For two months, Wei Xiacao's life was dull and uneventful. To sum it up, she accompanied her boyfriend to watch a few movies, both artistic and commercial, appreciated a very bourgeois play, and bought several best-selling books while also buying a collection of Borges' poems "San Martin Notebooks". She finished reading the two best-selling books hastily, but left "San Martin Notebooks" untouched, destined to lie on the bookshelf for life, showing off its profundity. However, Wei Xiacao felt that buying books like Milton's "Paradise Lost" or Beckett's "Waiting for Godot", even if she didn't read them, gave her a kind of psychological advantage.

  Apart from this, she went to Deji and Jinying to buy the latest models of some brands. Every year, she would invest the tens of thousands of yuan in red envelopes she received into the stock market according to her mother's wishes. The fluctuations in the market didn't affect her much, so she couldn't experience the madness and desperation of small investors. On paper, she made a profit of over 26,000 yuan, which meant that when she swiped her card at Deji, she felt more at ease.

  She also attended some harmless gatherings, hosted by successful alumni, sworn brothers who had decided to be idle for life, and business elites introduced by friends of friends. The people she met were all from the same circle or similar social status as hers. As a small fry in this circle, no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't make a splash.

  During this time, she secretly went on blind dates with young men from families introduced by her mother, and they hit it off well, but didn't rush into anything intimate. In short, these two months were uneventful, without the disturbance of Wei Dongchong, that little monster who had run away from home, or Chen Ergou's lingering presence. Overall, life was still pleasant.

  This is the life of a rich second-generation heir who has at least ten digits in wealth but has never been on the Forbes or Hurun Rich List, and whose grandfather was a provincial-level official who climbed to the deputy ministerial level.

  But for the two brothers, Wang Jiefang and his brother, who had just returned to their hometown, these two months were of great significance. Wang Jiefang was ecstatic because he could finally follow his older cousin, whom he addressed as "Young Master", in doing big things, such as killing people, setting fires, and engaging in other shameful activities that robbed the rich and gave to the poor. They had gone on a trip to Shenzhen, where they stole a valuable Tang Sancai Tianwang statue from a high-end villa in a neighborhood called Yiyuan. This was the main event, but Wang Jiefang also found time for some extracurricular activities, including having sex with the 40-year-old female owner of the villa, who appeared to be a wealthy socialite but had a strong sexual desire. He drank liquor, played with women, and did bad things, which made him feel like he was living the life of a true man. Therefore, when it was time to return to Nanjing with the stolen statue, Wang Jiefang felt unenthusiastic, as if he had been castrated. On the train, Young Master kicked him several times and scolded him for being useless and only knowing how to flirt with women. Wang Jiefang did not retort or explain himself because he thought it was unnecessary to share his thoughts and ideals with Young Master, whom he deeply respected. He believed that his own life and aspirations were too base to be mentioned in front of his cousin.

  Wang Huzi never cared about what his useless nephew thought or did, but now he's excited that heaven has finally given him a chance to help Chen Ergou. The thing in the box is a treasure that Zhuge Old God cares about, and next he'll have Ergou deliver it. No matter what, Old God will owe Ergou a favor, this is the cause, as for the effect, Wang Huzi reckons that at the very least he can thoroughly settle the messy affairs in Shanghai and cut off the lingering troubles.

  Chen Ergou, for the past two months, has been living a life that is far from decent. Except for going to the bathroom, he spends almost 24 hours a day in his car, driving recklessly on the Shanghai-Nanjing highway with a driver's license that even young girls wouldn't bother with. He's become so notorious that even Jiang Zifang doesn't dare ride with him. However, it seems that Chen Ergou's 60-day, 120-pack journey to Nanjing has been worth it, as his driving skills have improved significantly, enough to impress Wei Xiaocao and even possibly make Chen Yuanshu take notice.

  Compared to the expensive cigarettes that cost over a hundred yuan per pack, which he can't even bear to smoke one puff of, Chen Ergou sleeps in his car, eats steamed buns and drinks mineral water for every meal. Occasionally, when Jiang Zifang takes pity on him, he'll treat him to a good meal, which is an improvement from his usual diet. In total, Chen Ergou has spent around 600-700 yuan on himself over the past month, including cigarettes.

