Zhang Jue initially didn’t want to go to the National Championships. After all, the game could be watched on TV.
Going to the ice rink to watch the competition in the dead of winter, wouldn’t that be too cold? Their location was also in the northeast!
However, Uncle was just too kind to Zhang Jue. Mentally, Zhang Jue was the same as adult so he knew the significance of Uncle taking him ice skating without asking for a penny. Even the nutrition meals were paid for with Uncle’s card, representing a deep connection.
Moreover, in his past life, Uncle raised him till adulthood. The relationship between the two was like father and son. In this life, Uncle took care of him when he was injured, taught him figure skating, making his physique visibly more toned. Now that Uncle needed an ice boy how could Zhang Jue refuse?
No, he couldn’t.
So, he told his parents about it.
Xu Yan was the type of parent who took care of everything, working hard to provide learning opportunities for his children when they wanted to learn something. However, the authority to manage the children still rested in Zhang Qingyan’s hands.
At this moment, he looked at Zhang Qingyan, who looked at Zhang Jue. Without saying whether it was okay or not, Zhang Qingyan asked: “How’s your figure skating practice going lately?”
Zhang Jue hesitated for a moment before honestly replying: “It’s okay. I’ve started recovering the triple toe loop, and my progress is good. Uncle says that if I practice well, my abs will be visible soon.”
Speaking of this, Zhang Jue laughed. In reality, as long as the body fat percentage was low, abs could be visible. His problem was the ability to eat. Unfortunately, he had a tendency to gain weight easily. Figure skating was indeed an excellent fat-burning exercise. He felt that continuing to practice was a good idea.
Seeing his son enjoying his training, Zhang Qingyan nodded and agreed to help him to request leave from ballet and vocal classes.
Their dinner was prepared by their restaurant head chef, Xu Yan’s father.
Their family was accustomed to drinking soup before eating. This time, Xu Yan made a delicious winter melon and clam soup. Drinking a mouthful of it warmed the entire stomach.
A plate of braised duck with green pepper has been simmered in the pot for a long time. It tastes fat, tender and salty. The oil and rich soup were perfectly combined. Just mixng soup with rice it was already delicious. The steamed sea bass had already been pre-checked for bones, making it easy for the two kids to eat. The blanched mustard greens were drizzled with abalone sauce, crisp and refreshing.
The two kids ate with their heads down, unwilling to look up while Xu Yan and Zhang Qingyan chatted about their business this year.
The main speaker was Zhang Qingyan. Their family’s restaurant was managed by Xu Yan as the head chef, while Zhang Qingyan handled finances and personnel.
She picked fish belly for her husband, saying: “It’s almost the end of the year, and we will have a few days off in a while. We have a lot of surplus this year. Originally, I wanted to save the money to buy a house for the two boys in the future. But now, the money is becoming less valuable. How about we invest in something more stable?”
Xu Yan took a bite of rice and smiled at her: “I’ll go along with whatever you decide.”
Zhang Qingyan nodded: “Okay, let’s expand the restaurant after the new year and rent the second floor as well. There are customers who complain about our private rooms being too few. With the surplus money, let’s consider buying some gold.”
There was an ancient saying: “In prosperous times, collect antiques, in troubled times, hold onto gold.” It shows that gold can be useful even in turbulent times. As soon as there’s a disaster, the first thing to rise is the price of gold. It was always a very stable investment.
Zhang Jue served his brother some vegetables and watched him eat. Then, he interjected: “How about buying Bitcoin? That thing has the potential for a significant increase.”
Bitcoin was a myth in the world of digital currency. When it was born in 2009, it was cheaper than game copper coins in many online games. But with a limited supply and suitable for various transactions, it became very popular in the international market. By the end of December 2017, it had risen to a peak value of $19,850 per coin, a growth rate that was simply astonishing.
It could be said that if a person were to be reborn in 2010 and bought 1,000 Bitcoins, they would become a millionaire in eight years. Of course, it’s best to sell off all of it before December 2017, or it would drop again.
Another thing to note was not to be deceived. Digital currency scams are also a method that many fraudsters liked to use.
Zhang Jue used to be a young person that browsed through various major male-oriented novel sites. Countless protagonists, after being reborn, became interested in Bitcoin. Now it was exactly the year 2010…
Thinking of this, the child’s expression became excited.
Money, that’s money! Money that’s almost within reach!
Zhang Qingyan’s expression became serious at his words: “Little Yue, did you secretly use mom’s computer to play games again? I told you before, it’s fine to play games after finishing your homework, but you need to do it in moderation and don’t spend money on it. It’s a device used by game manufacturers to deceive children…”
Xu Yan persuaded from the side: “Oh, the money in the game doesn’t cost much. Little Yue has worked hard, right? Little Yue how much of your winter break homework have you finished?”
