Uncle Wu's Family

Chu Chen nodded. "Uncle Wu, I'm planning to wait until tomorrow before telling Manager Zhao about this eared vase. How about leaving it at your place for now? I don't have a safe over there, so I'd feel a little uneasy."

As for why he was waiting until tomorrow to notify Zhao Qirui, it was because Chu Chen was afraid Zhao Qirui would think things had been completed too easily. He might assume Chu Chen had extensive connections and ask him to handle similar matters in the future, which would undoubtedly put some pressure on him.

After all, finding this eared vase had merely been a stroke of luck. It couldn't prove that Chu Chen had extensive connections, and in truth, Chu Chen's connections in the antique world were still quite limited.

"That's true, Xiao Chen. Now that you have money, why haven't you thought about buying a place of your own? It'd be more convenient to install a security system in your own home. As things stand, you can only buy a safe to use for now."

What Uncle Wu said made sense. The matter of buying a house really did leave Chu Chen conflicted. Now that he had his special ability, he would acquire more and more fine antiques, and the security of a rented place would soon prove inadequate. But if he bought a house now, a little over a million yuan wouldn't get him anything particularly good, and he was reluctant to settle for that.

After struggling with the decision for quite a while, Chu Chen finally decided to wait until after his trip to southern Yunnan. By then, he would decide based on how much money he had saved. For now, he could only buy a safe and make do with it.

Chu Chen gave a wry smile. "I didn't expect this at first. Who would've thought I'd make so much money in just a few days? But buying a house isn't something that can be decided in a moment. I'll buy a safe for now, Uncle Wu. Do you know anyone who sells safes?"

"You think I'm omnipotent or something? How could I possibly know everyone?"

Uncle Wu was both amused and exasperated. Then he changed the subject. "But I really do know someone who handles security installations. You came to the right person. Once we get to my place, I'll give you his number. Contact him yourself. Just tell him you're my nephew, and he'll know what to do."

Half joking and half flattering, Chu Chen said, "Ha, Uncle Wu, to me, you're like the All-Knowing Wanderer from Gu Long's martial arts novels. Whenever there's trouble, look for Uncle Wu. That's a golden rule I came up with after all these years."

Uncle Wu laughed. "All right, stop buttering me up. Hurry and wrap up this vase. Go home and ask your aunt to cook a couple of dishes. We'll have a few drinks together."

"Hey, why cook? Tonight, our whole family should go to that private restaurant and have a proper meal."

Uncle Wu glared at him. "Did you start throwing money around the moment you got a little cash? Looks like I'll have to get Xiao Ke to lecture you."

At the mention of Wu Ke, Chu Chen suddenly felt a chill. He remembered that when he had first arrived in Beijing, he still had plenty of little bad habits, like not washing his hands before meals. Wu Ke hated things like that, so whenever she saw Chu Chen, she would chatter endlessly beside him, lecturing him about all sorts of principles without stopping.

That alone was enough to drive Chu Chen crazy. And if he still hadn't corrected one of his little habits after several rounds, Wu Ke would not only keep lecturing him—she would also write warnings on his face while he slept. She did it so silently that even if Chu Chen stayed on guard, the moment he dozed off, he would wake up with his face covered in writing.

Wu Ke also knew exactly where to draw the line. She made sure Chu Chen knew how formidable she was without pushing him to anger, and she would usually act spoiled toward him as well. With all that combined, Chu Chen had no temper left at all. He was practically living by the rule of guarding against fire, thieves, and Wu Ke.

"Uncle Wu, hear me out first."

Hearing Wu Ke mentioned gave Chu Chen a headache. He smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Manager Zhao gave me a gold card this morning that gets me fifty percent off. More importantly, I wanted Grandma to enjoy the treatment of a leader for once. Please let me fulfill this wish."

The "Grandma" Chu Chen referred to was Uncle Wu's mother. Like so many mothers in Huaxia, she had spent her life giving to her children without asking for anything in return. Uncle Wu was extremely filial toward her, and she also liked Chu Chen very much.

After hearing Chu Chen say this, Uncle Wu became conflicted as well. He thought it over and finally had no choice but to agree.

"Just this once. There won't be a next time."

After carefully packing the eared vase, the two of them prepared to leave. Chu Chen suddenly remembered something and said to Uncle Wu, "Uncle Wu, sorry for the trouble, but could you take this eared vase home first? I forgot to turn off my computer when I came over. I have to go back and shut it down."

Before even Uncle Wu could react, he dashed out.

"That boy!"

*********************************

As soon as Uncle Wu reached home, Chu Chen arrived carrying bags of all sizes. Uncle Wu immediately grew angry. He wasn't angry that Chu Chen had brought them gifts; he was angry that Chu Chen had only just come into some money and was already spending it so lavishly. He had just been about to scold Chu Chen when Aunt Wu called to him from inside. Uncle Wu glared at Chu Chen and said,

"We'll settle accounts later!"

