When Gao Shen and Su Qing got out of the taxi, took out their suitcases, and appeared at the interse of the Sunshine unity, everyone around them was stunned and caught off guard.

  Gao Shen is back! Su Qing is also back!

  These two were well-known figures in the unity, especially Gao Shely, even provincial and national neers had e to the unity to interview a on him. The news of his achievements, including winning two championships abroad, had amazed everyohe locals were proud of how he had garnered praise from fners.

  "Gao Shen, you're back!" someone shouted from the interse.

  "Yes, Third Uncle, just got off the pne."

  "Hey, Gao Shen, you're doing so well now, why didn't you call us in advance?"

  "Uncle Liu, don't make fun of me. What's so great about what I'm doing?"

  "Gao Shen, I've always said you'd be the most promising person in our unity. Remember, I used to give you smart dies when you were a kid, didn't I?"

  "Yes, yes, Uncle Zhang, the dy from your shop was always the best."

  Gao Shen and Su Qing pulled their suitcases, greeting everyone as they walked into the unity.

  Returning to his familiar hometown, Gao She a surge of emotion.

  He hadn't been back for three years.

  "Gao Shen? Is that really you? My God, I'm a Real Madrid fan! you sign something for me?"

  A young man who had heard the news rushed over excitedly, shouting with untaihusiasm.

  Gao Shen didn't reize whose child he was, but he smiled and agreed, signing his name.

  "I've told my cssmates so many times that Gao Shen is my neighbor, but they never believed me. Now, I'll show them this signature and make them envious!"

  Before leaving, the young man turned back to say goodbye to Gao Shen. "Gao Shen, I'm on the school football team. I'll work hard to get into the Europa League iure, just like you. I'll learn from you!"

  Gao Shen watched as the young man ran further away. He robably a junih school student, but he was quite tall. Gao Shen couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

  He wao tell him to focus on his studies, but the boy was already gone.

  "Do you think I'm setting a bad example?" Gao Shen asked Su Qing with a wry smile.

  Su Qing uood what Gao She, shook her head, and said, "No, everyone has their own path to take. You're just following the path you chose. What others think doesn't matter."

  Gao Shen turo smile at Su Qing, appreciatiraightforerspective.

  ...

  Gao Jianguo, Zhang Wenying, Su Zhijun, and Lin Xiuhui had already received a call and khat the two young ones were ing home today. They were all waiting in the courtyard of Gao Shen's house.

  Some retives and neighbors were also there. Everyone chatted and drank tea, passing the time.

  When they got the call from the venieore at the interse that Gao Shen had arrived, they immediately went to greet him.

  As they reached the interse, they saw Gao Shen and Su Qing ing with their suitcases.

  Su Qing came bae for winter and summer vacations, but Gao Shen had not been home for three years.

  Seeing his parents from a distance, Gao She a bit timid.

  He was somewhat uneasy because, after all, he was not the real Gao Shen.

  But when he saw his familiar parents, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

  Aren't they also his parents in this life?

  "Dad, Mom," he called out excitedly as he approached. He took three quick steps, reached them, and hugged them tightly, his voice choking with emotion.

  "It's good to have you back, just good to have you back."

  His father remained posed, but his man to cry immediately. Her eyes filled with tears as she carefully examined his face.

  "You've lost weight; you must have suffered a lot out there," she said, her voice breaking.

  "It's fi's fine," Gao Shen replied with a smile.

  But the more he said it, the more his mother felt that he was just trying to fort her with nice words. How could she believe it?

  "Okay, okay, the child is baow. Let's be happy. Let's go home first and talk slowly," Su Zhijun, who was also delighted to see his daughter return, chimed in to help persuade.

  "Yes, Sister Wenying, let's head home first," Lin Xiuhui added, pulling Zhang Wenying's arm gently.

  "Yes, let's be happy. We should be happy. Let's go home first."

  A lively group of people led Gao Shen to the courtyard of his house.

  Gao Shen's parents were ho migrant workers. Although they had some retives, they were rarely this lively, so they seemed unsure how to react.

  However, Su Zhijun, a businessman with extensive experience, was not intimidated. He acted as if he were in his own home, greeting the Gao family's retives and neighbors warmly. No one found it strange.

  It was a normal se among old neighbors in the unity.

  Being a die-hard football fan, Su Zhijun's first move after settling in was to ask Gao Shen for an autograph and a photo, saying he would proudly dispy it on his desk.

  "Haha, I proudly tell everyohat the coach of Real Madrid's double championship is my nephew."

  Everyone chimed in with praise, and many followed suit, cm for photos and autographs. They were even more excited than Real Madrid fans.

  All the elders present uncles, aunts, and even some grandfathers were eager, and Gao Shen was more than happy to fulfill their requests.

