Chapter 521: Ambitions for the Future

He returned home.

It had just passed ten o'clock.

Everyone was still awake; Wu Yingwei saw he reeked of alcohol and asked, 'Did you get the liquor?'

Wu An shook his head.

Mei Yueqin got up to go to the kitchen to make some hangover soup; Wu An didn't refuse and even asked her to add more ingredients.

He had drunk a lot of tea while drinking, urinated twice, and then felt hungry again.

Wu Yingwei asked, 'I heard today's trial voyage went smoothly?'

Wu An briefly explained the situation.

Wu Ping kept asking if the big ship was very stable; Wu An laughed and said, 'It's stable, but it's just a money‑making tool—there's not much fun to be had on it.'

'Later, when I've made a lot of money, I'll buy a luxury yacht.'

'By then, our whole family will go out to sea for fun on the luxury yacht.'

'Big brother, let me tell you, that's really exciting.'

Wu Ping listened, very interested, and pressed further: 'How exciting is it?'

Wu An also spoke excitedly, his mouth outpacing his brain, and blurted out: 'Just think—by then you could bring girls and throw a party…'

The next moment.

He felt a icy gaze, his hairs standing on end instantly—truly chilling—he realized at once, didn't dare meet the gaze, knowing it was the killing intent coming from Father.

Wu Ping also felt a bit embarrassed.

Bringing girls, throwing a party… A An is too blunt; saying that between brothers in private would be fine, but how could you say it in front of Dad?

He hurriedly tried to smooth things over, asking, 'A An, the girl you meant is An Ran, right?'

Wu An nodded frantically: 'Yes, yes, yes, that's definitely her.'

'By then, the women will be having fun together while we drink on the side—just thinking about it feels wonderful.'

'Dad, you agree, right?'

Wu Yingwei snorted, lowered his head to smoke, after a while felt he couldn't stay silent, and said in a low voice: 'A An, Dad believes you'll make a lot of money in the future.'

'But no matter how much money you have, you must not forget your duties.'

'If you ever dare to do something that lets An Ran down, don't blame me for not recognizing you as my son.'

Wu An smiled: 'I understand.'

He knew.

Father wasn't just trying to scare him.

This old man truly follows through on what he says.

Why?

Because Father has done it before.

Mei Yueqin walked over, sensed the atmosphere was off, and curiously asked, 'What are you three grandpas talking about?'

Wu Ping said, 'A An said he'd buy a luxury yacht to go out and have fun; Dad and I are warning him not to turn bad just because he has money.'

Wu An looked at his older brother.

Just now it was clearly the two of us chatting…

Wu Ping blinked his eyes and revealed a simple, honest smile.

Damn.

Big brother's turned bad!

Wu An cursed silently but said aloud, 'Sister‑in‑law, you're a native of the fishing village and haven't been out to sea many times; I'm thinking that once we buy a yacht, I'll take you out so the whole family can go fishing and such.'

'If staying at home feels boring, you can also go out to sea to clear your mind.'

Mei Yueqin listened happily: 'Good, good, good—how much would that yacht cost?'

Wu An casually replied, 'Over ten million, I guess.'

Mei Yueqin's smile faded: 'A An, hearing you say that already makes me happy—I appreciate the thought—but that yacht is too expensive.'

Wu An smiled and didn't continue the topic.

Anyway, he'll definitely buy that yacht sooner or later.

It's not just for convenient fun at sea; later, when the village develops, taking the yacht out to sea will also be a good money‑making project.

He picked up the soothing soup, cooled to the right temperature, and gulped it down in big mouthfuls.

Wu Yingwei saw this and said, 'Slow down—this is hangover soup, not for filling your stomach.'

'You didn't come back together; it looks like that round of drinks wasn't very tasty.'

'What's the matter?'

'Not being bothered is a good thing.' Wu An smiled and said, 'On the ship I eat and drink like this out of habit; it's Qiang Ge who found Min Ge from the Maritime Affairs Bureau to help with the fishing boat subsidy.'

He explained the matter, though of course he didn't say everything—for example, the invoice was for 1.5 million.

If Father found out about this, he'd surely nag him about it.

What should be said, say; what shouldn't be said, definitely don't say.

After hearing, Wu Yingwei shook his head; actually, getting this subsidy doesn't really require asking for help.

At bottom, it's still because handling affairs is difficult.

In this regard, he too can relate deeply.

Not mentioning other matters, in the village these years, the things he could handle were all done by himself personally; besides the person in charge, he also worried that delegating tasks to others would just get passed around.

Now that he has become the village director, the first thing is to resolve this issue.

Wu Ping wore a doubtful expression: 'Can they really subsidize that much money? I've heard from others that the most you can get is only forty or fifty thousand.'

Mei Yueqin came over holding the hangover soup, her face full of pride as she said, "How could anyone else compare to A An?"

"Could anyone else be as capable as A An?"

"Others can't find connections even if they try, but A An is the one people rush to help."

Wu Ping nodded along.

Wu An said modestly, "Sister-in-law, it's not unpaid help either—I've also spent quite a bit of money."

Mei Yueqin said, "Getting kickbacks from entertaining and giving gifts—that's just a tiny amount of money."

"If it weren't for others' help, I wouldn't be able to make a single cent."

"There's no need to be modest with family—this is your ability. Looking at it this way, you haven't wasted your time out there."

Wu Ping earnestly said, "A An, you've matured now; you know how to get things done."

"This society really can train a person."

"As for the drinking and gift-giving just mentioned, if it were me, I'd definitely do it worse than you."

"That's high emotional intelligence."

Wu An smiled.

As for that, he didn't feel there was anything worth being proud of.

Actually, big brother's statement isn't accurate; high emotional intelligence and worldly wisdom are two different things.

What is worldly wisdom? Put simply, it's subordinates being full of ulterior motives, distorting genuine feelings in interpersonal relations, subordinates being insincere and currying favor, deliberately flattering superiors.

If one's status is high enough, even if they don't understand worldly wisdom, others will praise their sincere heart and won't look down on them for not being adept at things.

He started from humble origins, grew all the way, destined to experience these; some habits in dealing with people are already hard to change.

He actually hopes big brother will stay consistent from the start, without being bothered by worldly wisdom.

In his previous life.

Big brother just doesn't understand worldly wisdom, can't speak well, can't ingratiate himself, can't give gifts, and ultimately couldn't even keep a job, leading to a difficult life.

In this life.

Naturally, he won't repeat the same mistakes; with him around, no one will be able to bully big brother to the point of oppression.

Big brother has been teaching and nurturing people at school all along; the environment is relatively simple, but Father's situation is different—after becoming village head, when rapid development comes in the future, all sorts of demons and monsters will come flocking.

With Father's personality, suffering losses is inevitable; I fear he'll be cheated down to the last bone fragment.

Since his rebirth, his goals have been shifting bit by bit, but protecting his family—letting Father and his sister-in-law live comfortably—has been his driving force to earn money and keep advancing.