The sea and sky are blue, and the water and sky are the same color. Looking from a distance, the sea level is undulating and linear, like a young and charming body breathing slightly, healthy and plump. The sixty-foot catamaran sailing boat named "MANOLIN" is sailing on the sea, seemingly. He turned on all his power and moved forward wantonly in order to conquer this charming body.
He Panshan, who is naked from the waist up, is at the helm. Although he has reached the age of knowing his destiny this year, he still maintains a good figure. He does not have the potbelly and fatness of a middle-aged man. From the appearance alone, he is more like an appearance. A young man with a little bit of vicissitudes of life and rich experience.
He Panshan likes the feeling of bumping on the boat, especially the frustration and heaviness caused by holding the rudder and manipulating the huge hull. He also wants to use this feeling to challenge nature and conform to nature.
This is an indescribable feeling of satisfaction.
On the forward deck, the youngest son Yuan Chong and his old friend Lao Xie would hear bursts of laughter from time to time. On the endless sea, the cool wind blew in the face. He Panshan's eyes were full of energy and his mood was extremely happy.
He Panshan may not be a good son, husband, or father in the traditional sense, but he must be the kind of successful man that even men would envy.
There is something legendary about him like a prodigal son turning back.
Born into a wealthy family but without any aura of nobility, this man was naturally rebellious and rebellious when he was young. He had problems with his conservative old father. This kind of non-compliance was not a one-sided "stubbornness" like He Tianran's. Rather, they picked up the bench, took the kitchen knife, and the two of them fought hard for several times, and they were full of glory.
As a son, he is unfilial.
So, how rebellious is he?
He Panshan smoked his first cigarette when he was ten years old. When he was twelve years old, he took a sip of the Moutai that his father had collected for many years and found it tasted bad. He immediately poured out the drink and replaced it with his own urine. At the age of thirteen, he had his first cigarette. Fortunately, at the age of seventeen, when he started to get involved in rock music, he fell in love with a woman in her thirties who was even older than him.
Such a dissolute life did not restrain him until he met Bai Wenyu when he was 28 years old. However, when he was in love, he still had a mistress outside. This person was He Yuanchong's mother Tao Wei, and until he got married, Tao Wei None of them knew Bai Wenyu existed.
As a husband, he is unfaithful.
He Yuanchong is only a few months younger than He Tianran. There are widespread rumors in the company and among the public that He Yuanchong is He Panshan's illegitimate son. This is true. After all, he is a big boss with a net worth of over 100 million. Even if it is an affair within marriage, it is impossible. Why don't you find a mistress with a tow bottle?
However, He Panshan never responded to this point, and before He Yuanchong was fourteen, he never knew that there was such a man beside his mother.
It is difficult for He Panshan to see any difference in his attitude towards the two sons of He Tianran and He Yuanchong. Rather than being fair and consistent, it is better to say that he does not know how to be a good father. After all, he has never learned how to be a good father. I learned nothing from my father.
So as a father, he doesn't teach.
He Panshan failed to fulfill the three most important roles in a man's life.
In fact, He Panshan has many labels. He has played rock and roll, mastered coding, climbed the Himalayas, and spent more than 400 days wandering at sea during the two years when the conflict with his old father was most intense.
But it was such a man who, when the He family was gradually declining, took up the banner in one fell swoop and boarded the rapid development of the Internet with all his might. Now he has completely become a businessman. The original partners of Shanhai Group will either be squeezed out by him Either leave, or slowly retreat to the second line, he truly took over the power.
He still succeeded. Even though he was an unfaithful, unfilial, and undisciplined person, no one dared to say that his life was a failure.
"Dad, let me steer the ship!"
At this time, his youngest son He Yuanchong walked up to him and said eagerly.
"Okay. Did you remember what I taught you last month?"
"I haven't forgotten!" He Yuanchong was confident.
"Okay, come on then."
He Panshan stepped back, crossed his arms, and watched He Yuanchong take the helm in a dignified manner.
There are only two types of appreciation for men: either they hope that I will be you tomorrow, or they feel that you are who I was yesterday.
