The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

Chapter 74 Longhu Mountain

Chen Pingsheng did not stay in the car that night.

With his financial situation, he needs to be booked to stay in a five-star hotel when he goes out to play.

After a pleasant day in the ancient town, they had breakfast the next morning and then headed from Shijiazhuang to Dengfeng.

This is both the way home and the way on the journey.

The entire route is over 400 kilometers long and takes about four hours to drive.

The Bosu car travels smoothly and comfortably on the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway.

Sitting in the second row, Song Yanxi stopped looking at Tong Jiaqian and, like Lao Chen, started listening to the popular campus music from those years.

In those years, Jay Chou dominated an era.

Furthermore, there are the three giants of QQ: Xu Song, Wang Sulong, and Xu Liang.

Think back to the past.

Wearing a flamboyant, "emo" style outfit, I listened to the "Spark" music and played Audition Online in an internet cafe.

Handsome and dashing.

"Brother, you play the guitar pretty well."

Chen Qi sat in the passenger seat. He planned to let her drive halfway through the journey, as they were heading to the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song in Dengfeng.

Famous scenic spots and historical sites.

"No, that's not good anymore. The old days were really good."

"Dad, I want to learn to play the guitar too."

Chen An'an stood up to join in the fun, but Chen Pingsheng didn't hesitate to retort, "I'd believe you if you were just fluffing cotton."

Hmph ╭(╯^╰)╮, Chen An'an obediently sat down again.

She doesn't know how to fluff cotton. "Dad, I saw something I liked on my phone, but Mom won't buy it for me."

"What is it?" Chen Pingsheng asked her.

Song Yanxi lifted her little ear and said, "You have the nerve to say that? She wants to spend two thousand to buy a pair of floral underwear for the little tree at home."

"You..."

Chen Pingsheng really wanted to say, "Is the only way I make money to give you some useless consumption?"

The child should be guided and taught patiently and gradually.

“An’an, it’s right that your mom didn’t buy you anything. Look how you’ve decorated the little tree at home. Can’t you buy something useful?”

"What's useful?"

You've stumped us.

One question stumped him; Chen An'an's mind was always wandering.

When he arrived at Shaolin Temple, he absolutely had to have his fortune told.

We'll see when this little guy can do something meaningful.

Shaolin Temple on Mount Song is a 5A-level scenic area, a world-class geological park, and the central peak of the Five Sacred Mountains.

Actually, the most famous attractions on Mount Song are the Star Observation Platform, Songyue Temple Pagoda, Fawang Temple, and the Seventy-Two Unique Skills.

Just like in the ancient town scenic area, there are many performances here in the evening.

Note: Examples include martial arts competitions among monks.

After Chen Pingsheng drove here, he immediately went hiking with his family.

Along the way, there are also many fortune tellers dressed as experts, setting up stalls to tell fortunes.

Don't underestimate these people; their income is shockingly high.

It's a business with no initial investment; you make money entirely by talking.

Chen Pingsheng found an old man with the most dignified demeanor, and at the entrance of Shaolin Temple, he actually struck a pose like a Wudang Taoist.

This can be considered differentiated marketing.

The Taoist priest did not look at the birth chart or ask questions; instead, he focused intently on feeling the bones.

"Expensive, expensive, it's unbelievably expensive."

After touching him for about ten seconds, the old Taoist priest started shaking his head.

Chen Pingsheng asked him, "How expensive is it?"

The old Taoist pointed to the ground, and Chen Pingsheng turned to look. Good heavens!

For those with inferior fates, a fortune telling only costs ten yuan.

What bastard would admit to having a lowly fate?

A person with a moderate fate can have their fortune told for 100 yuan.

Not many people calculate this every day.

The most common one is still the one mentioned above: a superior fate, but stealing heavenly secrets shortens one's lifespan.

Is a fee of 800 reasonable?

As for the one at the very top, it means accumulating merit over three lifetimes to unlock one's destiny in this lifetime.

Charging you three thousand isn't too much, is it?
To put it simply, if the old Taoist priest doesn't set a price, and you're too embarrassed to admit you're just a lowly person, then you should give him ten dollars.

If you're not willing to accept your fate, then go for 100; if your ambitions are even higher, then go for 800.

