Chapter Fifty-Two: Persuasion

The green mountains stood as ever, lush and vibrant—a blessing of living in the south, unlike the north where winter reduced the world to a single hue. Zhou Xuan sat on his youngest uncle’s motorcycle. When they arrived home, his uncle rode straight up to the doorstep and parked in the yard.

Climbing off, Zhou Xuan grabbed the meat and his schoolbag, calling out, “Mom, Dad, Uncle’s here!”

His mother, who’d probably just been busy inside, stepped out with a winnowing basket in her hand, smiling as she saw Zhou Xuan. “You child, why do you always trouble your uncle to bring you back? Wouldn’t it be better to catch a ride or walk home yourself?”

Though her words sounded reproachful, they held not a trace of real scolding.

“Big sister, what’s the harm? It’s just a short trip—a quick ride and I’m here in twenty minutes. Tonight, I’m staying for dinner before heading back,” his uncle replied politely as he parked the motorcycle.

Zhou Xuan’s grandfather had three children in all. His mother was the eldest, his youngest uncle the third, and the second uncle was in between.

“I was just afraid you’d do as last time and refuse to stay for dinner. How many times have you gone out of your way to give him a lift?” his mother said.

“Mom, here’s some pork and chilies. Why not fry them up? And aren’t there sausages and cured meat left? Slice some of that, too.” The cured meat and sausages at home were all made by his uncle’s family, and they tasted wonderful—Zhou Xuan had always loved eating them.

“Alright, third brother, have a seat while I start cooking. Zhou Xuan, come help with the fire,” his mother replied.

“Okay, I’m coming. Mom, where’s my sister? She’s not back yet?” Noticing his sister was absent, Zhou Xuan asked, “I brought her lots of treats.”

“You’re always indulging her—she’s still out playing. Look at that wild girl, I wonder if she’ll ever settle down to her studies,” his mother sighed, growing a bit nagging at the mention of Zhou Xuan’s younger sister. “She’ll be starting primary school next year. I’m curious how her grades will improve. If only she could achieve half of what you have.”

Zhou Xuan’s sister, Zhou Qian, was already in preschool, but she was just too mischievous.

“Don’t worry, my sister’s grades in the future definitely won’t be much worse than mine. That much I can guarantee.” Zhou Xuan was confident about Zhou Qian’s prospects. After all, with the brain development serum, she was sure to become an academic ace.

His mother was overjoyed at his words. “Then her studies will be your responsibility from now on. If she does poorly, I’ll hold you accountable.”

“No problem. I guarantee I’ll get the job done,” Zhou Xuan replied with a grin.

Soon after, his father, Zhou Qian, and both grandparents returned home. Everyone was delighted to see the youngest uncle, especially Zhou Qian, who was thrilled with the treats her brother had brought her.

After dinner, the youngest uncle didn’t leave immediately but stayed to chat with the family. Zhou Xuan’s father was surprised, for in the past his brother-in-law would always head home after eating.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Third brother, you didn’t just come over to drop Zhou Xuan off, did you?”

His uncle laughed. “There is something else, but it’s mainly something Zhou Xuan wants to discuss.”

At that moment, everyone was gathered around the old color TV watching a show. When they heard the conversation, they all turned to Zhou Xuan, curious about what he had to say.

Since his uncle had broached the topic, Zhou Xuan shared his idea. “Mom, Dad, there’s not much money to be made staying here. Why not open a shop in town?”

“What kind of shop? Aren’t we doing just fine at home?” His father, caught off guard, asked in surprise.

“How much can you really earn at home? When my sister and I go to high school and college, tuition alone will be tens of thousands a year. Our income here just isn’t enough. That’s why I think you should open a shop in town—you’ll definitely make more.” Zhou Xuan remembered how in his previous life, his family had borrowed a lot for his and his sister’s education. Even after repaying some after graduation, they had to borrow again for a house and wedding. It was only years later, once things improved, that the family was finally debt-free.

His father considered this, then nodded. “You have a point, but opening a shop—first, we have no experience; second, we don’t have the capital. How would we manage it?”

“I have the money, and Uncle has the experience,” Zhou Xuan replied, turning to his uncle. “Besides, Uncle is about to open a supermarket. If you have any questions, you can ask him—or me, for that matter. Isn’t that right, Uncle?”

His uncle nodded eagerly. “Exactly! Big brother, big sister, I’m opening a supermarket thanks to Zhou Xuan’s suggestion.”

Now Zhou Xuan’s father finally understood—his son had money, had helped his uncle start a supermarket, and was now encouraging his own parents to open a shop in town as well.

While he didn’t object to the idea, he was completely unfamiliar with running a business and worried about what kind of shop to open. If things went badly, tens of thousands could be lost just like that.

So he frowned. “Opening a shop is fine—lots of people have struck it rich doing business. But we need to choose carefully; otherwise, if we lose money, it’ll be a disaster.”

Zhou Xuan understood his father’s concerns; it all came down to the fear of not making money.

He smiled. “Uncle’s supermarket will be near their current rental, right by the gates of No. 4 Middle School—a busy area, so there’s no way it’ll lose money. As for us, I suggest opening a branded clothing franchise. There are only a few such stores in the county, which gives us an advantage. We just need to pick a well-known brand with real growth potential.”

At this time, opening a branded clothing franchise on the county’s Culture Street was an excellent choice. Zhou Xuan favored brands like Metersbonwe, Anta, and Semir—all with great potential for future growth.

Metersbonwe had only been founded a couple of years, but they outsourced all their manufacturing and sales, focusing solely on brand and management. Most of their stores were franchises, with Metersbonwe supplying the products and franchisees keeping seventy-five percent of the sales revenue.

His father asked, “That does make sense, but isn’t the entry threshold for these clothing franchises pretty high? Don’t they require a lot of capital?”

“If you go the franchise route, aside from rent and renovations, all you need is a deposit of several tens of thousands. I’m prepared to invest a hundred thousand—we can definitely make it work.” Zhou Xuan had done the math: about fifty thousand for the deposit, another ten or twenty thousand for rent and renovations.

“What! How much have you made from your writing?” His father was completely stunned—he’d never earned so much in his entire life.

“Big brother, big sister, Zhou Xuan made over a hundred thousand from his writing this time, and there’s more to come. He’s so talented—he’s already earning money, and you two will live in comfort from now on,” his uncle chimed in, thoroughly impressed by Zhou Xuan’s ability to earn two hundred thousand from just a couple of songs.

“Really? He’s made over a hundred thousand?” The whole family gasped in astonishment.

“Brother, you really earned that much?” Zhou Qian’s eyes sparkled at the thought of all the delicious food this could buy.