After finally convincing my parents to come out, there was no way I was letting them go back so soon.
I had wanted to buy them a car last time, but they disagreed. This time, no matter what, I was taking them to a 4S dealership to get one. Riding a motorcycle in wind and rain just wasn't safe.
Zhou You didn't plan to buy anything too expensive. The newly released Haval H6 would do—more than enough for driving in the countryside.
It was sturdy, spacious, and affordable. For rural folks, the only downside might be the slightly high fuel consumption.
He dragged his parents straight to the Great Wall 4S dealership.
Sure enough, as soon as they got out of the car, a salesperson came over.
"Hello, are you here to look at cars? Please follow me—we have various models. Do you have any preferences?" The salesperson, probably noticing they arrived in a Wrangler, was very enthusiastic.
"Dad, take a look and see if there's a car you like. But I think this Haval H6 is pretty good. Why don't you take it for a test drive?" Zhou You noticed his dad eyeing the H6 as soon as he got out.
Rural folks valued practicality—they'd rather buy big than small. When giving gifts during holidays, they always went for the biggest boxes.
Zhou Bencheng followed the salesperson for a test drive and asked on the way, "How much does this car cost? It looks pretty impressive."
"Currently, depending on the configuration, it's around 150,000 yuan," the salesperson replied.
"That's not cheap either. A lot of people in our village drive cars worth 100,000 yuan, and they feel fine. That money could build a house in the countryside," Zhou Bencheng said honestly. Back then, building a house in the village was still cheap—a simple bungalow, not a multi-story one, could be done for around 100,000 yuan.
But as housing prices soared, car prices hadn't risen as much. Compared to houses, cars seemed cheaper and cheaper.
"Sir, this car is one of the better domestic models. It's very sturdy and suitable for driving in the countryside. Look at how big the trunk is, how much space there is—you can carry a lot of stuff and people," the salesperson said, knowing that different customers had different spending habits.
Zhou Bencheng finished the test drive and thought it was okay, but he still felt it was a bit expensive and couldn't bear to buy it.
"You know, the car's fine, but it's a bit pricey. 100,000 or so—I, your old man, might not even be able to afford the gas," he paused and then continued, "Besides, building a house and buying a car at the same time—that's a bit too flashy."
Zhou Bencheng had been humble his whole life, never having a moment of glory. Suddenly standing out from the crowd felt a bit uncomfortable.
"Ah, it's fine. Your son is a university professor now—I've got the money. Besides, I worry about you riding that motorcycle every day. If you get into an accident, how am I supposed to take care of you? I can't just quit my job," Zhou You said. There was no use talking about anything else—he had to steer the conversation back to those key points.
In the end, Li Fengying made the final call.
"Buy it. Don't let it be that when Xiao You's potential match comes to visit, they see we don't even have a car."
Finally, Zhou Bencheng picked a black one. White was more suitable for young people.
Swiped the card, paid, and drove off.
Buying a car didn't have to be such a big deal.
There weren't many domestic cars that could compete. The Haval H6 had decent sales, and over the years, as word of mouth spread, it became a legendary model.
Later, they released the Tank series, focusing on off-roading, which also sold well.
Unfortunately, when the second generation took over, the whole scene turned into a disaster.
The brand's positioning was originally for rural youth or urban middle-aged folks,主打性价比 (focusing on cost-effectiveness).
But then the young lady took over, targeting urban sophisticated women—cats, dogs, "forgive me green"—everything came out.
And that was it. Reputation tanked, sales were cut in half.
The two customer groups were completely split, each looking down on the other. Anyone who bought that car was a sucker.
Sophisticated women just talked the talk. You think they'd shell out 100,000 to 200,000 yuan for a bare-bones car? They're not stupid.
And sophisticated women were vain and worshipped foreign things. With that money, they'd rather buy a BBA—more face, more fitting for their "urban beauty" persona.
So, don't start a business. Especially second-generation heirs who've never been through the wringer—don't start a business. Just holding the fort is good enough.
Anyway, Zhou You wasn't going to start a business in this life. Starting a business was too tiring, too much worry.
If there was money to be made, he'd make more. If not, he'd make less. He'd just enjoy this life first.
With a car, getting to the county town became much easier. Before, going to the county meant waiting for a bus and transferring—at least an hour.
Now, with a car, driving straight to the county took just over ten minutes. Very convenient.
In the city, the average commute time was never less than half an hour.
Zhou You took his mom and followed behind Zhou Bencheng, driving slowly and steadily.
Even though he'd practiced a lot with Zhou You's car, driving alone still made him a bit unsure.
Being unsure while driving was a good thing—going slow was better than going fast, especially in the countryside.
In rural areas, there were few traffic lights, and the elderly and kids didn't have much awareness. They'd just cross the road whenever, not caring about cars.
Plus, drunk driving wasn't strictly enforced back then. A lot of people drove after drinking—thinking about it now was terrifying.
When they got back to the village, it caused quite a stir of envy.
After all, buying a house or a car was a big deal for anyone.
Especially his second uncle, who saw Zhou Bencheng driving a car: "Third brother, you've finally made it. You went through a lot of hardship sending Xiao You to school, and now it's time to enjoy the rewards."
"Ah, second brother, you know me. I've never been much. It's just that Xiao You turned out well. Otherwise, we'd never dare to dream of a life like this."
"Yeah, now your family is the standout in the village. You've got a house and a car, and Xiao You has a good job. You've set an example for the village—makes everyone go home and push their kids to study." As the saying goes, father and son fight together, brothers hunt tigers together.
Their village was called Huangzhai. Most of the village was surnamed Huang. Their family, surnamed Zhou, was just a few brothers. Their grandfather had fled here as a refugee, seeking refuge with relatives, and settled down.
As outsiders in a rural village, life was tough. Even with relatives helping, they weren't locals.
It was only as Zhou Bencheng and his two brothers grew up that things gradually improved. Having strong laborers in the family who worked efficiently was a form of deterrence in the countryside.
That was also why the three brothers stuck together—if they didn't, it would be even harder to survive in the village.
This was also a source of frustration for Zhou You. He didn't want to get into real business, but just giving money to relatives wasn't appropriate.
Having your own means of support was better than relying on others. Giving money directly—once the money was gone, people got lazy. Once lazy, they were basically done for.
It wasn't like they were truly rich—how could they afford to coast through life?
But as rural folks, they had no skills, no education. It wasn't the rough-and-tumble era anymore where hard work alone could make you rich.
Without proper guidance, blindly starting a business could easily lead to ruin.