Chapter 142: Family Banquet (Part II)

Grandfather’s words did little to ease Aunt’s resentment. In her eyes, her parents’ pensions totaled five or six thousand yuan a month. Since the elderly couple lived frugally, they could save at least four thousand a month. After all these years, they must have accumulated at least two or three hundred thousand yuan. Yet she had not seen a single cent of those savings. She suspected that they had either been secretly subsidizing her second brother’s family or giving the money to her third brother. The third brother and his wife did not even own a home and still lived with their parents, so their parents had probably been giving them money all along.

Although Aunt had married into the Qin family long ago, her husband’s family circumstances were ordinary, as was his earning ability. Only recently had things begun to improve, thanks to her eldest brother. Aunt had always coveted the elderly couple’s pensions, hoping to claim a portion of them to help support her own household. Her son took piano and oil-painting lessons, costing more than a thousand yuan a month. On top of that, she had hired two private tutors for him, adding another thousand or more to the monthly expenses. In her eyes, her parents’ pensions represented a considerable sum. Even half of it would have been enough to cover her usual investment in Qin Xuan.

The problem was that her parents had never shown any intention of giving her money. Since they lived with her third brother, she had found it difficult to raise the subject. Over time, resentment had built up in her heart. Now, seeing how generous her father was toward Zhang Wenhao, she felt the injustice all the more keenly.

Zhang Wenhao generously introduced Su Ruoran to his grandparents and his younger uncle and aunt. His grandparents had never imagined that this beautiful girl was his girlfriend. At first, they had assumed she was merely his classmate. The revelation astonished the two old people—but more than astonishment, they felt delight.

In their eyes, young romance was hardly a problem. In the era in which they had grown up, many young men Zhang Wenhao’s age were already fathers. Besides, Zhang Wenhao was the Zhang family’s only grandson. Seeing that he had found such a beautiful girlfriend, the elderly couple were beside themselves with joy.

Grandmother could not help praising her. “What a lovely girl! My grandson is truly blessed. It would be even better if we could hold a great-grandchild in a few years.”

Su Ruoran flushed with embarrassment, but Zhang Wenhao was all smiles. He said to his grandparents, “Don’t worry. One day I’ll definitely let you hold a great-grandchild. We’ll have four generations under one roof.”

His eldest uncle’s family arrived late. When his uncle entered, there was a natural smile on his face. Zhang Ranan, needless to say, was genuinely happy for Zhang Wenhao. The only exception was his aunt by marriage, whose face carried a trace of awkwardness and displeasure. As soon as she entered, she merely nodded to the grandparents and did not say a word to anyone else.

Zhang Wenhao introduced Su Ruoran to his eldest uncle’s family once again. His aunt by marriage was the most astonished, but Zhang Ranan was not surprised in the least. After all, at school, everyone already knew about Zhang Wenhao and Su Ruoran. She walked up to them and greeted Su Ruoran with a smile before saying to Zhang Wenhao, “Wenhao, congratulations. You got such an excellent score.”

Zhang Wenhao smiled modestly. “Thank you for asking, Sis.”

Then he asked, “How did you do, Sis Ran?”

“Not too badly.” Zhang Ranan smiled faintly. “Six hundred and seventy-five. I didn’t perform as well as I could have. I probably won’t get into Yenching University. Our province only has a dozen or so places, and it would be easy to be pushed out. I applied to Renmin University instead. That should be safer.”

Zhang Wenhao nodded. “Renmin University is excellent too. Since we’ll both be in Beijing, we can look after each other.”

His eldest uncle came over, patted Zhang Wenhao on the shoulder, and said, “Wenhao, after what happened last time, it seems you’ve matured quite a bit. Good. You’re becoming more and more like your father. Your performance in the college entrance examination was truly outstanding, but don’t become conceited. This is only the beginning. You still have a long road ahead.”

Zhang Wenhao nodded in thanks. His aunt by marriage remarked from the side, “Wenhao, you must keep your feet on the ground. Don’t become carried away just because you came top in the college entrance examination. I once read a report saying that most of the top scorers disappear without a trace after graduating from university. Very few go on to achieve anything remarkable in society.”

