Chapter 208

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Past nine o'clock this evening, Wang Dashan dragged his exhausted body back to the rental house.

Wang Erhai had returned long ago.

He had finished showering and was lying in bed playing on his phone.

"Big Brother, how did the job interview go today?"

Seeing Wang Dashan return, Wang Erhai immediately climbed up from the bed and asked eagerly.

"I got the job, but this line of work is much harder than selling computers. I made calls all day and not a single person was willing to come view a property in person — it's like finding a needle in a haystack. Not like selling computers before; almost everyone who walked into the store had the intention to buy a computer. This day wore me out — not physically tired, mainly mentally exhausted..."

Wang Dashan plopped down on the edge of the bed and couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"Is it that difficult? Why don't we just stick with helping Hao Ge sell computers?"

Hearing Wang Dashan put it like that, Wang Erhai couldn't help but have thoughts of backing out.

Wang Dashan, however, said with a determined expression:

"How can we back out? Back in the army, the Class Monitor told me: once you're on the battlefield, you can only advance, not retreat; otherwise it's a dead end. Work is the same principle as the battlefield — only advance, never retreat."

Then he also said:

"Everything is hard at the start. As long as we get this start going, I believe I'll adapt quickly."

Wang Erhai nodded; from the bottom of his heart he admired his big brother.

His big brother was far more resilient mentally than he was.

He always wanted to retreat whenever he felt a sense of setback.

When he first came to Guangzhou to sell computers for Zhang Zhihao, he went several days without selling a single unit and had thoughts of giving up.

Fortunately, right when he was about to quit, he sold one — and an expensive model at that — which gave him confidence, so he persisted.

"Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we called home. Don't know how Mom is doing now. Why don't we give home a call and tell Mom I've switched to a new job while we're at it?"

Wang Dashan suddenly said this.

During these two months in Beihai, he hadn't called home once; now he indeed missed his mother a bit.

As for his father Wang Zhanggen, he didn't think much of him.

That stone-in-a-latrine of an old man — hard and stinking — there was nothing to miss.

He didn't even want to call him, but helplessly Mom didn't have a mobile phone; only that old man had one. To call Mom, he had to call that old man's number.

"Second Brother, when we've saved up money and go home for Spring Festival this year, we must buy Mom a mobile phone."

Wang Dashan said this even as he dialed Wang Zhanggen's mobile number.

Wang Erhai nodded and said:

"Mm, then we'll go buy one together!"

The phone rang for a while, and Wang Zhanggen picked up.

"Hello, what is it?"

Wang Zhanggen's voice came from the other end.

"Nothing, just calling home. Mom? Is she home?"

"She's right beside me. You talk to her."

Wang Zhanggen also felt he and Wang Dashan had nothing to say to each other, so he hurriedly handed the phone to Li Xiulan.

To avoid an awkward silence.

"Dashan, has business been okay lately?"

Li Xiulan's weathered face showed a smile as she asked kindly.

"Mom, Second Brother and I are both doing fine. We live in a rental house together. Second Brother does sales at that computer store I worked at before, and I've gone into real estate sales."

"Weren't you doing fine before? Why switch jobs? Did you make some mistake?"

Li Xiulan immediately grew worried and hurriedly asked.

As the saying goes: a son travels a thousand miles and his mother worries. She feared her eldest son had done something wrong and been fired.

"I didn't make a mistake, Mom, don't worry. I resigned on my own initiative. I'm thinking of starting a real estate agency later — real estate brokerage makes good money now — so I went into real estate sales first to learn the market."

Wang Dashan answered truthfully.

"You want to start your own business? Entrepreneurship carries big risk. We ordinary folk are better off working honestly for a wage — just afraid you'll lose money."

Li Xiulan grew even more worried.

She didn't know much, only that many who start businesses end up losing money, even going bankrupt and drowning in debt.

Better to work for someone else — though the income is less, it wins on stability.

Wang Dashan hurriedly reassured her:

"Mom, you really don't need to worry about me. Later two friends will invest for me, I won't have to put in much money myself, I won't lose out."

Li Xiulan, however, said:

"Those two friends of yours — could they be scammers?"

