Racing Waves, Flowing Tides

Fang Bai stood at the threshold, vigilantly watching his parents' expressions and movements, ready to run at any moment.

At the same time, he explained how he had made the money. "Here's the thing. I've recently been doing a little business in my spare time outside of studying, and the Principal has already approved it!

"I spent some time reselling equipment and made over ten thousand yuan. Then I went to T City and bought a truckload of secondhand TVs to refurbish.

"This Color TV is one I repaired. It cost less than a hundred yuan, and I have several hundred more like it.

"I came back because I want Dad to help me run the shop. If we sell that batch of TVs, even if each one only brings in a few hundred yuan, I can make at least tens of thousands. Our family won't have to worry about money anymore, and Mom won't need to do odd jobs and put up with people looking down on her."

"Don't worry, I won't let it interfere with my studies."

Fang Bai emphasized once more how important his studies were. He was only using his spare time to make money.

The amount of information he had dropped was too much. After hearing him, the two elders stared at him in utter shock.

Their son had made over ten thousand yuan!

Their son could repair Color TVs!

Their son had bought several hundred secondhand TVs!

He could make tens of thousands of yuan!

One shocking piece of news after another left them dumbfounded. They simply could not believe it. Were they dreaming?

Forget tens of thousands—even if their family went without food or drink for an entire year, earning a thousand yuan would be difficult. Wasn't their son just talking nonsense in the dark?

Liu Fengqing even pricked the back of her hand with a needle. She cried out in pain and trembled, confirming that she was not dreaming.

Fang Shi opened his mouth as if to say something, then swallowed the words back. His slightly trembling hand fumbled for a long while before pulling his tobacco from its case. Even the matches that usually sparked at a swipe seemed to be working against him; he struck several before producing a flame.

At the same time, they were stunned by their son's plan to make money, but they were also worried. Was money really that easy to earn?

Of course, as people from Wen City, they knew that mountains surrounded their home. There were only a few patches of land in the mountain hollows suitable for farming, and getting into state-owned enterprises or public institutions was difficult. Doing business was the easier path to getting ahead, so they did not have the same obsession as people from other provinces with squeezing into government offices or state-owned enterprises.

Whether one studied or did business, it was all for the sake of making a living. Going to college was not an absolute necessity.

Of course, getting into college would be best. A diploma brought prestige when mentioned, and there would still be plenty of opportunities to do business afterward.

"Sigh, then are you still going to repeat the year?" Fang Shi slowly sat on a stool in the main hall, took a deep drag of his tobacco, and sighed. He did not object; he just wanted to understand things first.

"Exactly. You finally signed up to repeat the year. Wouldn't doing business mean giving that up?"

Liu Fengqing echoed him. The two of them had spent their entire lives as farmers, facing the earth with their backs to the sky. They had originally hoped their son would get into college and change his fate. Thinking about how her sister-in-law had looked down on her son for failing the college entrance exam still made her angry.

Taking the path of business now was practically the same as giving up on college.

She did not object either. She only hoped her son would be a little more cautious.

They also understood in their hearts that their son meant well. He wanted to earn money for the family and ease their burden.

"Mom, Dad, don't worry. I'll definitely get into college. But now that I've found this business opportunity, I have to act early. If someone else gets there first, we'll lose our best chance, and my ten thousand-plus yuan will have gone down the drain!" Fang Bai patiently explained to his parents.

An investment of over ten thousand yuan truly shocked the two elders.

A trace of worry showed in Liu Fengqing's eyes as she looked at her son's determined gaze. "How can handling both things at once be so easy?"

"I guarantee I'll get into college. At worst, I can repeat another year, but if I miss this opportunity to make money, it'll be gone for good." Fang Bai patiently told his parents.

There was no way he would repeat another year. His top priority was convincing his parents to join him in business. He might have a Golden Finger, but he did not have Sun Wukong's ability to split himself into clones!

"Can this really make money?" Liu Fengqing asked worriedly.

"The cost is less than a hundred yuan per set. You both said this TV could sell for over a thousand. Why worry about not making money?"

The two elders nodded. On second thought, it did make sense.

Besides, they had already bought several hundred TVs and invested ten thousand yuan. It would be a pity not to go through with it.

Ten thousand yuan—Fang Shi did not even know whether he could save that much in his lifetime.

If it really was as easy to repair and as profitable as their son claimed, then it truly had great potential. Even not studying would not be such a big deal.

Taking a step back, even if they did not make money, repeating another year would not be a big deal. Plenty of students were already in their fifth or sixth year of high school anyway.

The two elders looked at each other, both feeling that they had held their child back.

Fang Shi asked his son, "Then what can I help you with if I go?"

His son had created such a big undertaking. By his conservative estimate, if they successfully sold that batch of TVs, they would make at least tens of thousands of yuan.

