Two hours ago, after the incident at the factory, Erland didn't go straight home. He decided to go to the nearest convenience store and buy a cup of ramen noodles and a bottle of soda. He had something to check.
"How much money did I get when I sold this coin?"
Erland opened the system's cash-box menu. It was 160 bitcoins. Erland ruffled his hair, he felt dizzy. How do I convert these bitcoins into dollars?
"System, do you know how? I want to exchange these coins for real money! Not virtual money!"
[Go to sales menu].
Erland was surprised when the blue transparent screen changed to the sales menu. There were many items to buy or sell. This menu was similar to an online store, except that not all items could be sold.
"Are you serious? There's a menu like that?"
Erland tried to touch the cryptocurrency sales image. A wide variety of crypto coins appeared. The price of each coin was listed in world currencies, not just dollars.
"This is amazing!" Erland exclaimed in amazement. He searched for bitcoin sales in dollars. Currently, the price per coin in the system is around $55,000.
[A sale transaction is opened, 160 bitcoins have been exchanged, $8,800,000 has been deposited into your bank account.]
Erland laughed, if he hadn't gotten so much in return, Erland would have been content to pay back Mr. Teddy and the people who bullied him at the factory.
"Ainsley, we will not go hungry anymore. I have enough money to feed you with meat for a year. From now on, your husband will always spoil you."
The next day, Erland went shopping at the supermarket. He bought several kilos of fresh beef. Ainsley was with him.
"Erland, shall we buy all this meat?"
"Yes, honey."
Erland's eyes lit up at the basket of vegetables. It had been a long time since he had been to a supermarket. Usually he could only shop in grocery stores or public markets that were muddy and smelled of salted fish. But now he could shop in a clean room with cool air conditioning. His wife, Ainsley, is not hot anymore.
Ainsley hesitated to pick up the potatoes, seeing how expensive they were. Ainsley closed her eyes, would her husband have enough money later? There was already a lot of meat in the basket.
"Erland, we'd better return the beef and buy some chicken instead."
Erland turned his head and smiled sweetly. "Honey, I told you we'd have a big meal today to welcome daddy back from the hospital. I want to make a barbecue for him."
Erland laughed. He noticed how Ainsley kept looking at the prices of the things he was buying.
"Gosh, Ainsley, I have money now. You don't have to worry about money anymore."
"But..."
"Never mind, I know what you want to ask. About where I got the money. I'll tell you later, but what is certain is that this money is not the result of stealing, cheating, or borrowing from loan sharks. I got the money the right way.
Erland patted his wife's head, then put in the potatoes Ainsley had been staring at. Not only did they buy vegetables and meat, Erland also bought fruit, milk, flour, butter, eggs, and other kitchen supplies.
"Ainsley, maybe we should get a big fridge too."
"No need," Ainsley stammered. She was worried about running out of her husband's money. She didn't know that Erland had $8,800,000 from the sale of bitcoin.
Erland smiled, he would secretly buy a refrigerator when he got home. Erland escorted Ainsley to the checkout line, he wanted to pick up another item that he had forgotten.
"Honey, wait here for a minute. I won't be long."
Ainsley nodded and waited patiently. But only five minutes after Erland left, two women greeted her. Their arrival took Ainsley by surprise.
"Ainsley? Is that you?"
"Hi, how are you Ainsley? I didn't expect to see you here."
The two women were fashionably dressed, wearing branded items, their hands and necks also covered in jewelry. It was obvious they were society women.
"You shopped this much?"
Ainsley was not interested in answering.
"It seems like the things you bought are very numerous and expensive. Don't you usually shop in small stores?"
These two women often saw Ainsley going in and out of the small shop every morning.
"Are you sure you can afford this? I heard that your husband is very poor. I've also seen you shopping at bargain markets to get discounts."
"Erland will pay for it."
The two women chuckled, their laughter sounding condescending.
"Ainsley, stop lying to us. We know from Ronald that Erland is just a factory worker. His salary is low. There's no way he can pay for your expensive food. Come on, Ainsley, be honest. You get this monthly shopping money from Anne, don't you? We know that Anne loves her sister very much. Our friend always takes care of you. Anne must have secretly sent you the money without Ronald knowing.
The two women were friends of Anne's. Ainsley often saw Rose and Merry visiting the Thompson household when she lived there.
"There is no need to be ashamed, even if you cover it up. We know your husband's family is very poor. So Anne has helped the Erland family by giving you a monthly allowance. Anne is very generous. She has been kind to you. Ronald also told me that Erland was a nuisance to the Thompsons. Every time he came to the Thompsons, he just wanted to borrow money.”
"We heard that the Thompson family also paid for your medical treatment. Ainsley, you're very lucky to be Ronald and Anne's sister. They still care about you even though you've let the family down."
"That's right, you should have married a rich man who can provide for you and pay for your medical bills. Not a poor man who is just a burden."
Ainsley picked up a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and poured the water in the bottle over Rose and Mery.
