I don't know when, but the sky had completely darkened. Sitting in the courtyard, I could see all sorts of lights and bar signs on Foreigner Street just by looking up. Perhaps because I had been silent for too long, I suddenly longed to go to that brightly lit place. The hedonistic lifestyle there could indeed make people forget some unhappy things.
I'm quite unhappy. I'm burning with entrepreneurial passion, but reality has imposed many restrictions on me, especially the issue of start-up capital, which has put me in a very passive position... Before the house in Dali was transferred to Lu Jia, I had the resources to turn this entrepreneurial idea into reality; but now, I have to beg Lu Jia to be lenient, but Lu Jia has made it clear to me that this house is her bargaining chip against me, and she won't give it back to me easily.
Yes, who would willingly give back something they've already got?
...
As the leaves rustled in the wind, I lit a cigarette and then spoke to Zhou San, who was also at a loss, "We haven't even started yet, and we've already thought through all the difficulties. To put it nicely, that's called being rational... to put it bluntly, it's cowardice... In my life, although I haven't accomplished anything truly great, I've certainly weathered many storms... Why have I been able to persevere until now? It's all thanks to this inner strength... So, no matter how many difficulties we imagine now, nothing can stop my determination to do this."
On Wednesday, San looked up at me and asked, "Brother, what do you think we should do next?"
“I’ll take care of the funding… Tonight, you need to prepare a project plan for me, listing every expense in this project in detail and making a simple budget… I need to have a clear understanding of the costs… Also, please include the types of talent you need in the plan.”
“Okay… I’ll get to it in a bit… You should also think about where to set up the office if we’re going to do this in Dali, and what about hiring… Top talents are usually concentrated in first-tier developed cities, so I don’t think it’s very likely that we can attract them to Dali.”
"I will give this matter careful consideration."
Zhou San hesitated for a moment before saying to me, "Brother, let's go to Shanghai... Putting aside the issue of talent, Shanghai offers a better chance of finding investment... This is a mobile internet project... Dali is mostly populated by nouveau riche. They might be willing to invest in a mine or tea... But they have no idea about high-tech projects, so why would they easily put their money away... Besides, this is an extremely capital-intensive project. Even for individuals, it's difficult to afford without a large investment company!"
"I know what you're saying... The most urgent thing is to solve the problem of start-up capital."
My evasive answers alerted Zhou San, who then asked me seriously, "Brother, do you not want to go to Shanghai, or do you prefer to work in Dali?"
I took a deep breath.
He took a sip of cigarette smoke, then nodded and replied, "Hmm... I'd prefer to do this business in Dali. After all, it's a mobile internet project in the tourism sector, and Dali is a popular tourist city. Doing it here would make it easier for us to get closer to the front lines and develop this product well..."
Wednesday didn't say anything more. After a moment of silence, he left with the task I had given him.
...
A few moments after Wednesday left, I finally picked up my phone and sent a message to Lu Jia, asking, "When are you coming to Dali to pick up the house keys?"
"Just these two or three days."
"If you come, I'd like to talk to you in person."
"You've changed your mind?"
"What reason do I have to change my mind? ... Logically and emotionally, you shouldn't be taking over this house in Dali."
"Don't you understand? What I want isn't the house, it's you."
"Can you please stop turning yourself into a unreasonable and nagging woman?"
"We can't get a result over the phone, let's talk about it in person... I'm going to Dali the day after tomorrow."
"Okay, let's talk about it the day after tomorrow."
After that, Lu Jia didn't reply again, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I got... I wasn't angry at Lu Jia, but at fate, at destiny... If Lao Mi hadn't gotten that serious illness more than a year ago, this situation wouldn't exist at all... Because it all stemmed from the fact that I felt I owed Lu Jia; and before Lao Mi got sick, we were even.
...
The next morning, Zhou San came over with the project plan I had asked him to make. Zhou San is a down-to-earth person. He not only wrote a detailed budget, but also explained the difficulties of the project in a way that I could understand. He even listed the time plan for each stage in detail.
After reading it, I said to Zhou Sansan with deep feeling, "I always thought that doing something 'a' was a very simple thing... but after actually getting involved, I realized that it's no simpler than building a skyscraper!"
"Yes, but effort and reward are proportional. If you can make this software well, you will gain both fame and fortune."
I smiled and replied, "You too... Now that we've set a goal, let's put in our best effort and do it well."
"Hmm... I've always wanted to follow in your footsteps and achieve great things... but I don't have your lofty ambitions... I just want to live a good life and not be as pathetic as before, that's all!"
I was interested in hearing about Zhou San's plans for the future, so I asked, "What are your standards for a good life?"
On Wednesday, Sanming stared at the jujube tree in the yard for a long time before smiling and replying, "I want a home of my own, with a woman who will cook for me... I know I'm very ordinary, so I don't have high demands. This woman just needs to be able to do housework well, have an average appearance, and it doesn't matter if she doesn't have a job... I can support her... That's what I mean by a good life. My requirement for myself is that I must be able to support myself."
They will assume full financial responsibility for the family.
"All men like beautiful women... I don't believe you're telling the truth."
"Brother... I'm telling the truth... Our experiences are different, so I'm still a virgin, while you have my fourth brother and that woman named Ye Zhi by your side... But are you really happy being entangled with them?... I don't think you're happy at all, because they're both too outstanding... You're afraid you're not good enough for them, so you put a lot of pressure on yourself... And you don't know when this pressure will end, like a person adrift at sea, surrounded by nothingness, with no water and no food... You worry every day that you'll starve to death..."
I frowned at Zhou San and said, "This doesn't sound like something you would say... Tell me honestly, who said that about me?"
(End of this chapter)
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