[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-restarted-life-1992":3,"chapter-my-restarted-life-1992-my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-13":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Restarted Life: 1992",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2279563,4460,"Chapter 13: Familiar Faces Make Things Easier","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-13",13,"\u003Cp>This private printing factory had no name and was hidden within a residential area at the urban-rural fringe of Tiebei; the owner was a stout middle-aged man whose simplicity concealed a hint of cunning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh my, Brother Chen’s here! Welcome, welcome!” Wu Xianping extended his thick hand and shook Chen Weimin’s, clearly they weren’t meeting for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Weimin introduced Zhou Andong and Yao Jun, then got straight to the point: “This is my iron brother—he wants to print wall calendars, thirteen pages with covers, about ten thousand copies. Brother Wu, give me your lowest price.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xianping thought for a moment: “Since you brought him, Brother Chen, I’ll cut it to the bone—four yuan and three jiao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Weimin said: “Three yuan and two jiao. Quote three yuan and seven jiao—if you can do it, I won’t go anywhere else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xianping looked helpless: “Brother Chen, you’re an expert—the copperplate paper prices keep rising. Three yuan and two jiao is too low; I won’t make a profit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Weimin smiled: “Print quality can’t be compromised, but the paper can be thinner and the dimensions smaller.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xianping pondered, then gritted his teeth as if making a great sacrifice: “Fine, I owe you, Brother Chen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Chen Weimin, a seasoned insider, the deal was settled in minutes. Then the three went their separate ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhou Andong entered the house, he saw Zhou Anning sobbing quietly, her little face streaked with tears: “What’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her big brother return, the little girl, who had just stopped crying, burst into fresh sobs and ran over, hugging his leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong picked her up, his heart aching, and immediately sensed something was off in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mother was stitching a shoe sole, the awl piercing the leather with force, producing a distinct puh-puh sound. His father leaned against the rolled-up quilt, smoking silently, puff after puff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eldest sister stood behind the door, red-eyed and slumped against the cabinet—she’d clearly been crying too. Zhou Anbei lowered his head, fists clenched, his toes scraping the yellow earth floor, digging small holes with each step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong licked his dry lips: “What’s going on? Someone tell me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Anbei looked up—his face was swollen. Zhou Andong’s expression turned cold: “What happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Anbei glared: “Zhou Anbin beat me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong raised an eyebrow: “Why did he beat you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Anbei said: “Anning went to watch cartoons, he wouldn’t let her, dragged her out, and threw her into a snowdrift. I went to argue, and Zhou Anbin beat me up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong asked: “Did Zhou Anlei lay a hand on you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Anbei shook his head: “Only Zhou Anbin hit me. Big Aunt was yelling too. Grandpa and Zhou Anlei stayed inside and didn’t come out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong laughed bitterly: “This is the Zhou family’s legacy—none of the eldest sons are decent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Xiaomin muttered: “How dare you speak like that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Am I wrong? My great-grandparents were driven to death by my great-uncle. Look at my uncle—he embodies laziness, selfishness, and greed to perfection. Now it’s Zhou Anbin’s turn—he’s outdone them all. Gambling, drinking, womanizing, stealing, cheating, lying—has he ever left anything out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong snorted, placing the little girl on the kang: “I’ll go ask Zhou Anbin if he grew a second pair of balls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stay right here and don’t go anywhere,” Yuan Liying snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grandpa Zhou Bangye was an old revolutionary who served as a bodyguard for top commanders during the War of Resistance; his skills were no fake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong had trained under his grandfather for a while—he’d always been ruthless in fights since childhood. If he hurt Zhou Anbin badly, this household would never know peace again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong’s eyes flickered, then he nodded readily: “Fine, I won’t go after him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?” Zhou Andong’s too-easy agreement left Yuan Liying with zero confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong grinned: “I’d never lie to you.” He picked up the little girl and stepped out: “Look what I’ve got.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow!” the little girl cried excitedly: “Meat buns!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong smiled: “Want to eat them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!” she shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!” Zhou Andong said: “Let Big Sister heat them up—we’ll finish every last one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You just ate dinner—why eat buns now?” Yuan Liying stepped out, snatched the buns, and placed them on the shelf: “Eat them tomorrow morning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong winked at the little girl: “No more buns now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little girl giggled: “What now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong sighed: “Then we’ll eat them tomorrow morning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay!” the little girl clapped her hands: “Eat them tomorrow morning!” Then she looked outside: “Why isn’t it light yet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong laughed loudly, pinching her nose: “Sleep one nap, and it’ll be light.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back inside, Zhou Andong put an arm around Zhou Anbei’s shoulder: “Enough of this gloom—you’re a big guy now. So you got beaten—next time, you’ll get even.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He comforted Zhou Anqin next: “Wait—I’ll buy a big color TV before New Year’s, just to piss them off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Anqin rolled her eyes: “You’re just blowing smoke again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s still a month till New Year’s—see if I’m bluffing.” Zhou Andong found Zhou Anqin’s schoolbag, pulled out a pen and notebook: “Lend me these.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the side room, Zhou Andong lay on the kang and began drawing. Zhou Anbei didn’t even notice when he slipped in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, what are you drawing?” Zhou Anbei climbed beside him, picked up a sketch, and stared at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong looked up: “It’s the packaging box design for our factory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a packaging box?” Zhou Anbei looked baffled, picked up another sheet: “What are these wavy lines? This narrow-top, wide-bottom, grid-like thing—is it a ladder? And why’s there a lightning rod on top?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong’s face darkened: “That’s my logo—the wavy lines are the Jiangzhou River, the narrow-top, wide-bottom grid is the Donghu Ancient Pagoda.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Anbei stared at the drawing, couldn’t hold back, and snickered quietly—it looked nothing like the river or the pagoda; it was two earthworms climbing a ladder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Laugh it up, you idiot!” Zhou Andong kicked Zhou Anbei off the kang: “Get out, don’t interrupt my creation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is creation?” Zhou Anbei shot back mercilessly: “Grab a spider, dip it in ink, let it crawl on paper—it’d look better than this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong sprang up: “I think Zhou Anbin didn’t beat you hard enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Anbei bolted out the door, then poked his head back through the curtain: “Better have Big Sister draw it for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong picked up the sketch, frowning: “I thought it looked fine—is it really that bad?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Anbei nodded vigorously: “Bad? It’s a disaster. If you hadn’t told me, I’d swear it was two earthworms climbing a ladder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong scratched his head, reluctantly tossed the paper aside: “Go get Big Sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, you called me?” Zhou Anqin arrived quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong nodded: “Help me draw something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay!” Zhou Anqin had never studied art professionally, but she’d loved drawing since childhood and once dreamed of entering an art academy—until family circumstances forced her to give it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong described, Zhou Anqin drew; the siblings worked together, revising and refining until past eleven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s only slightly better than mine,” Zhou Andong said aloud, but inwardly he had to admit his sister had real talent—he silently resolved to send her to a proper art academy. This lifetime, he’d make sure she lived the life she wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>",1232,"2026-06-20T01:18:49.036Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e693448d8ab206588d7d2c3624b50d311ddb89796ded8b926646495ee7f959ca","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-14","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-12",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-restarted-life-1992-cover.jpg"]