His son was capable now and had his own ideas. As a father, he did not have much ability himself.

So Fang Shi no longer wanted to interfere. He only wanted to see how he could help his son.

"Start by handling some miscellaneous tasks and get familiar with things gradually. Mom can quit her job too. She only earns a few dozen yuan a month, works herself to the bone, and still gets looked down on." To change his parents' way of thinking, Fang Bai had to let them participate personally and cultivate their sense for business.

A few years later, his parents would surely become two of his greatest helpers.

His parents were only in their early forties. He needed to slowly change their farmer's mindset.

Fang Bai knew his parents' personalities very well. Even if they had money, it would be impossible to make them do nothing. They could not sit idle.

Farming or doing business—either would be completely different from what they had done for the first half of their lives.

Ever since the winds of reform had swept across the country, many people around them had put down their hoes and started doing business, and most had become rich. It was not as if the two of them had not been tempted long ago. Their children had simply been too young then, so they had not dared take that step for the sake of stability. They planned to wait until the children were older, but several years had passed in the blink of an eye!

Now that they saw their son entering the trade first, they naturally had their own thoughts.

This was how local family businesses had grown. Many had brought their families along and expanded their enterprises together.

It could be said that most of the large private enterprises in Jiangzhe Province in later generations had been built through united family efforts.

In this era of unstable public security, the only people Fang Bai could trust for now were his family.

Whether Fang Bai's future enterprise would follow a family model or another form was hard to say, but for the next ten years, it would definitely be family-run.

"Son, I won't quit my job for now. Once you and your dad have made money, I'll quit then. That'll be safer," Liu Fengqing said, somewhat conflicted.

"Alright, it's up to you."

Fang Bai knew it would be difficult to change his mother's thinking all at once. It was enough that she could accept it.

His father did not say anything, which meant he agreed with the arrangement.

Suddenly, Fang Bai's stomach growled loudly. The family looked at one another and laughed. Liu Fengqing felt a little sorry for him. "You carried such a big Color TV over those bad village roads. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Fang Bai rubbed his stomach and smiled. "Not yet. I rushed back from the shop. I really am a little hungry."

"Then let's eat first. Luckily, I made extra rice to save for breakfast tomorrow. There aren't many dishes, though. Your dad can stir-fry another one. We still have some vegetables and a few eggs at home." Fang Bai's mother prepared his bowl and chopsticks, then pushed her husband toward the kitchen to cook.

Fang Shi said, "There aren't enough dishes. Too bad we can't buy meat at this hour."

"Dad, just stir-fry some vegetables. I eat meat every day now, so missing it for one meal is no big deal."

"Alright, then."

Knowing that his son had money now, Fang Shi went to the kitchen to cook, pleased and relieved.

Fang Bai unplugged the black and white TV in the main hall and replaced it with the Color TV. After connecting the wires and making a few adjustments, a clear image appeared on the screen, and a familiar song drifted through the house.

"Racing waves, flowing tides, the mighty river rolls on for ten thousand miles;

Washing away the affairs of the world,

Blending into a surging tide..."

The Bund was being rebroadcast at that moment, and it happened to be the opening theme.

Hearing the song, Fang Bai suddenly felt his blood surge. He stopped turning the dial, while his mother stood beside him and shouted, "Son, this one's good! This one's good!"

He missed Qin Shuyu, who was studying in Shen City, and he also longed to visit The Bund. He planned to develop his future there.

This year, the country had decided to develop Pudong. Two years later, Pudong New Area would be established.

A single district would contribute over a trillion yuan in GDP in later generations. Every inch of land there would be worth its weight in gold.

Even one apartment at Tomson Riviera was enough to make people dream. What if one owned a plot of land there?

It was an undeveloped treasure land waiting to be unearthed. Naturally, Fang Bai wanted a share of the opportunity.

It did not matter whether he made more or less money. Leaving his own mark there would be an immense achievement.

He was filled with hopes and ambitions for the future, wanting to continuously expand his business empire in Shen City.

A moment later, the song ended and the actual episode began.

Fang Bai found it endlessly memorable and wanted to hear it again.

"Son, the picture is amazing."

"Haha, from now on, we won't need to go to someone else's house to watch Color TV. We have a large color TV at home too."

His mother's face blossomed into a smile as she looked at the clear picture on the Color TV.

A few minutes later, his father came into the room carrying a plate of seasonal vegetables. Seeing the mother and son sitting there watching TV, he praised, "This Color TV really is good. Let's eat while we watch."

The family gathered around the dining table, facing the TV as they ate, watched, and chatted.

That night, Fang Bai's parents watched television dramas for a long time before going to sleep.

Fang Bai watched TV only out of nostalgia, but seeing his parents so happy gave him a sense of comfort. He felt the warmth and joy of family.

He knew that his efforts were not only for his own success. They could also give his family a better life.