[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-508":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rising in 1979",{"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},2261216,4412,"Chapter 508: Wei Ming and Li Zhi","rising-in-1979-chapter-508",508,"\u003Cp>On their first night in Berkeley, all three young people found it hard to sleep, the novelty still fresh—especially the two girls, who felt both excitement and a touch of nervousness about their upcoming life studying abroad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unable to sleep, Wei Ming listed out shopping items, with a computer being the most urgent—he could no longer write without one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he suspected this computer would need replacing soon; current PCs lacked mice, and using them felt unnatural. The earliest widely available commercial personal computers with mice were Apple’s, likely just within the past couple of years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Early the next morning, Wei Ming took the two girls downstairs for breakfast and handed each of them a spare key.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hong was unimpressed—fine to give her one, but why give Li Zhi one too? Are you planning to let her stay over?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhi, however, felt delighted—clearly Wei Ming wasn’t completely indifferent to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Don’t misunderstand. I rented the place, but I won’t live in Berkeley permanently—I’ve got things to handle in Los Angeles and might need to travel to New York often. If I’m away for long stretches, Li Zhi, remember to come by and keep things in order.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhi pouted: “Oh, alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they walked, the store-hopping blogger Wei Ming looked up: “Hey, a Mexican restaurant—let’s go in and check it out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mexican-Americans form a large community in the U.S. and are notably talented in cuisine; Wei Ming particularly liked tacos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Mexican recipes, corn is essential—whether tacos, quesadillas, or sopes, all are corn-based.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first taste, both girls approved—it was finally not overly sweet, with savory and spicy notes; the spiciness especially suited Xiao Hong, who carried half-Sichuan blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming said: “After eating, let’s head to Stanford first to get Xiao Hong enrolled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Enroll today? It’s not urgent,” Wei Hong yawned, still wanting to keep an eye on her brother for Amin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get used to things before classes officially start. Call me anytime if you have problems—remember the home phone number?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could we forget such a simple thing?” Wei Hong giggled, tapping her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhi touched her notebook in her bag—she hadn’t memorized it, but she’d written it down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since there were only three of them, they drove one car—a Chevrolet, technically a sports car, but with rear seats, albeit cramped; Xiao Hong simply lay down in the back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhi drove; Wei Ming instructed Xiao Hong: “When you get to campus, ask Bu Yun Suan Yuan how to get a driver’s license—having a car makes everything easier and more efficient.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He doesn’t even have a license himself—why ask him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do you know he doesn’t have one?” Wei Ming paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s a broke international student who can’t afford a car—why would he waste time getting a license?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, that makes sense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stanford had no gate or wall—the car had already entered campus before they realized it. They drove straight to the dorm building where Bu Yun Suan Yuan lived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Professor Wei, Student Wei Hong—you’re here!” Bu Yun Suan Yuan was already waiting downstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhi observed the men and women coming and going in the dorm—just as Lingling always said, no gender separation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming asked immediately: “Bu, do you have a driver’s license?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, but I’m planning to take the test this semester. The lab just had a breakthrough, and our professor gave us a bonus—we’re thinking of buying a used car, just something drivable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hong smiled: “Perfect—we’ll take the test together then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming asked: “Why not take it over summer? Is your boss that exploitative?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bu Yun Suan Yuan waved his hand: “No, I went back to China this summer—no time or money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, you went back to China?” Wei Hong was surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bu Yun Suan Yuan smiled wryly: “Yeah, spent time with my dad and checked out our new home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming then introduced Li Zhi to him, and Bu Yun Suan Yuan guided them through Xiao Hong’s enrollment and housing procedures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since Xiao Hong is a graduate student, she’ll live in one of these apartment dorms—they’re cheaper than renting off-campus. Options include single rooms, two-bedroom apartments, and family apartments with three bedrooms. I live in the three-bedroom one—splitting costs among three is cheaper, but you need to get along with your roommates.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming asked: “Where are your roommates from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One Indian, one from Hong Kong,” Bu Yun Suan Yuan chuckled. “My Hong Kong roommate and I often team up to debate the Indian guy about whose cuisine is better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming asked: “Who won?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bu Yun Suan Yuan laughed: “We were losing at first—we both suck at cooking. Then we watched your ‘A Bite of China’—finally turned things around.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The book was popular in the U.S., listed among the ten essential reads to understand China, alongside ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ and ‘Red Star Over China.