Chapter Eighty-One: Crisis at the Eldest Uncle’s House

After all, they were relatives. Although his uncle felt uncomfortable, he thought that if it was genuine help, it wouldn’t be unacceptable. Yet, things rarely go as one hopes, and often unfold in unexpected ways. Not only did Shen Kaixing fail to help him, he even managed to offend the deputy director of the local health bureau.

For those in the food business, offending someone from the health bureau practically spelled trouble for future operations. Left with no choice, Liu Boqing had to humble himself and apologize profusely; after finally settling things with the deputy director, he found himself dealing with a few local troublemakers who hung around the restaurant, eating and drinking for free.

Liu Boqing despised such people, and after repeated visits, where they ate, drank, made noise, and refused to pay—claiming Shen Kaixing would foot the bill, though as family, he had never paid a cent in the restaurant—Liu Boqing finally lost his patience. No one could stomach such behavior, so he threw them out. Now, the misfortune shifted to Zhang Ye’s family. Almost every year, they borrowed money from several relatives, never did any proper work, always claimed to be doing business, but never once made a profit.

In recent years, things had quieted down a bit; they borrowed some money from his uncle to start a taxi business in Guangyang City. But Zhang Ye knew, from his memories of the previous life, that when he returned to Lihua County, he found Zhang Ye’s family running a profitable convenience shop at the entrance of No. 2 Middle School. His uncle, seeing this, opened a bigger shop right next door, with more capital and a larger storefront, and began to suppress the Zhang family’s store. He even tried to force Liu Meiju to sign a contract forbidding them from selling their best-selling items.

The incident escalated uncontrollably, leaving both sides completely estranged, and their true character exposed to all. This was precisely why Zhang Ye disliked this uncle so intensely.

“He’ll probably come back. You know what he’s like.” In the family, everyone found him hard to tolerate. Though his repulsive side hadn’t fully shown yet, his actions were already enough to annoy people.

Zhang Ye frowned and responded, falling silent after that, his good mood for the day ruined.

During dinner, Liu Meiju urged Zhang Ye to review his studies, reminding him that his uncle’s family would certainly ask about it. Zhang Ye replied, then, taking advantage of Liu Meiju heading to the shop, slipped out again.

The explosive popularity of Sword of Light Internet Café had startled everyone on Wenhua Street. Especially the arcade across the street, where the once-boisterous crowds had dwindled; though still full, the sense of bustle was gone.

Zhang Ye surveyed the scene with satisfaction, then retreated to his private booth to continue his battle.

The next day, Sword of Light Internet Café began officially charging fees.

At five yuan per hour, the price was a bit steep, yet the stream of customers never ceased. Even when someone ran out of money and logged off, a new patron immediately took their place. Around each computer, there were always two or three people waiting.

The café had a total of twenty-three computers, open from eight in the morning until ten at night. An overnight session cost twenty yuan, a relative bargain, and many who hadn’t had enough chose to stay through the night. After all, it was the holiday period; they could simply sleep during the day.

The first day’s earnings were quickly tallied—calculating from eight in the morning to eight the next day, they totaled eighteen hundred and thirty-five yuan.

This figure couldn’t compare to the watermelon sales of the past, but that was an exceptional circumstance, unsustainable. The internet café, however, could keep growing. As more computers were added, profits would rise.

The second batch of thirty computers arrived on the third day. After hiring someone to set up and install software, operations began immediately. Now with fifty-three computers, the room was fully occupied.

On this day, Zhang Ye’s uncle returned from out of town. Zhang Ye went to pick them up, meeting the family outside the station at three o’clock.

“Uncle, Aunt, Sister Qian, Little Yi,” he greeted them. His uncle’s family had two children: the elder, Liu Qianqian, eighteen years old; the younger, Liu Xiaoyi, ten.

Trailing beside his uncle was a middle-aged man of average build, who looked honest and affable, always smiling and appearing friendly.

“This is your Uncle Zheng Fan. If not for him, I would have lost all my money when I first arrived in Xijiang,” Liu Wenliang said, clearly trusting and grateful toward this man.

“History really hasn’t changed,” Zhang Ye thought, narrowing his eyes.

He knew Zheng Fan well. In his previous life, at the height of his uncle’s success, he sold the restaurant and returned home with hundreds of thousands to invest. The one who convinced him was this so-called Uncle Zheng Fan.

But in truth, it was just a trick. Zheng Fan urged his uncle to sell the restaurant, eyeing the large sum of money. Once in Lihua County, he pretended to be interested in a plot of land to build a factory, and, exploiting his uncle’s trust, simply took the money and vanished.

This incident devastated his uncle’s family. Their most trusted friend had swindled them out of hundreds of thousands; years of hard-earned savings gone in an instant, and no hope of recovery.

Thus, Zhang Ye harbored deep resentment toward this so-called Uncle Zheng Fan. He nodded coolly, offered a brief greeting, then ushered his uncle’s family into the taxi. He had arranged for two cars to wait just for their arrival.

Though his uncle had been away for several years, the family home hadn’t been sold. In recent days, his mother and aunt had tidied it up; it was still fit for living. Zhang Ye led them straight to their old house.

On the way, Zhang Ye pondered how to help his uncle avoid disaster. In his memory, his uncle had always been strict with the younger generation, especially about studies—rewarding good grades, punishing poor ones, and Zhang Ye’s childhood mischief had led to more spankings from his uncle than from his own father.

But Zhang Ye had never resented him; he knew his uncle meant well, and the rewards for good grades had been enticing as a child.

Moreover, in his previous life, though Zhang Ye endured hardship, his uncle—no longer the man he once was—still cared for him, helping whenever he could. This was his uncle’s biggest crisis, and Zhang Ye was determined to help.

He couldn’t just speak out directly; his uncle’s trust in Zheng Fan was evident. The specifics were unclear, but apparently, when they first arrived in Xijiang, his uncle’s money was stolen, and Zheng Fan helped recover it. This gratitude, combined with their being from the same hometown—Xiongchun Town in Lihua County—made his uncle feel even closer, lowering his guard.

Thus, the matter would have to be handled slowly, gradually convincing his uncle to be wary, at least to ensure he didn’t hand over the money outright.