Prince charming, your persona has collapsed!
Chapter 833 - 343 During the New Year, Joyous Harmony_2

In the past, whenever the sound of firecrackers rang during the New Year, I only felt it was noisy. But after so many years, coming back to this atmosphere gives me a sense of nostalgia.

Early in the morning, the courtyard was especially busy, a few aunts had already arrived at Zhou Yuwen's house.

Zhou Yuwen had just stepped onto the balcony when he saw the aunts in the courtyard greeting him.

"Yuwen is awake! Why not sleep a little longer!?"

"Cousin!"

Three young cousins stood by the door, visibly excited to see Zhou Yuwen. Waving firecrackers in their hands, they grinned with some missing teeth as they shouted at Zhou Yuwen to set off fireworks.

Alright, honestly speaking, there really isn't anything nostalgic about this—what's annoying remains annoying.

Lu Wanting found all of it amusing, though, and she ended up running around the streets with a bunch of young cousins and siblings, setting off fireworks.

This was truly a struggle for Peng Xiaoyong.

Peng Xiaoyong, a mature and reserved 26-year-old, was chasing after Lu Wanting and a group of small brats, setting off fireworks with them.

One cheeky young cousin was pestering Lu Wanting to buy him 30-cent torpedo crackers.

He wanted to use them to bomb fish by the river.

Lu Wanting asked, "What's a torpedo?"

The young cousin started explaining how powerful these torpedoes were.

Lu Wanting was intrigued and considered buying some.

Luckily, Peng Xiaoyong stopped her, saying, "This is way too dangerous! You mustn't!"

In this group of young relatives, Peng Xiaoyong wasn't particularly liked. Upon hearing his refusal, the young cousin was annoyed and started pestering Zhou Yuwen instead to buy them.

Zhou Yuwen said, "Xiao Yong is right."

"Just think about it, how those little fish also manage to have a festive New Year celebration in the river. Then you come along with a bomb, blow them all up—would you feel good about that?"

While Zhou Yuwen's humorous yet educational commentary was clear, these kids lacked empathy and simply wanted to buy 30-cent torpedoes for fun!

When Zhou Yuwen refused, the kids ran off to ask the adults instead.

However, Zhou Yuwen's words caused Lu Wanting to burst out laughing. Covering her mouth, she chuckled and said, "Wow, Cousin, I didn't expect you to be so vivid when you tell stories!"

Seeing Lu Wanting's radiant smile, Zhou Yuwen simply chuckled along. Honestly, he had recently discovered that Lu Wanting and Peng Xiaoyong weren't actually a couple.

Looking at the two of them together, there was always a slightly odd vibe.

Back when the old family mansion hadn't been torn down, relatives would gather there every New Year. This year, since Zhou Yuwen had achieved some success, relatives arrived even earlier than usual and were even more enthusiastic.

Some relatives would even approach Zhou Yuwen directly to chat, asking how to write novels, and requesting him to teach their younger siblings.

Zhou Yuwen smiled faintly and said, "If teaching novels were really that easy, wouldn't we already have authors flooding the skies?"

Truth be told, Zhou Yuwen disliked how these distant and unfamiliar relatives all swarmed to build connections with him.

That's why Zhou Yuwen had other plans for today—early in the morning, he drove away from home.

As he was leaving, Yang Lirong asked, "Where are you off to during the festive season?"

Zhou Yuwen replied casually, "Got work. Busy."

Yang Lirong teased, "Off to meet that little girlfriend of yours again, right?"

Zhou Yuwen chuckled slyly.

Yang Lirong narrowed her eyes, but Zhou Yuwen had already slipped away.

During the New Year, Yang Lirong couldn't bother scolding Zhou Yuwen.

Still, watching Zhou Yuwen so hung up on women left Yang Lirong feeling dissatisfied.

Helping out in the kitchen, Aunt timely remarked, "Sis-in-law, Yuwen can't go on like this. How can he choose to wander around instead of staying home during the New Year?"

Yang Lirong didn't say much.

It wasn't easy for Zhou Yuwen to slip away from home. Not only had he bypassed his mother's interference, but even his opportunistic sister-in-law Lu Wanting had tried clinging onto him, asking him to take her out for fun.

Fortunately, Zhou Yuwen escaped quickly.

Once out of the house, he could finally breathe freely.

He took Su Qing and Pan Min, two beauties, one older and one younger, out shopping.

With the New Year comes a fresh start. The mother-daughter duo dressed in new outfits; Su Qing, having traveled back from the future, knew how to do makeup, making her look slightly more mature like she was in her twenties. Pan Min also looked remarkably youthful, no older than thirty. Both wore matching outfits and, led around by Zhou Yuwen, managed to attract many glances.