  Before Fang Jie arrived, she gave him a Huaxia Titanium Gold Card with a credit limit of 200,000 yuan, but Chen Ergou hasn't spent a single cent from it. He even used his own savings to buy Jiang Zifang cigarettes worth over 10,000 yuan, which he had stashed away in Shanghai. He didn't dare use the money from Zhang Xiangxiang's card, fearing that Zhao Kunkun would find out. Although the money was taken from a woman's card, Chen Ergou knows he has to pay it back, as owing women money and emotions is not his style.

  Otherwise, Chen Ergou wouldn't occasionally remember that he owed Cao's wife a meal for the rich when he finally closed his eyes to rest in the car at more than two o'clock in the morning.

  In front of the Clock Mountain Golf Villa, Chen Ergou tidied himself up, shaved his stubble clean, and changed into a neat and tidy outfit. He didn't have the qualifications to play the role of a decadent or a cynic, those were the exclusive privileges of Gu Xu and Xiao Mei's rich young masters. Chen Ergou was unwilling to put on a pretentious pose, he'd rather be honest and humble, the latter could still be seen as being low-key, while the former was purely pretending to be cool without having the capital. Chen Ergou saw in economics books that one should control costs, so he didn't waste his emotions.

  Fang Jie, who wasn't familiar with Chen Ergou to begin with, didn't think much of him. He was just a bit darker from being out in the sun and rain, and his spirit seemed a bit better, but Wei Xiacao felt more and more uncomfortable. She thought that this guy's backbone seemed to have straightened up a bit. In her opinion, someone who had been scolded by Wei Dongchong as a "dog slave" and had fruit juice splashed on his face could still smile and laugh, should be ridiculed for the rest of his life, and should never be able to stand up straight.

  The Wei family was originally a place where yin energy dominated and yang energy declined to the extreme. With the addition of Guo, who was not good at speaking, and Chen, who was good at flattering and following the "people's heart", Fang Jie seemed to be in a great mood. Originally, she had planned to attend social events in the evening, but ended up canceling them all. Instead, she went downstairs to cook dinner herself, with old Wu Ma only able to assist her. In the living room, there was only Chen Er Gou watching TV and Wei Xia Cao surfing the internet on her laptop on her lap.

  "It's not easy, getting a driver's license in just two months." Wei Xiacao said with a lukewarm tone, glancing at Chen Ergou who was flipping through a real estate magazine without much interest. Although the words were somewhat sarcastic, Wei Xiacao didn't have much confidence, after all, going from a complete beginner to getting licensed in two months wasn't anything to be ashamed of.

  Chen Erdog smiled and didn't comment, he wouldn't be foolish enough to tell Wei Xiacao about his terrifying results of getting a certificate in 14 days, which would only further infuriate this little Persian cat who couldn't stand him. Instead, he asked a question that piqued his curiosity, "This magazine says that Cheng Siwei has a saying that the cost of housing is divided into three parts: land and construction costs account for 50%, government taxes and fees account for 20%, developers account for 30%, and the remaining 30% is basically bribery. What do you think is the proportion?"

  "Do you know what this is for, buying a house? Is it for selling a house?"

  Wei Xiacao couldn't help but say, "A large proportion of huge funds are used for bribery, and the cost is arbitrarily transferred to push up housing prices. This is a very shameful but must-be-said trajectory in China's real estate industry. My dad once said that if power were exercised transparently, the cost of developing a real estate project could be reduced by 15% or even more. But this deformed and imperfect market has driven out good coins with bad ones to a large extent, which is why Wang Shi often boasts about being a 'non-bribery real estate businessman'. In fact, not bribing is the most basic principle in many fields of the market economy. By the way, have you heard of Gresham's Law?"

  Chen Erdou nodded and said, "I've heard of it, bad money drives out good. It's a counterexample to Gresham's law, and the existence of asymmetric information is the basis for the phenomenon of bad money driving out good money. If I'm not mistaken, Akerlof won the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics for his paper 'The Market for Lemons'."

  Chen Ergou immediately shut his mouth after saying half of what he wanted to say. The reason why he was able to rattle off "Gresham's Law", "information asymmetry" and "The Market for Lemons" in one breath was because Wei Xiacao's question reminded him of the girl on the Shanghai bus who asked him questions from a thick economics textbook, not getting tired of it for an hour. That silly woman who gave her body to him after knowing him for just a short while. So Chen Ergou smoothly recited the English terms and explained them briefly, which was his instinctive reaction. But sitting in front of him was Wei Xiacao, not that silly girl who made people feel sorry for her. A hint of unknown sadness flashed across Chen Ergou's eyes, and he fell silent.

