158: Chapter 158: All Babies

It wasn't real estate, nor was it hard cash in a bank account—it was just bitcoin. Even if he had hundreds of thousands, or even more than a million in the future, what did it matter?

Certain officials in the Jianning City officialdom, in particular, often discussed this matter fervently; in their hearts, they treated the whole thing as a complete joke.

"This is the first time in my life I've seen such a strange thing—someone actually reporting bitcoin as property to the organization!"

"Exactly, what is bitcoin even worth? I wouldn't take it if it were given to me for free!"

"I've heard people say bitcoin will skyrocket in the future, but I'd sooner believe a sow could climb a tree than believe this thing could appreciate!"

"..."

Ever since reporting it to the organization, Qin Chuan occasionally heard the gossip, but he simply laughed it off and didn't take it to heart.

You find it funny now, but in a few years, take another look and you'll see who the real clown is.

Time passed quickly.

After the Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival holiday, everyone returned to the busyness of a new year's work.

Qin Chuan had a very fulfilling Spring Festival.

Two days before the New Year, Qin Chuan took several bureau leaders to visit retired cadres of the Market Supervision Bureau. During the Spring Festival holiday, he hardly stopped; the family returned to Beijing, and the whole Qin Family celebrated the holiday together in high spirits.

Interestingly, his aunt Qin Libei seemed to have heard about Qin Chuan's acquisition of hundreds of thousands of bitcoins and was quite interested.

Her husband was a business tycoon in charge of a trillion-level super conglomerate; having been influenced by him, she also possessed some business acumen.

One day, Qin Libei inquired about the bitcoin matter.

"Chuan'er, I heard from your sister that you've hoarded hundreds of thousands of bitcoins. Exactly how many have you accumulated?"

His aunt was very good to him, treating him like her own son, and his uncle was also kind, so Qin Chuan didn't hide anything.

"With my sister's help, I've collected a total of over 720,000 bitcoins so far."

That many!

Qin Libei was slightly surprised. "Chuan'er, can this thing really appreciate in value?"

Qin Chuan said, "In any case, I'm very optimistic about bitcoin. I feel it will definitely skyrocket. Since it's not very expensive right now, I'm taking the opportunity to gather some; consider it a form of investment."

Seemingly sensing the powerful confidence radiating from Qin Chuan, Qin Rong felt a slight stir in her heart and asked tentatively.

"Chuan'er, what if I also invest a little money and pick up some to hold onto?"

Qin Chuan strongly approved. "Aunt, it would be wonderful if you have that idea. It doesn't require a huge investment anyway. I suggest you hoard some as well. In a few years, I believe the price will rise significantly."

"Alright, I'll take your word for it and hoard some too."

Whether it was last year or this year, it was still a good time to hoard bitcoin. In another three to five years—no, in just two or three years—it wouldn't be so easy anymore.

Not only would the price of bitcoin rise and the investment cost increase drastically, but many people would also start to realize its massive potential for appreciation and would hold onto them tightly instead of selling.

Qin Chuan's family stayed in Beijing for a few days, enjoying a lively and fulfilling New Year, before returning to Handong Province and staying in the provincial capital for a few more days.

During those few days, an interesting thing happened.

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Liang Qiaoxi actually came over to pay a New Year's visit. Unfortunately, his luck wasn't great; Provincial Party Secretary Qin Zhendong wasn't home, so he was received by Qin Chuan and Luo Rong.

Because Secretary Zhendong wasn't home, Liang Qiaoxi only stayed for four or five minutes, drank a cup of tea, and left.

Although he hadn't made it into the Municipal Party Committee's Standing Committee last time, he still wanted to establish a connection with the Provincial Party Secretary.

He kept a very low profile, not at all like a department-level official; he spoke with Qin Chuan very humbly. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was Qin Chuan's subordinate.

Liang Qiaoxi told Qin Chuan that he had completely severed ties with Liang Youyuan and would no longer recognize him as his nephew. On the second day of the New Year, when Liang Youyuan came over with gifts to pay a New Year's visit, Liang Qiaoxi had driven him out with a stick.

After staying in the provincial capital for a few days, Qin Chuan returned to Jianning City for work.

The new year would be another great journey. Qin Chuan secretly resolved to achieve even greater results in his position as the Director of the Market Supervision Bureau.

A few days after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Secretary Dai fell ill and was hospitalized.

Although he, as the Bureau's Party Committee Secretary, was essentially a figurehead and Qin Chuan made all the major and minor decisions, since the man was hospitalized, Qin Chuan still had to visit him as the Director; otherwise, it would be a breach of etiquette.

Carrying gifts, Qin Chuan went to the hospital to visit the hospitalized Secretary Dai.

The two chatted for at least thirty or forty minutes. Since Secretary Dai's complexion looked decent, he was happy to chat with Qin Chuan about work, life, and even some current events.

Considering that Secretary Dai was a patient, Qin Chuan took the initiative to stand up and bid farewell so as not to disturb his rest.

Exiting the VIP ward and turning a corner, he found himself in a long corridor with wards on both sides; this was the general ward area.

The doors to many wards were wide open, allowing a clear view inside. Most rooms had three or even four hospital beds.

Qin Chuan was slightly surprised.

This wasn't the pediatrics department, so why were there so many infants around a few months to a year old? Some were even on IV drips, and their accompanying parents were all wearing expressions of deep worry.

Qin Chuan had good hearing, and as he passed the nurses' station, he heard several nurses talking.

"It's a sin. They're all just a few months old, yet they're suffering so much!"

"Sigh, it's so pitiful. Even after they're cured, they might be left with sequelae!"

"Have you noticed? These babies all have one thing in common—they've all been drinking Wuniu Milk Powder for a long time. Could it be related to Wuniu Milk Powder?"

"Are you crazy? Keep your voice down. Don't talk nonsense without evidence, or the people from Wuniu Milk Powder will come looking for trouble!"

"..."

Soon, their voices dropped significantly. Seeing Qin Chuan walk over, they simply stopped talking and pretended to be focused on their work.

At that moment, Qin Chuan's heart skipped a beat.

Qin Chuan remembered quite clearly that in his previous life, it seemed to be in 2012 that the Wuniu Toxic Milk Powder Incident, which shocked the entire country, broke out (Note: Do not link this to reality; this novel is set in a parallel space).

Could it be that in this life, the Wuniu Milk Powder incident is about to break out as well?

After being reborn, Qin Chuan had discovered some differences; many major events from his previous life didn't necessarily happen, and the trajectory of history seemed to have shifted slightly.

Of course, it was only a slight shift, not a major one. Most things that were supposed to happen still occurred, though some details differed—either things that were meant to happen didn't, or they were delayed. In any case, there were minor discrepancies between this life and the last.

Qin Chuan attributed this to the possibility that his own rebirth had caused a minor deviation in the trajectory of history.

In his previous life, the Toxic Milk Powder Incident broke out around 2008, and the enterprise involved was called the Sanlu Group. In this life, Qin Chuan had checked and found no large dairy enterprise by that name. As the year 2012 began, he had originally thought the Toxic Milk Powder Incident that shocked the nation would not occur.