2:30 AM.
Chen Pingjiang skillfully opened an Excel file named "Ledger," carefully highlighting "Mortgage 6728" in yellow.
The white area also listed "CCB 3580," "Gome Yika 5093," "Guangfa 3500," "China Merchants 4820," "Xiaoying Card Loan 5022"…
A total was pulled at the end of this row: "57412."
He took a deep drag of Furongwang, a spicy sensation swirled in his throat, then slowly exhaled.
The phone screen beside him lit up, displaying a Guangzhou number.
Chen Pingjiang didn't answer.
He frowned, found it irritating, flipped the phone screen over, and silently exited the Word document.
It was a supplier's call.
Chen Pingjiang didn't dare answer; even if he did, he had no money to repay.
These three years felt like a dream.
Three years ago, he was ambitious and full of spirit, driving his BMW X5 to various business gatherings every day.
Who would have thought they would encounter a global pandemic?
He initially thought it would subside quickly, just like in 2003, and he could weather it by robbing Peter to pay Paul.
But it dragged on like an endless leak, and after two and a half years, he finally couldn't hold on anymore.
He had been borrowing to repay loans until new loans were no longer approved.
Chen Pingjiang had no choice but to mortgage the house under his mother's name.
He always remembered how his elderly mother said it was fine on the day of the mortgage signing, but her eyes were red.
After all, it was the only memento his deceased father had left her.
Including car loan interest, that BMW X5 had cost a total of 800,000 to land.
Less than two years after paying off the car loan, it only sold for 280,000.
The house he currently lived in was bought when business was good.
He viewed the house in the morning and signed in the afternoon, like buying groceries at a market, as his mother would say.
The renovation and appliances cost 700,000.
Now, it no longer belonged to him.
The bulk was owned by the bank, and a smaller portion was a second loan from a third-party institution.
Except for him being the homeowner, everything else belonged to others.
Every day, WeChat, phone calls, and even QQ were filled with friends, relatives, and suppliers demanding repayment.
His phone was always on silent.
He didn't intend to default on any debt and forcefully climb ashore.
Fortunately, he still had some income now, struggling every month to repay various debts.
Otherwise, he truly wouldn't know how to face this world.
At 36, Chen Pingjiang could be said to have nothing.
His emotional life was a mess, and his wife and he were separated.
His 58-year-old mother was still working as a part-time nanny in Shanghai.
Illiterate, she simply hoped to help her son more.
She should have retired to enjoy her golden years, doting on grandchildren, but unfortunately, Chen Pingjiang had no children yet.
The winning numbers for Grand Lotto Issue No. 23142 were: Front area 04 13 15 17 32, Rear area 10 12.
Chen Pingjiang's expression was unperturbed.
He crumpled the lottery ticket in his hand and tossed it onto the table.
He didn't expect to turn his life around by winning a grand prize; it was just buying a glimmer of hope, leaving an option.
Just in case.
One person starts a business, the whole family collapses—a brutal example.
In 2009, during his internship, the lingering effects of the financial crisis meant he couldn't find a job.
He worked at Pacific Insurance for two months, earning 800 yuan.
In 2015, after pulling an all-nighter to make a PPT, Chen Pingjiang, just about to sleep, received a call from his mother.
He drove 400 kilometers to Taicheng, Sudong Province.
Although he saw his father one last time, his father passed away the next day.
In the Spring Festival of 2016, he went north alone, not returning home for the New Year.
His mother spent the New Year alone in their hometown.
During that time, he also didn't get to see his grandmother one last time.
In 2018, his business initially succeeded, earning two to three million annually.
He bought a car and a house, full of vigor and spirit, marking the highlight of his past thirty-plus years.
In 2020, things took a sharp downturn…
When would these days end?
The money he earned wasn't even enough to cover various interest payments.
Looking back in middle age, he had nothing, and everywhere was regret.
No love, no career; he was truly a failure.
Of course, he hadn't left nothing behind, for example, he was bald, fat, and greasy.
He remembered being described as having a "duck face" back then, but now…
"This damn life!"
Chen Pingjiang cursed under his breath, taking a deep puff of his cigarette but choking for a long time, tears streaming from his eyes.
"I really wish I could live it again."
Suddenly, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a hand, a dizzying sensation came over him, and the next moment, he lost consciousness.
The faint melody still drifted from his headphones.
God, tell us the reason
Youth is wasted on the young
It's hunting season
And the lambs are on the run
Searching for the meaning
But are we all lost stars
Trying to light up the dark
…
"Grand-uncle, we've arrived at school."
Chen Pingjiang's ears were filled with a cacophony of noise, car horns and birdsong mixed together.
The bright light was dazzling, a stuffy heat enveloped him, and his head felt groggy.
What greeted his eyes was a strong young man like an iron tower, wearing a military green vest and gray denim shorts.
He was dark-skinned, especially his limbs and the back of his neck, which looked like charcoal, and a fuzzy mustache adorned his lips.
"Erzi?"
Chen Pingjiang was startled.
"Aren't you in jail? Did you escape?"
"Grand-uncle, you're teasing me again. I haven't broken any laws, why would I be in jail?"
The strong young man looked helpless.
Chen Pingjiang's heart was in turmoil.
Looking at Erzi's still-youthful appearance, a long-lost familiar song drifted into his ears:
"In the late Eastern Han, three kingdoms arose,
Beacon fires raged endlessly.
Love and affection swayed by chaotic times.
Who will boil wine
…"
Is this… rebirth?
Or am I still dreaming?
His heart slowly sank.
Chen Pingjiang remained silent, then after a long while, he painstakingly raised his head and said to Erzi,
"Give me a cigarette."
Only when that long-lost spicy sensation swirled in his throat did Chen Pingjiang calm down.
He had indeed been reborn.
After emerging from his initial bewilderment, he became increasingly excited.
It was the summer of 2006, and his high school years had just ended!
He actually had the chance to live again.
His fingers trembled with excitement, deforming the filter of the Hongtashan cigarette.
"Grand-uncle, is everything alright?"
Erzi waved his palm in front of Chen Pingjiang's eyes, looking somewhat enviously at his grand-uncle's dashing smoking posture, especially the ability to blow a smoke ring.
"Nothing's wrong, I just want some peace and quiet,"
Chen Pingjiang waved his hand.
"Jingjing? Which girl in our school is Jingjing?"
Erzi asked naively.
Erzi was his nickname.
The black, strong young man's full name was Zhou Guanghan.
Zhou Guanghan's maternal grandmother also had the surname Chen.
His mother called Chen Pingjiang her maternal uncle, so Zhou Guanghan also called him grand-uncle.
Chen Pingjiang was young in age but high in seniority within the family.
When he went home for Chinese New Year, he would sit comfortably in a chair, accepting the kowtows and red envelopes from the younger generation.
Zhou Guanghan's hometown was dozens of kilometers from the county town.
His mother was reluctant for her son to live in a dorm, so she entrusted him to board at Chen Pingjiang's home.
Chen Pingjiang sighed with emotion, patted Zhou Guanghan's shoulder, sat up, and casually brushed the dust off his backside.
In his previous life, Zhou Guanghan also suffered.
After Chen Pingjiang's company went bankrupt, Zhou Guanghan returned to his hometown to farm.
He emptied his savings to buy a tricycle, and one evening, he accidentally ran over and killed an elderly man who was taking a stroll on a country road.
The victim's family demanded 300,000 yuan in compensation.
His honest peasant father and disabled mother simply couldn't afford to pay, and he was ultimately sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
(End of Chapter)
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