Chapter 21 The Gloomy Little Poor Boy from the 1970s

Let's get right to it.

The next day, Shen Ci went directly to the school to discuss with the teacher about Zhou Huai being exempted from work-study labor. What was the point of her working so hard to earn money?

It's all so that children can have an easier life and suffer less unnecessary hardship.

Mr. Liu looked troubled. Of course he knew that Ms. Shen was the school's benefactor and someone he couldn't afford to offend, but as a homeroom teacher, how could he easily agree to something like this?

“Ms. Shen… this, this is probably not in accordance with the rules.” Teacher Liu rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice.

“Zhou Huai is currently the focus of the entire school. If he sets this precedent, other students might have objections…”

Once someone is dissatisfied, it is easy to cause trouble. Students in this era are especially easy to be swayed by emotions. If things get out of hand, it will not benefit anyone.

"Teacher Liu, how about this?" Shen Ci was prepared and spoke in a gentler tone.

"Zhou Huai will definitely participate in the practical activities required by the policy, and we will cooperate in this regard."

But he won't go to the factory arranged by the school. Our family will find a place for him ourselves. All the necessary certificates and assessments will be done properly, so it won't cause any trouble for the school or make other students feel it's unfair. What do you think?

It just so happens that she has just taken over a factory that is barely surviving.

Shen Ci knew her own limitations very well. Managing a factory was by no means an easy task, but then she thought, wasn't this a perfect opportunity to practice?

You have to understand, how could someone who can be certified by the system as a world-class villain be simple? Putting aside those negative labels like "gloomy" and "scheming," Zhou Huai's talent list clearly shows "intelligent," "business genius," and "almost superhumanly intelligent."

Even without her, his original life trajectory would have been a legend of a grassroots rise to power, a business tycoon who was never short of money.

Having such a genius as her son is like winning the lottery.

The biggest difference between the rich and the ordinary, besides wealth itself, lies in their ability to provide the next generation with countless opportunities to try, fail, and learn.

For ordinary people, one mistake can be disastrous, but for the children of the wealthy, a fall can provide valuable experience, allowing them to start over.

Parents coming to school is already a draw, let alone the parents of the aloof and academically gifted Zhou Huai. After Shen Ci finished talking with the principal and teachers, she walked out of the office one after the other and saw Zhou Huai helping the teacher distribute homework.

He was just elected class monitor by the whole class, which is a popular choice.

"Zhou Huai, you don't need to go to today's work-study program, and you'll be exempt from these kinds of activities in the future."

"I can just go straight home after class this afternoon."

After speaking with the principal, Ms. Liu walked into the classroom in a good mood and announced the news. Her voice was not loud, but it was loud enough for the whole class to hear.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that the children of wealthy families were indeed different. Zhou Huai was the smartest and most worry-free student he had ever taught. He had thought Zhou Huai was a poor but talented young man, but it turned out he was from a hidden wealthy family.

"What did Teacher Liu say? Zhou Huai doesn't need to go to work-study anymore?"

"Oh my god! Is this really good? I don't want to go!"

"Zhou Huai, why can you not go?"

"Why else... it's good to be rich, of course."

"Hmph, capitalist behavior, such low awareness."

A murmur of discussion arose instantly around them. Zhou Huai himself didn't know how to respond. Shen Ci had only mentioned that she would communicate with the school, but whether it would work out was uncertain.

To be fair, he wasn't a masochist; he was more than happy to avoid repetitive physical labor.

After school in the afternoon, while other students were preparing to go to the factory, that extremely cool Cadillac was already parked at the school gate.

Such an eye-catching luxury car could not be found anywhere else in the entire Huaicheng. The news spread quickly, and everyone knew that it belonged to the Zhou Huai family.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, some envious and some jealous, Zhou Huai had long been accustomed to this forced attention and could only try to sit calmly into the car.

“I’m not going to work-study programs… My classmates seem to have a lot of opinions about it.”

He spoke softly, his tone tinged with worry. He had been careful not to cause trouble for Shen Ci, fearing that he might offend her.

He didn't want to be a burden to anyone, especially Shen Ci, who was so good to him.

"It's alright, don't worry about them."

Shen Ci took a sip of coffee, her tone indifferent.

"I've taken care of everything. No one will bother you. Go on your way."

She had already made a clear plan: she would be responsible for providing the capital and enjoying life, while Zhou Huai would need to focus on growth and experience, and personally shape his own future.

Zhou Huai thought he would go straight home, but the car drove towards the outskirts of the city, becoming more and more remote, and the surrounding scenery gradually became desolate. Further ahead, it was almost at the boundary of Zhoujia Village.

Of course, the bumpy dirt roads in Zhoujia Village were absolutely not wide enough for this Cadillac to drive on.

Like a phoenix, even if it is trapped in a mountain valley, it will still have the ability to fly out.

A row of gray factory buildings stands on the edge of the fields. There are many factories in this area, the land is cheap, the place is spacious, and it won't disturb the residents.

Looking at the factory buildings flashing past the window, Zhou Huai wondered if they were going to send him to a different place to learn industrial skills.

"Boss, young boss, we've arrived."

Zhou Zheng, eager to be the most loyal servant, quickly got out of the car and opened the door.

The factory area in front of me seemed lifeless. In the gatehouse, there was only an old man dozing off on the table. The sign next to the factory gate read "Huaicheng Third Garment Factory".

From this moment on, this is her business.

Shen Ci surveyed the unremarkable factory area. Although its current state was worrying, it was at least a complete operation. The 500,000 yuan was not only an investment but also a complete buyout of its ownership, helping the government get rid of a burden.

Zhou followed quietly behind her, obediently, though she didn't understand what was going on.

"Sir, hello, we've come to the factory to take a look. Here are our credentials." Zhou Zheng stepped forward and showed the documents.

The old man groggily raised his head, took the ID card and pretended to glance at it, actually holding it upside down. He then slowly opened the rusty factory gate, and after they went inside, he lay back down to continue his slumber.

"...He just held the ID upside down," Zhou Huai whispered a reminder.

"Wow! My son is amazing, he observes so carefully!"

Shen Ci immediately patted his shoulder, her tone full of unreserved praise.

This... is something to praise?

Zhou Huai was slightly taken aback, and then a complex mix of emotions welled up in his heart.

He recalled that Shen Ci always seemed to find something to praise him on easily—whether it was eating an extra bowl of rice, getting a good grade on a test, or even something as trivial as this...

This unwavering and abundant affirmation was something he had never experienced in the past fifteen years of his life; it was as if everything he did was worthy of affirmation.

He didn't yet understand what love was or how it was expressed, but he was already unknowingly surrounded by this warm love.

With the proper paperwork, they entered the factory area without any hindrance. Shen Ci didn't rush to find the factory leaders, but instead took Zhou Huai on a tour of the various workshops and warehouses.

In the workshop, most of the workers were lazy, only pretending to be busy when they saw strangers.

The sunflower seed shells on the ground silently testify to the usual leisure, the machinery is covered with a thick layer of dust, and the piles of fabric in the corner exude an old and worn smell.

"What did you figure out?" After coming out of the workshop, Shen Ci asked casually, as if testing him.

"The machine is very old and heavily dusty; it probably hasn't been operating at full capacity for a long time."

The workers are all slacking off and have no motivation.

The fabric piled in the corner consisted mostly of old styles from several years ago, and was severely unsold.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Huai answered clearly, "This factory is probably still losing money, and there's no hope of improvement."

Excellent! No wonder he's a future business tycoon! He can pinpoint the crux of the matter with just one glance!

Shen Ci secretly praised himself, thinking that this round was in the bag.