Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2546 Encounters Between People (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

Winters in Shanghai are very cold.

For Lin Weiguo, who was used to the winters in Xishuangbanna, he felt like he was about to freeze as soon as he got off the train.

Cold, really cold.

He was only wearing a coat and a sweater. Right now, all he wanted was to get home as quickly as possible, to wrap himself in a cotton coat or a quilt, anything to warm himself up.

10 years!

After ten years of working in the rubber forests of southwestern China, I finally returned home.

Pushing open the wooden door, a smell of mustiness mixed with the odor of old books and newspapers hit me.

The house was far more cramped than I had imagined—a single room was separated from the living room by curtains, and on one side of the living room was a single bed and a chipped wooden cabinet.

Upon seeing the bed, Lin Weiguo instinctively understood. This was where he would be living from now on.

"Wei Guo, you're finally back!"

His mother hurried over, her face beaming with an undisguised smile. She reached out to help him with his luggage, but he stopped her.

"Mom, I can do it myself."

Although he was cold, his heart warmed the moment he saw his mother.

"Why is it so thin? Quickly put your dad's coat on."

Seeing her son dressed so thinly, the mother quickly went inside and brought out a green military overcoat, which she then draped over her son's shoulders.

Only after the child put on his coat did the mother look at him intently, at her son whom she hadn't seen for ten years, then sighed and said:

“Your dad’s policies were reinstated not long ago, and the house we used to live in has already been allocated to someone else. Just squeeze in here for now, things will get better eventually.”

"I just got back, I'm just glad to have a place to stay."

Lin Weiguo nodded and asked:
"By the way, where's Dad?"

"At school."

Mother brought over a cup of tea and said:
“Now I’m completely focused on teaching, I wish I could live at the school, I just want to make up for all the lessons I’ve missed over the past ten years. But I specifically told the school I was coming back early today, and your dad said he’ll definitely give you a welcome-back party.”

As night fell, the sounds of doors closing and voices rising and falling echoed from the dormitory. Just as Lin Weiguo was helping his mother tidy up the table, the door suddenly opened and his father, Professor Lin, walked in. He was carrying two oil paper packages and clutching a glass bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor), his face beaming with barely concealed excitement.

"dad."

Lin Weiguo stood up, his throat tightening. This call spanned more than a decade and thousands of miles.

Professor Lin's gaze lingered on his son for a long time.

When he left home, his child was in junior high school, but what about now?

He had grown into a tall, strong man with dark skin; he was already an adult.

Looking at his son, whom he hadn't seen for over a decade, his eyes instantly reddened, his Adam's apple bobbed, and after a long pause, he nodded emphatically.
"It's good to be back! Go wash your hands quickly. I bought your favorite braised beef and braised duck. Let's have a good drink together today."

The food was quickly laid out on the table, the aroma of braised dishes filling the air, and fine bubbles rose to the surface of the white wine poured into the bowls. Professor Lin placed a large piece of meat in his son's bowl and asked:

"How have you been doing in the southwest these past few years? The work in the rubber plantations must have been very tough."

When Professor Lin was studying abroad, he visited a settlement. Although there were machines everywhere used to reclaim wasteland, the work was not easy.

Lin Weiguo chewed on the meat, shook his head, and said in a flat tone:
"It's alright, we're used to it. Everyone does it that way, so it doesn't feel too hard."

He spoke lightly, deliberately avoiding everything. He didn't want his parents to worry about him anymore. What would be the point of telling them all about the suffering he had endured?

Professor Lin looked at his son's feigned ease and felt a pang in his heart. He knew all too well how much hardship lay behind the word "it's alright."

Just like when he first came back, when his wife asked him, he simply said, "I'm alright."

My son has really grown up now!
After a few rounds of drinks, Professor Lin put down his chopsticks and looked at him intently:
"Weiguo, things are settled now that you're back. What are your plans now? Are you going to take the college entrance exam, or do you want to find a job?"

Lin Weiguo picked up the wine bowl and took a sip. The cheap liquor, which cost only a few cents a pound, was very spicy, making his throat feel tight.

“Dad, I didn’t finish high school properly. Back then, everything was chaotic, and I’ve completely lost track of my studies. I haven’t touched a book in the last ten years, and I’m afraid I can’t catch up now.”

His tone carried a hint of self-deprecation, as well as a touch of helplessness.

Professor Lin nodded, offering no rebuttal. He knew his son was telling the truth; the college entrance exam had only been reinstated for two years, the competition was fierce, and after so many years of neglect, passing was indeed difficult. But seeing the confusion in his son's eyes, he couldn't help but say:

"It's difficult, but you have a good foundation. Especially in science and English, you're better than many people. And your mom is a high school teacher, so we can help you with tutoring. How about we try again this year? How will we know it won't work if we don't try?"

Lin Weiguo remained silent. How could it be so easy?
Seeing her son remain silent, the mother interjected:
"Old Lin, don't you have a lot of classmates in SEA? Back when you were studying there, many of those friends are now big shots. Do you think you can find a way to let Weiguo study abroad? I heard that many of those who went to SEA to study with the help of relatives and sponsors didn't even take the college entrance exam. It seems that you can get into the universities there as long as you pay tuition."

