Xiao Xun's mother took the bank card, "Really, what good is an empty card to me?"
Xiao Xun's face was a bit stiff, "Mom, what are you saying? My boss is standing right here. How could I possibly give you an empty card?"
Xiao Xun's mother glanced at Mu Jiahe, then said to Xiao Xun, "How much salary does your boss give you a month?"
Xiao Xun held up three fingers. His mother looked disdainful, "This little bit of money? It's only a bit higher than the waiters back home. We worked our fingers to the bone to send you to school, and this is what you earn?"
Xiao Xun pointed at the bank card in his mother's hand, "Mom, you're usually so sharp, why are you talking nonsense today? I've given you enough money to open a restaurant, and you're still saying 'this little bit'? I earn thirty thousand a month now, and it'll increase later."
Xiao Xun's mother nodded, "Thirty thousand, that's just a bit better than where we're from." She then looked at Liu Shijia, "Tell your cousin how much you earn a month?"
Liu Shijia said sheepishly, "Not much, just enough to get by."
She thought that since Liu Shijia had such a good relationship with her boss, she must be earning a big salary. She wanted to deflate Xiao Xun's arrogance. Unexpectedly, Xiao Xun blurted out, "Six thousand eight! After paying for utilities, rent, and property fees, and after deducting expenses for eating out, shopping, and cosmetics, plus phone bills, internet fees, and taxi fares, there isn't much left in a month."
Xiao Xun's mother was displeased upon hearing this, "How come you know exactly how much she earns? Also, you've been unemployed, playing games at home, you think I don't know? How did you suddenly start earning thirty thousand a month? Let me tell you, there are a lot of pyramid schemes in big cities."
Xiao Xun reminded her again, "Oh, Mom! Our leader is still here! Can you please stop talking nonsense? I've given you the money and the password. Whether it's real or fake, just go to the bank and take a look, and you'll know."
Xiao Xun's mother snorted, "What year is it? Still going to the bank to look. Come..."
Saying this, she took out her phone, opened the mobile banking app, and asked Xiao Xun to enter his account number and password. Then she said to Mu Jiahe, "Someone who knows nothing like this, you pay him thirty thousand a month? I think three thousand is more than enough."
Mu Jiahe covered her mouth, trying her best to suppress the urge to laugh. She had never seen Xiao Xun so lacking in confidence.
"Mom, you look for yourself."
Xiao Xun's mother took the phone, pointing at the balance on the screen, "Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions... Oh my goodness, did you rob a bank?"
Xiao Xun was also stunned. He thought, "I didn't deposit that much money into that card!"
"Mom, did you not look at the decimal point behind the bank?"
Xiao Xun's mother became unhappy, "You child, your mother and father have run a restaurant for so many years. If I couldn't even count, the restaurant would have gone bankrupt long ago."
Xiao Xun took the phone and counted again, "Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands... Two hundred and thirty-six million, five hundred and twenty-seven thousand, three hundred and sixty-two yuan and thirty-five jiao."
He checked the transfer records. This money was transferred in ten days from over sixty accounts. The highest amount was sixty million, and the lowest was over three million.
Xiao Xun stared at his phone in a daze, "Could it be that I transferred all my money into this one account?" As he spoke, he took out his own phone and logged into several other banks. He couldn't believe his eyes. Each one was in the hundreds of millions.
Later, Xiao Xun learned that the Detroit currency had soared, and he was one of the people who cashed out at the peak. After that, it continued to decline. With the sharp fall of Detroit currency, refurbished 'mining machines' and 'mining cards' appeared in the market for a while. However, this had little to do with Xiao Xun anymore. He now had to face the problem of explaining the source of his enormous funds to his mother.
Xiao Xun's mother was already in tears, crying and wailing as if her son were already dead, "My son! You can't do anything illegal or immoral! Your father and I are counting on you for our old age. If anything happens to you, how will I live?"
Hearing his mother's crying and shouting, Xiao Xun suddenly thought of those people. It was likely that this money was sent by them, probably to urge him to get to work quickly.
Liu Shijia glanced at the time and said to Xiao Xun's parents, "Auntie, Uncle, it's getting late, I have to go to work."
Xiao Xun introduced her to Mu Jiahe, "My cousin, she studied finance and was a top student since childhood."
Mu Jiahe nodded, "If you're interested, you can try coming to Saint Tiroloman. Our finance department and venture capital atmosphere are also very good."
Liu Shijia politely bowed, "Thank you for your kind offer, Ms. Mu. You continue chatting, I'll be going now."
Xiao Xun's mother looked at Mu Jiahe, "My son is all grown up and doesn't listen to his mother anymore! This young lady is quite pretty." Then she quietly pulled Xiao Xun aside and said, "Your boss looks a lot older than you. If this gets back to our hometown that you're being a 'kept man', it won't sound good!" Although she said it quietly, with her straightforward personality, her voice was louder than most people's even at a low volume.
Xiao Xun's face instantly turned as red as Liu Shijia's had been earlier. He could have dug out a seaside villa with a small garden right there on the spot. In a hushed voice, he said, "Mom, can you please stop talking nonsense? She's a big leader, and she's more than four or five years older than me."
"What's wrong with that? As the saying goes, 'A woman three years older is like a golden brick in your arms.'"
Xiao Xun scratched his head and whispered, "This isn't about one or two golden bricks."
Xiao Xun's mother said dismissively, "I'm a very open-minded person. As long as you like her, I'm happy. Don't you know? There's a woman who's very rich, and she married a husband more than ten years younger than her. She's also married before, and they're living together now, just without children..."
Xiao Xun's expression was not good. He peeked at Mu Jiahe. Mu Jiahe seemed expressionless. Perhaps she didn't hear clearly, or perhaps she didn't think they were talking about her at all.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Xun's mother became bolder and bypassed Xiao Xun, then said to Mu Jiahe, "Girl, don't misunderstand. Although our family isn't as wealthy as yours, we don't want your money. You can ask for anything you need. What about betrothal gifts, cars, and houses? As long as you need them, we'll sell everything we have to satisfy you."
Mu Jiahe didn't quite understand what Xiao Xun's mother meant and looked to Xiao Xun for help. Xiao Xun quickly came over and grabbed his mother's hand, "Okay, Mom. Your son just got out of jail. Instead of asking if the food was good or if I suffered, you're already talking about other things."
Mu Jiahe smiled and said, "It's alright."
Hearing this, Xiao Xun's mother became as happy as if she had received a royal decree, "See? She didn't say anything, what are you rushing for?"
Mu Jiahe was also infected by Xiao Xun's mother's enthusiasm. She decided not to go to work that afternoon and took her parents shopping instead. Her parents walked ahead, with Mu Jiahe and Xiao Xun following behind. They bought clothes and bags, which were nothing special, because Xiao Xun's mother didn't know the brands of these clothes, only that they were expensive. It wasn't until they bought a pair of large gold bracelets that her mouth couldn't be closed.
When Mu Jiahe learned that Xiao Xun's father was a chef, she bought a set of imported knives. His father's eyes lit up. These were custom knives, a global limited edition. Good knives were like a chef's life, treasured more than anything. He held the knives, utterly captivated. Finally, she bought Xiao Xun's father a large SUV, paying extra for an in-stock vehicle, getting temporary plates, and driving it away immediately. This completely won over both his parents. Initially, the old couple thought the money in Xiao Xun's bank card was illusory, just a string of numbers. But when these numbers were converted into real gold and silver, they couldn't wait to go home, even without Xiao Xun urging them.