Chapter 42
The next day, Zhan Mu woke up early. He estimated the money in his pocket and decided that if he wanted to officially open his copy shop, he still had to find a way to raise some capital.
I should buy some vegetables and start live streaming. I should try to do it for a few months in a row. At least I can reach 100,000 followers by the beginning of next year.
For someone like him who lacks professional technical knowledge, he can only ride on the popularity and be abstract. Whether he can become popular or not depends entirely on metaphysics.
Even Zhan Mu was not in the mood to play games. Faced with the issue of survival, those virtual things seemed boring.
He wanted to clear his mind, so he walked along the mountain road back to his hometown. There was the fragrance of fruits and vegetables along the way. It seemed that it was the season when peaches were ripe. Zhan Mu was stunned for a moment, and in a blink of an eye, Lu Chaoxin came out and looked around at the peaches.
"How about we shoot a video? It will be easier for fruit farmers to promote their products in the future." Lu Chao said, pointing to a big red peach.
Zhan Mu pursed his lips and replied, "This is fine, that is fine, but in the end, nothing is fine. Besides, this orchard is not my grandparents' land. I didn't grow up with them, so it has nothing to do with me, their grandson."
"Oh, okay." Lu Chao nodded.
"Yes, you're right." Lu Chao suddenly became philosophical. He snapped his fingers and said, "I used to think life was a wilderness, free to do whatever I wanted. But as I grew up, I realized that people are limited by their family background, personality, and even talent. It's like, if you can accomplish something, it's actually destined for you."
"Yes, I like playing games. During college, I also wanted to be a game streamer and worked hard for it." Zhan Mu said with a hint of sadness, "Then I realized that I have no talent in this area. Take the game "Desperate Situation" for example. Some people can reach the top of the server's battle power list in just a few days, but I... have never been on the battle power list."
Zhan Mu had seen it with his own eyes. The guy seemed to be from a technical secondary school and created an account when the game Juejing was first launched. He observed him later and saw that he had accumulated 1 million fans in just half a year and earned over 10,000 yuan a month, but he was unable to replicate his success.
I can only say that Zhan Mu is not cut out for that line of work.
Lu Chao came over and hugged his shoulders, saying, "It's okay. Maybe your talent lies in real life, not in becoming a top 100 influencer on the internet."
Suddenly, the wind started to blow, bringing a cool breeze. Grandpa Zhan and Grandma Zhan's home was nearby. He forced a smile at Lu Chao and said, "Well, how about you just hide?"
"I..." Lu Chao was a little embarrassed. "Your parents already know me. As a human being, can't I appear with you?"
This guy is really good at talking dirty.
But whenever he gets serious, he becomes awkward and shy.
Zhan Mu really hated Lu Chao's sometimes tea-inducing attitude. He pursed his lips and said, "Then how can I introduce you to my grandparents? They can't accept such high-tech products. My grandparents can't even use a smartphone."
Lu Chao said "oh" and turned into a small cube and returned to Zhan Mu's pocket.
Zhan Mujianzhi laughed and said, "My portable boyfriend."
The old, dilapidated house in the countryside was bright. From a distance, Zhan Mu saw their family of six having dinner: Grandpa Zhan, Grandma Zhan, Uncle Zhan, Aunt Zhan, and a pair of children, that is, brother and sister: Zhan Changmei and Zhan Changjian.
Zhan Mu came empty-handed without any gifts and felt a little uneasy.
Zhan Sanba has been doing business in Laojun Village all year round. He lives close to his grandparents and is often subsidized by his third son. It is normal that their family has a good relationship.
When parents have many children, they always have preferences, and Zhan Mu deeply understands this.
Grandpa and grandma prefer the third son's family, and Zhan Mu belongs to the fourth son's family.
"Brother Mu is back." Zhan Changjian said while biting a popsicle, as if inviting him to come in and sit down. He was the only one who was so enthusiastic.
Zhan Mu came in. Zhan Changmei smiled politely and lowered her head to play with her phone. Zhan Sanba was wiping his hands with some oil. Grandpa Zhan and Grandma Zhan were busy in the kitchen. Only Zhan Sanma seemed to be completely unaware of their previous little tricks and asked in a gentle voice:
"Hey, has Zhan Mu graduated? When did you come back?"
Zhan Mu sat on the stool, feeling out of place. Coincidentally, Grandpa Zhan and Grandma Zhan brought the dishes to the table, and he was faced with a family dinner called trial.
"What have you been up to lately? Aren't you with your mom and dad?" Zhan San's mom asked. "Oh, I remember you studied physical education in college, right? You're a physical education teacher? Have you taken the teacher's license exam?"
Zhan Mu shook his head and answered the question with her. He began to regret why he came here for a stroll. It was simply humiliating himself.
"Brother Mu is running his own media platform, playing games and broadcasting his food." Zhan Changjian said, "He already has 10,000 followers. I'm following him too."
"Really? You can earn a lot of money." asked Zhan Sanma.
"I don't believe that you can make money just by playing games and eating." Grandma Zhan had a cold face without a smile, and it was hard to tell her emotions.
Zhan Mu wanted to explain further, so he took out his phone, opened his account and showed it to them. He said, "Sure, you don't understand, grandma. The more fans you have, the more advertising you can accept. Big internet celebrities earn tens of thousands of dollars in advertising fees."
"I don't understand what you're saying." Grandma Zhan concentrated on eating.
"Is your store open yet?" Zhan Sanba joined the topic. If I was not mistaken, there was indeed some disdain, even contempt, in his eyes.
