Chén Zhāoyáng looked forward with all his heart to taking the high school entrance exam alongside Lín Xiǎotáng and starting a brand-new life. Yet the gears of fate were turning imperceptibly, bringing with them an unexpected crisis.
Preparation for the entrance exams had entered its most intense phase, and Chén Zhāoyáng found himself swamped from dawn till dusk. By day at school, he and Lín Xiǎotáng seized every single minute to discuss difficult problems and quiz each other on key concepts. By night at home, aside from finishing school assignments, he helped his parents manage their small convenience store. Though exhausted, his heart felt immensely fulfilled, because every bit of effort brought him one step closer to his goal.
One evening, Chén Zhāoyáng was helping out at the shop as usual. The lingering glow of the setting sun poured through the windows onto the shelves, casting a golden fringe over the myriad goods. As he was organizing a newly arrived batch of stationery, he suddenly heard a violent fit of coughing coming from the back room. His heart skipped a beat as a wave of foreboding washed over him. Dropping what he held, he hurried toward the back room.
He found his father sitting in a chair, deathly pale, one hand clamped over his mouth while the other braced against the table, his body trembling slightly. On the floor lay a small, startling pool of bright red blood, glaringly conspicuous in the dim light. Chén Zhāoyáng's mind went completely blank. The agonizing memories of his father's premature death from illness in his past life rushed back like a tidal wave, leaving him almost gasping for air.
"Dad! What's wrong? Why are you coughing up blood?" Chén Zhāoyáng rushed over, his voice laced with unmistakable trembling and anxiety. He dropped to his knees, gripping his father's hand tightly, his eyes filled with worry.
After a long moment of catching his breath, his father weakly raised his head and managed a strained smile. "I'm fine, son. I must have just overworked myself lately, my throat was a bit irritated and I accidentally coughed up a little skin."
Chén Zhāoyáng didn't believe it for a second. Looking at his father's pale face and the blood on the floor, he was frantic with worry. "Dad, don't lie to me. This isn't a small matter. We're going to the hospital right now!" With that, he tried to help his father to his feet.
Instead, his father waved a hand and stubbornly insisted, "What hospital? Such a waste of money. It'll be fine in a couple of days, don't make a fuss over nothing."
Chén Zhāoyáng knew his father was agonizing over the expense, but he knew even better that his father's health could no longer wait. Burning with anxiety, remembering how ignoring his father's illness too late in his past life had led to an irreversible tragedy, he swore that in this lifetime, he would never make the same mistake again.
"Dad, if you don't go to the hospital, how can I possibly have peace of mind? You're the pillar of this family—if your health fails us, what are we going to do? Just listen to me this once," Chén Zhāoyáng pleaded, his tone bordering on supplication.
Under Chén Zhāoyáng's insistence, his father finally agreed to go for a checkup. All the way there, Chén Zhāoyáng supported his father firmly, silently praying that nothing would be wrong. At the hospital, as he watched his father walk into the examination room, Chén Zhāoyáng paced back and forth at the door, unable to sit still. Every single second of waiting felt like torture, and he endlessly reproached himself: why hadn't he noticed the signs earlier? Why hadn't he paid more attention to his father's health?
After a long while, his father finally emerged from the examination room. Chén Zhāoyáng immediately rushed up to him and asked anxiously, "Dad, how was it? What did the doctor say?"
His father wore a grave expression. Without a word, he simply handed the medical report to Chén Zhāoyáng. Taking the paper, Chén Zhāoyáng scanned the contents rapidly, his heart sinking lower and lower. Though he didn't fully understand the medical terminology, terms like "pulmonary shadow" and "suspected lesion" filled him with dread.
The doctor walked out shortly after, wearing a serious expression. "Based on the current test results, the situation doesn't look very optimistic. We need to run more detailed examinations to determine the exact cause and treatment plan. You need to prepare yourselves mentally. This illness cannot be delayed; we must schedule the follow-up tests as soon as possible."
Chén Zhāoyáng felt as though his world had collapsed at that very moment. Swallowing his inner terror and grief, he comforted his father, saying, "Dad, don't worry. Medicine is so advanced nowadays, it can definitely be cured. Let's listen to the doctor and get the tests done as soon as possible."
Back home, Chén Zhāoyáng broke the news to his mother. Upon hearing it, she immediately burst into tears. "What are we going to do? How could your father get a sickness like this..."