Zhang Wenhao felt disgust at the expression on her face, but he still thanked her politely. “Thank you for the reminder, Auntie. I’ll work even harder in the future.”

His aunt by marriage was furious inside. Zhang Ranan’s performance in this year’s examination had been merely average. Six hundred and seventy-five was still a good score, and she would have no trouble getting into a prestigious university. When they had first seen the results, the first thing his aunt had thought of was having her husband host a celebratory banquet so she could hold her head high in front of the Zhang family. She had never expected the glory that should have belonged to her own family to be completely stolen by Zhang Wenhao.

He had scored 743 points. What score could possibly shine in comparison? And somehow, the boy had even managed to find such a beautiful girlfriend. She had always believed that her daughter had inherited all the best qualities of both herself and her husband, and she had taken pride in her daughter’s beauty and grace. Yet after seeing Zhang Wenhao’s girlfriend that day, she finally understood that there was always someone better. Zhang Ranan was certainly attractive, but beside Su Ruoran, her beauty seemed somewhat provincial.

Once everyone had arrived, the waiters began serving the dishes. For the first half hour, the entire family’s conversation revolved around Zhang Wenhao. He disliked being the center of attention, so Grandfather suddenly spoke up.

“By the way, there’s something I’d like to discuss with everyone today.”

Zhang Xingping immediately said, “Dad, just tell us what it is. There’s no need to call it a discussion among us.”

Grandfather shook his head and said calmly, “This does need to be discussed, because I’ll need all of you to help.” As he spoke, he glanced at his younger son, who looked both awkward and nervous. “Jingyun is two months pregnant. Xingye is considering whether he should move out of here.”

The Jingyun Grandfather referred to was Liu Jingyun, Zhang Wenhao’s younger aunt by marriage. Xingye was Zhang Wenhao’s younger uncle, Zhang Xingye. Since neither of them had good jobs, their combined monthly income was barely two or three thousand yuan. The couple had been married for several years without having a child because they could not afford to buy a home.

The grandparents’ old apartment had been built twenty years earlier and contained only two bedrooms. Even four people already lived there in cramped conditions; there was simply no room to raise a child as well. That was the fundamental reason the couple had remained childless for so many years. But now that they were growing older, they could no longer afford to delay having a child.

When Aunt heard that her younger brother was considering moving out, a flicker of delight crossed her face. Zhang Xingping, however, looked at his younger brother and asked, “Xingye, if you move out, where will you go?”

Grandfather spoke up. “That’s precisely what I want to discuss with you today. Housing prices are absurdly high now. Homes in the city cost at least eight thousand yuan per square meter, and developers no longer build the small apartments they used to. Even a two-bedroom apartment would be at least seventy square meters. A home would cost seven or eight hundred thousand yuan at minimum, which is simply beyond our means.

“If you buy with a mortgage, the down payment alone will be half the price—at least four hundred thousand yuan. Xingye and Jingyun have saved a little over one hundred thousand over the past few years, and your mother and I are prepared to subsidize them with another hundred thousand or so. They’ll still need to renovate the place and buy furniture and appliances. Even if we count that as another hundred thousand, they’ll need at least five hundred thousand yuan to get the home ready. So I was wondering whether the rest of you could help.”

Aunt immediately picked up the conversation, her face full of bitterness. “Dad, you know what our situation is like. Qin Fei’s parents are in poor health, and the two of us have to send them money every month. That boy Qin Xuan takes private lessons and attends extracurricular classes, and his monthly expenses are almost exactly the same as my monthly salary. We haven’t been able to save much over the past few years. We really are in a difficult position.”

When Aunt heard that Grandfather wanted the family to help raise money for her younger brother, her first thought was of the couple’s income. Once they bought a home, they would have to repay the mortgage and raise a child. If she lent them money, who knew when they would be able to repay it—or whether they ever could? She was utterly unwilling to lend them anything.

