Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 184 Gossip

"When was the last time you came back? You’re quite tight-lipped, making so much money without a peep, did you bring anything nice for your parents when you returned?" The aunt spoke with a sunflower seed shell in her mouth, rattling on like a machine gun.

Jiang Yuan knew he should say less at times like this, the more you say the more mistakes you make, who knows how it will be twisted after some processing, so he just smiled and gestured with open hands that he didn’t bring anything.

"You child, not to criticize you, how can you come home without bringing something? Oh, you’re driving a Benz now, yet reluctant to buy your parents some nourishing supplements?" ƒrēenovelkiss.com

The other spat out a shell and chuckled: "Get it, nothing beats directly giving money when it comes to purchases, right? If my brother were half as capable as you, I’d be living it up!

This time back, how much are you planning to give your parents? It must be tens of thousands at least, raising you to become a college graduate, how much money and effort did it cost..."

Song Yuexiu had just fed the chickens, preparing to knead dough for making noodles at noon, when she heard a chatter at the door.

"No need for jokes, aunt, don’t you know him? Earn one, spend two, now and then scoop some from us, this car is clearly secretly driven from the boss!"

Upon going outside to see, she realized it was her son who had returned, with an obviously expensive car parked at the door immediately chiming in with complaints: "Coming home without even a call, you secretly drive the boss’s car back for what? Can you afford to pay if it gets scratched or bumped?"

While complaining, Song Yuexiu pulled her son, patting off the dust, "Look at the clothes you’re wearing, still bought two years ago, not even clean or fashionable. If you tidied up your dress, sweetened your mouth a bit, you’d have found someone in the company long ago. You earn a little money daily and don’t know where it goes, can’t even afford decent clothes.

What’s the use of driving your boss’s car? It’s not yours, can you find someone by relying on someone else’s car? Not focusing right!"

Upon hearing this, the aunt glanced up and down, indeed the clothes and shoes don’t even match the branded stuff of her own son, no gold chain around the neck or large gold watch on the wrist, even the phone in the pocket revealed cracks on the screen.

The gossip enthusiasm dwindled instantly, she munched sunflower seeds, circled the car, shading her hand to peer through the glass inside, indeed empty without even a leather bag, she snorted: "Driving the boss’s car, huh? Be careful, these cars are precious, if scratched or dinged, it’ll cost quite a bit!"

Song Yuexiu nodded vigorously, with some helplessness, turned to open the big gate, "Drive into the courtyard, leaving outside might let some mischievous kids scratch it, your monthly three thousand salary can’t afford to compensate."

Once the car was parked in the courtyard and the iron gate closed, the aunt went off to find card-playing friends, chirping, "Young folks these days, too vain. Jiang Yuan barely graduated college, earning only three thousand a month yet dares to drive the boss’s Benz. Do you think if he secretly drove it back and got found by the boss, would he be fired?"

"Secretly driving back, or stolen?"

"Can’t be stolen, haven’t you seen those short videos saying, very expensive cars have locators on them."

"Jiang Yuan is doing fine, the boss lets him drive means trust, the village’s fool just bought a thirty-ish thousand car, his cousin even hesitates to drive it for a date."

"Fine as hell! Coming home didn’t even buy a carton of milk, have you seen his clothes still worn from college days."

"Hardly any family in the village still lives in those red-brick houses like his, if doing well, would have long had the money to rebuild a house and talk marriage..."

......

With the gate closed, Jiang Yuan couldn’t hear the outside chatter, scanning the still old red-brick house he knew from childhood, mother keeping it clean yet appearing dilapidated under neighbors’ comparison.

Pushing back some years, his family was considered middle class in the village.

Grandpa was capable and willing to endure hardship, back then, built the first batch of fancy brick houses in the village, from Jiang Yuan’s memory still recalling those blue-gray surface bricks with soil inside old houses, newspaper glued on soil walls they slept by, narrow wooden gridded windows without glass, pasting window paper come winter.

Later, parents left him home and went to work in the town, earned money to upgrade the house, using sand and tiles to make patterns by the walls.

According to their plans, growing up needing marriage, the money would be saved to build an even grander house as a new home.

But plans hardly catch up with changes, money accumulated from farming and odd jobs, upon grandpa diagnosed with cancer and unwilling to give up, vanished without a splash leaving some debt.

In these years, the whole family scrimping, paying off debts first whatever garnered, no strength left to build costly new houses costing twenty or thirty thousand.

"Wait and see, driving back such a car, after lunch, folks will be visiting borrowing money." Song Yuexiu washed him an apple, wiped water stains on her apron, quietly asked, "You wired us twenty thousand without a word last time, didn’t you say you’d switched to a new job? Now what exactly are you doing?"

Jiang Yuan knew family couldn’t help, always concealing distress to prevent further worries, certainly wouldn’t mention closing companies often.

Though having money now shouldn’t be always stashed away frugally, he stuck to pre-planned excuses, vaguely saying: "Once in college I mentioned learning some craft from others, remember? Actually, it’s learning handcraft incense making.

Now my incense quality is very good and sells well, plus partnering with friends to sell some fruits, so I have quite a bit of spare money now."

Parents hadn’t much education, also unfamiliar with new age networks, as back in junior year, with funds accumulated for computer assembly, learned editing, couldn’t explain over the phone, simply said learning some craft from others.

Unexpectedly useful now.

Indeed, hearing he’s legitimately making money, Song Yuexiu instantly relieved, "I see TV talk about heritage culture lately, some films specially show folks climbing mountains for herbal incense making, is what you’re doing similar to that?"

"Yes, almost, but our stuff is more genuine, using better materials and effects, so it’s more expensive."

"Don’t tell villagers, just say still working in the company for three thousand a month." She warily peeked outside, "Your dad went to pull fresh spinach, should return soon, tell him too, be discreet going out.

Villagers aren’t like before, used to envy others having, now it’s resentment toward others who have.

Like Lu Kui contracting land for fruit and free-range chickens, remember him? Worked hard two years, spring raised chickens sold online streamed, earning fifty-sixty thousand overnight.

His dad bragged, drank and boasted about his capable son, earning five-six thousand overnight, monthly could buy a villa. Next day, chickens were poisoned most dead!

Lu Kui fretted white-haired almost hung himself, investment hadn’t recovered, quarreled with dad at home these days, police report couldn’t find the culprit. Villagers mostly good, can’t stop some jealous of others who have, putting a leg is hardship enough!"

Jiang Yuan’s garlic peeling paused, originally considering finding decent land for modernized little estate, let parents enjoy some good life. Seemingly not feasible now, at least not around hometown.

If someone gets envious of a good life here throws in some poison, defenses are futile!

Follow current novℯls on f(r)eewebnov𝒆l