52: Chapter 52 Parents' Reactions

"Haha, I really am a bit hungry. But... is today some kind of anniversary? Why is it so lavish?" Qin Jianye's eyes widened as he looked at the table full of delicacies, then at Wu Xiuhua, a look of curiosity on his face.

Wu Xiuhua shook her head with a smile and replied, "It's no anniversary. I'm just happy, so I'm making an exception and letting you have some wine today."

"No, you're definitely hiding something from me!" Qin Jianye put down the chopsticks he had just picked up, his brow furrowed as he pressed seriously, "What was the emergency when you called me this morning? Don't tell me you won the lottery?"

Wu Xiuhua gave a mysterious smile and didn't answer directly. Instead, she used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of rib and placed it in Qin Jianye's bowl. "Come, try your favorite Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs first, and then I'll tell you the good news."

Immediately after, Wu Xiuhua unscrewed the cap of the liquor bottle and poured a small half-cup of baijiu for Qin Jianye. "Today is a good day, so I'll let you drink a little."

"So mysterious!" Qin Jianye said, picking up his chopsticks to take the rib from his bowl. But before it reached his mouth, he asked, "By the way, did our son call? How are things going between him and that girl Su Mo?"

"Oh, just eat! See if my cooking skills have gotten rusty!" Wu Xiuhua urged with a smile.

Qin Jianye gave a helpless smile before finally putting the rib in his mouth to chew. He then said with a satisfied expression, "Mmm... sweet and sour, tender but not greasy. My wife's skills are absolutely superb!"

After speaking, Qin Jianye impatiently picked up his glass, took a sip, and added, "Mmm... smooth on the palate, a treat for the throat! Good wine!"

Wu Xiuhua burst into laughter at Qin Jianye's exaggerated display.

"Tsk, what do you mean 'good wine'? What kind of good wine can you get at the town supermarket? I even picked the expensive one, and it was only eighty-odd yuan."

"What's wrong with eighty-odd yuan? When I just got back, Old Yan from the bridge entrance invited me to his house to drink some 'Dream of the Blue,' saying his son bought it for him and it costs several thousand a bottle. I'm telling you, that wine isn't as good as this eighty-yuan stuff!" As Qin Jianye spoke, he picked up the glass again and took a small sip.

"Hey, don't just drink! Eat some food!" Wu Xiuhua placed more food into Qin Jianye's bowl. "Was that Old Yan showing off in front of you again? Don't take it to heart. He's just jealous of you. He's jealous that you used to be a boss, and now that you've fallen on hard times, he comes to ridicule you to feel superior."

Qin Jianye shook his head and smiled. "I won't lower myself to his level. Right now, I only think about making more money so that you can live a better life sooner."

"Mmm, I heard from his wife that their son seems to have passed the civil service exam for the city and is working in the Tax Department. Can he afford 'Dream of the Blue' just after starting work? Could it be a bribe?" Wu Xiuhua speculated curiously.

Qin Jianye shook his head and laughed. "We don't know about that. Who knows? Maybe his dad is just bragging. What does Old Yan know about 'Dream of the Blue'? Maybe he's using 'Ocean of the Blue' just to save face?"

Wu Xiuhua nodded and smiled. "Mmm, that's true."

Qin Jianye ate a few bites of food, remembered his previous question, and put down his chopsticks to look at Wu Xiuhua. "Let's not talk about them. Quickly, tell me what the good news is. Why the four dishes, one soup, and wine?"

Wu Xiuhua gave a mysterious smile. "Take a guess..."

"Don't tell me our son and that girl Su Mo have made up?" Qin Jianye guessed.

"Pah, pah, pah! Don't jinx it! If that were the case, could you call it good news? That Su Mo is not a good woman. She was with him when our son had money, but as soon as our family had trouble, she turned cold. It's a blessing our son isn't with a woman who despises the poor, loves the rich, and is so vain! Otherwise, no matter how much money our family has, she'd squander it all!" At the mention of Su Mo, Wu Xiuhua's face immediately filled with disdain.

"Hey, look at you. Aren't all girls like that nowadays?" Qin Jianye didn't think much of it and replied with a smile.

Wu Xiuhua immediately retorted, "What do you mean 'all like that'! Why wasn't I like that? You didn't have money when you were young either, and didn't I follow you devotedly anyway?"

Qin Jianye recalled his youth and teased, "Heh heh, that's true! But back then, I was handsome, dashing, and elegant..."

Wu Xiuhua narrowed her eyes and rolled them at Qin Jianye, urging, "Oh, alright, alright, stop being so full of yourself! Keep guessing!"

"Then I can't guess it. If it's not the lottery and it's not our son getting back with his girlfriend, what other good news could there be?" Qin Jianye shook his head like a rattle and simply gave up, picking up his chopsticks to go for the ribs again.

