Chapter 85: Snatching Leisure Amidst the Hustle

Gui A County. Early morning.

Lu Kun stared blankly at today’s breakfast: a small plate of pickled hot peppers, two steamed buns, and a large bowl of thin porridge.

“Big Ya.”

“I’m here.”

“Where did your mother and Second Ya go?”

Lu Kun had actually wanted to ask Big Ya why today’s breakfast wasn’t prepared by Liu Liping, but by her instead.

Having dealt with company affairs, Lu Kun had returned to his salt-fish lifestyle, sleeping until the sun was high before getting up.

“Mother went to get her hair done early this morning.”

“And why did Second Ya go with her?”

“Second Ya said she wanted to go with Mother to broaden her horizons.”

“To broaden her horizons…”

Lu Kun was silent for a long moment before coming back to himself.

Afterward,

He lowered his head and quietly finished the steamed buns with the porridge.

Days without his wife at home were simply hard to endure.

Big Ya’s current cooking skills were far less than Liu Liping’s.

After a while,

Lu Kun lay idly in a rocking chair, flipping through a secondhand book he’d recently picked up at a used book stall.

“The Art of Thick Black.”

White characters on a black cover.

Lu Kun opened it casually, and found that every page was filled with dense notes.

Clearly, its previous owner cherished it deeply.

As he traced the bold white characters on the cover, a sense of gravity and time-worn wisdom welled up within him.

On the first page, there was a note, dozens of characters long:

“Righteousness does not conduct business, benevolence does not command troops, emotion does not establish affairs, laziness does not foster learning, kindness does not govern—let this serve as a warning to those who come after.”

Lu Kun was taken aback.

He recognized that the main body of this note was from “Expanded Wisdom Literature,”

It was likely the previous reader’s reflection after finishing “The Art of Thick Black.”

In his previous life, many friends had recommended this masterpiece by Li Zongwu, the so-called founder of the Thick Black School.

At the time, Lu Kun was absorbed in the great works of famous thinkers; he only glanced at this book briefly and then dismissed it as “overly cunning, lacking grandeur.” He set it aside.

Li Zongwu was a figure from the Republic era, whose life’s work was poured into compiling “The Art of Thick Black.”

Honestly, perhaps his heart was thick and black, but he disdained to act as such; he followed a grand and upright path.

Smoking, drinking tea, reading books—his whole life was leisurely and carefree…

A true homebody.

If there is a creature in this world that causes the least harm, it must be the homebody.

It is nearly impossible for a homebody to be both thick-skinned and dark-hearted.

Li Zongwu understood well: in society, only those with thick skin and a black heart can navigate smoothly, but he himself could not practice even a fraction of what he wrote.

His theory, if thoroughly studied by ordinary people, might help them fare well.

However,

In the end, it would only take them so far.

It could never help one achieve great accomplishments.

The book is filled with flattery and petty schemes, lacking the spirit to challenge the heavens.

Of course, as a diversion over tea and meals, the book is still quite substantial.

This book is written for the downtrodden, not the successful.

The successful need not bother with it.

In his former life,

Lu Kun never liked attending others’ lectures or speeches, nor did he enjoy sharing entrepreneurial tips or recounting his own journey.

Lu Kun had always forged his own path; his business ventures were nothing like military campaigns, with no strict rules.

Whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat.

No matter how well you memorize the Thirty-Six Stratagems, if you face overwhelming strength, surrender is inevitable.

In his previous life, Lu Kun was invited to attend lectures by several renowned management professors.

He would sit there dazed for two hours, watching experts recite from their notes, speaking eloquently.

Every sentence sounded wise and thought-provoking.

Yet,

Once the lecture ended, he could only mutter inwardly, “What nonsense is this!”

The more one listens to these entrepreneurship or management lectures, the easier it is to get trapped, limiting one’s own thinking and abilities.

After all, many experts and professors have spent most of their lives without ever actually being employed, let alone starting a business.

Everything is “I’ve seen, I think, I believe…”

…

As for sharing entrepreneurial experiences with those who’ve failed, or with newcomers just starting out…

What a joke.

If those stories were laid bare, all would be stained with black ink; how could they be revealed for all to see?

Apart from feeding you comforting chicken soup, there’s really nothing to be said.

Doing business in this country, one must worry about more than commercial management or competition.

Getting close to the government while staying away from politics is undoubtedly the right approach.

But business often gets mixed with political factors.

Handling this requires true skill.

It’s not something solved by listening to lectures from professors or successful entrepreneurs.

Especially now and in the coming years, as the economy becomes the main focus, local protectionism will gradually rise.

No matter how advanced your management or how excellent your products, if you can’t enter the local market, nothing can be done.

…

“Big Ya, fetch me a pot of boiling water.”

“Alright!”

Big Ya truly was a well-behaved girl, her parents’ little cotton-padded jacket.

She came to help take the kettle away and soon returned with a pot of steaming water.

“Sit over there.”

Lu Kun pointed to a chair near him.

“Huh?”

Big Ya placed the kettle on the tea table, then walked uncertainly to the chair Lu Kun indicated and sat down.

Big Ya blinked her large, watery eyes, her small hands clutching the hem of her shirt tightly.

“Why do I feel that you and your mother have been acting strangely these past few days, always so secretive?”

“Huh?”

“No, no,” Big Ya shook her hands frantically, her face filled with panic.

Oh dear.

How did Dad notice?

He must never find out—he must never know…

Lu Kun found it quite amusing.

Big Ya, this girl, was never good at lying.

Now, as she tried, even the roots of her ears were red.

Her face alternated between green and red.

Smack!

Lu Kun gave her a gentle but firm flick to the forehead.

“Duck!”

Big Ya covered her forehead, crying out in pain.

“You know it hurts?”

“When did you learn to lie to your father? You never used to be like this.”

Lu Kun spoke sternly, but then softened.

“Does it still hurt?” he asked.

Big Ya nodded, her face full of grievance: “It hurts!”

“If it hurts, why not tell the truth?”

“Wuwuwu… Mother said not to tell?” The little girl’s face was full of misery, tears nearly falling.

“Really won’t say?”

Lu Kun raised his hand as if to flick her again.

…

“I’ll tell, I’ll tell… Mother said it’s your birthday today and she’s preparing a surprise for you!”

PS: Thanks to book friend Bei La for the 500 coin reward.