Chapter 161: Chapter 157: Uncomfortable
Translator: 549690339
When Finn Lewis and his family returned to the other side of the city, it was almost time for dinner. The fact that they had managed to complete so many procedures in just one afternoon was a testament to their high efficiency. When they arrived at the restaurant, they found the same private room they had used for lunch, but now it was filled with people. Almost all their relatives who lived in Hello City had come.
Looking around at his large family, Finn felt exceedingly happy. During times when his own family was financially struggling, everyone lent a hand. Now that Finn had made something of himself, ensuring his family lived comfortably was the natural thing to do.
On seeing Finn’s return, everyone warmly greeted him. Even Finn’s two brothers-in-law had returned and slapped Finn’s shoulders jokingly, saying, “You’ve sure made something of yourself, haven’t you?”
Once everyone was seated, Finn signaled to Fishy Wells to close the door to the private room. Pulling up a chair himself, he addressed the gathered folks with sincerity, “Forego the formality of naming each one of you but, once upon a time, our family was in the worst financial situation. Without your help, I wouldn’t be where I am today. When I was a student, when my father fell ill, if not for your help in pooling together the money for tuition fees and medical expenses, my education would still be in question.”
“Today, on behalf of my parents, I want to thank you all. Here’s to our family’s continued prosperity — hope we all thrive together!” Finn made his introductory remarks.
Everyone immediately applauded Finn, and his second brother-in-law, while clapping, laughed, “You’ve really grown up, Finn. Your public speaking skills have improved greatly. Before, we could hardly get a word out of you.”
“Thanks for the compliment, brother-in-law. Um, today, I invited everyone to dine here for two reasons. First, to announce that we’ve moved to this city, and second, because I have something important to share with all of you.” Finn said, smiling.
Everyone looked curiously at Finn. They were eager to hear what he had to say. “Fishy Wells,” Finn turned and called out. Fishy came with a thick bundle of papers in her hand.
Once he had the bundle on the table, Finn began, “This afternoon, my sister and I went to East Coast International, where we bought houses. That leads me to what I have to share with you. From both my grandfather’s and maternal grandmother’s side, I am the firstborn male. In other words, each of you has cared for me deeply, and I remember that by heart. So today, I have purchased a house for each of your families.”
Finn’s generosity left everyone in a daze. Auntie couldn’t help but ask, “Finn, what are you doing? You should save the money you earn to invest in your company and continue to grow it… Once you’ve made it big, we won’t need to worry about houses, right? Buying them now will only lose money.”
Finn looked at Auntie and replied with a smile, “Auntie, trust me when I say that the housing prices here are affordable and certainly won’t empty my pockets. My company is already on stable footing, so I don’t need these funds. When I was struggling, you all helped my family by borrowing money from others. Now that I have done well, I can’t let my uncles and aunts continue to rent.
“You all played a role in my success today. So please, accept these houses. I’ve calculated it and I assure you that this won’t affect my future plans. Please feel at ease,” Finn said earnestly. Indeed, when Finn had just started college, Hazel Lewis had just undergone surgery. The family was knee-deep in debt.
All of this money had come from the sacrifices made by everyone in the family. When Finn finally entered college, even his grandparents and grandma had to dig deep, using all they had.
As Finn recounted all of this, everyone grew silent. After all these years, revisiting these memories often led to pensive moments. But thankfully, those times were now a thing of the past.
“I’m not waiting for your thoughts on this. Here is the plan: every elder family will get a house. Exactly who lives next to whom is something everyone can work out amongst themselves. As for those of my generation, each one of you — whether brother or sisters — will get a house too. Nobody is being left out. As for the fretting about the younger ones, that duty I willingly take up myself,” Finn said decisively.
Finn gave the memory of Sophie Lee’s advice some thought. Everyone had been so generous when he had no money; having wealth should not breed conflict amongst them, as it often does. Hence, it was essential to keep everything clear upfront. His parents would definitely agree and with Finn agreeing to look out for the younger ones, there could be no objections.
When Finn instructed Fishy Wells to distribute the stack of contracts to everyone, the contract landed with his second brother-in-law, who was sitting nearest to him. As his brother-in-law began reading, he gasped, “Villas? Finn, this is too much. We can’t accept this.”
His response snapped everyone’s attention back to Finn, and they all gazed at him in surprise. Finn, noticing the look on everyone’s faces, responded, “Yes, they’re villas but they aren’t too expensive. So, everyone, don’t refuse, please. When I was younger, you all looked after me. Now that I’ve accomplished something, I want to show my gratitude. So, please don’t refuse. Mom, Dad, you explain.” Finn pushed this task swiftly to his parents.
Both Fay Wells and Hazel were startled by Finn’s generosity but felt a sense of pride too. They knew the meaning of gratitude and understood how these relatives had helped during their time of need. Now that their own son was successful and knew to give back, they could not be happier.
‘Everyone, please accept. Consider this a small token of Finn’s gratitude. There’s a saying, isn’t there? ‘When the family lives in harmony, all affairs will prosper.’ Our family is the perfect example of that unity and mutual assistance. No doubt, each one in this room has contributed to Finn’s success. He speaks only the truth. Please, accept these gifts,” Fay added her own earnest appeal.
With Finn’s parents now endorsing the decision as well, everyone reluctantly accepted Finn’s generous gifts. The houses, all of which were probably valued in the tens of millions, had everyone flabbergasted. They didn’t know how much money Finn had earned, but they all knew one thing: Finn had indeed made a name for himself.
At dinner, Finn’s elder uncle had a bit too much to drink. Seeing Finn’s success, he felt a pang. It was unfortunate that Finn’s cousin Jason hadn’t invested in a good education or learnt a trade. He was jobless now and kept to unsavory company. In the past, Jason would struggle even to find a girlfriend..
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel