LightReader

Chapter 72 - Chapter 72: Wealth: 7.23 Million

The next day,

Fang Bai woke up before dawn.

It was already winter, and the outdoor temperature was close to zero degrees Celsius, with a thick chill permeating the air.

He turned on the gas stove, heated water, and took a bath.

Having a gas stove was much more convenient than burning firewood, but if an ordinary family saw Fang Bai using gas to heat water for a bath, they would definitely scold him: "You prodigal son, don't you know gas is expensive? Can't you just burn firewood?!"

No way, being rich just makes you that willful.

Is a 'ten-thousand-yuan household' impressive?

What's more, Fang Bai was a 'hundred-thousand-yuan household', and while bathing, he started singing happily:

"Lulala, lulala, lulalei, I love bathing…"

A few minutes later, he had completely gotten rid of the alcoholic smell from last night.

It must be said that the bathroom in this type of building was much better than the drafty bathrooms in his old home; at least when bathing in winter, no cold wind blew in.

The only downside was that he could no longer see the stars and constellations while bathing.

Alas, it lacked some poetic charm.

After bathing, Fang Bai briskly jogged back to his bedroom, quickly pulled up the quilt, and snuggled in bed to read.

In two days, there would be another monthly exam, which was also the last monthly exam before the Spring Festival holiday.

The next semester's exam would be a mock exam with the graduating students, using a city-wide paper.

Fang Bai had never attended university, and he felt some regret; even with the mindset of someone decades older, he still yearned for university life.

What was university life like in those days?

Perhaps others' university lives were filled with fantasies and yearnings for love's arrival;

But Fang Bai's university life, alas, there was no way, he already had a partner, so he didn't need to worry about that.

Speaking of which,

Even if the Golden Finger didn't require him to pursue a higher education, he actually felt it was very necessary to attend university, even if thirty years later, being a university student was not as good as being a dog.

After reading for a while, he checked his personal wealth.

With a silent thought, the virtual screen instantly appeared.

[Personal Wealth: 723,000 Yuan]

In reality, he had about 400,000 yuan in disposable cash, he hadn't counted it precisely.

Counting money was too tiring; now, among his family, Fang Bai's mother liked it the most, followed by his father.

In the early 1990s, possessing nearly a million in assets was truly joyful and blissful.

Fang Bai's parents were tired every day, but their faces were always beaming with smiles, and their complexions were much better than before.

Shifting his thoughts, Fang Bai recited some common English sentences for a while, feeling a bit sleepy, and went back to sleep.

He missed Qin Shuyu a little, so he hugged his pillow as if it were her.

The weather was a bit cold, which made him involuntarily curl up tightly, hugging it even closer.

Perhaps, every man feels this way when he's lonely?

Wen City didn't have heating, and electric blankets weren't sold in those days. He used a 6-jin cotton quilt and an 8-jin cotton quilt on top, which was warm enough.

Two days later, on December 29th, was the third monthly exam.

Fang Bai arrived at the classroom about ten minutes before the exam.

He felt these classmates were quite good; they had all experienced the failure of an exam, and disheartened, chose to repeat a year of high school, hoping to re-enter their ideal university through retaking the exams.

To be able to bravely pick up confidence and pursue one's dreams, even if one fails, is worthy of respect.

If he hadn't known the future, he might have been as confused as these repeat students after failing.

The classroom was quiet; he heard his footsteps as he walked in, saw his classmates look at him, gave a sunny smile, and then sat down.

Fang Bai saw that his deskmate wasn't there and asked the plump girl in the front row, "Xiaoai, where's Da Ge Zi? Why isn't he here?"

Zhang Xiaoai turned her head and said, "Da Ge Zi's mother came to school yesterday, looking flustered. She probably had something urgent; she didn't tell us, and Da Ge Zi took leave from school."

"Okay, we'll talk after the exam."

A moment later, the papers were distributed, and the exam officially began.

Two days later, at four in the afternoon, the exam concluded.

The repeat students breathed a sigh of relief after the exam; there was a New Year's Eve party tonight.

The day after tomorrow was New Year's Day, and both tomorrow and the day after were holidays, so the students, whose nerves had been taut, could finally relax.

For Fang Bai, there was no party, and no holiday; when he was tired from studying, he would rest for a while, or busy himself with business.

At least until the College Entrance Examination, he had no free time to waste.

After the exam, he found the homeroom teacher to ask about Wang Dakai.

"Wang Dakai, he said his father fractured his leg and was hospitalized, so he wouldn't be taking the monthly exam and went back to help for two days."

Fang Bai breathed a sigh of relief when he heard it was a fractured leg.

Presumably, his mother also didn't know her son had a monthly exam, so she panicked and could only come to find her son.

"Teacher Zhan, do you know which hospital he's in? I'd like to visit him and see if there's anything I can help with."

