Surprise!

Chapter 28 Surprise! (Please continue reading)

Now that I've made my first fortune after transmigrating, what should I do with it?

Ethan admitted that, apart from the saying "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate a young man's potential," he could no longer recall the content of the online novels he had read in his previous life. Therefore, learning from the success experiences of his fellow villagers had become a pipe dream.

However, that doesn't matter, because as soon as he received the check, he already had a plan in mind.

It was 6 p.m. when Ethan Jones walked home from the Atari factory in 40 minutes.

Thomas, Linda, and Evelyn were already enjoying their dinner at the table.

Ethan's appearance delighted Aunt Linda, who greeted him, "Oh, Ethan, you're back just in time! We've only been eating for a short while, come wash your hands and join us." At the same time, she added with a smile, "Thomas was just talking about you. He's been wondering if you'd be back tonight. If you'd arrived a little earlier, you might have seen him preaching."

Before she could finish speaking, Evelyn nodded in agreement, "Yeah, yeah! Dad's like a fly, always nagging. Ethan absolutely has to come back tonight! I need that Ford tomorrow!"

"What? What? What?"

Evelyn's words prompted Thomas to speak abruptly.

He had been smiling as his wife spoke, but his face instantly turned serious. "Evelyn! You can't just say things like that! I was clearly concerned about Ethan's safety! I was worried something might happen to him outside! It has nothing to do with whether or not we need a car, okay?"

"Yay! It's okay, it was my fault for being so talkative."

"Oh! What kind of attitude is that? Evelyn! How can you talk to your father like that?" Thomas said angrily.

The way the two were bickering made Ethan look happy.

He knew the two hadn't really started arguing; their so-called intense reaction was just a normal communication habit between father and daughter.

As for the pickup truck that Thomas mentioned?

The Ford F-150 that Ethan drives is Thomas's prized possession. As a rancher, Thomas's favorite thing to do is drive that thing across the fields and forests. Unless Ethan urgently needs it, it is generally impossible to borrow it.

It was precisely because Thomas coveted that thing that he would mutter about it for ages every time Ethan drove it away, like he'd lost his soul. But now…

Ethan rubbed his face and sat down at the table, looking dejected.

"Thomas, I'm sorry."

Ethan said, "There was a slight mishap today, so you might not see your Ford for a while."

!!!

The sudden words made the three people in the family turn their heads sharply.

"What?!?!" Aunt Linda raised her voice, stood up abruptly, and anxiously walked to Ethan. "Ethan, what happened? Were you in a car accident? When did it happen? How are you?"

She flailed her arms, trying to find any signs of injury on Ethan's body.

"Weren't you going to some kind of trade show in San Francisco today?" Evelyn's eyes widened. "Something happened on the way? No! I don't think I heard any car!"

Her bright eyes were fixed on Ethan, trying to get an answer from him.

"What did you say?" Thomas was even more confused. "My car had a little accident?"

"Oh! My beat-up Ford isn't very sturdy! Are you alright?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized something was wrong and said directly, "Wait! When did you get into the car accident? Why didn't you call home? You idiot! How many times have I told you! If you encounter something you can't handle yourself, just tell your family! Don't wait until afterwards to tell us!"

"What's the situation now? Have you called the police? What was the outcome? Should I look for someone?"

The sudden outpouring of concern made the surrounding air seem to freeze.

Ethan's anxious inquiry brought a smile to his face.

Seeing that the atmosphere had been set enough, he suddenly looked up.

"Clang clang clang clang!" He played music to himself.

At the same time, he pulled two checks from his pocket, waved them in the air, pushed the three thousand dollar check in front of Evelyn, stuffed the two thousand dollar check into Thomas's hand, and laughed loudly, "Hahaha~ You've all been fooled by me~"

'???'

The abrupt change left the three people present completely dumbfounded.

When Ethan recounted his ordeal, those who understood were even more speechless.

"Ethan, you mean you sold the game, even to Atari, and to celebrate, you had a drink, and because you remember not to drink and drive, you came back, and you originally wanted to celebrate with us, but after seeing me thinking about the car, you decided to give us a...surprise" by scaring me?"

Thomas frowned and summarized Ethan's description.

"Yeah!" Ethan nodded vigorously, clapped his hands, and shouted, "Surprise!!!"

"You're the one who's surprising!!!" Ethan's shout earned him a slap from Linda.

"Ouch!" Ethan cried out in pain.

Linda, however, showed no mercy, giving Ethan a hard slap on the back and shouting, "If you're going to celebrate, then celebrate! Why are you scaring people?"

"I thought you'd been in a car accident!"

Linda glared at Ethan, then clenched her fists and tapped his arms a few times, shouting, "If you dare do that again, I'll grab the kitchen broom and beat you with it! I swear! I swear to God!"

