Chapter 922: 918. Little Thoughts (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

Around 11:30, Professor Zheng and his wife arrived at Zhang Ran's home once again.

It was the wife's first time visiting Zhang Ran's home; whenever they had met before, it was always when Zhang Ran went to visit Qian Zhengkun and his wife, and she just happened to be there.

Seeing where Zhang Ran lived, the wife said in some astonishment: "If you hadn't brought me here, I truly wouldn't dare believe that the richest person in the country actually lives in this place; it's no different from an ordinary family's home at all."

Professor Zheng laughed: "A mountain need not be high; it is famous if there is a spirit. A lake need not be deep; it is magical if there is a dragon."

"From what I know, Zhang Ran is not a person who enjoys extravagant luxury, and at his level, what kind of enjoyment could he not have? It's just that he prefers this kind of life."

"Actually, if you think about it carefully, you can understand. If you were made to live in a luxury villa of several thousand square meters, you wouldn't see anyone other than servants every day."

"You probably wouldn't be able to stand such a life for more than a week at most; it's the same for Zhang Ran."

The wife retorted unhappily: "I don't need you to lecture me, and haven't you seen where those wealthy people in the country live?"

"Why can they stand it?"

In this day and age, the luxury villas of some wealthy people have basically been exposed. Of course, most of them might only live there once or twice; their true permanent residences are rarely exposed.

"That's because they have no choice. If they lived in an ordinary residential complex like Zhang Ran, do you believe they would be like monkeys in a zoo, being watched by people every single moment?" Professor Zheng said.

He then added with some disdain: "Besides, those people are nouveau riche; apart from knowing how to enjoy themselves, what else can they do?"

This statement was a bit biased; in reality, for most people, part of it is due to the reason he mentioned above.

A greater principle is that they need this kind of life to package themselves, and at the same time, they don't have the time to enjoy such an ordinary life.

Zhang Ran's life seems simple and seemingly easy to obtain, especially for those wealthy people, since no matter how expensive a house is, they can afford it.

But among those wealthy people on the lists, which one isn't so busy every day that their feet don't touch the ground? Being able to eat a meal at home is considered leisurely, let alone being as relaxed as Zhang Ran is every day.

The two of them arrived at Zhang Ran's door while bickering, and then they saw Zhang Ran sitting in the courtyard, drinking tea with Qian Zhengkun.

Seeing Qian Zhengkun, a warm current surged in Professor Zheng's heart again; he had come to express his gratitude. Clearly, Qian Zhengkun also knew the news.

"Haha, I told you that you old rascal wouldn't make it, waking up so late. Don't brag to me about your drinking capacity next time." Qian Zhengkun laughed as soon as he saw Professor Zheng.

The touch of emotion that had just welled up in Professor Zheng's heart vanished without a trace. "I was up long ago; it's just that that fellow surnamed Wang came to block my door first thing in the morning, so I couldn't arrive before you."

Actually, this was intentional on Qian Zhengkun's part; they were old friends, and if they really said things that would make them tear up, that would only make them feel uncomfortable.

Zhang Ran watched the two of them making a fuss without saying a word, just watching with a smile. In fact, he also envied this kind of situation.

However, he figured that when he grew old, if He Yong was still around, it would probably only be him. After all, they had long since ceased to be like a superior and subordinate; they were more like brothers.

As for the others, even Yin Long felt more awe than anything else toward Zhang Ran.

The two of them argued for a while, and then Professor Zheng looked at Zhang Ran and said: "Mr. Zhang, thank you!"

Zhang Ran waved his hand nonchalantly and said: "No need. To me, it was just a small matter. As long as I could help, don't worry about it."

He really didn't care much about these things.

"It might be a small matter to you, Mr. Zhang, but to me, it is a matter of the utmost importance," Professor Zheng said solemnly.

He didn't let Zhang Ran say any more polite words and gestured to the items in his hand: "I know you aren't short of money, so I brought something else. This is a goose specifically raised in the laboratory."

"The breed and taste are both excellent; it definitely won't disappoint you. Please don't look down on it."

Zhang Ran smiled and said: "I actually really have a craving for this, so I won't stand on ceremony."

After saying this, he called into the house: "Xiao Lu, come here for a moment. Process the goose Professor Zheng brought; we'll eat this for lunch."

Liu Lu walked over, looked at the goose, and smiled: "This is really nice. Dad, Uncle Qian, Uncle Zheng, what flavor would you like to eat?"

"I'm easy, just make it however you like," Zhang Ran said.

Qian Zhengkun and the others also indicated it didn't matter, and then Liu Lu went to prepare it.

Watching Liu Lu handle these things skillfully, Professor Zheng's wife asked curiously: "Mr. Zhang, do you just let Xiao Lu do these things every day?"

It was truly hard to imagine that this was something the daughter-in-law of the richest man should be doing.

If one didn't know better, they would think Zhang Ran didn't value this daughter-in-law.

"Don't let your imagination run wild. Mr. Zhang actually set up a hospital for Xiao Lu just to give her something to do; it's just that Xiao Lu is used to this kind of life."

"Besides, look, how comfortable this life is. If they hired a nanny or something, it would definitely feel a bit awkward," Professor Zheng quickly explained.

Zhang Ran didn't care about this and smiled: "We are all ordinary people; actually, as long as we are happy, that's enough."

"I'm so envious. If my daughter-in-law were willing to cook a meal for me, I don't think there's any hope for that in this lifetime," Professor Zheng's wife sighed.

Zhang Ran was left between laughter and tears; it turned out this was a roundabout way of complimenting their family.

Professor Zheng also realized it, and his old face flushed slightly. His wife's little trick was truly like "wielding a broadsword before Guan Yu" in front of Zhang Ran.

Professor Zheng quickly changed the subject: "By the way, Mr. Zhang, I have retired from the university early. Didn't you say before that you hoped I would go help at your laboratory? Can I go now?"

Zhang Ran looked at him with some surprise. Before Zhang Ran could ask, Professor Zheng explained: "Actually, I don't feel at ease staying at the university. The president doesn't like me, and I can't truly work with peace of mind."

"Moreover, after this incident, I figure that if I stay at the university, even more people will come to me for help, and it's hard to refuse. It's better to retire early."

If he were still working at the university, some things would definitely be hard to handle, but if he were retired, then Professor Zheng could refuse many things without hesitation.

Zhang Ran smiled and said: "I welcome you with both hands. With Professor Zheng joining, I believe the laboratory will definitely be able to achieve excellent results."

Professor Zheng said: "I just hope I can be of some help."