"I'm not sure. It's rare for Wang Dakai to have a deskmate like you," Zhan Feng said with a serious expression. "Alas, when Wang Dakai asked for leave, I should have asked for more details."

"Oh, I see. Then do you have his home address?"

"Yes, I do. If you go visit, please give him my regards." After Zhan Feng finished speaking, she took out a notebook with student family information, found Wang Dakai's information, tore off a slip of paper, copied the information, and handed it to Fang Bai.

"Okay, I'll go by myself. The exam just finished, Teacher Zhan, you have a lot to do, so you go about your business."

Fang Bai took the slip of paper, glanced at it, Chang'ao Village, only five or six kilometers away. Seeing that Wang Dakai's parents' information wasn't written, he asked Teacher Zhan for it again.

Zhan Feng nodded, rare for a student to be so understanding. Although New Year's Day was a holiday, as a homeroom teacher, she still had a lot of work to do, so she wasn't actually on holiday.

Fang Bai, this student, was quite thoughtful. She had only copied Wang Dakai's address earlier, forgetting to copy his parents' names.

If one went to the village to find someone, the villagers might not necessarily know Wang Dakai, this young man, but most likely knew Wang Dakai's father.

Fang Bai hastily left school, went home to get some cash and two packs of cigarettes into his backpack, then rode his motorcycle to the vegetable market to buy a few jin of fruit before setting off.

As far as he knew, Wang Dakai's family was in average financial circumstances, but now that the main breadwinner had a fractured bone, life might become difficult.

Wang Dakai was a pretty good person, worth befriending deeply.

Fang Bai didn't have many friends in this life; high school friendships weren't mixed with messy interests. If a classmate was in trouble, he would help if he could.

About ten minutes later, Fang Bai arrived at Chang'ao Village and handed out cigarettes to villagers while asking for directions.

"Uncle, do you know where Wang Dakai's home is? I'm his classmate. His father is Wang Bing."

"Oh, Wang Bing's house? Go straight along this village road to that big banyan tree, then turn right. Do you see the big banyan tree?"

Fang Bai followed the direction the uncle pointed and saw a large tree; it was a bit far, and he wasn't sure if it was a banyan tree, so he confirmed again: "That tree about two or three hundred meters from here? The one next to the white-walled house?"

If he didn't ask clearly, he would just run around aimlessly.

"Yes, that's it. When you get there, his house is nearby, just ask around and you'll find it."

"Okay, thank you." Fang Bai offered another cigarette, asked for clear details, and then rode away.

The uncle watched Fang Bai ride away on his motorcycle, somewhat envious of these children from wealthy families.

A moment later, Fang Bai arrived near the banyan tree, found another villager to ask for directions, and quickly located Wang Dakai's home.

It was a single-story, three-room house facing south, with two tiled rooms as side buildings. Just comparing the houses, it was much better than his own old home.

He just didn't know if anyone was home. Seeing the main hall door ajar, he shouted into the house:

"Da Kai, are you home?"

As soon as he finished shouting, a sturdy young man in a cotton coat walked out from inside the house. It was indeed Wang Dakai, but his face lacked its usual sunny smile, showing more worry. Seeing Fang Bai arrive on his motorcycle, he was very surprised:

"Boss, why are you here?"

Fang Bai parked his motorcycle, walked over, and patted his shoulder: "I heard from Xiaoai that something happened at your home, so I came to see. How is your dad doing now?"

Wang Dakai said with some sadness, "His right lower leg is fractured. He just had surgery. It's not a big problem. He's in the hospital right now, sigh."

"Are you the only one at home?" Fang Bai looked around, not seeing anyone else.

"My mom is at the hospital with my dad, and my younger brother hasn't come back from junior high. I came back to look after the house; I have to feed the pigs and chickens. Come in and sit for a bit. My home is simple, please don't mind it."

"Mind what? Your home looks very good already."

Fang Bai replied, pulled out his car keys and put them in his pocket, then followed him into the main hall.

Cement floor, walls already plastered, a unpainted round dining table and a few chairs in the middle of the room, a wooden sofa against the east wall, a simple cabinet against the west wall with a 14-inch black and white television on it, and a incense table in the center of the hall for ancestors.

It was a pretty good setup, much better than his own old home.

After Fang Bai sat down on the sofa, Wang Dakai washed a cup to pour him tea, only to realize there was no hot water, and wanted to go boil some.

"Da Kai, don't bother. I'm not thirsty. Let's just chat."

"Oh, I'm really sorry, and you came all this way." Wang Dakai was a bit embarrassed; his boss came, and it was hard to even offer a cup of hot tea.

His own family had something going on, and his boss personally came, so it must have been quite a hassle to find his home. He felt a bit apologetic.

"Don't mention it. I ride my motorcycle fast. I saw you didn't take the monthly exam. When are you going back to school?"