"Alright, alright. Linda, stop hitting him."

Thomas immediately called for a halt when he saw his wife's volcanic eruption.

Although he didn't find Ethan's joke very funny, he let it go when he saw his nephew, who had been beaten senseless by his wife. He put aside his worries, showed his curiosity, and shook the check in his hand, a look of joy flashing on his flushed cheeks.

"Ethan, is this two thousand dollars for us?"

Thomas's question made Ethan crane his neck.

Seeing that Linda had returned to her seat, and feeling emboldened that he would no longer be threatened by the iron fist, he rallied again, "Of course!"

Ethan shifted his body slightly. "It's just a small token of my appreciation. Thank you for taking care of me."

"Hahaha~"

Thomas leaned back, rubbed his stomach, and burst into laughter.

"Yeah~Yeah~Yeah~ I appreciate your thanks, as for the gift..."

Thomas hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted it. "Keep it with us for now, and I'll have Linda keep it for you."

He added, "If you disregard the initial shock, this is indeed a pleasant surprise!"

"I admit, I'm happy for you right now!"

Thomas's acceptance pleased Ethan greatly, but when he turned his gaze to Evelyn, the girl, who was examining the check, first kicked him and muttered, "Surprise, huh?" Then, she shook the check and asked, "Why do I have a thousand more than you? Didn't we agree to split it 50/50?"

Evelyn's outburst made Ethan's lips twitch, but after catching the barely concealed smile on the girl's face, Ethan sat down as well, saying while eating his dinner, "Oh, Evelyn, this is a long story..."

That's right, after receiving the checks from Nolan Bushnell, Ethan's first thought was to spend them all!

He didn't want to buy anything; he just wanted to hand over the checks to Thomas and Linda!

As he said, this was to thank the two for taking care of him these past few days!

Or perhaps, he was very pleased with the family atmosphere in the Jensen household.

He liked the relaxed environment and the feeling of being loved.

And they are willing to dedicate their efforts to maintaining all of this.

As for the idea that earning money to support one's family is somewhat Eastern in nature?

Oh!

Ethan never worried about that.

Because when he first set foot on American soil in his previous life, he discovered that the families here were different from what the media portrayed.

Why do people think that once children reach adulthood, they will be abandoned by their families and left to fend for themselves, having to rely solely on their own efforts?

That's bullshit!

Family is the core value here!

There are countless examples of people driving pickup trucks to take their children to university and helping with tuition and living expenses!

Even Hollywood productions have to follow this formula!

Take "Fast & Furious" for example. The plot has already started with car chases in space, but Vin Diesel still has to embrace his family after returning.

This is especially true in American TV series; the positive and uplifting protagonists always have a bunch of family members who hold them back, but even so, the protagonists still have to say, "We are a family~"

Wow, that kind of tolerance is simply saintly!

It made my eyelids twitch!

Therefore, after discovering that he had traveled through time, Ethan's greatest wish was that he would not fall into the ground.

He couldn't imagine that he would be entangled with a bunch of awful relatives while he was working hard.

Now, a harmonious environment is simply paradise for him!

Through Ethan's account, Thomas and the others learned about Ethan's ordeal that day.

After learning that the 6,000 was just the initial payment and that there would be more to come.

Thomas even opened two bottles of wine, wanting to have a good drink with Ethan.

Ethan, equally delighted by the suggestion, naturally wouldn't refuse.

He gulped down several bottles, and when he woke up again, it was already noon the next day.

The bright sunshine made him feel relaxed and comfortable.

I took a shower, grabbed something to eat, and then settled down in the backyard, basking in the sun and reading a book.

It's not that he doesn't want entertainment, it's just that there's not much entertainment available these days.

Once a person has become accustomed to the internet age where opening a short video can provide a life where one can enjoy leisurely entertainment without the need for morning court sessions, old-fashioned activities like billiards, bowling, and disco lose their appeal.

As for working hard to earn money?

This isn't like playing "Anno"; the market's spending power is limited.

An unlimited supply of creative ideas will only cause an industry to collapse instantly.

Just as Ethan was wondering if he could visit his family's orchard in the days leading up to the game's release, Evelyn, who was resting at home for the weekend, found him some amusement.

"stand up."

Evelyn, wearing a floral shirt and black trousers, kicked Ethan's foot.

What are you doing?

Ethan moved the book aside, somewhat puzzled.

"I'll take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"Remember to bring your driver's license to any fun places you visit."

Ethan was a little confused by Evelyn's ambiguous words.

But he followed anyway.

About half an hour later, Evelyn, who was driving, stopped in front of a store in San Jose.

At that moment, a huge logo appeared in front of Ethan—

Big 5 Sporting Goods.

Thank you to [鸿天子] for the 100 Qidian coins.

(End of this chapter)