Seeing his mother's heartbreak, Chén Zhāoyáng felt a sharp pang in his chest. He knew he had to be strong and become the pillar of the family. Walking over to his mother, he wrapped his arms around her and said softly, "Mom, don't be sad. I'm here. We'll figure this out together. Dad's illness will definitely be cured."
To scrape together the funds for his father's examinations and treatment, Chén Zhāoyáng began running the convenience store with even greater dedication. He woke up early every morning to head to the wholesale market and pick out the freshest, most affordable goods; upon returning to the shop, he busied himself organizing shelves and greeting customers, often keeping the doors open late into the night. Besides the daily business, he constantly rolled out new promotional events to attract more customers.
When Lín Xiǎotáng learned about Chén Zhāoyáng's father, she proactively came over to help. Using her free time between classes, she helped Chén Zhāoyáng organize inventory and recommend products to customers. She also pushed herself harder in her studies, wanting to score well on the entrance exams so Chén Zhāoyáng would have one less thing to worry about.
"Chén Zhāoyáng, don't worry too much. Uncle will get better. I'll stay right by your side," Lín Xiǎotáng said with a heart full of sympathy as she watched him work tirelessly.
Looking at her with gratitude, Chén Zhāoyáng replied, "Xiǎotáng, thank you. If not for you, I really wouldn't know what to do."
Through the joint efforts of Chén Zhāoyáng and Lín Xiǎotáng, the store's business flourished, and their income gradually increased. However, this money was just a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of his father's treatment. Chén Zhāoyáng began asking around everywhere for other ways to make money, leveraging his advantage of rebirth to scout for various business opportunities.
He discovered that the local fishermen frequently caught specialty seafood, but due to limited sales channels, they often had to sell them to middlemen at rock-bottom prices. An idea struck Chén Zhāoyáng: he could partner with the fishermen to buy up these specialty seafood items, then sell them through his own convenience store and various small vendors in the city, pocketing the price difference.
Chén Zhāoyáng shared this plan with his parents and Lín Xiǎotáng, and everyone was extremely supportive. Without wasting any time, Chén Zhāoyáng set out to visit the fishermen one by one to discuss a partnership. At first, many fishermen were skeptical of this young upstart and thought he was unreliable. But Chén Zhāoyáng didn't get discouraged; he patiently explained his plan to them, promised fair prices, and guaranteed stable sales channels.
After a round of persistent effort, a few fishermen finally agreed to work with him. Overjoyed, Chén Zhāoyáng immediately began purchasing seafood. Before dawn every day, he hurried down to the fishing port to select the freshest catch, then transported it back to the convenience store to be processed and packaged.
To break into the urban market, Chén Zhāoyáng also used his weekends to take product samples into the city and pitch small-scale vendors. He visited them shop by shop, introducing his products; and though he frequently faced rejection, he never gave up.
Along the way, Chén Zhāoyáng encountered plenty of hardships and challenges. For instance, some seafood had a very short shelf life and needed to be sold off quickly; other times, petty merchants tried to deliberately undercut his prices to squeeze out a larger profit for themselves. Yet, relying on his resourcefulness and tenacity, Chén Zhāoyáng overcame each obstacle one by one.
As his distribution channels gradually opened up, Chén Zhāoyáng's seafood venture grew increasingly successful. Not only did he help boost the fishermen's incomes, but he also reaped a handsome profit for himself. He carefully stashed away every coin of this money, saving it for his father's medical treatments.
While striving to earn money, Chén Zhāoyáng never neglected his studies. He knew that only by getting into a good high school could he secure more opportunities for the future. He utilized every spare moment to review lessons and tackle practice problems. Lín Xiǎotáng would stay right beside him, and whenever they ran into concepts they didn't understand, the two of them would discuss them together.
Though his father's illness placed immense pressure on Chén Zhāoyáng, it also fueled his drive to push forward. He understood that in this lifetime, not only was he going to alter his own destiny, but he would also safeguard the health and happiness of his family. Like an unflagging spinning top, he whirled endlessly between academics, family, and enterprise, pouring every ounce of his strength into the goals burning in his heart.
Driven by Chén Zhāoyáng's persistence and hard work, the family finally gathered the funds needed for his father's further examinations. He accompanied his father back to the hospital, his heart a tangle of anticipation and anxiety. He hoped this round of tests would bring good news, and that his father would make a speedy recovery.