Era: Rise from the Wilderness

Without hesitation, Li Hongfeng turned around, squeezed into the narrow passage of the ticket gate, and joined the surging crowd.

His figure swayed a few times in the crowd before disappearing behind the gate, swallowed up by more unfamiliar figures.

Only after his father's figure had completely disappeared from sight did Li Yunjing let out a long, deep sigh of relief, feeling as if he had just finished a battle, utterly exhausted both physically and mentally.

He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and then rubbed his shoulders, which were a little sore from being squeezed so tightly while protecting his father.

This hour of "ideological education" and emotional tug-of-war in a noisy environment is no less tiring than a day of physical labor, and may even be more mentally taxing.

He could understand his father's concerns.

An honest and conscientious person who grew up and worked for half his life under the planned economy system, his worldview, values ​​and code of conduct are deeply marked by that era.

He had an instinctive unease, fear, and even rejection of the early waves of the market economy and new things like "going into business," "speculation," and "individual business owners."

In his view, stability is paramount, and the "iron rice bowl" provided by the state is the right path. Any adventure that deviates from the system and acts on its own means huge and uncontrollable risks.

"But how could Dad know..."

As Li Yunjing walked slowly out with the dispersing crowd, he silently sighed in his heart, "This era is undergoing earth-shattering and rapid changes, it is so crazy, and it also contains such huge opportunities that are enough to change the fate of ordinary people."

He recalled the information he had browsed online in his previous life, the reports he had seen in the yellowed old newspapers in the library, and the records about the "dual-track pricing system," "scalpers," "ten-thousand-yuan households," "Shenzhen speed," and "Wenzhou model."

Those behaviors that might be considered "crooked ways" or "speculation" by today's fathers were, in those specific historical and spatial contexts, precisely the original means to break the deadlock, revitalize the economy, and create the first group of people who got rich.

The tide of time rolls ever forward, and it will not stop because of anyone's maladaptation or misunderstanding.

Those who go with the flow prosper, while those who go against it... might not even get a taste of the soup.

Stepping out of the stuffy and noisy train station hall and breathing in the fresh air, Li Yunjing felt his mind clear up.

He looked up at the sky; it was still early.

My father has already embarked on his journey, and his "battle" is about to begin.

There was little time to dwell on sentimentality and his father's worries; he had to act immediately.

I walked quickly to the parking spot, opened the car door, and got in.

"If you're slow at one step, you'll be slow at every step."

"If you can't take advantage of the current situation where the landscape is still uncertain and the rules are still ambiguous to quickly accumulate your first pot of gold and seize the opportunity, it will be difficult to enter the market once the situation is settled and the threshold is raised."

He didn't start the car immediately, but leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and quickly went through the next steps in his mind.

The wholesale market for small food items in front of the train station is indeed very close to the train station, only about 400 to 500 meters away as the crow flies, separated only by a narrow road and a square.

Li Yunjing started the car and carefully circled halfway around the edge of the still noisy and bustling train station square, avoiding several travelers carrying large and small bags crossing the road. In just two or three minutes, he saw the wholesale market.

The area in front of the small food wholesale market was occupied by various tricycles, handcarts, and cars, and was bustling with people coming and going, buying and selling goods in an endless stream, creating a busy scene.

Li Yunjing finally found a place to park near the roadside.

After locking the car door, he stood by the car, composed himself, put on the innocent smile typical of young people, and started walking towards the area where Wang Gang's wholesale store was located.

Pushing open the glass door, my gaze swept across the slightly dimly lit shop, lined with shelves piled high with all sorts of cardboard boxes and goods.

Wang Gang was seen squatting in front of a row of shelves near the inside, with his back to the door. He was taking out packets of shrimp crackers in plastic packaging from a huge brown corrugated cardboard box with the words "XX Shrimp Crackers" printed on it.

"Uncle Wang, are you busy?"

"Shall I lend you a hand?"

Li Yunjing immediately put on a warm smile and greeted the person in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, so as not to frighten them while still being clearly audible.

Upon hearing the sound, Wang Gang stopped holding a bag of shrimp chips and slowly stood up, using the edge of the shelf next to him for support.

He turned around, and when he saw that the person was Li Yunjing, a smile immediately appeared on his face, which looked a little tired from carrying things.

"Haha! Who do we have here!"

"Oh, it's Xiao Yunjing!"

"Rare visitors, rare visitors!"

As Wang Gang spoke, he casually took the white towel off his neck and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He looked Li Yunjing up and down, his eyes filled with curiosity. "Why are you alone?"

"Didn't your parents come with you?"

"You little rascal...you didn't skip school again and sneak off from town to the county seat by yourself, did you?"

His tone carried the teasing typical of an elder, but also concealed a hint of barely perceptible concern.

He knew that Li Yunjing was still in high school, and his presence here at this time inevitably led people to associate it with "skipping class".

Li Yunjing smiled helplessly. It seemed that he couldn't shake off his image as a "problem student" and "professional truant" among his acquaintances for the time being.

However, he was prepared.

"Uncle Wang, you've really wronged me!"

"A tremendous injustice!"

He quickly put on a wronged expression and explained in an exaggerated tone, "I had important business to attend to today, taking my dad to the train station, and I just happened to be passing by."

He took two steps forward, closer to Wang Gang, and lowered his voice to sound more credible: "My dad's company has temporarily sent him on a business trip to the Northwest, and the time is quite tight."

"That's why I specially drove him to the train station today."

"After seeing him off at the train station, I saw I still had some time, and since the train station is so close to your wholesale market, just a few steps away, I had to come and see you!"

"Thanks to your help last time, our little shop was able to operate smoothly."

He paused, then gave a perfectly timed warm smile: "Speaking of which, it's been so long, I've really missed you, Uncle Wang!"

"It feels so warm and welcoming to hear you speak!"

Upon hearing Li Yunjing's words, especially the last sentence which was full of warmth, Wang Gang couldn't help but burst into laughter. His loud laughter revealed a genuine sense of joy.

"You little rascal!"

He raised his hand and patted Li Yunjing on the shoulder: "Your little mouth is getting better and better at talking! It's like it's been coated with honey! Hahaha!"