What was more, when she heard that Grandmother and Grandfather were willing to give her younger brother more than one hundred thousand yuan, jealousy burst into flame within her. She was even less willing to contribute.

Grandfather’s expression darkened. He could naturally tell that there was a great deal of exaggeration in his daughter’s words. He was about to respond when Zhang Xingping spoke first.

“Dad, don’t worry. I’ll cover whatever Xingye is short of.”

His eldest brother also wanted to make a promise, but his wife pinched him fiercely beneath the table. The words at the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

Grandfather saw his eldest son hesitate and sighed. “Xingping, Xingye is short of no small amount. He’ll need at least two hundred thousand yuan to manage this. You know his circumstances. He won’t be able to repay you anytime soon.”

Zhang Xingping waved his hand dismissively. “It’s all right, Dad. I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry.”

Then he looked at his younger brother, Zhang Xingye, and said, “Xingye, start looking for a place immediately. This can’t be delayed. Jingyun is two months pregnant, which means the baby will arrive in another eight months. Buy and renovate the place as soon as possible and let the fumes disperse. Then, once the child is born, you can move straight into the new home.”

Zhang Xingye was so grateful that he did not know what to say. Grandfather, however, looked worried.

“Xingping, I know your situation too. Wenhao is about to attend university. What will your own family do if you suddenly have to come up with so much money?”

Zhang Xingping could not mention that Zhang Wenhao had caught Li Chunyang and received a reward of two million yuan, so he could only say, “Huafang and I have saved some money over the years. Besides, Wenhao came top in the college entrance examination, so he’ll probably receive some scholarship money. With his abilities, earning a university scholarship shouldn’t be difficult. We won’t need to support him.”

Grandfather nodded, but then looked at his eldest son with some displeasure. “Xingyao, how are things on your end?”

Zhang Xingyao was the wealthiest member of the entire Zhang family. His assets totaled at least several million yuan. Naturally, Grandfather hoped he would shoulder a large portion of the burden for Zhang Xingye. But he had remained silent, which greatly displeased the old man.

Zhang Xingyao was just about to speak when his wife cut in first.

“Dad, you don’t really understand our situation. Xingyao took on a construction project this year, but more than two million yuan in project payments have been held up and remain unsettled. We’ve even had to take out bank loans to pay our workers recently. There really isn’t anything we can do.”

Zhang Xingping spoke up. “Dad, Big Brother has his own difficulties. Working capital is always a problem when you’re in business. I’ll cover whatever Xingye is short of. Let’s settle it that way.”

Grandfather sighed helplessly, his heart sinking. “I truly don’t know whether, after your mother and I are gone, you brothers and sisters will still be willing to sit down and share a meal together as you have today.”

Zhang Xingyao’s face flushed red, and he did not dare say a word. Zhang Wenhao could also hear the helplessness and disappointment in his grandfather’s voice.

No one at the table spoke. Grandfather continued, “Xingye is the youngest of the four of you. To put it bluntly, he is also the least capable. I’m not favoring him simply because I’m his father. I’m only looking at the situation as it is. From now on, your mother and I will have to bear more of Xingye’s expenses. Whether it’s the mortgage or the cost of baby formula, we’ll use our pensions to help him. I’m making this clear now so none of you misunderstand.”

Aunt spoke up. “Dad, interest rates on bank loans are extremely high now. The interest alone is practically equal to the principal. If Xingye borrows four hundred thousand yuan, he’ll have to repay eight hundred thousand. Even spread over twenty years, that’s forty thousand a year. The two of them earn less than three thousand a month. Isn’t buying a home now putting them under too much pressure? I think they should wait until their circumstances improve.”

Grandfather said angrily, “We already made that mistake once! When housing cost three thousand yuan per square meter, we thought it was too expensive and wanted to wait until things improved. And what happened? Wages rose from one thousand to two thousand, while housing prices rose from three thousand to eight thousand! If we keep waiting, they’ll never be able to afford a home in this lifetime. Xingye must buy one, and he must do it soon!”

