Chapter 129: The Father Returns

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

At the corporate service counter, Old Yao was enthusiastically engaging with the female clerk.

"We need to process a capital verification report."
"Do you have the Notice of Name Pre-approval from the Administration for Industry and Commerce?"
"Huh? What?"
"The Notice of Name Pre-approval. Surely you didn’t come here without preparing anything?"
"Uh..."
"Uh what? You don't have it? Next!"

Old Yao, having been snubbed, could only stand up awkwardly and return to Wang Qiang and Old Zhu. The bank staff's attitude was not particularly pleasant these days, and although that clerk had been relatively polite, she could have been much harsher had she chosen to be.

The three of them exchanged awkward glances, having absolutely no idea what the correct procedure for registering a company was. In the end, they had to ask the bank's customer service to find out the specific steps for obtaining a capital verification report.

First, one must have the company name approved. To do this, one must first determine the business address, then propose a company name, confirm the shareholders and their respective capital contributions and percentages, and outline the general scope of business. Then, all these details, along with the original and copies of the Articles of Association and the Shareholders' Resolution, as well as the identification and authorization documents for the representative appointed by all shareholders, must be registered in the "Application for Pre-approval of Enterprise Name" at the Administration for Industry and Commerce. Only after the application is successful and the Notice of Name Pre-approval is secured can one come to the bank to open a temporary account for business registration.

The process was incredibly troublesome.

They had failed, and to top it off, they had made a fool of themselves. Wang Qiang and his companions had to leave with their money just as they had arrived.

However, Old Zhu and Old Yao were not about to give up; they were determined to get the company started that very day. As soon as they got into the car, they wanted to drag Wang Qiang off to look at office space.

Completely exhausted, Wang Qiang had no strength left to go scouting for offices. He asked them to drop him off and leave the matter of the office to their discretion.

Just before they reached his rented room, his pager went off. Wang Qiang pulled it out and saw it was the landlady calling, saying there was something urgent and asking him to rush to the hotel. He had Old Yao turn the car around and head toward the Friendship Guesthouse.

...

He got out of the car at the entrance of the alley. The two men drove off in a hurry. Wang Qiang carried his suitcase of money into the corridor and walked toward the hotel, wondering to himself what the landlady could possibly want.

After turning two corners, he arrived at the Friendship Guesthouse. Before he even entered, he heard two familiar voices; one of them belonged to the landlady.

"Big Sister, are you saying my son opened an arcade?"
"That's right, he and our Old Zhu are partners in it."
"They can make two or three hundred a day!?"
"On Sundays, when business is good, they can make four or five hundred."
"My heavens!"

Huh? That was his father!

Wang Qiang peeked inside and saw his father, dressed in ragged clothes, sitting on a chair with his back to the door, chatting with the landlady. His tone was filled with utter astonishment.

For some reason, seeing his father’s slightly hunched back, Wang Qiang felt a mix of joy and heaviness. His steps faltered as he approached, and seeing the landlady about to call out to him, he quickly waved his hand to stop her.

His father was still asking impatiently, "You just said that besides the arcade, what else is he working on?"

The landlady looked at Wang Qiang with a strange expression but replied, "He, our Old Zhu, and Old Zhu's childhood friend Old Yao are planning to open a trading company. I heard the registered capital alone is one hundred thousand."

His father remained silent for a long time, head bowed in deep thought. Wang Qiang stood a step behind his chair and took a deep breath, preparing to speak.

Suddenly, his father let out a heavy sigh, whether to himself or the landlady, "My son has become so successful?" The tone was filled with relief, yet also carried a heavy, dejected air—it was very complex.

The landlady nodded affirmatively, "Yes."

Finally, Wang Qiang could no longer contain his emotions. He had so much he wanted to say to his father, but when the words reached his lips, they melted into a single syllable: "Dad."

His father’s back trembled slightly, then he stood up with a start, turning around with an excited tone, "Qiangzi?"

What kind of face was this? The dark, thin face had not a shred of flesh on it; perhaps because he was so thin, his cheekbones seemed to be poking through the skin, which was covered in deep, ravine-like wrinkles. Wang Qiang was momentarily stunned. He hadn't seen his father in over a month, and he had grown thinner still; the silver threads mixed in with his dull gray hair seemed to have multiplied.

A dull ache pierced his heart, and his eyes grew slightly moist. He forced a smile and said, "You're back from Shanxi?"

The landlady interjected, "He just arrived not long ago; I've only been talking to him for about ten minutes."

His father grunted. The previous excitement had vanished, replaced by a stern face as he asked, "Not going to school anymore?"

Wang Qiang knew his father was not good at expressing his feelings. Perhaps he had inherited his father's genes, for he was also not good at it. He reined in his complex emotions and explained, "I'm self-studying at home. I'll go for the final exams. I told Mom I would definitely get into a good university."

His father sighed again, "Sigh, your dad has no ability, otherwise... sigh."

Hearing his self-reproachful sigh, Wang Qiang felt a warmth in his heart. Every father wants to be a towering mountain that shields his children from the wind and rain. Having been a father himself, he understood exactly how his father felt. He smiled and said, "Isn't things going pretty well now?"

Father and son sat on the chairs in front of the counter and had a long talk. Wang Qiang asked about his father's time in Shanxi, and his father asked about how he had been lately. They cared for each other's well-being but rarely mentioned the hardships they had endured themselves.