"Shit! What are you doing Ainsley! Our clothes are wet because of you! Don't you know these clothes are very expensive! They're from Mc Gleen, a famous designer in Sinker City! You won't be able to pay for it if it gets damaged!"
Ainsley looked at her. "I didn't buy anything with Anne's money, and Erland isn't poor enough to be considered a parasite. It was my husband who worked hard to pay for my medical expenses. The Thompsons haven't spent a penny of their money to help me."
"Nonsense! You're just bragging!"
"Ainsley! What happened?" Erland ran to his wife. He was startled to hear the commotion. People were gathering around to see his wife and the two angry-looking women.
Ainsley shook her head and then took Erland's hand. "Don't worry Erland, I'm fine. Please pay for our groceries quickly. I want to get out of here as soon as possible."
"Yes," Erland replied and put down the few things he had picked up earlier. Then he pushed the stroller filled with their groceries to the cashier.
"Miss, please count everything."
"Yes, Mr. Erland."
The two women, their clothes wet, smiled sarcastically as they watched Erland pull out his dull wallet.
"Your arrogant husband wants to pay for everything! Is Erland's money enough? At best, the things will be returned later."
When Erland heard this, he looked at his wife, Ainsley's face pale with fatigue from dealing with this snake woman. Ainsley must be having a hard time. His wife's body was so weak.
Erland became angry. He took his credit card out of his wallet. Rose and Mery laughed again.
"What's wrong with a credit card without a balance? It's better to pay with cash and take some things you can afford."
"Miss, I will pay with this card. Check my card balance and show it to them!"
"Ainsley, your husband is getting snooty. He wants to show his credit card balance. You'd better stop Erland now before he's embarrassed to find out he has a low balance. There are many customers here with exorbitant balances. Your husband's savings are only a fraction of theirs.
Rose smiled mockingly, interrupted Erland's line and handed over her purchases.
"Serve me first. I'll give you a bonus."
As the cashier looked at Erland's and Rose's purchases, she began to hesitate. Looking at Erland's hefty purchases, the cashier would be very happy if Erland could really afford it. But when she saw Erland's shabby appearance. The cashier started to have doubts.
"Sorry, Mr. Erland, I'll give Miss Rose priority."
Erland was furious, he wanted to talk, but the supermarket manager who came first reprimanded the cashier.
"Mr. Erland, please forgive the rudeness of our cashier." The manager looked Erland in the eye, looked at the cashier and scolded him. "You can't show favoritism to customers, the rules for order in paying are being broken because of you. Serve Mr. Erland first, he's the one who was in line earlier."
"Sorry, ma'am manager."
Rose started to protest, but the manager pointed firmly at the rule board. "Please get back in line, Miss Rose," the manager said, silencing her.
The cashier took Erland's credit card again and checked the balance. When the amount of Erland's balance printed on the credit card service machine appeared, he closed his mouth in surprise.
"Mr. Erland, your balance is $8,800,000!"
Rose and Mery widened their eyes, "Are you kidding? 8,800,000 dollars? That's impossible!"
"You must be lying! How could Erland have such a large balance! His salary as a factory worker is very low!""If you don't believe me, you can check."Anne's two friends looked at the computer screen in front of the cashier, their eyes perfectly round at the balance of $8,800,000. They were embarrassed.'Did this poor man secretly have a second job all this time? How does he have that much money?''Maybe Erland is lying to us with his shabby appearance. He's actually a rich man hiding his identity.'Erland who could read their hearts smiled, “Count all the groceries of my wife and these two women. It looks like they're daydreaming because they can't pay for their groceries.”“We don't need your money. We'll pay for it ourselves!”The two women hurriedly gave their credit cards, but strangely enough, their credit cards suddenly became unusable."Sorry, your credit card cannot be used for payment. Your card has been blocked by the bank.""What?""Maybe you owe a lot of money to the bank.
