Rebirth 08: A Happy Life Begins in Elementary School

Chapter 105 Parents Have Grown Up

Li Changlin and Zhou Xiaoyun were somewhat unable to hold back their emotions.

The meticulously prepared plan was almost entirely rejected, and the person was even accused of having low cognitive abilities.

Son, son, aren't you hurting your parents' feelings by saying that?

But it's hard to refute them. What I just said is all too new. It's difficult for them to understand and accept it, so how can I refute it?

What cultural and creative products, what photos, what check-ins, what brand culture IP?

Can't understand!

But I always feel like what my son says is absolutely right!

I'm a little angry, but I know I shouldn't be.

Li Changlin stared at Li Zhao for a moment, while Li Zhao remained calm and composed with a serious expression.

My son wasn't using this opportunity to show off or vent his anger—he was just having a serious discussion.

That would be even worse, making me look more childish than a primary school student when I'm still angry.

But judging from Li Zhao's recent behavior, is he really a primary school student?

As parents, is it really necessary for them to constantly emphasize his status as a primary school student? Can they really keep building their confidence by thinking "I am your father"?

"Why is it necessary for you two to personally oversee and manage this store?" Li Zhao asked.

"If you're too busy, you can ask a relative for help," Li Changlin said.

Why invite relatives?

"I trust you," Zhou Xiaoyun answered quickly.

Li Zhao laughed, "Relatives are precisely the ones we trust the least. Mom and Dad, this shop is no joke. It's in a prime location. You need to be prepared for it to become a huge hit. We'll run it ourselves, and how much we earn is our business. If you let the relatives get involved, just wait for them to get envious."

This really hit a nerve with Zhou Xiaoyun.

What she fears most is being envied by her relatives, who don't know how much trouble that will cause.

"Don't people know how much we earn when we hire them?"

"The logic is different," Li Zhao said. "When hiring normally, you can sign confidentiality agreements. Besides, only you know about costs and sourcing channels. They know the daily turnover, but how do they know how much profit they actually made? When relatives work for you, they have no obligation to keep your work confidential. If they keep asking you about the costs, you're stuck in a dilemma of whether to answer or not."

Li Changlin finally couldn't hold back any longer, "Son, how do you know so much?"

"I already said, just treat me as a genius." Li Zhao casually brushed the question aside. "You can appoint a store manager to be responsible for all the daily management matters. He can also stand in front of the public and handle all the publicity work after the store becomes popular."

Li Changlin was startled; he had never considered this angle before.

Has Li Zhao suddenly become enlightened? How could he think so far ahead all of a sudden?

"It's easy to recruit employees for this kind of shop. We can just raise their salaries when the business becomes more successful. You two will be the behind-the-scenes bosses, responsible for managing these people, setting the rules, and negotiating with upstream suppliers."

For example, how to schedule their shifts —

"Tsk."

Li Zhao's impatience left Zhou Xiaoyun speechless.

Wrong? What went wrong? What happened?

"The scheduling is the store manager's job. He's responsible for managing everything in the store's operations. You just need to manage him. If there's a mistake, you'll be fined."

After saying that, Li Zhao suddenly stopped, put the plan directly on the coffee table, picked up his teacup and started drinking tea.

"—" Li Changlin glanced at him, took two deep breaths, and said, "Son, do you have any case studies to refer to for what you're talking about?"

"If you always copy others, you'll always end up eating leftovers."

The two were at an awkward silence again.

Li Changlin felt that Li Zhao's speeches were becoming increasingly assertive, but also increasingly professional.

He seems to care less and less about whether others understand or not, and instead chooses to throw sufficiently advanced things in their faces, caring only whether they approve or not.

Sigh, should I admit it or not?

They couldn't quite understand Li Zhao's thoughts, making it difficult for them to express their opinions.

"Mom and Dad, do you remember what we talked about before?"

"Um?"

"It's a matter of decision-making." Li Zhao put down his teacup.

"Son, although what you've said makes a lot of sense, your parents need some time to confirm it."

Li Zhao remained expressionless. "My suggestion is that you shouldn't take it to someone you think would know, like you did last time."

Zhou Xiaoyun was startled, because that was exactly what she thought.

I'm going to ask my friends who have opened stores in other scenic areas.

"Why?" Li Changlin asked.

"This idea is quite ahead of its time," Li Zhao said. "You don't need to know where it came from, but if you tell others about it, we won't be able to get the first taste of the benefits. In the end, even though it's the original, we'll be seen as copycats by others, and you'll have to bear the bitter consequences yourselves."

"What if it fails?" Li Changlin asked.

"Dad, nothing in this world is guaranteed to succeed." Li Zhao smiled. "Before doing anything, you need to discuss the feasibility of a decision. You need to have concrete arguments. Asking 'What if we fail?' without saying anything is meaningless."

