Chapter 34

Standing in line at the train station window to buy tickets were also Li Mu and Zhao Kang.

Fortunately, Pengcheng was not too far away, only about 300 kilometers, and the train journey would take about four to five hours. He made an appointment with Sun Peng to meet at 1 PM the day after tomorrow and got Sun Peng's phone number.

Li Mu decided to buy a ticket for a train departing at 5 AM, arriving in Pengcheng around 10 AM. The first thing he would do upon arrival would be to open a local bank account and buy a local SIM card.

Speaking of phones, he needed to buy one as soon as possible.

At that moment, Sun Peng and his old partner were also queuing at the Yanjing train station square. They had chosen a train departing at 10 PM the next evening, arriving in Pengcheng at 6 AM the day after tomorrow.

Both had bought their tickets. Li Mu said to Zhao Kang, "Come to my place tomorrow morning, and we'll go out to buy a few phones."

"Buy a few..." Zhao Kang deliberately drew out the word "few": "You're really rich, aren't you? Why do you need so many phones?"

Li Mu thought for a moment and said, "I was thinking of buying four. One for each of us, and one for each of my parents. But I don't know how much phones cost these days. Do you know?"

"A little." Zhao Kang nodded. "I know the Motorola V998 costs around 3,000, and it's a very cool flip phone."

Li Mu smiled and asked, "Do you want one?"

Zhao Kang thought for a moment and said, "Maybe not. It's too expensive, not worth it."

Li Mu said, "If you want it and can afford it, go ahead. It's a classic, after all."

"What classic?" Zhao Kang looked puzzled.

"Never mind." Li Mu waved his hand. "If you like it, buy it."

Zhao Kang looked a bit excited but quickly added, "I'm not in a hurry. Let's wait until we sell the 'Stone Age Overlord' first."

Li Mu smiled. "Then I'll lend you the money to buy the phone tomorrow, and you can pay me back with the money from selling the cheat."

Zhao Kang immediately said, "Deal!"

The next morning, Li Mu and Zhao Kang went to the mobile service center and bought four phones.

Li Mu felt that buying expensive phones now was meaningless, as phones only had two basic functions: calls and text messages. So, he bought the best-selling Nokia 8250 of the year, a gray model for over a thousand yuan, which was not too expensive compared to the nearly 3,000 yuan Motorola V998+.

Thinking that his parents were not particularly extravagant, Li Mu bought a black 8250 for his father and a white 8310 for his mother. The Nokia 8310, known for its blue screen, had two nicknames: "brick" and "standby king." Even in the smartphone era, many salespeople still carried a Nokia because of its durability, which could be used for self-defense and cracking nuts, and a single charge could last a week.

Including the Motorola V998+ that Zhao Kang wanted, Li Mu bought four phones and four SIM cards, spending about 8,000 yuan in total, with 200 yuan prepaid on each SIM card.

When choosing numbers, Li Mu picked a family number for himself, with the last four digits being 1003. He left 1001 and 1002 for his parents to choose.

After leaving the service center, Zhao Kang couldn't take his eyes off the new phone. In his plan, he would have to wait until after graduation to own such a phone. After all, people in this era did not fully understand the market for electronic devices, and phones were considered luxury items.

The Motorola V998+ was a device that only top executives could afford in this era. People who could afford business phones and laptops were much more impressive than those who owned iPhones and MacBooks in the future.

Li Mu did not tell Zhao Kang that the phone was not cost-effective. He just felt that there were many things in life that one could desire, but few could obtain. Since Zhao Kang really liked this phone, he should encourage him to make the decision.

Zhao Kang fiddled with the phone, saving the first contact: Li Mu.

He didn't know how to explain the phone to his parents, nor did he know how to explain the income from selling the "Stone Age Overlord." But, who cares? It wasn't stolen or robbed; it was earned by his own efforts. As for how he earned it, he didn't plan to answer his parents' questions. They had always controlled everything in his life, and it was time to surprise them and show that he was beginning to exceed their control.

...

When Li Mu's parents saw the three new phones, they were indeed quite shocked.

It felt like buying three cars at once, too luxurious and wasteful.