Zhang Wenhao began calculating silently. If they bought the home with a bank loan, the extra hundreds of thousands in interest would all go to the bank, while the developer would gain nothing. Perhaps he could call Yu Hongyu, the head of Hengjian Group, and ask whether there was another arrangement. For example, they could still pay half as a down payment and pay the remaining amount to the developer in installments. That way, they could avoid paying the bank all that interest.

With that thought, Zhang Wenhao asked, “Uncle, have you found a suitable home yet?”

His uncle looked at him awkwardly. “We’ve looked, but homes in the city are in tremendous demand. Whenever a development opens for sale, the units are snapped up almost immediately. There aren’t many new homes left in the city. Swan Bay is the only promising development, but all the purchase slots have already been taken. I asked around, and just buying a purchase slot would cost between one hundred and one hundred fifty thousand yuan. So we’re considering buying in the High-Tech District instead.”

“ The High-Tech District won’t do,” Zhang Wenhao said immediately. “It’s too far away. You both work in the city, so commuting back and forth would take more than an hour every day. Once Auntie gives birth, traveling back and forth would be far too inconvenient.”

Then he asked, “Do you know which developer built Swan Bay?”

“ Hengjian Group,” his uncle replied. “They have an excellent reputation, and their construction quality is considered the best. That’s why their homes are always in such high demand.”

Zhang Wenhao nodded to himself. “I’ll step outside for a moment.”

As soon as he left the private room, Zhang Wenhao took out his phone and called Yu Hongyu of Hengjian Group. When Yu Hongyu answered, he laughed and asked, “Wenhao, what made you think of calling me?”

A few days earlier, Zhang Wenhao had hosted these men at Hanlin Ecological Garden, bringing them closer together. They had all stopped addressing him formally as Mr. Zhang and now simply called him by his name.

Zhang Wenhao asked, “President Yu, I wanted to ask you something. Are there any homes left at Swan Bay?”

Yu Hongyu thought for a moment. “I honestly don’t know. The sales department handles everything there. I’ve been busy bidding on a new parcel of land lately. Give me a moment and I’ll ask.”

“Sorry to trouble you,” Zhang Wenhao said quickly.

Three minutes later, Yu Hongyu called back. “Wenhao, there are some units left. They’re reserved for internal use by our company. Are you planning to buy one?”

“My younger uncle wants to buy a home.”

“That’s simple. We still have some two-bedroom units of eighty-eight square meters, three-bedroom units of 128 square meters, and duplexes of 168 square meters. I’ll give you a contact number later. When you get to the sales office, contact him directly. I’ll have him offer you the employee purchase price, with a discount of one thousand yuan per square meter.”

Zhang Wenhao said awkwardly, “President Yu, the thing is, my uncle’s financial situation is limited. If he buys a home, he can only do so through a loan. But I think bank interest rates are far too high, so I wanted to ask whether he could bypass the bank entirely—pay fifty percent up front and repay the rest directly to your company in installments.”

Yu Hongyu laughed. “The sales department has never handled something like that. It wouldn’t really be practical to collect one person’s housing payments every month.”

Then he added, “But there is another solution that would work perfectly.”

“What solution?” Zhang Wenhao asked hurriedly.

Yu Hongyu laughed. “Since your uncle’s financial circumstances aren’t very good, why not have him come work for my company? Our employees can purchase homes through internal installment plans, with the payments deducted from their monthly salaries.”

“That would be wonderful,” Zhang Wenhao said at once. “Thank you so much. But what kind of position would you have available?”

“What does your uncle do?” Yu Hongyu asked.

“He works as a materials clerk at a printing factory.”

“A materials clerk…” Yu Hongyu murmured. “How about this? Let him come work in warehouse management and procurement. He should be able to handle it.”

Zhang Wenhao was delighted, but he asked anxiously, “President Yu, I don’t want to impose on you. Please give him the normal salary and benefits for an ordinary employee. Absolutely do not make an exception. Otherwise, I’ll have to decline on my uncle’s behalf.”

