Chapter 22: Father and Son

Fan Baobao was troubled by whether her younger sister was really her biological sibling, while Zhao Fusheng was considering putting his money-making plan on the agenda.

Li Yuan was selling the house to pay for treatment, and his father's severance pay would go toward repaying debts. Although there was a good chance that money wouldn't be needed, Zhao Fusheng believed his father would definitely use it to start a small business to support the family.

That being the case, if he wanted to make money, he would have to think of other ways.

That evening, Li Yuan cooked personally, saying she wanted to reward Zhao Fusheng. The reason was simple: if not for his words, she would have been panicked and terrified.

Fan Baobao sneered at this, but with two out of three family members on Zhao Fusheng's side, she was outnumbered and could only glare at him resentfully while helping her mother.

Zhao's mother coaxed Fan Beibei to sleep, while Zhao Fusheng was called out by his father.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

Following behind his father, Zhao Fusheng asked quietly.

Now, Zhao's father was in his forties, in the prime of life. By the time Zhao Fusheng was reborn, he was already gone. Zhao Fusheng vaguely remembered that in his previous life, his father had been tricked by Jiang He out of all the family savings, fell seriously ill, and his entire body collapsed.

Yet even so, he still left early and returned late every day, supporting the family by doing odd jobs. Later, when he could no longer do heavy labor, he went to stoke boilers and work as a night watchman.

As for his mother, in Zhao Fusheng's memory, she never had a moment of rest, especially after his father's health broke down. She almost single-handedly held up the family, working every day while also taking care of his father and him.

Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng spoke again: "Dad, did something happen?"

"Silly boy, what could happen."

Zhao's father turned around, looked at his son, and said slowly, "Just a few words I want to say to you."

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then nodded, "Go ahead, I'm listening."

In his previous life at this time, Zhao Fusheng saw his father as a mountain, shielding him from all storms. That was why he aged so quickly.

In this life, Zhao Fusheng hoped he could spare his father from hardship as soon as possible.

Some say poverty is a disease, striking like an avalanche and receding like silk unraveling. Zhao Fusheng didn't have much to rely on, but he was certain he could change something.

"Your mother and I don't oppose you and Baobao. That girl, though a bit hot-tempered, has a good heart." Zhao's father looked at his son and said, "Although Aunt Li isn't in good health and Beibei is still young, so your burden will be heavier in the future, Dad believes you'll be a responsible man."

Zhao Fusheng nodded, but inwardly he smiled bitterly.

His parents had already accepted the relationship between him and Fan Baobao. If he told the truth, the two families would likely become estranged, or at least very unhappy.

"Your mother and I discussed it. You and Baobao are still young, and the circumstances of both families aren't suitable for you to get married now. Let's put aside the matter of you and Baobao getting the marriage certificate that Aunt Li mentioned earlier." Zhao's father looked at his son and said slowly.

Zhao Fusheng naturally nodded in agreement; he couldn't have wished for anything more.

"Your mother and I have talked it over. After Aunt Li sells the house and finishes the surgery, I plan to set up a fruit shop."

A fruit shop?

Zhao Fusheng frowned. He wanted to offer suggestions but held back.

It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was useless. After all, in his parents' eyes, he was still a student dependent on them.

In fact, Zhao Fusheng knew very well that the most profitable businesses nowadays were related to the internet. Simply put, besides search engines and news portals, there were many opportunities online, such as e-commerce.

Indeed, Zhao Fusheng knew that there was a peculiar time point in China's internet industry. From 1998 to 1999, the three giants of the portal era—NetEase, Sohu, and Sina, known as the 'Three Old Kings'—and the later dominant Baidu, Taobao, and Tencent, all emerged between March and December 1999. So it was a particularly magical moment.

What kind of year was 1999 for China's internet?

Simply put, in May 1997, Ding Lei founded NetEase; in April 1998, Zhang Chaoyang founded Sohu; in June 1998, Liu Qiangdong founded JD.com; in October 1998, Wang Zhidong founded Sina; in October 1998, Zhou Hongyi founded 3721; in March 1999, Ma Yun founded Alibaba; in November 1999, Chen Tianqiao founded Shanda; on November 11, 1999, Singles' Day, Ma Huateng founded Tencent; and before Christmas in December 1999, Li Yanhong founded Baidu. Almost all the most important later internet tycoons were born between the second quarter of 1998 and the fourth quarter of 1999. This was a great and glorious moment for the internet.

But unfortunately, this had little to do with Zhao Fusheng. He had neither start-up capital nor core technology. In other words, aside from knowing these things that had happened or were destined to happen, he could do nothing else.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Zhao Fusheng couldn't be like the protagonists in some time-travel novels, blessed by gods, constantly showing off and having incredible luck. After a week of studying, he basically confirmed that his academic performance was the same as in his previous life—mediocre, just enough to pass without failing.

As for extraordinary memory or being surrounded by beautiful women,

Sorry, that's just movies and novels, not life.

Reality was that all Zhao Fusheng could do was assure his father that he would study hard and find a stable job after graduation to help ease the family's burden.

For parents, that might be their only expectation of their children.

"Alright, from now on, be more sensible. You're not alone anymore, understand?" Patting his son on the shoulder, Zhao's father said earnestly.

Zhao Fusheng smiled bitterly but could only nod.

When the father and son returned home, the meal was ready.

Fan Baobao found the meal tasteless. She barely ate a few bites and wanted to go back to her room. Just as she stood up, she heard her mother's deliberate cough and couldn't move another step. She had to sit obediently at the table, listening to Zhao Fusheng discuss food with Li Yuan and Zhao's mother while eating. He ate extremely fast, devouring two large bowls of rice.

She wanted to expose his hypocritical mask but couldn't find a suitable excuse.

For women of any age, complimenting them is the fastest way to gain their favor, and with skill, it's even more effective. Besides, Li Yuan already looked favorably on Zhao Fusheng, considering him the best candidate for a son-in-law.

Thus, at the dinner table, Li Yuan and Zhao's mother praised Zhao Fusheng while Fan Baobao sulked on the side.

Zhao Fusheng enjoyed this warm feeling. When young, he only wanted to go far away, so after college he went to Shanghai to struggle. Later, in middle age, he remembered the saying, 'While parents are alive, do not travel far.'

But over the decades, he had changed a lot. This was an inevitable change for every generation. Overall, a passionate young man gradually turned into a cold, hardened old man, losing all his hormones over time.

Back then, he thought money was everything. Having been poor, he worked hard to earn money, even dreaming of delicacies, villas, luxury cars, and beauties from all over.

But gradually, he began to feel wary of money.

Money that brings disaster cannot be earned; money that affects health cannot be earned; money that disrupts life cannot be earned.

Because people are the subject, and money is the object. Without a free and vibrant person, money is just dead paper, almost like ghost money.

We are all rootless grass drifting with the tide. Struggle is just a sense of ritual, a sense of existence. When life knocks us down and tramples us, you have to kick your legs a few times to show that you came and saw, to show that it's rape, not seduction.

This is the meaning of human struggle.

This is the goal of Zhao Fusheng's efforts in this life.