Liu Fang was so stunned by the mention of one hundred million yuan, and that it was in RMB, that she couldn't even eat a grain of rice.
She repeatedly urged Liu Chen, "Go and return the money to Ren Yu. No, let's go to Sister Yuan Ying's house right now, apologize, and say you shouldn't have joked about the money. Let's go now!"
As she spoke, Liu Fang stood up from her chair and reached out to pull Liu Chen up from his seat.
Liu Chen sat steadily in his chair, not giving in to Liu Fang's wishes as he usually did.
Instead, he said unhurriedly, "Mom, aren't you going to ask what I'm going to do with this hundred million?"
Chen Long looked at the calm Liu Chen and then at the frowning Liu Fang, and he also advised, "Yes, Afang, let's hear what the child has to say first."
Liu Fang, however, showed no intention of listening to Liu Chen's explanation. She directly reached out to take Liu Chen's hand, which was resting on the table.
Liu Chen instinctively dodged. Ever since the mountain climbing trip in the park last time, she had become extremely sensitive to being touched. Once someone initiated contact, she would reflexively avoid them.
Seeing Liu Chen avoid her, Liu Fang was taken aback, and her expression became even more unpleasant.
Fortunately, Liu Fang softened her attitude when she saw Chenchen's slightly pursed lips and stubborn gaze. "Chenchen, Mom knows that you've been admitted to Shuimu University and have started your own business, and everything is going smoothly. However, one must take things one step at a time, and eat one bite at a time. Tell me, what do you want to do with this hundred million?"
Hearing this, Liu Chen turned around.
It wasn't that she was throwing a tantrum. She was over thirty years old in her two lives combined. A few words of doubt wouldn't make her angry; otherwise, her age would have been lived in vain.
She was simply using her attitude to make her mother understand that she was an adult and no longer the little girl in her mother's mind.
Why do many people complain about their parents being too controlling and not giving them freedom as they grow up? In fact, it all boils down to not displaying a strong enough stance to let parents understand your boundaries. If you don't, they will continue to test them.
Thinking this, Liu Chen got up, walked back into her room, and took out the land auction materials she had prepared for tomorrow, placing them on the table.
Liu Fang, supported by Chen Long, sat back down in her chair. She looked at the materials on the table and, after receiving a nod from Liu Chen, began to flip through them with a frown.
"Land auction materials? Chenchen, you want to buy land and build a factory? Right, you did mention that, but… we could buy a smaller piece of land and build a temporary factory, it wouldn't require a hundred million!"
As Liu Fang browsed the documents, she mentally calculated how much money they had left and how much it would cost for Chenchen to buy a small plot of land and build a decent factory.
Liu Fang, being a businesswoman herself, estimated that a factory could be set up with at least two to three million yuan.
Seeing that Liu Fang had calmed down, Liu Chen began to explain her plans one by one: "Mom, I am indeed buying land and building a factory, but the most important thing is that I want to hoard land."
"Hoard land?" This time, it was Chen Long, who had been largely silent, who spoke up. "Why would you think of hoarding land? Did you receive some news?"
Liu Chen nodded slowly.
"You all know I'm living in Shuimu University. I have a roommate whose family is third-generation influential. When I mentioned buying land last time, she told me to buy this particular plot, as it's slated to become a technology industrial park in the future."
Upon hearing this, Liu Fang found it difficult to object further. She still viewed these third-generation influential people with a certain prejudice.
In Liu Fang's opinion, these influential individuals could make money flow into their pockets like water with just a slight flick of their fingers.
Chen Long, on the other hand, expressed some skepticism. After all, he had some experience with such influential families and had a general understanding of their ways.
"And you believe her just because she said it, and even borrowed a hundred million?"
Liu Chen sighed inwardly. As expected, this reason might fool her mother, but it wouldn't fool Chen Long.
"Alas, at this point, I can only be honest. This land auction wasn't originally my intention to participate in; it was to help her acquire the land. I borrowed a hundred million to buy land, build a factory, and hoard two more plots. I currently have over twenty million yuan transferred to me by her. Do you want to see?"
Saying this, Liu Chen took out her phone, opened the previous text messages, and scrolled up. Indeed, the bank balance notification showed over twenty million yuan in her account.
With these twenty million yuan displayed, Chen Long had little to say and instead comforted Liu Chen, "If she's giving you over twenty million, then the possibility of a setup is quite low. If it were a setup, a few million would have been enough."
Liu Chen nodded. "I have a handle on it. I didn't say anything before because I hadn't fully decided yet, and she also asked me to keep it confidential. Since it's out in the open now, Mom, Aunt, Cousin, would you like to pool some money together and buy a plot of land nearby?"
