Chapter 134: Impatient!

Du Zhong continued driving back to Chinatown. Tonight, his small family restaurant was bustling with business. Su Mu walked from the parking lot back home, feeling uneasy everywhere he looked.

After a moment of hesitation, he went to the kitchen and said to his father, Su Dingcai, “Dad, I bought a house for you all in Beverly Hills today. It has a big garden in the front with a beautiful driveway, and a pond in the back for fish. I paid the deposit. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to see it.”

Su Dingcai trembled, accidentally dumping more than half a spoonful of salt into the pot. His eyes nearly popped out, and he couldn’t control his voice as he shouted, “Where? Be... Be... Beverly Hills!?”

This wasn’t a surprise—it was more like Su Mu had successfully scared his own father.

And it wasn’t a small scare.

Since the Su family crossed the ocean to come to the United States, they had always lived in Los Angeles. Everyone knew that Beverly Hills was worth every inch of land and then some.

A house with both a front and back garden—no matter how small—was unimaginable for Su Dingcai, who was past his forties and had never dreamed of living in Beverly Hills. In other words, he had long been accustomed to their modest means. Just when he was starting to adjust to the wealth brought by the supermarket business, Su Mu scared him again.

On the way back, Su Mu worried he might get beaten for buying a house, so he told his more reasonable father first, with a very assured tone: “It’s the Beverly Hills area to the west, near Menlo Park. I made some money running the business there, and I was afraid I’d spend it all, so I turned it into a house to save it.

“I bought it with a mortgage, paying a little every month, like saving money. The house is great, cheaper than others around, brand new, never lived in. It’s renovated and ready to move in after the transfer.”

Speaking is an art.

Knowing his son was earning and saving money, Su Dingcai felt relieved.

He glanced at the salt in the pot and sighed—it was no good for customers now; he’d have to cook another pot. Then he asked, “How much did the house cost? If you have money, give it to us to keep safe. Bank interest is pretty good these days. Living here is fine; don’t waste money recklessly.”

“Just so you know, the deposit was fifty thousand dollars. If we don’t buy the house, that money won’t come back.”

After the warning, Su Mu told his father, “One point one nine million dollars.”

With a clang, Su Dingcai’s hand shook so badly the big iron ladle fell into the pot.

This was serious. Buying a car was much cheaper than a house. So Su Mu continued, “Also, the company needed a car, so I bought a Jaguar. It’s parked in the western parking lot.”

Su Dingcai was already stunned, not sure if he heard that last part. Worried about his father blaming him, Su Mu sensed trouble and quickly grabbed a tomato, decisively escaping the scene of potential conflict.

*********************

The small restaurant closed quickly.

Just as Su Mu’s elderly father had recently gone to see the interesting supermarket, tonight, without seeing the house in person, Su Mu’s parents and grandfather wouldn’t get any sleep.

The three of them aimed their questions and concerns like guns at their only child, Su Mu. The old man complained about such a big matter not being discussed with the family. His mother nagged over and over, worried Su Mu might have been tricked by the real estate agent or paid too much.

Su Dingcai drove the Jaguar, finding it hard to believe it was his son’s car.

Even though Su Mu had explained the car was registered under Penguin Company, his father stubbornly believed the company’s car was his son’s car—and his son’s car was also his.

So, Su Dingcai suddenly realized he had a new Jaguar luxury car he had long envied.

He whistled happily while driving, unwilling to glance at the old secondhand cars on the road.

Muttering to himself, he said, “A luxury car is different. Just a light press on the gas and it flies!”

Su Mu had long expected this and simply ignored it.

Hearing his grandfather say they needed to save money and couldn’t buy a house, Su Mu mentioned the fifty thousand dollar deposit.

The old man’s face twitched; he felt sorry for that non-refundable deposit and continued to complain without ever suggesting canceling the purchase.

A house can be sold after buying, but if they didn’t buy it, the fifty thousand would be lost. His grandfather wasn’t good at big picture thinking but was clear on the small details.

On the way to see the Beverly Hills house, each member of the Su family was lost in their own thoughts. Su Mu’s parents, including the old man, felt as if they were dreaming. Suddenly, there was a luxury car and a mansion, but of course, there would now also be a bank debt of over a million dollars.

Just thinking about that number caused the old man’s heart to pound uncontrollably. Yet from his grandson’s light tone, he grew confused, beginning to doubt the world itself—how could his grandson have earned in just two months what he hadn’t in most of his life?

Recalling that his grandson had said another company earned over six hundred thousand dollars a month, the old man, with his dull mind, thought, “A monthly mortgage of over ten thousand dollars can’t be that big a deal…”

No matter what his family said, Su Mu kept silent.

This tactic worked well. Halfway there, his parents were already asking about the house and how Beverly Hills was. His mother even worried that her worn clothes would embarrass her in front of the neighbors.

The old man had lived in Chinatown since childhood.

When young and spirited, he had wanted to buy a nice house elsewhere, but reality slowly wore down his ambition, and he never thought he’d stay there for most of his life.

He had thought his life would just be a struggle to get by, but unexpectedly, his grandson had become successful, earned a fortune, and the family was about to move to Beverly Hills.

That name, symbolizing wealth, had weighed on the old man’s mind for decades. He had often heard stories about the rich in Beverly Hills but never imagined one day he’d buy a home there.

He stopped nagging his grandson, touched the leather seat, and broke into a silent, foolish smile.

Suddenly, he thought of his late wife who had passed away years ago and couldn’t share this happiness. In the dim light of the car, Su Dingcai wiped away tears in secret, thinking about visiting her grave tomorrow to tell her the good news.

After struggling most of his life, he had finally made it. His late wife had always adored their grandson and would surely be happy…

Mrs. Huber had long been divorced.

Tonight, she had a date but rushed over after receiving Su Mu’s call to hand over the keys.

Seeing his family, she was puzzled—they didn’t look wealthy at all. Yet that afternoon, Su Mu had already proven his affluent status. He refused to pay the usual twenty thousand deposit and insisted on fifty thousand, with a tenfold penalty for breach of contract.

She took it as a sign he was wary of the landlord backing out, and not everyone was wealthy enough to buy a million-dollar mansion. Mrs. Huber showed no hint of disdain.

Learning she was in a hurry to meet someone, Su Mu smiled and suggested, “The penalty is so high, we’ll definitely buy the house. Can we stay there for one night tonight?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Mrs. Huber agreed, “Okay! I’ll arrange cleaning tomorrow, but you can only truly move in after the transfer. Here are the keys, do you know the way?”

“Thank you, I remember the route…”