Wang Dashan was a bit at a loss whether to cry or laugh:

"They're both my good friends, they wouldn't scam me."

Li Xiulan still wasn't reassured.

Not just her — Wang Zhanggen listening nearby also couldn't help but want to say a couple of lines.

"Let me say a few words to him." Wang Changgen took the mobile phone from Li Xiulan's hand, then said sternly:

"Wang Dashan, you've only been out working for half a year, don't think you can become a fat person in one bite, you have to work steadily and practically! Back then Wang Erhai was cheated into doing a pyramid scheme, and he didn't think the person cheating him was a cheater either! In my opinion, those two friends of yours, nine out of ten are unreliable, listen to me, don't think about entrepreneurship for now, work for three to five years first, then think about entrepreneurship, I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice, I won't harm you!"

Wang Changgen's tone was very strict, and moreover condescending.

He felt he was very qualified to guide Wang Dashan, after all he was Wang Dashan's father, and moreover an experienced person.

In terms of entrepreneurship, he indeed had more experience than Wang Dashan.

Thinking back to those years, he worked in the city, actually made a lot of money, but later went into business partnership with friends, resulting in losing everything, and finally during Spring Festival, could only return home empty-handed.

This matter he has kept hidden from Li Xiulan to this day, didn't tell Li Xiulan, because he felt saying it out would be very shameful.

"Dad, I have my own sense of proportion, you don't need to worry about me."

Wang Dashan felt some displeasure in his heart, he didn't want to quarrel with Wang Changgen, so hurriedly changed the subject:

"Speaking of which, how has Third Brother been recently? Today is Saturday, did he come home?"

Wang Changgen was somewhat depressed, but couldn't continue speaking, could only say:

"He's back, currently studying in the room, do you want to speak with him?"

"Mm-hmm, you give the phone to him."

Wang Changgen gave the mobile phone to Li Xiulan, then said:

"You go tell Xiao Hua, his big brother called back, wants to chat with him."

Wang Changgen didn't personally go hand the mobile phone to Wang Xiaohua, because now Wang Xiaohua almost doesn't speak with him anymore, when Wang Xiaohua faces this father of his, he's silent like a stone.

And he Wang Changgen, to maintain his dignity as a father, also never takes the initiative to lower himself to curry favor with Wang Xiaohua.

Actually in his heart towards Wang Xiaohua there's a strand of resentment, if it weren't for Wang Xiaohua studying very well, giving him face, with Wang Xiaohua's attitude towards him, he would have beaten Wang Xiaohua long ago.

Wang Xiaohua towards Wang Changgen is extremely contemptuous, extremely looking down on him.

Don't know if it's because of adolescent rebellion reasons, or other reasons, anyway Wang Xiaohua just isn't willing to speak with Wang Changgen.

Now the school almost every week has to have supplementary classes, only one day off a month, if it weren't for wanting to come back to see his mother, Wang Xiaohua might not come back once a month.

In his growing up process, it was all his mother giving him help, while his father in the vast majority of time, was playing the role of a harm-doer.

Wang Xiaohua's attitude towards Wang Changgen, one can only say it also counts as a kind of karma.

Actually not only Wang Xiaohua, Wang Dashan and Wang Erhai, towards this father Wang Changgen, are also very estranged.

Li Xiulan holding the mobile phone, came to the room door, knocked on the door:

"Xiao Hua, your big brother called back, he wants to say a couple sentences to you."

"Okay, got it! I'm coming right now!"

From the room came Wang Xiaohua's voice that had already shed its childishness.

The room door opened, but it was a little dwarf.

His height still only one meter six and a bit, even a bit shorter than his mother.

Looking at this appearance, he estimates he probably won't grow taller anymore.

Wang Xiaohua once because of height matters was very inferior, even once wanted to go to the hospital to inject growth hormone, but considering the expensive medical expenses, plus his own family's economic situation, forced him to give up this idea.

Now he has already gradually accepted this cruel reality, wholeheartedly devoting himself to study, hoping through study to compensate for his height shortcomings.

Just last month, the city-wide mock exam, he even tested into grade second place, total score reached 640-plus points, even better than his previous scores.