Chapter 3

Although Xiaogu's family conditions have always been poor, she has always maintained an optimistic and cheerful personality.

Ever since Xiaogu's family came through the door, the house has been filled with laughter and joy. Of course, Xiaogu and her husband couldn't help but ask Zhang Chen about his final exam results and his ranking in the class.

Zhang Chen didn't feel annoyed at all. After all, he was 38 years old in his previous life. Although he never got married before his rebirth, he couldn't avoid being nagged by his relatives every year during the Spring Festival. However, after being reborn, facing a much younger Xiaogu, Zhang Chen felt a warm heart and wouldn't talk back.

Xiaogu and her husband were quite surprised, saying that Zhang Chen had suddenly grown up and become more sensible.

"Jingyi, how is your factory doing now?" Su Wenjin asked while cooking, with Xiaogu helping her.

Xiaogu was washing garlic sprouts. "Sigh, the factory hasn't been operating for a month before the New Year. I don't know how long it can last." Mentioning her job, the usually cheerful Xiaogu looked a bit gloomy.

"I don't know what the country is thinking, how could so many factories just collapse like that?" Su Wenjin didn't know how to comfort Xiaogu, so she could only sigh along with her.

"Let's just take it one day at a time. Maybe the factory will start operating again after the New Year. By the way, Sister-in-law, how is your and Brother's workplace?" Xiaogu forced a smile.

Su Wenjin shook her head. "No news yet. It seems our industry has been abandoned by the country."

Zhang Chen's father, Zhang Guoqiang, and his mother, Su Wenjin, were both employees of the Bincheng Chemical Bureau, specializing in technology. In recent years, the country has been streamlining and reducing fiscal allocations to various departments, and there haven't been many projects. As a result, many public institutions have become empty shells, unable to even pay salaries.

The Chemical Bureau would be abolished in a few years, merging with the China National Petroleum Corporation and the China Petrochemical Corporation to form the National Petroleum and Chemical Industry Bureau. A few years later, this department would be completely dissolved, with its administrative functions taken over by the State Economic and Trade Commission.

"Ah? You and Brother are both senior engineers, dedicating decades to the country's chemical industry, and now you're just being discarded?" Xiaogu was surprised and angry.

"Jingyi, stop complaining. Quickly wash the vegetables and take over the work from Mom. Don't let Mom do it." Zhang Guoqiang, who was playing chess with his brother-in-law Chen Shuda, heard his sister and wife complaining and felt annoyed, but he was usually quiet, so he just said this and continued to focus on the chessboard.

Zhang Guoqiang wasn't a chauvinist; he wasn't just watching his wife work while he did nothing. It was a local custom. On the second day of the New Year, when daughters return to their parents' home, the male hosts often chat with their sons-in-law, while the female family members prepare the meal and chat. This was common in every household.

Zhang Chen listened from the side, recalling that 1996 was the hardest year for his family in his memory. That summer, Zhang Chen hardly ate any meat. He developed later than his peers, and at 17, he was still in his growth spurt. Every night, due to calcium deficiency, his legs would cramp. As an adult, Zhang Chen had large hands and feet, needing size 42.5 shoes, but he was only 175 cm tall. Years later, he joked with his mother that he didn't grow to 180 cm because he didn't get enough nutrition during his growth spurt.

At 17, Zhang Chen was still a small 165 cm tall.

Listening quietly to the family chat, Zhang Chen didn't interrupt or offer advice. He knew that as a high school student, his words carried little weight, and it would be futile to speak.

Moreover, with 20 years of rebirth, he had enough time to change his family's situation and help those around him change their fate.

Regarding making money, although Zhang Chen didn't have a specific plan, he was confident. After all, he knew the trends of the next 20 years. Even if he started with a small amount of capital to invest in real estate, he could become a tycoon in 20 years. Not to mention, it was only 1996, with so many opportunities. Even the first internet giants like Yinghaiwei had only been established for less than half a year.

Ma Huateng developed OICQ, which later became QQ, in 1999. In 2000, due to a lack of funds, he almost sold QQ for 500,000 yuan. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, had just started China Yellow Pages and was still running around to get business. As for Robin Li, the founder of Baidu, he was still a Wall Street elite and wouldn't join an American search engine company to start his search business until the next year. These three people only began their true entrepreneurial journeys in 1999.

Now, it was only 1996, three years before they started.

In Zhang Chen's mind, even if he could earn 200,000 yuan by 1999, he could then ride the coattails of these entrepreneurs and live a carefree life, reaching the peak of his life.

As for taking their opportunities for himself? Zhang Chen didn't have that idea.

On one hand, in his previous life, Zhang Chen wasn't a passionate entrepreneur. Although he sometimes marveled at the entrepreneurial journeys of people like Jack Ma, he was like most onlookers, merely marveling at their life experiences.

On the other hand, Zhang Chen had many flaws, but one strength was self-awareness. He wasn't a genius in his previous life and knew his abilities were at best above average, both in management and willpower. He believed that human talent has a ceiling. Even if he had a second chance, he might indeed have the foresight to outdo these entrepreneurs, but the more likely outcome would be that he would be completely outmatched and left with nothing.

So, Zhang Chen's current goal was to earn as much money as possible in the next few years and then become a professional investor.

There were plenty of investment opportunities, from Tencent, Alibaba, Facebook, to Apple and Google. Zhang Chen preferred to be a behind-the-scenes investor, using a small investment to achieve a hundredfold return and quietly becoming wealthy.

The prerequisite was to earn his first pot of gold before 1999, so he would have enough money to invest at that time.

1999 was a magical year. Tencent, Alibaba, and Baidu all started their internet businesses that year, and Google also began its search business. Microsoft reached its peak market value in 1999.

So, Zhang Chen's current challenge was to earn his first pot of gold in the next three years, as quickly and as much as possible.

The adults were chatting, and Zhang Chen was entertaining his 8-year-old sister, Chen Ting, who was biting her pencil and deep in thought at the desk.

"Big Brother Chen, can you take me to set off fireworks?" Chen Ting, with her pigtails, tugged at Zhang Chen's sleeve, looking pitifully at him.

Zhang Chen put down his pen and looked at his 8-year-old sister, feeling both amused and moved.

In his memory, his sister was a 20-something young woman, tall and graceful. But unfortunately, she was deceived by a 50-year-old advertising director, who took advantage of her both financially and sexually, leading to her suicide due to depression.

But the sister in front of him, with her pigtails and a flower in her hair, had a rosy face and big, sparkling eyes. She was incredibly cute.

"Sure! Big Brother will take you to set off fireworks!" Zhang Chen laughed, took Chen Ting's hand, and asked his mother for a string of small firecrackers and a few skyrockets. The two of them went downstairs to set off the fireworks.

Just reborn, he had plenty of time to make money, but family was the most important.

Since heaven had given him another chance, he was determined to ensure they had a happy life.

Looking at the fireworks exploding in the sky, Zhang Chen silently vowed in his heart.

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