As soon as she said this, Liu Fen's eyes lit up. She had watched her younger sister get rich, then her second sister get rich, but she, who had been a teacher her whole life and saved diligently, would not have been able to prepare a wedding house for her son if she hadn't been jolted into action two years ago and taken out a loan to buy a house.
It was precisely because of these experiences that Liu Fen began to question the steady and cautious approach she had maintained throughout her life.
Perhaps, if she had been a bit bolder back then, her family's financial situation would be better now?
"Of course! My sister-in-law, I was planning to give the money for Brother Jiang Di to start his business, but now it's no longer needed. Ten thousand yuan, see what you can do with it. Just say the word, and Aunt won't even hesitate to do it!"
Hearing Liu Fen's words, Liu Fang's lips moved, and she finally sighed. "The money in the shop's account is all in this card. I checked it last time, and there was about twenty thousand yuan. The password is your birthday."
Seeing that her elder sister-in-law and her elder sister-in-law's elder sister were both contributing money, Hu Min also turned to look at Wang Dong.
Wang Dong, however, looked a bit troubled.
"It's almost the end of the year, and the workers are going to have their holiday. So I've used the money to buy raw materials, letting them work overtime to produce goods to sell to distributors during the Chinese New Year. We probably have about ten thousand yuan left in the account for emergencies."
Wang Dong expected that Minmin would be unhappy after he said this. After all, what Liu Chen was proposing sounded like a windfall, so naturally, the more money the better.
Hu Min, however, was not angry at all. She simply said, "Ten thousand is fine too, just like my sister Liu Fen, right?"
Finally, Liu Chen's maternal grandmother, Yang Shu, also contributed fifty thousand yuan, joining the venture. When she joined, she specifically explained to her two daughters, "I'll also take a share. Any profit from this share will be considered dowry and betrothal gifts for you two children in the future."
After the investment was settled, everyone at the table discussed the changes in the past year. Wang Dong was clearly the happiest, drinking half a bottle of Maotai with Chen Long at the dinner table.
Seeing that he was about to slide off his chair onto the floor, Hu Min gently patted Wang Dong's shoulder and said, "Look at you, smelling of alcohol. Go take a bath. I'll sit here a while longer. I haven't seen my sister-in-law in a long time."
Hearing this, Wang Dong's eyelids drooped, and he used his hands to support himself on the table, trying to stand up. He mumbled, "It's okay, I can. Minmin, you can't manage two kids alone."
Seeing Wang Dong like this, Liu Chen secretly exchanged a smile with her aunt, then comforted him, "Uncle, there are so many of us sitting here. Do you think my aunt can push two strollers back alone? Besides, we all live in the same building."
Perhaps because he had been drinking, Wang Dong's brain reacted slowly. After Liu Chen finished speaking, he nodded and sat back down in his chair.
A little while later, Wang Dong finally got up, bowed towards Liu Chen, and mumbled, "I'm counting on you."
He then straightened up and staggered towards the door. Aunt Hu Min quickly got up to help Wang Dong, and only after seeing him into the elevator and pressing the floor button did she return.
Liu Chen was currently writing down everyone's contributions. Seeing her aunt return, she didn't pay much attention, assuming her aunt wanted to chat with her mother.
Just as she was thinking this, a hand appeared in front of her, with a bank card held between its fingertips.
Looking up in surprise, she saw her aunt smiling at her. Seeing her look up, her aunt asked with a chuckle, "What's wrong? Stunned?"
Liu Chen's gaze fell on the card, then she looked up at her aunt. "What is this?"
Hu Min slipped the card into Liu Chen's hand. "What what? A bank card! This card has one hundred and thirty thousand yuan on it, and it's registered under my name alone."
Liu Chen felt the texture of the card in her hand, feeling somewhat at a loss.
Liu Fang, however, reacted and quickly walked over to Hu Min, asking angrily, "Did that guy Wang Dong..."
Before she could finish, Hu Min chuckled and patted Liu Fang's shoulder. "Sister-in-law, what are you thinking? This is my private savings. When I quit my job due to pregnancy, the company compensated me. Wang Dong knows about it, but he always thought it was only ten to twenty thousand yuan, so I didn't say much."
Liu Fang looked at the card in Liu Chen's hand. "Over a hundred thousand yuan! If you don't say anything, and Wang Dong finds out later..."
Hu Min waved her hand. "Sister-in-law, don't even mention if he doesn't know. Even if he does find out, if a man loves you, even if he knows you have private savings, he won't say anything. Otherwise, if a man starts eyeing his wife's private savings, then that man is finished."
Liu Chen listened to her aunt's words but didn't believe them.
Her aunt, both in her past life and this one, was a bit of a love-struck person. Of course, this life, with the influence of her mother and herself, she had improved somewhat. Last Lunar New Year, she was still contemplating the idea of leaving the father and raising the child alone.
"Aunt, if you don't tell me the truth, I won't accept this money."