"That's a self-employed person," Susan Harris said.

Ethan Franklin said, "What's wrong with being self-employed? You can make a lot of money, there's great potential for development, and if you do well, in ten or twenty years, you might even become the richest person in China."

"Aren't you getting carried away?" Liam Franklin scolded. "Is being self-employed something decent people do? Haven't you heard people say that those who go into self-employment are all shady types? You're giving up your job at the Metallurgical Bureau to become self-employed—are you trying to ruin your brother?"

Ethan Franklin said, "Dad, your way of thinking is already outdated. Our country is carrying out reform and opening up, and in the future, the private and individual economy is definitely going to develop rapidly. In comparison, industry management organizations like the Metallurgical Bureau will actually shrink. Right now, I'm a temp at the Metallurgical Bureau. Every day, all I do is move files and sweep the floor. If I keep doing this for over ten years, I'll become a useless person. Haven't you noticed the mental state of those young temps working with me in the bureau? What are they like? Little Lucas is still young. He should be given a space that's more ambitious and has better prospects for development."

"Is that what Director Lawson said too?" Liam Franklin asked hesitantly.

Ethan Franklin's words did have some impact on Liam Franklin. Of course, Liam Franklin knew that the temps hired by various units to place young people from the industry were basically just errand runners and odd-job workers. These people saw no future for themselves, and the units had no intention of giving them any future, so most of them had a self-destructive attitude—drinking, fighting, and dating were their daily routine.

Actually, in Liam Franklin's eyes before this, wasn't Ethan Franklin in the same mental state? It was only in the past couple of days that he suddenly surprised everyone, proving that his previous decadence was just a facade, and that he was actually a studious and ambitious model youth.

"Little Lucas, what do you think?" Susan Harris noticed that Liam Franklin was wavering. She had always been someone without strong opinions, always looking to her husband's resolve on big matters. Now that she saw her husband couldn't make up his mind, she turned her gaze to the person involved, Lucas Franklin.

Lucas Franklin was a bit bewildered too. He had always felt that employment was something far off for him; he would rather immerse himself in Qing dynasty romance novels. Now, a major life decision was suddenly placed before him, and he didn't know how to choose.

"I... Whatever you all decide is fine," Lucas Franklin said evasively.

"Do you want to be a temp at the Metallurgical Bureau, just muddling along, or would you rather open a shop and take control of your own destiny?" Ethan Franklin stared into his brother's eyes and asked.

"This..."

Lucas Franklin was falling apart: My own brother, seriously? The way you're asking is so unfair—it's totally leading! How is anyone supposed to happily make a choice like this? Being a temp really is just muddling along; I've already seen that in you. Don't pretend otherwise—just a few days ago, you were the very model of a wayward youth. But saying that opening a shop means taking control of your own destiny—I don't see it! I'm still a kid, okay? You want me to take control of my destiny!

Liam Franklin, on the other hand, was gradually calming down. He asked Ethan Franklin, "Little Ethan, tell me, if you want Little Lucas to open a shop, what kind of shop do you have in mind, and how can you guarantee he won't lose money? Also, you say opening a shop has prospects—how can you guarantee that?"

Ethan Franklin was already prepared for this question; otherwise, he wouldn't have suggested Lucas Franklin open a shop. However, there were some further ideas he couldn't share with his family just yet—he was afraid no one would believe him even if he did. He made a gesture for everyone to quiet down, then said:

"Dad, Mom, Little Lucas, here's what I'm thinking..."

Chapter 10: Old Friends from the Educated Youth Spot

To the north of Xinling City is an industrial area, home to more than twenty factories built from the founding of the country up to the present. Among them, the largest is the Nanjiang Diesel Engine Factory near Qingshan Lake, with over two thousand workers. Including their families, six or seven thousand people live in several new workers' housing complexes on both sides of Qingshan Road.

At the beginning of the reform era, state-owned enterprises were still the most prestigious and highest-paying workplaces in society, and being a worker in a state-owned enterprise was one of the most enviable jobs. However, within the same enterprise, each household's situation was different, and the family Ethan Franklin brought Lucas Franklin to visit was one of the few struggling households in the diesel engine factory's residential compound.

"Jie, I'm here."

He knocked on the door, and when a young woman came to open it, Ethan Franklin greeted her warmly.

The young woman looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, slim, with delicate features, and a thick, long braid tied behind her head, easily evoking lines of poetry like "when your hair grows long enough to reach your waist." She wore a blue work uniform from the diesel engine factory, the color already faded, but washed spotlessly clean, with a faint scent of sunshine. When she first opened the door, her face still carried a trace of gloom, but upon seeing Ethan Franklin standing at the door, that gloom instantly turned into a gentle spring breeze. As she busied herself inviting the two inside, she asked repeatedly:

"Ethan, what brings you here? Don't you have work today? This must be your younger brother, right? Let me think, is his name Lucas Franklin? I've seen him in your photos, but he was still little back then..."

"Lucas, this is Ms. Brooks. When I was at the educated youth spot, Ms. Brooks treated me even better than a real sister."