  Afterward, everyone urged Gao Shen to talk about his time coag Real Madrid in Spain.

  Although most of them had read about it in neers or watched it on TV, hearing the story from Gao Shen himself was far more intriguing.

  Gao Shen briefly expihat the reality was much more plex and severe, but even so, everyone was astonished. None of them had experienced such dramatic ups and downs in life.

  When the versation turo Gao Shen's ret time in the capital, everyone was curious about what it was like.

  Apart from Su Zhijun, who had goo the capital to send Su Qing to sost of them had never left the province.

  They listened with fasation to stories about the capital. Then, Gao Shen actally let slip something that surprised everyone: he had bought a house in the capital.

  Throughout the ages, no matter when or where, the on people were most ed about matters they could rete to.

  Buying a home was always a big deal.

  "It's not one house, it's two," Su Qing calmly corrected him.

  The crowd was even more astonished.

  He had bought tartments in one go?

  Su Zhijun looked at his precious daughter, who was sitting beside him, and asked, "What are the house prices like in the capital now?"

  "In the core area of the city ter, it's around seven ht thousand at the low end, and over ten thousand at the high end," Su Qing said. She paused and added, "He bought a rge duplex for over ten thousand, and ter a rge ft near my school for arou thousand per square meter. He even said he would rent it to me for free after the renovation."

  Even Su Zhijun was taken aback this time.

  With these prices, it was clear that buying these apartments would cost several million yuan.

  "What about a me loan? Is it easy to get now?" he asked, ed.

  From his to seemed he was thinking about buying a house for his daughter as a future dowry.

  "I don't know about mes; he paid in full," Su Qing replied casually.

  The room fell silent.

  Paid in full!!!

  To take out several million yuan in cash at ond buy tartments ht, how wealthy could someone be?

  In 2006, for ordinary people in third-tier cities earning a monthly sary of 1,000 yuan, hearing about the Champions League or La Liga was irrelevant. They would think it was a story, something far removed from their reality.

  But when it came to money and property, it was a different matter.

  To pay several million in cash in one go to buy tartments in the capital was almost unimaginable.

  Even looking across the whole city, how many could do that?

  For them, this was truly shog.

  They didn't uand real estate fluctuations or market trends, but they knew ohing for sure:

  Gao Shen was sophisticated!

  ...

  Gao Shen uood why Su Qing had told their family and friends about his house purchase.

  Over the past few years, many people in the unity had looked down on their family.

  People had mocked Gao Shen foing to Europe to study football. They thought he had given up a promising future to learn something frivolous, ily causing his parents to be looked down upon.

  That's how life was in the unity. They called themselves cousins and neighbors, but iy, they weren't always harmonious.

  Su Qing's words were meant to boost their family's pride so that Gao Shen's parents could hold their heads high iure.

  This was the reality: the Gao family was rich!

  Su Zhijun, a longtime friend of the Gao family who owned several supermarket s iy, was one of the wealthier residents in the unity. Even for him, buying su expensive house was a big deal.

  After everyone had left, he repeatedly insisted that Gao Shen should charge Su Qi. "This is how friends and family should deal with each other with everything clear," he said.

  Gao Shen just smiled and didn't answer.

  For his sed home in the capital, he had chosen a two- or three-year-old new unity near Su Qing's uy. The developers and the property ma were very reputable, and the school distrid supp facilities were extremely prehehere was a subway station just over 300 meters away. Acc to Su Qing, this subway station was a traation, and another line under stru was expected to open before the Olympics.

  Perhaps the ndlord was eager to sell, or Su Qing's bargaining skills were formidable. The final transa price for this house, which had a market price of over 8,000 yuan per square meter, ended up being in the low 7,000s. It was a rge ft of more than 150 square meters, totaling several million yuan, but he paid the full amount upfront.

  "Uncle Su, let's talk about these things ter," Gao Shen said, intending to steer the versation away from money. "You know this city well. Tell me, where are the most expensive houses? What's the best pce to buy?"

  "Do you even have to ask? Of course, it's the core area of the city ter. The current housing prices are nearing 4,000 yuan per square meter, but the units are all quite rge, with the smallest being 130 square meters," Su Zhijun replied, clearly knowledgeable.

  After a pause, he asked again, "Are you pnning to flip the house?"

  Gao Shen ughed awkwardly. He didn't io specute on property prices because, for him, iments offered a better return than real estate specution.

  "My parents have always wao move to the city ter. I pn to buy tartments for them to live in."

  Su Zhijun's eyes brightened with uanding. "That's a great idea. I've been looking at houses too. Let's find time in the few days to go together."

  Gao Shen had no reason to refuse.

  ---

  Meanwhile, in Europe...

  As Gao Shen was busy buying houses for his parents ba a, his name tio be mentioned by several clubs in the far-off world of European football.

  There were even giants among them.