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One day, in his office at Lemon Technology's headquarters, Suning suddenly received a call from his younger brother, Fores.

“Brother, Bab, Lieutenant Dane, and I started a shrimp fishing company,” Fores’s voice came through the phone line, carrying the simple honesty of a sea breeze. “It’s right here in Mobile Bay.”

Su Ning put down the documents in her hand, a smile spreading across her face: "Really? What's the company called?"

“Bab Gum Shrimp Company. Bab said his name comes first, and mine comes last, so it sounds like ‘Bab Gum,’ which is easier to remember,” Fores confessed honestly.

Su Ning chuckled: "Nice name. How's business?"

“At the beginning… we only had a small boat, an old boat that the three of us bought with our veteran’s pay.” Forrest paused. “But we were very good at shrimp fishing, and Bab knew where all the shrimp schools were. It’s just that the boat was too small to hold many.”

"Do you need any help?" Su Ning asked directly.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Fores said a little embarrassedly, "Brother... could you lend me some money to buy a bigger boat? Bob and I have calculated that if we had a big boat, we could catch three times as many shrimp a day."

"I can't lend them, but I can give them away," Su Ning said. "I'll give you two new ships, is that enough?"

"Two?!" Fores's voice rose. "Brother, that's too expensive..."

“It’s not expensive. Compared to having something to do yourself, two ships are nothing.” Su Ning said sincerely, “I’ll have someone take care of it, and it will be delivered within a week.”

“Well… thank you, brother.” Fores didn’t know what to say. “When are you coming to Alabama? Mom keeps talking about you.”

Su Ning glanced at the calendar: "Recently! I'll go back to Green Town first, and then take my mother with me to see your Babugan Company."

"Great! Now all that's missing is Jenny."

"Haha, you still can't forget Jenny?"

"Of course! She is the love of my life."

"Idiot! Since you like her so much, why don't you just tell her directly? Do you want me to pass on your message?"

"No! Brother, I know Jenny likes you."

"Nonsense! Jenny and I are a thing of the past. It was just a crush during high school. Besides, I'm surrounded by Hollywood stars now."

"Really? You and Jenny are really not going to be together anymore?"

"Really! I can't give up the whole forest of Hollywood for Jenny."

"What about Kim Yoon-ji?"

"She had already married a second-generation South Korean chaebol, and we all knew from the beginning that this would end today."

"What a pity! I can tell that Kim Yoon-ji really likes you."

"Fores, you have to understand one thing: women are often the most complex creatures. They crave passion and will not stop until the last moment of their lives."

"Brother, I know you're talking about Jenny, but I really like her."

"Alright! As long as you're happy, I believe Jenny will come to her senses."

"I wish she would never come back."

"..." At this moment, Suning was truly stunned by Foresgan's words.

Forescan was willing to wait, hoping that Jenny would be happy.

Suddenly, I realized that "simp" wasn't just a label for Fleisgan; he truly made Jenny his everything.

……

In the spring of 1975, the sea breeze from Mobile Bay, Alabama, swept across the dock, carrying the salty, fishy smell and the stench of diesel fuel.

Forrest Gan stood on the deck of the newly painted shrimp boat "Jenny," watching the two brand-new fishing boats slowly sail into the harbor.

The words "Bab Gum Shrimp Company" are painted in bright blue on the hull.

“Wow, Bob, look!” Fores pointed at the two ships. “They’re so beautiful!”

The black man standing next to him, Bob, stared wide-eyed: "My God, Fores, these two ships are more than twice the size of our current ship!"

On the dock, a figure in a wheelchair was also watching the ship. It was Lieutenant Dane. He had lost both legs, but his eyes were still sharp.

"Looks like your big boss brother is really generous." Dane whistled.

With the addition of these two new boats, Fores' original small boats made a total of three, suddenly making their small company look quite respectable.

On Saturday morning, a black Cadillac drove into Mobile Bay Marina.

After the car came to a stop, Su Ning got out first, and then helped Mrs. Gan out.

"Mom, watch out for the steps."

"I'm fine, Su Ning." Mrs. Gan said with an expectant smile, wearing a neat floral dress.

Not far away, Fores had already run over.

"Mom! Brother!"

He ran as fast as ever, rushed up to his mother, gave her a big hug, and then hugged Su Ning tightly.

"Brother, you really came!"

"Of course I'll come if I promised you." Su Ning patted her younger brother's shoulder and looked behind him.

Babu and Dane also came over.

Bab was a burly Black man with a bright white smile.

Dane sat in a wheelchair, but his back was ramrod straight.

“Mom, brother, this is Babu, and this is Lieutenant Dan,” Fores introduced. “We were together in Vietnam.”

Mrs. Gan's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Dane's empty trouser legs.