When He Yuanchong looked at He Panshan, it was undoubtedly the former, but He Panshan did not see the latter in his two sons for the time being.
He Panshan could clearly feel that his youngest son was imitating him in everything, especially his ambition and competitive spirit that could not be concealed no matter what.
It's a good thing for a man to be ambitious, and it's also a good thing to be competitive, but it's just like the two sides of a coin. If the front is competitive, then the back must be jealousy.
If these qualities of He Yuanchong are revealed based on his identity as He Panshan's "son", then He Panshan will never see himself from yesterday in his younger son...
He Panshan looked around and suddenly didn't see his eldest son. He couldn't help but sigh to himself. This eldest son of his was really not like him...
He walked into the cabin. In the spacious living area, He Tianran was holding a book. His legs were resting on the sofa, and his body was leaning against the wall of the ship. He was looking at the book with a quiet expression. He reached out to flip through the book. The book pages and the body also undulated slightly with the waves at the bottom of the boat.
He Tianran, who was reading, heard the noise and saw his father walking towards him. He immediately stopped his steps and said with a smile:
"Captain!"
He Panshan walked over and sat next to him, looking down at the book in his son's hand.
He Tianran understood, closed the book, and revealed the title, which was Maugham's "The Blade", and the translator was Zipei.
The boy found this book in a corner of the cabin. It was buried under a copy of Hemingway's "Spring Tide" and a thick copy of "The Complete Works of Jin Yong".
"I thought you only liked reading comics, but you've just read this book. How do you feel about it?"
He Panshan asked curiously.
My son, who has always liked two-dimensional things, is now holding a classic book in his hand. This image is really a bit of a contrast.
Unexpectedly, He Tianran replied seriously:
"I have watched Zhou Xuliang's version of "Blade" before. It was very difficult to watch and felt very awkward. It was full of translation accents and some local slang that I can no longer hear. Sometimes I can only take the literal meaning and guess the general meaning. But Maybe it is because of this that I will look more carefully.
This is the first time I have read this version of Zipei's "The Blade", and the reading experience is much better. It feels like "stop thinking about it, just listen to me". If Maugham's original work was written in Chinese , then I think it’s more like this version. "
He Panshan was stunned after hearing this, "Have you read this book before? When did it happen?"
The boy lowered his head, smiled as he recalled it, "Probably during the senior year of high school."
My father said happily: "It seems that you have accumulated a lot of things that I don't know about."
In his senior year of high school, He Tianran read a lot of classics and miscellaneous books in order to cope with the art exam. Until now, he has maintained the habit of reading at least one book a month, but most of them are electronic versions. As long as there is nothing wrong, Just take out your phone and take a look.
Of course, although He Tianran in this timeline also reads books, most of them are financial-related books, so He Panshan was slightly surprised when he heard his son's differentiated evaluations of different translators.
It's a pity that after the world restarted, He Panshan also forgot everything that happened at the family dinner, and that his son once inherited his father's business and started playing in a band because of a girl...
"Then let me test whether you have really read it. Tell me, which part of this book is your favorite?" He Panshan asked the examiner.
"That's too much. I didn't understand many of the principles in the book at first..."
He Tianran looked at his father, paused, glanced into the distance outside the window, and said slowly:
"But now, I began to gradually understand some of the ideas in it. Your sudden question reminded me of a conversation in it. The general meaning is that Isabella said to Larry, if you really love me, you won't It would make me so sad.
However, the answer she heard from the other party was, I really love you. Unfortunately, sometimes when a person can no longer do what he thinks is right, he will not make another person sad.
Dad, I think Maugham wasn’t just referring to love when he wrote this sentence, right? "
He Panshan was silent for a while. He stared at his son quietly. In his eyes, suddenly at that moment, the timid child seemed to have grown up a lot.
At least, the father and son could finally talk calmly about some secular but not too secular things.
He Panshan shrugged, "This is why I don't like Maugham very much, and even feel a little disgusted with it. In this book, he seems to be talking about one thing repeatedly, 'how people should live and what they should live for.'" He tells readers that there is no God’s perspective, so the answer he gives is just a concept and a vague method, and I don’t like this.”
