At the small stone table in the courtyard of Old Jiang's house, Jiang Tao's father, Jiang Wen, was playing chess with their neighbor, Jiang Tianming.
The two had been neighbors since childhood, growing up together, running around bare-bottomed as kids. They even shared milk from Jiang Tao's grandmother when they were young. Not brothers by blood, but closer than brothers.
Though the two old buddies got along well, they never missed a chance to bicker. When things got heated, they'd even settle it with a playful wrestling match. But no matter how fierce the argument, they'd be back to normal within a week, playing chess or drinking together as if nothing had happened.
"Our second son is really clueless about managing money," Jiang Tianming complained. "Without even discussing it with me or his mom, he went and bought a BMW worth over 300,000 yuan. We're just small-time farmers—what's the point of buying something like that? It's just a car with a roof and four wheels! Any old car would do for getting around. Spending hundreds of thousands just for face—what a waste of money!"
"And the liquor he brought back this year? A case of Wuliangye costing nearly 6,000 yuan. We're farmers—why drink such expensive stuff? Pure waste! My wife and I's monthly salaries combined aren't even worth as much as that case of liquor. On the fifth day of the New Year, when we're not visiting relatives, come over to my place, and we'll crack open a bottle of that Wuliangye to try it."
Though Jiang Tianming's words sounded like complaints, the smug expression on his face clearly showed he was bragging about his second son's success and capability.
Jiang Wen didn't bother calling him out. They'd been buddies for decades—who didn't know the other's tricks? This old guy just wanted to show off in front of his friend!
"I say, Jiang Tianming, can we just play chess? Stop yapping and messing up my train of thought!" Jiang Wen waved his hand irritably. His two sons combined couldn't match even one of Jiang Tianming's boys.
It was a hard truth that always made Jiang Wen feel like he was one step behind Jiang Tianming. All he could do was quietly watch his friend show off. He didn't even have a chance to brag himself.
His eldest son worked as an ordinary worker at a chemical factory in a nearby town, slaving away for a measly 5,000 yuan a month. With two kids in school, just their food expenses cost nearly 1,000 yuan a month. Add in other miscellaneous household costs, and they could barely save 10,000 yuan a year, living paycheck to paycheck.
His second son, Jiang Tao, drove a delivery truck in the capital. After all expenses, he might pocket 40,000 to 50,000 yuan a year at most.
In contrast, Jiang Tianming's family was thriving. His eldest son had always excelled in school, earning a master's degree and now working as a manager at a company in Shijiazhuang, reportedly earning over 300,000 yuan a year—a proper high-income earner. His second son, though he dropped out before finishing high school, was sharp and had a silver tongue. Running a liquor distribution business in the city, he was pulling in 200,000 to 300,000 yuan a year.
The gap between the two families' younger generations was stark—there was no comparison!
Every New Year, when Jiang Tianming's sons brought him high-end cigarettes and liquor, Jiang Wen would say he didn't care for such things, but deep down, he was green with envy. Still, envy was just envy. He'd never ask his kids to buy him expensive stuff or burden them in any way.
"Yo, Uncle Tianming's here to lose to my dad again, huh?" Jiang Tao teased as he walked into the courtyard carrying a case of Maotai, spotting the two old buddies playing chess.
"Yo, the second son's back! Here to bring your dad… bring…" Jiang Tianming started to greet Jiang Tao with a smile, but halfway through, his grin froze, replaced by shock.
He stared in disbelief at the case of Maotai in Jiang Tao's arms, his mind flooded with question marks. *What's going on here? Maotai?*
Jiang Wen's second son, the truck driver, brought him a case of *Maotai*?
In an instant, Jiang Tianming felt like his son's Wuliangye had lost its shine. He'd been completely outdone!
"When did you get back, second son? Didn't you already bring liquor? Why… why…" Jiang Wen trailed off mid-sentence, noticing that the case in Jiang Tao's arms was indeed Maotai.
