Chapter 26

Chapter 27: A dinner with a scare but no mishap

His aunt shot his eldest uncle a somewhat reproachful look, seemingly blaming him for being even more impatient than she was and announcing Su Can's score ahead of time without keeping everyone in suspense.

"Look at your eldest uncle. Usually he's more serene than a bodhisattva, but today he's more impatient than anyone!" his aunt said with a conciliatory smile. In her eyes, Su Can was now an entirely different person.

Everyone laughed at her remark, while his eldest uncle looked rather uncomfortable.

His mother looked toward Su Can with a smug expression, and his father, Su Licheng, had considerable pride in his eyes. Even his elder brother had dropped that sour, stern expression. Thanks to his son, he could hold his head higher than ever.

His younger cousin Zeng Yuan's expression changed at once.

He had been about to mention the score of an older female relative on his mother's side, who was in Su Can's grade, to needle Su Can. But now that he had heard Su Can's score, he finally understood why his older sister had changed her usual attitude and started seeing Su Can in a different light. Though he had little grasp of secondary-school scores, getting over six hundred felt like scoring above ninety in every subject on his own exams. Naturally, he was both jealous of his older cousin and newly impressed by him. At the same time, he began worrying that without his protective shield, he would immediately become everyone's target, so his face fell instead.

"Over six hundred?!" His youngest uncle, Zeng Zhaoding, widened his eyes. "That's incredible!"

The high school entrance exam had recently become a hot topic in Xiahai City, so he naturally knew what a score of six hundred or so meant. Among the children of high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen whose scores he had heard discussed at recent dinners, only a few had scored over six hundred on their regular tests, yet they had already become the focus of those dinners. Although there had been no shortage of flattery from those around them, it was at least a sign of the distinction high scores brought. If you scored three or four hundred, no one would use that to flatter you even if you were the provincial Party secretary's son.

His most immediate point of comparison was that the director of the Bureau of Industry and Commerce's son had estimated his score at 540 a few days earlier, while his own nephew Su Can had actually scored roughly a hundred points higher. That was a huge departure from his impression of him.

"Why wouldn't he!" His aunt was the first to spring to Su Can's defense. "Didn't Zeng Ke tell us before? Su Can's been working very hard lately! He doesn't go out with Liu Rui and those other boys at night anymore. He stays home reading and doing practice papers. I told you, Su Can's such a clever young fellow. If he puts in a little more effort, what can't a boy accomplish? He's got plenty of potential!"

"Is that even possible? His grades used to be so bad. How could they suddenly get so good!" His older cousin still turned away with an unconvinced look, her gaze toward him carrying a measure of doubt. How had this younger cousin, whose usual grades she considered too dreadful to look at, crossed the six-hundred-point threshold in the blink of an eye-and with a high score of 645 at that? Could it really have been his revision before the entrance exam? What kind of revision could be that amazing? She still felt somewhat unsettled and could not readily accept it in so short a time.

"Can you drink? Have a glass?" His eldest uncle, Zeng Qu anming, actually raised his glass and gestured toward Su Can. That took the whole family aback.

Zeng Zhaoding sighed. The boy's score was simply too astonishing. No wonder even Zeng Qu anming was no longer holding that broken ashtray against him. He really had not expected this. Zeng Zhaoding knew his elder brother well: when had he ever taken the initiative to offer someone a drink and invite them to join him?

Even among his superiors and peers, very few could get him to initiate a toast. On several occasions, even the leaders at his workplace had taken the initiative to clink glasses with him to avoid an awkward silence, leaving them somewhat displeased.

This was another way in which Zeng Zhaoding thought his elder brother was inflexible. He was so capable-if only he could be a little more tactful in his dealings with people and stop being so aloof when drinking with his superiors, who would have any complaints about him? Wouldn't his career shoot straight upward?

His father, Su Licheng, still hesitated a little. "He's still young. He should go easy on the alcohol..."

But Su Can simply picked up the bottle of Wuliangye his eldest uncle had opened, filled his glass, and drained it in one gulp.

No matter what, he had to drink this glass with his eldest uncle.

Everyone froze, not expecting Su Can to be so forthcoming. His eldest uncle was briefly taken aback as well. Normally, he hated seeing the younger generation drink, but for some reason, he felt exceptionally cheerful today. In an unprecedented display, he gave a gratified, grating laugh and drained his own glass.

The whole family stared blankly, barely reacting. His eldest uncle almost never laughed, yet today he had done so for once. Though the sound was harsh and unpleasant, it was enough to leave the entire family somewhat shaken.

"Breaking that ashtray last time saved me from losing two hundred thousand." His eldest uncle set his glass down on the table and finally said it, a remark that was rather startling at this dinner table.

"Ah!" His aunt, who had not spoken much with his eldest uncle and was hearing about this for the first time, was so frightened that her legs went weak.

"What?! Two hundred thousand?!" Though his youngest uncle, Zeng Zhaoding, had always liked using business matters to needle his eldest uncle-such as saying that one month of his salary equaled three months of his brother's-he was stunned now. Two hundred thousand was no small sum in those days. In Xiahai City, at least, it was enough to start a company, and taking over his toy shop in its entirety would cost about that much.

