Chapter 89: A New Venture

Father and son held bamboo poles. Before long, they’d harvested a large patch of locust flowers.

Li Rui hefted a cloth bag that was nearly full.

Xu Zhiquan removed his straw hat and sat on an overturned log to rest. Xu Chen handed him a bottle of water.

Xu Zhiquan twisted off the cap, took a sip, and began to speak:

“When your old man was a kid, I’d bring Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle, and Fifth Uncle here to gather locust flowers…”

A gentle breeze brushed against Xu Zhiquan’s face as he seemed lost in memories of the past.

“Over at the Mechanical Factory, trouble’s bound to break out soon. Third Uncle will get caught up in it.

He’s reaping what he sowed. Back then, he caused our family plenty of grief…”

Xu Zhiquan fell silent for a moment, rummaged in his pocket, and lit a cigarette:

“I won’t meddle too much, but I can’t just stand by and watch him fail either…

Provided he truly learns his lesson and changes his ways.”

Xu Chen sat down beside his father and said softly,

“Dad, I understand.”

Xu Zhiquan smiled and ruffled his son’s hair with his large hand.

Then he glanced at Li Rui.

“Li Rui, smoke?”

He flicked a cigarette toward him.

Li Rui, busy picking flowers off the ground, looked up and caught the cigarette in his cupped hands.

“Thanks, Mr. Xu!”

Li Rui grinned and pulled out a lighter to spark the cigarette.

After spending time together, Xu Zhiquan trusted Li Rui more and more.

This kid, though he’d run with some rough crowds, was honest and straightforward at heart.

But the main reason Xu Zhiquan trusted him was that Xu Chen had vouched for him.

…

Xu Chen suddenly remembered something and said,

“Dad, why not register a subsidiary under East Morning Star Co. called East Morning Star Advertising?”

Xu Zhiquan took a drag on his cigarette and laughed,

“My son is branching out already?”

Xu Chen had already told his father about the Jin Kela fertilizer ad.

He hadn’t mentioned the Shenbao commercial, knowing it might seem inappropriate.

Xu Zhiquan was pleasantly surprised. He hadn’t expected his high-school son to earn money through ad planning.

And he’d landed a deal worth 120,000 yuan on his first try…

Xu Chen wanted to set up East Morning Star Advertising to prepare for future projects.

Earlier, Guo Liang from HuiShuang Shenbao suggested checking if there were any industry ad bids.

With pitching, you need a company backing you. Otherwise it’s hard to process the payments later.

Copywriting ads was a relatively easy way to earn some cash without too much effort, as long as you found the right project.

After being reborn, Xu Chen didn’t want to exhaust himself. He was happy to make money easily when he could.

He was still in school, so he’d just register the company and wait for suitable projects to come along.

Xu Chen also felt confident in his father’s takeover of the Mechanical Factory and his move into electric vehicles.

Once Chenfeng Electric Vehicles launched its first model, Xie Bingran would start gaining fame.

At that point, Chenfeng Electric Vehicles wouldn’t have a big ad budget, so Xie Bingran’s endorsement would be a game-changer.

East Morning Star Advertising would come in handy for promotions.

Xu Zhiquan exhaled a plume of smoke and added,

“I’m planning to rent an office in the city. If you need it, your East Morning Star Advertising can use it as its base.”

Xu Chen said, “An office is too much. I don’t need it right now.”

Xu Zhiquan replied,

“I thought about renting an apartment, but decided on an office instead.

Our Seedling Company also needs a city outpost.

I’ll put a bed in the office so I can crash there if something comes up. And if you find the dormitory too noisy at night, you can sleep there.

If East Morning Star Advertising gets any business, you can just head over and handle it.”

Xu Chen smiled. “Sounds good!”

Then Xu Zhiquan remembered something:

“Oh, and your old man needs a proper accountant.

Right now your Fourth Uncle and Maternal Uncle are sharing the job, but they’re not professionals. Complex books give them headaches.

If you know anyone qualified, send them my way.”

Xu Chen: “Sure, I’ll keep an eye out!”

Originally, Aunt Lan managed the factory’s finances.

After she left, they really did need a dedicated accountant.

You didn’t need someone with a super professional background, but you did need someone reliable to handle the books.

And after Aunt Lan’s incident, Xu Zhiquan kept a tighter grip on finances.

Her mistake didn’t cause major losses, but it was a hard lesson.

Human nature really can’t stand to be tested…

…

The next day was Qingming Festival.

Xu Chen accompanied his father back to their hometown to pay respects to his grandparents. They bumped into Paternal Aunt’s family, who’d brought two adorable yet ugly babies.

Afterward, they went to clean their mother’s grave, and Maternal Uncle Zhang Yongqing joined them.

Father laid out locust-flower dumplings he’d brought, along with peach crisps and honey cakes—his mother’s favorite treats.

After the ritual, Xu Chen and Zhang Yongqing stepped out of the cemetery and stood by the road waiting.

Xu Zhiquan squatted alone at the grave, silently smoking three or four cigarettes.

…

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Life in senior year revolved entirely around the college entrance exam—dull and spartan.

Fortunately, having faced it once before, Xu Chen was relatively relaxed this time around.

Xie Bingran was already in the Provincial Capital.

She was undergoing closed training with the Provincial Team, so it wasn’t easy to contact her.

Xu Chen had sent her two messages and learned that Bing Ge would compete in his first national tournament in Shanghai over Labor Day.

If all went well, Xie Bingran would move up from the Provincial Team to the National Team after this competition.

In her text, Xie Bingran sounded so casual that Xu Chen couldn’t help but laugh.

For countless kids in sports, joining the National Team is a dream they spend ten or twenty years chasing.

But Xie Bingran made it look effortless.

She spoke as if it were no big deal, never intentionally striving for it.

Well…

That’s the power of talent.

Xu Chen still reminded Xie Bingran to protect herself from injury during the competition and training.

After all, she needed to play it safe to last long in her career.

…

That Friday came around.

At noon, Xu Chen and Chen Dahai sat with a few other boys eating stir-fry at Snack Street.

On the TV behind them, the local station played a dull variety show.

But a mid-show commercial caught the diners’ attention and made them laugh out loud.

“I want Jin Kela! African agriculture is undeveloped. You have to use Jin Kela!…”