The Origins of the Banquet

Zhuang Xin looked at the swift-moving Zhuang Wanshu and gave a wry smile.

It was not that he was being polite; he truly did not need it.

With his current wealth, developing Biyue Bay Beach would be more than affordable.

Besides, he owned more than fifty percent of Doushi. If he truly needed money, he could cash out through the stock market.

"Enough, enough. Zhuang Xin is probably just thin-skinned. After the banquet, everyone will prepare a sum of money for you! But don't think that once this money is given to you, it is yours. You have to pay it all back. Keep track of every amount. If someone else encounters trouble in the future, however much they gave you today, you must repay them in full someday!"

"Of course, if you are incapable and spend your whole life accomplishing nothing, this money will be given to your son! The family will raise your son, and when his generation comes around, it will all begin again." Zhuang He finally showed a trace of seriousness.

Zhuang Xin hurriedly nodded.

He did not know the Zhuang family's rules, but after hearing them out, he more or less understood.

Then, Zhuang He explained a few more things to Zhuang Xin and gave him a small gift.

Once he was finally done, Zhuang He told Zhuang Xin to find something to eat and look around.

Zhuang Wanshu introduced him to many people. Aside from some Zhuang family members from Juncheng, there were relatives who had gone to other provinces and some who had only recently returned from abroad.

Most of the Zhuang family treated him quite well.

But there were still one or two who seemed to have it out for Zhuang Xin, though he had no idea why.

"Those people from earlier had disputes with your grandfather over certain matters back then. Don't take it too seriously. Their businesses are no longer in Juncheng. Most are in other provinces or overseas, so you won't have any dealings with them."

Soon afterward, Zhuang Tong scampered over to Zhuang Xin with a mischievous look, pouting as she muttered, "Zhuang Xin..."

"Hm? What is it?" Zhuang Xin looked at the utterly unreserved Zhuang Tong in confusion.

"It's... it's nothing much. I've been having too much fun lately, so my dad froze my card. Could you lend me some money? I'm going out with my sisters tonight. Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back."

Seeing Zhuang Tong looking at him with such a pitiful expression, Zhuang Xin felt the warmth of this place and stopped being so reserved. He took the bank card from his pocket and tucked it into her bag. "Take it. Get home early, and don't make your parents worry."

"Hehe, okay! Thanks, Zhuang Xin." With that, Zhuang Tong skipped away.

Zhuang Xin shook his head and took out his phone to scroll through videos.

As time ticked away, the final part of the event finally arrived.

Great Grandfather Zhuang He stepped onto the stage, cleared his throat, and said, "We began calling everyone back half a month ago. I'm sure you all know why!"

He smiled at the people below the stage and continued, "Everyone knows the Zhuang family's rules! To ensure that none of the Zhuang family's descendants ever fall into poverty and ruin, the Zhuang family has had its own ancestral teachings since the Qing dynasty, passed down to our generation! Everyone here has ancestors who once fell on hard times, and it was the family that paid to help them rise again! This is everyone's home, and everyone's final refuge! It is the place that lets us all stand at the top without falling, the place that makes outsiders fear us!"

Listening to Great Grandfather's speech, everyone naturally understood what this was about!

They all began nodding, without the slightest impatience.

Zhuang He knew that if he talked too long, people would grow impatient.

He quickly explained what had happened.

And so...

Someone stepped forward and placed a slip of paper on the stage!

"The Zhuang Lan lineage: one jade shop valued at three million!"

After the first person went up, the second also took out a slip of paper and placed it on the table.

"The Zhuang Mu lineage: two million in startup capital!"

"The Zhuang Ying lineage: a batch of jade items valued at five million!"

"The Zhuang Fei lineage: valued at..."

"Zhuang Sun..."

"Zhuang Hong..."

"Zhuang Jia..."

One name after another was read aloud by Zhuang He.

Various storefronts, all kinds of goods, and substantial startup capital were all recorded in the ledger, item by item.

At last, the final person took the stage.

She was a fiery woman in a bright red gown, a slender cigarette between her lips and dark crimson lipstick on her mouth. She glanced back at Zhuang Xin, then tossed a sheet of paper onto the table!

"The Zhuang Ruoxin lineage will donate three hundred million in startup capital!"

As soon as those words fell, everyone present froze.

Within the family, it had always seemed that Zhuang Ruoxin was dissatisfied with Zhuang Xin, and people often heard her complaining about him.

Yet the person who donated the most was Zhuang Ruoxin!

Zhuang Ruoxin merely snorted coldly, gave Zhuang Xin no pleasant look, and walked off alone to pick up a glass of red wine and sip it quietly.

"Steward, come calculate the total. How much is it altogether?"

A kindly elderly man with glasses stepped forward, calculator in hand. After tallying all the assets in the ledger, he said, "The total value of the businesses is five hundred million, the total value of the goods is nine hundred million, and the startup capital is one billion eight hundred fifty million..."

"The grand total is three billion two hundred fifty million!"

Even Zhuang Xin was somewhat dumbfounded when he heard that figure.

"Alright, but Zhuang Xin, I still need to remind you that this money will not be given to you now! Only after you achieve a certain degree of success with the contracts the family gave you earlier will it gradually be handed over to you! If you do not meet the family's expectations, the money will remain under the family's management and be given little by little to your son or grandson!"

Looking at the expectant eyes of most of the people present, Zhuang Xin knew that most of them genuinely hoped he would succeed.

Whenever a family member fell into decline, it meant they would have one less source of hope to help them rise again in the future.

After he nodded solemnly, everyone else smiled and came over to congratulate him.

"Zhuang Xin, work hard from now on and build a real career! Don't disappoint your brother-in-law."

"Zhuang Xin, don't be like my daughter, who only knows how to go out and spend money. You can definitely do it!"

"Zhuang Xin, the entire family stands behind you. If you still cannot turn things around with such an excellent start, then don't enter the ancestral graveyard in the future. I'd be afraid you would be too ashamed to face your grandfather."

Zhuang Xin shook hands with them one by one and agreed to it all.

Then Eldest Sister Zhuang Wanshu came over and said, "Alright, that is more or less settled. I'll take you to see Zhu Zuo. I heard you handed the project over to him but still have not paid him! General Manager Zhu has been covering the costs for you. Even if you two are close, you can't waste favors like this!"

"Oh, right..."

Zhuang Xin nodded. He had nearly forgotten about it.

A little while later, Zhuang Wanshu had the driver bring a car around and park outside.

After the two got in, they drove toward Zhu Zuo's company.