111: Chapter 112 Late Night Talk, The Most Peaceful Night

Watching his mother walk toward him under the warm light, Shen Du's heart couldn't help but tremble slightly, a layer of undisguised tenderness welling up in his eyes.

Without that heavy burden of life that had once pressed firmly against her spine, the Wang Hanmei of today was no longer the reserved farm woman of the past, with her face toward the earth and her back to the sky, weathered and worn by the elements.

For a whole year, she no longer needed to rush about for the sake of a few pecks of firewood, rice, oil, and salt. She no longer needed to work the fields or perform the grueling manual labor that exhausted her body.

That face, once deeply etched with the ruthless marks of impoverished years and the scorching sun, had now gradually shed its coarse and weary undertones. It had miraculously recovered a hint of the dignified and gentle temperament she possessed in her prime.

In this mother who had returned to a life of ease, Shen Du truly felt that his year of fighting to the death in the blood-soaked, multi-billion dollar business wars of Shanghai was all worth it.

The night wind was biting, so Shen Du stepped forward quickly, a thousand words ultimately distilling into a silent gesture. He opened his arms and gave his mother a firm, warm embrace.

"Mom, living in such a big house all by yourself is just too lonely."

Feeling the familiar, warm aura radiating from his mother, Shen Du suggested from the bottom of his heart: "How about this? After the New Year, why don't you move to Shanghai with me? I'll buy you a villa with a big yard there. I'll hire a few professional caregivers to attend to you personally, and you can finally enjoy a life of leisure."

Hearing these filial words from her son, Wang Hanmei's eyes were filled with gratification. She smiled, gently patted Shen Du's broad back, and shook her head without hesitation.

"Du'er, it's enough for me that you have this heart, but I'm really doing very well here in my hometown."

Wang Hanmei held Shen Du's hand, her tone clear and gentle: "Mom is still young, and my hands and feet are agile. While I can still take care of myself completely, I won't go to the big city to cause trouble for you or make you worry so much."

She pointed to the brightly lit small villa, her face beaming with heartfelt satisfaction: "Look at now, the house has the fastest internet. I'm quite adept at using the smartphone you bought me earlier, and there's such a big LCD TV in the living room. On ordinary days when I go out, I can just walk a few steps to visit neighbors and chat; this life is even more comfortable than an immortal's. If I really went to Shanghai, I wouldn't have a single acquaintance to talk to. Being locked up in a big house every day—that would be stifling."

Speaking of this, Wang Hanmei tilted her head up, looking at her son who was a head taller than her, her eyes filled with undisguised pride and peace of mind.

"Mom knows that you are now the boss of a big enterprise." Wang Hanmei patted the back of her son's hand, listing them off like a treasure count: "All these titles like 'Outstanding Entrepreneur of Shanghai,' and that 'Jiyuan Technology' and 'Meituan' of yours. All sorts of titles are popping up like a fountain. Although Mom doesn't understand those big terms you use in the business world, I feel at ease. Since even the national news is praising you, I know you are on the right path and not doing anything illegal; Mom is a hundred percent at ease at home."

A cold wind blew, and Wang Hanmei hurriedly tightened Shen Du's collar, pulling his arm as she walked into the courtyard, enthusiastically greeting: "Come, it's windy outside, hurry inside to warm up! This house was just fully renovated last month. You, the big boss who paid for it, hurry in and take a look to see if there's anything that needs changing."

As his mother pushed open the thick security door, a breeze as warm as spring air rushed towards him, instantly dispelling the winter night chill that had clung to Shen Du.

Changing into slippers and walking inside, Shen Du looked around the brand-new living room, a flash of surprise and gratification in his eyes. The bumpy, dusty cement floor tiles from his memory had long been completely knocked out, replaced by a mirror-smooth, seamlessly laid black marble floor that glowed with a high-end texture under the bright crystal chandelier. The old, dilapidated eight-immortal table that used to sit in the center of the main room, with one leg propped up by a broken brick, had now been replaced by a steady and grand mahogany table.

Walking further in, the dim corner that used to be crammed with several large grain bins and looked incredibly cluttered had now been completely cleared out and transformed into a spacious and bright modern reception area, furnished with a set of high-quality leather sofas and a large coffee table.

Shen Du walked to the coffee table and sat down, casually turning on the kettle of the automatic electric tea set on the table. Accompanied by the gurgling sound of boiling water, he skillfully brewed two cups of hot tea, handed one to his mother, and sighed with a smile in his eyes: "Mom, the renovation of this house, inside and out, is really quite good. From now on, whether it's windy or rainy, or snowing and freezing, our family will never have to worry about it raining inside when it pours outside in the summer, or cold wind blowing into the bed through cracks in the walls in the winter."

Recalling the dilapidated state of their home at this time in the past—when the roof leaked, they even had to get up in the middle of the night to fetch basins to catch the water and spend money to hire people for temporary repairs—Shen Du couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow in his heart.

