Reaching the age of thirty, my income randomly doubled

Chapter 711: Chapter 519: Returning Home

Other relatives also wanted to get some resources from Chen Pingsheng, more or less, to help themselves climb up the social ladder.

But they were generally too embarrassed to ask outright.

Chen Qi was clearly the first to make a show of digging into her brother’s resources without shame, and even taking pride in it.

What can you do when you only have one sister?

When Pingsheng brought up Peng Qing to Chen Qi, she wasn’t surprised, as if she had known all along.

“She’s pretty down-to-earth. You know, brother, she’s been here for so long and you’re only paying attention to her now. That’s not right. Even a little bit of blood from under your fingernail would’ve kept her from having to live stream under the bridge every day.”

“You think everyone’s like you, opening your own store and digging into both your brother’s and sister-in-law’s resources. When will you ever have your own success story?”

Chen Qi looked at him strangely, giggled and said, “Brother, you’re wrong there. I never force myself to have some sort of independent success. With such a big tree to lean on, if I don’t know how to cling to it, wouldn’t I be stupid?

“As for the sister-in-law’s Qipao tailor, she’s something else. Ever since she agreed to come over to my place, a few of the sister-in-law’s friends immediately ordered several bespoke, hand-embroidered haute couture Qipao dresses. I charged them six hundred thousand a piece, and they didn’t even bargain.”

Chen Qi said this with a sense of pride.

Pingsheng just snorted. His sister had no sense of independence whatsoever.

For her, it was all about easy money. Why bother with brains when you can dig into your brother and sister-in-law’s resources?

He had previously estimated that her Qipao store could make five or six million a year, but clearly, that was an underestimate.

Chen Pingsheng sat at her shop entrance without caring much for his image, slowly cracking open sunflower seeds from a packet in his pocket.

“What’s the point in earning so much money? Your husband Hu Lin doesn’t drink or socialize. Might as well save the money with your brother first.”

“Whatever…” Chen Qi waved her hand dismissively, “You think you care about my little bit of money? My little Qilin is almost three years old now. As a mother, I have to save up a family fortune for him.”

As they spoke, a young couple who didn’t seem too affectionate arrived at the door; they were about twenty-five or six.

The woman immediately took a liking to a Qipao, while the man kept saying that Qipaos aren’t practical.

They may flatter the figure when worn, but they’re too hot in summer and too cold in winter, never quite right for any season.

The woman looked for a while and didn’t even glance at the man when she left.

Chen Qi commented, “That guy saved the money for a Qipao, but it looks like he’s going to lose his girlfriend.”

“If he loses her, so be it. She’s not exactly someone to live a life with anyway.”

The man clearly didn’t have great financial ability, and the woman got mad at him over a Qipao worth seven or eight thousand.

Such a girlfriend, even if you find one, would be quite exhausting to keep up with.

Most people who come to Nanjing Street, after all, have a consumer mentality in mind.

Local people generally wouldn’t shop for clothes in such a place, due to nothing else but the high rent.

True high-end luxury bespoke tailors wouldn’t set up shop in such a location either.

Chen Qi was an exception.

The ready-made Qipaos were all right, not luxury goods per se.

A few thousand yuan for a Qipao is hardly high-end for the tasteful folks of Magic City.

You couldn’t wear them to high-end occasions.

Visitors from outside the city, on the other hand, liked to buy Qipao styles here. After all, Magic City was where Qipaos were most popular.

Many of the older generations here have elegance etched into their very bones.

Chen Qi also mentioned her older sister, who mainly sells bags. The business is nothing special, just average.

Bags, as a category, are notoriously high-margin. Even without strong sales, just opening the doors can net ten or eight thousand a day.

That easily adds up to hundreds of thousands a month.

As for Chen Sai, she’s very busy. If it weren’t for Pingsheng’s reminder, she wouldn’t even think of hiring more help.

She always wants to do everything by herself.

Antler Coffee is considered the lowest spending threshold on this street. Spend a few dozen yuan on a coffee, and you could sit by the door all day without anyone batting an eye.