I feel like the coolest guy in the crowd. I'll leave you with 3,000 yuan. Who else would I rip off if not you?

When it comes to fortune telling, if you ask whether there's anyone who can truly foresee even a sliver of heavenly secrets, then absolutely yes.

Chinese culture is profound and extensive, so it's normal to have some extraordinary people and events.

However, such people are extremely rare. Most of them have only a superficial understanding of the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams, and they only speak with a half-baked knowledge.

The main theme is that you have to guess the secrets of heaven yourself.

If he guesses right, he's brilliant; if he guesses wrong, it's no big deal.

Chen Pingsheng laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist, you've really mastered the art of marketing."

"No, no, Shakyamuni once said that money is the root of all evil. If I don't go to hell, who will?"

Just kidding, do you think it's easy for me to pretend to be a master in this freezing weather?
What's the point of coming out if you're not going to make money?

"Haha, that's quite sincere."

Chen Pingsheng paid him three thousand yuan; anyone with money could see through this little trick.

The reason people are still willing to pay is simply to buy peace of mind.

Wouldn't it be delightful to hear an old Taoist priest boast about his own splendid theories?

After receiving the money, the old Taoist priest immediately reorganized his words, focusing on making the customer happy and ensuring he earned a good profit.

To be honest, fortune tellers are also called feng shui masters in Hong Kong.

Top-tier feng shui masters hold extremely high status in Hong Kong, not to mention their substantial income.

A famous star-rated hotel hired a Hong Kong feng shui master to inspect the premises before its opening; the master simply walked around the hotel.

Then draw a circle, and open a small door next to the main door.

The fee is 1200 million, and it's based on a true story.

This shows just how outrageous their income is.

Chen An'an also wanted to calculate. Chen Pingsheng had spent eight hundred yuan on her, but the little one was still a bit dissatisfied. She wanted to spend five thousand to buy a noble life.

She didn't get her precious life, and Chen Pingsheng beat her so badly she screamed.

You want to be better than me? You think you're so great?
Xiao An'an stopped making a fuss. They had a proper purpose for coming here: to learn the 72 Shaolin Arts.

She had already made up her mind: she would learn the legendary Iron Head Kung Fu.

If possible, it would be best to learn the Five Poison Hand technique as well.

She imagined that from now on she could dominate the martial arts world and become a legendary master.

That was absolutely amazing!

Shaolin Temple knows how to make money; it has opened its own martial arts academy.

Many kung fu stars learned here from a young age.

That's why their martial arts movies are so popular.

That won't work now. Those young male actors who film martial arts movies can only throw out a series of smooth, haphazard punches if they don't rely on slow motion.

The martial arts dramas that were so popular in their era have gradually faded away.

Chen An'an actually went up to learn boxing, and that's Chen Pingsheng's evaluation of her.

A master doesn't need to learn; the Butt Fist is self-taught.

Just look at her fat buttocks, moving her limbs wildly as she goes.

He practiced for a while, huffing and puffing.

"Dad, I feel like my head is already very hard, you should try it."

Try it and it'll be gone.

A second later, Chen An'an froze, then burst into tears.

She ran to her mother's arms for comfort.

It's all fake; Iron Head Kung Fu isn't hard at all.

Chen An'an was all talk and no action; after being beaten and crying, he switched to learning the Five Poison Hand technique.

She even slapped her father's butt.

Xiao An'an giggled, and Chen Pingsheng slapped her so hard she cried.

The adult version is the real Five Poison Palm; while its effects aren't strong, it can still make you cry.

Chen An'an felt utterly hopeless.

He changed direction and went to learn the Wind God Kick from someone, the kind that sends you flying with one kick.

At this age, raising a daughter is still very enjoyable, even though she can be quite mischievous at times.

More often than not, she is still her parents' little darling.

Chen Pingsheng spent two days playing in Songshan before setting off for his next stop, the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang.

Just before setting off, we met two female college students hitchhiking on a budget.

Budget travel means traveling without much money, and having fun along the way.

Many people see this as a fun and challenging aspect of life, but there's a different perspective for many others.

I slept and played along the way.

