Rolling Waves, Flowing Streams

Fang Bai stood at the threshold, keeping a wary eye on his parents' expressions and movements, ready to bolt at any moment.

As he recounted the process of making money, he said, "Here's the thing—I've been doing some business in my spare time outside of studying, and the Principal has already approved it. I spent some time flipping equipment and made over ten thousand yuan, then went to T City to buy a truckload of secondhand TVs to refurbish. This Color TV right here is one I fixed—cost less than a hundred yuan to make. There are hundreds of these sets. I wanted to come back and ask Dad to help me mind the shop. If we can move that batch, even selling each one for a few hundred, I'd make at least tens of thousands. Then our family wouldn't be short on money, and Mom wouldn't have to work as a janitor anymore, putting up with people's cold stares."

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

Fang Bai stressed the importance of school, insisting he only made money in his free time.

The sheer volume of information he'd dumped left his parents staring at him, dumbfounded.

Their son had earned over ten thousand yuan!

Their son could fix Color TVs!

Their son had bought hundreds of secondhand TVs!

He could make tens of thousands of yuan!

Each staggering revelation hit them like a shock, and they couldn't believe it—was this a dream?

Forget tens of thousands; their family barely scraped together a thousand or so in a whole year, even without eating or drinking. Was their son just talking nonsense in the dark?

Liu Fengqing even grabbed a needle and jabbed her own hand, letting out an "Ouch" as she winced from the pain, confirming she wasn't dreaming.

Fang Shi opened his mouth as if to say something, then swallowed it back. His trembling hand fumbled for ages before pulling his pipe tobacco out of its box, and the matches that usually sparked on the first try seemed to spite him, taking several strikes before they lit.

At the same time, they were stunned by their son's money-making plan, but worry crept in too—was making money really that easy?

Of course, being from Wen City, they knew the area was surrounded by mountains, with only a few patches of valley land for farming. State-owned enterprises and government jobs were hard to get into, so doing business was the easier path to getting ahead. They didn't have the same obsession as people from other provinces, who fought tooth and nail for a spot in a unit or state-owned company.

Whether it was studying or doing business, it was all for making a living. There was no insistence on going to university.

Still, getting into university would be best—a diploma brought face, and there'd always be chances for business later.

"Hey, so are you still going to repeat the year?" Fang Shi slowly sat down on a stool in the main room, took a deep drag from his pipe, and sighed. He wasn't opposed, just wanted to hear the details first.

"Yeah, you went through the trouble of signing up to repeat. Wouldn't doing business mean giving that up?"

Liu Fengqing chimed in. They'd been farmers their whole lives, faces to the dirt and backs to the sky, hoping their son would change his fate by getting into college. It still rankled her how her sister-in-law had looked down on him for failing the exams.

Now, taking the business route early meant pretty much giving up on college.

She wasn't against it either, just wanted her son to play it safe.

Deep down, they both knew his intentions were good—he wanted to earn money and lighten the family's load.

"Mom, Dad, don't worry—I'll definitely get into university. But now that I've spotted this opportunity, I have to seize it early. If someone else beats us to it, we'll lose the best window, and that ten thousand-plus I invested will go down the drain!" Fang Bai explained patiently.

The investment of over ten thousand yuan truly shook his parents.

Liu Fengqing saw a flicker of worry in her son's determined eyes. "Juggling both at once—how could that be easy?"

"I guarantee I'll get into university. Worst case, I repeat another year. But if I miss the chance to make money, it's gone for good," Fang Bai said calmly to his parents.

Repeating a year wasn't an option. His top priority was convincing his parents to join him in the business. He had his Golden Finger, but he wasn't Sun Wukong—he couldn't split into clones!

"Can this really make money?" Liu Fengqing asked, worried.

"Each one costs less than a hundred yuan to make. You both said these TVs sell for over a thousand. How could we not make money?"

His parents nodded, thinking it over—it made sense.

Besides, the hundreds of TVs were already bought, and ten thousand yuan was already sunk. It'd be a shame not to go through with it.

Ten thousand yuan! He didn't know if he'd ever save that much in his lifetime.

If things were as easy to fix and as profitable as his son said, it was definitely worth pursuing—even skipping school wouldn't be a big deal.

And worst-case scenario, if they didn't make money, repeating a year wasn't the end of the world. Plenty of people were on their fifth or sixth try these days.

His parents exchanged glances, both feeling like they'd held their child back.

Fang Shi asked his son, "So what can I do to help you?"

