On this New Year’s Eve, the Liu and Cui families sat together for the first time, choosing a good restaurant to eat an expensive New Year’s Eve dinner. The restaurant was booked by Cui Bingbing half a year in advance, and even then, she had to use her social connections. It was said that many people, upon finishing their meal last year, immediately booked next year’s New Year’s Eve table. With three families together, only five people were sitting around a large round table, filling only half of it, like a fan. Everyone pinned their hopes on Cui Bingbing’s belly – with Liu Jun’s foreign citizenship, having a few more children probably wouldn’t be a problem.

After eating, everyone went home separately. Since everyone had cars, Liu Jun didn’t need to give rides, allowing him to focus on being the pregnant woman’s dedicated driver. Liu Jun told Cui Bingbing to sit in the back seat, but she refused – her belly wasn’t showing yet, so why be so careful? Unexpectedly, when they returned to the residential complex, a dog suddenly darted out from the hedges, mindlessly rushing toward the car. Fortunately, Liu Jun had already slowed down upon entering the complex and, with his excellent driving skills, made a sharp turn and barely managed to brake by scraping against the sidewalk steps. The dog was stunned too, standing there staring for quite a while before letting out a sharp bark and diving back into the hedges.

Liu Jun stopped the car and urgently asked: “Are you okay? Don’t be scared, we didn’t hit anything.”

Cui Bingbing laughed upon hearing this: “Ha, treating me like a princess? But it was close. If I had been driving today, I would have either crashed into the sidewalk into a wall or killed a living creature. This place didn’t used to have so many stray dogs and cats, but after SARS came the year before last, they suddenly multiplied.”

Liu Jun couldn’t help but remember what Qian Hongming had said when he first visited his new home with strict security – that just for Xiao Suihua to play carefree on the lawn, it was worth spending big money to buy a house with good property management. “The former Shi Yiji site that Dongdong’s company is developing is said to be selling phase two soon. I’ll ask him for a unit in a good location later. Phase one had a very good response, though I heard it took several months to sell out because of the high prices. Phase two probably won’t be in high demand either, so asking for a favor shouldn’t be too difficult for Dongdong.”

“The market has turned dark,” Cui Bingbing said to Liu Jun as he opened the car door for her. “Times are different now. I heard that before phase two even opened, it was almost fully pre-sold through internal connections, all relationship buyers with stronger connections than yours. You should consider how much face you have with Dongdong.”

“How can this be? I am living in a utopia, unaware of the Han dynasty, regardless of Wei or Jin.” Outside the car, the night was dark and windy. Liu Jun was busy helping his wife put on her down jacket and didn’t delve deeper, but seeing the pitch-black security door at the building entrance and the dark corridor inside, his desire to buy a house intensified. “Be careful, wait first, let me turn on the corridor light before you come in. Let’s settle this with Dongdong later. I’d rather pay more in property management fees – bright corridors are too important, and the elevator is too. How will you climb stairs six months from now?”

Cui Bingbing was actually still agile, but she enjoyed her husband’s attentive care, running back and forth, so she obediently walked slowly. “Don’t look down on my house. When I bought it, it was among the top three in the city. Several of my former colleagues bought units here. Originally, the market was full of brick-concrete houses, but when this semi-frame type came out, they said the cost was very high, quite sensational. Who would have thought that in just a few years, it would become obsolete so quickly? After reform and opening up, society has changed so fast that asset depreciation is astonishing. Our generation is destined to toil, destined to spin like tops being whipped.”

Although both were cautious with their words during work hours, having the bearing of senior executives despite their young age, once home, both were quite talkative, especially Cui Bingbing, who chattered away like a sparrow. Now that her husband was taking care of everything, Cui Bingbing naturally talked freely without worries.

“When I was little, I still lived in an old house, an old house in the city center – how precious that was! A two-story wooden building. Not only did people walking up and down make thumping sounds, but every night, mice also ran around in the attic, making noise. But I was never afraid – from kindergarten on, I slept alone in my room. In the eighties, when the hospital allocated housing, we moved into public housing – just two bedrooms and a corridor, eating squeezed together in the kitchen, with a squat toilet in the bathroom. But even then, it felt like heaven – at least at night, we didn’t have to worry about mice falling and crawling into our beds. What about your family?”

