After having a meal with Ninth Master and Old Mr. Taylor, it was already six or seven o'clock.
I rode the small tricycle towards Thompson Village.
The night breeze was cool.
The street lights on both sides were dazzling and captivating.
I was in a very good mood, having earned eight million in just one afternoon. Thinking about it now felt like a dream.
Two million was won from a bet with Gold Tooth Zhou, while the remaining six million was earned from selling that Warring States Terracotta Warrior. Calculating it all, my current net worth was over 8.7 million.
And half a month ago, when I just came out of the hospital, I only had a little over five hundred.
Looking back on the past half month, I felt a bit emotional.
In just half a month, my life had completely changed. Not only had I earned so much money, but I also made friends with Mr. Jay and Mr. Anderson.
Oh, and Jessica.
Just thinking about Jessica made my heart beat a little faster.
Surely, things would get even better with time!
I thought to myself.
At this moment, I was filled with confidence about the future.
I drove for half an hour and returned to Thompson Village. Upon entering the village entrance, I encountered many people on the road who gathered around warmly, greeting me upon seeing me.
"Hey, Charlie is back!"
"Charlie, have you eaten yet?"
I smiled, waved, and replied, "I've eaten, I had it earlier!"
As I continued driving, people occasionally emerged from their houses to look over.
"It's Charlie who's back!"
"Charlie is really promising! He's acquainted with so many big bosses, calling them brothers, he's going to be successful!"
"Isn't that right! I heard Charlie is rich now, with several million in his account!"
"Wow! Several million! That's a millionaire right there; it would take me years to earn that much! Oh my, I can't even fathom it!"
My face was beginning to stiffen with smiles, and I was left a bit speechless by the gossip.
In the morning, I didn't have several million; I only had eight hundred thousand, and in just one day, the rumor had bloomed to millions.
For the villagers' enthusiasm, I felt quite indifferent inside.
Having grown up poor, I had seen the fickleness of human nature and the warmth and coldness of humanity. Previously, when I was penniless, these villagers weren't so friendly; many even treated me with cold indifference.
In the morning, when I had an incident, many had ridiculed and sneered at me. Now seeing that I was doing well, they all changed their attitudes.
"Charlie, do you have a partner? If not, I can introduce you to one! The girl from the neighboring village, Ah Hong, is very pretty. You'll surely like her."
"Pshaw! Charlie, don't listen to her. I'll introduce you to one who's got looks and a great figure; you'll definitely like her."
A group of aunties gathered around, vying to introduce a partner for me.
They were chattering away to the point of almost arguing, giving me a headache and making me blush.
"Auntie Martinez, Auntie Anderson, please stop. I'm still young and not in a hurry to find someone." I said hurriedly.
"Oh! You're eighteen, not too young! It's the right time to start dating, and in a few years, you'll be ready for children!"
Unable to argue, I had no choice but to flee in desperate retreat.
Upon reaching my doorstep, the neighbors came out to warmly greet me.
After entering the house and turning on the light, someone came to the door.
"Charlie! Now that you're successful and know so many big bosses, could you help my son find a job?"
"Charlie, I heard you made several million. Can you... lend me some? I promise I'll pay it back soon."
People came one after another, either asking for connections or borrowing money—many of whom were not very familiar to me, so I had to politely refuse.
Upon being refused, many left resentfully, and some became outright furious.
"I never thought Charlie would be like this. He gets rich and forgets his fellow villagers. How can you not help me when I'm in trouble?"
"So stingy, with so much money, would lending me ten or twenty thousand kill you?"
These words made me frown deeply and filled me with indignation.
When my father died and I was extremely poor, not one of these people had offered to help me. When I was expelled from school, they gossiped and laughed at me.
Now, seeing that I had money, they all flocked around to seek benefits.
Their faces disgusted me.
"Seems like living here can't continue. There will surely be plenty of such bothersome matters in the future." For the first time, I thought about moving.
After refusing five or six people in succession, such individuals gradually decreased, with familiar people being the only ones visiting. They filled the house, chatting about daily matters, creating quite a lively atmosphere, even attracting the village head.
During the conversation, they discussed the matter of building a new road, and I agreed to donate two hundred thousand.
Having grown up here, I had a deep affection for Thompson Village. Now that I had a bit of money, I naturally wanted to give back to the village.
After more than an hour, the guests finally left.
Just as I was about to close the door, I saw my uncle coming out from next door, with a hand behind him pushing him, "Go on! Go on!" It was my aunt's voice.
The uncle hesitated a bit, but when he turned around and saw me, he was momentarily stunned.
"Uncle, is there something you need?"
I vaguely guessed what it might be but didn't want to directly mention it.
"L-little Charlie! Well... it's a bit embarrassing to say..." the uncle stammered.
"Oh my! You useless man, can't even speak properly, stammering... isn't it just borrowing money! What's there to be embarrassed about!"
The aunt scolded him as she walked out of the house.
"Charlie, let me tell you, our family once helped you. Now it's your time to repay the favor. You've got so much money; you've got to lend us some!"
"That son of ours, Bowan, is living in the provincial capital, where the cost of living is high. The child is having a hard time, and I don't want him to suffer; I need to send him more money."
"Consider it as helping your cousin. In the future, if he becomes a high-ranking official, you'll benefit too."
After hearing this, I couldn't help but laugh coldly.
That so-called cousin of mine was just like the aunt, always looking down on me, with a haughty attitude and harsh words. I had no fondness for him.
With a scoff, I said, "Aunt, this money... I won't lend it to you."
"You..."
The aunt almost exploded with anger upon hearing this.
"You... you little bastard, ungrateful wolf!"
"Aunt, have you forgotten how you treated me back then when I asked your family for money? You didn't lend me a single penny and even said it'd be better if I starved to death."
"I..." The aunt was momentarily speechless.
She was feeling a bit regretful inside, not expecting that this kid would become successful one day.
"However, I will lend it to Uncle. Back then, it was Uncle who secretly gave me some of his private savings. Although it wasn't much, I've always been grateful." I said.
"Here is fifty thousand. We are even now, and in the future, I won't concern myself with your family's matters."
I took out five wads of one-hundred-dollar bills and handed them to my uncle.
"Charlie, this..." The uncle didn't immediately take the money, his face full of shame.
It was the aunt whose eyes lit up and snatched the money from my hand.
"I say, Charlie, just fifty thousand bucks and you want to fob us off?" the aunt screeched.
"Enough! Shut up!"
At this moment, the uncle finally couldn't bear it anymore and bellowed out.
The aunt was stunned, staring blankly at him.
Then, like an enraged mother leopard, she almost sprung up, "Wayne Thompson, how dare you yell at me! How dare you—! Have you eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard?"
"Shut up!"
The uncle bellowed, his demeanor as stern as ever.
He stood with his back straight, his gaze intimidating, his aura actually managing to suppress the aunt.
"It was us who wronged Charlie in the first place. Charlie lending us fifty thousand is already the utmost kindness; what more do you want! Don't embarrass me any further!"
With these words, the uncle slammed the door behind him and went inside.
The aunt stood there holding the money, dumbfounded, and eventually started to wail loudly, "Wayne Thompson, you thankless wretch, heartless man!"
The sound of her wailing spread through the night, drawing many gazes.
I watched coldly, then closed the door.