But she quickly regained her composure and extended her hand: "Thank you for taking care of Fores."

“Madam, it was Foresh who took care of us.” Dane held her hand and said earnestly, “He saved us many times in Vietnam.”

Babu nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, yes! Fores is fast, and he always carries us when there's danger!"

Everyone laughed.

……

Fores excitedly took his mother and brother to see the new ship.

"Look, bro, this ship is amazing!" Fores climbed onto the deck of one of the ships. "It has a refrigerated hold that can hold 5,000 pounds of shrimp! And a navigation system. Babu says it'll be much easier to find shrimp colonies with this!"

Su Ning boarded the ship and took a closer look around.

He had his assistant arrange for the two boats, choosing the best local fishing boat manufacturer. Each boat cost $80,000 and was equipped with top-of-the-line features.

It meant nothing to him, but for Forrest and his team, it marked the beginning of his career.

"Do you know how to operate it?" Suning asked.

“Barb knows, he used to catch shrimp in Louisiana,” Fores said. “He taught me and Lieutenant Dane. Lieutenant Dane can’t walk, but he can read charts and operate radios, he’s really good at it.”

Dane looked up at the dock and said, "Mr. Gan, thank you. These two ships... are so important to us."

"Just call me Su Ning." Su Ning stepped off the ship. "You are Fores' brothers, so you are my brothers too."

"Haha, then we won't be polite from now on."

“Dan, I recently invested in a German medical device company. One of their research areas is prosthetics. I believe you will be able to stand up soon.”

"really?"

"Of course! In fact, some medical device companies have made breakthroughs, but unfortunately they are all too primitive and not very comfortable to wear."

"That's great! Suning, I'll be waiting for your good news."

Mrs. Gan looked at the three boats, then at her sons, and her eyes reddened again.

She secretly wiped away her tears, which Su Ning saw.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"Mom is happy." Mrs. Gan held her two sons' hands. "My two sons, one has become a big boss, and the other has started a company. They are both successful."

Fores grinned sheepishly: "Mom, I'm a shrimp fisherman."

“What’s wrong with shrimp fishing? Earning a living through labor is honorable!” Mrs. Gan said. “Besides, look, you gave Bob a job and Lieutenant Dane something to do. That’s a good deed.”

These words struck a chord with Dane.

After being discharged from the military, he was very depressed and felt like a useless person.

Until Fores found him and pulled him into starting a company together.

“Madam is right.” Dane’s voice choked with emotion. “Fores gave me… a new life.”

At noon, everyone ate at an open-air restaurant by the pier. The restaurant owner knew Forrest and specially reserved a spot for him with a view of the sea.

"Boss, these are the shrimp we caught, just brought ashore this morning!" Fores brought over a large plate of fried shrimp. "The freshest!"

The shrimp were indeed fresh, fried to a golden brown and crispy perfection.

Mrs. Gan tried one and nodded repeatedly: "Delicious! Much better than the ones I used to buy at the supermarket!"

“Of course!” Babu said proudly. “We catch and sell them on the same day, so they’re the freshest. And we use large mesh nets to catch only the big shrimp, and we put the small ones back in, so the shrimp population won’t dry up.”

Suning was somewhat surprised: "You even understand sustainable development?"

“It was Lieutenant Dan who said it,” Fores pointed at Dan. “He said we can’t kill the fish and we have to leave the shrimp a way out so that we can always catch shrimp.”

Dane explained, "I studied a little ecology at the Naval Academy. Shrimp fishing also requires science."

Suning has a newfound respect for Dann.

This veteran, who lost both legs, is very clear-headed.

"How are you selling now?" Suning asked about business.

“We mainly sell to local restaurants and fish markets,” Fores said. “But we want to expand, and maybe in the future we can sell to Birmingham, or even Atlanta.”

“It’s good to have ideas,” Suning said. “If you need refrigerated trucks or cold storage, I can help.”

"Brother, you've already helped so much..." Fores said, feeling embarrassed.

“We’re family, so let’s not be so formal,” Mrs. Gan said. “It’s only natural for an older brother to help his younger brother. Forrest, remember your brother’s kindness. If he needs you in the future, you should do your best to help him.”

"I definitely will!" Fores nodded vigorously.

That night, Mrs. Gan was tired and went back to the hotel to rest.

Suning and Fores sat on a bench by the pier, looking at the bay in the night.

The two new ships gleamed softly in the moonlight.

“Brother, thank you.” Fores said suddenly. “Without you, Bab, Lieutenant Dane, and I would probably still be struggling to make ends meet.”

“You two are capable on your own, I just lent a hand.” Su Ning looked at her younger brother, “Fores, do you really like shrimp fishing?”

“I love it!” Fores’s eyes lit up. “It feels great at sea, so free. And Bab and Lieutenant Dane are both good people; we’re very happy together.”