  Wei Xiacao was stunned when she heard the answer, and then thought of the large number of economics books in her study room. She muttered to herself and continued chatting with several close friends overseas.

  Fang Jie made a table of dishes that Chen Ergou was not interested in, but Chen Ergou had to pretend to enjoy them. Wei Xiacao's mind was not on the food, as she still had to attend a birthday party at No. 1 Lan Kwai Fong bar tonight and was thinking about what to wear to attract attention without being too showy.

  The Wei family and the Fang family, who raised Fang Jie, are not too fond of discussing things at the dinner table, so they seem a bit cold. The former is because Wei Duan Gong thinks he has nothing in common with a group of women, while the latter is probably because everyone's demeanor is due to strict family education. Fang Jie was educated from a young age to smile without showing her teeth and not to talk during meals. All three daughters of the Fang family are good virtuous wives, and Wei Xiacao has also gained a good reputation on Chen Erdou's side. Even if Wei Duan Gong had done something terrible, he would still want to marry her immediately and have children with her, showing that Wei Xiacao is indeed a high-quality woman from the Fang family.

  Fang Jie seemed to fear that the atmosphere was too light, making Chen Ergou think she looked down on him, so she found some topics that were not too heavy or too light. She had been very busy for several months, and Wei Duan Gong had passed away. Although they had already divorced, Fang Jie still considered him her husband for life. After his departure, the power vacuum he left behind had to be filled by her. She mediated between the government, business circles, and underground forces, using her long sleeves to dance skillfully. If not for the support of the Fang family, she wouldn't have been able to navigate these complex relationships with ease. It could be said that without Fang Jie, the mess left behind by Wei Duan Gong would have fallen apart long ago. For two or three months, she had secretly cried and suffered countless times, but on the surface, she remained calm and composed, a strong woman who seemed to have everything under control. So when she looked at Chen Fusheng, who was just starting his career with passion and enthusiasm, and then at herself, a woman without worries or ambitions but still excellent in every aspect, Fang Jie felt a deep sense of emotion.

  Somehow, the cold and quiet Zhongshan Golf Villa of the Wei family had an additional man who was insignificant to everyone except her and Guo Quli, and unknowingly seemed to have added a bit of masculinity and vitality.

  Fang Jie handed Chen Ergou a steamed crab meat lion's head, smiling: "Floating life, I don't care if you really like to eat or pretend to like to eat, these few lion heads you have to solve for me cleanly. This is my signature dish that took great effort to make. In the past, Duan Gong didn't like to eat it, and Xia Cao's appetite wasn't big either. Every time I made it, it was a waste. Today, I finally caught up with you, can't let you off easily."

  Wei Xia Cao's face remained calm, but inside she was laughing with schadenfreude and couldn't stop. She didn't forget to add insult to injury: "Mom, don't worry, he actually has a big appetite. You can just give it all to him, he's only being polite by eating so little. I've seen him eat at Shan Shui Hua Men before, and he wasn't this reserved at all. Why not just give him the crab roe steamed lion head, the three-striped whelks, and the Bi Luo Chun shrimp as well?"

  Chen Ergou gnawed on a lion's head, facing the mother and daughter, his eyes wide with shock.

  Fang Jie lowered her head and smiled lightly, this was a good start.

  After dinner, as usual, Wu Mama, who had been a servant in the Fang family for over a decade and then followed to the Wei family for half her life, cleaned up. Chen Ergou helped her wash dishes and scrub chopsticks. At first, Wu Mama was a bit unhappy because this was her job, and she felt that although the young man was kind-hearted, he made her feel a bit uncomfortable. After all, she had been doing household chores since Fang Jie's birth for over 40 years, and suddenly someone appeared to lend a hand, which was somewhat annoying.

  However, Chen Ergou's flattering words and efficient work made it hard for Wu Ma to say anything. Moreover, Chen Ergou shared the nickname "Ergou" with an elderly Northeasterner, who burst out laughing because her younger brother had the same nickname, Gourou. Hearing this rustic nickname in the grand and solemn Wei family villa made her feel a strong sense of familiarity, and she forgave Chen Ergou's overstepping.