Li Changlin was blocked again.

"Of course, even if you don't achieve the results I expect by following my plan, you can always switch to what you want after operating for a month or two." Li Zhao shrugged. "At worst, you can rent out the shop, and I believe you can recoup your investment in no time."

"But—" Zhou Xiaoyun's anxiety crept back into her heart.

"There are no buts. All of this is based on our family's joint judgment that the storefront will be extremely valuable after the entrance is changed. If you continue to doubt even this, I suggest you immediately sell the storefront to recoup your investment."

The tone wasn't harsh, but the content was a bit aggressive.

However, Li Zhao's parents did not show their dissatisfaction as usual, but remained silent.

"Alright, Mom and Dad, I'm going to continue studying now." Li Zhao stood up with a sigh, clapped his hands, and walked towards his room.

Li Changlin frowned, took several deep breaths, and then stared blankly at the project plan in his hand.

After Li Zhao returned to his room and closed the door, Zhou Xiaoyun spoke: "Changlin, what do you think?"

"What do you mean, 'how do you see it'? The business plan or the son?"

"I want to know all of that."

Li Changlin sighed deeply. "Do you know what he said to me before dinner?"

"Hmm? You two talked?"

"Yes, I noticed he didn't seem very happy, so I asked him a few questions."

Zhou Xiaoyun was a little nervous.

He said, "We can't just love him when he achieves something."

Zhou Xiaoyun immediately became agitated and sat up, but then slumped back down and remained silent for a long time.

"Although I still don't understand," Li Changlin said, "how did he suddenly become so mature—but how to put it, it's ultimately a wonderful thing, right?"

"Of course."

"Do you think your son is capable?"

"That's amazing," Zhou Xiaoyun said. "I never imagined in my life that we could have such a child."

"Yes, we're all just ordinary people, too ordinary." Li Changlin touched his pocket, wanting to smoke, but then glanced at Li Zhao's door.

"Go ahead and smoke."

"I'm afraid he'll have a problem with it."

"That's true, then forget it. My son has always hated cigarettes."

Li Changlin took a sip of tea, shook his head, and said, "We're both pretty mediocre, aren't we?"

Zhou Xiaoyun did not answer.

"Back in my school days, my grades in high school were okay, but when it came time to take the college entrance exam, I had no interest in studying. I thought I was a chosen one and that I would definitely make a fortune quickly by starting a business," Li Changlin said in a low voice. "But unfortunately, after struggling for so many years, I still only managed to get this wholesale shop through connections. I don't make enough money, so I have to live frugally."

Zhou Xiaoyun clicked her tongue. "Suddenly starting to reflect on life?"

"Otherwise what?" Li Changlin looked at her. "We're almost forty. Are we still going to live our lives in a daze? It's a rare opportunity to face ourselves."

"Then tell me, I'm listening."

"Over the years, I haven't been able to increase my income, so I've had to cut costs. It's been tough on you and the kids. Look at our son, from when he was little to now, we've strictly controlled his allowance, and if we want to buy him anything, we have to buy it for him in advance—"

For some reason, Li Changlin suddenly became a little moved when he talked about this.

"I always thought it was only natural. We were both saving money to support him, so how could he be living a hard life? But we've also been putting a lot of pressure on him."

"————" Zhou Xiaoyun pursed her lips, not daring to speak.

"In the end, it's my incompetence." Li Changlin suddenly lowered his head. "So I placed all my hopes on my son, hoping he would be number one in every exam, and I felt terrible if he slipped even slightly. Xiaoyun, neither of us are academically inclined, how could we expect him to be a genius?"

"But he really became a genius."

"Yes, he's truly a genius, blessed by heaven." Li Changlin took another sip of tea. "That's why I've realized we don't even understand how to treat geniuses."

Zhou Xiaoyun stared in disbelief, her mouth agape.

"It's clearly my own incompetence that's causing this and that problem after having a child. Are our genes really that good? Now that our child is a genius, I'm starting to think about how I'm his father," and want to use my seniority to suppress him.

Zhou Xiaoyun placed her hand on Li Changlin's knee. "I also have problems with these things."

"Of course, I'm not just talking about myself."

"You—never mind, it really is true."

"Just this plan alone, every time he rejects it, I feel a little uneasy." Li Changlin shook his head. "But, we can't really refute anything. We have nothing to say, yet we keep trying to go against our genius son, who is clearly doing it for the good of the family."

"Sigh."

"Xiaoyun, we're almost forty, our ambitions are sky-high, but we've accomplished nothing. Now the opportunity brought by our son is right in front of us. God has blessed us with a genius son. If we still can't make the right choice and dare not seize the opportunity—" Li Changlin patted his head, a little forcefully, "then we'll really have no face to face ourselves in the future."

"you mean?"

"Let our son decide this matter; do as he says."

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