Jiang Tao grinned. "Made a bit of money this year, so I got you some good liquor and a few cartons of nice cigarettes, Dad. Time for an upgrade!"
"You little rascal, really! Ugh! Why buy such expensive liquor? This case must cost over 10,000 yuan!" Jiang Wen was both shocked and delighted as he looked at the Maotai in his son's arms.
The smile that had vanished from Jiang Tianming's face now appeared on Jiang Wen's. His heart was bursting with joy, and he could barely hold back from laughing out loud. At that moment, Jiang Wen felt like he'd eaten two pounds of pistachios—his heart was *that* happy!
"It's the New Year, so we should drink something nice. I'll take this inside for you. You two keep playing," Jiang Tao said with a chuckle, carrying the case toward the main house.
"Jiang Wen, how much did your second son make this year? Your family just built a house and renovated it—I heard money was tight…" Jiang Tianming looked at Jiang Wen, puzzled, finding the situation quite surprising.
"I don't meddle in the kids' affairs. Whatever they earn is theirs—it's got nothing to do with us old folks," Jiang Wen replied. "Come on, let's keep playing. Watch me wipe the board with you!"
Just moments ago, Jiang Wen had been feeling down and unenthusiastic, but after his second son's visit, he was suddenly buzzing with energy.
"No more, no more. I'm heading to the market to see if there's anything else I need to buy," Jiang Tianming said. He'd come to show off his sons' expensive gifts, but instead, he'd been outshone. There was no point sticking around—it was just too embarrassing!
Despite Jiang Wen's attempts to get him to stay, Jiang Tianming stormed off, abandoning a chess game he'd been winning.
"Second son, did your wife know about you buying such expensive liquor and cigarettes?" Jiang Wen asked, a bit worried, as his son came out of the house. He didn't want this to cause any trouble between the young couple.
Jiang Tao smiled. "She knows. I got a case of Maotai and two cartons of Zhonghua for her dad too. Fair and square, both sides get the same."
"That's… that's a lot of money!" After the initial excitement, Jiang Wen started to feel bad for his son's spending, thinking it wasn't necessary to splurge like that.
"You're being reckless, kid. Just getting something small to show your heart would've been enough!" Jiang Tao's mom, Du Yongmei, chimed in, also feeling bad about the money.
"Heh, don't you two know me by now? Am I the type to be so thoughtless? Just take what I got you," Jiang Tao said with a grin. "I got stuff for Dad, but I didn't forget you, Mom. Here, take this."
As he spoke, he pulled a thick red envelope from his pocket and stuffed it into his mom's hands.
"What's this…" Du Yongmei felt the thickness of the envelope, her face lighting up with surprise.
Jiang Tao chuckled. "Not too much, not too little—just 10,000 yuan. Count it right here; if it's short, I'm not responsible."
"No, no, I can't take this money. You keep it and spend it with Lili," Du Yongmei said, hurriedly trying to hand it back. She'd even been planning to secretly give Jiang Tao some money behind his older brother's back—how could she take his?
"I'm telling you, Mom, your son's making money now. I gave the same to Xu Li's mom—fair and square, no favoritism. Just take it," Jiang Tao said, half-joking. "If you don't, should I take back what I gave my mother-in-law too? What would Xu Li think of you then?"
"Oh, well…" Hearing that it might affect her relationship with her daughter-in-law, Du Yongmei didn't dare refuse anymore.
"That's the spirit. Keep it safe," Jiang Tao said, smiling as his mom stopped resisting.
This was the first time since getting married that he'd been able to show filial piety to his mom with money. A quiet sense of accomplishment welled up in Jiang Tao's heart.
In the past, he barely had the means to take care of his own little family, let alone his parents. Now that he had the ability, he wasn't just going to make sure his wife and daughter lived well—he wanted his parents to have a good life too.
He was not only a husband and father but also a son.