  "I've prepared a laptop for you, an IBM business machine. If you're not satisfied, I can have Xia Cao accompany you to Digital City. I'm not an old academic, and I know many games now require high configurations. You've been studying for a long time, it's indeed necessary to relax." Fang Jie reminded Chen Er Gou as he walked back into the living room from the kitchen.

  "Aunt Fang, that's enough. I don't even know how to go online, and I'm not interested in games either. Now that I have a computer, I just want to use it to find some information online, I've heard it's very convenient." Chen Ergou said with a red face, at this time he didn't know QQ, N, and other things, indeed there were not many young people who didn't know these things, and he also felt that it was a bit out of touch.

  Fang Jie glossed over this, for her, a confidant with not too much material value was worth trusting. "Let me tell you, I have four cars here now. The Geely is Dong Gong's, and no one uses it anymore. There's also my Mercedes-Benz S500, and then there's the company's Audi A6 used for business, which Xiao Guo drives the most. The last one is the BMW Ni that was just bought for Xia Cao. Tonight, Xia Cao wants to go to a bar to have fun, so you'll drive the A6 to take her there because it's relatively easy to handle. If she thinks you don't fit in with her friends at the bar, then you can just drink alone and put the bill on her tab."

  "Mom!" Wei Xiacao wanted to protest, but as soon as she saw Fang Jie glare at her, she immediately fell silent.

  "Alright, when do we set off?" Chen Erdog was eager to try, at this moment, he suddenly had an idea, which was to drive all the good cars once. Buying a Rolls-Royce and Maybach was unrealistic, but driving them once seemed more plausible. Tonight, they would start with the Audi A6.

  Wei Xia Cao suddenly looked at Chen Er Gou with a strange gaze, then pitifully looked at her mother, who had made up her mind on major matters and even Wei Duan Gong couldn't change. Fang Jie wasn't an inflexible woman who couldn't understand her daughter's thoughts, so she smiled at Chen Er Gou and said: "Fang Sheng, later you should put on all the new clothes, last time Xia Cao didn't buy everything for you, afterwards I scolded her, letting her specially buy shoes and a watch for you. It's not that Fang Jie thinks you look bad now, it's just that in this society there are too many petty and selfish people who look down on others. If you don't dress nicely, not only will you be given the cold shoulder, but also doing things will be difficult. After all, a thousand-mile horse is common, but a wise owner is hard to find, you'll have to adapt to this eventually. Besides, we can't let others look down on our Wei family, after what happened, even having money to buy some decent clothes for ourselves was gone."

  Chen Ergou didn't say a word, how much did he spend at Deji Plaza last time? Two suits, several T-shirts and two ties, Chen Ergou calculated the two bills, a simple math addition problem, but it was an amount that made Chen Ergou's eyes widen in shock and almost couldn't sleep, 42,390 yuan. Looking at Wei Xiaocao's normal gaze, Chen Ergou felt like he saw a friend who had gone to the Greater Northeast for the first time and didn't know the height of the sky or the thickness of the earth, wanting to hunt wild boars with thick skin and meat, truly people from two different worlds.

  In Zhangjiashan, nowadays the price is around 4-5 thousand and you can buy a pretty good wife. With over 40 thousand yuan, you can almost buy ten of them.

  Fang Jie was a woman who, along with Wei Duan Gong, had been battered by life, swallowing blood and bitterness together, only to be deprived of the chance to savor sweetness together. She could roughly understand Chen Er Gou's inner feelings as a small-time person, and smiled: "Money is an external thing, once you've stayed in this family for a while, you'll come to understand this principle."

  At that time, Chen Ergou felt that he would never understand this common sense in Fang Qie's eyes for his whole life.

  He didn't want to understand either, because he thought that after struggling for over 20 years, just wanting to save some money to treat his mother's illness and let her live a good life, if he really understood this principle, it would be too unfilial to the old man who spent his later years in Zhangjiashan drinking inferior wine, singing Peking opera, eating bitter heads for over a decade, and finally being able to lie down in a small coffin and take his last breath.

  It's even more unbearable for that woman who toiled away her whole life, only to be abandoned by a man and never got the chance to hold her grandchild, not even seeing her two sons turn into slightly human-like thin men. (If you want to know what happens next, please log in, there are more chapters, support the author, support the official version!)