China is really vast, and customs vary greatly from place to place. For example, in some southern provinces and cities, there's a particular tradition regarding birthday celebrations: men celebrate their birthdays "close" to the actual date, while women celebrate the full birthday. It's quite simple—men celebrate just before their actual birthday, and women celebrate on the exact day. For instance, when a man turns sixty, he would celebrate at fifty-nine, but a woman must wait until she is fully sixty.
However, in Bingcheng, people tend to just celebrate the birthday outright, without following these customs.
This year, Jiang Hai's uncle is turning sixty. In today's society, sixty isn't considered particularly old, and many people don't even bother celebrating. Yet, Jiang Hai's uncle chose to hold a celebration—after all, sixty is a formal retirement age.
That morning, his family dressed in new clothes and coats, then headed to the hotel they had booked, waiting for guests to arrive. Instead of hosting the party at home, they chose a hotel venue.
Jiang Hai's uncle has two daughters, both married to businessmen, so naturally, they had many friends. Aside from Jiang Hai's relatives and his aunt's relatives, there were quite a few people in attendance—about six or seven tables. Early arrivals played cards or mahjong, while others chatted.
The party was scheduled to start at 11:30, and Jiang Hai really didn't want to come. He wanted to be punctual, but Qi Li had other ideas.
Jiang Hai wasn't close to his relatives, but as a daughter-in-law, Qi Li felt obliged to arrive early. Jiang Hai originally considered coming alone, but he knew it would be awkward without her.
In the end, Jiang Hai and Qi Li arrived at 11:00, driving Qi Li's car. Upon arrival, the host, who was a friend of He Yue, warmly greeted them. Jiang Hai and his friends were familiar with him.
After exchanging pleasantries, they entered the lobby and paid the customary gift money at the entrance. Jiang Hai intended to give 500 yuan. Though their family wouldn't necessarily return it, Qi Li still felt uncomfortable about such a small amount. Jiang Hai sealed a red envelope with 2,000 yuan, albeit reluctantly.
As Jiang Hai and Qi Li stepped inside, many heads turned—not so much to Jiang Hai as to Qi Li. She was truly beautiful. Wearing expensive clothes and exuding the air of a poised, confident female CEO, she was the undeniable center of attention.
Men admired Qi Li's stunning looks and perfect figure, even bundled in winter wear. Women scrutinized her outfit, handbag, and jewelry—then sneered upon realizing these were likely high-end fakes. To them, a single piece might be genuine, but an entire outfit like that had to be counterfeit.
If Qi Li knew what they thought, she would have laughed.
Jiang Hai's relatives also noticed them. Jiang Hai caught sight of them from a distance but avoided interaction. Instead, he went straight to his uncle, wished him a long life, introduced Qi Li briefly, and then found a corner to quietly nibble on melon seeds.
Qi Li had no interest in engaging with the relatives, so she sat beside Jiang Hai and chatted about the restaurant.
"Hey brother, I heard from Sister Yue that you're in Dubai. Didn't you have time to come back? How did you find the time?" A girl in her twenties approached with a young man. She smiled at Jiang Hai while the boy kept his head down, glancing nervously at Qi Li. Compared to Qi Li, the girl's aura and appearance were lacking.
Her name was He Rui, Jiang Hai's second uncle's daughter. She was 23, just graduated, and reportedly working for a medical device company. The boy with her was her boyfriend, the heir to that company.
Though medical device makers don't have much prestige, they do make good money—especially those connected to the government. For example, a heart stent might cost the factory just over 300 yuan in materials and labor, but domestically it sells for 12,000 yuan, and imported ones cost even more. Insurance doesn't cover it, but patients must buy it anyway.
Still, no matter how profitable their business is, they couldn't compare to Jiang Hai and Qi Li. Qi Li's company, Qi's, has a market value of around 20 billion yuan, with a 7 billion yuan increase this year alone. The Qi family controls over half of it, more than 10 billion yuan, and Qi Li herself holds at least 3 billion yuan.
She's a legitimately wealthy woman, though there's still a gap compared to Jiang Hai.
In just one year, not counting Jiang Hai's land, he sold cattle for 1.3 billion yuan, found sea treasure, and gained 2 billion US dollars in oil futures. His assets easily total at least 20 billion yuan—not including the land value of his manor.
And when he goes fishing next month, his wealth should increase further. By his estimate, it might double.
"The day before yesterday was when your aunt moved the grave, so I had to come back," Jiang Hai said calmly.
