JB – Extra Chapter 23: The Wang Family’s Ending (END)

After five years of development, Shanhai City had increasingly taken on the appearance of a major metropolis. The first wave of entrepreneurs who had known how to seize opportunities in the early years had mostly become wealthy and successful. Although Guan’s Jam was not among the earliest businesses, it had managed to seize the right opportunity. It was now a well-known brand in Shanhai City and had successfully expanded beyond the city itself.

If Guan Jiahe had initially managed Guan’s Jam for Wang Cheng out of gratitude, then now the company had become like his own child. He had nurtured it from its infancy until it matured into what it was today. The sense of accomplishment and pride he felt watching it grow was his greatest source of satisfaction.

Nor was he still merely the holder of twenty percent of Guan’s Jam. Two years earlier, Wang Cheng had transferred another thirty percent of the shares to him, making Guan Jiahe a shareholder truly equal to him.

After becoming wealthy, Guan Jiahe never forgot his roots. He helped Guanjia Village build factories and roads, and within only a few years the village’s economy had improved dramatically. Nowadays, everyone lived in multi-story houses, and some even owned cars. The prosperity attracted villagers from neighboring areas, bringing in a growing population. The once-small Guanjia Village had gradually begun developing into a town. Whenever people mentioned Guan Jiahe, they would immediately give him a thumbs-up. To them, he was the great benefactor of Guanjia Village.

However, the elderly couple of the Guan family remained attached to the peaceful life in Guanjia Village. Even after the family became prosperous, they chose not to move away. As they grew older and less mobile, Guan Jiahe hired a housekeeper to take care of them. He visited them during holidays and festivals, and the liveliest time of year was always the Lunar New Year.

On the second day of the New Year, the two-story house would always have five or six enviable luxury cars parked outside. This year was no exception. The moment they heard the sound of approaching vehicles, nearby neighbors immediately guessed that the younger generation of the Guan family had come to pay New Year’s respects to the elders. When they stepped outside, they indeed saw the cars parked in front of the house and could not help feeling envious.

“Guan Maohui and his wife have truly lived a blessed life. Their children and grandchildren are thriving, every one of them successful. Even if they were to live two or three years less, it would still be worth it.”

“What’s there to envy? Our family can afford a nice house now, and our children and grandchildren all have stable jobs thanks to the Guan family. Without them, would Guanjia Village be what it is today? We should be content.”

After being scolded by his wife, the old man did not feel offended. She was right. Two years ago, their grandson had been one of the most idle troublemakers in the village. Now he had a steady job and no longer caused them worry. Living honestly and peacefully was already the greatest happiness.

Not long after the first car arrived, a second one followed.

A young man stepped out, followed by his parents. He was Zhu Mingxin, the student whose university education Wang Cheng had once financed. Passionate about his chosen field, Zhu Mingxin had worked extremely hard. After graduating two years ago, he joined a major corporation. After working there for a year, he left and founded his own company.

Though only a year had passed, he had successfully applied everything he learned from the large corporation to his own business. The company was still relatively small, with only a few dozen employees, but he was already a millionaire. As long as he avoided major mistakes, he was destined to rise even higher.

Wang Cheng’s younger uncle, Guan Changsheng, had also arrived early. Several years ago, he could not even afford a car. Although his family lived in the city, their financial situation had been rather difficult. Even so, he always sent living expenses to the elderly Guan couple every year, and so Guan Jiahe later helped him in return.

Guan’s Jam had now established more than a dozen factories throughout Shanhai City, and Guan Jiahe entrusted several of them to Guan Changsheng.

Guan Changsheng was an honest, hardworking man. Although his wife was shrewd and calculating, she fiercely protected her family. With her helping to manage things, those factories reportedly performed even better than before. Their once-struggling family had entered a comfortable middle-class life and now owned a car as well.

As for Wang Cheng’s third aunt, Guan Zhufang, she was still helping manage Wang Cheng’s jam store. Although her family was not wealthy, both of her children were exceptionally talented. Like Wang Ning’an and Wang Ziyu in the past, they excelled academically. Unwilling to see their gifts wasted, Wang Cheng arranged specialized training and opportunities tailored to them. Being intelligent, they seized the chance. Both graduated with outstanding results and later joined major corporations, where annual salaries of over a million yuan were no longer out of reach.

Their achievements left Guan Zhufang with nothing more to say. Back then, she had secretly resented the fact that Wang Cheng and Guan Jiahe had only arranged positions for her siblings. It was only later that she realized how shortsighted she had been.

As for Guan Meifang, her son had already become successful, so she no longer needed to work. Instead, she remained in the village to care for the elderly couple. Though the housekeeper was competent, there were always things that only family members could notice. With her around, the old couple also felt much less lonely.

Of course, the most successful of them all were still Wang Cheng and Wang Ning’an.

Although villagers did not know many details about them, everyone knew the two brothers had each inherited major corporations and were now billionaires. Since they lived far away, they would arrive later than the others, and when they did, the celebration would become even livelier.

Looking at such a family, it was impossible not to feel a little envious.

