My Mother-in-Law Gifted Me a Building

”Brother-in-law? I quit!” Su Jun’s voice came through the phone.

”Hmm? Why? Did someone bully you?” Chu Feng asked, frowning.

He was genuinely worried that Su Jun had gotten into a fight or some kind of conflict.

”This place is so damn tiring,” Su Jun began to vent. ”They don’t even treat you like a person. The machines run nonstop, you have to hold up a sign just to use the restroom, and they even fucking time you—five minutes!” He didn’t want to just throw in the towel and walk away.

”The day’s not even over and you already want to quit?” Chu Feng reasoned. ”What else would you do? Besides, if you don’t get that five thousand a month salary, you’re not getting any spending money.”

”Brother-in-law, you have no idea,” Su Jun continued to complain. ”I don’t know how many times my hands have been jabbed today. They’re all torn up and bleeding nonstop, and that asshole team leader is always in my ear, nagging that I’m too slow!”

”It’s 4:30 now. Where are you? Aren’t you supposed to be working?” Chu Feng asked, glancing at the time.

”I’m hiding in the bathroom to call you. Having a smoke too,” Su Jun said.

Chu Feng laughed when he heard this. ’The kid isn’t a complete idiot.’ Even though he was complaining nonstop, at least he hadn’t impulsively thrown in the towel.

”There’s only one hour left until you get off work. Just hang in there a little longer. You’ve made it through the whole day, are you telling me you can’t last one more hour?” Chu Feng said.

”This is no job for a fucking human!” Su Jun complained again, his voice full of self-pity. ”I’ve been sitting all day, my back feels like it’s going to snap, and my hands don’t even feel like they’re mine anymore! On top of that, that son-of-a-bitch team leader says we have to work overtime until at least ten, otherwise we can’t leave. It’s the evil of capitalism! This is total bullying!”

After all, he’d been pampered his whole life. He’d never experienced this kind of hardship.

”Just hang in there a bit longer,” Chu Feng said. ”If you give up, you’ll be playing right into your sister’s hands, won’t you? Do you think you’ll get any spending money then? And without money, how are you supposed to go out and have fun?”

”Sigh... alright then. I’ll grit my teeth and bear it.” Su Jun was resigned. He thought back to the bold promises he’d made and wished he could find a hole to crawl into and slap himself.

’So arrogant. So conceited.’

Chu Feng hung up. He had already guessed Su Jun would react this way, but he was surprised his brother-in-law hadn’t just walked off the job.

It’s normal not to be able to handle the intensity when you first start. If he can tough it out for a week, he should be fine.

Just then, Su Miaoke woke up. Having overheard Chu Feng’s side of the conversation, she asked, ”Was that Su Jun? I bet he can’t take it anymore.”

”Yeah, but he was just complaining. He hasn’t quit yet. I figure if he can hang on for a few more days, he’ll get used to it,” Chu Feng said.

”Why don’t you sleep a little longer? I’ll call you when I’m done making dinner,” Chu Feng asked.

”I’m not going back to sleep. It’s already four-thirty, almost five,” Su Miaoke said, shaking her head.

The reason Su Miaoke had slept so late was that she hadn’t dared to sleep a wink on the cargo ship. Carrying that much money had kept her on edge and incredibly excited.

Even after she got home, she hadn’t fallen asleep until almost noon.

Over thirty billion. That was an amount of money an ordinary person might not earn in countless lifetimes.

”Suddenly becoming a billionaire, how could I possibly sleep?” Su Miaoke said.

”Haha, then just enjoy it. Experience what it’s like to be a rich woman. I’m going to write up a list of the medicinal herbs we need and have Sixth Master get someone to procure them,” Chu Feng said.

”Okay. We’re rich now, anyway. With this much money, we could buy more medicinal herbs than a cargo ship could carry,” Su Miaoke said.

”That’s not necessarily true. Some herbs are so rare that money alone can’t buy them; you need connections. Take thousand-year ginseng or thousand-year fo-ti root, for instance. You can’t find them on the open market, or they’ve been completely bought up by a monopoly.”

”And there are many other herbs most people have never even heard of. Have you ever heard of a lotus that blooms in the dead of winter? Or a plum blossom in the middle of summer?” Chu Feng said.

”A lotus in winter? Don’t they all wither? And plum blossoms in the summer? Is it even possible to find things like that?” Su Miaoke’s eyes widened in disbelief.

”I don’t know. That’s why we have to ask Sixth Master to try and find them,” Chu Feng said.

By the time he finished the list, it was already past five. Chu Feng started making dinner.

Lying on the bed, Su Miaoke watched Chu Feng leave to cook. The corners of her lips curled up slightly. In that instant, she felt an indescribable sense of bliss.

A feeling of deep contentment, security, and abundance washed over her.

In less than an hour, Chu Feng had dinner ready.

”Honey, time to get up and eat,” Chu Feng called out.

”Okay, can you open the red wine for me? I’ll be right down,” Su Miaoke said.

Chu Feng opened the red wine and poured a glass for each of them.

When Su Miaoke came downstairs, she wrapped her arms around Chu Feng from behind, resting her cheek against his back.

”Hubby, I’m so glad I have you,” Su Miaoke said softly.

”Having you is my good fortune, too,” Chu Feng said with a smile.

In truth, it was because of Su Miaoke—because of this woman—that Chu Feng’s own destiny had changed.

He turned his head, and Su Miaoke stood on her tiptoes to give him a light kiss on the lips.

”Alright, let’s eat,” Chu Feng said. ”I probably won’t be back for the next few days. I’m going to go to the factory and stay with Su Jun, just in case he decides to bolt after a couple of days.”

”There’s no need. He’s definitely not going to last,” Su Miaoke said. She knew her brother’s nature all too well.

”I should still go. He’s your brother, after all, and my brother-in-law,” Chu Feng said.

”By the way, here’s the list I wrote up. Can you make a copy and give it to Zhao Liu? Ask him to help with the procurement,” Chu Feng said.

”Okay, but what do you need all these herbs for?” Su Miaoke asked curiously.

”They’re for our Cultivation. You’ll find out when the time is right,” Chu Feng said, not telling her the whole story.

After dinner, Chu Feng took a taxi to the electronics factory.

He arrived at the gate just as the workday was ending.

Su Jun’s call came through, and Chu Feng answered it while standing at the factory gate.

”Brother-in-law, are you back yet? Please come get me and take me out to eat. The food in this factory is disgusting—it’s not fit for humans. A pig wouldn’t even eat this stuff.” Su Jun sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

”I’m right at the factory gate. Come on out,” Chu Feng said.

A short while later, Chu Feng spotted Su Jun.

The Su Jun who appeared had none of his earlier energy. He was completely listless, looking like he was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.