Chapter 18: Celebration

The family gathered around the dining table. Li Qingqing looked at the lavish spread before her—chicken, fish, and an abundance of dishes prepared by her father—and felt utterly puzzled.

Before coming, she had thought there was some happy occasion at home. She had assumed her younger brother was getting engaged and had even planned to give a generous red envelope at the betrothal ceremony.

But upon arrival, she discovered that her brother had broken up.

If they had broken up, then why such a sumptuous feast? Was this some kind of celebration? What good news was there?

Her confusion deepened when her father produced a bottle of fine liquor. She knew their family’s situation—her parents ran a modest noodle shop, which was better than working odd jobs but still necessitated frugality. Yet now, her father had brought out a bottle of Wuliangye, a liquor worth at least a hundred yuan.

“Come, Xiuyuan, pour the wine,” Li Jianguo handed the bottle to Li Xiuyuan.

Li Xiuyuan nodded and began pouring, starting with his brother-in-law, Zhang Zhihao. Although Zhang was a straightforward man, the family held him in high regard. After all, he was the husband of their daughter, their son-in-law, and treating him well meant he would care for their daughter in return.

Though not an absolute rule, this was the sincere belief in the Xiuyuan household.

“Hey, Xiuyuan, pour for Dad first,” Zhang Zhihao reminded him with a knowing smile, refusing to let his brother-in-law pour for him first.

So, Li Xiuyuan first filled his father’s glass to the brim, then Zhang Zhihao’s, followed by his mother Zhang Qiuhe, and finally his own. As for his sister, who was still breastfeeding, alcohol was obviously inappropriate.

“Mom, Dad, what’s really going on today? I just don’t understand,” Li Qingqing asked, bewildered as she looked at her parents.

The feast was already grand enough, and now the fine liquor was poured—something her mother only drank joyfully on New Year’s, not ordinarily. Yet today, even her mother had a glass.

“Ha ha, Qingqing, Zhihao, today we have good news to share: Xiuyuan has passed the civil service exam,” Li Jianguo announced without further ado.

“What? Didn’t Xiuyuan just say—” Li Qingqing turned to her brother Li Xiuyuan.

Before he could explain, Li Jianguo recounted the entire story—from having no initial interview eligibility, to unexpectedly securing a spot, to a triumphant turnaround in the interview.

The sequence of events sounded like a tale, leaving Li Qingqing stunned and Zhang Zhihao wide-eyed in disbelief. Could it truly be such a reversal?

Earlier, Lin Jingya, the girl who had broken up with her fiancé precisely because he couldn’t even get an interview, now saw him triumphantly succeed, securing a position in the county government office.

Raising his glass with a booming voice, Li Jianguo declared, “Today, your brother has already received his official appointment from the personnel bureau. He will start working at the county government the day after tomorrow. Come, let’s drink to celebrate!”

Li Xiuyuan and his mother, Zhang Qiuhe, raised their glasses promptly. Zhang Zhihao, full of astonishment, followed suit. Only Li Qingqing hesitated and, slightly behind the moment, lifted her cup of soft drink.

The clinking of glasses rang clear, the wine inside swirling, as laughter and cheer filled the room.

It took Li Qingqing a while to process everything. She pulled her brother aside, asking him questions, until finally accepting the truth of his civil service success.

“Xiuyuan, I really didn’t expect this. You’re amazing! My brother is now a civil servant! From now on, our family will have someone holding an iron rice bowl, eating from the public trough. As for that Lin Jingya, she’s just not lucky enough—let her regret it!” Li Qingqing beamed with genuine joy for her brother.

Li Jianguo didn’t wait for anyone to toast him; he kept drinking glass after glass, his voice full of excitement. “Our Li family, for generations, has either farmed the land or run small businesses. Now with Xiuyuan, finally our ancestral graves will smoke with incense—someone has entered the system, earning a government salary. From now on, Xiuyuan won’t be a worry for me and your mother.”

Li Xiuyuan managed to stay composed. He had already celebrated with Zhang Zhihao after the interview, sharing a couple of drinks.

The family’s lively gathering lasted late into the night before winding down. Li Jianguo, drunk but happy, realized for the first time that even joyful wine could intoxicate.

Zhang Zhihao and Li Qingqing’s family stayed overnight; although the daughter had married out, the empty room at home was always kept ready.

The next morning, Li Xiuyuan rose early. His sister’s family was still asleep. After greeting his parents, he said he had some business in the city and took his ID card, bank card, and fifty thousand yuan with him.

Upon reaching the city, he first sought to open a securities account. At that time, online account opening was unavailable; it had to be done at the securities office.

Finding the securities office was quite a challenge. There were no navigation apps then, and the securities industry was specialized and little known to ordinary people, making it hard to inquire about where the office was.

Fortunately, he found it eventually—it was Hedong Securities, a local firm established long ago, dating back to the previous century. After the millennium, it had undergone mergers, restructuring, capital increases, and rapid expansion.

Li Xiuyuan had all his documents in order, so the process was swift. However, at the end, when he decided to invest the entire fifty thousand yuan in China Shipbuilding stock, the clerk offered some advice.

“The stock market carries risks. Enter cautiously. It’s best to choose several stocks—don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

Normally, the clerk’s caution was sound advice. But Li Xiuyuan came with the intent to go all-in. During the 2007 bull market, he knew little about other stocks; he only knew about China Shipbuilding.

He had heard it had risen at least thirtyfold and had undergone stock reforms and dividends, possibly nearly a fortyfold increase.

Though he didn’t understand the details, China Shipbuilding was undoubtedly among the stocks with the highest gains during the bull market. He wasn’t savvy in stock trading but trusted this choice.

Together with his prior savings of around thirty-three thousand yuan, he invested seventy-eight thousand yuan in total, keeping only about five thousand yuan for emergencies.

Coincidentally, on that day, China Shipbuilding’s stock price was just over seven yuan per share. With seventy-eight thousand yuan, Li Xiuyuan bought exactly one hundred lots—one hundred shares per lot—totaling ten thousand shares.

Stepping out of the office, Li Xiuyuan exhaled deeply. Everything was settled before starting his new job. Of course, he noticed the clerk’s gaze—like looking at a fool.

The stock market had been sluggish for two years. Coming in and going all-in on a single stock made him seem no different from a fool in the clerk’s eyes. But he was willing to wait and see. In two years, when he returned, he might well be a VIP client…