Chapter 27: The Confrontation Before Departure

This was something that Fang Mingyuan and Grandpa Fang had already agreed upon before leaving Hai Zhuang Town. After all, Hai Zhuang Town was too small, and there was not much room for the Fang family to develop. Although they could expand to Pingchuan County in the future, Fang Mingyuan believed that the places where they could truly achieve great things were the provincial capital and the national capital. Therefore, for this trip to the national capital, Fang Mingyuan must have a certain degree of autonomy, and to achieve this, he needed to do some work with Bai Ping. At the very least, he couldn't let his mother, who was still in the dark about her son's activities, remain unaware of the changes in the Fang family over the past six months, all of which were orchestrated by her second-grade son, who was still considered to be under her protection. If that were the case, how could his uncle, aunts, uncles-in-law, and the already grown-up cousins take Fang Mingyuan seriously? Although Grandpa and Grandma Fang could vouch for Fang Mingyuan, it wouldn't be as convincing as Bai Ping herself.

As for Fang Ya, Fang Mingyuan believed that he should start supporting his second uncle now, helping him establish his own territory in the provincial capital. In the previous life, his second uncle was quite capable, but without sufficient family support, background, or money, he remained an ordinary citizen in Fengyuan City all his life. However, in this life, the Fang family now had the means to help this distant relative, so they should do their best to help him establish himself in the provincial capital. This way, when the Fang family had the ability to enter the provincial capital in the future, they wouldn't be completely clueless about the situation there and wouldn't have to start from scratch.

With this in mind, Fang Mingyuan had a serious conversation with Grandpa Fang before leaving Hai Zhuang Town. Naturally, Grandpa Fang was once again convinced by his grandson. Of course, a significant reason for this was that the decisions Fang Mingyuan had made over the past six months had all proven to be far-sighted. Grandpa Fang had already come to see this little grandson as the future hope of the Fang family.

"You probably don't know, but Xiao Yuan is already a ten-thousand-yuan household!" Grandpa Fang's first words left Bai Ping and Fang Ya speechless for a long time. In 1984, when the average annual income for most workers was less than 300 yuan, the impact of a ten-thousand-yuan household was even greater than that of a billionaire in the future.

"Dad, are you joking? Mingyuan is only in second grade this year. How could he have so much money?" Bai Ping finally managed to say after a long pause.

"How could your father joke about such a serious matter?" Grandma said, displeased. "At the time, we were worried that you and Fang Sheng would overthink things, so Xiao Yuan insisted on being... yes, low-key. That's why we didn't tell you. Actually, the idea of Fang Bin opening a bun stall was Xiao Yuan's."

"Ah?" Bai Ping looked at Grandpa Fang in disbelief. Fang Ya was no better, staring at Grandpa Fang with wide eyes.

Grandpa Fang nodded. "Your mother is right; it was indeed Xiao Yuan's idea."

"But how could he possibly have ten thousand yuan?" Bai Ping knew the family's income. Although they had saved a lot over the past six months, it was impossible to have earned that much. Besides, the money they had earned through hard work couldn't be attributed to Fang Mingyuan, could it?

"That's everyone's money, not mine!" Fang Mingyuan quickly clarified.

Grandma hugged Fang Mingyuan and pinched his cheek affectionately. "Yes, Grandma knows. That's the money you gave to Grandpa and Grandma for their old age."

Grandpa Fang explained in general terms about Fang Mingyuan's investment in stamps. "All this money is what Xiao Yuan earned through his own abilities. He's still young, so I'm keeping it for him temporarily. And this money can only be used by Xiao Yuan. Without his permission, no one else can touch it!"

Bai Ping and Fang Ya looked at each other, as if they were listening to a fairy tale. Just buying stamps for over 300 yuan and turning them into ten thousand yuan in just half a year—this was almost unbelievable.

"Brother-in-law, if... if... Xiao Yuan..." Fang Ya stammered, "If he really has that many monkey stamps, then he really is a ten-thousand-yuan household. A few days ago, I heard that the price of monkey stamps had risen to 3.5 yuan each!" Since he was in the provincial capital, he was more informed about such news. His little nephew had quietly bought so many stamps, and if calculated, it would be around 15,000 yuan. Fang Ya felt a bit dazed, realizing that his family now had a ten-thousand-yuan household, and he was only in second grade. If this were told to others, who would believe it?

"It's not just that. Xiao Yuan also has 2,000 yuan in cash with me. This is the deposit from the lending library he set up. As long as the library doesn't go bankrupt, he can use this money temporarily." Grandpa Fang dropped another bomb. Bai Ping and Fang Ya were now completely stunned, their minds in a whirl. The combined savings of the entire Fang family were less than what this child had. How was this possible?

"Don't talk about bankruptcy, you old man. Be careful with your words. How could Xiao Yuan's library go bankrupt?" Grandma said, displeased.

"I was just using an analogy. I was just using an analogy!" Grandpa Fang realized he had misspoken and quickly explained.

"Today, I'm telling you this because I want you to understand that Xiao Yuan is only seven years old, a second-grader, and still a child. That's true. But you can't treat him like just a child. You need to listen to his opinions and respect them. Xiao Yuan has already proven that none of us have his foresight. Even if you can't see the right or wrong of his ideas immediately, don't rush to judgment. Xiao Yuan can withstand setbacks and isn't afraid of failure. As long as he still has these stamps, he has the foundation to rise again!" Grandpa Fang said earnestly, "What we need to do is let him spread his wings and fly freely. Maybe one day, a golden phoenix will rise from our Hai Zhuang Town!"

"Golden phoenix? That's usually used to describe girls. Our Xiao Yuan will definitely be a dragon! Xiao Yuan is a dragon!" Grandma said, beaming.

"Grandma, Grandpa didn't say anything wrong. The ancients said that the phoenix is a divine beast, with the male being the Feng and the female being the Huang." Fang Mingyuan, seeing Grandpa Fang's twitching eyes, quickly smoothed things over.

"Xiao Yuan is so smart, even knowing this. Grandma didn't know that the phoenix meant this." Grandma was even more delighted.

"Fang Ya, the family will subsidize you in the future. This is Xiao Yuan's idea, and I agree. Don't argue about it. If you feel uncomfortable, just work hard and study diligently in the provincial capital. When Xiao Yuan grows up, he shouldn't be confined to that small town. The provincial capital or even the national capital is where he can truly shine. When the time comes, do your best to help him!" Grandpa Fang made the final decision, leaving no room for Fang Ya to object.

"Second Uncle, while we're in the national capital, look around in Fengyuan City. See if there are any good locations for street-front shops near Zhonglou East Street and Nandajie Street. It would be even better if there's a courtyard. Second Uncle will need a place to live in Fengyuan in the future, not just a dormitory. And when the family visits Fengyuan, they'll have a place to stay. Don't worry about the money!" Fang Mingyuan immediately gave Fang Ya his first task.

Fang Mingyuan believed that this deal would soon prove its value. No matter how expensive the houses in Fengyuan were now, they couldn't compare to the prices in 2010.