Chapter 1

"Ah!"

Lin Yun woke up, feeling drenched in sweat, and quickly sat up.

"What place is this?"

It was a small room, filled with old boxes and wardrobes, and a miniature television sat on one of the wardrobes.

Looking up, the ceiling was covered with newspapers, with several holes through which dust occasionally fell.

"Chirp... chirp...!"

The sound came from outside the window, where the sun was blazing, indicating a scorching summer day.

"Was it a dream?"

Lin Yun propped himself up, feeling the hard surface beneath him. Looking down, he realized he was lying on a kang (a traditional heated brick bed), covered only by a layer of leather. He tapped it, "Bang, bang, bang!" It was almost as hard as bricks.

"This dream... was really vivid."

Lin Yun got off the kang and found a pair of rubber sandals under his feet. The floor was made of red bricks.

On the wall next to the door hung a "photo," which turned out to be a woman's portrait. She was beautiful and dignified, but her hairstyle was outdated, with a "big wave" look, and her makeup was uneven, as if she had offended the makeup artist. Upon closer inspection, it was actually a calendar....

"Wait, a calendar?"

Lin Yun examined it closely and saw it was July 1991.

"1991? I'm sixteen? This dream is a bit eerie!"

He then noticed a mirror on top of a box and hurried over. The reflection showed a young, innocent face.

"Ah!" Lin Yun stepped back in shock, suddenly touching his stomach, which was flat and free of any excess fat. He was wearing white shorts and quickly pulled them down to check inside—no underwear, and everything was small and tender....

"Damn! Did I travel through time?"

Returning to the mirror, the face was both familiar and strange, seemingly his younger self.

Looking around again, he saw a large photo frame on the opposite wall, containing several black-and-white photos. He approached to take a closer look.

A wedding photo of his grandparents.

Lin Yun's eyes welled up with tears.

His grandparents holding a baby.

"This is Father's first birthday photo."

Lin Yun smiled.

His grandparents holding a baby, with another four- or five-year-old "Father" standing in front.

"This is Uncle Two!"

"This is Aunt!"

"This is Uncle Three!"

"This is...?" A couple in their early twenties, each holding a small book to their chest, with a note on the left side: "Wedding photo, March 3, 1972."

"Wow!"

Lin Yun's tears fell, recognizing his parents' wedding photo.

Looking further down, he soon saw himself and his older brother in the photos.

This was his first birthday photo, this was his photo at age five, this was a photo of him at twelve in People's Park....

Everything before him seemed like a dream, unsure if it was real or not.

At that moment, urgent footsteps came from outside, and the door was pushed open. A young man rushed in. "Second, Dad is in the hospital, let's go quickly!"

"Big Brother?"

The man was Lin Yun's older brother, Lin Feng.

"What are you standing there for? Let's go to the central hospital quickly."

The man ran out.

"Dad is in the hospital?"

In 1991, he was sixteen, and a long-forgotten memory surfaced in his mind.

In 1986, the flour mill where his father worked was struggling, and the wages for the hundred or so workers were almost not being paid.

In 1987, his father responded to the local call to take over the flour mill. By the end of the year, the mill had turned a profit.

In 1988, although the mill's situation had improved, the intense competition left little profit after paying the workers and covering other costs.

In 1989, to lead everyone to prosperity, his father overcame objections and took out a loan of 200,000 to purchase a second-hand instant noodle production line, switching to producing instant noodles. The mill's performance improved significantly, and the workers' income increased greatly.

However, by 1991, several brands of instant noodles from large factories had entered the market, and their products lost their advantage, leading to a decline in performance. The repayment period was approaching, and the pressure on his father grew.

To reduce costs, his father led the way in cutting wages, but this led to a group of workers causing trouble and attacking his father. Lin Feng retaliated, severely injuring the ringleader, and was detained for six months.

His father was not seriously injured, but with his eldest son in detention and the mill's performance declining, by early 1992, the loan was due, and his father was sued by the court and sentenced to five years in prison.

With his father in prison, the mill lost its leader and quickly went bankrupt, leaving all the workers jobless.

Lin Yun's father, once a reform pioneer, became a criminal, and the family's fate changed.

Lin Feng, also a worker at the flour mill, lost his job after the mill went bankrupt and moved to the south to seek his fortune. Four years later, he returned with a substantial amount of money and a woman, and they were about to get married.

However, the woman was after the money and disappeared with over 500,000, leaving Lin Feng devastated. He turned to a life of crime and was later sentenced to 15 years for fraud.

Lin Yun's mother suffered even more. Her eldest son went to the south, and she worked hard to pay off her husband's debts, selling oil sticks and soy milk in the mornings.

