"Asleep." Zhao Xiaojuan looked at him, seeing that he seemed to have something to say, shook the baby a few more times, made sure the child was soundly asleep, and then set him down.
"What’s the matter? Is something wrong?" Zhao Xiaojuan asked.
Jiang Changhe took the money out of his pocket and, with a smile, said, "Xiao Juan, count this."
"Changhe, where did you get all this money? What did you do?" Zhao Xiaojuan asked, alarmed, as she looked at the thick stack of cash.
"Xiao Juan, don’t be scared. This money is from the ginseng we sold last time. Eldest brother has a good way of making money. A few days ago, he came back and talked to me and Changtao. We each invested four hundred yuan. Look, didn’t Eldest brother come today to bring us this money?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaojuan glanced back at the wardrobe. She didn’t know when Jiang Changhe had taken the money, since there hadn’t been any expenditure at home recently.
Before she could think further, Jiang Changhe had already thrust the money into her hands.
She swallowed the words she wanted to say and silently began counting the money.
After counting the money, Zhao Xiaojuan gazed at Jiang Changhe, shocked, "Changhe, just a few days and you’ve made a hundred yuan?"
"Yes, when Eldest brother first mentioned it, I couldn’t believe it either. But now, look, the money’s all here, how could we not believe it? Why else would so many people be willing to engage in speculative trading? It really does make money," Jiang Changhe reflected.
"Yes, making money is truly frightening," Zhao Xiaojuan, being timid, commented anxiously, knowing the money was earned through Jiang Changhe’s speculative endeavors with Jiang Changhai.
"Xiao Juan, don’t worry. Eldest brother said his transport company has many people doing this. It’s been years and nothing bad has happened. We made so much money this time; it’s really because Eldest brother always thinks of us when there’s a good opportunity. When he first told me, I was afraid to invest, fearing something would go wrong. If it wasn’t for him and Laosan continuously persuading me, I would have missed out on this great opportunity," Jiang Changhe talked admiringly whenever he mentioned his Eldest brother.
After this experience, Jiang Changhe’s view on speculative trading had changed—after all, no one wants to turn down money, right?
Zhao Xiaojuan looked at the money in her hand and nodded firmly, "Yes, Eldest brother’s family has helped us so much, and now they’re helping us make money. We must find a way to repay their kindness in the future."
At this time, the Third Branch was also immersed in joy, just like the Second Branch.
Sun Lixia was astounded as she listened to Jiang Changtao tell her how in less than a month, Eldest brother had turned their four hundred yuan into five hundred yuan.
After hearing this, Sun Lixia swallowed hard and asked in shock, "Does speculative trading really make that much money?"
"Indeed, it does. Just a few days and we’ve made so much. If we do this several times a year, we wouldn’t need to do anything else—just stay at home and count money," Jiang Changtao said, dreaming.
"Changtao, did Eldest brother mention when we’re going back to Haicheng? Next time, let’s invest all five hundred yuan; maybe we’ll come back with over six hundred," Sun Lixia greedily asked.
"Eldest brother didn’t mention anything, but he promised that he’ll keep us in mind whenever there’s a good opportunity."
Jiang Changtao now had complete trust in his Eldest brother. Whatever his Eldest brother said, he believed.
"I didn’t expect Eldest brother to be so generous. Remembering our family even when there are benefits," Sun Lixia thought.
Reflecting on how she used to frequently curse Eldest brother’s family at home, and now, when they had a good opportunity, they hadn’t forgotten them, she suddenly felt extremely remorseful.