112: Chapter 113 Bidding farewell to a cozy short vacation, aiming for the Sheshan underground fortress.

It was the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

In the distance, among the village houses, the faint sound of sporadic firecrackers could be heard.

The air was filled with a thick scent of gunpowder and the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

Shen Du got up very early and put on a relatively low-key, casual black coat.

Without any hesitation, he directly picked up the heavy black handbag he had prepared in advance from the room.

There was nothing else in the bag.

It was filled entirely with stacks of brand-new hundred-yuan bills, still smelling of printer's ink, and a thick stack of red envelopes.

"Mom, let's go. Let's get an early start to pay our New Year's respects to the elders and fellow villagers."

Shen Du walked into the courtyard and greeted Wang Hanmei, who was already dressed and ready, with a smile.

In this remote mountain village, the warmth and coldness of human relationships were often expressed more vividly than in the big cities outside.

Shen Du knew this clearly.

After his father passed away, his paternal grandparents' home, which should have been his closest kin, not only failed to offer any help, but instead made things difficult for the widowed mother and her son in every possible way, watching with cold eyes, wishing they could drive them completely out of this area.

But in those most difficult, bitter years when they couldn't even afford to put food on the table, it was the fellow villagers who had no blood relation to them who helped.

One day one family would lend half a bowl of rice, the next day another would bring over a bowl of vegetables.

During festivals, they would quietly slip them a few eggs, helping Wang Hanmei raise Shen Du through sheer grit.

This kindness of providing help in times of need was something Shen Du absolutely dared not forget, and could not forget, even now that he was making waves in the Magic City and sitting on a massive fortune.

Following his mother out the iron gate adorned with new spring couplets, Shen Du began to go from house to house.

Every time he arrived at the home of a villager who had once shown kindness to his family, Shen Du would set aside his status as a CEO and respectfully hand over a surprisingly thick red envelope.

The simple-hearted villagers squeezed the red envelopes, feeling their heavy weight.

When they opened them to see the stacks of scorching hot cash inside, they were all shocked and flustered, waving their hands repeatedly to decline.

But how could the ever-dominant Shen Du, who was so forceful in the business world, let anyone return something he had given away?

He didn't just use these generous red envelopes to demonstrate his gratitude; he used this most direct and shocking display of financial power to establish an unshakable prestige for his mother in front of the entire village.

He wanted everyone to know that Wang Hanmei now not only had a capable son, but that from now on, her standing would be stronger than anyone else's in the village.

In the main room of every household, Shen Du would tirelessly take the calloused hands of the elders.

With a serious and solemn expression, he left behind this resounding promise: "Uncle, Auntie, back when my family was in the most difficult times, it was all thanks to your care."

"This money is just a gesture for the two of you to have a prosperous New Year; please don't be polite with me."

"In the future, if you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come to the house and tell my mom, or just give me a shout."

"As long as it's something I, Shen Du, can help with, I will definitely not stand idly by!"

Walking half a step behind Shen Du, Wang Hanmei watched her son's broad and upright back along the way.

Seeing him chat and converse with the simple villagers with such ease and composure, she felt a moment of trance.

That young and resolute profile of his seemed to overlap with the long-faded, rugged outline in her memory.

Her eyes couldn't help but sting with warmth, and as the cold wind blew, her vision became slightly blurred.

"The child's father, are you... seeing this from heaven?"

Wang Hanmei whispered silently in her heart, letting a feeling of warmth and stability flow slowly through her chest.

The skinny little boy who used to hide behind her when meeting strangers and was timid even when talking to outsiders had truly grown up.

He no longer needed to hide beneath his mother's thin wings, shivering in fear.

Instead, he had carved out a bloody path in that cutthroat world outside, growing into a towering mountain.

He was not only capable of standing on his own, but had also become the helm of leading enterprises in the big city.

Now, just by standing casually on this muddy village road, he was enough to make everyone feel awe in his presence.

Decades had passed, and the world had changed.

Even after her husband's unexpected early death, when she was harassed and treated cruelly by the elders of the Shen Family, and even nearly kicked out of the house, and even during these past ten-plus years when she had to work like an old ox, toiling from sunrise to sunset in the barren fields just to scrape together food, Wang Hanmei's seemingly fragile backbone had never been completely crushed by the heavy weight of life.

Outsiders always said she had a hard life, but only Wang Hanmei knew best.

She accepted all this suffering with joy because, deep in her heart, she still deeply loved the man who had once braved the wind and snow, held her hand tightly, and brought her to settle down in this remote mountain village.

Throughout these long and arduous years of widowhood, the only motivation that supported her in gritting her teeth to survive was to protect the last bit of that man's bloodline.

And now, looking at her son before her, who was full of vigor and capable of bringing honor to their ancestors, she knew she could finally stand tall and, without any regrets, hand over the most perfect answer to her late lover.

After visiting the last household in the village and returning to their warm little Western-style house, it was already close to noon.

From the independent kitchen outside the courtyard, an enticing and familiar aroma was wafting out.

Before long, Wang Hanmei brought in a few plates of steaming hot dishes into the main room.

Placed in the most conspicuous position in the very center was a plate of "Juan Baoyin," fried to a golden, crispy perfection and exuding a rich meaty fragrance.

This was a traditional, hearty dish that had to be made during local festivals.

It used thin egg and tofu skin to wrap seasoned meat filling, which was then deep-fried until golden, symbolizing "wrapping silver and coating with gold," and bringing in wealth.

Shen Du didn't even bother with chopsticks.

Ignoring the heat, he grabbed a piece of the "Juan Baoyin" that was still sizzling with oil and shoved it into his mouth.

