I awakened the cultivation panel.

Chapter 36 If things can't be stabilized, everything will be in vain.
He could actually understand the meaning behind Sister Xin's wish for him to go to work and take the civil service exam.

In recent years, there has been a very popular internet term: "county town Brahman".

This refers to groups that control local connections and resources in small and medium-sized areas such as counties and prefectures. They pass on these resources through hereditary succession, marriage, and other means. They have convenient access to services in small towns and have extensive networks, resulting in a quality of life far exceeding that of 996 workers in big cities.

This is roughly the initial form of Sister Xin's family now.

The couple are both mid-level government officials. In a big city, they might not be considered important, but in a small place like Jiangbei, they are basically at the upper-middle level of the pyramid.

If Chen Jingle gets into the university, his network of contacts will expand by at least a quarter or a fifth of what it was before.

And he himself no longer needs to do what he did before.

Unfortunately, Chen Jingle's ambitions lay elsewhere.

If he wanted, he could roam freely across most of the country without having to wait for the next generation.

"Since you already know what's going on, I won't say anything more."

Chen Kexin felt that talking about this topic too much was boring, but after she finished speaking, she sighed and said, "It's that guy Chen Wenjie. If he were half as smart as you, he wouldn't be such a headache."

Chen Jingle hesitated for two seconds: "Don't always complain about A-Jie, he's doing fine now."

"What's so good about it? That little bit of salary is barely enough to support myself," Sister Xin complained with a bitter smile.

Chen Jingle chuckled: "Isn't it enough to support yourself and not cause trouble for your family or society?"

It can only be said that her perspective has broadened, and she is always angry at her younger brother for his lack of ambition, but she doesn't realize that this is the daily reality for ordinary people.

We are all just ordinary people.

Furthermore, Chen Jingle dislikes the way people easily dismiss others' efforts by labeling them.

Everyone has a different potential ceiling and different areas of expertise.

The same task can be done easily by some people, but extremely difficult for others.

A professor whom Chen Jingle admires once said, "The number of people who truly care about you is actually very small. Many people only look at the results and don't ask why."

Even though he considered Sister Xin to be an intellectual and at a certain level, she still couldn't completely shake off this kind of thinking.

While we care, we are more concerned about the outcome.

Only by continuously learning and reaching a certain level can one discard those outdated ideas.

Only those who have experienced it truly know how bitter it is. Outsiders who haven't gone through it can hardly empathize, and some can't even connect with their past selves.

Now people call this a lack of empathy; in the past, we called it "talking without understanding the pain."
Seeing her distressed expression, Chen Jingle decided to reveal something: "Ah Jie and Li Guangming have started a side business together, and it's doing quite well so far, so don't worry."

"Um?!"

Chen Kexin was surprised to hear this.

If someone else had said this, its credibility would probably be halved.

However, it is Chen Jingle who is saying this now.

He doesn't seem like someone who speaks without reason; does this mean he knows some inside information?

"A side job? With Li Guangming?" Chen Kexin wondered.

They're both unreliable, what kind of side hustles could they possibly do?
"Ah."

Chen Jingle nodded, without saying much.

Chen Kexin couldn't help but press, "What exactly happened?"

After thinking it over, Chen Jingle could only reveal one more thing: "He hasn't told his family yet, probably because he wants to achieve some results first before announcing it. From what I know so far, the prospects are good, no worse than his main job. You'll know the specifics when he's willing to talk about it."

In fact, it's more than just good; it's made a name for itself.

While browsing short videos during my lunch break, I was surprised to see that some customers were actively promoting their business, and some people had already found the offline stall through the internet to visit it.

This is truly rare!

Chen Kexin was stunned. She really didn't expect that her little brother Chen Wenjie would start a side business without saying a word.

That's good, it seems there's still hope.

I felt instantly relieved.

Chen Jingle instructed her, "Well, keep your mouth shut. Don't tell anyone else in the family, and don't ask him. Just know that he's not lazy."

Chen Kexin fell into deep thought, and after a long while, she let out a long sigh: "I understand."

Chen Jing chuckled and quickly lowered his head to eat, knowing it wouldn't taste good if it got cold.