…

In a more remote corner of Guanjia Village lived several families who remained poor. Although Guan Jiahe’s efforts had boosted the village economy, not everyone had seized the opportunities presented to them. The people living here were among those who had not. While the festive atmosphere of the New Year filled the rest of the village, it seemed unable to reach them. Firecrackers exploded in front of other homes, and joy spread through the neighborhood, but this area remained as stagnant and lifeless as a pool of still water.

Before long, a loud crash suddenly erupted from one of the houses. Moments later came the sound of a man cursing, followed by a husband and wife screaming insults at each other. Scenes like this occurred almost daily in that household.

“Will you shut up already? Are you trying to stop people from sleeping?” Wang Ningkai finally stormed out of his room, unable to endure it any longer. His face was gloomy, and a deep bitterness seemed permanently etched between his brows.

The quarrelling couple were Wang Hongwei and Li Shu. Life had finally broken the backs of their family. They now lived in a dark, run-down brick house. The exhaustion and resentment brought on by constantly struggling to survive had made them increasingly irritable, and they fought every few days.

Five years ago, Wang Xiaoyan had run off with all the family’s money. Wang Ningkai’s family had gone to the Wang household looking for her. In the process, Wang Ningkai accidentally pushed Wang Xiaoyan’s mother to the ground and nearly ended up in prison. To save their son, Wang Hongwei and Li Shu had no choice but to sell their house at a heavily discounted price. Property values in Guanjia Village were already low, and after being pressured into lowering the price further, they received very little money. At least their son avoided jail.

After everything that happened, Wang De suffered a series of emotional shocks and eventually fell seriously ill. Within a few months, he passed away.

When Wang Ningkai was released from the police station, he felt no sense of relief or rebirth. Instead, he completely blamed Wang Xiaoyan. Not only did he abandon any thoughts of rebuilding his life, but he also began frequently visiting the Wang family. He believed Wang Xiaoyan would eventually contact them. No matter how much Wang Hongwei and Li Shu tried to persuade him otherwise, he refused to listen.

In the end, he actually got his chance.

Wang Xiaoyan’s life did not turn out well. The man she ran away with had only been using her and never truly loved her. Only Wang Xiaoyan had foolishly believed that he genuinely cared for her.

The man was actually a gambler. One day, by chance, he heard Wang Xiaoyan complaining about how poorly her husband’s family treated her. The affairs of the Wang family were common knowledge, so he deliberately approached her. After deceiving her into falling for him, he encouraged her to steal the Wang family’s money and elope with him.

Once he got his hands on the money, the man revealed his true nature. He beat and cursed Wang Xiaoyan constantly. Not only did he cause her to give birth prematurely, but the newborn baby died within a few days. In the end, she lost both her child and her money. At first, Wang Xiaoyan did not dare resist him. She was unfamiliar with the place, and she had stolen her husband’s family’s money and run away with another man. If word got out, people would not sympathize with her—in fact, they would probably say she deserved it. That was exactly why the man dared to abuse her. He was certain she would never seek help.

However, he underestimated her tolerance. Wang Xiaoyan had always been fierce by nature. She had only restrained herself because she was at a disadvantage and because her family had repeatedly advised her to endure. Eventually, the man’s escalating violence pushed her past her breaking point.

One night, Wang Xiaoyan secretly got out of bed and took a kitchen cleaver from the kitchen. While the man was sleeping, she hacked him to death. The next day, she pretended nothing had happened and fled with all their belongings.

Perhaps her luck was surprisingly good. The neighbors, who rarely interacted with them, never realized that a dead body lay next door. They merely found it strange that they had not heard either the man or the woman for several days, but no one bothered investigating. It was only when debt collectors came knocking that the man’s corpse was discovered.

Having killed someone for the first time, Wang Xiaoyan was panicked and confused. Without thinking much, she went looking for her family. Unfortunately, Wang Ningkai, who had been waiting outside the Wang residence, caught her red-handed. He nearly strangled her to death in his hatred. Left with no choice, Wang Xiaoyan begged her family for help. However, the Wang family resented her for giving all that money to a wild man rather than to them. Furthermore, she was still legally Wang Ningkai’s wife. In the end, Wang Ningkai took her away.

Life became even worse for Wang Xiaoyan after she returned to the Wang family. The entire family treated her like a slave, ordering her around, beating her, and even chaining her up. Old Madam Wang frequently whipped her with a rattan cane. Her body was already covered in injuries, and now new wounds were constantly added to the old ones.

Fortunately, her suffering did not last much longer.

The police soon came knocking.

Only then did everyone learn that Wang Xiaoyan had committed murder. The revelation frightened the Wang family of four badly. They had never imagined Wang Xiaoyan would actually dare kill someone. Cold sweat broke out across their backs. Thankfully, they locked her in the woodshed every night. Otherwise, the next person to die might very well have been one of them.

In the end, Wang Xiaoyan was sentenced to prison. She would likely never have the chance to leave again. However, the Wang family’s hardships did not end there.

After finally letting go of his obsession, Wang Ningkai once again dreamed of making a comeback. Wang Hongwei, Li Shu, and Old Madam Wang all supported him. Together, they handed him the money left over from selling their house and sent him out to start over.

