Petrochemical Family Residential Area.
"Holy cow! I'm not seeing things, am I? Was that Lao Tan who just drove by? How did he get out of a BMW? And from the driver's seat?"
"You're not seeing things, it's Lao Tan. His son must be back, that BMW is probably his son's car."
"Is his son really making that much money? Last year, I remember it was a Passat. How did he switch to a BMW in just one year?"
"What's so strange about that? His son's company's electric vehicle advertisements are even on CCTV, and they hired a big celebrity as an endorser. Could they do that if they weren't making money?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Lao Tan has been cautious his whole life and never became an official. The year before last, everyone was still laughing at his son. Who would have thought that in less than two years, things would change so dramatically?"
"If you ask me, there's nothing wrong with boys being a bit mischievous. If his son hadn't pulled that stunt the year before last, how would Lao Tan have the chance to drive a BMW now?"
"Yeah, and they bought a new house near Linghu Park, it's quite expensive. This is all thanks to his son."
"Speaking of benefiting, it's their youngest daughter who benefited the most. She was born into a good life; I heard her formula is all imported, all taken care of by her older brother."
"Why don't you say this youngest daughter is the lucky star of the Lao Tan family? Didn't you see how the Lao Tan family changed dramatically after she was born?"
"Haha, you're right about that. Why don't you go back and make one with your wife too?"
"Forget it. I know what kind of person my eldest is; all he does is bury his head in books. It'll be good enough if I don't have to step in when he looks for a job in the future."
It was no longer a secret in the petrochemical family residential area that Tan Lihua's eldest son had made a fortune in business.
After all, the residential area was only so big, and everyone worked for the same unit, so news spread quickly.
From their sudden disappearance in the summer of 2003, Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng became frequent topics of discussion in the petrochemical family building.
Then last year, Tan Jincheng drove back in a Passat, which also sparked a round of discussion.
And after entering 2005, the changes in the Tan family further fueled discussions.
First, people heard they bought a big house near Linghu Park, then their son drove back in a BMW in the middle of the year.
Later, it was heard that Lao Tan poached two colleagues from the sales department to his son's company.
The stream of news was overwhelming.
The most shocking thing was the rumor that spread later, from who knows where, that his son's company made "little electric donkeys" (electric scooters), and their product ads were even on CCTV!
It was hard to imagine how a 20-year-old kid, all by himself in another city, managed to build such a large business and even sold the company's electric vehicles in his hometown!
Tan Lihua came back mainly to inform his leader about Tan Jincheng's return and to inquire about some issues Tan Jincheng was concerned about last night, to see if he could help.
As an intermediary, the leader should know more than he does.
By the way, it's unclear when it started, but after the news that Flashride Technology was his son's company spread in the petrochemical plant, the leader's attitude towards him became much more polite, and even taking leave became much easier.
However, it was precisely this politeness that made the always cautious Tan Lihua even more careful.
For something like today's matter, a phone call would actually suffice, but Tan Lihua still chose to notify in advance, visit in person to inquire, and even brought a small gift.
Human relationships are reciprocal: if you treat me politely, I'll treat you politely.
Then in the future, if you have something embarrassing, it'll be hard for you to ask, and even if you do, I can refuse.
Middle-aged Tan Lihua basically had no desires or ambitions left in his career.
His eldest son didn't need him to worry, but he also couldn't constantly cause him trouble.
Retiring peacefully and raising his daughter with his wife was the driving force for the rest of his life.
——
"Tomorrow? I don't have anything tomorrow, it should be fine."
"Okay, I'll be there on time. Has Lao Zhang been notified? Oh, he's going too, then it's fine."
"I haven't gotten up yet, I got home last night."
"Alright, that's it then. We'll talk when I get there tomorrow."
The call was from Chen Shuyi.
She was entrusted by the class monitor to ask Tan Jincheng if he was available to attend the class reunion the day after tomorrow, which was the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month.
Tan Jincheng thought about it and realized he didn't have much planned before the new year, so he agreed.
Besides, Zhang Xupeng was also going.
But why didn't that kid tell me he was going to the class reunion?
He checked the time; it was already past nine.
Tan Jincheng quickly got up; he still had to drive his uncle and aunt back home later.
After Tan Jincheng got dressed and left his room, he saw his uncle, aunt, and mother sitting in the living room watching TV and chatting.
"Mom, why didn't you wake me up?"
Tan Jincheng said, a little embarrassed.
He had promised to drive his uncle and aunt back last night, but he ended up sleeping until 9:30.
Since they were going home so late this year, they must have been anxious.
"I was going to wake you, but your uncle said to let you sleep a bit longer. You probably got tired driving for over 10 hours yesterday. But if you didn't wake up soon, I was going to call you,"
Zhang Suzhi said, glancing at her son.
"It's fine, I often drive like this when I'm on business trips. Uncle, just wait a moment, I'll wash my face and we'll leave right away."
"A moment won't hurt; let's leave after you've had breakfast."
"Mhm, let's eat breakfast before we go. Both of you, tell me again, is that girl really that pretty?"