He chewed in big mouthfuls, his mouth covered in grease.

Looking at his ravenous appearance, where was there any trace of the decisive CEO who made opponents tremble in the business world?

He was exactly the same gluttonous little rascal he used to be.

"Eat slowly, no one is fighting you for it, and aren't you afraid of burning your mouth?"

Wang Hanmei untied her apron and sat down across from him at the redwood table.

She didn't pick up her chopsticks, but instead rested her hands on the table, watching her son eat with a smile in her eyes.

Seeing Shen Du eating with such relish, Wang Hanmei felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

But as a mother, once her son had achieved success and returned home in glory, it was only natural to bring up the topic that all elders in the world cared about most.

She pulled out a tissue and handed it to Shen Du, speaking earnestly: "Du'er, Mom has something to discuss with you."

"Let's see, after this New Year, you'll be twenty."

"Although by city standards that's still young, you are now managing such a large company and have your own vast industry, so you have truly established yourself."

Wang Hanmei paused, her eyes filled with anticipation: "As the saying goes, one should start a family after establishing a career."

"Your 'career' is already more established than anyone else's, so isn't it time to take a wife and start a family?"

Hearing his mother's expectant urging to marry, Shen Du's chewing paused slightly.

He swallowed the food in his mouth, pulled out a tissue, and wiped the grease from the corners of his mouth unhurriedly.

On the surface, he still maintained that obedient and compliant appearance.

But deep within those lowered, deep eyes, a flash of coldness and clarity that ordinary people could hardly detect flickered instantly.

Regarding the major life event of marriage, the current Shen Du had a cruel and rational analysis.

He knew clearly in his heart that with his current sensitive status—at the center of a vortex of billions in capital, where every move affected the life and death of countless interest groups—there was simply no way to aspire to a plain, normal marriage like an ordinary person.

If he followed his mother's wishes and just found an ordinary girl with a clean background from back home or outside to marry, that would absolutely not be loving her, but harming her.

In that cutthroat business meat grinder where people were often bankrupted in an instant, an ordinary woman without background and savvy simply could not withstand the immense pressure and schemes that weighed like Mount Tai.

In Shen Du's cold, precision-instrument-like mind, if he absolutely had to arrange the role of a "mistress of the house" in his base of operations, it could only be a woman like Hong Yun.

Only a woman with formidable, iron-fisted means, capable of standing on the same front and fighting side-by-side with him in the storms of capital, could survive in this sinister chess game, and even become the sharpest blade in his hand.

More importantly, Shen Du had to guard against the vipers hidden in the dark.

Although the Beijing Circle capital had been severely wounded and temporarily retreated in the previous great slaughter, no one could guarantee that those greedy old foxes wouldn't make a comeback on some dark and windy night.

The Shen Du that was currently presented to the outside world was always a "capital tyrant" who was alone and had no weak points.

As long as he didn't reveal any flaws, those commercial rivals hiding in the dark would be like facing a hedgehog covered in spines, with nowhere to bite.

This was also why, up until now, even within the highest core circles of Jiyuan Technology and Meituan, Shen Du rarely mentioned to anyone where his hometown actually was, and never mentioned whether he had any immediate family left at home.

He had deeply hidden his mother and this little Western-style house beneath this vast web of the Central Plains, far from the hustle and bustle of the Magic City.

Because he knew the despicable bottom line of capital too well.

Once he hadn't completely stood firm at the front, those red-eyed opponents would definitely not hesitate to strike at the people closest to him.

He would never allow anyone to use his few remaining close relatives in this world as leverage!

Shen Du picked up the teacup at his side and took a sip of the warm tea, suppressing all those cold and bloody capital calculations in his heart.

He raised his head, and a docile smile hung on his face once again.

Half-jokingly, he probed his mother: "Mom, the matter of marriage definitely can't be rushed."

"How about this? I'll find a girlfriend first, and when the time comes, I'll bring her back for you to vet properly?"

He thought his mother would agree, but to his surprise, Wang Hanmei wasn't in any hurry.

Instead, with a very firm opinion, she waved her hand and set a "hard rule" that allowed for no doubt.

"Forget about a girlfriend; why drag a girl all this way just to put her through trouble?"

Wang Hanmei looked at her son, her tone serious: "When you have truly made up your mind, and are sure that she can enter our family safely and become our daughter-in-law, then you can bring her back in a proper and honorable way!"

Facing his mother's strict requirement of quality over quantity, even with all his means outside, Shen Du could only laugh helplessly and promise repeatedly: "Okay, okay, okay, I'll listen to you."

"As long as I find that right person, I will definitely bring her back to see you as soon as possible."

Although the New Year atmosphere in his hometown was rich and warm, in the face of the torrents of the business world and the times, this comfortable vacation where he could shed all burdens was destined to be short.

In the blink of an eye, it was the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

The morning mist had not yet dispersed when Shen Du put on his cold, hard black coat.

He bid farewell to his mother, whose eyes were full of reluctance, and also bid farewell to the renovated little Western-style house.

He got back into that Mercedes G55, which was like a black armored vehicle.

As the engine let out a low roar, the vehicle slowly drove out of the village entrance.

And at the moment the car window rolled up, the warmth in Shen Du's eyes was swept away, and he donned his cold, ruthless armor once again.

This time, returning to the Magic City, he didn't drive the car back to the headquarters building of the Jiyuan Technology internet empire to inspect the business.

After getting off the highway, Shen Du turned the steering wheel directly, pointing the car toward Songjiang District.

He was heading straight for that underground fortress hidden deep in Sheshan, preparing to meet in person those six "tech maniacs" who had been banned by the whole world!