Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the shapely and beautiful Bai Jiao was barefoot, changing clothes, and Shen Qiang, already awake, lay in bed quietly watching her with eyes full of subtle shyness.

"You have a great figure," Shen Qiang said with a smile.

Bai Jiao, with a charming and proud arch of her eyebrow, chuckled, "Don't think that just because you're flattering me now, I'll laze around with you in bed. Get up quickly. Your dad said it's the first day of the new year today, and the villagers come early to pay New Year's visits. It'd be embarrassing to be caught still in bed."

Shen Qiang looked at the fair-skinned and beautiful Bai Jiao with a smile, but sighed in his heart.

In fact, what Shen Qiang's dad said was true. The villagers indeed had the tradition of visiting on the first day, but in the whole village, when it came to being lively, the Shen Family was always at the bottom, and was the quietest.

Because Shen Honest was too honest; no matter what others said or did, he just laughed it off without any argument.

Plus, at that time, Shen Qiang was studying and not earning money.

During the Spring Festival, the family did not even have decent tobacco, wine, or fruit trays, so there were only a few relatives who would come by on the first day, and the rest of the time, other families were bustling, while the Shen Family was cold and quiet.

Now, the Shen Family's house has been built.

Shen Qiang also has money now.

But who knows if it will still be the same as in previous years, with just a few people coming to wish a Happy New Year.

After getting up, washing up, and tidying everything, he went downstairs. The women were already up. Lv Shuyao and Beautiful Demon Fox Chu Qing, both adorably wearing aprons, were the head chefs, Kang Luoying, Jiang Hanyang, and Jing Xiangwei were helping out, and the other women were sitting on the couch downstairs, watching TV and playing on their phones.

Seeing that his dad and mom were not in the house.

Shen Qiang involuntarily used his Divine Sense but still couldn't find them, which made Shen Qiang instinctively think that they were most likely in the utility room at the back because when designing the house, considering the possibility of cultivators observing, all aspects of the screen against Divine Sense were designed by Shen Qiang himself.

So if they were not in the room, they were definitely in the utility room, otherwise in the vegetable cellar.

So Shen Qiang pushed open the back door and went directly to the utility room beside the backyard. Before entering, Shen Qiang heard his dad say inside: "Take more, bring a few more plates, there are many people at home. When people come to pay New Year's visits later, make sure there are more sunflower seeds, peanuts, sweets, and fruits, so we don't have to rush to get them when people are waiting."

Hearing this, Shen Qiang was taken aback.

Then he heard his mom in the utility room say: "Why take so much, these are enough for Qiang and his girlfriend to eat, and besides, over the years, our family always put just a small plate of peanuts and sunflower seeds plus a few pieces of candy, and that was enough. Who's going to eat all this you're preparing?"

"Isn't it different this year? Qiang is not ordinary now, hasn't anyone in the village praised me recently?" Shen Qiang's dad said: "What did they say? When the child is young, people look at the parents, whoever gives our child a New Year's gift, is it about the child? Isn't it about our dealings with each other?"

"When people get old, they look at the children." Shen Qiang's dad said: "When Shen Qiang wasn't doing well, whether relatives or friends, they would definitely not think of us, but now the child is doing well, has money, has ability, you can be sure, on the first day, there won't be few people coming to pay New Year's visits."

Hearing what Shen Qiang's dad said, Shen Qiang's mom replied: "Tsk, give it up, last year on the first day of the new year, only three people came to our house. You received New Year's greetings via mass texts, smiling and replying to them. This year, I also think more people will come than last year, but not by much."

Changing the tone, Shen Qiang's mom said: "Besides, I'll say something bluntly, when we needed them to send warmth in the cold winter, they didn't come. Haha, now when everything is prosperous, what do I need them for?"

Shen Qiang's dad chuckled dryly, persuading: "Just keep these thoughts to yourself, never say them out loud, it's too hurtful. And what was that saying? Human relationship is like thin paper, and things are like new chess games, each move unique.

In a bustling city, no one asks after the poor; in deep mountains, there are distant relatives for the rich. Don't believe it, just look at the wine at a banquet, every glass is first offered to the wealthy. Tying a tall horse at the door, even if they aren't kin, they are treated as such."

Listening to this, Shen Qiang's mom got angry: "Ah, you have a lot of logic, then you should understand even more that when you are poor, people don't come. Now that we're prosperous, even if they come, what does it count for? If it were up to me, I wouldn't even bother with them."

Hearing this, Shen Qiang's dad got a little displeased: "Why are you getting worse as you age? How can you not understand anything? Is it easy for Qiang to struggle outside? What can we help him with? The only thing we can do is make him look dignified in front of family and friends."

"Can you handle everything based on your whim? Even if you know they are coming because Qiang is now successful, you still can't show them a bit of disrespect."

"You must understand that our Shen Family is just an ordinary family, and we can't let the villagers laugh behind our backs! Ah, Shen Qiang is doing well? And you, his mom, acting like a rich landowner, can that work? Remember when your dad passed away, it was snowing heavily. Although few people usually visited Shen Honest in the village, it was these people who carried your dad's coffin to the mountain, tirelessly."

"When Li Xiaowu's dad died, there wasn't even anyone to help carry the coffin. In the end, he had no choice but to knock on doors seeking help, which finally got him carried out of the house."

"So you must understand, human relationships are as thin as paper, but we can't do without them. While Shen Qiang is striving outside, we old ones at home need to foster good relations with the neighbors, not looking down on those without money, because they don't rely on us for their meals."

"And we don't envy those who are richer, talk if possible, and if not, go each your own way."

"Remember when Shen Qiang was little, I took him to your family. That relative of yours gave New Year's money gifts to all the kids, but not to Shen Qiang, and Shen Qiang asked me, Dad, why didn't he give me a New Year's gift? Is it because I'm not good?"

"At that time, I told Shen Qiang, I said he didn't give you a New Year's gift because Dad didn't perform well, because Dad didn't stand tall and strong. They thought Dad was insignificant, so they saw no need to bother with Dad, hence they didn't give it to you."

"At that time, Shen Qiang said, when he grows up, he will definitely stand tall and strong, making sure everyone gives me New Year's gifts."

Laughter filled the utility room as Shen Qiang's dad continued: "Now Qiang has achieved it. Go take a look at the back room, it's filled with tobacco and alcohol, half a room full. Before this, who ever gave us anything to look at? So you must remember, we have to handle neighborly relations well so that Shen Qiang can strive and explore without worries!"

"Right, right, right, you're right, I understand now." Mom said with a smile and then carried a fruit plate out, noticing Shen Qiang at once.

Shen Qiang smiled, took the items from her hands, and then gently laughed: "Let me do it."

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