He Tianran replied: "However, sometimes asking a question is more...great than telling the answer? Or, it is more memorable, isn't it?"
"Do you think so?"
Facing his father's rhetorical question, the boy nodded and continued:
"The North Star guides the direction, and so does the Southern Cross. Although they point in opposite directions, they both bring a way to survive for lost sailors, don't you think so, Captain?"
He Panshan laughed and patted his son's head.
"It seems that I should let you study philosophy or literature. You are really unqualified for studying finance. I didn't realize you had such an advantage before."
"Actually, you should study directing or screenwriting." He Tianran muttered in a low voice.
"What?"
"It's nothing, I just prefer making up my own stories than explaining them. The final interpretation is mine, hahaha..."
At this time, I heard He Panshan say seemingly casually:
"Just do what you are doing now."
Facing the sudden familiar pressure, He Tianran stopped smiling, put down the book, and asked again calmly:
"Dad, since you can't stand Maugham, do you like Hemingway?"
He Panshan was somewhat accustomed to his son's sudden calmness and the author's name. He was stunned for a moment, pointed to a corner, and said to the book "Spring Tide" that originally suppressed "Blade": "Because of that book? Then I haven’t even read the book, and there’s a copy of Jin Yong next to it, so why don’t you guess that I like Jin Yong?”
He Tianran was also dumbfounded: "You haven't read it before, so I really didn't expect it, but my guess is that it's based on the name of your ship. Isn't this ship called 'MANOLIN'? It's the one in "The Old Man and the Sea" The name of the little boy who looked after the old man.”
"Yeah, yes, son! You are the first person to accurately say this. You really impressed my father today. I haven't told you before, right?"
He Tianran shook his head: "No."
The middle-aged man was very surprised. Whenever his friends boarded the ship and asked why the ship was called this name, he never explained. It was like an Easter egg he deliberately planted in his life, hoping to be recognized by others. Digging, but not wanting to be dug so easily.
He just wanted to hide this easter egg. If the first person to discover it was his business partner, then He Panshan would be able to offer good terms no matter what kind of business the deal was. It is equivalent to a kind of reward of meeting a close friend in the mountains and rivers.
And when the first person discovered was his son, He Panshan was naturally overjoyed.
"I do like Hemingway, but his works are secondary. I like his life more. When I was young, I really wanted to be like him. He can be said to be your father and my idol."
When He Panshan faced his son, he rarely showed some excitement caused by joy.
Well, it seems that He Tianran, who is more like Somerset Maugham, is destined to have a different path with his father, who is more like Hemingway. The two people who retreated to the north are really a bit difficult to deal with, but they do have some contradictions. Like... similar.
"Tell me, what do you want recently? A car, money, or anything else, I can satisfy you."
He Panshan stood up energetically. No matter whether the person who discovered the easter egg was a friend or his son, there should still be a reward.
Because this happened quite suddenly, it was the first time that He Panshan made such a promise to He Tianran. The boy looked at his father and thought about it...
"Is anything okay?"
"Anything is fine."
"But... I don't have anything special I want now..." He Tian was confused.
"Hey, it turns out that you kid is quite easy to satisfy, so you can keep it until later. If you have anything you want, tell me. This is an agreement between our father and son, and it is valid at any time."
He Panshan was surprised at first, and then added helpfully.
Compared with the younger sons outside, his eldest son is indeed a little less ambitious and a little too happy-go-lucky.
Unexpectedly, when he said this, He Tianran did not show any expression of agreement or rejection. He just thought about it again and asked solemnly:
"Dad, I don't want anything, but there is one thing I have always wanted to know. Can you tell me?"
He Panshan did not expect that his son would make such a suggestion, so he replied without thinking too much: "Okay, what do you want to ask me?"
He Tianran pursed his lips and looked at the movement outside the cabin. After confirming that nothing happened, he cautiously asked what he had been doubting for many years:
"Dad... is Yuan Chong... his son?"
(End of chapter)