Hearing her son's words, Wang Hanmei held her hot tea and smiled, pointing to the humming air conditioning units outside the window. "You are the president of a big company now; how could Mom lose face for you?" Wang Hanmei laughed heartily, the frugality and hesitation of the past—where she would even worry about the electricity bill just from turning on a light—gone from her brows: "Now, in this building, inside and out, as long as it's a room for living or receiving guests, I've had heating and cooling air conditioners installed! Use them when you should; Mom isn't worried about not being able to afford the electricity bill at all now!"

Watching his mother, who not only hadn't become overly conservative or stingy due to their sudden wealth but had instead adapted so naturally and quickly to a modern, comfortable life, Shen Du's tense nerves finally relaxed completely. He let out a long sigh of relief, took a sip from his teacup, and smiled genuinely: "As long as you are used to using them, that's good. I was just afraid you wouldn't be willing to spend money and would let a good life go to waste."

After putting down the teacup, Shen Du suddenly realized an interesting detail. He looked at his mother with great interest and asked with a smile: "By the way, Mom, you kept saying 'President' and 'Boss' just now. Since you stay in your hometown every day, how do you know these terms used in modern enterprises?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Hanmei reached out and pointed to the extra-large wall-mounted LCD TV hanging on the living room wall, smiling as if it were obvious: "It's broadcast on the TV news every day!" She looked at her son, her tone filled with pride: "It's been better this year. You don't know, but in the second half of last year, there were reports about you and your company on TV almost every other day. Those hosts in suits and ties called you that on TV. I watch it every day, how could I not know?"

Hearing his mother's explanation, Shen Du suddenly realized. For this entire year, he had been deeply mired in the smoke-free, multi-billion dollar capital battle in Shanghai, facing intrigue and high-pressure decisions every day, which had caused him to overlook his own fame in the outside world. With the sudden emergence of Meituan and the crazy expansion of Jiyuan Technology, he was long past being just the upstart who had made a name for himself in the Shanghai business circle; he had truly ascended to national-level mainstream media and become a star entrepreneur chased by countless spotlights.

Seeing that the time had already reached past eleven o'clock at night, Wang Hanmei felt sorry for her son's exhaustion from driving long distances all day, so she didn't continue to keep him for small talk. "Alright, it's getting late, and you've been tired all day. Hurry back to your room, take a hot shower, and get some rest early." Wang Hanmei stood up, tidying the tea set while earnestly instructing him: "Du'er, you've been doing big business outside all year. Here at home, the fellow villagers have been looking after our family quite a bit, both openly and privately. Now that you've made something of yourself, the etiquette must not be neglected. Tomorrow morning, you must bring some good things and go door-to-door to pay your respects to the elders and thank them properly, you hear?"

The Mr. Shen who was a man of his word in the business world and could make the Beijing Circle capital tremble was now as docile as a child in front of his mother. He stood up and agreed with a smile without any hesitation: "Don't worry, Mom, I've kept it all in mind. Tomorrow morning, I'll accompany you to visit every family."

Bidding his mother goodnight, Shen Du turned and pushed open the door to his west room. What met his eyes was a spacious area that completely exceeded his expectations. In Shen Du's memory, this west room was originally tightly connected to the crowded and messy old kitchen. In the past, whenever it was time to cook, the room would inevitably be filled with a grayish haze from the choking firewood smoke. But now, with the kitchen completely moved to an independent hut outside the courtyard, the entire western side had been completely opened up and expanded. The west room now not only possessed a spacious and bright independent study but was also equipped with a modern, independent bathroom with dry and wet separation. The high-end solid wood flooring and wallpaper exuded the refinement and comfort of modern life everywhere.

However, in this luxurious bedroom, which was brand new and lacked even a trace of the shabbiness of the past, Shen Du's gaze lingered solely on the large bed in the center of the room. The whole room was full of brand-new, high-end furniture, but only on that bed lay a pure cotton duvet cover with slightly mottled colors. It was one that his mother, Wang Hanmei, had sewn for him stitch by stitch while sitting under a dim incandescent light in the past. In this new home where even every floor tile and every wire had been replaced with the highest-spec materials, this was the only old item that his mother had stubbornly and carefully kept.

Shen Du walked up, his fingers gently stroking the familiar stitches that were slightly rough but carried the scent of sunshine and soap, feeling his heart instantly filled with an unprecedented sense of peace.

In the spacious and bright new bathroom, he washed away the fatigue and dust of his long journey. Shen Du turned off the main light in the room, lifted the familiar quilt, and sank deeply into the warm bedding. On this cold winter night, wrapped tightly in this old duvet cover that carried the heavy weight of maternal love, Shen Du completely shed the cold and ruthless armor he wore in the multi-billion dollar business wars. He also temporarily forgot about the experimental fortress under Sheshan that pulled at the nation's nerves, and even more so, forgot the swords that had been hanging over his head ever since his rebirth.

Listening to the distant, occasional barking of dogs in the countryside outside the window, Shen Du slowly closed his eyes. This night, there were no interruptions from phone calls and no calculations of capital. Shen Du slept deeply and soundly. This was the most peaceful and secure sleep he had had since his rebirth, since returning to this magnificent era, having completely shed all defenses and burdens.