Chapter 89 Who Doesn’t Want More

“What is it?” Cao Jianhua looked at the hesitant Cao Shujie, his heart skipping a beat. He had no idea why Shujie was acting like this.

“Uncle Hua, if you want to contract two hundred acres of mountain land, leaving aside the lease itself, based on my experience, just the later-stage costs—equipment, building roads, maintaining the forest—would eat up at least several hundred thousand every year…”

“That much?” Cao Jianhua was completely taken aback at the figure.

Cao Shujie nodded and blurted out, “Otherwise, where do you think my eight hundred thousand has gone?”

“No matter how thrifty you are, you’d at least have to dig a well. Later, you’d need irrigation pipes, an automatic feeding system, all of that equipment.”

“And don’t forget weed removal in the mountains. The trees there aren’t yours either—you’ll have to help maintain them for the state.” Cao Shujie listed everything one by one. “Once the real breeding starts, you’ll need to buy feed!”

“With such a large-scale operation, if you have some veterinary knowledge, that’s one thing. If not, I really think you should hire a vet.” His tone was completely earnest.

“You mean in case of bird flu, swine flu, that kind of outbreak?” Jianhua asked.

Shujie nodded. “Of course. Uncle Hua, you’ve probably heard the saying.”

“‘No matter how great your fortune, livestock don’t truly count.’” He said it with all seriousness, not like a joke at all. “Sure, our science is improving, medicine is far more advanced than before, but who can guarantee nothing will go wrong?”

“If something wipes you out… recovering would be near impossible. It could ruin your life!” His eyes flickered with a trace of lingering fear, as if remembering bitter lessons.

Jianhua knew all this already, and it was precisely these concerns that made him hesitate over whether to dive in. Hearing Shujie’s breakdown just now—and recalling that he’d already sunk nearly a million into it himself—made him all the more uneasy.

“Uncle Hua, if you don’t have absolute confidence, it’s best not to invest in something outside your expertise. Otherwise, you’re more likely to lose everything.” Shujie’s advice was sincere.

He himself had confidence because of his background and research. He majored in this exact field, and with his past life’s decades of study and experience, he had actually uncovered a few breakthroughs. Add those memories on top, and while they wouldn’t make him unimaginably wealthy, earning a decent, comfortable living was no problem at all.

Thinking of this, Bitcoin suddenly crossed his mind again. He decided he’d start paying close attention soon—if he bought some early and held onto it for ten years, comparing it to the prices in his memory, the gains would be astronomical. A person shouldn’t get hung up on short-term wins and losses.

After saying farewell to Cao Jianhua, he noticed Jianhua still looked dazed. Shujie couldn’t help but feel worried—what if he really stumbled into this pit? Who could say if he’d ever climb back out?

Back home, Shujie brought the matter up with his parents. When Cao Jianguo heard, he immediately exploded: “Jianhua’s out of his mind! Running his supermarket is already great. In Caojia Village, who lives better than him?”

“Dad, don’t put it that way. Who doesn’t want more?” Shujie said with a smile.

At its core, it was all just greed.

His single sentence cut straight to the truth.

“Shujie, go wash your hands and eat,” Wang Yuelan scolded her son, unwilling to dwell further.

Shujie let the subject drop.

Mengmeng hadn’t understood a thing her dad and grandparents had been talking about. But when she saw him sit down to eat, she ran over with a notebook and a pencil, laying it before him with excitement. “Daddy, look!”

“What is it?” Shujie glanced down and saw the page covered with messy lines.

“Daddy, I drew it! It’s a little puppy, hehe!” Mengmeng grinned proudly.

Hearing that, Shujie looked more closely. If he connected a few of the uneven lines in his mind, there really was a faint outline of a pup.

Setting down his chopsticks and bun, he earnestly pointed out the few lines he thought shaped it, tracing the rough silhouette with his finger. “Mengmeng, this is your little puppy, right? Wow, that’s really good.”

“Yes!” Mengmeng beamed. Finally, someone who appreciated her art.

She added, “Daddy, Mommy’s dumb. She couldn’t even tell.”

Shujie: “…”

He glanced up at Cheng Xiaolin standing nearby, thinking, *Really? Can’t you just humor our daughter with a compliment?*

“Daddy, do you think it looks nice?” Mengmeng pressed.

Shujie nodded quickly. “Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.”

He took the notebook from her hand, examining it closely, then asked, “Mengmeng, how about you give this masterpiece to Daddy? I’ll treasure it forever.”

“No way!” Mengmeng flatly refused.

She hopped up, trying to snatch it back, shouting, “I’m not giving it to anyone!”

Cheng Xiaolin laughed helplessly. “Shujie, give it back to her already. Don’t tease her.”

Only then did Shujie return the “puppy painting” to his daughter.

Still amused, he asked, “Mengmeng, what got you into drawing today?”

“Daddy, it’s fun!” she said matter-of-factly.

Shujie couldn’t see what was so fun about her scribbles, but he supported her anyway. After all, who hadn’t been a kid once?

“Mengmeng, let your dad finish eating first, all right?” Cheng Xiaolin said, seeing the little one pestering him nonstop.

Mengmeng was obedient. She nodded, “Okay.”

She sat quietly nearby, and the moment Shujie finished, she shouted, “Daddy, draw with me!”

“You want me to draw with you?” he laughed.

Mengmeng nodded, so Shujie agreed warmly, “All right then, let’s go draw.”

The instant he said yes, she bounced around joyfully.

“Daddy, let me tell you, Mommy never plays with me. I don’t like her,” she babbled on, half complaining, half confiding.

Her rambling only made Shujie smile even more.

He stayed with Mengmeng until she finally fell asleep. At last free, he carried his laptop out of the bedroom, logged in, and began searching for the materials he wanted.

Softly closing the bedroom door behind her, Cheng Xiaolin walked over and sat down beside him. Glancing at the laptop screen, she asked, “What are you looking up this time?”

“Bitcoin, huh… let me see exactly how to buy it.” Cao Shujie said to his wife.

“You really think this thing will work?” Cheng Xiaolin sounded doubtful, unable to figure out where her husband’s confidence was coming from.

Cao Shujie smiled faintly. “Well, how should I put it… I’ve been digging into the info these past few days. Sometimes, the first one to crack a crab gets the meat.”

“Then do as you see fit. No need to tell me about it—I’m too sleepy to even keep my eyes open. I’m going to bed.” With that, Cheng Xiaolin got up and headed back to the bedroom.

(End of chapter)