In 2014, the real estate market in county towns had just started booming. By the end of the year, sales centers were already bustling with people. The average price of houses in the county was around 3,000 yuan per square meter, while slightly more premium ones, like those in Country Garden, were selling for 4,000.

Sales ladies tirelessly introduced floor plans to customers.

Zhou Yuwen took the mother and daughter to visit three different properties. Su Qing preferred Country Garden—its big brand felt more reliable. Plus, the house layouts were ones Su Qing had renovated many times before, making her feel comfortable and competent.

Even Pan Min felt Country Garden was the better choice.

Seeing that both of them liked it, Zhou Yuwen said, "Alright, let's buy a unit then."

A 120-square-meter, three-bedroom unit was priced at 480,000 yuan. To Zhou Yuwen, it was almost like picking up free money—live in it for five or six years, sell it for over a million, and there'd be no regrets.

However, to be honest, in terms of comfort, Zhou Yuwen didn't particularly like high-rise buildings. He preferred duplex townhouses.

At that time, a few developers in the small county town were working on such houses, with prices around 4,000 yuan per square meter. Given the disorderly property market, ground-floor courtyards weren't listed on property titles but could be fenced off at will.

Some wealthy individuals even bought ground floors to dig basements. These issues were retained as historical legacies, but several years later, nobody would care anymore.

After purchasing the unit at Country Garden, Zhou Yuwen took the two to visit duplexes with floor areas ranging from 180 to 200 square meters.

He particularly liked a 200-square-meter, two-story unit, which even came with a garage.

The total price was only 800,000 yuan.

To him, it felt like a steal.

While other customers might hesitate over such purchases, Zhou Yuwen didn't even flinch—he signed the contract and paid on the spot.

Pan Min remarked to Zhou Yuwen, "Buying such a big house doesn't seem very practical."

"You and Qingqing won't even live here. I have one place, and that's enough for me. Isn't it wasteful to keep such a big house empty?"

Zhou Yuwen chuckled lightly, replying, "No problem."

"Aunt Pan, you can rotate between homes—spend some time in the high-rise, then shift to the duplex. If you're bored, you can even come stay with us in Jinling for a while."

This left Pan Min unsure how to respond.

The saying goes that no woman would openly admit being materialistic.

Yet if you're not lacking material wealth, you'll never lack women.

After a day of house-hunting, Zhou Yuwen not only bought two residential units but also casually purchased three street-facing commercial properties while out shopping.

Back then, investing in commercial space was truly considered an asset that could sustain three generations. Wait a few years, and it'd be the opposite—three generations sustaining one shop!

He spent less than 1.5 million yuan on the three shops.

As Zhou Yuwen explained it, "These three shops are for Aunt Pan to collect rent from."

"These three shops should fetch around 120,000 yuan a year, and the income will only grow. Aunt Pan, Qingqing told me she thinks teaching has been too tiring for you. With these shops, it's like an extra layer of security. If you find work exhausting, just quit—I can afford to support you!"

Pan Min couldn't help but burst into laughter.

She truly was a stunning beauty; her laughter was captivating.

Pan Min said, "But I'd have to care for a younger child too, wouldn't I? If I told people about this, wouldn't they laugh at me?"

Zhou Yuwen countered, "What's there to laugh about? Aunt Pan, a son-in-law is like half a son, right? I'm equivalent to your son. If I don't think about your welfare, who else will?"

With memories of past marriage, Zhou Yuwen was genuinely devoted to Pan Min.

Listening to this, Su Qing felt deeply moved.

The previous night, when Zhou Yuwen spoke certain things to her, Su Qing couldn't help but feel uneasy—plagued by doubt and unable to sleep.

Today, seeing Zhou Yuwen's attitude toward her and her mother, she finally felt at ease.

She thought, "This situation is actually pretty good."

At the very least, Zhou Yuwen genuinely cared for her and her mother.

Su Qing reflected—she was just a girl without lofty ambitions, merely wishing for a strong husband who could shield her and her mother. With Zhou Yuwen, these wishes were already granted, so why should she worry further?

Her past experiences had proven she couldn't leave Zhou Yuwen.

This life, why waste time hesitating?

Having figured things out, Su Qing saw Zhou Yuwen amusing her mother and joined in, playfully saying, 'Calling you son-in-law all day long—why are you still calling her Aunt!?'

Zhou Yuwen laughed aloud and teased, "Alright, I'll change it then! Mom!?"

Pan Min laughed from deep within this time.

At that moment, both Su Qing and Pan Min felt genuinely happy.

After all, they had finally found someone to rely on.