Any man, when his wife brings up her old rivals—especially if those rivals are doing better than he is—will have his pride stirred.

“Are you sure nothing will go wrong?” When it came to a matter of a man's dignity, Mr. Brooks was a bit shaken too.

“Dad, what could possibly happen? They just don’t want to show up in person, and if we hire outsiders to contract the land, the villagers might get upset and cause trouble. But everyone knows your reputation in the village. If you take the lead, no one will make a fuss. They just want to borrow your name, that’s all.”

“They said that when the subsidy comes in, we’ll get thirty yuan for every sapling.”

“Thirty yuan? That much?”

Mrs. Brooks was a bit surprised. Ma Family pomelos aren’t like the traditional tall pomelo trees—they only grow to about two or three meters. If they contract the land on the mountain, they could probably plant tens of thousands of saplings. That would be three hundred thousand yuan!

“Just lending your name can earn three hundred thousand yuan!”

Mrs. Brooks could hardly believe it, but Mr. Brooks just snorted coldly, “Well, it depends on who it is. If it were someone else, would their name be worth that much?”

“Walter Brooks, you really think highly of yourself. If your name was worth so much, how come you still haven’t scraped together enough to buy a house in the county, and had to ask me to borrow money from my family for you…”

“What do you women know…”

“I’m just a woman, huh? Who was it back then who shamelessly followed me everywhere I went, like a little tail?”

“Well, I was young and ignorant back then.”

“Walter Brooks, say that again if you dare.”

Hearing his mom’s voice suddenly rise, William Brooks slipped away. He’d rather not be present for his parents’ bickering. Still, his parents really were young back then.

Youth is wonderful!

Back in his room, William Brooks took out his notebook and wrote a line: Got 180,000 yuan to contract and plant Ma Family pomelos—this is the second pot of gold.

Hidden danger: Getting involved with county thugs.

……

“The spring breeze of reform sweeps across the land, and the Chinese people are truly impressive!”

Monday!

Having settled things with his parents and secured the land contract, William Brooks felt much more relaxed, humming this song by Uncle Benshan, which had been parodied in later years.

As long as he could make his first money with Ma Family pomelos, and with his knowledge of the county’s future development, William Brooks was confident he could get his family a spot on the county’s rich list.

“With this money, what should I do next?”

In class, William Brooks spun a ballpoint pen around his fingers—a trick he’d learned in middle school, thinking it made him look cool.

Pen spinning, book spinning—as a top student in middle school, these were the only “cool” tricks he could show off.

As a former top student, he naturally had many classmates come to him for help with problems, and when explaining, he’d spin his pen with flair. Back then, William Brooks thought it was pretty stylish.

The classroom bell rang right on time, and the homeroom teacher walked in at the exact moment. But everyone’s attention was on the person behind the teacher, William Brooks included.

At that moment, William Brooks was stunned.

Standing at the door was a girl, her long, jet-black hair tied simply in a ponytail, her delicate and elegant face, eyes as dark as ink with a clear spring flowing within, her white down jacket and white jeans setting off her snow-like skin.

“Is it her?”

William Brooks suddenly felt a bit dazed.

Life is long. You might forget old classmates and colleagues, but there are always a few stunning people you’ll remember—maybe just a brief encounter, maybe just a smile over the shoulder, but they’ll be etched in your memory.

You might not recall the name, but the place and that face will never fade.

Thomas Reed!

That name and face—even before his rebirth, William Brooks still remembered them.

Before his rebirth, William Brooks hadn’t interacted much with Thomas Reed, since the semester ended quickly and he was transferred out of Class 1 the next term. After that, he only occasionally passed by Thomas Reed on the campus paths.

But there was no denying that William Brooks had a bit of a crush on Thomas Reed. Back then, what boy didn’t have thoughts about a pretty girl? Most boys just buried those feelings out of shyness, only to reminisce about them someday in the future.

Just a few brief encounters, yet they were engraved in his heart.

“We have a new classmate joining us. Let’s give her a warm welcome. Thomas Reed, please introduce yourself.”

“Hello everyone, my name is Thomas Reed. I’m very happy to join Class 2-1. Please take care of me from now on.”

It was exactly as he remembered. William Brooks watched as the homeroom teacher assigned Thomas Reed to the third row in the middle—the spot reserved for the top students.

Thomas Reed’s arrival stirred the calm lake of William Brooks’s heart, though only slightly.

For William Brooks now, his top priority was to accumulate his initial capital. He had to save up enough to get in before the mobile internet boom arrived.