Although Sister Xin was greatly influenced by her uncle, aunt, and even grandparents during her upbringing, and has many minor flaws, her thinking is still rational and clear when it comes to serious matters. Someone who could go from a village primary school all the way to a 211 university master's degree, then enter the system and successfully complete promotions, is certainly not stupid.

We finished eating, paid the bill, and left.

When it was time to part ways, as expected, Xiaolin Yuqing held on tightly and refused to let go.

After much coaxing and pleading, saying that it shouldn't affect her uncle's work, and promising to take her back to her maternal grandmother's house next week so she could play with her uncle again, Xin Jie finally managed to get her to let go.

What a clingy person!
……

The afternoon is for meditation, followed by some simple plant care.

After finishing, I picked some of the water spinach and lettuce that had grown quite well. I'll eat some tonight and put the rest in the refrigerator to keep fresh.

"These vegetables, irrigated with diluted essence of heaven and earth, are just so delicious!"

After having pilaf and mutton for lunch, I felt a bit greasy, and I felt like I had a mutton taste in my mouth all afternoon.

The water spinach and lettuce have a completely different flavor when you eat them.

Chen Jingle simply stir-fried some chopped garlic, and the taste was absolutely amazing, not inferior to that of high-end restaurants!

Indeed, the key to Cantonese cuisine lies in the ingredients!
Water spinach, lettuce, and a pound of braised chicken feet bought from outside—a simple meal.

When Chen Wenjie came to pick up the scallions, Chen Jingle said to him, "Sister Xin asked about you at noon today, and I told her about your side business, but I didn't say what you were doing specifically. I also told her that you can tell your family whenever you want, and don't interfere."

"Let me earn more money first."

Chen Wenjie scratched his head and grinned.

Actually, he was a little smug, satisfied with his current situation, and even a bit complacent.

What does it mean to say that money gives a man courage?

My wallet is getting fatter every day, and I feel more confident talking to my dad.

Twenty thousand yuan a month! That's almost the same salary as a head chef at a hotel restaurant. This should be the limit of what he can earn.

It can't get much higher, and it will take more effort.

He is now gradually understanding and agreeing with what Chen Jingle said earlier: money is a good thing, everyone wants it, the key is to keep it stable.

If things can't be stabilized, everything will be in vain.

The key now is how to stabilize income. I work at the cake shop during the day and set up a stall for a few hours after get off work in the evening, closing up after 11 pm.

This way, you'll have enough time to rest and won't make mistakes at work, leading to being fired by your boss.

Although the salary at the cake shop is not high, it is relatively easy compared to the kitchen, and you can also enjoy air conditioning.

"If you can restrain yourself and not spend money extravagantly, you can save a lot over a year."

Chen Jingle chuckled.

Making money is not the same as saving money; the two are not the same.

He worked for many years and saved every penny to accumulate his current savings.

Saving money alone won't bring in big profits; we also need to find ways to increase revenue.

Fortunately, Chen Wenjie doesn't have any bad habits. At most, he spends money on in-game skins. As long as he doesn't get carried away, it's not a big problem.

If we can hold on for two or three years, my uncle's family's situation will improve significantly.

Chen Jingle has spent a lot of money on games, but since they're from a shady company, at least he can recoup his losses by playing on the in-game marketplace. He avoids the high-stakes, high-reward games and might even make a profit.

"Alright, go ahead and tell Li Guangming to grit his teeth and hold on for a year or two, then things will get better."

He patted Chen Wenjie on the shoulder.

"understood."

Chen Wenjie nodded emphatically.

He and Li Guangming now, while not entirely obedient to Chen Jingle's words, at least seriously consider them.

After seeing Chen Wenjie off, Chen Jingle went upstairs to take a shower, followed by his usual cultivation and collection of moon dew.

The moon is even rounder tonight; let's see if we can catch three drops or even more.

He has some new ideas he wants to try out.

　The trial push is finally here! It's a new week, so I'm asking for votes and all sorts of data to help us climb the charts. We're currently at number 30 on the new book category chart and number 100 on the overall chart. Please help us out, thank you so much!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)