Chen Xiangyun sat on the ground, slapping her thighs with both hands, tears and mucus covering her face.
There was absolutely no sign that she was a college student studying in the provincial capital.
“Mom, you have to help me!”
Teacher Bai stood on the steps, her face livid. She slammed the enamel mug in her hand against the railing with a series of loud bangs.
“Get up! What kind of behavior is this?”
Chen Xiangyun stubbornly refused to move.
Old Chen squatted on the doorstep, his brows knitted tightly together.
Hu Yan and her husband, Chen Guangyao, and Chen Chun returned at that moment.
Chen Guangze asked, “Well, well. We just got rid of one, and now there’s another?”
Chen Guangyao also found it strange.
“Mom, Dad, why don’t we go check the ancestral grave? Maybe we’ve offended something these past few days.”
Teacher Bai sternly shouted at her daughter,
“Enough. Get up. Your brothers are all here.
“Now tell us again. What exactly do you want?”
Chen Xiangyun was in her third year of college. She was tall and slender.
Teacher Bai had always believed that a girl should have a career of her own, so she had sent her to a normal university.
Universities carried considerable prestige in those days.
After graduation, she could become a teacher or work at the education bureau. Both were promising careers.
Teacher Bai asked Chen Xiangyun to explain herself, but Chen Xiangyun just mumbled incoherently without actually saying anything.
Chen Guangze and Hu Yan were getting tired of standing.
Seeing that his little sister probably wouldn’t finish anytime soon, they found a long bench and sat down.
Chen Guangze pulled two White Rabbit candies from his pocket.
They each took one, eating their candy while watching Chen Xiangyun.
Looking embarrassed, Chen Xiangyun finally spoke so quietly that they could barely hear her.
“I have a boyfriend. We’re planning to get married.”
Old Chen had already been in a foul mood for days.
“Speak louder!”
Chen Xiangyun jumped and instinctively closed her eyes before repeating herself loudly.
“I have a boyfriend, and I don’t want to go to school anymore.”
Chen Guangming stared at her.
“Are you asking for our opinion?
“Or are you simply informing us?”
Chen Xiangyun stammered,
“I’ve already decided to get married.”
Chen Guangze narrowed his eyes.
“Where is he from? What does his family do?
“How did you two meet?”
Chen Xiangyun didn’t dare look at her brothers. She lowered her head and murmured,
“He’s from Tujia Slope. He works for a government institution. Sister-in-law introduced us.”
Hu Yan found it strange.
If this man genuinely wanted to marry Little Sister, why would he ask her to drop out of school?
Teacher Bai had apparently reached the same conclusion.
“Get married after you graduate. A woman needs to have her own career.”
Chen Xiangyun bit her lip, her voice barely audible.
“He said… he said women don’t need to study so much. We’re going to get married anyway, and I’ll be staying home to take care of the children.
“His job is good, and his salary is high. He can support me.”
Hu Yan nearly choked on her White Rabbit candy.
That line sounded remarkably similar to Zhang Qiulian’s way of thinking.
Chen Guangze’s expression darkened, and he crushed the candy wrapper in his hand.
“Your sister-in-law introduced him? What organization does he work for?”
Chen Xiangyun stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes.
“Sister-in-law introduced us. He’s very reliable. Stop asking so many questions.
“Mom, Dad, just tell me whether you can help me.”
Old Chen noticed his sons all looking at him and explained,
“Xiangyun says her boyfriend has connections and wants to invest… What was it called again?
“Oh, right. Stock trading. He needs money.
“She wants us to help her.”
Chen Guangze and Hu Yan frowned simultaneously.
It was obviously a scam.
Could ordinary people like them really afford to get involved in things like stock trading and investments?
Teacher Bai had already made up her mind that she disagreed.
She turned to Old Chen.
“Tell them how much money your daughter wants.
“Then tell your daughter exactly how much savings your father and I have.
“How did I end up raising such an idiot?”
Old Chen sighed and stood up from the doorstep.
“Xiangyun says she needs eight thousand yuan. She says her boyfriend has inside information.