"Don't listen to their nonsense. It's not that lenient. Nanyang University is a world-class university that has produced many Nobel laureates."

Although he verbally refuted his wife, her suggestion gave Professor Lin a sudden inspiration. He pondered for a moment, then nodded and said:

"However, this is one way. Many of those classmates are now teaching at universities, and they might be able to help."

If they're willing to help, it's not impossible to do this.

But then he shook his head, looked at Lin Weiguo, and said:

"However, you need a foundation to study abroad. You need to pass the language barrier and also improve your professional knowledge. So you still need to pick up your studies first, that's the key."

Otherwise, even if we find someone, if they can't keep up with their studies, there's nothing we can do.

"Ok, I know."

Lin Weiguo looked at his father with great joy. He hadn't expected such a surprise to await him after returning home.

Perhaps out of excitement, he picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Although the alcohol was very strong, he was in a good mood.

Lin Weiguo tossed and turned in bed last night but couldn't fall asleep.

At that moment, he wasn't thinking that his ten-year experience as a sent-down youth had ended.

It is a new beginning in life.

Study abroad!

Is there really a chance to go abroad?
Is there a chance to go to SEA?

Actually, that day on the train, when I heard Shen Jiaming say that he was from SEA...

He was simply moved.

Because that's where my father studied, where he went to university. Later, he overcame numerous obstacles and returned to China to contribute to the country's development.

At that time, for him as a young boy, SEA was just a distant term, a foreign country that had once prevented his father from returning.

It was reactionary, it was dark, it was... in short, it was not a good place.

However, people's perceptions are always changing.

Now, he also has the opportunity to study there.

Thinking of this, Lin Weiguo was naturally excited.

"If I ever have the chance to see Shen Jiaming again, I'll definitely ask him for his address. Maybe I can help him out when I go to SEA in the future."

He thought this because his father, after getting drunk, mentioned some of his classmates and alumni. His classmates included university professors and university presidents, and among his alumni were even Nobel laureates.

What is the Nobel Prize?

According to my father, it is the highest award in the world.

Anyway, all the people my father knew over there were important figures.

Therefore, with their help, there will definitely be no problem going abroad to study.

In other words, studying abroad is basically a done deal.

"I wonder if Shen Jiaming will come here?"

When Lin Weiguo thought of Shen Jiaming, his feelings became somewhat complicated. Even on the train, he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if his father hadn't come back back then.

Shen Jiaming's father was just a worker in a forest farm, but what kind of life did the other party live?
He didn't need to think about work or anything else, and just wandered around the world... Not only that, he even went to university.

Everything seemed unbelievable to Lin Weiguo, and just thinking about it made him feel extremely complicated.

"He's just the son of a forestry worker..."

Once again, Lin Weiguo's mind was filled with the other person's bright smile.

-

That day, after the train crossed the Yangtze River Bridge, Shen Jiaming went to the carriage to say goodbye to Lin Weidong and the others. Afterwards, he made a promise to visit them in Shanghai when he had time. The train continued to leave the station, and Shen Jiaming began his journey to Nanjing.

However, unlike the relaxed state he was in when he first entered the country a month ago, he did not focus on traveling in Nanjing as he used to, but instead conducted market research.

Actually, I just wanted to find out if there were any instant noodles on the market. Although everyone on the train looked like they had never seen instant noodles before, who knew if there were any here?

Surprisingly, he actually found instant noodles in the market.

"They're actually making instant noodles here?"

Looking at the "Happy Egg Instant Noodles" package from Shanghai in his hand, Shen Jiaming was surprised, but it was also expected. After all, it was just noodles.

There's no advanced technology involved; it's just deep-fried dough, which was invented by a SEA company more than 30 years ago.

Later, instant noodles spread throughout East Asia, including Hong Kong Island.

So it's not surprising that it got here.

However, after Shen Jiaming tasted the locally produced "Happy Egg Instant Noodles," his brows furrowed.

"It's only natural that something like this won't sell."

The reason for this is that Shen Jiaming spent two whole days looking for instant noodles, because they were not selling well, and only a few stores in Jinling had some in stock.

He knew why after just a little taste.

Instant noodles are just a noodle cake with a packet of pepper or other powder. When you cook them, the broth is watery and the noodles have no elasticity at all, and the taste is also very poor.

Although the noodles tasted terrible, he still forced himself to finish them, just to remember the taste and to contrast with the surprise and delight of the people on the train when they ate instant noodles.

"In other words, this business does have a fairly large market... All we need to do is bring in domestic products."

sEA has many kinds of instant noodles, but in Shen Jiaming's opinion, even the worst-tasting instant noodles are better than the ones here. Not only are the noodles more chewy, but the soup tastes better.

That's why people on the train are drawn to a packet of instant noodles by its aroma.

This seemingly unremarkable packet of instant noodles might just bring endless business opportunities.

(End of this chapter)