Chapter 2, The Joyful Li Jiangnan

It has been proven that such an open and blatant method of accepting bribes is highly undesirable. A month later, due to a report from a young student, he was dismissed after being criticized by the class teacher in front of the entire class

His mother, Liu Fang, had a somewhat rigid temperament. Originally a village girl, she was not considered beautiful, but according to the aesthetic standards of the time, she could be deemed healthy and dignified. It is said that she once served as the captain of the village militia's women's team. During the fervent Down to the Countryside Movement, she took a liking to the then relatively young and robust Li Guoqiang. From Li Jiangnan's conjectures, it can be imagined that his mother, with the determination of a poor peasant, actively sought to entice his honest and dependable father, whom she deemed worthy of lifelong commitment, and then returned to the city with him.

Li Jiangnan's academic performance has always been average. He was able to enter university, and this was largely due to a significant emotional setback during his third year of high school, which motivated him to work harder (this incident will be recounted later, so I will not elaborate on it for now). He barely met the cutoff for a junior college and spent two and a half years there, with retaking exams becoming a regular occurrence.

Li Jiangnan understood the reason; he often heard his mother complain that his father was too honest and did not know how to flatter the leaders. This had always made him quite frustrated. What was so difficult about flattering? Who wouldn't want to be flattered? He was confident that he could flatter someone to the point of bruising their backside and thighs.

His parents are not very educated. His father, Li Guoqiang, works as a truck driver in the logistics department of a large state-owned factory. He is usually taciturn, honest, and has led a life of mediocrity, often scolded by his wife, who says he "can't even produce a fart with three strikes of a hammer"

Originally, this old man had some credibility, but recently he has been claiming that he is short on funds and has been refusing to pay. He now owes Liu Fang 500 yuan. Liu Fang has urged him several times but has not been able to collect the money. This time, she sent her son to confront him, intending for him to display his masculine vigor and intimidate the old man in order to secure the payment.

Firstly, in terms of appearance, Li Jiangnan stands at only 1.75 meters tall, with a slender build, far removed from the image of being tall and robust. Although his facial features are relatively well-proportioned, the term "handsome and dashing" is certainly not applicable to him. He resembles a small drop of water in the vast ocean; if he were to stand in a crowd, no one would take notice of him at first glance.

It is worth mentioning that in his spare time, he enjoys browsing the internet to read books, particularly a wide range of genres, from history to erotic literature, including sites like mhetushucom.com. This has made him somewhat of a jack of all trades, as if he understands a little about everything, yet seems to know nothing at all. However, when he boasts, there are always those who are taken in by him.

Li Jiangnan was riding his bicycle while brewing a murderous intent with a grimace. Although one could say that the old man was rather pitiable, having no children or family, their household was not affluent enough to the point of being able to afford charitable acts without charge

This mindset brings great joy to Li Jiangnan; although his circumstances are worse than many of his classmates, he is happier than most of them

Although he is still in the last half year of his three-year college program, various signs indicate that Li Jiangnan is unlikely to achieve significant success. To be precise, even if he manages to make a living, it is unlikely that he will have any substantial accomplishments

Secondly, Li Jiangnan has been quite mediocre throughout his life. His past dreams were not to become a scientist, politician, or artist, but rather to fantasize about being the young master of a landlord's estate, with thousands of acres of fertile land and tens of thousands of tenant farmers. In his leisure time, he imagined himself carrying a birdcage, followed by a group of sycophants, strolling through the streets to tease well-bred young ladies.

At this time, Li Jiangnan had already gone downstairs. Their residence was an old staff building located between Li Guoqiang's factory and the library, where the toilet and bathroom were shared. The home consisted of only two rooms: one for dining and the other for living. It was not until Li Jiangnan entered high school that an additional room was partitioned for him. However, apart from the bed, there was essentially no space for any other furniture. On quiet nights, Li Jiangnan even heard suppressed sounds from his parents' room that he felt he should not listen to.

The name Li Jiangnan was given by his most cultured third uncle in the entire family, as he was born in the early spring in the south, signifying "The spring breeze once again greens the banks of Jiangnan"

As the saying goes, life has its ups and downs. Drinking is like a competition, going shirtless while wearing a tie, exposing oneself, and riding a bicycle at 80 miles per hour. For the first few, he either lacks the courage or the ability to try. However, he takes great pride in his cycling skills, which he honed from a young age while helping his mother with food deliveries. Even when using only his feet, he can ride without colliding with others. At that moment, he accelerates completely; although he may not reach 80 miles per hour, he can still experience the thrill of it, just as a man can find release without engaging in true intimacy.

Li Guoqiang's factory is a large state-owned textile mill called Guangming Cotton Spinning Factory, which, along with its families, accommodates tens of thousands of people. Although there was a period of economic downturn, the entire textile industry has rebounded since joining the World Trade Organization, and it is unknown how many new residential buildings have been constructed. Neighbors have changed from one household to another, yet the Li Jiangnan family seems to have taken root in the old building, having never even heard a single word about being allocated a new apartment.

Both the external and internal factors prevent Li Jiangnan's parents, as well as himself, from seeing a promising future. However, Li Jiangnan always maintains the mindset of "I am destined to be of use, and there will surely be a way when the cart reaches the mountain."

Although her temperament is somewhat strong and, with the onset of menopause, she has become increasingly talkative, she is very diligent and capable of enduring hardship. In addition to running a small restaurant by herself, she also manages the household chores. At times, watching his mother busy in the kitchen, Li Jiangnan feels ashamed of his own lack of achievement, especially considering that his parents were already over thirty when they had him, and by the time he reached adulthood, his parents had aged.

In the corridor on the ground floor, Li Guoqiang took an old-fashioned bicycle with a crossbar and headed east, from where he could exit the factory area. Outside was a small town called Anqing, which was a ten-minute bicycle ride to the county seat. In the most remote bungalow at the eastern end of the town lived an old man, whose specific name Li Jiangnan did not know, but everyone in the town called him Old He. He had no children and was particularly fond of drinking. Li Jiangnan had delivered food and drinks to his home several times.

There were not many people in the factory area, and Li Jiangnan accelerated his vehicle

Although many successful individuals may not have impressive appearances, some are even less attractive than Li Jiangnan, this does not mean that Li Jiangnan can rely on others for support, and his chances of attracting wealthy women or their daughters are significantly reduced. It is important to understand that for a man to achieve rapid success, leveraging connections is crucial, and the most direct and convenient way to leverage is to utilize the resources of one's own family and that of one's wife.

The wicked landlord had long been overthrown by the vast number of poor and lower-middle peasants, and this dream was certainly unattainable. Throughout his childhood, Li Jiangnan held the highest position of authority only when he served as the group leader of a four-person team responsible for supervising classmates in reciting texts in the second grade of elementary school. However, he did not cherish this hard-won honor and soon began to exploit his power to stimulate the economy, announcing to the other three children that anyone who did not wish to recite the text could give him one yuan.