The woman glanced at her daughter going upstairs and said with a smile, “Ruirui is still young and doesn’t know any better. Please don’t mind her!”
Fu Bin gave an awkward smile but said nothing else.
The woman was deeply displeased inside. When she said her daughter didn’t know any better, that was just being polite—but he actually took it as an admission and said nothing to contradict it.
“You just sit here and wait! I still have things to do, so I’m heading upstairs first.” The irritated woman no longer wished to engage in pleasantries.
Fu Bin stood up and politely saw her off: “Of course.”
After the woman went upstairs, Fu Bin let out a deep sigh. Just then, the auntie brought him a glass of water.
He took it, thanked her, took a sip, and set the cup down, his face etched with deep exhaustion.
His name was Fu Bin, twenty-one years old, taking his mother’s surname. His father was the master of this house, Wen Honglei.
They were originally from a mountain village in Hebei Province. Twenty-two years ago, before he was even born, his father had gone off to serve in the military—and never returned.
His father had remarried elsewhere, claiming the marriage back home had been arranged. Both his mother and he had been abandoned.
His mother was a strong woman. She raised him alone, and later, by chance, learned news of his father—that he had become an official.
She made a decision: she would go find him. Not for herself, but for her son. She didn’t want her son to remain a poor country boy.
So three years ago, after much searching, they found Wen Honglei. His mother didn’t cry or make a scene. She made only one request: that he arrange a job for her son—and it had to be in Shanghai.
The demand that it be in Shanghai was purely to leave room for negotiation. Who would have thought Wen Honglei would agree outright?
Both mother and son were somewhat surprised at the time. Only later did they learn the reason: his wife had given him only a daughter, and due to health problems, could no longer bear children. That was why he agreed so readily.
Wen Honglei’s current wife naturally resented acknowledging Fu Bin, but since she truly couldn’t bear more children, she had no choice but to agree—on one condition: he could not take the surname Wen, and no one could know he was Wen Honglei’s son.
As for changing his surname, neither Fu Bin nor his mother cared. As for keeping it a secret, they agreed to that too.
All they sought was a job. If not for that, they wouldn’t have come looking for Wen Honglei at all.
Fu Bin got a job in Shanghai as he’d hoped. His mother, having no work and mindful of the high cost of living, returned to their hometown, leaving Fu Bin alone in Shanghai.
At first, he was anxious and uneasy. Gradually, he began to adapt—and gradually, his heart began to change.
He no longer hated his father, nor his father’s wife. Instead, he began to ingratiate himself with humble flattery.
Wen Honglei had only one son, so he treated Fu Bin well—even making plans for his future.
And the first item on that agenda was to find him a wealthy wife.
The candidate for that wife was Cheng Junyi.
At first, he had refused. Her family were capitalists, and the current climate was unfavorable. Though her family was “red,” he knew there were stains on their record, so he declined.
But having met her today, he felt a faint stirring in his heart. He also knew that the old master of the Cheng family had passed away, and she was now alone.
If she was alone, then if he married her, the Cheng family would effectively have no one left. Whether they were capitalists or not wouldn’t matter much anymore.
She might not be able to give him a better future, but she could give him a better life. After all, the Cheng family was enormously wealthy—even after donating their fortune, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.
“Honglei, you’re back!”
Auntie’s voice pulled Fu Bin’s thoughts back to reality, and he immediately stood up to look at Wen Honglei.
Wen Honglei was forty-five, with a broad, square face and thick, dark eyebrows, giving off a deceptive impression of simple honesty.
He spotted Fu Bin the moment he walked in, set his bag down on the sofa, took a seat, and said with a chuckle, “What brings you here today?”
Fu Bin sat back down and organized his words before speaking. “Dad, about that Cheng family you mentioned last time—I’ve agreed.”
Wen Honglei didn’t respond right away. Instead, he gave his son a scrutinizing look.
“Didn’t you refuse outright last time? Why the change of heart today?”
“She went to the supply and marketing cooperative today. I saw her.”
A doting smile spread across Wen Honglei’s face as he teased, “What, so you’ve taken a liking to her, have you?”
Fu Bin’s face flushed slightly, and he gave a small nod.
Wen Honglei let out a sigh, however. “If you’d agreed earlier, there’d be a good chance of making this happen. But now…”
“What’s wrong?” Fu Bin asked urgently.
“Now that Old Master Cheng has passed, it’ll only work if the girl agrees on her own.”
Fu Bin was baffled. He didn’t understand why it would be harder now that the old master was gone.
Seeing his confusion, Wen Honglei explained, “A person’s dying words carry a lot of weight.”
“Before Old Master Cheng passed, he entrusted quite a few people to look after his granddaughter. Not everyone has kept that promise, but some have. If we try to force his granddaughter now, we could stir up considerable trouble.”
At that point, he fixed his gaze on Fu Bin. “Unless you put in the effort yourself—win the girl over so she follows you willingly. Then there’s no problem.”
Hearing this, Fu Bin closed his eyes in defeat. “It’s too late.”
“How could it be too late?” Wen Honglei looked puzzled.
“She’s going to the countryside.”
At that, Wen Honglei sat up straight and asked sternly, “How do you know?”
“Today, a female comrade at the supply and marketing cooperative was trying to set her up with someone, and she said it herself.”
Wen Honglei’s expression darkened. Though he’d told his son to pursue her himself, that was just to encourage him to be more attentive—he had no intention of truly stepping back.
The Cheng family had donated their wealth, and some members had even taken a portion away, but those were only the visible assets and savings. The true Cheng family treasure had never been touched.
He knew about the treasure through a hereditary servant of the Cheng family, and he wasn’t the only one who knew—several others were in on it as well.
And everyone was biding their time, searching in secret.
Now that the rest of the Cheng family was in Hong Kong, leaving only the girl here, she was the breakthrough point. Whether she knew the treasure’s location or not, she was still a Cheng, and there was always a sliver of hope of finding it through her.
But with Old Master Cheng barely gone and her already preparing to go to the countryside, the timing was suspiciously quick—almost as if she were fleeing.
No, she absolutely could not be allowed to leave Shanghai. Only with her under their watchful eyes could there be any chance of uncovering clues.
With that thought, Wen Honglei looked at Fu Bin and said, “You head home first. I’ll handle the matter of her going to the countryside.”
Seeing his father’s grim expression, Fu Bin nodded in agreement and left.
Cheng Junyi had no idea that someone was trying to stop her from going to the countryside. Thinking ahead to having to cook for herself from now on, she was following the steps in a cookbook to learn how to stir-fry—the book was one her mother had collected before the apocalypse.
Because of Spiritual Qi Recovery, everyone practiced cultivation and no longer cared much about food. Once they reached Foundation Establishment, they even entered Bigu, so many people no longer knew how to cook delicious meals.
But Mom was different. She believed that as long as one was alive, good food was indispensable—otherwise, even immortality would lose much of life’s joy.
She was already a gourmet herself, and the books she had collected were all given to her daughter, which came in handy just at the right time.