Yu Hongyu had never considered the matter any trouble. Adding one employee and allocating another internal home-purchase quota would cost him virtually nothing, while earning him a great favor in return. He had originally intended to offer Zhang Wenhao’s uncle a monthly salary of eight or ten thousand yuan, just to show Zhang Wenhao that he genuinely wanted to help. But after hearing Zhang Wenhao’s insistence, he abandoned the idea.

“All right. We’ll follow the standard terms. If I remember correctly, the base salary for that position is four thousand yuan, plus meal, transportation, and communication allowances, as well as social insurance and a housing fund.”

Hengjian Group was one of the most profitable companies in Jiangcheng, so those benefits were well within the normal range. Zhang Wenhao immediately thanked him.

“In that case, thank you very much.”

“Don’t mention it,” Yu Hongyu replied with a carefree laugh. “Tell me when your uncle is available, and give me a call. I’ll personally take him through the hiring process.”

“All right.” Zhang Wenhao agreed, thanked him again, and ended the call.

He then called Chen Feng and said, “Brother Chen, President Yu of Hengjian Group has done me a huge favor. It’s a debt of gratitude I can’t possibly repay on my own. I’ll have to trouble you to help me look after him in the future.”

After hearing the details, Chen Feng laughed. “Yu Hongyu certainly knows how to handle things generously. All right, I understand. He’s currently bidding on a parcel of land. He hinted at it to me before. It would be a very simple matter, but I deliberately kept him waiting instead of agreeing immediately. Since you’ve asked, I’ll call him now and put his mind at ease.”

Zhang Wenhao immediately felt much more relaxed. After hanging up, he unconsciously let out a long breath.

His younger uncle might not have much money, but he and his wife were extremely filial to the grandparents and deeply respectful toward their older brothers and sisters. Zhang Wenhao felt that by solving such a major problem for his long-suffering uncle, he had done something for the family as a whole. A small sense of accomplishment quietly took root in his heart.

He turned around and was about to return to the private room when he saw Su Ruoran standing behind him, gazing at him with deep tenderness.

Zhang Wenhao smiled awkwardly. “You saw all that. It must have been embarrassing.”

Su Ruoran stepped forward and gently folded herself into his arms. In a soft voice, she said, “Things like this happen in most families. I’ve seen situations a hundred times more heartbreaking than this.”

Then she continued, “But you’ve already started finding ways to solve problems for the people you care about, haven’t you?”

Zhang Wenhao smiled and nodded. “Let’s go back in. We’ll tell Uncle the good news after dinner.”

Su Ruoran looked up at him. “Why not tell him now?”

Zhang Wenhao smiled faintly. “Wouldn’t that be a little inappropriate?”

She shook her head with a smile. “There’s nothing inappropriate about it. You now have the ability to solve problems, so you should let them see what you’re capable of. As for those who look down on you or doubt you, you should make them respect and fear you instead of allowing them to continue treating you exactly as before.”

Zhang Wenhao immediately thought of his aunt’s calculating nature, his eldest aunt’s coldness, and the deep disappointment in his grandfather’s voice. He nodded lightly, slipped an arm around Su Ruoran’s waist, and said, “Let’s go in.”

At the table, the family was still debating whether his younger uncle should buy a home. Aunt and his eldest aunt had formed a united front, making all kinds of discouraging remarks and exposing every weakness they could find.

Zhang Wenhao returned to his seat but did not sit down. He addressed his younger uncle.

“Uncle, I just made some calls on your behalf. Hengjian Group is willing to give you an employee home-purchase quota, with a discount of one thousand yuan per square meter.”

Everyone at the table except Su Ruoran wore an expression of deep astonishment.

Zhang Wenhao continued, “The condition is that you must join Hengjian Group as an employee. They want you to work in warehouse management and procurement. The base salary is four thousand yuan a month, plus several allowances, social insurance, and a housing fund. Once you join the company, you won’t need to take out a bank loan to buy the home. The monthly installment will be deducted directly from your salary, allowing you to avoid bank financing altogether.”

After saying this, Zhang Wenhao looked seriously at his astonished uncle.

“Uncle, you must work hard and live well enough to show everyone who looked down on you what you’re capable of.”

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