Rebirth 08: A Happy Life Begins in Elementary School

Chen Nian, immersed in the joy of having double his allowance, was completely unaware that Li Zhao had taken a bus that took a different route than usual.

He's going to Huaxia Bank.

That's the good thing about the old city of the provincial capital—it's convenient.

Things that affect people's livelihoods are everywhere, even banks of all sizes have opened many branches.

Sometimes Li Zhao couldn't understand it. There were two Huaxia Bank branches, one large and one small, facing each other at a crossroads—what did that mean...?

Elementary school lets out early, and the place is close by, so when Li Zhao arrived at the bank, the staff hadn't left work yet.

But it doesn't mean much to him; at this moment, he should be grateful to the inventor of the ATM.

Li Zhao chose a relatively secluded machine and slipped inside while the security guard's gaze drifted towards the sky.

The space is really cramped, but the soundproofing is really good.

This put Li Zhao at ease.

He inserted his bank card into the machine, entered his PIN, and then looked for the deposit button.

He used ATMs frequently in his previous life, but he always used them to withdraw money. He really didn't know how to deposit money, so when he saw the notice that only undamaged and uncreased 100-yuan bills could be accepted, his heart skipped a beat.

Fortunately, when the two red envelopes were opened, they were filled with neat red bills.

Especially He Shuyao's, it looks like brand new banknotes.

The total was 14,000 yuan, 140 one-hundred-yuan bills, very thick and heavy.

One of the advantages of cash is that it makes numbers a tangible experience, rather than something that leaves you feeling lost and confused.

After waiting for a while, all the banknotes were accepted, and the ATM kept making noises. Li Zhao thought there was a malfunction before he finally spat out his card.

Balance: 24000 yuan.

It wasn't a particularly impressive move, but Li Zhao felt a strange sense of peace at that moment.

It's really strange for elementary school students to do these things.

For example, this machine would be uncomfortable to use if Li Zhao hadn't developed well in elementary school and been tall.

...This thing doesn't seem to need to take into account the height of children.

Li Zhao then returned to the neighborhood committee, opened the mailbox, and sure enough, found the royalty statement.

This indicates that his response to Director Tian's article was published in the newspaper.

The journal *Huaxia Urban Studies* is published monthly. A manuscript submitted in late March will take at least two months to be published.

The total royalties so far amount to 1,200 yuan, which is quite a lot.

There's a post office next to the school; you have to go there to exchange your royalties.

After thinking about it, Li Zhao decided to deposit the manuscript fee and the money he borrowed from Chen Nian into his bank account tomorrow.

When they got home, Zhou Xiaoyun was cooking, and Li Changlin was resting on the sofa.

My dad's business is mainly busier from the early morning to the morning, but it's not really related to wholesale in the evening, so he usually gets home early.

Zhou Xiaoyun actually gets off work at 5:30, but she usually leaves early under the pretext of picking up her son from school. Li Zhao gets out of school at 4:40, and by the time he dawdles out of the pedestrian street, it's almost time for him to leave.

Li Zhao went home by himself, and it wasn't even 5:30 when he got home, but Zhou Xiaoyun had already prepared the dishes.

"Mom, you're home so early?"

"Anyway, they all think I went to pick you up," Zhou Xiaoyun said with a smile. "Of course I came back early to cook."

"Wasn't it supposed to be a promotion?"

"Last time they said it wasn't suitable, so I went to talk to the leader and said that our family has no connection with Director He, it's just that our children are in the same class. As for the promotion, I proactively said I didn't want it."

"what?"

Zhou Xiaoyun seemed relaxed. "After thinking about it, your mom isn't the type to control others. The other day she said I could get a promotion, and I was so happy all night, but I couldn't sleep. I was so anxious that I disturbed your dad's rest, and he almost didn't hear his alarm the next day."

Li Zhao nodded.

"So, your mom isn't cut out for leadership; running a small business suits me better. Now that we've decided to buy a storefront, your dad will continue operating the wholesale market, so I'll definitely have to resign and come manage the store. What's the point of a promotion? It'd just incur favors and cause misunderstandings."

Li Zhao blinked.

This is different from the mother he remembers.

These principles are not difficult to understand, of course, but in her previous life, Li Zhao had told her countless profound truths, but she hadn't listened to a single one of them.

If you tell her that one plus one equals two, she'll always reply with "I don't care."

