Era: Rise from the Wilderness

Li Hongfeng didn't respond to that; he and Wang Gang were not on the same wavelength and couldn't see eye to eye.

Discussing state-owned enterprises with Wang Gang is like talking to a brick wall.

He was more concerned about the business of the convenience store.

After exchanging only a few words, Li Hongfeng turned his attention to the ins and outs of the wholesale market.

When talking about his old profession, Wang Gang got excited and talked animatedly about which goods were rigged, which railcars were in short supply on which line, and who was a "close friend" with the railway station dispatcher.

Li Hongfeng listened, occasionally nodding and interjecting with a seemingly casual but always insightful question.

He Ling didn't say much, but kept picking the eggs and meat slices from the Mu Shu Pork into her son's bowl.

Li Yunjing buried his head in his food, but his ears were perked up.

He was genuinely curious about the methods and tricks that small business owners used in this era, and Wang Gang's story opened a new world for him.

Even Li Hongfeng nodded repeatedly as he listened. Everyone has their own expertise, and Wang Gang's business in front of the station certainly has its own unique strengths.

Many of these principles were beyond the comprehension of even Li Hongfeng and his son.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, when it was time to pay the bill, the owner came over with a small notebook, licked the pencil stub on his tongue: "Three bowls of wontons, one dollar and fifty cents; shredded potatoes, eight cents; peanuts, six cents; cucumber, fifty-five cents; shredded pork with eggs and vegetables, two dollars and twenty cents; beer, two dollars... totaling seven dollars and sixty-five cents, give me seven dollars and fifty cents."

Just as Li Hongfeng reached into his pocket, Wang Gang flung out a ten-yuan bill and slapped it onto the greasy table.

"Take it! Keep the change!"

"The rest will cover my next meal!"

With a wave of his hand and an air of unyielding arrogance, he declared, "Brother Li, you come here to me? Do you think I'd let you pay? That would be a slap in my face!"

"Oh well!"

Li Hongfeng did not refuse and pulled his hand out of his pocket.

Stepping out of the restaurant, the heatwave hit me again.

The square in front of the station was filled with dust, and tricycles, bread carts, and bicycles were crammed together. The sounds of horns, hawkers' cries, and the song "Xiao Fang" coming from somewhere mixed together to form a rough but vivid background sound that belonged to a summer in the 1990s.

"Gangzi, thanks."

Li Hongfeng grasped Wang Gang's hand, "Then let's meet on the 10th."

"All settled! Brother Li, sister-in-law, nephew, take care! I'll be there on the 10th!"

Wang Gang personally escorted the Li family onto the van.

Once inside the stuffy bread cart, all three of them let out a long sigh of relief.

The car window was rolled down halfway, and hot air rushed in, carrying dust and the smell of watermelons wafting from a distant watermelon stand.

Li Yunjing looked out the window.

On the edge of the square, an old lady selling popsicles dozed off under a parasol, her red insulated box labeled "White sugar popsicles 3 cents, red bean paste popsicles 5 cents"; a handwritten poster was pasted on the door of the video arcade, "Across the World is a blockbuster" with crooked handwriting; a young woman wearing stirrup pants and with big waves in her hair hurriedly walked by carrying a brand new "big brother" mobile phone case, attracting a lot of attention.

A meal costs eight yuan.

My father works at the factory for two days and that's all he earns.

But placed in the context of the tumultuous, chaotic, and desire-filled summer of 1990, it seemed so insignificant.

This was an era where profits were as thick as a quilt.

A pair of fashionable "prince pants" is brought over from the south, and making half a profit is considered a fair deal; a slightly tanned pair can be as good as ten pairs.

A billiards table set up on the street can make hundreds of dollars a night.

If you're bold and unconventional, you can pocket money that others wouldn't even dare to dream of.

People like Wang Gang emerge from the cracks like weeds, relying on courage, luck, and even some underhanded means to fight for a better life.

And what about yourself?

If someone who knows the direction of the river for the next thirty years stands on this turbid yet vibrant bank, which stone should they grasp?

"Dad, Mom,"

Li Yunjing took a sip of the cool boiled water from his military canteen, tightened the lid, and said, "The goods are ordered. But there's still one important thing: the freezer."

"Without it, we can't sell soda and popsicles in the summer."

Li Hongfeng nodded, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the steering wheel: "It's a big item."

"New ones are too expensive, they'd cost at least a thousand or more."

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "How about... we try our luck at the Jiangwa flea market?"

"That's the biggest secondhand market in the county; maybe you can find something usable there."

He Ling frowned: "A flea market?"

"The things in that place are mostly things that people have used up before selling them."

"Freezers may look nice on the outside, but if the compressor inside breaks down, they're just a pile of scrap metal."

"Let's not be greedy and end up losing more than we gain."

Silence fell over the car.

"Mom, it won't hurt for us to go and take a look."

"What if I get lucky and find one in decent condition?"

"A new freezer costs two or three thousand yuan, but a used one that's still usable might cost less than half that, saving you over a thousand yuan!"

Li Yunjing knew her mother's concerns were valid, but she still persuaded her, "This money is enough for us to stock up on a lot of goods."

He hit the nail on the head.

In the early 90s, home appliances were definitely a luxury for ordinary families.

A basic single-door freezer typically costs between 2000 and 3000 yuan, which is equivalent to nearly two years' salary for a regular employee of a large state-owned enterprise like Li Hongfeng!

For a wealthy family, it would take five or six years of frugal living to acquire all four pieces of a set, as these are considered "high-end" items.

No family would buy it lightly unless absolutely necessary.

Therefore, buying and selling second-hand home appliances has become the first choice for many families like the Li family who want to do business but need to control costs.

Jiangwa Secondhand Market is indeed very famous in Fuxian County. It is located on an open area on the edge of the county town and consists of many simple shacks and stalls.

This place is a mixed bag, containing old equipment from closed factories, old furniture and appliances discarded by families, and even some items of dubious origin.

Buying things here requires both keen eyesight and luck.

For appliances with relatively simple structures like freezers, the core component is the compressor. As long as the cooling effect is good, it doesn't matter if the outer casing is a little old or has some rust.

Even if this thing breaks, Li Hongfeng has a way to find someone to repair it. Theoretically speaking, the risk is not as great as imagined.

My mother used to work in an ice cream factory and has a deep understanding of refrigeration equipment, so a simple freezer is really not that difficult to make.

Once the three had discussed and decided on their plan, they did not delay any longer.

Li Hongfeng started the car, shifted into gear, and released the clutch slowly. The car lurched gently on the dirt road and headed north of the county town.

The scenery outside the window gradually changed.

The high-rise buildings are getting shorter, and the single-story houses are getting more common. The leaves of the poplar trees along the roadside are curled up by the sun.

The Jiangwa secondhand market has no doors or walls; it's just a large, open area resembling a riverbank.

From afar, you can see rows of dilapidated shacks, like patches of different colors haphazardly pieced together.

Canvas roofs, asbestos tile roofs, and even tar paper roofs emitted a pungent, acrid smell under the scorching July sun.