My Daily Basic Stipend Is 10 Million

Chapter 181: Chapter 162: Arrangements (Part 2)

"That won’t be necessary, President Wang!"

He replied, then called a waiter over and began to order.

Seeing his lack of interest, President Wang thought, ’Son, this is the best your old man can do. This family is proving difficult to win over!’

Just then, another group of people entered, chatting animatedly as they headed over.

"Ah Hui!"

Zhao Hui turned and saw it was his third uncle’s family—his uncle, aunt, cousin, and his cousin’s wife.

"Third Uncle, Third Aunt, Liangzi..."

His cousin’s name was Zhao Liang. For a moment, he couldn’t recall the name of his cousin’s wife, so he just nodded and smiled.

His third uncle’s family was in a situation much like the Zhao Family’s used to be. The uncle went out to do manual labor while the aunt stayed home to take care of their son and daughter-in-law.

That’s right. Not their grandchildren, but their son and daughter-in-law.

Though grown adults, neither their son nor his wife worked. They were cooped up at home all day, scrolling through short-form videos or playing games.

The third uncle was the sole breadwinner, and his earnings had to support the entire family. They were in a much tighter spot than Zhao Hui’s family had ever been. After all, back then Zhao Xiangjun used to give their parents 5,000 yuan a month, and she would often come home and take the family on shopping sprees, providing a great deal of financial support.

Seeing Zhao Liang reminded Zhao Hui of his former self. He patted Zhao Liang’s shoulder and said to his third uncle, "Third Uncle, you all go on upstairs. Let Liangzi stay and help me order!"

At that moment, his third uncle spotted President Wang and quickly trotted over to greet him. "President Wang, hello! It’s me, Zhao!"

President Wang, who was standing nearby, heard their conversation and realized this was Zhao Hui’s uncle. He let out an arrogant grunt.

His third uncle continued to bow and scrape. "President Wang, I worked on your construction team last year. If an opportunity comes up this year, please keep me in mind!"

President Wang shot Zhao Hui a pointed look and said, "If there’s an opportunity, I’ll let you know. Just do a good job! I’m here tonight to discuss a project, too. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future!"

His third uncle immediately thanked him profusely.

Watching from the side, Zhao Hui’s heart ached. ’Is this how my own father has to behave out in the world? To make ends meet, he’s probably no better off than my uncle is right now.’

’People say you should never bow for a paltry sum, but that’s only because they’ve never faced a day with an empty pot. When you have a group of children crying for food, dignity is the first thing to go!’

"Third Uncle, come take a look and see what you’d like to eat."

Zhao Hui couldn’t stand to see his uncle acting that way in front of President Wang. The Zhao Family had means now. As long as someone was willing to work hard, there would be opportunities. There was no need to grovel before people like President Wang!

While acknowledging Zhao Hui, his third uncle was asking which private room President Wang was in, planning to go over and offer a toast later.

Zhao Hui pulled his uncle over, ostensibly to ask what he wanted to eat, but really to get him away from President Wang.

His third uncle said, "Just order whatever. Don’t go overboard. It’s so hard to earn money these days!"

Zhao Hui proceeded to order all the restaurant’s signature dishes anyway. It pained his third uncle to watch. A single wild soft-shelled turtle cost 1,500 yuan. He tried in vain to stop Zhao Hui.

He thought, ’What kind of health benefits could you possibly get from eating this? That 1,500 yuan is enough for a family’s living expenses for a month.’

While they were ordering, his first uncle’s and fourth uncle’s families also arrived. The children from those two families didn’t come, as they were all working in other cities.

So Zhao Hui led them all upstairs.

At a family gathering, the elders naturally took the seats of honor. After seating his relatives, Zhao Hui sat down in the seat where the dishes would be served from.

He glanced at his sister, hesitating slightly.

Zhao Xiangjun was sharp as a tack. She immediately realized her brother wanted to offer cigarettes to their uncles and was hesitating because she disliked the smell of smoke.

She shook her head and said, "It’s fine. Just open a window."

She wasn’t that delicate. She genuinely disliked the smell of smoke, but she didn’t want others to have to accommodate her.

Only then did Zhao Hui take out the Venerable Emperor Cigarettes he had brought. He gave a pack to each of his uncles and told them to help themselves.

His third uncle picked a pack up, looked at it, and immediately said, "Ah Hui, have you struck it rich? Why are you buying such expensive cigarettes?"

Zhao Hui hadn’t actually bought them; Chen Xiao had brought them on his last visit. However, given his current income and status, it was the kind of cigarette he would naturally smoke anyway.

Zhao Hui was about to explain when Zhao Xiangjun said, "Smoking is bad for your health. If you’re going to smoke, you might as well smoke something good!"

Hearing this, his third uncle fell silent. The elders had always doted on Zhao Xiangjun.

Zhao Liang naturally got a pack too. He opened it, held it to his nose, and took a sniff. He had never smoked a cigarette like this before.

He was so much like the old Zhao Hui.

The main reason for today’s family dinner was that their grandmother would be living with Zhao Hui’s family from now on. Although they had already discussed it over the phone, he still wanted to gather the elders for a meal.

Zhao Hui bent down, tore open a case of liquor, and took out and opened two bottles of Maotai.

The uncles’ expressions froze. "Maotai?"

They didn’t know about the Zhao Family’s recent change in fortune. First, Venerable Emperor cigarettes, and now Maotai liquor. Was this the same Zhao Hui family that used to drink nothing but cheap, bulk-sold liquor?

Zhao Hui smiled. "Yes. For my uncles to try!"

Zhao Liang, sitting next to Zhao Hui, picked up a bottle to inspect it. "This isn’t fake, is it?"

His third uncle immediately scolded, "How can you say something like that?"

Zhao Hui replied, unbothered, "Of course not. Don’t worry!"

’Are you kidding? Would Chen Xiao ever buy fake liquor?’

He filled each of the serving carafes. Zhao Liang immediately picked one up, sniffed it again, and said, "This is the good stuff. Just smelling it makes me want to drink it!"

Zhao Hui laughed. "Then drink up today. It’s been a long time since we two brothers had a couple of drinks!"

His fourth uncle chimed in, "Take it easy. This liquor is so expensive. Just having a taste is enough!"

"No need for that! Zhao Hui brought two whole cases. Drink as much as you want!"

Mr. Zhao had gotten used to drinking Maotai these past few days. Chen Xiao had brought four cases last time, having found out he liked to have a couple of drinks in his spare time.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!