Most tourists shopping are happy to do so.

Nanjing Street’s appeal is not just shopping; it’s also about experiencing the Republican Era charm.

To feel the vibrancy of Huaxia’s most culturally rich city, where nearly half of the visitors are foreigners.

English, which is not very useful in most other places, is considered classy standard on Nanjing Street.

Whether it’s foreign visitors or domestic ones, they like to sprinkle their sentences with a bit of English.

As they say, it’s fashionable.

Even ordinary hair salons would assign their hairdressers an English name.

Like Tony, David, Andy, and so forth.

The refinement of Magic City is on full display, inside and out, shining bright and beautiful.

Most people only learn the superficial aspects of integrating into a city like Magic City.

Whereas people like Chen Qi and Chen Yao, with time, truly start to harmonize with the city through their living habits.

It is a process of shedding mundanity and also of not seeing mountains as mountains, not seeing water as water—a necessary process.

To shed mundanity is to cast off the uncouth habits formed in rural life.

To embrace the ethereal is to learn the elegance of this city.

Perhaps this holds more meaning than making money when running a store on Nanjing Street.

Chen Pingsheng strolls about aimlessly like a leisurely middle-aged man.

With hands clasped behind his back, he wanders around.

He’s well aware of the few key stages in life.

No matter what, in the end it’s seeing mountains as mountains again, seeing water as water again.

No profound mysteries or so-called grand philosophies.

All return to the root at the end of life, to be described in two words: authenticity.

Many out-of-town couples visiting Nanjing Street are there for pre-marital trips.

They take a boat ride on the Huangpu River, experiencing the charm of Old Shanghai.

For many, it’s a precious memory.

Some people look down from high above, seeing only bustling crowds of common folk.

Only when you stand among them do you realize this is the finest of human worlds.

There are joys and sorrows, and even more regrets.

“Uncle, can you help us take a picture?”

“I’m visiting Magic City with my girlfriend. Her mother is asking for a bride price of 400,000, and my wife-to-be secretly took out our residency book to marry me.”

Standing before him is a young couple, fresh out of college, who promised to view the Huangpu River together at the age of twenty-four.

And they plan to return again when they are sixty.

After Chen Pingsheng takes a few snaps with their phone, the young man and his girlfriend thank him profusely and even hand him a bag of wedding candies, saying with a smile, “Uncle, don’t mind it, we haven’t had a wedding. This journey is our best wedding.”

“Not bad at all, this is the best gift I’ve received today.”

Chen Pingsheng says, “Since I’ve eaten your wedding candies, I can’t just not give anything in return. Look, I have a small apartment here I can give you, but you can’t get it transferred until you’re sixty. If you’re still together then, just like now, then the apartment is completely yours.”

What is money?

It’s just a tool, and for Chen Pingsheng now, it’s a tool for providing happiness and a sense of security to his family.

To handle money well, the essence is not to lose your original purpose to it.

Since his early aspirations to earn more money, it has been to provide the best haven for his family.

That won’t change even on the day he dies.

Perhaps it will expand from a small family to a large family.

As for specifics, that will be determined when the time comes.

The young couple stands stunned for a few seconds, laughing it off without taking it seriously.

They know how expensive houses in Magic City are.

Where even those with an annual salary of a million can be stressed, let alone ordinary folks.

Who would give such an expensive gift at first meeting?

That’s simply not possible!

Yet in reality, words spoken by Chen Pingsheng are never empty.

Since he said he would give, then he surely would.

It’s just a small apartment of a hundred square meters with three bedrooms and one living room. His secretary Lin Qiunan delivers the keys personally in an Audi R8.

There is also an agreement for when they turn sixty—if they can still hand-in-hand, smilingly gaze at the Huangpu River with streaks of grey hair,

they can truly own this apartment.

For now, it can be considered temporary housing without rent.

It feels a bit like their old man back home suddenly became the director of the lottery and hit the jackpot for three or four rounds in a row—a sense of unreality mixed with disbelief.

It dawns on them that they have encountered a truly important person.

Important person—easy to say, but in reality, such encounters are extremely rare.