"I don't plan to study anymore. Going back would just be to say goodbye to the teachers and classmates. I plan to go out and work."

"You kid, if you're not studying just because you lack money, I can lend you money;

But if you just don't want to study, then that's fine, it's good to go out early, but have you thought about what you want to do?"

Wang Dakai smiled bitterly, "Thanks, Boss. My grades aren't good. I only scored about 430 in both monthly exams. It's been almost a semester, and there's been no improvement. I probably won't get into university if I keep studying."

Fang Bai looked at Wang Dakai with sympathy; he understood that feeling of despair and confusion.

The vocational college admission line was around 500 points, a difference of sixty or seventy points. This gap was indeed very large for Wang Dakai, extremely difficult to make up with simple effort.

This was not like a cheat with a Golden Finger that could easily improve grades.

There were too many students like Wang Dakai, looking at that huge score difference, they felt very desperate, thinking that repeating a year would bring a significant improvement.

But reality was not as beautiful as they imagined. For those with an initial score of over four hundred, an improvement of fifty points or more after repeating a year was already very good, and an improvement of seventy points or more was truly a rarity.

Three years later, the state abolished the system of assigning jobs to university graduates. After completing three years of vocational college, one was not necessarily guaranteed a job.

It was fine if one was assigned to a good unit, but if it was a unit with uncertain income, it was truly better to start a business earlier.

In short, Fang Bai neither encouraged nor advised Wang Dakai to continue repeating; it was all up to him.

As a classmate with a good relationship, he would help if he could, so he asked with concern:

"Your dad had surgery, are you still short on money?"

"The surgery costs a few hundred. My mom said we still have some savings, so we won't be short by much. It's easy enough to borrow from relatives."

Upon hearing this, Fang Bai took out a bag of fruit from his backpack and placed it on the table, then pulled out a thousand yuan and handed it to him: "Let me lend you a thousand. You can pay me back when your family has money, I'm not in a hurry."

Seeing Wang Dakai hesitate, shaking his head and not daring to accept, Fang Bai smiled calmly: "Take it. My family sells TVs, we're not short of this money. You even call me 'Boss,' if you're in trouble, I have to help, right?"

After hearing Fang Bai's words, Wang Dakai nodded solemnly and said gratefully, "Hmm, thanks, Boss. Five hundred is enough."

Fang Bai directly placed the money in his hand, saying in an undeniable tone, "Always leave enough budget for yourself in everything you do. Your family still has your younger brother in school, and your dad will be recovering for at least a few months without earning money. It's almost New Year's, how can your family get by without some money?"

Wang Dakai scratched his head, feeling embarrassed, but finally took the money: "Alright, I'll borrow it!"

His father still needed two or three hundred yuan, which he originally planned to borrow from relatives. His younger brother also needed money for school. Their father, the family's pillar, couldn't earn money for the time being. Borrowing five hundred was borrowing, and borrowing a thousand was the same.

Anyway, he was already indebted, so he might as well be indebted for life; he was just a worthless life anyway.

"Think carefully about studying. Don't have regrets because of money;

If you really don't want to repeat and want to start a business, you can borrow money from me;

But if you just want to work for money, then come find me. I need people to help me. My family's TV stall was started by me, and a few hundred yuan a month in wages is no problem."

Fang Bai pondered for a moment and said seriously.

He didn't interfere with Wang Dakai's choice, only showed him paths, letting him choose which one to take.

If Wang Dakai followed him, he would give him a fortune, but he wouldn't say it explicitly for now.

Fang Bai needed people he could trust. Wang Dakai was worth cultivating; he was meticulous, tall, and strong, which was rare.

There was still over a year until the subscription certificates were issued. Fang Bai needed to select trustworthy people to help him now. He felt it wouldn't be safe without a dozen or so men by then.

His father, Wang Dakai, and then some trustworthy relatives, university classmates, and the group of part-time students he was currently evaluating.

This was a feast of wealth, and Fang Bai didn't want any safety issues or anomalies.

Wang Dakai was slightly surprised to hear Fang Bai say that his family's TV stall was started by his boss.

The boss had already said he needed people, so what was there to hesitate about? If a subordinate didn't follow his boss, did he still want to go it alone?

As for starting a business, forget it, he felt he wasn't cut out for it.

"Then I'll definitely follow you."

Fang Bai was very satisfied with his answer, but still said calmly, "I'll go back first. You think it over carefully, and come find me after you've dealt with your family matters."

"No need to think too much. What's there to consider? I can decide my own matters. Boss, after I handle my family affairs, I'll come find you. Don't reject me, okay?"

"Hmm, still, think it over carefully and discuss it with your family."

Fang Bai rode away, and only after driving a few dozen meters did a relieved smile appear on his face.

More Chapters