Chapter 172 In Wuxiang, gradually wrapping up

On October 13th, I signed contracts with the Sunrise Group, Brother Shi, and the Sunrise Hotel. The hotel also provided Brother Shi with a studio and accommodation on the 17th floor.

After the contract was signed, Sunrise Group indeed transferred the 1 million yuan resettlement allowance to my account. On October 15th, I repaid the 500,000 yuan I owed to CCB, including principal and interest. During dinner, I gave my mother a card with 200,000 yuan in it for her living expenses.

My mother was so surprised that her jaw dropped: "Did they really give you 1 million?"

I didn't answer, but handed another card to my brother-in-law. "There's $100,000 in it. You're responsible for going upstate to set up the appliances and other miscellaneous items for the new house. The rest is for you and your sister."

My mother said, "Shanhong is really rich now."

My sister said to my brother-in-law, "What equipment do you need for a fully furnished apartment? Central air conditioning, water, electricity, and gas are all in place. Just buy a TV, a refrigerator, a dining table, a desk, dishes, and other small daily necessities. It won't cost much. Go get 50,000 yuan and give it to me so you don't spend it carelessly."

My mother was unhappy and said, "Gao Xu, you need to buy a better TV and refrigerator."

My sister said, "Mom, you don't understand the market. Electrical appliances are very cheap now."

My mother seemed to want to wipe out my sister's prestige. She said with a sullen face, "I'll give you 50,000 or 60,000 yuan, but don't tell me. Gao Xu never spends money recklessly."

My sister put on a smile and said, "I'm sorry, I'm a straightforward person. I'll be more careful next time."

After dinner, my sister drove to the rice noodle shop. My brother-in-law and I were going to the studio to discuss something. My mother, still furious, said to Gao Xu, "Don't listen to her. It's lawless these days. Buy something higher-end."

My brother-in-law nodded repeatedly.

When we got to the studio, Yifan made tea and poured everyone a cup. I asked Yifan to sit down and said:

"Brother-in-law, you and Yifan will go to Shangzhou tomorrow to buy some things first. Then, I will come with my parents, my sister, and Xiaolin to hold a small fire-crossing ceremony.

After the fire, Yifan stayed to take care of the two old people. Shi Ge and I both signed a contract to go there in early November, and then we would go to Shangzhou.

As for Xiaolin, she's not moving for now. She's not going there until next year. For one thing, her company has a rule that bonuses aren't given until the end of the year. That's not important. She's the breadwinner of the family, and she has a mute brother who attends a special education school, so she needs to take care of that."

Yifan said, "What kind of job can a mute find?"

I said, "Take your time with this. Everyone should pay attention to him in the future. He is 15 years old and can do things now."

My brother-in-law said, "You should get established there and visit some shops. We'd better stay with you. It will make us feel more at ease."

I nodded.

Yifan took out a list and said, "You can finish all these night talks by the end of the month."

I took the list and put it in the drawer, then took out 10,000 yuan from my bag and gave it to Yifan. I explained, "My parents just left. They're in a new place and they're completely in the dark.

"First, take them to the market. Take them there a few times and they'll get used to it. Second, find a nearby park, even a small one, and take them there a few more times and they'll get used to it too. With these two places, their lives will be fulfilled."

My brother-in-law laughed and said, “These two places are what their lives are all about.”

Yifan said: "Grandpa has one more thing, he reads newspapers and watches TV."

According to the name in my hometown, Yifan calls me mother, so she should call me aunt, but the child is smart and always calls me grandpa, grandma, uncle and aunt.

I said, "That's settled. You two should go back and rest early."

A few days later, we went to the new house to celebrate the fire, and only invited Lao Xiao to attend.

My brother-in-law and I returned to Fengyan Pavilion.

I began to plan my move to Shangzhou and finish a series of tasks in Wuxiang.

I first called Xiaotian, who had come to talk to me that night, and asked her if she had found a job. She said, "No, Teacher Wan."

I said, "I found one for you."

She was ecstatic and asked what I would do, where I would be located, and whether I wanted an interview.

I gave her a phone number and told her to go to Mr. Xiao and ask if she wanted to interview. For such a large company, an interview would definitely be required, but it shouldn't be a problem.

She thanked him several times over the phone.

Then, I sat in the studio calmly, doing character readings, choosing auspicious days, and naming during the day, but not fortune-telling.

Whenever someone comes to tell my fortune, I tell them, "Mr. Zhou and Mr. Mo, the real fortune tellers in Wuxiang, I still need to practice my skills."

Even if they begged me, I wouldn't count. I waved my hand and told them to go find Mo Xia and Zhou Xia. Even Mo Xia started praising me. He said Wan Shanhong was a man of real character. I didn't know him well at first, and there were some minor misunderstandings with him, but time has shown that Wan Shanhong is a man of good character.

Zhou Xia has always been very satisfied with me. When he heard that I no longer told fortunes, even though I recommended others to go to Mo Xia, he said to them that Wan Shanhong was smart and didn't cause trouble.

Except during the day, I don't accept new night talks. For those who have made appointments, I call them one by one, two or three every night, ask questions directly and answer them directly, cut the Gordian knot, and then charge them only a symbolic fee.

My actions were flawless except for my family, Brother Shi and his wife.

At the end of October, after the night talk, I went to Brother Shi's house to pay off all the rent.

I said, "Where's your storefront?"

Shi Ge said, "You clear out your things and I'll put up a rental notice. If you can rent it, rent it. If you can't, leave it empty."

I laughed and said, "You should be prepared to settle upstate. Just put up a for-sale notice."

He said, “What if the cooperation with the hotel doesn’t work out and we have to return it?”

I shook my head and said, "Do it yourself. I don't believe you can't do it. You're doing so well in Wuxiang with your own business. The customer base in Shangzhou is many times greater. Don't even think about coming back. If you don't advance, you'll retreat. If you retreat from Shangzhou, I guarantee you won't be able to sell your braised meat in Wuxiang."

"Why?"

"Selling isn't just about selling things; sometimes it's about selling popularity. You say the Buddha Tree Rice Noodle Shop wouldn't work if it moved to another location. And if you were to return from Shangzhou, people would say you couldn't make it.

When you can't make it, people try to find reasons for you, and they come up with a lot of reasons. Ten people have ten reasons, and not all of them are on your side; there are always a few who are resentful of you.

So, they spread rumors, saying that the big place has strict management, found that your braised meat has excessive bacteria, and the hotel terminated your contract. There are even more outrageous rumors, saying that you..."

Having said that, I deliberately stopped talking.

Brother Shi leaned forward and asked hurriedly, "What other rumors are you spreading?"

"They said you put opium shells in it, which is why it's so addictive. They even said you were imprisoned and bailed out."

Shi Ge sighed, "It's possible that the people here just have an unbalanced mentality. They laugh at the poor and hate the rich."

I took a sip of tea and said mysteriously, "In the end, people gave you a nickname."

"Nickname? What nickname?"

"Chen Si Kao, Comrade Chen Shilu, you rely on bacteria, opium shells, bragging, and having a guarantor."

Brother Shi laughed heartily. Then he pointed at my nose and said, "Wan Shanhong, Wan Shanhong, you're here to avenge me for calling you 'Wan Si Kao'."

I said word by word, "I am telling the truth."

Brother Shi finished the wine in his glass, wiped his chin, and sighed: "That's right."