Chapter 3

A minute later, Hu Zhenzhen realized how delicious it was.

This hidden title sounds awful, but it's a reward from the main quest, so it doesn't hurt.

Seeing that her remaining lifespan had changed to three months on the system, Hu Zhenzhen quickly accepted this unpleasant title.

Anyway, no one else can see this title except her.

Hu Zhenzhen regained her smile. "The funeral is over. The staff will be cleaning up here soon. Xiao Chen, go home with your mother."

Actually, it wasn't time to leave yet, but Hu Zhenzhen really wanted to see what her big villa looked like.

She reached out her hand to Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen hesitated for a few seconds before placing his hand on hers and taking her index finger in his grasp.

He's been staying at his aunt's house for the past two days, and his cousin has started to dislike him. Plus, his father is unwilling to give his aunt any money, making Jiang Chen's situation very awkward.

Jiang Hua had promised to take him away after the wedding.

But no one expected that he would die on the very day he got his marriage certificate. Because of this, his aunt did not immediately send him away, but Jiang Chen was sensitive and had already noticed their displeasure.

Going with Hu Zhenzhen would at least make things easier for my aunt and the others.

"Let's go."

Hu Zhenzhen forgot Jiang Chen's reminder in the blink of an eye and subconsciously used a coaxing tone for a child.

Jiang Chen didn't correct her anymore and took quick, small steps.

"Wait a moment!"

Just as Hu Zhenzhen pulled Jiang Chen out of the mourning hall, they were stopped by a woman in the courtyard who was counting money.

"Sister-in-law, it's not good for you to leave so early."

She had a long face, as if Hu Zhenzhen owed her money, and she wouldn't even look people in the eye when she spoke.

Upon hearing her address, Hu Zhenzhen knew who she was.

Jiang Hua's only sister, and also one of Jiang Chen's few remaining blood relatives.

Although he is her only blood relative, he means nothing in the face of money.

Hu Zhenzhen remembered that in the original text, after Jiang Chen was beaten and scolded by his stepmother, he wanted to go back to his aunt's house to live, but what happened?

The aunt only accepted 500 yuan from the stepmother and then personally returned the child.

Now that Jiang Chen is her son, Hu Zhenzhen is on his side, so it's hard for her to be nice to Jiang Lin.

"What? I can't even leave?"

Jiang Lin then looked at her properly and was immediately surprised when she saw the expression on Hu Zhenzhen's face.

She was crying her heart out just a moment ago, how come she's all happy now? Could it be that her feelings for Jiang Hua are gone after just a couple of tears?

Her hand, which had been loosely holding the money, suddenly clenched tightly.

"No way, I'm just showing concern as an older sister."

Jiang Lin's tone changed abruptly, her previous air of wanting to discipline her gone.

Hu Zhenzhen noticed her clenched hand immediately and understood her worries, giving a mocking smile.

"Jiang Hua is dead. If you really consider me family, please give me the money from the guests who came today."

This really hit Jiang Lin where it hurts.

She shoved the money in her hand into her pocket. "That won't do! Everyone who came today is a relative of the Jiang family, and has nothing to do with you."

Hu Zhenzhen had already guessed her reaction and immediately replied, "Then don't pretend to be nice to me with this. Jiang Hua and I have never even been husband and wife for a day, and we will never have any relationship in the future."

Jiang Lin got angry after being provoked by her words, "Even if you say that, I won't give you the money."

Jiang Chen suddenly tensed up. He knew his aunt's personality. Usually when he was at his aunt's house, she would criticize him for eating a few extra bites of food.

What if my stepmother asks my aunt for money and my aunt beats me?

My aunt is all alone, and she's as heavy as two stepmothers. If they fought, the stepmothers definitely wouldn't win.

Jiang Chen tugged at Hu Zhenzhen's sleeve, trying to persuade her not to take the money.

My mental state was already bad; if I were hit on the head, it would only get worse.

Hu Zhenzhen noticed his movement and thought he was frightened, so she lowered her voice.

Anyway, she didn't really want that money; she just didn't like Jiang Lin.

"If you don't want to give it to me, then don't. Keep it for yourself."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

Hu Zhenzhen pulled Jiang Chen away, and this action finally caught Jiang Lin's attention.

Jiang Lin's eyes darted around, and she realized that Hu Zhenzhen intended to take Jiang Chen away, so she immediately seized the opportunity to back down.

“Whether you and Jiang Hua are married or not, you have already registered your marriage. Legally, Jiang Chen is your child. Jiang Hua left him at my house for a whole month without paying for his food or lodging. Now that you are his mother, you have to pay for it.”

She refused to give her the money from her deceased husband's funeral, but she dared to ask for living expenses from Xiao Chen.

