the motions, Jiang Chen also gave them a "consolation prize"—fifty yuan.

Even so, it was still much more than what other people in the village gave.

In less than half an hour, Jiang Chen had sent out a thick stack of red envelopes, roughly amounting to at least 30,000 to 40,000 yuan.

[Ding! Host detected engaging in large-scale "family reputation accumulation" spending!]

[By distributing New Year's red envelopes, the host's family prestige reaches its peak within the village, greatly enhancing the social status and sense of fulfillment of core family members!]

[System determination: This "money-spraying" behavior aligns with the underlying logic of "family prosperity," and is currently calculating your principal-protected return...]

The system's notification sounds kept ringing in my mind.

Although there are no high-multiplier bonuses, each rebate steadily covers the cost.

Jiang Chen didn't care about the rebate at all.

What he truly cared about were the two rosy cheeks on his parents' faces, practically glowing with smiles.

Jiang Jianjun and Wang Xiuying have never been so glamorous in their lives!

As they sat there, listening to heartfelt blessings and looking at envious faces, they felt that all the grievances and hardships they had endured over the decades vanished in that moment.

That feeling was even more intoxicating than drinking two ounces of Moutai!

In this joyful and happy atmosphere...

A discordant, shrill voice forced its way through the crowded throng.

"Get out of my way! All of you, get the hell out of my way!"

A tall, burly boy with a bowl cut and a roguish air about him, who looked much stronger than his peers, rudely pushed aside the children in front of him and squeezed to the front of the line.

The man who came was Wang Ermazi's son from the west end of the village, nicknamed Ergou.

This Er Gou, relying on his strong build and the protectiveness of his family, has been a bully in the village since he was a child, and has bullied other children quite a bit.

Jiang Chen's cousin, Jiang Xiaobei, was often beaten up by him when they were kids.

He also often followed Jiang Wei around, imitating adults, and cursed Jiang Chen's family as "poor devils" and Jiang Chen as "two dogs" behind his back.

Today, I heard that Jiang Chen's family gave out money, and it was several hundred yuan.

This guy, shameless as ever, squeezed in too.

Er Gou stood awkwardly in front of Jiang Chen, not even glancing at Jiang Jianjun and Wang Xiuying in the main room.

He didn't kowtow, but just grinned and stretched out his hand to Jiang Chen.

"Brother Jiang Chen, congratulations on your fortune!"

"Give me the red envelope!"

That tone, that posture—it's hardly the way someone comes to wish someone a Happy New Year.

They're clearly here to collect protection money!

The surrounding air fell silent for a moment.

All eyes turned to Jiang Chen's face.

Everyone wanted to see how Chen'er would handle this notoriously stubborn person.