CHAPTER 183: CHAPTER 183: LEAVING A HANDFUL

Luu Juan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, work isn’t tiring, but if you made me retire early, I’d be bored to death."

Luu Juan and Xia Weiguo both worked at the same textile factory. They held mid-level positions that weren’t overly exhausting and earned a monthly salary of 4,000 Yuan.

"I don’t mean for you to be idle," Xia Liang said, waving his hands. "I want you to do things you love."

Hearing this, Luu Juan and Xia Weiguo exchanged a look before turning to Xia Liang, completely baffled. "What do you mean?"

Xia Liang stroked his chin. "For instance, Dad, you like fishing, right? When you resign, I’ll invest in a fish pond. You can manage it, and we’ll charge a fee—say, an hourly rate. People can take home whatever fish they catch. You could invite all your fishing buddies. Working for yourself is much better than working for someone else."

"This... Won’t it lose money?"

Obviously, Xia Weiguo was tempted, but he was still afraid of losing money.

"How could it?" Seeing his father’s interest piqued, Xia Liang quickly pressed on. "Dad, you have connections! You know how obsessed your fishing friends are. We’ll hire a professional to handle the planning and operations. We’ll definitely make a profit."

His only goal was to let his parents live a carefree life doing what they enjoyed. He wasn’t worried about losing money; after all, he could earn it all back with a single choice from the system.

"Well, that’s true..." Xia Liang’s words reminded Xia Weiguo. He knew those fishing buddies would go out in any weather, rain or shine, as long as they had the time.

The most extreme example was a man named Old Wang. Once, during a downpour, everyone urged him to go home. But he stood his ground in the storm, refusing to leave and ranting, "I’m not going! I only get to fish once a week! If I leave now, it’s a total loss, right? I’m going to fish a little longer!"

His words were exasperating, but they perfectly captured the passion of these fishing enthusiasts.

Seeing that his father was moved, Xia Liang turned to Luu Juan. "Mom, didn’t you always want to open a small shop? I know you’re worried about the hassle, so how about we open a small supermarket? You can manage it yourself, do what you love, and earn money. Why wouldn’t you want that?"

"This..."

Clearly, the suggestion had tempted them both. These were dreams they had once considered for their retirement.

But to do them now... wouldn’t that be too rushed? Besides, these two ventures would cost a pretty penny. It wasn’t something you could start without spending at least several Yuan.

Xia Liang spoke of it so casually, as if he were just toying with the idea. But then they remembered the account balance he had shown them yesterday—a full 700 Yuan!

Luu Juan hesitated again. "Son, you have 700 Yuan in savings right now. To do these two things, I figure it’ll cost more than ten Yuan. We’re worried you might need the money for an emergency. Why don’t you save up a bit more? We can talk about it again when you have over a thousand Yuan."

Hearing this, Luu Qi chimed in from the side. "Auntie, Uncle, my cousin has much more than that. He just didn’t want to scare you."

"Really?" The two of them widened their eyes. That was already 700 Yuan, and he had more?

"Really! If you don’t believe me, ask him."

Although Luu Qi didn’t know the exact amount of Xia Liang’s savings, she was certain it was more than seven hundred Yuan. To say it was in the hundreds of millions wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Seeing his parents turn to look at him, Xia Liang quickly nodded. "Yes. I was afraid of shocking you. Showing you the 700 Yuan yesterday was already a lot, and I was worried you couldn’t handle it."

"This..."

Xia Weiguo and Luu Juan exchanged another look, ultimately deciding not to probe any further. They trusted their son and knew he wouldn’t deceive them about this.

Both of them finally nodded. "We’re getting old! It seems we really are. Let’s just listen to our son!"

"Mhm."

Seeing his parents agree, Xia Liang finally broke into a smile. "Alright then!"

Grinning, Xia Liang pulled out two bank cards. "These two cards have ten Yuan on them. From now on, if you two see anything you like, just buy it."

Luu Juan’s puzzled expression was replaced with excitement. "Son, how much money did you actually make to be spending like this?"

After all, in just a short conversation, Xia Liang had already pledged to spend tens of Yuan.

To help them spend the money with peace of mind, Xia Liang decided to reveal a little more. "Alright, I’ll just tell you! But you two, don’t get too excited."

Seeing his serious expression, Xia Weiguo and Luu Juan steeled themselves. "Okay! Go ahead. We can handle it."

"Alright then," Xia Liang nodded. "I can make tens of Yuan a year."

Clearly, Xia Liang was still holding back by an astronomical amount. He hadn’t even mentioned his monthly income of tens of thousands of Yuan.

Still, the amount he stated was acceptable. His parents could wrap their heads around that figure and the expenses it entailed. It was within a believable range for them.

Luu Qi, however, was greatly disappointed. She had hoped to finally find out the true extent of Xia Liang’s wealth.

Ultimately, Luu Juan and Xia Weiguo accepted the cards. Of course, they said what all parents say, "We’ll just keep it safe for you."

Seeing that his parents had accepted, Xia Liang smoothly moved on to the final part of his plan to improve their lives. "Mom, Dad, why don’t we buy a new apartment and a car?"

Hearing him bring it up again, Luu Juan grew a little unhappy. The previous agreement had already accounted for tens of Yuan. Buying a car and an apartment would be another tens of Yuan, wouldn’t it?

She immediately shook her head. "No, no. Your dad and I are comfortable here, and we’re used to this place."

Xia Liang knew they hadn’t changed their old way of thinking, always wanting to save every penny. He had already prepared a way to convince them.

"Dad, Mom, even if you’re used to it here, this is still someone else’s house," he argued. "Your son is making money now. If I don’t buy you a proper home, people will start calling me unfilial. They’ll say I struck it rich and didn’t even take care of my own parents."

At this, Luu Juan slammed her hand on the table. "I’d like to see who dares!"

Xia Liang smiled. "Heh, they might not dare say it to your face, but they’ll definitely think it. Besides, it’s not like we’re short on money. Leaving it in the bank doesn’t do much, but buying a house is an investment that can appreciate in value."

Xia Weiguo nodded in agreement. "I’m with our son on this one. Look at how fast property prices are soaring around here. If we buy now, we definitely won’t lose money."

Hearing even her husband say this, Luu Juan conceded that there was some logic to it. Still, she put on a dismissive air. "Fine, do what you two want. It’s your money, after all. Buy it if you want to."

"Great! Then it’s decided!" Xia Liang declared, making the final call. "Tomorrow, you two will go and hand in your resignations. Then we’ll go look at apartments and cars! We can also look for a storefront and a fishing pond at the same time."

...

At ten o’clock that night, just as Xia Liang lay down on his bed, his phone rang.