Chapter 49: New Year Greetings

Compared to the relatives on his mother’s side, Zhao Zejun much preferred the style of conversation on his father’s side. Although they all talked about family, work, and children, Zhao Bo and his wife spoke in a gentle tone, rarely using any harsh or aggressive words, making the atmosphere very pleasant.

Zhao Bo had once been the director of the Central Park Management Office in Jianwu City. However, the publicly operated park was struggling financially. Last year, the city underwent reforms, streamlining the park staff and management, leading to many layoffs. Zhao Bo was among those laid off.

“My brother’s level shouldn’t have been affected by the layoffs, after all, he was a mid-to-senior management cadre of the park. But he spoke up for some of the older colleagues below, offended the higher-ups, and they made things difficult for him,” sighed his aunt.

“That’s not quite right,” Zhao Bo interrupted, waving his hand. “In life, you have to consider relationships. Those few people put in a lot of effort when appointing me as director and always supported my work.”

He added with a smile, “Besides, every cloud has a silver lining. Look at me now—I’m doing quite well.”

After being laid off, Zhao Bo leveraged over twenty years of experience in park management to secure a coordinator position at a privately owned amusement park on the city’s outskirts. Though not a leadership role, the income was significantly higher than his previous government job.

Zhao Tao chuckled, “Being laid off can be seen two ways. People without skills fear it because they have nowhere else to go. But capable people aren’t afraid—they see it as breaking free from constraints and a chance for broader opportunities. The Lakeside Amusement Park is well-known; I’ve even heard about it in Yijiang City.”

“Oh, coordinating means handling all sorts of trivial tasks without any real authority. He’s just a wage earner,” his aunt modestly smiled as she refilled Zhao Zejun’s glass. “Xiaojun, drink some water, don’t hold back. It’s not like I’m nagging, but you’re studying at a university in Jianwu City and haven’t come to visit us. Your cousin is in ninth grade this year; as a student from a prestigious university, you should give him some guidance.”

Perhaps due to the family’s genetic tendencies, Zhao Tao and Zhao Bo both had children relatively late. Zhao Bo was two years older than Zhao Tao, yet his son was only fifteen this year, in ninth grade.

“Hmm,” Zhao Zejun smiled faintly, somewhat distracted.

His mind wandered to the Lakeside Amusement Park where Zhao Bo worked.

This park was one of Jianwu City’s earliest recreational parks. Initially free to the public, it was later leased to a private company, transitioning to an amusement park model and introducing many attractions like a Ferris wheel, 5D cinema, and go-karts. Back in 2003, it was one of Jianwu City’s more enjoyable spots.

But the good times didn’t last. As the city’s entertainment options grew more diverse, the park lacked funds to update its facilities and soon fell into decline.

More than a decade later, the site changed hands again.

Uncle Wang, now the city’s richest man, bought it and built East China’s largest themed entertainment complex, positioning it as a rival to Disneyland.

If only he could afford to buy it himself. Properly managed, whether building housing, selling to Uncle Wang, or running his own themed park, it held immense potential.

But this was just a spontaneous thought born of professional habit. With his current funds, such a large project was beyond reach, and the investment cycle was far too long to risk putting all his assets on the line.

Pulling his mind back, Zhao Zejun carried his teacup into his cousin Zhao Lian’s bedroom. From behind, he saw Zhao Lian typing rapidly on a desktop keyboard.

“Xiaojun-gege…” Zhao Lian quickly switched screens, looking flustered when he noticed Zhao Zejun.

“Writing a novel?” Zhao Zejun asked, catching a glimpse of text on the screen. It seemed the boy was indeed typing a story.

Caught, Zhao Lian blushed slightly and stammered, “Don’t tell Mom and Dad, okay? Next semester I have the high school entrance exam…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t say a word. Which website are you writing on?” Zhao Zejun asked with a smile.

“It’s called Zeyue Chinese Web,” Zhao Lian became noticeably more talkative, launching into an enthusiastic explanation. “It’s really famous—the largest novel website in the country, with hundreds of thousands of readers and authors. If you write well, you can even make money. Some top-level writers earn tens of thousands a month!”

“Really?!” Zhao Zejun, looking at his cousin, couldn’t help but recall Yu Zhe back in the day, that same fiery spirit. He smiled and said, “But since you’re about to take the middle school finals, you should focus on your studies first. Writing novels doesn’t have a high entry barrier, but it requires some life experience. You can always write more seriously in a few years.”

“Do you know about online novels too?”

“Ahem… not really, just a little,” Zhao Zejun pretended to sip his tea, lowering his head. “Writing novels is tough. Look at all those writers—only a few are true masters, just a tiny fraction among thousands or tens of thousands. It’s harder than getting into university.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know! I started writing just to earn some money. My dad’s new job is really tiring, and he only gets two days off for New Year. I want to make some money to ease things for Mom and Dad.”

Zhao Zejun nodded. “You’re quite thoughtful.”

Once the conversation opened, Zhao Lian became more talkative, a bit mature beyond his years. He chuckled, “Actually, I know that studying hard is the best way to help my parents. But as I write, I find it pretty fun.”

“What are you writing? Can I have a look?”

Poor writers usually fall into two extremes: either they push their stories on everyone, or they don’t tell even close friends or family. Zhao Lian clearly belonged to the latter. Blushing, he said, “Brother, forget it. My writing is terrible now. When I become famous, I’ll show you, okay?”

“Okay!” Zhao Zejun laughed heartily.

“Dinner’s ready,” their aunt came in, beaming. “What are you two chatting about? You seem so happy.”

Zhao Lian quickly gave Zhao Zejun a sly look. Zhao Zejun replied, “We were talking about celebrities. My brother here also likes Andy Lau.”

…

On New Year’s Eve, Zhao Zejun shared the reunion dinner with his parents and his uncle’s family.

Another year had passed, yet everything that happened last year seemed vivid as if it were yesterday.

The Huang Hong and Zhao Benshan comedy sketches, the first time at Junzi’s roadside stall, where the blueprint for Zejian Company was laid out: the construction team…

Much had changed in a year.

But some things remained the same—greetings. On this New Year’s Eve, there were even more people to contact than last year.

Yu Jin, Yu Zhe, Shen Lian, Elephant, Old Li from the neighborhood committee, the garbage dump manager, the dormitory crew… one by one, he sent messages. The two companies, especially the new employees at Zeyue Company, all received his greetings.

Before Zhao Zejun could ask, Junzi called proactively to report on Zejian’s recent progress in detail.

Zhao Zejun didn’t ask much else, only, “How’s your mom’s checkup?”

“She had a full series of tests. The doctor said it’s nothing serious, but she needs to recover slowly. Brother, please thank Director Yu for me.”

Getting an appointment with a specialist during the New Year was difficult, but Zhao Zejun had asked Yu Jin to intervene. They directly contacted the deputy director of Yijiang City’s First People’s Hospital to arrange a bed and a renowned attending physician.

Junzi verbally thanked Yu Zhe, but Zhao Zejun knew the gratitude was for himself. He smiled and said, “It’s good there’s nothing serious. If you need money, just ask. Taking care of the elderly’s health is the most important thing.”

“Don’t worry, brother. Oh, I’ll be back after the ninth-grade exams.”

“Alright, I’m giving you a month’s leave. Stay the whole month before coming back. Nothing major here. Keep an eye on the family shop when you have time; it’ll be your property one day,” Zhao Zejun said.

After ending the call with Junzi, Zhao Zejun rang Jiang Xuan.

On the other end was a raucous scene—explosive DJ dance music blended with a man’s wild howls of excitement and a woman’s sultry cries.