“Every family was the same. I still remember my father making a pair of sofas by hand for our new home – artificial leather with blue springs underneath. When you jumped on them, they went ‘clang clang.’ Now this kind of sofa, even if thrown away, no one would pick it up.”

“Yes, yes! Back then, modular furniture was popular too. Mom and Dad scraped together all the money from their savings account to buy a set, which they put in my room for me to use. Now, who would want this kind of three-ply board stuff? But back then, it seemed like every family had a set – it was fashionable. You see, they spent their entire savings on furniture that would be thrown away a few years later. In just a few years, all past savings were negated. The black and white TV bought with all their savings was also quickly obsoleted, along with single-door refrigerators, twin-tub washing machines, window air conditioners, radios, walkmans…”

“Your Ladyship, sip hot water before continuing your year-end reflections.”

After entering, Liu Jun rushed around turning on the electric kettle and oil heater, because he didn’t trust the house that liberal arts graduate Cui Bingbing had supervised the renovation of. His biggest worry was leaving appliances on when no one was home, resulting in burned wires or outlets. Better to turn off the power when leaving and work harder when returning home.

“So you see, not only do we have no family heirlooms left by our ancestors, but due to our short-sightedness, not knowing what is truly beautiful and truly good, we constantly discard assets earned through our life’s work. So our generation is particularly hardworking – the money we earn all gets stuffed into the bottomless pit of the garbage bin. Look, a perfectly good house has to become a thing of the past, too. A former colleague of mine, seeing that current housing prices are still okay, just sold her apartment in this complex to buy stocks. Hey, you’re very quiet today – what’s wrong?”

“I’m repenting. Thinking about how Hongming does everything possible to provide the best living environment for his family, while I only focus on work and don’t consider you thoroughly enough. And… I don’t seem able to do better than Hongming.”

“Are you comparing yourself to Qian Hongming in your heart? How can you compare your spending styles when you’re in different professions?”

“True, my funds are all tied up in fixed assets or inventory, unlike Hongming. In foreign trade, the money is liquid; when trading futures with an empty position, the money is also liquid, including real estate agency work.”

“My understanding differs from yours, hehe. Don’t get angry when I say this, but based on my observations, people in the real industry are generally more frugal. I think this is inseparable from how people in the real industry work with their own hands and calculate every penny. The most generous are those who speculate, like Qian Hongming. When trading futures, the money is leveraged and amplified, and the profits are also amplified. Money comes easily and is spent easily. Those in trade fall between the two. You really shouldn’t compare spending with Qian Hongming – I think he’ll buy yachts and planes in the future. As for Shen Huadong’s house, I don’t think we necessarily need to buy it. Spring will come in a few days, and I still want to return to the villa. The environment is good for walking and exercise – living downtown isn’t comfortable.” Cui Bingbing looked at Liu Jun and smiled. “Of course, if you want to compete with Qian Hongming by buying a house, I won’t stop you.”

“No, no, what am I competing with Hongming for?” But Liu Jun paused, then couldn’t help saying: “The day before yesterday, Hongming just told me he’s decided not to consider buying a supercar after all – too flashy, making it obvious you’re running around the streets with two million yuan strapped to you. He said it’s better to be low-key and buy a BMW M5. Ordinary people can’t see much of the gimmick and just think it’s a BMW 5 Series with different tires. My God, M5, ten cylinders – including taxes, that’s still two million yuan strapped to your body while driving, and this is supposed to be low-key?”

“You said you weren’t comparing, but I see you’re nakedly jealous-jealous of his late-bloomer success.”

“It’s not jealousy, I’m just… okay, I’m psychologically unbalanced. I’m thinking, clearly I’m involved in invention and creation, I’m the main body creating value, but this society doesn’t recognize invention and creation, doesn’t respect invention and creation. Although my profit margin is already outstanding in the industry, it can’t compare with speculation. How can I not go crazy? Moreover, Dongdong told me last time that in 2004, manufacturing only accounted for one-twentieth of their entire enterprise’s profits. He said this year, he estimates this proportion will widen further because real estate projects are fully launched and capital investment is starting to pay off. I asked him why they still maintain manufacturing – it’s the most energy-consuming, most grinding, most unprofitable. He gave me a whole bunch of reasons – facade, loans, various needs – but he’s already given up on the two real industries in his heart. Tell me, can they still settle down to invest huge sums in R&D? But why do I feel so stupid? And my moral standards are getting lower – I’m starting to be jealous of friends.”

