Chapter 48: Money, Willingness, and No Calculations

Words : 1696 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 48: Money, Willingness, and No Calculations“Dad, why are you still going to work?” When Lu Liang returned home, he saw his father riding a motorcycle and wearing work clothes, coming back from outside. His father worked at a mold factory, and Lu Liang had a vivid memory of it. From when he was little until now, his father always came home covered in oil and dirt after work, sometimes even needing to work night shifts. “There’s an urgent order at the factory. Once I’m done with it, I’ll resign and quit,” his father said with a smile as he pushed the motorcycle into the yard. He grabbed the water hose to rinse his head and washed his face with soap. He had worked at this factory for over twenty years, and his boss had always treated him well. He felt it was important to finish things properly. “You two are something. One’s off to work, and the other’s out. You don’t even know how many people have come by the house today,” his mother said while carrying a basket of vegetables. Though she was complaining, the smile at the corner of her mouth revealed her joy. The most common thing she’d heard today was “Your son is truly capable,” a phrase every parent loved to hear. “Poor people are ignored in the bustling market; the rich have distant relatives even in the mountains,” his father suddenly sighed. Although he wasn’t home, he had received calls from relatives he hadn’t heard from in years. Lu Liang was surprised. With his father’s awareness, it would be much harder for friends and relatives to ask for money in the future. “Mom, stop cooking. Let’s go out for dinner tonight, and then we’ll go out for a walk.” It had been many years since Lu Liang had gone out with his parents, and they had never ridden in his car. His mother was tempted, but thinking about the meal already being prepared, she said, “Let’s wait for next time.” “After Dad’s birthday, I’ll be going back to Magic City. I won’t have much time after that.” Lu Liang persuaded her again, and his father finally agreed, “Alright, leave it for tomorrow and make porridge.” His parents went back to their rooms to wash up and change into their new clothes. Lu Liang felt a pang in his heart when he saw the clothes. He recognized them as the ones bought two years ago when he got married. They were still new, as if they had never been worn, but the white collar had started to yellow from being stored. Sёarch* The ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When they got into the car, his parents were careful, sitting upright, afraid to touch any buttons and break something. “Dad, you drive. Just take it easy, you’re an experienced driver. Don’t tell me you’re not confident?” Lu Liang let his father drive while he sat in the back with his mother, explaining the car’s features. He instilled the idea in them that the car was just an object, not something to worry too much about. Even if something broke, it could be repaired. The family of three went into the city and had dinner at a decent-looking restaurant. Then they went straight to the city’s largest shopping mall. Lu Liang bought several sets of clothes for his parents, a watch for his father, a gold bracelet for his mother, and two Apple phones. Although Apple phones had poor signal, they were user-friendly for older people and didn’t automatically download a bunch of apps like Android phones. The total cost was over 100,000 yuan in two hours. The most expensive items were the watch and the bracelet, but it was the best money Lu Liang had ever spent in his life. On the way back, his father drove the car, now more comfortable and less stiff than before. When they reached a fork in the road, heading left towards Luhe Village, Lu Liang suddenly said, “Dad, let’s go to Jinya Yuan.” In rural areas, there were no large-scale residential areas. Developers usually built a few buildings and named them after gardens or courtyards. The apartment Lu Liang bought was in Building B of Jinya Yuan on the fifth floor. When his parents heard that he had bought a house on his trip, they were both stunned. “Do you have too much spare money and no place to spend it?” his mother scolded. “It wasn’t expensive,” Lu Liang smiled nonchalantly, leading them upstairs. “Besides, the new house won’t be ready for a year. Should I stay in a hotel when I come back next time?” ????ἈΝꝊ????