All that talk of hundreds of thousands flowing in and out had only ever concerned his boss's money, with little connection to his own finances.

"Never push things to the limit. An overdrawn bowstring snaps; complacency brings shame!" Seeing everyone's astonished faces, his eldest uncle cleared his throat. "The same principle applies to stocks. After Su Can smashed my ashtray that day, I kept turning it over in my mind these past few days: should I sell the stocks I held or stay put? In the end, I decided to sell early. Luckily, I sold and settled things early. Starting last week, stock prices fell sharply! Several of the stocks I held dropped. I did a rough calculation. If I were still holding them, I'd probably have lost nearly two hundred thousand!"

Only then did the family recover from their alarm. They now understood why his eldest uncle had chosen somewhere as upscale as the Kailai Hotel for their gathering: he had made a handsome profit on stocks. The celebratory atmosphere immediately grew stronger, and Su Can's parents were even more delighted. It turned out that when Su Can had accidentally broken his eldest uncle's ashtray last time, it had prompted Zeng Qu anming to think deeply and ultimately make a sound judgment that avoided the risk. Although his eldest uncle had made the actual decision, the boy's inadvertent mistake deserved an important share of the credit.

His youngest uncle, Zeng Zhaoding, also raised his glass to celebrate with the family, but secretly glanced at Su Can in the process. His impression of Su Can shifted a little again. He had never expected the boy to have this kind of ability.

Thinking of Su Can's excellent entrance exam score and how he had now indirectly helped his eldest uncle, his parents could not hide their delight. His father, Su Licheng, repeatedly toasted his eldest uncle, and the two actually became quite enthusiastic as they traded drinks. Zeng Qu anming, who normally looked down on Su Can's father, found him much more agreeable today. He repeatedly told him and Zeng Ke to take good care of Su Can. The boy had a bright future ahead of him, and the whole family would share in his distinction.

Su Can silently counted himself lucky. He had not expected things to happen so suddenly. He had originally thought the stocks would tumble along with the broader market when the floods came, and only then would his eldest uncle lose money. Who knew that individual stocks would differ? The few his eldest uncle held were the sort to soar in a short time and then plunge. Through his own accidental intervention and his eldest uncle's obliging flash of insight and subsequent action, they had avoided the risk. Otherwise, his eldest uncle would have suffered a crushing loss before the floods even came and threw the stock market into chaos.

"I'm not planning to keep putting money in, either. Now that I've made such a large sum, I'll take some out to support Zeng Ke's stationery business. Besides, the broader market is falling now. I'll watch for a while before deciding. Even if I trade stocks, I'll put in no more than a hundred thousand..." When everyone asked him more about stocks, his eldest uncle spoke with a clear head. Unlike his youngest uncle, who could hardly wait to put money in and have his eldest uncle trade for him as soon as he heard how profitable it was, he remained levelheaded. These words temporarily put an end to his youngest uncle's plans as well.

During the meal, his sharp-eyed youngest uncle spotted several important city officials and wealthy businessmen at nearby tables and hurried over to make the rounds. Afterward, several Xiahai City businessmen at a table farther across, who clearly knew his eldest uncle too, came over with their glasses. Such rounds of social calls were perfectly commonplace.

His eldest uncle had already drunk quite a bit with his father and was in very good spirits. Buoyed by the alcohol, he also went over to their table and drank a toast to Lei Li, the deputy mayor in charge of commerce, planning, and construction whom they had invited, leaving Deputy Mayor Lei Li taken aback.

His eldest uncle was notorious as a stubborn pedant, who took liberties on the strength of his talent and thought little of anyone. Yet this time he broke with all precedent and said several pleasant things. Besides, among the city's leaders, Deputy Mayor Lei Li was the one his eldest uncle respected most, though he seldom said so.

Lei Li was already surprised enough that his eldest uncle had taken the unprecedented step of approaching him with a toast. At the last selection of outstanding employees at their government offices, he had been the one to champion his eldest uncle, only for the man to respond with indifference and the arrogance of a model worker, leaving Lei Li displeased for quite some time. The contrast of his eldest uncle initiating a toast today actually made him feel flattered and overwhelmed. That a deputy-department-level deputy mayor should feel this way before a full-section-level director of the construction office would sound laughable if word got out.

Finally, carried along by the drinking, Zeng Qu anming said, "What I admire is that proposal of yours for citywide reform!" It struck right to Lei Li's heart. This was also the boldest undertaking of his political career. He was proceeding gingerly, under immense pressure. Plenty of people around him flattered him, and plenty opposed him too.

In all this time, nothing had felt quite as reassuring as those words from Zeng Qu anming, who ordinarily thought little of anyone.

Having seen another side of Zeng Qu anming for the first time, and recalling his professional abilities, Lei Li quietly took note after that day's dinner. Though Zeng Qu anming was somewhat stubborn, perhaps the two of them would get along quite well. Moreover, he was a capable fighter when it came to work. It would be a pity to let him remain overlooked.