"Honey, I really don't want any secrets between us. But right now, I still can't tell you where the money came from. But I can promise you that I didn't get it by stealing or borrowing from loan sharks. I got a good paying job. I got out of the factory. This $8,800,000 I got as a bonus from my job.""What kind of job can pay that much, Erland? You scare me. I don't want you to get involved in anything dangerous."“Ainsley, listen to me. Look into my eyes. Do I look like a man who likes to do dirty work?”Ainsley shook her head. Erland grasped her hand tighter.“I won't do bad things or commit crimes just because of money. Trust me, this money is clean. You can trust me, right?”Ainsley paused, she hesitated but remembering all of Erland's struggles working hard to pay for her medical expenses, Ainsley had to trust her husband.“I believe you.”Erland smiled, "Thank you dear, thank you for believing in me."The transparent screen message disappeared and Erland breathed a sigh of relief
Ronald followed them into the bar, where some of the men from the group were smoking outside the singing room. They were dressed in dark gray clothes, with prominent snake tattoos on their hands."What are you looking at? Move it! Boss Jefrey is on the second floor."Several men in suits with guns surrounded the second floor, presumably those in charge of guarding the floor."Is that him?""Yes, boss."The dark-haired man with burns on parts of his face crossed his legs. He put out his cigarette, "How much money do you have to come looking for me?"Ronald took out a picture of Erland, "If you can confirm that he is disabled, I'll give you any amount!"Jefrey laughed, "Pft, hahaha, are you serious? You'll pay any amount? No nominal limit?"Ronald took out a blank check, "You can write the amount yourself. But if this plan fails, until the police find out. You will die.""Dead?" Jefrey smiled."Who do you think you are to hurt the boss?" Jefrey's men were angry."Before you kill the boss
"Mr. Erland, your father's operation will cost $50 million, including hospital fees. And I want to inform you that the operation requires payment in advance.""50 million dollars? Can I pay in installments, Nurse? I promise I'll pay it off soon, just please operate on my father's leg! His leg must not be amputated!""Only if you pay in full, Mr. Erland.""Please, allow me to pay in installments, Nurse.""I'm sorry, but our hospital does not offer a credit system.” One of the hospital visitors rushed forward and became angry."Damn you! This is a high-class hospital, you have to pay in advance, there's no negotiation. If you can't afford it, you should check the hospital's background before bringing your father here. If you're poor, you better take him to a county hospital that receives government subsidies. You're just making a fool of yourself!" "Knowing that you are poor, why did you bring him to an elite hospital? Are you trying to act like a rich person? You should know your pla
"She is here for work," Ronald answered. "We are short of servants." "What do you mean, Ronald?" Erland probed, trying to connect their shortage of servants with his sick wife's presence in that place. Ronald smirked. "What else do you think? Of course, Ainsley is here being a servant!" Erland's hands clenched tightly. Ronald enjoyed making the poor man angry. "The Thompson family is not a charity organization, we can't give out free money. If Ainsley asked for money to buy medicine, she has to work for it." Erland's patience was wearing thin. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Ronald by the collar, pushing his body against the wall until he almost fell to the floor. "My wife is not just anyone! She is a daughter of the Thompson family! Your family too! Giving her a little money for medicine won't make you poor! Especially since she's sick! How could you make your sick sister work? What if her condition worsens! Heart failure is not a trivial disease." Ronald just laughed.
The command kept appearing, refusing to disappear. Even the mission completion time continued to move.[Time remaining: 8 minutes. Complete your mission before the penalty is imposed.]Erland was confused. In this critical situation, the strange screen kept pressing him. Meanwhile, his father-in-law started approaching him. The man's face darkened, fists clenched, ready to hit him.Ding! A new notification flashed on the screen.[Warning! Player Erland Colvin, the penalty for your mission failure is being prepared. A 1000-volt electric shock will be processed. You will soon experience death. Countdown starts: one minute, 60, 59, 58, 57...]With each passing second, Erland's heart pounded. With courage and a determination to defend himself, he delivered a hard punch to Edie's cheek, sending his father-in-law flying several meters and crashing into an antique vase displayed near the window.Erland's powerful punch caused the vase to crack and shatter across the floor. Ronald, Anne, Bre
“What did he say? He got 50 million dollars?” Ronald suppressed his laughter. “Ainsley, your husband must be dreaming. Where would he get 50 million dollars from? Who would lend him that much money? And if anyone did, it must be a loan shark. Your husband has a small salary; it would take a lifetime to pay off that debt. Ainsley, I feel so sorry for you. Your life will only get harder with loan sharks chasing you.” Everyone joined in mocking Erland. Colleagues, officials, and the Thompson family business clients laughed at Erland's foolishness. “Hahaha, he must be out of his mind,” they jeered. Erland didn’t care; he held his wife’s hand. “Honey, let’s go!” Ronald, filled with anger, saw Ainsley and Erland heading out. “Stop! You can’t just leave like that! You both have to take responsibility! My father and mother are hurt because of you two!” Ronald shouted, intending to chase after them. “Ronald, I’ve contacted our family doctor!” Anne exclaimed. Ronald was furious, but seei
Erland's father's surgery was successful. Now, Edmund is undergoing treatment. The doctor has asked Edmund to stay in the hospital until the stitches from the surgery dry up."I'm sorry for being a burden to you,” said Edmund to his son, Erland."What are you talking about, Dad? It's my duty as a son to be devoted to you. Your recovery is the most important thing to me now."Edmund's wrinkled hand touched his son's head, gently stroking it.Windy and Ainsley entered, both women carrying a basket of apples."Dear, why are you forcing yourself to sit? Just lie down," said Windy to his husband.Edmund looked at the basket of fresh apples. Something was bothering him—where did his family get so much money from? After paying the $50 million surgery bill, his wife still had money left to buy him apples, which were very expensive."Honey, can we talk privately?" asked Edmund to his wife.Windy glanced at her son and daughter-in-law. Erland stood up first, "Ainsley and I will go to the pharm