Chapter 0317: Divergent Thinking

Zhao Fusheng knew his own limits well, for self-knowledge is a virtue. When it came to advertising, he could be considered a professional, and even if he occasionally made mistakes, they were due to cognitive differences arising from different eras.

As for matters in the entertainment industry, relying on gossip he occasionally heard from the news or insiders in his past life, Zhao Fusheng could roughly understand seventy to eighty percent. After all, the future was the age of the internet; in the era of information explosion, there were no secrets, especially those in the entertainment circle, which could not be hidden—only whether they were willing to be exposed.

Things like personas of good husbands or good wives, or strong single mothers or affectionate jokers—as long as the media was willing to dig, there would definitely be unexpected surprises.

These were all areas Zhao Fusheng was good at, so he wasn't too worried when he got involved.

But business management and operations were something Zhao Fusheng was not good at.

Or rather, he didn't even have a smattering of knowledge. Although he understood the general trends of the future, he was well aware that he was not skilled at managing a business.

To be more precise, he wasn't good at it now, because he had been self-studying books on business management.

So in the suggestions he gave his father, Zhao Fusheng's main purpose was to help his father avoid potential future dangers, not to plan his father's future path in the business world.

He provided the useful information he knew for his father's reference, but as for the final decision, it was still up to his father to make.

Zhao Fusheng was very clear on this point.

But in the eyes of others, every one of his suggestions was solid.

Fan Baobao sometimes wondered, how could the Zhao Fusheng she knew be so different from the one now? The old Zhao Fusheng, though somewhat stubborn, was not as smart and mature as he was now. Sometimes Fan Baobao even felt that Zhao Fusheng was too calm for a young person.

If it weren't for the fact that he occasionally got driven crazy by her, Fan Baobao would think this guy had no flaws.

As it turned out, Zhao Fusheng's suggestions were very useful.

When Zhao's father and mother returned at noon, they looked to be in a good mood.

"Mom, what's up with Dad?" Zhao Fusheng asked curiously.

Speaking of which, Zhao's parents were quite ruthless. With seven or eight relatives in the family, they managed to visit all of them in one morning, averaging about half an hour per household.

Li Yuan, on the other hand, had it easy. She dropped off some gifts at her parents' house and took a taxi back.

"Your dad called Uncle Chen and the others, and they all agreed with his idea. They'll pay back the pooled funds first, and we'll take our dividends later," Zhao's mother said mysteriously to Zhao Fusheng.

"What about the house?" Zhao Fusheng asked in surprise.

Zhao's mother smiled: "Your dad called your grandpa and told him to wait. Later, when we get our dividends and buy a new house, we'll have him come live with us."

"Grandpa agreed?" Zhao Fusheng scoffed, not believing it at all.

The reason was simple: he knew his grandfather's temper too well. A man from Shandong, stubborn enough to drive people crazy. Getting him to leave his land and come live in the city was nothing but a dream.

In his past life, Zhao Fusheng knew that his father had invited the old man to live in the city countless times, but he had always refused.

As the old man put it: "What's so good about the city? You don't know anyone, you have to look at people through a crack in the door. It's more comfortable in the village, where neighbors have been around for decades. Comfortable!"

"Of course he didn't agree. But your dad told your grandpa that our business has no one watching it at night, and he's worried..."

Zhao's mother grinned: "That was my idea."

Rolling his eyes, Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but give his mother a thumbs up: "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! Mom, that was a stroke of genius."

He said this sincerely. Although his grandfather didn't like the city, he cared deeply about family matters. While the old man knew a bit about Zhao's father's business, he didn't know how big it was. Now that Zhao's father told him they owned a mall and needed someone to keep watch at night, the old man would surely come to the city without a second thought.

The reason was simple: he wouldn't feel at ease otherwise.

Zhao's mother's move was too clever, forcing Grandpa to agree to his father's request.

"By the way, did Uncle and the others say anything?" Zhao Fusheng asked his mother after a moment's thought.

His two uncles and two aunts were not particularly capable, but they weren't troublemakers either—just simple, honest farmers. In his past life, when his family was struggling, they would often bring autumn vegetables, and even after his parents passed away, Zhao Fusheng would visit them regularly.

Thinking about it now, Zhao Fusheng felt he should give them some advice. They might not get rich, but at least they could make some money.

"They didn't say much, but your second uncle wanted to ask if your cousin could work as a security guard at the mall. He's been idle at home since being discharged from the army," Zhao's mother said after thinking. "I think it's okay. After all, we need a few family members in the mall."

She then looked at her husband: "Old Zhao, what do you think?"

Zhao's father hesitated, then looked at Zhao Fusheng: "I'm just afraid Uncle Chen and the others might not be happy."

After all, the mall wasn't solely owned by the Zhao family; Chen Hai and others also had shares. They were all comrades-in-arms. If Zhao's father could arrange jobs for his own family, couldn't they do the same?

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "No need. Why make your cousin work as a security guard? Since he's idle at home, let him and your second and third uncles raise a few pigs, slaughter them, and bring them to the supermarket. How many pigs do you think our supermarket can sell in a month?"

"Huh?"

Zhao's father was taken aback, then his eyes lit up as he immediately understood his son's meaning.

In fact, as Zhao Fusheng said, there was no need to have relatives work at the mall at all. Just supplying vegetables and meat to the mall would be enough to make them a fortune.

Of course, the specific process would be a bit troublesome, as meat products require inspections and such, but overall, Zhao Fusheng's idea was feasible.

"Right, right, right. Growing vegetables or raising livestock—both seem possible," Zhao's mother said, beaming. Clearly, Zhao Fusheng's words had opened up a new line of thought for them.

Shaking his head helplessly, Zhao Fusheng could only say that sometimes a person's thinking really can determine the course of many things.

The saying 'a leaf before the eye blocks Mount Tai' is very apt and realistic.

It's like relationships: two people argue, one thinks the other won't leave, the other thinks the first will hold them back, and in the end, they part ways in disappointment.

In short, many things are not that we don't know, but that we don't think of them.