Zhan Mu pursed his lips, resisting the urge to sneer, and replied, "I'm going to put up some wallpaper and apply some simple putty or something. Oh, don't worry, it's no problem, Third Dad."
Zhan Changmei was amused and said inexplicably: "Not bad, you even know how to put up wallpaper and apply putty for decoration."
Zhan Mu understood that Zhan Changmei went to a good university and had a higher degree than him. Seeing how hard-working and creative he was recently, he felt jealous but also unhappy.
Grandpa Zhan's hearing was poor, so he only understood half of what he was saying. However, he still expressed his opinion, saying, "Hey, Zhan Mu, listen to your grandfather's advice. Your third father also told me that you wanted to open a copy shop. You're still young, how could you understand these things? Go back and guard the supermarket with your parents, do you understand?"
"My parents and I quarrel easily." Zhan Mu replied.
"Why are you arguing? Why don't you be more diligent around the house? Sweep the floor, cook, do the laundry, and share the burden with your parents. Don't just lie there with your phone all day. Don't be lazy!" Zhan San's father suddenly raised his voice and said as if scolding, "Go out and find a job. Be hardworking and down-to-earth! You're in your twenties now. You need to mature and take on family responsibilities. It's not easy to make money as a boss!"
"You're talking as if it's all my fault." Zhan Mu laughed dryly, "I did all the housework."
"Why did that family quarrel?" Grandma Zhan joined the debate, saying in an annoyed voice, "Oh, they must be doing something crooked, like online loans, drinking, and hanging out with bad friends."
Zhan Changjian could hardly bear to listen any longer and secretly rolled his eyes.
"I don't have any." Zhan Mu really wanted to throw the bowl and walk away. He felt like he was trying to communicate with a deaf person, so he replied, "It's true that I've grown up and should make money, but I can't do it right now. My parents don't like me anymore."
"Zhan Mu, let me tell you something." Grandpa Zhan seemed patient and wanted to interrupt their argument, saying, "No matter how wrong your parents are, they gave birth to you and raised you. They put in a lot of effort to raise you to this age. You are still young and you can't understand..."
A very long paragraph.
"..." Zhan Mu felt like a stone was pressing on his heart. He was suffocated and angry. He wanted to refute but held back.
His phone vibrated, and he subconsciously clicked it and saw that it was a message from Lu Chao: Forget it, it’s painful to listen to, let’s just go.
Zhan Mu typed to him: I’m just hungry, I’ll eat first, at least I can save the money for a meal.
"Don't use your phone while eating." Zhan San's father scolded him.
Zhan Mu agreed and put away his phone. He was just about to eat a meatball when the verbal attack had just begun when Grandma Zhan suddenly asked, "How's your sister?"
"I'm studying medicine...I'm studying at university." Zhan Mu subconsciously tried to cover it up.
Zhan San's father said, "Why did you lie? Your mother told us that your sister was in the hospital and in a coma. She also said that you bought an electronic doll and pretended to be her to visit relatives. Is that true?"
"Electronic doll, what kind of digital person is that?" Zhan Sanma was shocked and asked, "That's very expensive. Hey, your doll is really good. How much did you pay for it? You must have been ripped off. There are so many fake products on the market now."
Zhan Mu found it too embarrassing to talk to them.
Zhan Changmei said she was full and left, but in fact she didn't eat anything at all.
Zhan Mu let out a breath. Actually, he was not full, but he felt full after holding it in. So he put down his chopsticks and said goodbye.
"Hey, Zhan Mu, stay and talk to Third Dad." Zhan Third Dad tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "Hey, come back. Your child can't listen to a word you say now, right?"
Zhan Mu turned around, forced a smile, and said next time, next time.
On the way back to the rental house in the small town, Zhan Mu was in a bad mood, his face was ugly, and his expression was distorted, as if he had turned into a human. Lu Chao, who was following behind him, did not confront him directly, but he saw it clearly.
Zhan Mu didn't cry, but wiped his eyes with the back of his hand without saying a word. His silence was filled with immense depression and heaviness.
Zhan Mu was educated in Confucianism since childhood, but was also influenced by the will of modern freedom and democracy. This split made him painful and troubled.
I want to be a good child, but I feel disgusted.
"I know you are here. The sun is too strong and you will get sunburned. Go back and take a rest." Zhan Mu said when he heard the footsteps.
Zhan Mu kept walking with a hunched back, and his steps seemed brisk, but Lu Chao did not think Zhan Mu was relaxed. He seemed just as distant and indifferent as when they first met.
No one can understand him, and no one can get into his shoes.
Lu Chao wanted to say something, but countless words of comfort got stuck in his throat. Finally, he went over and nudged his shoulder with his arm, raised his eyebrows and smiled, saying, "Boss Zhan, don't doubt yourself. In my eyes, you've done the best you can."
Zhan Mu looked back at him, her eyes red, tears stubbornly refusing to fall. The sun was blazing, and his pouting mouth made him look unattractive, even ugly. His eyes, however, were clear and bright.
"Shall I reward you with a kiss?" Lu Chao smiled. He felt that he was particularly sexy today, and there was something different stirring in his heart.
"Okay, sure, thank you." Zhan Mu wiped his nose, picked up his hair, returned to normal and accepted his love.
Lu Chao discovered that the more familiar he got with him, the funnier he became.
From a distance, Zhan Changjian, who was riding an electric scooter, had a shaking hand and almost crashed into the corn stalk field next door. The younger brother also ran into his relative and his electric male pet kissing each other.
Okay, just one second.
"What's wrong with this social atmosphere..." Zhan Changjian rolled his eyes angrily, expressing his incomprehension, disapproval, and envy.
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