Era: Rise from the Wilderness

After responding to his father's words, Li Yunjing also had his own thoughts.

After I see my father off on the train, I can drive this van to find Wang Gang.

Wang Gang has some unconventional methods; he should be able to help.

Besides the cardboard boxes for the TV and refrigerator, we also need to buy small appliances, laundry detergent, and soap. I asked Wang Gang to help me find them.

This is better than trying to describe an elephant by yourself, like a blind man trying to understand it!

In the early 1990s, when resources were relatively scarce, commercial channels were far less efficient than in later years, and many materials even required "approval slips" or special connections, it was really not easy to find a suitable supplier without social connections and strong backing.

Not to mention acquiring it in a short time and at a reasonable price.

Under Li Yunjing's steady driving, the car quickly left the bumpy, nauseating dirt road and entered the highway connecting the town and the countryside.

Although the road surface is still uneven, it is much better than the dirt road. At least there is less dust, and there are significantly more vehicles, mostly farm vehicles and bicycles.

Just around the corner, I could see the entrance to the street where my home was located.

Li Hongfeng had already straightened up a bit as usual, preparing to wait for his son to slow down, then turn into the narrow alley and stop the car in front of his house.

However, Li Yunjing did not slow down in preparation for turning.

Instead, he lightly pressed the accelerator, and the bread truck let out a low growl, maintaining its speed. He turned the steering wheel and drove straight towards the town center street, where the lights were gradually brightening, shop signs were lining the streets, and the number of pedestrians and vehicles was noticeably increasing, just missing the fork in the road leading home.

"Hey kid, not going home? Where are you driving off to again?"

Li Hongfeng paused for a moment, then asked in confusion, pointing towards the alleyway leading home, which was now being left behind by the car and getting further and further away, "Ahead of here is the main street, with lots of people and cars, it's hard to walk."

"Dad, tomorrow you'll be taking a train for several days and nights, bumping and rattling all the way to the Northwest for a business trip."

Li Yunjing turned his head and gave his father a sly smile. "It's dry and windy there, and I heard the food is very different from what we eat here. It's mostly beef and mutton or noodles. You probably won't be used to it and won't find anything that suits your taste."

He turned back, his gaze returning to the street where the streetlights were beginning to illuminate, and said casually, "I have to prepare some good food in advance today. Tonight, my son and I, along with my mother, will have a good meal and a couple of drinks. It's a farewell dinner for you, and also a little treat in advance, to satisfy your cravings!"

He paused, a hint of teasing in his voice: "Once you get there, no matter how much you crave it, you won't be able to eat the freshest, most authentic seafood from our Bohai Bay!"

"Tonight, let's have seafood!"

It turns out the son was taking a detour instead of going home because he was thinking about this!

I wanted to prepare something nice for his father, who was about to embark on a long journey, as a farewell gift!

Li Hongfeng felt a warmth in his heart, and his nose even felt a little sore.

A surge of scalding heat instantly welled up from the bottom of my heart and quickly spread to every part of my body.

My son has grown up!

She's really grown up!

Now you know how to care about your old man!

This sentiment made him feel more satisfied than any delicacy.

"Why are you doing all this formalism, kid?"

He instinctively reached for his wallet in his pocket, saying habitually, "Just get something to eat at home, your mom's probably all set... Wait, Dad's getting you the money!"

"Let's buy whatever we want to eat!"

Although his salary is not high and he is usually frugal, wishing he could stretch every penny to the limit, he is never stingy when it comes to family matters, especially his son's filial piety.

His son was so thoughtful, he didn't want to spoil the fun, and was even willing to spend more money to make the meal more lavish.

"No! Dad, you really don't need to spend any money!"

Seeing his father reach for his money, Li Yunjing quickly freed one hand, waving it repeatedly and stating firmly, "I have money in my pocket!"

"This meal is on me!"

"Just sit back and relax, and wait to eat!"

"Nonsense!"

Li Hongfeng glared, trying to project his fatherly authority and principles, "The money in your pocket is operating funds that Fu Chao gave you to handle his affairs; it's public money!"

"That's the capital you used to organize that 'event'!"

"How can you use it so casually?"

"If this gets out, what will people think! Who will believe you anymore?"

He tried to use the accusation of "misappropriation of public funds" to suppress his son, which was also his true bottom line.

"Oh, it's alright, Dad!"

Li Yunjing smiled nonchalantly, as if it were not a problem at all.

He even lowered his voice slightly, speaking in a tone that said, "You know what I mean, this is just how society is," with the air of someone who's been there, "Such a large sum of money, five thousand dollars, if you slightly... well, slightly overstate the expenses, like adding ten or eight dollars more to the gas money, food money, and necessary entertainment expenses for the past few days, it won't be noticeable at all, and it will all be considered reasonable 'losses' or 'operating costs'."

He glanced at his father's somewhat stunned expression and continued, "Isn't that how society is these days?"

"It's very popular to 'take a cut of the money as it passes through your hands,' and to pluck feathers from every passing goose and leave only a small amount of water on the ground."

"Everyone knows what's going on!"

"Do it this way!"

"We're not being unreasonable; it's just the cost of a simple home-cooked meal, and it's also to give you a farewell gift, so it's perfectly reasonable!"

"you……"

Li Hongfeng was momentarily speechless, choked by his son's blatant, mercenary, and cynical "fallacies." Pointing at his son, he wanted to put on a stern face and scold him for "not learning good things at such a young age," "this is a matter of principle," and "corruption starts with these kinds of petty gains"...

But when he opened his mouth, he found that all his grand principles seemed so pale and powerless in the face of his son's slightly mocking gaze.

Because he knew that what his son was saying, to some extent, was the gray reality that is prevalent in society today, a reality that makes people feel helpless, indignant, yet have no choice but to accept.

Almost everyone, or rather the vast majority of people who handle money and have a little power, seems to be taking advantage of the gray areas of the rules to gain some insignificant benefits for themselves.

This has almost become an unspoken "rule of conduct," a "norm" permeating the fabric of society.

In the end, he could only light another cigarette in frustration and smoke it listlessly.

Li Hongfeng muttered something with a hint of helplessness, giving himself a way out and also giving his son a warning that wasn't too harsh: "You brat... you seem to know quite a bit about the crooked ways and shady practices in this society these days!"