Wu Xiuhua gave a mysterious smile, looked out the door to confirm no one was there, and then lowered her voice. "Our son called me this morning and said he's coming back today!"

Qin Jianye looked puzzled and asked, "If he's coming back, he's coming back. University is on break now, and he has nowhere to stay in Mo City. Where else would he go if not home? Is it really worth being so mysterious? You even made me guess!"

"Hey, let me finish. Our son said that he didn't spend all the pocket money we gave him before. He saved some and bought something called bitcoin!"

"bitcoin?" The chopsticks Qin Jianye had just raised were put down again. He stared at Wu Xiuhua and continued, "I know about that stuff; it's a virtual currency. But that's not legal in our country. Where did he buy it?"

Wu Xiuhua continued to respond in a low voice, "He said he bought it through overseas channels. Oh, stop interrupting and let me finish!"

"Fine, fine, fine. You talk, I'm listening!"

"Our son said that since he's a finance major, he wanted to see if this bitcoin could actually make money. He didn't expect to get stuck as soon as he bought it. That's why he didn't dare tell us before. However, just yesterday, he said the market for bitcoin took off. Our son sold everything he had bought. He said he not only got his principal back but also made a huge profit—enough to pay off all our family's debts!"

Qin Jianye swallowed hard and looked at Wu Xiuhua in shock. Then, he picked up his glass and downed the remaining wine in one gulp before saying, "Is it true? How much did he make?"

"Of course it's true." Wu Xiuhua nodded with certainty. "I didn't ask exactly how much he made. I felt it was better not to say too much about this kind of thing over the phone. However, our son did want to transfer part of the money to us first, but I didn't agree."

Qin Jianye stood up in excitement and paced back and forth, unable to hide the smile on his face. "Mmm, you were right to disagree. Our family's current financial situation might already be under the watch of those debt collectors. Let's wait until our son gets back and ask him properly."

As Qin Jianye spoke, he remembered something and hurriedly picked up his phone, opened the browser, and tapped quickly with his fingers.

Wu Xiuhua leaned over and asked curiously, "Hubby, what are you doing?"

"I'm checking that bitcoin. I want to see if the market really took off like our son said..."

"What's there to check? It's not like our son would lie to us."

Qin Jianye's phone was a bit laggy. While waiting for the page to load, he said, "I'm just worried our son might have gone astray. If it's really as he said and the bitcoin market took off, making a fortune is fine since it's abroad and not illegal. But if there was no market move and he brings back a huge sum of money, could you really be at ease?"

"When you put it that way, it does make sense!" Seeing the page still hadn't loaded, Wu Xiuhua got a bit anxious. "This piece of junk phone of yours is so slow. We'll get you a new one once we have the money."

After another ten seconds or so, the search page finally appeared.

Coincidentally, just as Qin Yi had said, the bitcoin market really did move yesterday—it surged eight hundred times overnight!

Qin Jianye almost jumped with excitement. "Heavens! It's true! Our son really made a fortune!"

Wu Xiuhua stood by his side, quietly watching her husband's excited state, a happy smile appearing on her face.

The two looked at each other for a moment and both began to laugh happily. However, as they laughed, tears began to stream down both their faces.

...

After a long time, Qin Jianye said with gratification, "He truly is my, Qin Jianye's, son. This vision of his takes after his father!"

Wu Xiuhua sat down across from him, her eyes red but her face smiling as she teased, "Oh, stop being so vain. Oh, by the way, our son also said he doesn't want you going out to work anymore. And that welding job, don't go back there either. This afternoon, you stay home and think carefully about what our family should do next."

Hearing this, a flash of loneliness appeared in Qin Jianye's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by joy. He nodded, a self-deprecating smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Mmm, even if I wanted to go, they wouldn't want me anyway, saying I'm too old... Hmph, now even if they begged me to go, I might not be willing!" At this point, he tilted his chin slightly, showing a hint of stubbornness.

"Then what were you doing all morning?" Looking at him, Wu Xiuhua felt both pity and the urge to laugh. She gently took Qin Jianye's hand, her voice filled with concern.

Qin Jianye sighed softly and recounted his experiences from the morning.

His brow was tightly knit, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness. "Companies nowadays are truly heartless. I worked hard there all morning, only to be told they didn't need me. In this world, there's really nowhere to go for justice..."

After hearing this, Wu Xiuhua took a deep breath and squeezed Qin Jianye's hand tightly to give him support. "Sigh, forget it. At your age, you're indeed not suited for that heavy labor anymore. I think you could perhaps return to your old trade, or see what plans our son has. We'll support him fully and help him out."

After listening, a light of contemplation flickered in Qin Jianye's eyes. He nodded slowly and said in a deep voice, "Mmm, I'll give it some more thought."

...