Chapter 293: Developing in Shanghai

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Under the pitch-black sky, colorful fireworks bloomed continuously all over the country like flowers in full blossom.

Accompanied by the sound of loud firecrackers, the new year drew ever closer, and every household was filled with laughter and joy, the scene warm and happy.

Hearing Shen Liangping's words, the people present had different expressions; what Shen Nainai wanted to see most was her children and grandchildren happy, so she smiled and said, "Eldest, you are a man of good fortune; going to the city to buy a house back then was the right choice."

Shen Liangcheng's tone was a bit sour: "Mom, I said back then that housing prices would continue to rise, but you wouldn't lend me money to speculate on real estate, and now look, the opportunity just slipped through my fingers for nothing."

Mentioning this, Shen Liangcheng was full of resentment again.

Back when Shen Yan won the big prize on a scratch-off ticket, he had spotted the opportunity and come over to borrow money to enter the market, but he hadn't expected to be one move behind, as Shen Yan had already squandered the money first.

So Shen Liangcheng hatched another plan.

He would borrow a hundred thousand or so from Shen Nainai and sell his own house, which would be just enough capital to buy a small unit.

Then, once he sold it at a high price, wouldn't the money just come rolling in?

However, no matter how eloquently Shen Liangcheng spoke until his mouth went dry, Shen Nainai refused to budge, claiming that was her retirement fund.

She even scolded Shen Liangcheng and kicked him out of the house.

Now, it was even worse; he couldn't even afford a small unit.

Hearing his younger son's words, Shen Nainai's eyes widened, and she said crossly, "That is my retirement fund; if it gets tossed away, can I count on you to support me in my old age?"

Not wanting to cause an unpleasant scene on such a day, Shen Yan quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Little Uncle, you also know that investment often comes with risks alongside profits; there is no business that guarantees a profit without loss, and Grandma was also worried that you wouldn't end up with anything good."

Shen Liangcheng muttered unconvinced: "The results prove I was right."

Shen Yan said that wasn't necessarily true: "Little Uncle, where do you think is more developed, Shanghai or Wencheng?"

"That would naturally be Shanghai."

"The average housing price in Shanghai is only eighteen thousand now, while Wencheng's is nearly thirty thousand; do you think this situation is normal? When things are abnormal, there must be something strange going on; who knows when policy regulations will come down."

Shen Yan stated his point of view unhurriedly, his logic quite clear and hitting the nail on the head.

The people present were lost in thought.

Shen Nainai trusted her grandson's ability very much and couldn't help but advise: "Liangping, I think Xiaoyan's words make a lot of sense; why don't you sell the house and go to Shanghai to buy a new one? Hangzhou would also be nice; big cities are better than Wencheng no matter what."

Huang Meili tugged on her husband's sleeve, clearly very moved.

Shen Jiaqing chimed in: "Dad, I agree with my cousin; Wencheng's housing prices were driven up by speculators in the first place. It's unreasonable for a second-tier city's housing prices to exceed those of a first-tier city by such a large margin. We might as well take this opportunity to buy a new house in Shanghai; it just so happens I'm planning to develop my career in Shanghai after the new year, and it would be convenient to live at home."

This sentence completely swayed Shen Liangping.

But he had many concerns; first, Shanghai was too far from Cangnan, and if anything happened to Shen Nainai, he wouldn't be able to reach her in time.

Second, that old shop in Wencheng had been open for over ten years, and Shen Liangping worried that moving locations would cause business to plummet.

No one knows a son better than his mother.

Looking at his eldest son's moved yet conflicted expression, how could Shen Nainai not guess his thoughts?

So she grinned and said with feigned indifference: "Liangping, you don't need to consider me; my body is sturdy, and there certainly won't be any problems within a few years. If something really happens one day, I won't hesitate to trouble you."

After careful consideration, Shen Liangping proposed that Shen Nainai go to live in Shanghai together.

Big cities have advanced medical technology, so if there were any illnesses or disasters, they could be handled properly in time.

Furthermore, Shen Yan was studying in Hangzhou and was usually not by her side, which was too lonely, and Hangzhou was relatively close to Shanghai, making it convenient for Shen Yan to visit back and forth.

A flash of interest crossed Shen Nainai's eyes, but she was reluctant to leave her old friends here; they had formed a habit of gathering together to chat, play mahjong, and dance in the square.

In fact, the problem of how to settle Shen Nainai had been lingering in Shen Yan's mind.

Hearing this, he immediately joined in the persuasion: "Grandma, why don't you go to Shanghai with Uncle? You'll have people by your side, and when I graduate, I'll also go to Shanghai to develop my career, and then I can pick you up."

Uh...

Hearing this, Shen Nainai became even more shaken; in terms of development, big cities naturally had more prospects, and she didn't want to affect her children and grandchildren's future because of her own reasons.

Now Shen Liangping was even more confident, whispering in her ear and pestering Shen Nainai to go live in Shanghai together, saying she could make new friends there and it would be convenient for the children and grandchildren to show their filial piety.

"Alright then, I'll go to Shanghai with the eldest."

After deliberation, Shen Nainai finally agreed to the proposal, and the heavy stone in the hearts of Shen Yan and Shen Liangping fell, their faces unable to hide their joy.

Meanwhile, Shen Liangcheng sat there drinking sullenly, feeling like an outsider, uncomfortable everywhere, and inwardly hoping that Wencheng's housing prices would continue to skyrocket so that the eldest would regret it until he was crying tears of blood.

How could he know that Wencheng's housing prices were about to reach their peak, while Shanghai had only just begun to exert its strength.

At this time, Sun Huifang played the role of a Monday-morning quarterback, saying with slight sadness: "Mom, are you really going to Shanghai? In that way, Liangcheng and I might not be able to visit you often."

Shen Nainai thought to herself that they had never visited before, so where would the "often" come from?

But she couldn't be bothered to bring up these unpleasant matters, so she said with a forced smile: "It doesn't matter, as long as you two have the heart."

Immediately after, the group began a heated discussion about moving to Shanghai and formulated a series of plans.

First, let Shen Jiaqing go over to scout the path, see which area had suitable houses and high foot traffic, while Shen Liangping would be responsible for handling the house in Wencheng and the noodle shop...

After the New Year's Eve dinner, the elders gave red envelopes to the juniors; Shen Jiaxin and Shen Jiakang were all smiles, but although Shen Yan had received red envelopes in previous years, he didn't take one this year.

It signified that he had grown into an adult.

Afterward, the elders gathered to play mahjong, and Shen Yan said: "Uncle, I'm going to celebrate the New Year with friends later, so I won't be coming back to sleep tonight; Brother Jiaqing has been drinking and it's not convenient for him to drive, so why don't you stay in my room."

Shen Liangping nodded and agreed.

This nephew was mature and steady, and both his speech and knowledge were far superior to his own, so he didn't have to worry much about him.

Looking at his own honest and dull son, who was carved from the same mold as himself, he couldn't help but say: "Jiaqing, learn more from your cousin; don't just sit there unable to let out a fart all day, you can't even find a girlfriend."

"Oh!" Shen Jiaqing responded bitterly, his eyes filled with resentment.

It was just like being screwed by a dog!

With this change in his younger cousin, his own family status could be described as a nosedive; he was disliked everywhere, how could he go on living like this?