Hu Zhenzhen laughed in exasperation, and a plan quickly formed in her mind.

"How about this, I'll give you some money, and you can write a document severing all ties with him. From now on, Jiang Chen will no longer be your nephew; he will just be my son, and he will have nothing to do with your Jiang family."

Jiang Lin's eyes lit up immediately.

"You said it! You can't go back on your word."

She stood up abruptly, took out her phone's calculator, and started adding and subtracting.

“Groceries cost 1000 yuan a month, plus meat, it'll be at least 1500 yuan. I bought Jiang Chen's bedding, so I'll give you a discount of 500 yuan. He slept in it for a month. I won't charge you extra for accommodation either; just the usual rent, 2000 yuan should be enough…”

Hu Zhenzhen noticed that Jiang Chen's hand, which was holding hers, was trembling slightly. She lowered her eyes and saw his face turn pale again.

Even adults would feel bad in this situation, let alone Jiang Chen, who is still just a child.

He's Hu Zhenzhen's cash cow right now. What if he gets upset and damages her family ties?

She frowned slightly, interrupting Jiang Lin's fragmented calculations.

“Let’s calculate it all at the highest rate. Xiao Chen has troubled you a lot over the years, so consider this my compensation to you. Is 50,000 enough?”

Jiang Lin tried adding numbers for a long time but couldn't get the number on the calculator to reach 10,000. Hu Zhenzhen immediately asked for 50,000, and how could she refuse?

She smiled, revealing her gums, "That's enough, 50,000 it is. When do I sign and pay?"

Jiang Chen stared blankly at her, then looked up at Hu Zhenzhen, realizing that Jiang Lin wasn't giving him any attention.

He has already started school and learned to count.

50,000 is an astronomical figure in Jiang Chen's world.

Upon hearing the price of 50,000, Jiang Chen was not initially saddened by his aunt's attitude, but rather stunned.

Is he really worth 50,000?

What good is it for the stepmother to spend 50,000 yuan to buy him back?

Moreover, his stepmother seemed to be richer than he thought. With so much money, how could she not cure his mental illness?

Although Jiang Chen was precocious, he couldn't quite figure out such a complex problem for the time being.

All he could do was grip Hu Zhenzhen's thumb tightly.

Grasp it as if it were the last straw.

Hu Zhenzhen felt the force and secretly felt smug.

It seems she has a very strong personal charm; in just a short time, the child has become so dependent on her.

"Let's do it now. Give me the receipt, and I'll transfer the money immediately."

Jiang Lin couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about her straightforwardness.

"This 50,000 is mine now, don't try to get it back later."

Jiang Lin's petty schemes were all focused on money. Hu Zhenzhen smiled after hearing this, "Don't worry, it's just 50,000 yuan. Once it's given to you, it's yours. I will never ask for it back."

A mere 50,000 yuan? What a boastful tone.

Jiang Lin looked her over and didn't see anything special about Hu Zhenzhen.

However, her younger brother, who is from a poor background and has a knack for choosing girlfriends, must be someone who is not poor, since he chose to marry Hu Zhenzhen.

Jiang Lin simply assumed she was a wealthy young woman and didn't think much of it.

Now that Jiang Hua is dead, she has a chance to get rid of Jiang Chen, this burden, and also get 50,000 yuan for free. She's overjoyed.

"The IOU is finished, when will the money arrive in my account?"

Hu Zhenzhen had wanted to leave for a long time, "soon."

The system reward of 1 million had arrived in her account. Hu Zhenzhen took a screenshot of the complete number before transferring out 50,000.

Jiang Lin thought she had gotten the better deal and couldn't stop smiling.

Hu Zhenzhen took the document, not wanting to say another word to her, and walked out with Jiang Chen.

This is a place specifically for renting out mourning halls for funerals. You have to walk through a long corridor to reach the main entrance.

The system notified you: "Please note, the butler is waiting for you at the door."

[Butler?]

Hu Zhenzhen's eyes lit up. "The villa even comes with a butler?"

"Of course!" Little Golden Egg puffed out its chest. "You've drawn a luxury villa, different from the ordinary ones. It has all the basic amenities."

With these words, Hu Zhenzhen began to look forward to it.

At the main entrance, a Rolls-Royce stopped in front of Hu Zhenzhen. The passenger door opened first, and an elegant and polite man stepped out, opening the back door for Hu Zhenzhen and gesturing for her to get in.

"Boss, I've come to take you home."

Hu Zhenzhen nodded reservedly, but inwardly she was overjoyed.

She has a minor, harmless quirk: she's a little more vain than most people and likes expensive things.