Carrying the things, Chu Chen entered with a silly grin. Uncle Wu's home was an old Beijing detached courtyard house, roughly one hundred and fifty to one hundred and sixty square meters. It had been passed down through the family and renovated a couple of years earlier. Though it wasn't as large as a siheyuan, it was more than spacious enough for the family.

It was precisely because Chu Chen had lived at Uncle Wu's home before and found it so comfortable that, after making money a few days ago, he had thought about buying a siheyuan someday too. Unfortunately, those houses weren't easy to buy. With his current capital of a little over a million yuan, he could only pay a tiny fraction of the price.

When he entered the house, Chu Chen saw Aunt Wu and Grandma watching television. From the sound, they seemed to be watching a comedy sketch, and whenever something amusing happened, the two of them burst into laughter.

"Grandma, Aunt Wu, I'm here!"

When the two women saw that it was Chu Chen, smiles appeared on both their faces. Aunt Wu complained, "That Old Wu really is something. He didn't even mention that Xiao Chen was behind him. By the way, Xiao Chen, what are you planning to do with all those bags?"

"I haven't visited in so long, so I bought a few things to show my respect," Chu Chen replied with a smile.

Grandma reproached him affectionately. "You child, are we outsiders? Why buy gifts? You should just come visit us more often. That would mean more than anything."

Chu Chen took out several boxes and said to Grandma, "Grandma, I didn't buy much. I got you the latest physical therapy machine. I heard it's good for your waist and legs. You often suffer from aches and pains, don't you? This thing is supposed to work well. I also bought you some food. Your teeth aren't very strong, so these are all things you can eat."

He then pointed at the other boxes and said to Aunt Wu,

"Aunt Wu, these are for you and Uncle Wu. I bought a physical therapy device for both of you too. The ones at the far end are donkey-hide gelatin. Didn't you say you sometimes get dizzy and have trouble sleeping? I asked a doctor, and this should be good for you. There are also several wild ginseng roots. You and Uncle Wu can take a little from time to time. Those bottles of Maotai are for Uncle Wu."

Looking at the piles of gifts on the table, Aunt Wu said worriedly, "All this must have been expensive. Child, did you have more money than you knew what to do with? All you know is how to waste it."

Chu Chen patted his chest and told them, "Grandma, Aunt Wu, don't worry. I'm a millionaire now too. This little bit of money is nothing."

Seeing their stunned expressions, he briefly told them what had happened over the past few days, then said, "Aunt Wu, you don't need to worry about Xiao Ke's tuition anymore either. I already told Uncle Wu that I'll pay it all. It's not as if my money is doing anything just sitting there."

"Xiao Chen, I don't even know how to thank you."

After hearing Chu Chen say this, Aunt Wu and Grandma didn't know what to say. Their eyes reddened. They had both been quite worried before.

Grandma naturally had no money to speak of, and Aunt Wu's maternal family no longer had any relatives or friends who could help. That left them relying on Uncle Wu to find a way. But they knew Uncle Wu had too much pride, so how could they not be anxious?

Now that Chu Chen had solved the problem of the money, they were overjoyed. At the same time as a weight lifted from their hearts, even the wrinkles on their faces seemed to lessen.

Chu Chen waved his hand. "We're family. There's no need to talk about thanking each other. Besides, without your help before, how could I have made so much money today?"

He opened the box containing the physical therapy device and said, "Now let's see how to use this thing. I heard from a friend that the model I bought is very effective, especially after long-term use."

Before he could begin teaching them how to use it, Uncle Wu came out of the room and said sternly, "Go answer the phone. Xiao Ke needs to speak with you."

Chu Chen knew Uncle Wu's temper and didn't take it to heart. He hurried off to answer the phone.

Seeing this, Aunt Wu grew angry and said, "Old Wu, what's wrong with you? Why are you treating Chu Chen like that?"

Uncle Wu said irritably, "What's wrong? Look at him! He just made a little money and he's already wasting it. All these things must have cost several thousand!"

Aunt Wu flew into a rage. "How is he wasting money? Xiao Chen is being filial and buying things for us. What's wrong with that? Besides, where else has he wasted money? Is paying your daughter's tuition also a waste?"

Grandma nodded repeatedly beside her, clearly agreeing with Aunt Wu.

"Then what about him saying he'd take us to a restaurant for dinner tonight? Wouldn't it be perfectly fine to eat at home? Why waste money eating out?" Uncle Wu argued, looking as though he had the stronger case.

After hearing him out, Aunt Wu became even more exasperated.

"Hey, Old Wu, there's something wrong with your thinking. Xiao Chen rarely gets the chance to invite us to a restaurant—how could that be wrong? Can the food at a restaurant be the same as what we cook at home? Besides, taking us to a restaurant is Xiao Chen's way of showing his affection. Old man, don't tell me you're uncomfortable because Xiao Chen is making more money than you?"

Grandma joined in from the side. "Exactly. Xiao Chen was only being filial, buying us some gifts and treating us to a meal. How did that become wasting money? It's rare for the child to be this thoughtful. If you think he's spending too freely, just talk to him about it later. Why did you have to act like that? You'll hurt the child's feelings."