Zhang Suzhi hadn't gotten any information from Tan Jincheng last night, so this morning she continued to ask Zhang Qingliang and his wife about Gu Qingqing.
"Yes, she's tall. I've seen her a few times. At the company's annual party, she even toasted with Jincheng. She's beautiful and graceful, a good girl,"
Wu Lamei said with a smile.
"Yes, this girl is very sensible. Jincheng opened a few online clothing stores, didn't he? I heard she's managing them now, which means she's very capable,"
Zhang Qingliang chimed in.
"Ah? That girl is managing those stores? I didn't know that, that's quite impressive then!"
Zhang Suzhi said excitedly.
Speaking of Taobao stores, she knew them very well.
Currently, there were four Taobao stores, each earning at least 20,000 yuan a month.
When business was good, the four stores together could bring in over 100,000 yuan a month, especially in recent months, sales had risen significantly.
To be honest, with an income of over 100,000 yuan a month, Zhang Suzhi didn't even know how to spend all that money.
She just didn't expect that this girl was managing them.
It seemed she wasn't just beautiful, but also very capable.
Unconsciously, Zhang Suzhi developed a considerable liking for Gu Qingqing, whom she had never met.
Beautiful, well-educated, and capable—such a girl would make an excellent daughter-in-law!
"If you ask me, elder sister, you're worrying a bit too early. Jincheng is good-looking and so capable, do you still need to worry about him not finding a wife? You're really something,"
Wu Lamei teased, cracking sunflower seeds.
"When your Wenzo graduates, you'll be just like me,"
Zhang Suzhi said, glancing at her sister-in-law.
"Wenzo is still young. With his grades, he won't even get into high school. He'll only be fifteen or sixteen when he graduates, why should I be anxious?"
Wu Lamei pouted.
"It's okay, next year I'll find a way to get him to study in Beicang, and hire a few tutors to give him extra lessons. If he really can't get into high school, I'll still find a way for him to get a high school diploma, don't worry."
Tan Jincheng came out of the bathroom, heard their conversation, and casually interjected.
As soon as Zhang Suzhi saw her son come out after brushing his teeth, she quickly got up and went to the kitchen to bring out the breakfast she had prepared.
Breakfast was very simple: fried dough sticks, porridge, and some pickled vegetables.
His uncle had avoided the tragedy of his previous life.
The little cousin, who hadn't experienced a major upheaval, was still the same lively, mischievous, and academically struggling child as before.
If things continued at this pace, his uncle and aunt's worries were not unfounded.
Since he had changed his uncle's tragedy, he naturally had to help them solve this "side effect."
Fortunately, Zhang Wenzo was only 11 years old now.
Getting him to study in Beicang, hiring some tutors for supplementary lessons, and arranging special training was still manageable.
Wu Lamei said happily,
"Really? That's great! We'll be waiting for your good news then."
"Yes, don't worry. I have some connections in the district now, so getting a child into school won't be a problem. But Auntie, it would be best if you listened to me and bought a house in Beicang. Then you can move Wenzo's household registration there, which will make things even more convenient."
"If you don't have enough money, I can lend it to you. You can just slowly pay me back with your earnings."
Zhang Suzhi just came out of the kitchen and, hearing this, said,
"No need. If your uncle needs money to buy a house, he can just take it from me. Besides, there are your other uncles and your father's brothers. If help is needed in the future, we will handle whatever we can."
Zhang Suzhi thought this way: her son had become successful, and it was impossible to keep it a secret from relatives forever.
At the very least, changing cars every year when returning home couldn't be hidden, not to mention driving two new cars back this year, both reportedly very expensive.
Zhang Suzhi understood the saying, "The poor in a bustling city are unnoticed, while the rich in remote mountains have distant relatives."
In the future, many relatives would surely seek out her son, and doing nothing at all would certainly be unreasonable.
She had discussed it with Lao Tan last night.
Anyway, the income from the Taobao stores was substantial.
In the future, if relatives came looking for help, as long as it was a request they could handle and not too excessive, they would help their son fend them off, saving him the trouble.
"Oh, then Uncle, you should buy a house next year when you go. The earlier, the better. Housing prices will definitely rise in the future, especially in a big city like Yongcheng. Trust me, you won't regret it. Maybe in the future, your salaries won't even increase as much as the value of the house."
Tan Jincheng understood his mother's intention; she was trying to shield him from trouble.
Parents truly are one's best backup.
"Houses in Beicang are much more expensive than in Yicheng. How about we buy in Yicheng instead? That way we can buy a bigger one."
"You don't live in Yicheng, what's the point of buying there? Listen to me, you won't go wrong. If you want to return to your hometown in the future, you can sell the house in Beicang and still be able to buy one back home."
"Alright then. But we don't know much about buying houses, so we'll have to trouble you when the time comes."
"No trouble at all. Just prepare the money, and I'll handle the rest for you. Just get a down payment ready, about 100,000 yuan should be enough. If it's not enough, borrow some from my mom."
(End of Chapter)