Shen Fang's third uncle, Shen Kuo, took the cigarette that Shen Fang had lit for him and took a satisfying puff.

"I heard from Xiao Yan that you're now a billionaire. I'd be really bragging if you could light a cigarette for me."

The second uncle, Shen Tianci, and the eldest uncle, Shen Tianming, who were standing nearby, also chimed in, "Xiao Fang, you only light cigarettes for the third brother but not for us!"

Shen Fang laughed and lit cigarettes for his two uncles one by one. He certainly couldn't offer cigarettes to his other uncles or maternal uncles.

Shen Tianci looked at the third brother while smoking a cigarette.

"How did you become a billionaire?"

Shen Kuo put his arm around Shen Fang's neck.

"You guys don't know, do you? Our Xiao Fang is incredibly powerful outside now. You know that high-tech internet company, right? I bet you two country bumpkins don't even know that Xiao Fang is a major shareholder in a really powerful chat software company in China. It's listed in Hong Kong, and Xiao Fang's net worth is now over 10 billion. It's even been on the news."

Shen Tianci rolled his eyes: "We country bumpkins? How much better are you? You didn't even finish elementary school, what are you pretending for? You were the worst student in school."

Shen Kuo curled his lips: "I've been keeping up with the times for a long time and have secretly evolved. I'm now proficient in the computer at home. I know everything about Baidu and Tencent. I can type and chat online. People online are saying that China's future lies in the Internet and that China will enter a brand new era. You wouldn't understand if I told you. You should just go be illiterate."

"Third brother, you even know about this?"

Shen Kuo nodded proudly and said, "Of course, you guys don't know how great the Internet is. It has everything. Movies and TV series can be found with a simple search. You don't need to buy DVDs anymore. You can watch whatever you want anytime, anywhere by turning on your computer. You can read novels and watch movies. Oh, by the way, I'm also planning to set up an online store and do business online."

Shen Fang gave a thumbs up: "Third Uncle, you're really trendy, you even know this. You're good, you're good."

Shen Kuo waved his hand: "It's because your sister went to study in the United States, and it's not convenient to make phone calls. So your sister asked me to learn how to send emails to chat with her. At first, I had a lot of trouble with it. It's all about the strokes and radicals. It took me a long time to type a single word. I always carried a Xinhua Dictionary with me to look it up."

Finally, I spent over 2000 yuan to enroll in an adult computer class, and only then did I slowly learn how to type.

"Later, my curiosity was piqued, and I gradually learned what the internet was and what it was used for. I also use your penguin-themed app, it's really fun. I've even spent quite a bit of money on Penguin Farm. Every day I set an alarm to harvest my crops on time. And then there's your new online video call feature, now I can video chat with your sister Xiaoyan for a while every day, it's so convenient. And..."

Shen Kuo and Shen Fang talked a lot about what he had learned in the internet industry, as well as the new things he had come to know. He also talked a lot about how he thought the internet would change his future life. His mouth and face were full of smugness.

The conversation between the two was like listening to gibberish to everyone present.

Shen Fang was amused. Good heavens, an ancient netizen! His third uncle still had this idea. Although his third uncle could only type, chat, send emails, and play games, this was 2003. Many people didn't understand what this was. Before the "Home Appliances to the Countryside" program was widespread, the Internet was still a very mysterious thing in the eyes of ordinary people.

"Third Uncle, I think you should really become a model representative of our village. You're really something. In the future, the Internet will be perfectly integrated with our lives. You've entered the new era ahead of time."

Shen Fang's praise made Shen Kuo feel very proud.

Standing to the side, Shen Tianci and Shen Tianming also decided to immediately install a computer at home to learn about the internet. "Damn it, we're all brothers, why is Shen Laosan so different? It's just the internet, how hard can it be?"

Shen Fang said that the internet is the future trend, and we must also enter a new era.

"However, Uncle, you'll need to relearn Chinese Pinyin and the 26 letters of the English alphabet. In the future, Wubi input method will be phased out of computer keyboards, and the English alphabet will be updated soon. You should learn it in advance so you won't be unaccustomed to it later."

"What the heck? Relearning? Upgrading?"

Shen Fang nodded and smiled, "Actually, Wubi is indeed very accurate and convenient, but the Chinese computer industry needs to align with the world. In the future, computers will be standardized, and text input will be a combination of English letters, which is actually simpler than Wubi. It's not a difficult thing."

“Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll pay for a computer room so that everyone in the village can learn how to use computers. You, Uncle, will be the leader of this computer literacy class and lead everyone in learning. Everyone in the village should learn; this is the future trend, something everyone will know in the future. Didn’t we just say that we’re about to enter the Internet age? Let’s learn ahead of time and enter this new era.”

The father looked at him like his son.

"Xiao Fang, is the internet really that important?"

Shen Fang nodded: "The Internet is not just a tool; it will be closely connected to our lives and intimately related to them in the future. Recently, Tencent has been developing a virtual online currency transaction system. As long as we can obtain the key authorized by the bank, we won't need to go to the bank to transfer, deposit, or withdraw money. We can just operate it online from home, and it can be done in a few minutes. That's online banking."

"In the future, when we travel or go on business trips, we can simply book hotels and restaurants online with a click and check in directly. We can also handle all aspects of our lives online, including dining and entertainment. And it's incredibly fast and efficient."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!