"That's good." Su Ning was relieved. "Doing what you love and earning money to support your family is the greatest happiness."

Forrest hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Brother, are you doing well in California? The company is so big, you must be under a lot of pressure."

"There is pressure, but we can manage it." Suning did not elaborate on the fierce competition in the market, "The main goal is to make good products and enable more people to use computers."

“I saw on TV that your Lemon computer is now number one in the US.” Fores said with pride. “Every time Mom sees you on TV, she calls the neighbors over and says, ‘That’s my son.’”

Suning smiled, feeling a warmth in his heart.

“Fores, if the shrimp company needs to expand or requires investment in the future, just let me know,” he said. “Don’t be shy.”

“Hmm.” Fores nodded, then remembered something, “Oh right, brother, Jenny… Jenny wrote to me a while ago.”

Jenny was Forrest's childhood sweetheart and the object of his affections, but fate was cruel, and she took many detours.

Of course, she was also Suning's first love during high school, and the relationship between this woman and the two brothers was very complicated.

How is she?

“That’s great! Elvis values ​​her highly and has helped her a lot. Now she can even compose some music.” Fores said gently.

"That's good." Su Ning patted her brother's shoulder. "You've waited for her for so many years, it was worth it."

"But she said Elvis's health was getting worse and worse..."

"Alas! Some things are hard to change. Elvis is no longer able to live without illicit drugs."

The two brothers sat there and talked for a long time...

Childhood memories, my mother's current situation, and future plans.

There are no business calculations, no weighing of interests, only the purest family affection.

On Sunday evening, Suning was taking his mother back to Green Town.

……

At the dock, Mrs. Gan held Forrest's hand, repeatedly reminding him: "Eat on time, be careful at sea, wear your life jacket..."

“Mom, I know,” Fores listened obediently.

“Also, call your mother often. Don’t worry about the phone bill being expensive, she can afford it.” Mrs. Gan said, then took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Forrest. “Take this.”

"Mom, what is this?"

"This is just a small token of my appreciation. You run a company, so you need money for many things." Mrs. Gan insisted, "Take it, or I won't be happy."

Fores had no choice but to accept it.

On the other side, Suning was talking to Dan and Babu.

“The legal representative of the company is Forrest, but you’ll have to take care of the specific operations,” Suning said. “Forrest is honest but doesn’t know much about business matters.”

"Don't worry, Mr. Gan." Dan said solemnly, "Fores saved my life, and I will do my best to help him run the company well."

Babu nodded: "Fores and I are brothers in arms, his business is my business."

Suning took out two business cards from his briefcase: "This is my personal phone number, you can call me anytime, 24 hours a day. If you encounter any problems that you can't solve—whether business-related or otherwise—call me anytime."

This is not a compliment.

In a place like Alabama, it's not uncommon for a company run by a Black man, a disabled veteran, and a seemingly honest white man to run into trouble.

With Suning, a billionaire, as my backer, things will go much more smoothly.

During their final farewell, Fores hugged his brother tightly.

"Brother, take care of yourself too. Don't overwork yourself."

"You too."

The car started moving, and Fores, Babu, and Dane stood on the dock waving until the car disappeared from sight.

On the way back to Green Town, Mrs. Gan looked out the window and said softly, "Su Ning, Mom is especially happy today."

"Yes, me too."

"Seeing you two brothers supporting each other puts my mind at ease." Mrs. Gan closed her eyes, a satisfied smile on her face. "It doesn't matter how much money we have, the most important thing is that our family is harmonious."

Suning held her mother's hand.

The business world is like a battlefield; he must be ruthless and calculating there.

But here, with his family, he can shed all his armor and be his most authentic self.

This authenticity is his strongest source of strength when facing any challenge.

"Mom, do you want to come to Los Angeles with me?"

"No! I've already gotten used to life in Greenfield Town."

"Haha, Mom, are you going to miss the principal?"

"How dare you make fun of Mom!"

"Mom, I will come back to visit you often in the future."

"I hope you can bring back a girlfriend next time."

"I have many girlfriends! But there isn't one I'd willingly marry."

"Why? Do you hate marriage?"

"It's complicated! Sometimes marriage can't give you what you want."

After dropping Mrs. Gan off at Greentown, Suning's private jet flew through the clouds toward Los Angeles, California.

On the dock, Fores looked at the two new boats and said to Babu and Dane, "Let's set sail early tomorrow and catch more shrimp. We need to make the company successful and not let my brother down."

"Definitely!" Babu and Dane said in unison.

Three hands clasped together.

In the vast Gulf of Mexico, a small shrimp fishing company, carrying the dreams of three men and the simplest warmth of a family, set sail.

...(End of chapter)