Defending the New Year's Money

The elevator car vibrated slightly, letting out a crisp "ding."

The metal doors slowly slid open to both sides.

Before Chen Zhi could recover from the shock of being "passively married," Zhang Jianguo had already stepped out of the elevator. His booming voice instantly pierced through the security door, directly hitting the eardrums of everyone inside the apartment.

"Sis! Brother-in-law! Open the door! Our family's great hero has returned!"

Holding a stainless steel basin in his hand, Chen Zhi looked like a wilted eggplant, dragging his heavy footsteps behind him.

Lin Wanwan, on the other hand, was full of excitement, her short little legs moving rapidly.

The security door opened in response.

A rich aroma of braised pork ribs rushed out.

Zhang Guifang, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, looked at the one adult and two children at the door with a puzzled expression.

"Jianguo? What are you shouting blindly for? They can hear your commotion all the way downstairs."

Zhang Guifang's gaze swept past Zhang Jianguo and landed on the two children. Her brows instantly knitted into a knot.

"Chen Zhi! What are you doing with a broken basin? Did you go begging?"

Before Chen Zhi could speak.

Zhang Jianguo was already laughing so hard he was rocking back and forth. He stepped aside, pushing the two children forward as if displaying rare treasures.

"Sis, don't underestimate this basin. This is our Zhi Zhi's treasure bowl!"

Zhang Jianguo changed into his slippers, put the gifts he was carrying on the entryway cabinet, and began to vividly describe the epic feat that had just happened downstairs.

From how Chen Zhi intercepted the Audi, to the three deafening kowtows, and then to the smooth delivery of auspicious greetings.

Zhang Jianguo spoke with spit flying, making it more entertaining than a professional storyteller.

"Do you know what the best part was?"

Zhang Jianguo kept them in suspense, scanning the faces of everyone in the room.

Chen Jun, who had been sitting on the sofa watching TV, was also drawn over. Holding his teacup, he looked curious.

"What was it?"

Zhang Jianguo pointed to Lin Wanwan, who was blinking her big eyes with an innocent look.

"This little girl, right in front of me, called Zhi Zhi her husband! She even said she was going to hand over all her red envelopes to him!"

Pfft—!

The hot tea Chen Jun had just sipped sprayed right out, the mist drawing a rainbow in the air.

The spatula in Zhang Guifang's hand almost dropped to the floor.

The air in the room was quiet for three seconds.

Immediately after, a burst of laughter loud enough to lift the roof erupted.

"Hahahaha! Oh my god, I'm dying of laughter!"

Zhang Guifang laughed so hard she slapped her thigh, tears welling up in her eyes. She squatted down and reached out to pinch Lin Wanwan's chubby cheeks.

"Wanwan, do you know what a husband means?"

Lin Wanwan was a bit baffled by the adults' laughter.

She tilted her head to think for a moment, then nodded with absolute certainty.

"I know! Mommy said a husband is someone who buys yummy food and listens to his wife!"

As she spoke, she reached into her pocket and struggled to pull out the thick red envelope Zhang Jianguo had just given her.

Under everyone's watchful eyes.

Without any hesitation, she shoved the red envelope into Chen Zhi's arms.

"For Zhi Zhi!"

This set of movements was smooth and natural, clearly having been practiced once in the elevator.

The room erupted into another roar of laughter.

Chen Jun laughed until his stomach hurt. Pointing at his son, he teased, "Not bad, kid. You're better than your dad. You already know how to live off a woman at the age of three."

Chen Zhi stood there expressionless.

He skillfully took the red envelope, stacked it with his own, stuffed it into his inner pocket, and patted it.

Laugh, go ahead and laugh.

Dignity is worthless in the face of money.

As long as the money is in the bag, let alone being a husband, he'd even be a grand-uncle.

"Oh, I can't, I can't take it anymore."

Zhang Guifang, having laughed enough, finally remembered the main business.

She put away her smile, her gaze focusing on Chen Zhi's bulging pocket. An aura known as "maternal intimidation" instantly spread out.

"Zhi Zhi, come here, come to Mommy."

Zhang Guifang's tone was gentle, wearing a kindly smile like the Big Bad Wolf acting as the grandmother.

"You're still young, it's not safe to carry so much money. What if you lose it? Come, Mommy will keep it safe for you first, and you can use it to marry a wife when you grow up."

Here it comes.

Alarm bells rang wildly in Chen Zhi's mind.

This was the ultimate move used by parents all over China: "I'll keep it safe for you."

In his past life, this sentence had scammed him out of his entire childhood's New Year's money. Even when he graduated from college, he never saw a trace of that massive fortune.

This time, he absolutely could not repeat the same mistake.

Chen Zhi took a half-step back, his hands tightly covering his pockets, his little head shaking like a rattle drum.

"No!"

The refusal was crisp and decisive.

The smile on Zhang Guifang's face stiffened for a moment, and then she increased the temptation.

"Be a good boy, Mommy will buy you Kinder Joys and big toy cars."

As she spoke, she reached out to grab Chen Zhi.

Chen Zhi nimbly weaved through the forest of adults' legs, using his size advantage to maneuver.

"I don't want to buy cars! I want to save money!"

Chen Zhi hid behind the sofa, poked half his head out, and shouted righteously.

"Save money for what?" Zhang Guifang was amused by her own exasperation. "A little brat like you wants to manage finances?"

Chen Zhi took a deep breath and decided to unleash his ultimate weapon.

He pointed to Lin Wanwan, who was still standing there in a daze, with a serious face.

"I want to save money to buy a house!"

"Uncle just said she's my wife. Raising a wife costs a lot of money, and I have to buy a big house to live in, otherwise my wife will run away!"

This statement was logically rigorous and impeccable.

It not only echoed the joke from earlier but also provided a perfect excuse for his greed.

Zhang Guifang's hand paused in mid-air.

Chen Jun and Zhang Jianguo exchanged a glance and burst into laughter again.

"Good! How ambitious!"

Zhang Jianguo gave a thumbs up, crying from laughing so hard. "Sis, listen to that! What awareness! What a sense of responsibility! He has to keep this money himself!"

Zhang Guifang was also amused by the absurdity and helplessly withdrew her hand.

"Fine, fine, you keep it. Let's see how many days you can hold onto it."

Crisis averted.

Chen Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But before he could even catch his breath, Lin Wanwan suddenly leaned over.

The little girl tugged at the hem of Chen Zhi's shirt, lowered her voice, and spoke with a tone full of expectation.

"Zhi Zhi, we have money now. Can we go buy that glowing fairy wand?"

Chen Zhi looked down at those clear, trusting big eyes.

His conscience, for a brief moment, pricked him slightly.

But only slightly.

Chen Zhi clutched his pocket even tighter and bluffed with a straight face:

"Not right now."

"Why?" Lin Wanwan's little face instantly fell, her mouth pouting as if she was about to cry.

Chen Zhi immediately switched modes, his expression turning mysterious.

He leaned into Lin Wanwan's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Because the money we have now isn't enough to buy the biggest one."

"We have to plant the money in a jar. By next year, it will grow into lots and lots of little money. Then we can buy a hundred fairy wands, enough to bury you in them."