In other words, the so-called pursuit of spiritual enlightenment is just a euphemism; most of the time it's just about hitching a ride with the drivers, sleeping with them, and then buying them a few meals. Long-distance drivers in places like XZ encounter this the most.

Society has become more open, and people's minds have been liberated.

Having multiple boyfriends and having abortions before marriage are common occurrences.

Song Yanxi also invited them onto the bus, mainly because she was attracted by their story of traveling on a budget.

These two girls have been planning spontaneous trips since high school, without any specific destination in mind, going wherever they end up.

Anyway, my goal is to travel all over most of China.

They only made up their minds to take this step when graduation was approaching. Each of them carried 1,000 yuan and planned to walk from south to north in 30 days.

In tribute to the soon-to-be-gone university days.

If there's one regret Song Yanxi has, it's that she didn't go to university.

Actually, this isn't just her regret; many people have it too. Skipping high school and going straight to university would have been perfect.

University is the youth of countless people.

It is also the most important chapter.

These two girls simply wanted to give their college life a perfect ending.

They met while having breakfast together.

"I really envy you, being able to leave such an important chapter in your lives."

You envy them, and they envy you.

Song Yanxi is only 26, not much older than them.

"Sister Yanxi, we just want to give our past selves an explanation before entering society."

It is said that a person is actually divided into several stages from the moment he is born.

Elementary school, middle school, high school, and university before entering society.

After graduating from university, one immediately enters the workplace, gets promoted and receives a raise, and then gets married and has children.

As for the second half of my life, I mostly live for my children.

Guan Xiu was like that. Before she turned twenty, she was taught the most that she should study hard so that she could be successful when she grew up.

Being able to take a spontaneous trip these days is a small act of rebellion.

"College life must be wonderful, right?"

"Of course, the first two years of university are actually okay. By the third year, you have to start doing internships, and the fourth year is even worse. You have to go everywhere to find jobs, submit resumes, and look for internship opportunities."

"All this busy work is for a little bit of loose change."

Chen Pingsheng, in a pretentious manner, blurted out a famous quote about life.

Coupled with his dashing appearance as he drives a computer with one hand, he really looks like a boss's driver.

"Uncle, is the only purpose of life to make money?"

I finally met such a down-to-earth and unpretentious big shot, I'd feel like I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't ask him a few questions.

"Of course not."

Chen Pingsheng said with a smile, "Take us men as an example. Life actually has two stages: before marriage and after marriage."

"It doesn't matter how much fun a man can have before marriage, but once he's married, he's only allowed to have one interest: making money."

"Because it's a responsibility."

“You women are different. A woman’s life actually consists of two stages: before having children and after having children.”

"Before having a child, a woman actually has many choices, and the most important choice is to choose the right man."

"It's different after having a child. Whether you choose to be a stay-at-home mom or a successful career woman depends on how you want to live your life."

"To put it bluntly, women don't need to shoulder family responsibilities; they just need to choose a good man to live a good life."

This is probably the biggest difference between men and women.

Guan Xiu often heard this kind of talk: it's better to marry well than to do well.

The topic has strayed a bit too far, and Chen Pingsheng can hardly be considered a qualified mentor in life.

He simply felt that women could live a less stressful life.

As for those who don't earn money, raise a child, and still complain all the time, that's absolutely pretentious.

"Uncle, what are your life goals?" College students are all a bit idealistic, and Guan Xiu is no exception.

I always thought that a person should have a great ideal in life.

Heaven help me, from the very beginning, Chen Pingsheng's only thought was to give his wife and children a good life.

At least the majority of people in society hold this view.

It's a pity that college students can't understand it.

Just like his sister-in-law relentlessly criticized him back then, how could he truly understand the wickedness of society without experiencing its harsh realities?

"My ideal."

Chen Pingsheng said with a smile, "My wife just said that she probably has no hope of going to university, but I can still build a university for her and let her be the principal's wife."

Guan Xiu asked in surprise, "Uncle, you can even run a university?"

"Of course you can. Universities aren't some sacred place; they're just places for teaching and nurturing people."

Chen Pingsheng said, "Have you ever heard the saying that poor people's children have three treasures: cook, hairdresser, and car mechanic?"

"Most children from rural families are learning these three things, and I want to start a culinary university in the future."