“Stop thinking randomly. Each person has their fate. You’re immersed in science every day – where would you find the mind to consider speculation? In my MBA class, we once discussed a topic: what professional background should the top management of a manufacturing company have – technical talent or economic talent? We argued for a whole class without result, so the professor said to look at the real world’s actual choices. So we went through the Fortune 500 companies. Guess what the result was?”

Liu Jun thought for a while, then said reluctantly: “Economic talent?”

“Right. Jack Welch of General Electric proposed the ‘shareholder value’ theory. What do shareholders ultimately value? Dividends. So the world made the most natural choice for senior management personnel.”

“But have shareholders thought about the long term? Do enterprises without core technology support have long-term benefits? There are also Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo in the world… Forget it, I won’t think about it anymore. You’re right – each person has their fate. I’ll still focus on the real industry. With Luo Qing’s return to assist me, our business situation is already very good. Our products finally have a layout. Even outsiders now know to come to Tengfei when they want high-end products of a certain type. It looks like I need to have Luo Qing study for an MBA – that guy has the material.”

“Don’t harm Luo Qing. He’s already busy enough, and his child was just born. If he studies for an MBA too, do you want to exhaust his wife to death? Women don’t mind being busy – they just fear their husbands’ minds aren’t on them. If you want to do well in an MBA, it’s too distracting. Unless you’re just casually getting a diploma, that’s different.”

Liu Jun nodded, then couldn’t help saying: “Actually… I did quite well trading futures. Before, Hongming and I did simulated trading… Forget it, forget it, heroes don’t boast about past glories.”

“Hehe, when we left Qian Hongming’s house on New Year’s Day, I thought your self-control was good – Qian Hongming showing off like that, and you did not react at all. Turns out you were uncomfortable inside after all. About this, I suggest you really should learn from your idol, the great Song. He’s in a state enterprise, puts in no less effort than you, but earns much less income, even lower cost-effectiveness. And he has a master wife beside him who gets something for nothing. If anyone should vomit blood, he should vomit more. Why do you think he does it?”

“That’s why I admire him. But his wife just likes that kind of person – she says he’s down-to-earth.”

“I only like you too, silly camel.”

“I’m so suave and handsome, how could I be a camel?”

“Camels are also tall, strong, and majestic.”

Talking and laughing, Liu Jun finally stopped overthinking, but the desire to buy a good house in a good school district remained. When he mentioned it to Shen Huadong during New Year visits, Shen Huadong was very forthcoming, taking out renderings for him to choose from. Liu Jun picked a high-rise unit in the central courtyard, with Cui Bingbing handling the mortgage, finally settling one worry. Liu Jun also took Cui Bingbing to pay New Year respects at Song Yunhui’s home, and was shocked to discover that Song’s wife Liang Sishen was also pregnant. On second thought, it made sense – as a Chinese-American, she wasn’t subject to family planning policies.

Recently, because of learning photography and pursuing beautiful vessels to make her food look appealing, Cui Bingbing had developed some research into porcelain, trays, and such. Upon seeing the Song household, she immediately recognized the sophistication, but couldn’t tell how deep the waters ran with those objects. She was immediately dazzled. If not for her awe of the great Song, she wanted to pick up every plate in front of her to see what marks were painted on the bottom. She sat there with her heart itching like a cat scratching. Finally, she asked Liang Sishen about it, but Liang Sishen said they were all high-quality reproductions – she had collected photos and had familiar porcelain factories make them, incidentally developing a small series of three or four pieces. Cui Bingbing thought about how she had rushed to buy famous British and Japanese porcelain during her business trips to Shanghai – the level of sophistication was incomparable. Looking again at what she was sitting on, what was displayed on the table, what was rolling on the floor – none of it showed its secrets, yet you could tell at a glance that it was very sophisticated. Cui Bingbing understood: this was the low-key style that comes after reaching the ultimate in wealth. What did Qian Hongming’s display amount to?

When facing Qian Hongming’s luxury, how could Cui Bingbing’s heart be balanced? She felt great injustice for Liu Jun. But today, seeing the Song household, she completely lost any thoughts about Qian Hongming. She thought with inner amusement: Brother Qian, the road ahead is long and arduous – I, Cui Bingbing, am taking the first step ahead of you.