In the following period, Wu Hao's aunt and her family stayed at his house for several days until the seventh day of the Lunar New Year when they returned to Xiangnan Province.

During this time, Wu Hao either stayed at home or visited friends and relatives, generously giving out various red envelopes. After all, his family was now considered the wealthiest in the village and even the entire town.

Since he now had the means, during this festive period, Wu Hao didn't hold back when it came to his neighbors, relatives, and anyone remotely connected to the village. Whenever he encountered families with elderly or young members, he would either give out red envelopes himself or have his parents do it.

As for the content of these red envelopes, Wu Hao didn't skimp. The smallest red envelope contained 200 yuan, while the largest could reach several thousand.

To accommodate the distribution of these red envelopes, Wu Hao purchased hundreds of various-sized red envelopes. He also prepared cash totaling several hundred thousand yuan. It must be said that the feeling of giving out red envelopes was completely different from receiving them.

If the recipients were happy and delighted, the act of giving out these extravagant red envelopes brought an even greater sense of satisfaction. Honestly, several hundred thousand yuan was a relatively small amount for Wu Hao now. However, spending it through red envelope distribution during the Lunar New Year gave him an extra sense of value. It felt more worthwhile than buying a car for millions or building a house for tens of millions.

As for Wu Hao's promise to his aunt and her family, he did fulfill it in a casual manner. However, instead of giving his aunt a 2 million luxury car as he had initially mentioned, he transferred 5 million in cash to his aunt, allowing them to use the money as they saw fit.

Although Wu Hao could easily give more money to his aunt and cousin, he was well aware that 5 million was already a substantial sum for them. Giving more at this point might not be the best idea.

As for how his cousin and aunt would use the money, Wu Hao naturally wouldn't interfere. The reason he gave them the money was solely because his aunt and his father were close relatives, and they had previously helped his family. Now that he had the means, coupled with a good reason for his newfound wealth, and his parents had already experienced several months of a wealthy lifestyle, accepting that he had more money became more natural.

In other words, even if Wu Hao were to tell his parents that his net worth was several billion, they might just show a slightly surprised expression rather than a shocked one. After all, in the past few months, they had gradually become accustomed to Wu Hao's rapid accumulation of wealth.

After the Lantern Festival, the Chinese New Year came to a close. On that day, after Wu Hao saw off his younger sister, Wu Xiaoxiao, as she returned to school, he met up with Hong Lei at a restaurant in the city.

After some eating, drinking, and casual chatting, Wu Hao casually asked Hong Lei, "Leizi, what are your plans at home now?" Wu Hao asked with the intention of offering some help. Now that he had become successful, he didn't want to be stingy with his former good friend.

Upon hearing Wu Hao's question, Hong Lei immediately understood its meaning. Although he didn't know the exact amount of money Wu Hao possessed, judging from the car he drove and the extravagance he displayed at class reunions, Hong Lei knew that his old friend had definitely made it big.

Actually, Hong Lei had been considering borrowing money from Wu Hao as startup capital for his business, but he didn't know how to ask. After all, discussing money was something Hong Lei was hesitant about. He also feared that Wu Hao might see him as the type of friend who only cared about money. So, even though he lacked funds for the venture he wanted to pursue, he currently had no intention of asking Wu Hao for help.

However, now that Wu Hao had taken the initiative to ask him, Hong Lei naturally understood that Wu Hao wanted to lend him a hand. In his heart, Hong Lei felt grateful for this.

"Well, it's nothing much. I just want to set up a small hardware processing store in the city. It's the same line of work I've been doing for the past few years," Hong Lei casually said after taking a sip of beer.

Upon hearing this, Wu Hao had a rough idea of what Hong Lei intended to do. It was the type of small shop that dealt with hardware and processed doors and windows. The investment for such a shop wasn't significant; it would only cost around 100,000 yuan to rent a storefront and purchase some processing tools and materials.

However, since Wu Hao had decided to genuinely help his good friend and also wanted to increase his own business assets, he couldn't let Hong Lei go ahead with opening a small shop.

"Oh! Hardware processing? That's great! But I think you should forget about running a small store. Let's partner up and open a hardware processing factory instead," Wu Hao said with a slight smile, expressing his idea.

"A hardware processing factory? I've never done that before. Haizi, I know you want to help a brother out, but there's no need to go all out like this. If, by any chance, I mess things up, I won't be able to face you," Hong Lei shook his head and said.

Upon seeing this, Wu Hao simply smiled and said, "Don't say that. While it's true that I'm investing in this hardware processing factory to give you a hand, at the same time, I also want to increase my own business assets. You know, the money I'm earning right now is from the stock market. It's like an overnight fortune. And when I talk about setting up this hardware processing factory, I don't envision it as a small factory that operates at a loss. I have plans for significant investment. I see it as my own real business venture."

Hong Lei, upon hearing Wu Hao's words, looked at him with disbelief and spoke to confirm, "Haizi, are you sure you're not just having a momentary impulse but truly planning to make a big move?"

"Of course, it's real! I don't have time to joke with you!" Wu Hao replied with a half-laugh and half-scolding tone. Although Wu Hao didn't expect this hardware processing factory to make him much money, having a real business venture in his hometown was still necessary.

After all, having a business venture would give him a certain status in the eyes of others. It would solidify Wu Hao's reputation as a "big boss." The title of "big boss" naturally carried the connotation of being wealthy in many people's eyes. It also provided Wu Hao with a new avenue for his source of wealth.