Another half hour passed before Evan Ford finally saw the first “big customer” in this bank lobby.

A man who looked to be in his thirties, dressed in factory workwear, jogged in and immediately said he wanted to buy 30 subscription certificates—900 yuan, nearly half a year’s wages, not easy to save up.

“Comrade, let me help you register. Did you bring your ID card?”

On the other side, a man in his forties, wearing a suit and glasses, walked over briskly and greeted him enthusiastically.

This person had been standing idly in the corner opposite Evan Ford from the very beginning. Evan Ford had thought he was just like himself, here to observe the subscription certificate sales.

It was only now, overhearing his self-introduction, that he realized this man was a subscription certificate salesman sent by the Bank of Universal Huangpu, named David Hill.

From Manager Hill’s earlier indifference and his current excited expression, Evan Ford could deduce two things:

First, the sales of the subscription certificates were truly dismal and discouraging; second, the salesmen earned commissions.

“Next, it’s my turn... Judging by this, not having a local Shenghai ID shouldn’t be a problem for me.”

This was a special situation Evan Ford had just learned about: these 1992 fortune certificates were actually prepared solely for Shenghai residents, and you had to have a local Shenghai ID to purchase them, but there was no limit to how many each ID could buy.

The country sure plays favorites, but unfortunately, the people of Shenghai didn’t seem to appreciate it much.

Just a moment ago, Evan Ford had been worried about this, afraid it would be a hassle, but now it seemed there was nothing to hesitate about. Feeling a bit excited, he waited quietly by the side.

Then, suddenly, his arm was yanked tight, and someone pulled him away from behind.

“We’re not buying, we’re not buying...” The voice arrived before the person did.

Evan Ford staggered a couple of steps and turned his head.

A woman holding a child rushed past him, grabbed the worker’s clothes, and shouted loudly, “Dad, Mom, hurry up! This good-for-nothing man really took the money out in secret to buy that scam certificate!”

Her voice was urgent and emotional, on the verge of tears.

The child in her arms seemed frightened and burst out crying.

Then an elderly man and woman also rushed in from the entrance. Without a word, they started in: the old lady rummaged through his pockets, the old man smacked him on the head...

“You wastrel, you good-for-nothing, where’s the money? Hand it over...”

The worker took the beating, clutching one pocket tightly and refusing to let go, while muttering bitterly, “Dad, Mom, you don’t understand, don’t mess around with my wife. I’ve done the math on this certificate, it’s guaranteed to make money... Once we buy it, life will get better for our family.”

“Make money, my foot! What’s so hard about our life now? Didn’t I already take over your job for you? You just work well in the factory, collect your wages and benefits, what’s there to worry about for a lifetime?” The old man, agitated, panted a bit, then muttered, “You, doing the math?! I know what you were like in school. You couldn’t even count your own eggs right.”

“That’s right, son, don’t think we don’t know. Everyone’s saying it, this is just gambling, you can’t be foolish and gamble the family away. Our whole family relies on your wages to get by... It’s not easy to save up some money!” The old lady’s eyes were brimming with tears, her words earnest and heartfelt.

“Dad, Mom, can’t you trust me just this once? You don’t know, so many people are getting rich now. Even in our factory, several people have made money and quit to go into business. Just look at this stock speculation, that Yang Millionaire, and Xiao Shandong, you must have heard of them, right? And even if Shenzhen is far, you can at least see the new district in Pudong, right?”

The man gritted his teeth, insisting, pleading, and arguing.

“Doing business? That’s just profiteering. In the old days, the police would have arrested them. You think that’s a proper way to live? Who really respects them?”

“Pudong is just a poor, backwater place. People only mess around there because they can’t make ends meet. Didn’t we always say before, ‘Better a bed in Puxi than a house in Pudong’? And as for that Yang Millionaire, someone’s already checked—he didn’t buy a single certificate this time. Not lying, really... Someone in our factory dorm knows his distant relatives.”

“Dear, can’t you just stop? I think our life now is just fine, I’m very satisfied... We don’t need you to get rich.”

Father, mother, wife—each had their say, while the child kept wailing.

The scene before him—an entire family, old and young, in tears, pleading bitterly...

It was so heavy.

This was, in fact, the inertia of a small-town family clinging to their old way of life. It wasn’t about right or wrong; they just hadn’t realized that this era was heading for a great upheaval, one that would shatter everything from before. Whether you accepted it or not, you couldn’t resist it.

“Can this worker brother hold out?”

At this moment, no one understood better than Evan Ford that the man’s next decision would largely determine the future direction of this family:

[In the near future, would they become a down-and-out laid-off worker’s family; or would they make tens of thousands in one go, change their mindset, and embark on a different path?]

...