"Three phones for our family of three?" Li Mu's mother emphasized the word "phones." In her view, she and her husband only needed to go between work and home, and if the family needed a phone, it was Li Mu who needed it, as a mother worries about her son far away. With a phone, she could always find him.

Li Mu said, "Three phones, what's the big deal? Mom, have you ever thought that our family of three could not only afford three phones but also three houses, three cars, and even more?"

"Look at you, showing off." Li Mu's mother laughed and scolded him. "Little rascal, three houses for three people, do you want your parents to live separately?"

Li Mu looked aggrieved. "Mom, I'm not trying to cause trouble! I bought the phones to keep our family more connected. If you go out to buy groceries, I can call you if I suddenly want something to eat, and you can buy it for me. Isn't that great?"

"That's true." Li Mu's father played with the Snake game on the phone and said with a smile, "I think everyone will have a phone in the future. Your son is just letting us enjoy advanced life early. What's the big deal about affording it?"

Li Mu looked at his father in surprise. "Dad, you have great foresight. How can you be so sure that everyone will have a phone in the future?"

Li Mu's father, engrossed in the game, said without looking up, "When I first started working, I was sent to Guizhou for two years. If there was an emergency, your grandfather would send me a telegram. We ordinary people had no place to make phone calls. At that time, I thought phones would eventually be in every household, just not yet."

He pointed to the home phone. "Look, our home phone has been in the house for years. Now it's time for mobile phones to enter our lives."

Li Mu couldn't help but admire his father's foresight, which was very accurate. The era of everyone having a phone would arrive in just a few years.

Li Mu's mother, hearing this, said no more but muttered, "I heard that phone bills are really expensive. You pay for calls, and you even pay for receiving calls. That's so annoying."

"Then use it sparingly." Li Mu's father smiled. "Don't call unless it's necessary, but if you really need to, don't be stingy. It's just a few cents per minute, and it's important to communicate."

"That's true." Li Mu's mother stopped complaining and picked up the phone with interest. "Son, teach me how to use it."

Li Mu smiled. "You two haven't chosen your numbers yet. 1, 2, and 3. I, being the lowest, chose 3. Who gets 1?"

"Your father (your mother)."

They both humbly offered to the other.

Li Mu said, "Then Dad gets 1, as he's the head of the household."

His mother had no objections. "Then I'll take 2."

Li Mu smiled. "1 and 2, both leaders."

"Go, get some tea for Leader 2!"

"Sure thing."

"Leader 2, I have something to report."

"Go ahead."

"I have to get up at 4 AM tomorrow. If I accidentally wake you up, don't be angry and just keep sleeping."

Li Mu's mother asked in surprise, "Get up at 4 AM? Where are you going? Even the breakfast vendors aren't out at that time."

Li Mu smiled. "I have to do something. I told you I'm trying to make money online."

Li Mu's mother looked curious. "Why not do it at home? Why go out so early?"

"To make money, of course. Money doesn't just appear in my account online."

"Sounds mysterious, like the speculators of the past."

Li Mu's father exclaimed, "Oh, the snake died." He looked up and said, "Wife, why ask so many questions? This kid can write a song and sell it for 80,000 yuan. He probably knows more about things than we do. As long as he has a plan, it's fine."

"Okay." Li Mu's mother stopped asking and said, "I'll get up early to make breakfast for you."

"No need." Li Mu quickly said. "I'll go to the convenience store downstairs and buy a bowl of instant noodles. I'll eat it and leave."

"That's not good. Instant noodles have no nutrition. I'll get up to make breakfast for you."

"What can we make for breakfast?"

"Rice noodles..."

"Still, I'll buy instant noodles..."

Li Mu finished speaking and walked out the door. Li Mu's mother shook her head helplessly. After Li Mu left, she said to Li Mu's father, "Our son is really different now."

"He's more mature after the college entrance exam."

"Do you think he can really get into Renmin University? I'm afraid he might not be accepted. Should we suggest he apply to Jinling University instead? It's also a key university, but the admission score is lower."

"We shouldn't make decisions for him. If he wants to apply to Renmin University, we shouldn't say anything. Let him make his own decision."

"Okay... If he really gets accepted to Renmin University, you have to go with me to the temple to pray and thank the Buddha."

"Sure!"

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