Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Two: Is Being Rich Such a Big Deal?

"Boss, are you interested in buying my house?"

"Twenty-five hundred. If you really want to buy it, I'll sell it to you for twenty-five hundred."

"My house is right next to Gao Yun's bone-setting clinic, and it's very close to the entrance of the alley. The location is much better than most."

Just then, a middle-aged man was pushed forward by a woman holding a child. He gritted his teeth and spoke urgently. However, his eyes darted around, looking up at the sky as if he were talking to thin air.

He was Hu Xiaojun, the son of Wu Xinshui. His old man had made it clear he didn't want to sell the house—he was just standing up for Gao Yun. But Chen Huajiang's offer was too tempting. He had been interested for a long time, and with his wife’s recent persuasion and threats, he found himself standing there, half-willingly. Although his demeanor was awkward, everyone knew who he was addressing; after all, there was only one buyer present.

"You... you wretched son, what are you saying!"

Wu Xinshui had never expected his eldest son to jump out like this. He pointed at him, eyes wide and face dark. Wasn't this clearly going against him?

Gao Yun was also stunned. She looked at Hu Xiaojun, her face pale and then flushed, unable to believe it. She knew perfectly well that his father had been helping her to humiliate Chen Huajiang.

"Interesting. But it seems you don't have the authority to make this decision," Chen Huajiang said with a smile, glancing at the furious Wu Xinshui.

"Dad, two thousand—no, it's twenty-five hundred! What are you still thinking about? How much longer are you going to be stubborn? This money is enough for us to buy two houses and still have some left over!"

"How long are we going to keep living all crammed together like this? The match factory where I work is doing terribly; we haven't been paid in two months. Who knows if we’ll ever be allocated housing in the future? Even if we were, with so many senior workers ahead of me, would it ever be my turn?"

"I don't mind squeezing in with you, but what about Xiaobao? He’s growing up. And you know the situation between Mom and A-hong—how long can this go on? I can't just ignore the needs of my wife and child. You have to consider us, too!"

Seeing that Chen Huajiang was interested in buying, Hu Xiaojun grew agitated. He spoke passionately to Wu Xinshui, gesturing toward his wife, who was holding their son nearby. These were the very problems they, and many other families, were currently facing.

Wu Xinshui’s face turned livid, but he looked conflicted and hesitant. Finally, he let out a long sigh.

"Handle it yourself. I... I won't interfere anymore," Wu Xinshui said in a low voice.

With those words, the matter was settled. Hu Xiaojun looked at Chen Huajiang excitedly.

"Fine. I'll buy your house for twenty-five hundred." Chen Huajiang nodded at Hu Xiaojun, then turned to the woman from before. "And you, miss, your house is next to his, right? I'll buy yours for two thousand."

Hu Xiaojun was thrilled. The woman hesitated briefly, wanting to push for a higher price like Hu Xiaojun had, but she quickly agreed, fearing Chen Huajiang might change his mind and buy someone else's property instead.

Chen Huajiang finalized the details with them, paid a five-hundred-dollar deposit, and drafted a preliminary contract. They agreed to meet at the real estate bureau the following day for the transfer.

"You are absolutely detestable! Does having money make you so great? Does having money mean you can just buy people's houses?"

Gao Yun could no longer contain herself. She pointed at Chen Huajiang and shouted, her eyes burning with rage. What was supposed to be a setup to toy with and humiliate him had backfired; not only had he avoided the trap, but he had also bought her neighbors' houses. This blow left Gao Yun feeling stifled, and her hatred for Chen Huajiang deepened.

Watching her anger, Chen Huajiang suddenly recalled an image from the internet in the future. It was a screenshot from a Hong Kong drama, where a young man accuses a villain: "Is having money so great? Can you do whatever you want just because you have money?"

He suddenly felt that the current scene fit the background of that picture perfectly. He laughed and walked toward Gao Yun under everyone's watchful eyes.

"Yes," Chen Huajiang said, nodding with a smile. Imitating the villain from that meme, he rubbed his chin with his right hand. "Having money is great. And having money means I can buy other people's houses."

Chen Huajiang said this smugly, feeling like a true villain. Gao Yun was so angry she gnashed her teeth, her body rigid. Liu Xiangyang and Ma Liangping quickly grabbed her arms to prevent her from doing anything rash.

"You will definitely regret this! You will be held accountable eventually!" Gao Yun spat out, then stomped her foot hard on the ground and turned to leave. Her stomp, fueled by pure rage, caused a piece of the decaying blue brick on the ground to crack into pieces.

"Wait," Chen Huajiang said with a smile, calling her back.

"Boss Chen, I suggest you stop pushing your luck," Liu Xiangyang and Ma Liangping said, looking at him with annoyance. "Our junior sister is leaving. If you want to pick a fight, let's step outside." To them, Chen Huajiang was clearly bullying others and looking for trouble; after all, they were on Gao Yun's side.

"What? Did I strike a nerve? Are you angry because I hit on your fears?" Gao Yun stopped and turned back, her expression now smug. In this era, the question of whether individual business owners were "capitalists" had not yet been settled. Money might make life easier, but it also brought danger.

Gao Yun's words were like a curse, a parting shot after losing the confrontation. She felt smug, thinking she had hit a sore spot and regained some ground. But she was overthinking it. For Chen Huajiang, who already knew the direction history would take, her words had no sting at all—not even as much as a curse word.

"This blue brick is worth two hundred. The price of the house drops from twenty-five hundred to twenty-three hundred."

"I offered twenty-five hundred because everything was intact. Now that it's damaged, I’ll have to hire someone to fix it, find matching materials, and perhaps even redo the entire floor. I don’t think this loss should come out of my pocket." Chen Huajiang smiled at Gao Yun, then looked at Hu Xiaojun.

"This—" Hu Xiaojun was stunned. He hadn't expected to lose two hundred just like that. "Gao Yun, what exactly do you mean? This is my courtyard, not yours! Why are you sabotaging my family like this? My family isn't paying for this two hundred; you broke it, so why should we pay?"

Hu Xiaojun was furious, pointing at Gao Yun and accusing her.

"Exactly. Gao Yun, our family hasn't treated you poorly, and we have no conflict with your bone-setting clinic. You can't screw us over like this." Hu Xiaojun's wife, A-hong, walked over with her son and joined in.

Everyone's eyes turned to Gao Yun. She was livid, staring daggers at Chen Huajiang, her eyes turning bloodshot.

"Boss Chen, you are being unreasonable. Is this broken brick worth two hundred? Are you mocking us?"

"That’s right. If you’re going to be unreasonable, we won't be reasonable either." Liu Xiangyang and Ma Liangping glared at him, and Ma Liangping even began rolling up his sleeves.