My cousin-in-law helped me achieve my ambitions.

He paused, looked into Su Ming's eyes, and suddenly asked, "Would you like your brother-in-law to take you fishing for a big fish?"

Su Ming felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that this was an opportunity to change his fate.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and tried to make his voice sound calm and firm as he replied with a smile, "Of course I want to. I couldn't be happier if my brother-in-law were to take me."

Dr. Hou smiled, patted him heavily on the shoulder, and said with a mixture of approval and expectation, "Good. Once you've saved up three million, I'll take you to test the waters. Three million isn't a lot, but it's not a small amount either; it's just enough for an entry ticket. With that money, you'll be qualified to sit at the real poker table."

Upon hearing the figure of "three million," Su Ming nearly fainted. He opened his mouth, his mind racing. Three million! His current salary was a little over a thousand yuan a month. Even with the income from the convenience store, the arcade in the corner industrial zone, and selling game codes, he could only earn a maximum of sixty or seventy thousand yuan a month. It would probably take him four or five years to save that much without eating or drinking. And after four or five years, would his brother-in-law still acknowledge what he had just said?

By the way, if we contract out the canteens, we can have hundreds a year. It seems like securing the canteens as soon as possible is the key. Even if we do secure the canteens, it will take at least two or three years to save up three million.

This number was something he could see but couldn't grasp. Regardless, one must still have dreams. Thinking this, he gritted his teeth, suppressing his shock and trying to maintain a composed expression, before firmly replying, "Yes, of course. Three million, I can definitely save it up."

Dr. Hou smiled, nodded with satisfaction, and his eyes showed a mixture of relief and anticipation: "That's good. Young people, ambition is the driving force, and with motivation, anything can be accomplished."

After saying that, he stood up, patted the mud off his pants, packed up his fishing rod, and winked at Su Ming, saying, "Come on, let's go over there and get something to eat. We've been fishing all morning, and we're hungry."

Su Ming quickly helped pack the equipment, putting the fishing rod and deck chair into the trunk, loading the bucket into the car, and then following Dr. Hou along the path by the stream. After walking for about ten minutes, a field of farmland appeared ahead, with cornfields stretching as far as the eye could see. The corn stalks were taller than a person, their leaves rustling in the wind, and the ears of corn, wrapped in green husks and adorned with brown tassels, looked plump and tempting.

Dr. Hou stopped at the edge of the cornfield, winked at Su Ming, and said with a relaxed smile, "There's not much to eat at noon, let's get something nearby. There aren't any restaurants around, so we'll cook for ourselves."

Su Ming agreed and rolled up his sleeves, ready to head into the cornfield and reach out to pick some corn. He had barely extended his hand, his fingers not yet touching the corn cob, when Dr. Hou called out to him.

"Stop right there!" Dr. Hou shouted at him, his voice not loud, but his tone was very serious. "How dare you pick the farmers' corn without even saying hello? This stuff is the fruit of the farmers' hard work, do you think it's grown on your own land?"

Su Ming withdrew his hand, scratched his head helplessly, and looked around. The cornfield was quiet, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves, and there wasn't a soul in sight.

He protested somewhat aggrievedly, "Brother-in-law, there's nobody around. I don't know who to ask! Besides, we're just breaking off a couple to fill our stomachs, it's not stealing, is it? We're not going to sell them, we're just having a little something for lunch."

Dr. Hou glanced at him, his expression serious, his tone firm and uncompromising: "Two won't do. These are different matters; taking them without permission is theft. You should ask the villagers around here to see whose land it is, find the owner, and buy a few to roast and eat. Growing corn is hard work; they toil all season, and you just casually pick it? What will they think?"

Hearing this, Su Ming couldn't help but think more highly of his godfather-in-law. Most people wouldn't care about picking a couple of ears of corn in the middle of nowhere, but Dr. Hou was different. Despite his wealth and connections, he upheld his principles even in such a small matter—a quality more admirable than his expensive fishing gear. Su Ming simply replied with a "good," and without saying anything more, turned and walked towards the village entrance. His footsteps trod through the weeds on the field ridges, startling a few grasshoppers that hopped and skipped away in the sunlight.

Su Ming walked along the ridge for a while, then heard footsteps behind him. Dr. Hou called out from behind, "Wait, I'll go with you. You're going into the village alone, and you don't know anyone. If something happens, it's better to have two people than one."

Su Ming glanced back and saw that Dr. Hou had quickly caught up, still holding the fisherman's hat in his hand, with a layer of fine sweat on his forehead.

The two walked along a gravel path towards the village ahead. The village was small, built against the mountainside, with dozens of houses scattered about. Most were old houses with blue bricks and gray tiles, the walls covered in ivy. Some doors had peeling paint, revealing the grayish-white wood underneath. At the village entrance stood a crooked old locust tree, its canopy providing a large patch of shade. Several stone stools sat beneath it, a place where villagers usually rested and chatted. It was midday, the sun blazing, yet the village was unusually quiet. Even the chickens and ducks were dozing in the shade, with only a few lazy cicada chirps drifting from the treetops.

As they were about to enter the village, Su Ming walked in front, with Dr. Hou following behind, and the two of them crossed a dry drainage ditch one after the other.

Just then, two large, vicious dogs, one black and one yellow, suddenly sprang out from a dilapidated brick house. The door of the house was ajar, and the dogs squeezed through the crack, their fur standing on end. The two dogs were burly, their backs bristling with fur, emitting low, wolf-like growls, revealing pink gums and two rows of sharp, white teeth as they lunged at Su Ming. The black dog was in the lead, its four paws scrambling up pebbles and dust with incredible speed, reaching Su Ming in the blink of an eye.

Su Ming didn't hold back. Having grown up in the village, he knew how to deal with stray dogs. Without a word, he bent down and pretended to pick up a stone, scooping it up with his right hand and tossing it high in the air. The two vicious dogs were indeed startled by this action, abruptly stopping in their tracks. Their four legs slid two marks on the gravel, and they took several steps back in fright, growling softly, but their eyes remained fixed on Su Ming.

Taking advantage of their retreat, Su Ming turned and ran, trying to create distance. But as soon as he turned, the two vicious dogs immediately chased after him, even faster than before, clearly having seen through his bluff. Su Ming again bent down, pretending to pick up a stone to throw at the dogs, letting out a roar in accompaniment. Unexpectedly, the two beasts were no longer afraid. This time, they didn't even retreat, lunging straight at Su Ming. The black dog leaped into the air, its front paws aimed straight for Su Ming's chest.