Just by looking at the butler that comes with the system, she could already guess how luxurious the villa was, and she was naturally happy.

Jiang Chen, standing beside her, seemed somewhat at a loss.

The child didn't recognize the license plate, but he could tell that the car was better looking than the others and that it cost a lot of money.

His brows furrowed with worry.

His stepmother had so much money, which was completely different from what he had imagined. If even she, with all her wealth, couldn't cure her illness, Jiang Chen felt that even when he grew up, he might not be able to help her cure it.

Why would a stepmother continue to support him?

Hu Zhenzhen's hand was held tightly by him the whole time, and she naturally used her other hand to pat his head and introduce him to the housekeeper.

"This is my son, Jiang Chen. Please take good care of him from now on."

A good housekeeper won't ask too many questions about the host's situation; they have their own standards for judgment.

The butler squatted down to be at eye level with Jiang Chen, smiled gently, and extended his hand, "Hello, young master, my name is Chen Kai."

Jiang Chen hid behind Hu Zhenzhen and looked up to see what she meant.

Such a young child, yet so perceptive; one can only imagine the kind of life he leads.

Hu Zhenzhen felt even more affection for him, and encouraged him by shaking his hand, saying gently, "Say hello to Uncle Chen."

Jiang Chen then spoke, "Hello, Uncle Chen."

"Hello, young master," Chen Kai's expression remained unchanged, still smiling gently.

Hu Zhenzhen secretly gave him a thumbs up in her heart. As expected of the system's built-in butler, he was even so patient in coaxing children.

"Alright, get in the car, let's go."

*

Such luxury cars are rarely seen in a funeral hall.

The car had only been parked for a short while when people who enjoy watching the excitement began to gather around.

"Hey, did you see that? A big Rolls-Royce has pulled up outside. Look at that model, you can't get it for less than that price."

The young man, not wearing mourning clothes but dressed in work attire, was gesturing wildly to his colleagues about the situation outside.

"Really? Rich people come to our place to hold funerals?"

"Why would I lie to you? Go out and see for yourself. He's right at the door, there's someone who came specifically to pick up a beautiful woman. I saw that the woman had a child with her, so maybe she has some poor relative holding a funeral here."

Jiang Lin was happily looking at her bank card balance when she heard this and curiously looked up.

What beautiful woman with a child? Are you referring to Hu Zhenzhen, who just passed away?

Her heart skipped a beat, and then she heard someone next to her say, "That car is at least five million, and it looks like a top-of-the-line model. It might cost even more. Sigh, I don't need to own a Rolls-Royce in my life. I'd be happy just to be able to drive one around twice."

Five million!

Jiang Lin only had these three words left in her mind.

She stood up abruptly, startling the two staff members chatting beside her.

"Where is that car, Lao?"

The staff member she grabbed almost fell over. Seeing her excited state, he didn't even utter a curse, but instead started gossiping.

"What? You know the owner of that Rolls-Royce, Auntie?"

Where?

Jiang Lin was extremely anxious, but the staff member kept asking her all sorts of irrelevant questions.

She had to ask several times before the person finally told her, "It's right by the side gate. If you know the owner of that car, could you borrow it? I just want to touch the steering wheel; that would fulfill a lifelong wish... Hey! Don't be in such a hurry to leave, Auntie!"

Jiang Lin hadn't run for five or six years, but she ran with all her might to the door and just happened to see Hu Zhenzhen getting into the car.

In an instant, immense regret welled up in my heart.

Jiang Chen lost money! He sold at a loss!

Jiang Lin was as happy as she was when she received that 50,000 yuan, and now she was filled with regret.

She never imagined that Jiang Hua, at thirty years old, could still snag such a wealthy woman to marry.

"Wait a minute! Miss Hu, wait a minute!"

Driven by her unwillingness to give up, she chased after the car that had already started moving, only to catch a trail of exhaust fumes.

The car started slowly, and the driver inside did notice Jiang Lin and asked Hu Zhenzhen for instructions.

"Boss, someone is chasing our car. Is it someone you know?"

Hu Zhenzhen glanced in the rearview mirror, saw it was her, and answered decisively.

"No, let's go."

Jiang Lin chased for a hundred meters, but the car disappeared from her sight as soon as it turned a corner.

Jiang Lin felt a pang of pain in her heart when she thought of the note she wrote severing ties.

If it weren't for that written agreement, she could have asked Hu Zhenzhen for a lot of living expenses every month!

Jiang Lin regretted it more and more, and stood on the road beating her chest and stamping her feet in frustration.

She was old and hadn't exercised for many years, so her body couldn't handle the sudden running. Coupled with the mental stimulation, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

"Auntie, are you alright? Ambulance! Call an ambulance quickly!"