Era: Rise from the Wilderness

In this era, it was a typical "tube-shaped building" where eating, entertaining guests, and sleeping all took place in the master bedroom, which was only a dozen square meters.

A folding round table, when unfolded, takes up most of the space.

"Mom, sit down and rest for a while."

He carefully set out three sets of bowls and chopsticks, and first served his mother a full bowl of rice.

He Ling took off her apron and sat down suspiciously: "Li Yunjing, tell me honestly, have you gotten into trouble again?"

A wise child is better than his mother.

My son is no pushover!

Boys are all like this these days.

His sudden display of maturity today made her uneasy.

Did you accidentally hurt someone's child?

Wait a minute, what if their parents come knocking on our door?

"Mom, don't worry."

Hearing his mother's words, Li Yunjing couldn't help but roll his eyes. Was he really the kind of kid who would fight and brawl?

"No fighting, no trouble."

After a pause, Li Yunjing said sincerely, "I just feel that you and Dad have worked too hard."

He Ling wanted to ask more questions, but then she heard the sound of a key turning in the lock outside the door, followed by her father Li Hongfeng's slightly tired voice: "You're back."

"Dad, wash your hands and eat!"

Li Yunjing quickly went to meet him and took the black leather bag with the factory logo printed on it.

Li Hongfeng was in his prime, tall and straight, wearing a neat white shirt, and exuding the confidence of a state-owned enterprise procurement officer.

"Why are you being so well-behaved today?"

He looked at his eager son and chuckled, "You've run out of pocket money again?"

In his parents' eyes, even though Li Yunjing is eighteen years old, he is still a child who will never grow up!

"No way, Dad!"

Li Yunjing forced a smile, but a pang of sadness welled up inside him.

This is the father he remembers, the pillar of the family.

But he knew that in a few years, with the reform of state-owned enterprises, the procurement department would lose its former glory, and his father would lose much of his vigor through life.

The family of three sat around a round table.

Two dishes, one meat and one vegetable, in generous portions, were the standard for working-class families in those days.

He Ling kept putting shredded meat on her son's plate, while Li Hongfeng ate his rice and kept nagging about things at the factory: the workshop's workload was heavy, the leaders were going to inspect, and the purchasing department was busy scrambling for raw materials...

Li Yun listened quietly, savoring the long-lost taste of home.

This stability will face enormous challenges in the future.

He had to do something.

"Dad, Mom, there's something I'd like to discuss."

While his father was drinking water and catching his breath, Li Yunjing put down his chopsticks and sat up straight.

Li Hongfeng casually hummed in response, not paying much attention.

In the eyes of parents, what serious things can a teenager say?

"Dad, you're well-informed, you should know that No. 25 Middle School and its affiliated middle school have merged, right?"

"I heard that the school store's contract is expiring and will be re-contracted."

Li Yunjing cleared his throat. "How about our family takes over the contract?"

These words immediately caused a subtle shift in the atmosphere at the dinner table.

No one expected that what Li Yunjing was talking about would be this!

Li Hongfeng and He Ling exchanged a knowing glance, their eyes clearly conveying "Just as I expected" and "What a childish fantasy."

They all took their son's words as a joke on a whim, or that the child was just craving something and wanted to find an excuse to set up a "snack station" at home.

Even now, the two still haven't realized the deeper meaning behind these words!

The times have made people simple!

"Oh, I've heard about that."

Li Hongfeng picked up a bean sprout with his chopsticks and said casually, "What? You've already graduated and you're still thinking about snacks?"

"You're thinking of opening your own little shop so you can pick it up anytime, right?"

His tone carried a hint of knowing mockery, "Let me tell you, once you get your university acceptance letter, focus on your studies. These things aren't for you to worry about."

"Exactly! Exactly!"

He Ling immediately chimed in, speaking in a coaxing tone, "Once you receive your university acceptance letter, go to the big city and study hard. Then you can come back to the factory and become a leader!"

Li Yunjing was anxious because her parents' completely indifferent attitude was making her anxious.

By the time he graduates from university, the factory will be laying off workers!

Besides, what university could he possibly go to? Li Yunjing clearly remembered that he didn't do well on the exam this year and was already thinking about retaking it.

Where is the outcome that parents hoped for?

However, persuading parents is not an easy task.

The most insurmountable obstacles to a plan are age and trust.

Even if an 18-year-old child's words make sense in the eyes of adults, they are easily dismissed as childish ramblings.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Impatience won't solve the problem; you must persuade them with facts and logic.

This opportunity may only come once. If we don't take it seriously this time, we'll regret it when the convenience store is taken over by someone else.

"Dad, Mom, I'm not joking, and I'm not just greedy."

He put down his chopsticks again, his expression unusually serious, and looked at his parents with unwavering eyes: "I'm discussing something very seriously with you that concerns the future of our family!"

Seeing their son suddenly become so serious, unlike his usual playful self, Li Hongfeng and He Ling couldn't help but suppress their smiles and scrutinize him with a hint of curiosity.

"Oh ho? You're serious?"

Li Hongfeng raised an eyebrow. "Alright, then tell us. Your mother and I want to hear what kind of 'development plan' you can come up with in your little head."

He Ling nodded, her attitude noticeably more serious: "Okay, go ahead, Mom's listening."

Li Yunjing knew that the crucial moment had arrived.

He organized his thoughts and clearly and methodically articulated the statement that he had already reviewed countless times in his mind.

Instead of directly stating how much money the convenience store made, he started with the most basic data analysis.

"Dad, Mom, let me do some math first."

Li Yunjing's voice was not loud, but exceptionally clear: "The newly merged school, No. 25 Middle School, originally had three grades of high school, with six classes in each grade, for a total of 18 classes."

"If each class has 50 students, then there will be 900 students in the high school section."

He paused, observing his parents' reactions.

Li Hongfeng nodded slightly, and He Ling looked thoughtful.

"Let's take a look at the affiliated secondary schools!"

Li Yunjing continued, "There are 3 grades, 5 classes in each grade, for a total of 15 classes. Each class has a conservative estimate of 40 students, so the middle school section will have at least 600 students."

"After the merger of the two schools, the total number of students will be 1500!"

"This is a very large number!"

Li Hongfeng interjected, "There are a lot of students, but what does that have to do with opening a convenience store? Not every student buys things every day."

"Dad, you've hit the nail on the head!"

Li Yunjing immediately picked up the conversation: "This is the second thing I need to calculate: consumption potential."

"We don't need every student to spend money every day."

"Even by the most conservative estimate, only one-tenth of the students spend money at the convenience store every day, which is 150 people."

"Isn't that a bit much?"

"Which child can resist buying pencils, erasers, snacks, and soda?"