He Rui was a little speechless but still wore a disdainful expression. They all knew Jiang Hai moved the graves for his parents. He Xia had notified them, but only she went. They considered Jiang Hai useless—so why bother acknowledging him?
Everyone pretended ignorance, but no one said this openly.
Jiang Hai's comment killed the conversation immediately. He didn't want to talk to her anyway. What was there to say?
"Hey, cousin, right? I'm Dong Jian, Xiao Rui's boyfriend. Where does your cousin work? This should be your sister-in-law!" He Rui, feeling suffocated by Jiang Hai's silence, nudged Dong Jian to speak.
Dong Jian smiled and said, "Oh, I'm a cattle breeder. This is your sister-in-law." Jiang Hai didn't even glance at him and simply sipped his tea. Dong Jian frowned—Jiang Hai was arrogant!
Still, he pressed on, "Is raising cattle profitable these days? I heard you only make about 1,800 yuan per cow after a year of hard work. It's not worth it. Why not try working at my company? You'd start at 3,000 yuan a month, plus commissions. If you do well, as family, promotion to manager won't be a problem."
In Bingcheng, a college graduate making 3,000 yuan monthly with commissions is typical. Jiang Hai's age might make that unlikely, but 3,000 plus commissions was tempting to many office workers. If business was slow, salaries could be 5,000 or 6,000 yuan. Exceptional performers might even earn tens of thousands.
"Hubby, he doesn't want you raising cattle anymore—he wants you to work for him. So funny," Qi Li laughed, understanding why Jiang Hai didn't want to come.
"Uh, sister-in-law, what's so funny?" Dong Jian asked, surprised.
"It's not that I look down on you or your company, but my husband shouldn't work for you," Qi Li replied seriously when Dong Jian asked why. These people really were something else.
Dong Jian's expression soured. The conversation died again.
"Hey, brother's here! Xiao Rui too! Brother, weren't you in Dubai? Why are you back?" Their savior appeared: He Yue, the youngest daughter of Jiang Hai's uncle. She came with a man older than Jiang Hai and immediately teased Jiang Hai as she sat down, as if she already knew everything about his Dubai trip.
According to Jiang Hai's routine last year, it was obvious he had money to travel and play, which was ridiculous.
"Didn't you hear what your sister said? If she didn't say it, just pretend I didn't," Jiang Hai said, shaking his head. No point explaining when everyone decided he was lying.
"Dubai, brother? You're bold to say that. I checked—it costs over 30,000 yuan for two people to go there. If you had that money, you'd live well with your sister-in-law. We're family; we all know each other. Don't say things like that again." He Yue said smugly.
"What?" Jiang Hai thought she was talking nonsense, but Qi Li raised an eyebrow. She didn't realize Jiang Hai's standing in his family was so low. Just as she opened her mouth to defend him, Jiang Hai squeezed her hand.
Feeling his touch, Qi Li's heart calmed. She'd been overthinking. She saw how these people had long targeted Jiang Hai—probably ever since his mother passed. She recalled that she had once been like them. Thinking this, Qi Li held Jiang Hai's hand tighter. Sometimes, people hurt others unintentionally—but for these relatives, it wasn't so unintentional.
"But you don't have the chance to go anyway. My husband and I decided to go on our honeymoon. Thirty-five thousand is a lot for an average family, but not for us, right, husband?" He Yue said, looking at Shang Ming with a smile.
Shang Ming was looking at Qi Li—not openly, but as if recalling something. When He Yue called him, he snapped out of it, not having time to care about his silly girlfriend, and carefully approached Qi Li.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Qi from Qi's?" Shang Ming asked with extreme caution.
"Oh? Do we know each other?" Qi Li didn't want to talk to him, since he came with He Yue, but she was surprised he recognized her. She had few acquaintances in Bingcheng, especially from someone like Shang Ming.
"Oh no, we don't really know each other. I've been to your restaurant and once ran into you in the hallway. I introduced you to Director Zhang and others. You must be forgetful and don't remember me. I'm Shang Ming, owner of Shanghong Real Estate. We have a reputation in Bingcheng, but we can't compare to Qi's." Shang Ming immediately switched to full flattery mode with a sly grin.
He Yue, He Rui, and Dong Jian nearby were stunned. This was completely different from their plan to mock Jiang Hai. What was going on?
The three exchanged confused looks and glanced at Shang Ming. Could he be mistaken?
"Boss Qi?" another voice exclaimed. He Xia's family arrived.