Zhang Jue: “Um… I’ve already finished it.”
Xu Yan slapped his thigh: “See? I told you Little Yue was diligent and sensible. Alright, you wait, I’ll buy you ten thousand bitcoins.”
Zhang Jue finally remembered. Since he could remember, his family followed the pattern of a kind father and strict mother. His stepfather, as long as the children didn’t break the law and maintained a healthy and happy life, would spoil them to the heavens.
As for Zhang Qingyan, she was actually just firm-mouthed. As long as the children studied well, it was easy to make her compromise.
When Xu Yan, under Zhang Jue’s command, entered the forum to acquire bitcoins he found out it wasn’t like in-game currency, but the bitcoins from 2010 were practically worthless while Xu Yan happened to have some extra money and wanted to spend it on the children. So…
Zhang Jue watched him post a thread about acquiring bitcoins and opened a trading account, revealing a dead-eyed expression, with bullet comments running through his mind.
In less than three months since his rebirth, he suddenly realized he had started to secure a position of billionaire.
No wonder so many people wanted to be reborn, the benefits of rebirth were unexpectedly good.
Dad, I love you.
Dad, I will always love you.
Dad, although I’ve already decided to be filial to you, I swear again now that I’ll be filial to you for a lifetime!
After seeing the first bitcoin credited, Zhang Jue walked as if he were floating. Dela completely didn’t understand what his older brother was up to, so he extended his meaty hand, ready to take him to the bathroom.
“Brother, mom made ginger soup for us to soak our feet. Come on, let’s soak our feet together.”
As he said that, he moved two small stools over and pressed Zhang Jue on the stools. If Zhang Jue hadn’t come to his senses in time, the obedient Delawould have already helped him take off his shoes and socks.
…
In short, Zhang Jue was a very spirited person. Even with a large number of bitcoins being bought, it didn’t hinder him from pursuing his dreams and fulfilling his promise to his uncle—to become ice boy.
At six-thirty in the morning, the alarm clock rang. Dela got up, entered his big brother’s room, and after just two minutes of calling, Zhang Jue forcibly broke through the seal of the quilt and got up.
Xu Yan got up early, heated soy milk and bought meat-filled pancakes. He peeled fragrant tea eggs, and also cut an apple for himself, his wife, and the two kids.
Zhang Qingyan urged the two children: “Hurry and eat. Little Yue, is your ice skate-ready? Remember to bring an extra coat when you go to the ice rink. Dela, where’s your piano bag? Did you put the sheet music in?”
Dela replied vaguely: “I’ve got all my things ready. I checked them yesterday.”
Zhang Jue hadn’t prepared anything. He was so happy watching bitcoins that Dela answered for him.
“Brother is ready too.”
Zhang Jue turned his head and saw Dela winking and making gestures at him, a look of “I’ve already prepared everything for you.”
Seeing the eye exchange between the two sons, Zhang Qingyan knew what was going on. She rolled her eyes and just before seven o’clock, sent Zhang Jue to the entrance of the neighborhood. Zhang Junbao had already come to pick him up in his car.
This coach from the provincial team drove a simple and unpretentious second-hand Jinbei van, with no other advantages except that it was cheap and could accommodate everyone.
Then, when they arrived at the venue, Zhang Jue realized he seemed to have been fooled—none of the ice boys were over ten years old, and he was the oldest among them.
Zhang Junbao rubbed his head and laughed heartily: “It’s okay. You’re short now. Pretending to be a child is no problem.”
These words were really heartbreaking. Zhang Jue looked at baby-face boy that was just over 1.7 meters tall and groaned: “Just wait. I’ll definitely be 1.8 meters tall when I grow up!”
Zhang Junbao didn’t take Zhang Jue’s words seriously. A twelve-year-old who was only a little over 1.5 meters tall, even if he started growing later, could Zhang Jue grow nearly 30 centimeters in height?
Such people existed, but Zhang Jue’s mom was only 1.55 meters tall. With genetics in mind, Zhang Junbao felt that the upper limit for his eldest nephew was about that. He said nice things to placate his eldest nephew, and Zhang Jue rolled his eyes, changed his clothes—wearing a bright red little jacket and a small hat—and listened to the staff and ice boys talking about precautions.
“Kids, remember, after the athletes finish their competition, just pick up the flowers thrown on the ice by the audience. Don’t worry, there won’t be many. If there aren’t any, you don’t need to go on the ice. Now, let’s rehearse the process of awarding the medals. You have to go on the ice with the sister who will present the medals. Smile at the audience and the camera…”
“You must abide by the rules, no whispering, no fighting, and don’t cry.”
The surrounding kids all obediently said: “Got it” and Zhang Jue, tucking his hands in his pockets, followed them onto the ice, discovering another hurtful fact.
He wasn’t even the tallest among these ice boys.
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