Exhausted as he was, Wang Qiang felt much less tired after seeing his father. It was as if all the suffering he had gone through was worth it, because Wang Qiang felt he now had the ability to ensure his father wouldn't have to suffer anymore—especially once the company was up and running, he could let his father sit in an office every day.

Open. The company had to open.

Forget about scraping together thirty thousand in a short time; even if it took a hundred thousand, as long as it meant his father could live an easier life, Wang Qiang felt he would go through fire and water to achieve it.

Moreover, since his father was back, there was no need to go through the trouble of getting certificates to act as the legal representative himself; he could simply let his father take that role.

At this thought, Wang Qiang felt quite happy, and he shared his idea.

His father didn't refuse, instead asking, "Then can I help you with a lot of things?"

Wang Qiang was taken aback, then said, "Yes, you'll have plenty to keep you busy, and then I can take it easy."

His father laughed heartily, "As long as I can help you, that's enough."

At this moment, the landlady called from the back room, "Little Wang, Old Brother, come in and eat."

Wang Qiang replied, "Brother Zhu and Brother Yao haven't returned yet."

"It's fine, they'll eat later."

He pulled his father inside to eat. Old Zhu's food was quite good, with plenty of fish and meat. His father, however, seemed a bit reserved, as if he were embarrassed to be eating someone else's food. Seeing this, Wang Qiang kept piling food into his bowl until it was overflowing.

...

After the meal, his father insisted on washing the dishes, and the landlady couldn't stop him.

Just then, Old Zhu and Old Yao entered from outside. Before they even reached the room, Old Zhu shouted, "Wife, serve me some food, I'm starving!"

The landlady retorted, "Come in and serve it yourself."

No sooner had she spoken than Old Zhu and Old Yao ran in. They caught sight of Wang Baoguo and looked puzzled. Wang Qiang took the initiative to introduce them.

After the introductions, Old Zhu and Old Yao sat down to eat. Just as they picked up their chopsticks, Zhu Xiaofeng rushed in from outside, shouting, "Dad, why didn't you bring me food? Er Gou and I are starving!"

Old Zhu turned back and said testily, "I just started eating myself, what's the rush?" He suddenly thought of something and pointed at Wang Baoguo, "Call him Grandfather."

Zhu Xiaofeng went "ah" and looked bewildered.

Old Zhu explained, "He is the father of your Uncle Wang. Call him."

"Grandfather." Zhu Xiaofeng wasn't embarrassed; he already called Wang Qiang, who was the same age as him, "Uncle," so he didn't care anymore. But after calling out, he blinked and asked Old Zhu, "Dad, then what do you call Uncle Wang's father?"

Old Zhu, who was just about to shovel rice into his mouth, froze.

His father, being an honest and simple man, quickly said, "I..."

"Uncle," Old Zhu finally said.

Old Yao almost spat out his food and hurriedly declared, "Brother Wang, I'll address you as a peer, I'm not following Old Zhu's lead."

Before his father could say anything, Old Zhu laughed and scolded, "Are you trying to take advantage of me? No way, Old Yao, I called him Uncle, so you have to call him Uncle too."

Old Yao refused to budge. Wang Qiang watched them clowning around and began to enjoy himself. In the end, neither could convince the other, but Old Zhu was already committed to the "Uncle" address.

A scene that almost made Wang Qiang burst into laughter followed. In Haitong, if one cared about face, it was customary to give a small red envelope to a younger person upon meeting them for the first time. His father took the lead and pulled twenty yuan from his pocket to hand to Zhu Xiaofeng.

Zhu Xiaofeng said happily, "Thank you, Grandfather."

Then, his father clutched two ten-yuan notes, looking at Old Zhu, then back at his son, seemingly uncertain whether he should give money to Old Zhu, who was about the same age as his son.

Old Zhu understood and hurriedly waved his chopsticks, "No, no, don't do that."

The others burst into laughter. Wang Qiang held back his amusement and said to his father, "Dad, just put the money away. If Brother Zhu really took your twenty yuan today, Old Yao would probably tease him about it for the rest of his life."

His father then put the money away and said with a smile, "Alright, Old Zhu, let's just address each other as we please. You don't have to call me Uncle; we're about the same age, it's a bit awkward."

But Old Zhu said with complete seriousness, "Seniority is not something to be trifled with. Since I address Little Wang as a brother, I must call you Uncle." He then took a dig at Old Yao, "I'm not like some people who are thick-skinned, calling someone 'little brother' on one hand and calling his father 'old brother' on the other."

Old Yao blushed and said helplessly, "Fine, fine, fine! I'll call him Uncle, okay? Stop picking on me, or I'll really get annoyed with you."

Old Zhu snorted, "Getting annoyed is fine, go eat at your own house then."

Old Yao protected his rice bowl, "I wouldn't dream of it. You know what my wife's cooking is like; it’s not half as good as what Sister-in-law makes."

"Then quit the nonsense and eat your food." Old Zhu looked triumphant, as if he had just won a great battle.

Wang Qiang, who had originally been worried about scraping together thirty thousand yuan, felt his mood lighten significantly after their antics. He was just about to take his father to buy some decent clothes when his pager beeped.

Wang Qiang didn't pay much attention until he picked it up and saw the message; he was slightly stunned. It had only been two days—why was Sister Xu calling again so soon?

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