Most of the money she earned went to paying off debts, and a small portion went to supporting Lin Yun's education. Her hard work took a toll on her health, and she fell ill at the age of 50, passing away three years later.

Lin Yun himself was a good student and was accepted into a prestigious university. However, his father's imprisonment made him reclusive, and his world turned dark.

After graduation, he did not accept a job assignment and went to the south to seek his fortune, joining a financial company. His meticulous thinking and strategic planning led to rapid success in the financial market, earning him millions.

However, no amount of money could save his mother. After her death, he became obsessed with making money, resorting to any means necessary. By his forties, he had amassed a fortune of hundreds of millions but broke the law and made many enemies, forcing him to flee abroad.

Lin Yun's last memory was in a foreign villa, where he was over fifty, alone and unable to return home. Reflecting on his life, he drank a few glasses of wine and lost consciousness....

This was Lin Yun's life, flashing before his eyes in an instant.

"Second, what are you standing there for? Let's go quickly!"

His brother urged, and Lin Yun, without time to reflect, ran out bare-chested.

At the hospital, his father, Lin Xuedong, was lying on a bed, receiving an IV, with a bandage wrapped around his head, blood seeping through the white bandage.

His mother, Sun Xiufang, sat beside him, and there were six or seven people in white work uniforms, all workers from the flour mill, around the bed.

Lin Xuedong, leaning against the head of the bed, seemed to be in good spirits. "Thank you all, I'm fine. You can all go home!"

The others did not leave immediately. A middle-aged man, about the same age as Lin Xuedong, said to the others, "Everyone go home. Let Lin Factory Manager rest. You're making a fuss, how can he rest? Go, go!"

"Then... then, Factory Manager Lin, we'll go home. If anything happens, just call us, and we'll come immediately."

"Alright, thank you all. Go home!"

The others left, and the middle-aged man stayed behind.

At that moment, Lin Yun and his brother ran into the ward. Lin Feng shouted, "Dad, how are you?"

"You two are here. I'm fine, just a brick hit. I'll be better tomorrow!" Lin Xuedong waved his hand to indicate he was fine.

Lin Yun, however, was stunned, staring at his father lying on the bed and his mother sitting beside him. "Dad, Mom, you..." Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

The middle-aged man smiled. "Second, your dad is fine, just a scratch. A little anti-inflammatory medicine will do. Why are you crying like a big man? Wipe your tears!"

Lin Yun quickly wiped his tears and sat down beside the bed.

Lin Xuedong patted Lin Yun's head and pointed to the middle-aged man. "Why don't you greet Uncle Zhou?"

"Oh, Uncle Zhou, hello."

Lin Yun hurriedly greeted Uncle Zhou, who lived next door and had been a neighbor for decades, and was also the union chairman of the flour mill. However, Lin Yun had long forgotten about Uncle Zhou and Uncle Wang.

Lin Feng, seeing his father lying in bed, was filled with rage. "Dad, was it Song Chaoyang and his gang who did this to you?"

Lin Xuedong sighed. "Big, it's not their fault. We owe them two months' wages, and they have the right to complain. Besides, I'm fine. I'll be discharged tomorrow morning. You mustn't cause trouble for them."

Lin Yun sighed inwardly. His father always thought of others, a typical intellectual, but this era did not value such qualities.

Lin Feng's eyes narrowed, revealing a fierce intent. Lin Yun knew his brother was planning to fight.

Lin Feng was two years older than Lin Yun, had never liked studying, and was always fighting, becoming a child leader. His parents forced him to study until he graduated from junior high school and then worked at the flour mill. He was a troublemaker there, but his father, the factory manager, could control him. Now, hearing that his father was beaten, he could not let it go.

However, Lin Feng was a filial son and could not openly defy his father's wishes, so he had to deal with it secretly.

Lin Yun chatted with his parents for a while and was relieved to see that Lin Xuedong was indeed fine.

"Big and Second, go home. I'll stay and take care of your dad tonight."

Mother Sun Xiufang told the brothers to go home. Lin Feng nodded and turned to leave, and Lin Yun quickly followed.

"Bro, are you going to find Song Chaoyang and cause trouble?"

Lin Feng was furious. "Yes, I've always hated that bastard. This time, he dared to hit our dad. He's asking for it. Let's go and teach him a lesson!"

Lin Yun followed and asked, "Big, tell me about this Song Chaoyang."

"What kind of person? A bastard, what else?"

Lin Yun said, "I know he's a bastard... No, Big, if you fight him, aren't you also a bastard?"

"Damn, what are you talking about?"

"Big, I have a plan to get some money from him. Isn't money better than fighting?"

"Money? How can money be better than beating him up?"

"Big, stop talking nonsense. Listen to me. Let's go to the police!"