Chapter 36 The Gloomy Little Poor Boy of the 1970s

Shen Ci strolled across the gleaming marble floor, her fingers brushing against the exquisitely carved railings.

"Mom, this place is nice."

Shen Huai's voice rang out from the side. He also took off his coat and wore a simple sweater and trousers. He stood tall and straight in the magnificent hall without the slightest sense of incongruity, as if he was born to belong here.

Shen Ci turned around and smiled at him. Silly child, how could this place be bad? Don't you even look at the location and the price of this villa?

"If you like it, that's good. We'll live here in Shanghai from now on."

Your room is on the second floor, facing south, with a large terrace overlooking the camphor trees in the courtyard.

She had already arranged everything.

Zhou Zheng and the other bodyguards were also led away by the servants to be settled. Although they tried to remain serious, they could not hide the curiosity and amazement in their eyes. The luxury of this villa had obviously broadened their horizons.

Song Mingli was extremely efficient. He quickly reported all the affairs and personnel arrangements of the main residence to Shen Ci. His narration was clear and logical, and his tone was neither humble nor arrogant. He was obviously very experienced in managing an industry of this scale.

"...That's about it for now. Madam and Young Master must be tired from their journey. Would you like to have some tea and snacks and rest for a while?"

Song Mingli asked one last question.

Shen Ci nodded.

"That's fine."

Just prepare something simple. Also…

She looked at Shen Huai, "Xiao Huai, listen to this too, get familiar with it, this place will be your home from now on."

Her tone was casual, as if this huge villa meant nothing to her.

Shen Huai nodded solemnly. It was the best and biggest house he had ever seen in his life. His mother was amazing, and he couldn't let her down.

Sunlight streamed in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, reflecting a dazzling halo on the crystal chandelier and softening the boy's still slightly aloof profile.

After resting, Shen Ci decided to take her child to see the world. The world has many facets, and within her own capabilities, she wanted her child to experience as much of the world as possible, to witness its darker and brighter sides.

It would be a narrow-minded view to equate broadening one's horizons with wealth.

Shanghai is a bustling city with a population many times larger than Huaicheng. There are also many foreigners in this city. Many years ago, it was a place where troops from various countries were stationed. Even during the war years, this place was very prosperous.

Prosperity comes with high prices.

Wrapped her coat tighter around herself, Shen Ci took the child to the largest Friendship Store in Shanghai. At that time, due to the limitations of the era, there were very few places to shop.

Shen Ci took out a card. "There's 100,000 in here. I know you're a thrifty and hardworking child, but now Mom hopes you'll learn how to spend money."

Spending this 100,000 yuan today isn't difficult in Shanghai; this is your task, Mom.

Shen Huai looked at the card being stuffed into his hand. For the first time, he felt he had too much money. He used to wish he had money, but now in this family, he lacked nothing. He had no worries about food or clothing and could go to school. There was no need for him to spend money at all.

He is not a materialistic person.

Having arrived in a new place, of course, we had to take the child out for a special meal. Shen Ci took him to the Peace Hotel first. The Peace Hotel does not serve ordinary citizens and is a restaurant catering to foreigners. Considering that the child had never left Huaicheng since he was a child, Shen Ci ordered some Western food.

Borscht, fried pork chops, potato salad, ice cream—these are all signature dishes of this era. Dining in a quiet restaurant with a white tablecloth, old jazz music playing, and looking out at the Huangpu River, Shen Ci felt a sense of homecoming.

For Shen Huai, who was here for the first time, it was still a bit difficult to adapt. He had made a lot of progress in the past six months, but the personality shaped by his living environment over the past ten years could not be changed overnight.

It was the first time he had ever eaten with a knife and fork, and the first time he had ever sat in such an expensive restaurant. He felt a little awkward. Young people are naturally curious about new things. He suppressed his timidity, tried to straighten his back, and ate his meal calmly.

In Shen Ci's eyes: My son was born to be the Son of Heaven!

The afternoon's itinerary piqued Shen Huai's interest. They went to a used bookstore, but Shen Ci led him into an internal bookstore. Inside, the bookstore offered some private reading materials that were not open to the public. These books would be considered classics in later generations, but in this era, they would be considered banned books.

Shen Huai glanced at the books briefly, and his eyes lit up with joy. He had only heard of these books but had never seen them before, and he could not obtain them on his own.

After browsing the bookstore, the mother and son stopped by a photo studio to take some photos together. This is their family portrait, although there are only two people in the family now, which makes them look a bit thin.

"Mom, can I go back after dinner?"

I really can't spend all this money in one day, so I'll put it into the factory instead.

I want to go home and watch TV.

For the first time, the mature-beyond-his-years Shen Huai made a very youthful request. Shen Ci, the mother, was delighted. The child wanted to watch TV; that sounded more like a child's request!

Yes, in the large villa in Shanghai, there is a television, and it is an imported color TV. Through special channels, one can watch some internally broadcast reference films, which are mostly foreign movies and news.

But who has a TV these days?

This is rare in the entire Huaicheng! It's perfectly reasonable that Shen Huai would be attracted to television, but Shen Ci himself is used to the existence of television and has no interest in televisions of this era, thus neglecting his son's needs.

"Okay, if you really can't use it all, I won't force you."

The rest of the money is your pocket money.

Since the money was given to him directly by Shen Ci and was not spent strictly according to the system's requirements, there was no rebate. The system has its own set of judgment criteria.

As soon as he got home, his child sat in front of the TV, watching the novel things with great eagerness. Shen Ci had thought that he had no hobbies other than studying, but now he seemed much more normal.

Other parents are afraid that their children will become obsessed with playing and neglect their studies, while Shen Ci is afraid that her children will only know how to study and become bookworms.

"Ding-dong!"

Limited-time mission triggered!

Spend 5 million within one hour to receive a tenfold return and a special reward: a Key Person Information Reminder Card.

Note: This expenditure cannot include the purchase of real estate; the risk is primarily negative.

Loss? This is the first task issued by the system, with clear requirements: the money must be used to generate losses, meaning she has to throw her money down the drain.

Even if you were to spend 5 million, it would take at least ten years to go down the drain. And there are clear regulations against buying real estate. Otherwise, in this decadent place, wouldn't 5 million be a piece of cake?