They believed enough time had passed that people would no longer remember the things Wang Ningkai and his father had done in the past. Filled with confidence, Wang Ningkai ventured out into the world.

The result was catastrophic.

He lost everything and ended up buried in debt. Humiliated, he slunk back to Guanjia Village.

The Wang family could not accept the outcome. Everyone suffered a severe blow. Old Madam Wang was so devastated that she suffered a stroke and died less than six months later.

Wang Ningkai refused to believe he was truly that unlucky. He borrowed another sum of money and tried again. Predictably, the investment vanished without a trace. Instead, he ended up saddled with debts exceeding a hundred thousand yuan.

From that point onward, Wang Ningkai completely gave up. He lost all ambition and spent his days drowning himself in alcohol.

To help pay off his debts, Wang Hongwei and Li Shu both went out to work. Yet together they earned less than six thousand yuan a month. After covering food, clothing, and household necessities, almost nothing remained. Worse still, Wang Ningkai had developed a drinking habit and constantly demanded money from them to buy alcohol.

Unable to bear seeing him waste away like this, Wang Hongwei and Li Shu often scolded him out of frustration and disappointment. Today was no different.

Sitting at the table, Wang Ningkai ate the breakfast Li Shu had left behind for him. As usual, it consisted of plain rice porridge, pickled vegetables, and one or two steamed buns. Because he had gotten up late, the meal was already cold. He ate while listening to Li Shu berate him. After a while, he suddenly kicked the chair out from under him and stormed off.

“Heavens, what sin did I commit?” Li Shu collapsed onto the floor clutching her chest and burst into tears. Even now, she still could not understand how a perfectly good family had ended up like this.

Wang Hongwei paid her no attention. Life had already crushed the spirit out of him. Expressionlessly, he muttered, “I’m going to work,” before leaving.

Ordinarily he would not have worked during the New Year holidays, but holiday wages were doubled. He could not bear to pass up such an opportunity. While everyone else celebrated the festival, he still had to report to the factory.

After leaving home, Wang Ningkai wandered aimlessly through the village. Because it was New Year’s, every household was filled with festive cheer. Adults and children alike wore new clothes, and bright smiles lit their faces. Yet Wang Ningkai felt as though he existed on a parallel line moving in the opposite direction from everyone else, utterly out of place.

Without realizing it, he eventually arrived at a much livelier area. A luxurious sedan drove past him and finally stopped in the open space in front of the Guan family residence. Four or five expensive cars were already parked there in neat rows. No matter how busy they were, the children of the Guan family always made sure to gather there on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Wang Cheng stepped out of the driver’s seat. Compared to the last time Wang Ningkai had seen him, he had become even more handsome and charismatic. Every inch of him radiated the charm of a mature man. Where he had once been flamboyant and sharp-edged, time had tempered him into someone more restrained. Most of his brilliance was now hidden beneath that strikingly handsome exterior.

One man alone was enough to leave the onlookers dazzled, but then another man stepped out from the passenger seat. He was tall and distinguished. Anyone caught beneath his gaze would feel an invisible weight pressing down on them. Whether in appearance or presence, he was impossible to ignore. Yet the most eye-catching thing about him was the child in his arms.

The child looked to be around two years old, but his features were so exquisite that he seemed like a perfect work of art carved by a master sculptor. His grape-sized eyes resembled black gemstones, and whenever he blinked, they seemed to emit a captivating brilliance. His milky-white skin was delicate and flawless, so fair that it almost appeared to glow beneath the sunlight.

Whose child was this? How could he be so beautiful? The last time they had seen the two men, there had been no child. Surely the boy could not be theirs?

After several years, most people in Guanjia Village had already accepted the fact that Wang Cheng was with another man and had married him. However, they all knew that two men could not naturally have children.

Just as they were thinking this, Wang Cheng took the child from the other man’s arms. The little boy rested against his shoulder and let out a tiny yawn. His cherry-pink lips parted slightly, and a trace of sleepiness appeared on his delicate little face. The women nearby were instantly overwhelmed by maternal instincts, wishing with all their hearts that they could be the child’s mother.

Wang Ningkai turned and walked away. Seeing other people’s happiness always reminded him of how miserable his own life had become. By now, he no longer even had the energy to blame fate or resent others. Only alcohol could numb him. Only alcohol allowed him to forget all the pain and stop recalling the past. Every time he thought about everything that had happened, regret wrapped around his throat like a parasitic vine, making him want to end his life. Yet he lacked the courage to die, so all he could do was drown himself in alcohol again and again.

Just as he turned away, Wang Cheng suddenly glanced in the direction he was leaving. He happened to catch sight of Wang Ningkai’s retreating figure. Desolation and gloom seemed to shroud the man, isolating him from everyone around him.

“What is it?” Chu Yifeng followed his gaze, but Wang Ningkai had already disappeared into the crowd.

“Nothing.” Wang Cheng smiled as he gently patted the little boy’s back, and the two of them walked into the Guan residence together.

Elio’s Notes: Thank you for reading everyone! Jubo’s translation has officially ended after almost a decade. 🥹

Extra Chapter 23: The Wang Family’s Ending (END)