Reaching the age of thirty, my income randomly doubled

Summer vacation lasts sixty days. If there's no activity planned...

With Er Ya's personality, she could easily leave her summer homework at the teacher's house.

As for Little Third Chen Lu, there's even less to say—after all, he's only three years old.

Without parental company, letting them just play around with a phone would definitely not work.

Chang Fu came over simply because he had nothing much to do—idling away the day and going all over for foot massages.

As for Gao Hu, being a chef by profession, he still has a passion for the industry.

It's just that now he has no choice but to dive deep into the quick-money world of short videos to repay his debts.

The barbecue shop opens in the afternoons. Others may operate until 1 or 2 a.m., but not them.

They only stay open until nine at night at most.

This time, the shop was set up in an urban village, and they called it "Old Friends."

The place isn't small either—it adds up to more than two hundred square meters. During the day, they prep skewers, and by 2 p.m., they start serving customers.

As the saying goes: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Er Piya adapts to anything—she even grabbed a little stool and started skewering lamb meat like a pro.

Her sister Chen An'an isn't much different.

Most of the people in the urban village are workers—some work at nearby factories, while others rent homes here and commute to jobs via bus daily.

It's an eclectic mix of people—nothing is lacking, but nothing stands out either.

The neighborhood is packed with street vendors selling snacks and trinkets.

Many passersby could be seen chewing betel nuts, clearly from the Southern Province.

As for the various work uniforms, you can often tell which factory someone works with just a glance.

"Haha, who would've thought the three of us would one day run a barbecue shop together!"

Chang Fu grinned while skewering meat, clearly in good spirits.

Gao Hu wasn't much different, although he couldn't stay until 10 p.m. because he had livestreaming to handle daily.

"Remember back in Sha City, when we often went out for barbecue together?"

"Those were the days of youth—gone forever!"

Chen Pingsheng chatted with them for a bit before dragging over three-year-old Little Third Chen Lu, who was idly daydreaming.

Even at that age, skewering meat wasn't too difficult for him.

Since the shop hadn't opened yet, they were just handling prep work at the time.

"Say, since the three of us are running a barbecue shop here, should we invite some old friends to hang out every now and then?"

"Not too often, but occasionally should be fine."

Chen Pingsheng remarked, "At our age, it's either family or career—who still thinks about partying all day like you?"

Chang Fu didn't retort. Ever since leaving Tengying Group, his personality had completely loosened up—no longer as driven or ambitious as before.

These days, he enjoys a laid-back lifestyle, without the stress of being like Lei Jun—someone with billions in the bank yet trapped in constant confusion and pain.

"Among us, you're the one who least enjoys partying, Old Chen. If the others got the chance, one phone call and they'd surely come rushing."

"Forget it; everyone's tied down with family now."

Perhaps due to his less successful career, Gao Hu—who used to talk big—now rarely spoke at all.

Even among old friends, he remained reserved. Chen Pingsheng understood; it was a form of insecurity.

Or you could say he lost some confidence. Every time the three of them chatted, it was Chang Fu and Chen Pingsheng who did most of the talking.

He just listened.

Chang Fu then mentioned a tidbit he heard—Zhang Tao's ex-wife, the mother of his child, had remarried.

Her new husband was a male model, two years younger than her, who now also does livestreaming.

Apparently, his annual earnings weren't bad. Among the four old friends, Zhang Tao's story was the most regrettable.

Chen Pingsheng couldn't help but sigh—it's a fragile life. You never know when something might happen.

He still felt a heavy sense of regret about Zhang Tao's situation—so much so that he continued giving the family around ten million every year.

After discussing Zhang Tao's ex-wife, Chang Fu turned to Gao Hu. "Little Hu, even Xiao Danchun has gotten married again. Don't you think it's time for you to seriously find someone?"

"With my conditions, who'd even take me?" Gao Hu chuckled bitterly.

"Your conditions aren't bad at all. What matters is settling down. Once married, try your best not to divorce."

Chen Pingsheng added, "When you get married again, I could personally contribute a few million, and with Old Chang pitching in, together we could easily pool a hundred million."

Chang Fu nodded. The brothers who grew up together would always lend each other a hand—but like Old Chen said, Gao Hu would need to truly settle down.

Getting married and then fooling around afterward? Not even God could save that.

A man who can't keep his household stable—how can he keep the world stable?

No matter what, if Gao Hu genuinely wanted to settle down again, they would certainly lend him a hand.

He undoubtedly missed many opportunities; Xiao Danchun was clearly a good woman.

It was just unfortunate he didn't seize the chance. Although the past was best left unspoken, lessons still had to be learned from it.

Gao Hu could only sum things up as "hard to explain."

The short video work he currently did wasn't remotely fulfilling.

And worse still, he had crossed paths with Luo Chuizi—someone whose popularity he could never match.

The three friends chatted while skewering meat, and before long, it was mealtime.

Gao Hu took the initiative to play chef, preparing a feast of authentic Hunan cuisine. His cooking skills were superb.

His father was once the head chef of a state-owned enterprise, and Gao Hu had inherited those talents since childhood.

Even Er Ya loved eating what Gao Hu cooked. After wrapping up preparations for the shop, they were ready to officially open by 2 p.m.

This time, there wasn't any profound educational purpose—it was just about working a summer job with a normal mindset.

Six Piya, who was seven years old, naturally lent several helping hands—whether carrying plates or wiping tables, she managed just fine.

The eldest girl, Chen An'an, was different; she joined her dad to learn the art of grilling skewers.

In the scorching summer heat of the Magic City, temperatures easily hit over thirty degrees—it goes without saying it was hot.

The best thing about such weather is gathering for barbecue and beer in the evenings.

Their prices were set quite low, so anyone could afford it. With the three of them working hard, there weren't many limitations.

Anyone who wanted to eat simply had to pay.

The afternoons didn't see many customers; it wasn't until evening that workers coming off shift stopped by to check the prices.

Seeing the affordable price list, they eagerly promised to try it next time.

Many others, intimidated by the large shopfront, couldn't even muster the courage to step inside.

These were mostly young people fresh out of society. Though they had made it to the Magic City, their daily lives were confined to a dull triangle of factory, dormitory, and dining hall.

Entertainment options were minimal—if any existed, it was either internet cafes or small billiards rooms.

As for anything else, they didn't dare spend money, nor did they have money to spend.

Trying to talk about confidence with them would be laughable.

In fact, when they first entered society, they were just like that.

Maybe what Chen Pingsheng hoped his daughter would see was precisely this scenario.