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, turning a losing situation into a win was embarrassing—luckily, Xiao Hong cooked well, with about thirty percent of her mother’s skill, so Chinese cuisine didn’t lose face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hong asked: “Master Bu, can I live in the same dorm building as you? It’d be good to have someone looking out for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Probably not—we’re doctoral dorms. There are several graduate dorm buildings you can choose from. Do you want a single or a two-bedroom?” Bu Yun Suan Yuan asked. “Oh, don’t worry—if it’s a two-bedroom, your roommate will definitely be female.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Hong looked at her brother. Wei Ming thought—female roommates aren’t safe either. He said: “Go for a single room.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did want Xiao Hong to have some social life and make friends, but in these dorms, female students often brought boyfriends home to stay—it was normal. He feared she’d feel awkward, or worse, get corrupted. It was just a matter of paying extra.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bu Yun Suan Yuan nodded—he knew exactly how to fill out the forms now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because international students required more paperwork, the morning dragged on. The four ate lunch at the campus cafeteria and continued in the afternoon, finally getting Xiao Hong settled into her dorm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming didn’t want to make things hard for the kid—he picked the largest single room. According to Bu Yun Suan Yuan, it felt even bigger than their three-person room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they unpacked, neighbors passed by, peeking in and greeting them—men and women, white and yellow hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming stayed silent, letting Xiao Hong handle the socializing herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His past training had paid off—she’d been to Germany and Hong Kong, and now she spoke comfortably with foreigners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, that’s enough for today. I won’t be sticking around—you can’t cry alone at night,” Wei Ming placed a hand on his sister’s shoulder, voice thick with emotion. “If you really feel like crying, call me—I’ll come visit every now and then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, don’t worry—I’ll be fine on my own,” Xiao Hong hugged him tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That hug shattered Wei Ming’s stern expression—he couldn’t bear to leave her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You may be brilliant intellectually, but emotionally and romantically clueless—otherwise, in your past life, you wouldn’t have been fooled by a gay man for half your life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming gently patted Xiao Hong, then glanced at the calm, reliable Bu Yun Suan Yuan—thankfully, he’d be watching over her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he turned to leave, Wei Ming’s eyes were slightly red—don’t ever let yourself have a daughter. When she leaves for college, it’ll hurt even more than this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wei Ming’s unstable emotions, Li Zhi whispered: “Shall we just go home and rest now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming waved his hand: “It’s not dark yet—let’s go downtown first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when the Chevrolet disappeared from view did Xiao Hong take Bu Yun Suan Yuan’s hand—fingers interlocked—and blushed slightly: “Master, can you show me around campus?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bu Yun Suan Yuan adjusted his glasses to hide his nervousness: “Uh, sure. Let’s start with the library.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in downtown San Francisco, Wei Ming felt better, and night had fallen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked: “Is Walmart the best place to buy toys?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhi had come to the U.S. on business trips with Wei Lingling several times: “Walmart’s pretty comprehensive, but the most complete is Toys ‘R’ Us—the world’s largest toy and baby products retailer, with hundreds of stores, holding a quarter of the U.S. market. There’s one right ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, then let’s go to Toys ‘R’ Us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From afar, they spotted the logo—TOYS ‘R’ US, with the ‘R’ reversed—and a tall giraffe mascot. Li Zhi explained: “His name is Geoffrey.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After parking, Li Zhi grabbed a shopping cart—just like at Walmart—except every item here was a toy, a full toy version of Walmart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The store was packed with parents and children, browsing and playing, lively and bustling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This model was convenient for kids and parents, but it felt fragile, lacking resilience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the toys were endless—Wei Ming had never seen so many kinds at once; his eyes spun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing them standing still, a sales clerk warmly approached: “Hello, are you looking for a boy or a girl?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhi blushed, eyes sparkling, biting her lip as she looked at Wei Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming gently put his arm around her shoulder: “Both—boy and girl twins. We’re just browsing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Declining the clerk’s help, Wei Ming said to Li Zhi: “Tell me about the American toy market.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not here to buy toys?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m too old to play with toys—I’m here for market research,” Wei Ming said seriously. As a shareholder of Langning, he wanted it to thrive—ideally become number one globally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh,” Li Zhi continued. “Last year, the U.S. toy retail market reached $9.9 billion. Although the baby boom dividend has faded, the economy has improved and people are spending more. At this growth rate, this year will definitely exceed $10 billion! The U.S. market accounts for roughly half of the global toy market.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1629,"2026-06-19T16:30:59.356Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a81d7a2a11719066f2946e2079037290353d7e9c26fc097dae10afd217311f54","rising-in-1979-chapter-509","rising-in-1979-chapter-507",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]