I Found A Planet - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Now that he had a place to run his store, he needed to take care of the legal documents next . For instance, he needed the two most important licenses: one from the Industry and Commerce Administration Bureau, and one from the Tax Bureau .

Chen Jin planned on going to both places the same day and getting the licenses required in the most efficient way possible .

But suddenly, he realized there was one tiny problem . His mother worked at the Tax Bureau… Which had complete jurisdiction over his jewelry business . Which meant that to get the license he needed, he would have to deal with his own mother .

It…it was a bit awkward indeed . The truth was, he was not planning on telling his parents about his jewelry business; he wanted to do it all on his own . And it was for a good reason, too . His mother was like a helicopter parent, paying extremely close attention to every little thing he did and wanting to have everything under her control; she even got anxiously concerned when he was just gone for a couple of days .

The great motherly love . But it also meant that for her, he was still a little kid . A little kid that did not grow up . Nonetheless, as parents, they would always subconsciously want to have a say in whatever their children were doing . And no doubt, they did that with good intentions, making sure their children didn’t get hurt .

But still, he was not a kid anymore, regardless! He had become a grown man with ambitions and responsibilities . He didn’t need anyone to intervene in his business; he was perfectly capable of doing things on his own without help from others .

However, he’d already rented the building . There was no escaping the fact that he had to deal with the administration his mother worked at to get his license . Besides, his parents were going to find out about it sooner or later anyway, as his store was rather large and quite a noticeable target .

“Oh well, I might as well just tell Mom now, so she can prepare herself for the news . She might even be able to use her connections and help me get the licenses . ” So with that, he’d made up his mind .

At dinner time, Chen Jin told his parents about his jewelry business, and casually mentioned that he’d already rented the commercial building .

“WHAT!? Son, did you say you’re starting a jewelry store?” He Li put down her chopsticks and looked at her son in disbelief . “Wasn’t it just not too long ago that you said you wanted to go into the high-tech and robot manufacturing industry? How come you’re interested in selling jewelry now?”

“Not enough money for that yet . It’s unbelievably difficult to go into the high-tech industry, and it requires a massive amount of investment too, so I decided to spend some time in the service industry first,” Chen Jin said as he smirked at himself .

“Even that would still cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars . Do you have that kind of money?” He Li gave him a suspicious look . Working at the Tax Bureau for over ten years had helped her understand how every industry worked; the jewelry industry was one of the most competitive ones, where the standards were hard to meet and required a relatively larger investment .

“Money is no longer an issue . I have enough to support and run the store . What I do need though, is the related licenses . Mom, I need your help…”

He Li interrupted immediately . “Son, where did you get the money from? Even a small jewelry store in a remote area would cost you something like $70k, and in the city center it is at least hundreds of thousands of dollars! Tell me the truth . Where did you get the money from?”

“Part of it is mine, and I borrowed some . Ma, please stop asking . ” Chen Jin started to get a little annoyed by all the questioning . His mom was always like that, asking countless questions trying to get to the bottom of it all .

“You must tell me first! How much of a loan did you get? From whom? Don’t even think about borrowing money from one of those shady underground banks . You’ll never be able to pay them back! If you did, pay them back right away, I’ll give you the money you need!” He Li asked a chain of questions in all seriousness . This was her son’s first start-up business . She had to look out for him .

“I told you, Mom . I borrowed it from a friend of mine . It was just $15, 20k . Ma, I want to be independent and stop relying on you and Dad . I’ll deal with it if anything goes wrong . Please take no part in any of this!” Chen Jin requested earnestly . Having a mother like her really gave him headaches sometimes .

“Fine…” Noticing how the conversation was going, He Li decided to stop asking . But still, she couldn’t help but add one more thing . “Son, if money ever becomes an issue, and it’s within $750k, tell me . I will give you the money . ”

Chen Jin rolled his eyes . “Getting the lawful licenses in two days is the only thing I need your help with, Mom . ”

“Sure, no problem . I will help you with that one . ” It was easy for He Li; she’d just give her people a little heads-up and they’d do the rest . Besides, she also had some connections in the Industry and Commerce Administration Bureau; her son would no doubt get the licenses within half a day!

“Awesome! Thank you, Mom!” Chen Jin was very pleased . It wasn’t so bad to have a mom like her after all!

“Don’t be silly, son . Anything for you . ” He Li smiled as she shook her head . Then, she turned around to look at her husband, Chen Gang, and said, “Old Chen, your son is really running his own business now . He’s starting a jewelry store . ”

For some reason, however, Chen Gang didn’t seem to have paid any attention to what had just happened . Instead, he kept staring at the watch on his left wrist, looking rather dull and absent . He’d been like that for days . He didn’t hear a word of the conversation He Li and Chen Jin just had . He stared at his watch with his eyes fixed on the second hand; they could hear him speak in a barely audible voice from time to time: “No way…that’s impossible . ”

“Hey, Old Chen! I’m talking to you!”

She elbowed him . His behavior obviously did not make her very happy .

“Oh, ohhhh . ” That brought Chen Gang back his normal self . He adjusted the glasses on his nose and said in a sluggish way, “What are you guys talking about?”

He Li rolled her eyes at him and told him about their son’s jewelry store again .

“A jewelry store?” Chen Gang looked at his son doubtfully . “Wait, didn’t you say you wanted to build robots or something like artificial intelligence, that sort of thing? And now, a jewelry store?”

“Yeah, but I have to make some money first . Without money, how can I get into the high-tech industry?”

Chen Gang was startled . He nodded and agreed with his son . “Good point . Well done, son . Keep up the good work and make that money!” He thought Chen Jin’s plan was somewhat reliable, so he showed his support .

But then, he remembered something and asked his son . “Son, where did you say you got this watch from again?” He showed him the watch, looking all confused .

“Dad, didn’t I tell you already? It was a $12 watch from some street vendor . ” Chen Jin rolled his eyes again . His dad had been asking him the same question over and over . He was done answering .

“But can you take me to the vendor?”

“Impossible . Street vendors move from one place to another . Where would you even begin to look in a huge city like Shanghai?” Chen Jin explained as he spread his hands .

“Alright…” Chen Gang shook his head in frustration .  His eyes were on the knock-off watch again . His curiosity pushed him to make a secret decision . I guess I’ll have to do it on my own and solve this $12 mystery!