His son had stirred up such a big venture. By his conservative estimate, if they sold this batch of TVs successfully, they'd make at least tens of thousands.

His son had talent and his own ideas. He, the father, didn't have much to offer.

So Fang Shi decided not to interfere—he'd just see how he could help.

"Start with some odds and ends, get familiar with things gradually. Mom can quit her job too—it's only a few dozen yuan a month, exhausting and degrading," Fang Bai said. To change his parents' mindset, he had to get them directly involved and cultivate a business sense in them.

In a few years, they'd surely become his biggest helpers.

His parents were only in their early forties; he needed to slowly shift their farmer mentality.

Fang Bai knew their personalities well—even if they had money, they couldn't sit idle. They'd never be able to just do nothing.

Farming or business—it was a complete departure from what they'd done their whole lives.

Ever since the reform winds swept across the land, many people around them had put down their hoes and started businesses, and most had gotten rich. Truth be told, his parents had been itching to try it themselves, but back when the kids were still young, they'd held back to play it safe, planning to wait until the children were older. Before they knew it, years had slipped by!

Now, seeing their son already diving in, they definitely had ideas.

Local family businesses got their start just like this—many of them grew by bringing family members into the fold.

You could say that most of the large private enterprises in Jiangzhe Province in later years were built on family unity.

In this era of unstable public order, Fang Bai could only trust his family for now.

Whether his business would take a family-run form or something else in the future was hard to say, but for the next ten years, it would definitely be a family model.

"Son, I won't quit my job just yet. Once you and your dad have made some money, I'll resign when it's safer." Liu Fengqing looked a bit conflicted.

"Alright, whatever you think."

Fang Bai knew it would be hard to change his mother's mind overnight, but as long as she accepted it, that was fine.

His father hadn't said anything, which meant he agreed with the arrangement.

Suddenly, Fang Bai's stomach growled loudly with hunger. The family exchanged smiles, and Liu Fengqing said with some concern, "You carried that huge color TV, and the village roads are rough—you haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Fang Bai patted his stomach and laughed. "Not yet. I just got back from the shop, and I am a bit hungry."

"Then let's eat first. Luckily, I made extra for tomorrow's breakfast, but there's not much food. Your dad can stir-fry another dish—there's still some vegetables and a few eggs left." Fang Bai's mother set out bowls and chopsticks for her son and pushed her husband to go cook.

Fang Shi said, "Not much food, and it's a shame we can't buy any meat now."

"Dad, just stir-fry some vegetables. I eat meat every day, so missing one meal won't hurt."

"Alright then."

Fang Shi knew his son had money now, and feeling pleased, he went to the kitchen to cook.

Fang Bai unplugged the black-and-white TV in the main hall, replaced it with the color TV, connected the wires, and made a few adjustments. A clear picture appeared on the screen, and a familiar song filled the room.

"Waves surge, waves flow, ten thousand miles of rolling river never cease;

Washing away all worldly affairs, Merging into a surging tide..."

At that moment, a rerun of The Bund was playing, just as the opening theme started.

Hearing that song, Fang Bai felt his blood stir. He stopped turning the dial, and his mother, standing nearby, called out, "Son, this channel is good, this one is good."

He missed Qin Shuyu, who was studying in Shanghai, and he was eager to see The Bund for himself, planning to develop his career there.

This year, the state had decided to develop Pudong, and two years later, the Pudong New Area would be established.

A single district would later contribute over a trillion yuan to the GDP—every inch of land there was gold.

A single unit at Tomson Riviera was already a luxury to dream of—so what if you owned a piece of land there?

This was an undeveloped, untapped treasure trove of wealth, and Fang Bai naturally wanted a piece of it.

It didn't matter if he made a lot or a little—just leaving his mark there would be an incredible sense of achievement.

He was full of hope and ambition for the future, eager to keep expanding his business empire in Shanghai.

After a while, the song ended and the main episode began.

Fang Bai felt it lingered in his mind and wanted to hear it again.

"Son, the picture is amazing."

"Haha, no more going to other people's houses to watch color TV—we have our own big one now."

His mother stared at the clear picture on the color TV, her face beaming.

A few minutes later, his father came in with a plate of seasonal vegetables and saw the mother and son sitting watching TV. He praised, "This color TV is really something. Eat while you watch."

The family gathered around the table, facing the TV, eating, watching, and chatting.

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

As for Fang Bai, he watched TV mostly out of nostalgia. Seeing his parents happy, he felt a sense of comfort and warmth, and the joy of family.

He knew his efforts weren't just for his own success—they were also to give his family a better life.