Old Brooks glanced at his indifferent son and his angry wife, and finally decided to side with his wife.

"It's too early to smoke now. Even if you consider the need for socializing, at the very least you should wait until you officially start university. I'll keep this pack of cigarettes for now."

As Mark Brooks spoke, he put the cigarettes into his own pocket. Chris Brooks thought to himself that after all the back and forth, Old Brooks ended up with the benefit. But since he had just returned from another life and didn't bring anything with him, it felt a bit awkward.

Forget it, this pack of cigarettes can be my gift for our reunion!

Chris Brooks thought generously, and then the family began to eat. While eating, Linda Parker discussed with Mark Brooks, "Remember to ask for leave. When the time comes, we'll go together to send Chris off to university."

Mark Brooks nodded, but Chris Brooks shook his head.

"I can go register by myself. You two just do what you need to do."

Linda Parker glared at him, "It's hundreds of kilometers away, and besides, there's several thousand yuan in tuition fees."

"I'll carry it myself," Chris Brooks replied.

In the past, Chris Brooks never let his parents take him to register, and now he was even less likely to. But in 2002, university tuition was mostly paid in cash. That year, he carried several thousand yuan and took the bus, feeling quite nervous.

"Besides."

Chris Brooks paused and said, "If our family's situation was suitable for applying for a student loan, and if I wasn't too proud to use fake documents to take advantage of the state, I would have applied for a student loan."

"Nonsense!"

Linda Parker put down her chopsticks and said, "Our family isn't rich, but it's not a problem to support you through university. Don't try any tricks with your mother—just study hard and learn something useful."

Linda Parker knew her son well—he had too many ideas and was hard to control.

Chris Brooks didn't listen at all: "Anyway, I've made up my mind. Except for the first semester, I won't ask you for tuition or living expenses again. I'll find a way to earn money myself!"

"You dare!"

Linda Parker's eyebrows shot up.

"Why wouldn't I dare!"

Chris Brooks retorted, stiffening his neck.

"Mark Brooks, you give your opinion!"

As always, whenever mother and son disagreed, Old Brooks had to act as the judge. This habit continued for years to come.

Mark Brooks thought seriously for a moment, then said slowly and methodically, "Chris is a man. It's right for him to want to take on challenges, but he can't neglect his studies."

Seeing that Mark Brooks also supported Chris Brooks, Linda Parker was unhappy. "He was such a good boy when he was little. Later, you kept saying boys need to develop independence, resilience, and a sense of responsibility, always supporting him in his strange ideas. In the end, he doesn't listen to his mother at all."

But with a family vote of 2 to 1, Chris Brooks's proposals to "register by himself" and "work to earn money" were formally approved. Still, Linda Parker was sulky when she went to bed that night.

Mark Brooks comforted his wife: "Chris may not be the best student, but if you pay attention, you'll see his hands-on skills and emotional intelligence are much stronger than most kids his age. This will become even more obvious once he's out in society."

In his previous life, Chris Brooks started his own business right after graduating from university, failing again and again, but eventually succeeding. His resilience and social skills were actually closely related to Old Brooks's deliberate upbringing.

"This little rascal, he's grown up without us even noticing."

Linda Parker muttered to herself.

Old Brooks chuckled, "A son of our family is finally coming of age."

……

Chapter 6: Conversation in the Bun Shop

At five in the morning, the sky over Gangcheng was still dim. Chris Brooks stared wide-eyed at the ceiling. He had thought there was a chance he would wake up back in 2019, but when he turned and saw the single-volume manga of "Dragon Ball" by his bed, he gave up hope.

"Looks like I'm really staying here."

Chris Brooks sighed, then started brushing his teeth and washing his face. Linda Parker was woken by the noise outside. After getting up, she glanced over, "Oh, Young Master Brooks is up so early today?"

"I'm hungry, Mom."

Chris Brooks patted his stomach.

"So you woke up from hunger."

Linda Parker never spoiled her son: "If you're hungry, go buy breakfast yourself. Don't worry about us. Your dad and I will eat at the work canteen. I'm going back to bed for a nap now."

After saying this, Linda Parker really did go back to the bedroom. She was even worried that Chris Brooks would wake her up again, so she actually locked the door with a "click."

Chris Brooks was speechless. Linda Parker always said she didn't support Mark Brooks's way of raising their child, but in reality, she had always quietly followed it.

Two years ago, when Chris Brooks was in his first year of high school, Linda Parker proudly boasted to her family that even if she and Mark Brooks were suddenly in a car accident, fifteen-year-old Chris Brooks would never starve in this world.

At the time, this made Chris Brooks's grandmother so angry she cursed them out, saying that if the couple couldn't raise their child, they should send Chris Brooks back to the countryside.

With his mother not caring for him, Chris Brooks could only go downstairs alone to find food. There were hardly any people on the street, just a few scattered breakfast vendors setting up their stalls. The air was filled with a gauzy mist and a bit of coolness clinging to the skin, but even more, there was a refreshing sense of comfort.

"The fried dough sticks smell so good."

"The egg pancakes are nice too."

"The soup dumplings are still steaming hot."

……