Chapter 25: Family Gathering
is own, borrowing one or two classics each week. Sometimes he would spend half the afternoon at his uncle's place. As summer heat gradually receded and grass leaves turned yellow during this bleak aut...Chapter 25 Family Gathering
It turned out that no one was a fool; even if he had reincarnated, the people from his previous life weren't so easy to deceive.
Su Can's exaggerated claims made Wang Yue laugh uncontrollably. She reached up and ruffled his hair until it was messy, "Honestly, you almost got me! You acted like you'd been to big cities and seen a lot of things. Let's go back, we shouldn't stay here too long!" This left Su Can feeling quite dejected.
Even though she said this, Wang Yue didn’t mention the incident again when they went back. It seemed that although what he had said wasn't entirely believable to her, there was still some gratitude and vague belief in him deep down. She must have really looked forward to her mother merging their family's shop with others to form a chain.
Su Can thought about it himself; how could he casually promise such grand things to others when he currently lacked the power or ability to fulfill anyone else’s dreams and hopes for a better tomorrow Sometimes, this world was cruel. Many people held onto their dreams, but just as many died without realizing them. Not everyone in this vast world could achieve their ideals; even after reincarnating, Su Can didn't dare guarantee such promises. At least now he was mired in the troubles caused by Wang Haoran's group.
When his parents came home and sat on the sofa to watch TV at night, Su Can took a break from his room and walked out to the living room. His mother immediately brought out peeled walnuts and fruit and invited Su Can to sit down and rest while having something to eat.
The volume of the TV was turned very low, a deliberate effort by his parents not to disturb him as he studied in his room. Seeing the bowl filled with peeled walnuts and fresh orange slices in the quiet night, Su Can felt touched once more.
Eleven years later, his mother would lean against counters, peeling walnuts for him to create a full bowl of them. Regardless of how much alcohol or fancy food he had consumed outside, this bowl of walnuts always carried her hope to nourish and supplement his body.
Su Cen knows that after being reborn, he cannot fully control how his family's future will change. However, these heartwarming scenes are forever unchanging.
Eating the crispy walnuts, reminiscing about all the things from the future era, he feels that in this house eleven years ago, with its old furniture, a 21-inch globe-screen Changhong TV, calendars, and clocks—all items gradually phased out in the future—seem like a dream. Sometimes he wants to ask the wall clock hanging in the living room, which will stop working eleven years later, "Do you know who I am"
This is a rather absurd sense of time discrepancy; someone reborn might believe everything has divine significance.
Back to the main topic, when Su Cen mentioned opening more branches with his mother, given that developing the store would require expanding through branching out, which could help transition the business into self-management and allow his parents to focus on important overarching tasks instead of daily operations.
Their parents stared at him in surprise.
After a moment, his mother continued, "Isn't this already good enough Why open more branches We've become one of the city's designated procurement stores and receive many orders. Although we're not short on money now, it hasn’t reached the point where we need to invest more in opening new branches! Son, focus on studying hard for your high school years; over these three years, your parents can earn enough money to support you through university!"
His father also nodded. "Su Cen, Dad knows you have a knack for this business, but don't become overly engrossed in it. What's more important is that you cherish the time and focus on studying! Your parents haven’t dreamt of owning large stores or making huge profits; no amount of money can compare to health and safety. As long as you get into a good university smoothly, your parents won't hesitate—whether we need to sell our assets—we’ll ensure you succeed."
Su Cen sighed; although he understood his parents' intentions after being reborn, he still didn’t want them to work tirelessly all their lives just for him and live solely for his happiness.
The reason why he managed to get his parents involved in the establishment of this shop is largely because he hopes they can find a new direction for their lives. According to their previous logic and habits, the unit they relied on might have been glorious once upon a time, but that was then. That glory was an honor, but it also became a toxin and limitation over time, restricting their way of thinking and embedding this idea deeply within them—relying heavily on job security.
It's relatively easy to free someone from hardship in life, but liberating their mindset is the most challenging thing to achieve.
Just like how Susan was inspired by Wang Yue’s dream, he also hopes his parents can aspire to start their own business rather than relying on an unstable unit.
Is this still too radical Su Can felt relieved. His parents only wish for a stable career and a secure environment for the next generation. Concepts like building a commercial empire or financial legend seem too distant and unrealistic to them, even to Su Can himself.
It's easy to daydream about these things mentally, but when it comes to putting them into practice, he doesn't know how capable he truly is. There are some matters where, even if you know there is potential benefit, once you get involved in the process, you realize it’s not as simple as imagined.
It's normal for his proposal to be rejected during a family meeting.
"However..." Zeng Ke frowned. "What you said about opening a branch shop isn't entirely impossible. Although we are now a city-designated purchasing enterprise, this is not permanent; the contract only lasts one year, and within that year, your uncle's construction bureau will likely have a larger share of procurement. But even so, there’s no guarantee that we’ll remain selected next year. We shouldn’t rely too heavily on it..."
In adversity, one thinks of change; in prosperity, one seeks inclusiveness. Su Can was delighted to see his mother's mindset shifting.
Having dispelled the illusion of the dreamy state-owned enterprise job, Mother's perspective finally broadened. She no longer confined herself to short-term gains and losses but began cautiously contemplating her future.
Perhaps one truly needs to suffer injuries before they can toughen up during the healing process and become stronger as a result.
The parents might still be looked down upon by everyone, like how people in the future would mention the Su family and simply ignore them when considering marriage proposals for their daughters. He would do everything he could to resist this habitual way of life and prevent it from recurring.
Since Mother Cuo had discovered the problem at hand, Father Suli Cheng nodded as well: "Procurement is an important aspect, but so is retail; neither can be neglected. As most visitors recently are students, we mainly cater to student customers. Opening a branch nearby wouldn't make sense; it's better to open around schools where retail sales can thrive... Moreover, talking about opening a branch now might still be premature since we need funds before we can do so...
Su Cen nodded and stood up to leave: "Alright, let's discuss this later. I'm done eating; back to my room."
His parents' reminder to go to bed early followed him from behind. Su Cen felt that his father was right, and he also believed that promising Wang Yue something so soon was premature. Everything would have to wait for a while.
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Thanks for everyone's support with donations and collections!ruction bureau chief, Ceng Quanming, seemed somewhat absent-minded during his conversations with everyone. He had specially gone to the hall earlier and also visited some small meeting rooms; now that...