Reaching the age of thirty, my income randomly doubled

The small villa was inhabited, and several luxury cars parked at the house.

With such wealth, honoring the elderly was only right and proper.

Definitely necessary.

If she wasn't filial, she really would have cursed someone out.

Grandpa and Grandma at their age didn't have bank books; they could only spend cash and would only use cash.

With this money, next year would definitely be less strained, and they could handle any difficulties that might arise.

"By the way, Grandpa's birthday is coming up in a few days. Grandpa always loved listening to traditional opera, right? I think we should invite Zhang Chuntao over. Let's set up a stage in the village and have him perform for three days and nights. We can also arrange twelve tables at the banquet. Anyone in the village who wants to come can come.

Let's give Grandpa a lively seventy-second birthday celebration this year."

"That's going to be expensive. Should we charge admission?"

The third aunt thought of money first. If they charged admission, they might not lose too much.

If they didn't charge, just hiring a famous actor like Zhang Chuntao could cost tens of thousands.

Not to mention arranging twelve tables for three days.

In fact, some wealthy people in the village had done this before to celebrate their parents' birthdays.

But they always charged admission.

Chen Pingsheng shook his head, "We should not collect admission fees to avoid people thinking we are trying to make money on Grandpa's birthday. Third Aunt, I think you should take charge of this. You can come to me for any expenses. Just make sure the dishes are plentiful and the cigarettes and liquor are plentiful."

Actually, hosting such a banquet could definitely be profitable.

How much money they made depended on how the person in charge managed it, and he had assigned this task to the third aunt considering Chen Fan.

At his age, even if he was foolish, he was already calling out every day for a wife.

As his parents, the third uncle and third aunt also wanted to help him socialize, considering his situation.

Which normal girl would want to marry him?

A foolish one couldn't be found.

If the family's conditions were a bit better, then it might actually be possible to find someone.

The third aunt was rather stingy, but she was efficient in arranging events.

If you've said all this and she still acted stingy, wouldn't it seem like she lacked insight?

Chen Pingsheng asked Song Yanxi to give her $150,000 first.

If that wasn't enough, they could always get more from them later.

He still remembered when in the 1990s, during the era of black-and-white TVs, his grandfather, including his father, loved watching traditional opera the most.

They would listen to it even in their sleep.

Now, being able to invite Zhang Chuntao over for a grand celebration was like fulfilling an older generation's wish.

The news quickly spread in the village, and Chen Pingsheng also got busier in the process.

Mainly purchasing cigarettes and liquor.

He had already said, anyone coming to his side for the feast could help themselves to cigarettes and liquor, so they wouldn't be empty-handed.

The cigarettes were uniformly priced at fifty-five yuan a pack, named "Prosperity Through Harmony."

The betel nuts were definitely from "Hecheng Tianxia."

The liquor was the standard 52-degree Luzhou Laojiao, openly consumed at a price of one thousand one hundred yuan per bottle.

Considering that villagers liked to take advantage of small opportunities, many people, aside from drinking at the banquet, would try to pack cigarettes and liquor to take home.

He had purposely bought extra and even arranged for direct delivery from the village convenience store.

...

Suddenly it was the 27th, with only three days left until the New Year.

The young people who were supposed to return to the village had mostly come back; those who had not returned by now probably would not come back.

The number of relatives visiting Grandpa's house kept increasing, mainly because they had heard that this year's seventy-second birthday was going to be a big celebration.

They had even invited the famous actor Zhang Chuntao, who charged twenty thousand a day, to set up a stage and perform opera.

If they also set up twelve tables to feed the whole village,

one could imagine how lively it would be. Grandpa's siblings, who in earlier years had scattered around Sha City and various parts of Yi City,

would usually gather only during the New Year or when there was a major event in someone's family.

This time, almost everyone made it.

Chen Pingsheng became notably busier, handing out one thousand eight hundred yuan in red envelopes to elders and five hundred uniformly to the younger ones, regardless of which relative came.

The event was organized on a large scale, and he had even booked the biggest hotel in town.

This was mainly to accommodate relatives from out of town and to facilitate eating and drinking.

Two large BMWs, including a Mercedes-Benz, were constantly used to shuttle and receive guests.

Even the relatives from Song Yanxi's grandpa's side were all invited.

The banquet was scheduled to start on the 28th and would last three days, just in time for the New Year.

On the day the banquet officially started, even the village loudspeaker was used for the announcement.

Zhang Chuntao had a significant influence among the older generation.

The older generation mostly knew her.

Chen Pingsheng, who had both funded and worked hard for the event, had to personally greet and receive guests that day.

Before the banquet even started, the village elders had already begun arriving.

He had indeed pushed the event to its limit, not even collecting gifts from the arriving village elders.

Each one could still receive a one hundred and twenty yuan red envelope and be given a pack of "Prosperity Through Harmony" and "Hecheng Tianxia."

This left Chang Fu watching in astonishment.

"Fucking hell, Old Chen has outdone himself again."

"Why don't you try showing off too?"

Two tables were reserved for village schoolmates, one for those who frequently played cards and the other for those who didn't.

Chang Fu gave him a do-you-think-I-look-like-a-fool look.

"With his setup, it'll cost hundreds of thousands in three days, right?"

"Your family's hundreds of thousands are a bit more significant."

Chang Fu said, "See the liquor on the tables? Luzhou Laojiao, one thousand one hundred a bottle. Look how many people are stuffing it into their coats. They give a red envelope to everyone that comes, plus cigarettes and betel nuts; estimate two hundred per person, and think about who in the village wouldn't come."

"Right, it's stupid not to take advantage of this. Compared to that, the big crabs and softshell turtles on the table are worthless."

The banquet lasted three days, and the entire village ate for free.

It sounds simple, but it was all burning money.