“He guarantees it’ll make money and could increase tenfold.
“Once they make the money, he’ll marry her properly and make her proud.”
Seeing how bluntly Old Chen put it, Chen Xiangyun hurriedly explained,
“Mom, Dad, you don’t understand. This is a legitimate investment. We’ll get our money back in just three months.
“He said lots of people in the south have already gotten rich this way.
“We’re getting in early. We’ll become successful people in the future.”
Hearing this familiar sales pitch, Hu Yan sneered inwardly.
In her previous life, she had worked in Shenzhen and seen far too many scams like this.
“Inside information.”
“Guaranteed profits.”
No losses.
They preyed on ignorant people who were desperate to make money and climb the social ladder.
Chen Guangze laughed angrily.
Who was this guy?
How dare he try to scam his family?
“Come on, Little Sister. Tell me this man’s name.
“Where does he work? What exactly does he do?”
Damn it. Once he found out who the man was, he’d knock his teeth out.
But Hu Yan felt that this wasn’t a coincidence.
Zhang Qiulian hadn’t managed to take advantage of the Chen family, so now she’d switched to fraud.
Eight thousand yuan.
What a familiar number.
It was obvious that Zhang Qiulian wanted to trick that money out of them and get it back into her own hands.
The demolition news hadn’t even been officially announced yet, and these scammers were already making their moves.
Once the demolition was announced, there would probably be even more scammers coming to the village.
All kinds of schemes would come one after another.
“His name is Wang Mingxu. He told me to come home and tell my parents.
“He’ll come visit tomorrow.”
The expressions on the Chen family’s faces softened slightly.
At least he was willing to come and pay them a visit.
He hadn’t even shown his face yet and already wanted eight thousand yuan from them?
They certainly wanted to see what kind of person this so-called boyfriend was.
“Mom, Dad, Sister-in-law said Mingxu is a really good man. She said I’ll live a happy life after marrying him.”
The Chen family had developed an instinctive reaction whenever they heard the words “Sister-in-law.”
Hu Yan was no exception.
She gently tugged at Chen Guangze’s sleeve.
“What do you think Zhang Qiulian is really trying to do?
“I feel like this isn’t just about scamming those eight thousand yuan.”
Chen Guangze patted his wife’s hand.
“Yeah. He’s coming tomorrow, isn’t he?
“Let’s see what kind of bird has flown in.”
Lin Xiulan felt uneasy.
Back when the family had supported Little Sister through college, they had agreed that she would contribute her wages to the family for the first two years.
But now she was already a third-year student and suddenly wanted to quit.
What kind of nonsense was that?
“Little Sister, no matter what, you should at least finish college.”
Chen Xiangyun stomped her foot, clearly annoyed.
“Second Sister-in-law, what do you know? Once I make a fortune, won’t that be more impressive than simply finishing college?”
Old Chen’s face darkened.
“Let’s put everything else aside for now. The family just split up, and we don’t have that much money.
“Besides, this whole thing sounds ridiculous. Where have you ever heard of an investment that guarantees profit without any risk?”
Chen Xiangyun became anxious and was about to throw another tantrum.
Old Chen shouted,
“Enough!
“When that man comes tomorrow, we’ll ask him everything face-to-face.
“If he’s really as good as you claim, we’ll discuss it.
“If anything seems suspicious, forget about it.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“And one more thing. No matter what happens, you must finish college.
“You’ve studied for so many years. Did all that education go into a dog’s stomach?
“You don’t have an ounce of independent judgment.”
Chen Xiangyun was unwilling, but she could only give up for the moment.
The family returned to their respective rooms to rest, but no one truly fell asleep.
Everyone was thinking about the mysterious Wang Mingxu who would arrive the next day.
Was this so-called investment genuine or a scam?
Chen Guangze poured a basin of water, and he and Hu Yan soaked their feet together.
“Wife, in Shenzhen, there are plenty of people who lose everything trading stocks. Some even jump from buildings.
“From now on, whenever someone tries to get you into stock trading, don’t believe them.”