Anyone can talk about grand principles, but even if you understand the principles, putting them into practice is another matter entirely.

But experience teaches people, and they learn it in no time.

A genius son, a lucky break, brand new challenges... For Zhou Xiaoyun and Li Changlin, the past month since Li Zhao's rebirth has been filled with many extraordinary events.

They are growing up.

The shape of one's life is determined by the choices made at countless junctures. The changes in one's parents this month may already point to a life completely different from their previous one.

At the dinner table, Li Changlin continued to talk at length about his various ideas for the shop.

Zhou Xiaoyun would occasionally express doubts, objections, and dislikes, but at the same time she would also offer her own insights.

This matter put a lot of pressure on them, and their conversations became increasingly practical.

"Son, what do you think?" Li Changlin suddenly asked.

"Me? I don't have any thoughts on this. It's too early to discuss this, Mom and Dad, you two should discuss it yourselves."

"We can figure things out ourselves, why do you really rely on your son for everything?" Zhou Xiaoyun said reproachfully.

"I didn't!"

"Dad, let's subscribe to some newspapers: China Daily, South China Weekly, and Linjiang Chronicle," Li Zhao changed the subject.

"We have an order."

"Huh?" Li Zhao was dumbfounded.

"It's in the mailbox downstairs, but I don't go to collect it every day. Didn't you used to read the newspaper at home?"

Li Zhao slapped his forehead. "I thought you brought those back from the market."

"...those were taken from the mailbox to the market before I left home."

"So, Dad, you do read the newspaper?"

"right."

"So what do you think of the articles written by that 'Four-Knife' guy from the South China Weekly?"

"Oh, so this is some toxic parenting advice? I was just telling your mom last time that cultured people are different; they explain the issues we've only just started reflecting on so clearly."

That is.

"I took it to the market again today, but I haven't gotten it back yet. He published another article, it seems to be a confrontation with that Tian something from the New Taipei Daily, talking about urban development, very professional. Do you remember Uncle Pei Rong? He taught junior high school Chinese. He said all the teachers at his school are talking about this article. I suspect that this 'Four-Knife' is a pseudonym used by some big writer, and the newspaper knows the inside story."

"Wow... that's amazing?"

"Don't you really enjoy reading Lu Xun's books? Back then, weren't those intellectuals in the Republic of China fighting each other with their articles in newspapers? These days, it's so rare to see professionals arguing back and forth in newspapers."

"No wonder our teacher mentioned him to us."

"I'll give it to you later, you can take a look."

"it is good."

The impact appears to be even better than the most optimistic expectations.

[Your opinion has gained recognition for its influence, happiness +1, total 28]

The next day at noon, Li Zhao left the school with the day students and jogged to the front desk of the post office before the lunch break.

The staff member, used to a relaxed schedule, casually chatted with colleagues while taking the royalty slip from Li Zhao, glancing at it, stamping it, and saying, "Go collect it over there... Huh?"

She then discovered that the three royalty statements totaled 1,200 yuan, all from the South China Weekly.

She looked up again and took a closer look at the person, only to find that it was a young-looking face.

"Did you pick it up for your family, little one?"

"right."

"That's amazing."

Li Zhao just wanted to keep a low profile, take the money, and leave.

It's extremely rare for the South China Weekly to publish the same person's work continuously in a short period of time; it would be troublesome if they associated it with the Four Knives.

The influence of this pen name still needs to develop; Li Zhao wants to use it to do something bigger.

Let its value remain in "professional insights." The advantage of an anonymous identity is that everyone will place the author in a position of professionalism that they can accept.

Afterwards, Li Zhao took a bus and rushed to the bank, where he deposited the 1,200 yuan in royalties and the 600 yuan he had saved up from "emptying his pocket money" into his card.

Actually, Chen Nian brought 742.5 yuan.

But Li Zhao only accepts hundred-yuan bills.

The ATM machine was a bit unexpected this time; it actually dispensed a crumpled banknote.

Chen Nian's investment was reduced by 100 yuan, and Li Zhao's bank card balance was 25700 yuan.

Li Zhao took out his bank card and took a deep breath.

[Reward for Redemption: 5x Loan]

【whether……】

【Sure】

Li Zhao then inserted his bank card into the ATM again to check his balance, and an astonishing number appeared:

128500.

Six digits.