Εš His father, being reasonable, nodded. “If you bought it, then it’s bought. It’s better than wasting money.” He glanced at his wrist, where he wore a plain metal watch worth 48,000 yuan. Had his parents not intervened, Lu Liang had originally planned to buy a 580,000 yuan watch for his father’s birthday. “Your dad has good taste. People in Magic City are all buying real estate now. It’s 5,000-plus yuan now; in a few years, it might go up to 10,000 yuan.” “You’re talking about Magic City. Can our little town compare to a big city?” His mother sighed and said no more. After all, the house was bought, and it was better than spending money on other things. The 120-square-meter apartment had simple ceilings and walls done. Inside, there was just a table, some chairs, and the leftover food from Lu Liang’s lunch. His mother was immediately reminded of old habits and started sweeping. Lu Liang and his father were sent to the balcony. His father suddenly asked, “Have you thought about your future?” “What do you mean by future?” Lu Liang asked. “Your work, we don’t understand it, and we can’t help you. What we can do is not cause you trouble and not let others in the family bother you. But for family… you’re not young anymore.” Lu Jiancheng smoked his cigarette. He was still smoking the cheap soft-white sand brand; he didn’t like the soft-medium cigarettes. He always thought they didn’t have enough strength. Last night, the couple stayed up all night discussing Lu Liang’s business problems. They had decided to turn a blind eye and not interfere. But family was always on their minds, and they couldn’t ignore it forever. “Let it be. These things can’t be forced.” Hearing this, Lu Jiancheng felt guilty but didn’t press further. Back when Lu Liang married Lin Wenjing, it had a lot to do with the pressure from his parents. After years of long-distance matchmaking, he had probably just gotten tired of it and married someone “good enough.” But in the end, forced marriages don’t turn out sweet. “Dad, if I don’t want to get married, even if you put a knife to my neck, I won’t do it.” Lu Liang laughed, looking carefree. Those were all past issues, like failed investments—nothing too serious. The next day, Lu Liang took his father’s driving license and went to the Volvo dealership in the city. He bought a Volvo XC60 for 439,000 yuan as a birthday gift for his father. When he brought the receipt home, his mother was ready to complain, but Lu Liang gave a reasonable explanation. “The distance between the two places is over 500 kilometers, and it takes at least six hours to drive back each time. If we have a car, I can take the high-speed rail next time, and Dad can drive Mom around.” His mother was convinced, and his father had no reason to refuse. Men, no matter how old they get, can never resist cars. Last night, Lu Liang had noticed his father fondly caressing the steering wheel. His eyes looked at it the same way Lu Liang looked at Li Manli when she wore her swimsuit. He couldn’t bear to look away. Wednesday was Lu Jiancheng’s 55th birthday. Lu Liang had booked a small private room at Zhenhai Tower. He then played the role of the chauffeur, first taking his parents and grandparents to the restaurant, then going to pick up his brother-in-law’s family. Lu Ya’s suggestion wasn’t unreasonable. His grandparents were still alive, and his father wasn’t too old, so a small family gathering was enough. While his parents and grandparents chatted, his two nephews ran around the table, and Lu Liang, Lu Ya, and Luo Haitong chatted. “Look at the design, how many floors do you want to build?” Lu Ya hadn’t been idle these past few days; she’d visited several professional construction companies and gotten a few sample designs. Their old house was run-down but covered a large area, with 255 square meters, including the small yard. Lu Liang immediately chose a three-and-a-half-story house with a front yard: “Let’s build this model.” The house design included 85 square meters for the front yard, a lawn on the left, and stone pavement on the right. The main building would be at the back. Lu Ya smiled, “I thought you’d like this one. The cost is 900 yuan per square meter.” Building the house wasn’t expensive, but the decoration was. The construction cost for a 170-square-meter building with three floors and a half was only a little over 530,000 yuan, but the decoration could cost anything from a few thousand to millions. Lu Liang transferred 500,000 yuan to Lu Ya, and then sent a cigarette to Luo Haitong: “Brother-in-law, I’m still working in Magic City and can’t help much. I’ll leave it to my sister.” Luo Haitong, a simple man, smiled and said, “We’re family, no need to be polite.” The birthday banquet was a pleasant one. Because there was someone in the family who was rich, willing to spend, and didn’t care about the cost. A family with one such person would always have a harmonious atmosphere.

Chapter 48: Money, Willingness, and No Calculations

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