He actually had higher goals, but there was no need to discuss them with these college students.

He wants to open a beauty academy, and he also wants to open a culinary academy.

Beauty is a women's academy, but the chef is a man.

In the future, I'll open my own marriage agency, introduce people to each other, and I won't need to go out to solicit business.

He's a real money-making genius.

He's definitely a big shot. Guan Xiu thought he was about the same level as them when they had breakfast earlier.

They were also traveling on a budget; you'll find out once you get on the bus.

They're just here to enjoy life.

These are completely different concepts; enjoying life means not being bothered by any economic problems.

The point of going out to have fun is to have a good time.

They're different; they consider price in everything they do.

Food and lodging are both problems.

……

Next stop: Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang.

A national 5A-level scenic spot, one of the three major grottoes in China, with a long history.

Its excavation spanned multiple eras, and in addition to Buddha statues, it preserves a wealth of religious, artistic, and architectural materials.

It can be said that the Longmen Grottoes are a large-scale museum of stone carving art.

People tend to embrace Buddhism as they get older, simply seeking peace of mind.

Bo Su set off and finally arrived at this Buddhist holy site from Shaolin Temple after several hours.

Chen An'an was restless and started speeding as soon as she arrived.

It was as if she was afraid others wouldn't know she was an unparalleled master.

The main attraction here is appreciating ancient stone carvings. Those who like them will absolutely love them, while those who don't will find them boring after a few hours.

After looking around and picking out a bunch of useless things, Chen An'an and his family stayed there for a day before setting off for Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi, the birthplace of Taoism.

The natural scenery here is beautiful, and there is also the mystery of the cliff cave that has been unsolved for thousands of years.

It can be described as extremely mysterious.

As the sun set, Chen Pingsheng and his family rented a boat and sailed up the lake. He suddenly realized that many martial arts dramas and fantasy dramas were filmed here.

The scenery is stunning.

Even Chen An'an, faced with this picturesque scenery, suddenly lost herself and even said with her hands behind her back, "Dad, I want to recite a poem."

"You can even recite poetry?" Chen Pingsheng was a little surprised.

If you don't listen to what she says next, you'll really feel like she's channeling Li Bai. After listening to her poems, you'll realize that she never disappoints when it comes to scholarship.

"White moonlight shines before my bed, like mulberry leaves on the ground..."

She shook her head, unable to recall the next line, until Guan Xiu reminded her.

Suddenly, Xiao An'an had an epiphany and stopped reciting poetry.

"Dad, can we build a big house here?"

Building a house on Longhu Mountain, are you trying to become an immortal?

From now on, I can't call you my daughter anymore; I have to call you my fellow Daoist.

Chen Pingsheng: "Building a big house is definitely out of the question, but buying a mountain here with you and becoming the king of the mountain is still a possibility!"

Xiao An'an's eyes lit up. "You can do that?"

Song Yanxi went over and woke her up. The little one likes to daydream all day long. If she is given a little more space, she is afraid she will go and discuss addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with Zhang Daoling.

"Stop overthinking it. Let's talk about it when you get into the top ten in your class."

"She really wasn't overthinking things this time."

Chen Pingsheng really liked this place. Looking at the cliffs on both sides of the lake, he said, "When we get old, building a house in a place like this to watch the wild geese fly south and experience the sunset would be a wonderful thing."

"Even you're starting to overthink things."

Song Yanxi rolled her eyes at the father and daughter, but Chen Pingsheng said, "How can this be nonsense? Aren't bed and breakfasts very popular now? They're those houses built on mountains. Others can use them for business, so we can use them to make a home for ourselves. It's just a little more expensive."

Bed and breakfasts can increase tourism revenue, but private residences cannot.

The only way to get approval is with stacks of thick banknotes.

This can be considered as him planning ahead for his retirement.

Longhu Mountain is truly beautiful, just like Zhangjiajie in Yunnan Province; it's a must-visit destination in one's lifetime.

Not only did they go boating on the lake, but they also went to Shangqing Temple together the next day.

The Taoist priests here are much more respectable than those at Shaolin Temple; they are genuinely learned.

The saying "Buddhists in prosperous times, Taoists descending the mountain in chaotic times" is not without merit.

(End of this chapter)