Era: Rise from the Wilderness

A flash of inspiration, like lightning, cleaved through the fog of memory; this autumn, the town will undertake a major educational resource integration plan.

The factory-run middle school he once attended is about to be merged with the town's No. 25 Senior High School due to a loss of students and a shortage of funds.

The teachers and students of both schools will move into the larger campus of the 25th Senior High School.

No wonder the environment felt both familiar and strange when I woke up on the playground in the afternoon.

That venue not only holds three years of his youth, but also serves as a microcosm of the changing times.

The sudden merger of two schools with different backgrounds will inevitably lead to a restructuring of their management structures and create a vacuum in logistical support.

One of the seemingly insignificant but actually crucial vacancies is the contracting rights for the school store!

Even though he possessed foresight that was more than twenty years ahead of his time, he was currently just an eighteen-year-old boy, penniless and with little influence.

To try and weather the storms without any investment is nothing short of a pipe dream.

School canteens, on the other hand, have low barriers to entry, extremely fast cash flow, and are relatively simple to operate.

More importantly, it was within his daily activity area, making it easy for him to "get the moon first from the water tower".

The biggest challenge right now is how to get parents with traditional views who only want stability to realize the amazing opportunities hidden in this project and have the courage to fight for the contract.

Li Yunjing lay on the creaking single bed for a long time until his turbulent emotions gradually calmed down.

The setting sun shone through the yellowish plastic sheeting on the window, casting dappled light and shadow on the concrete floor, where countless dust particles danced silently in the beams of light.

He then stood up and paced around the cramped space.

After a while, Li Yunjing sat back on the edge of the bed and rubbed his face vigorously with both hands, as if trying to sort out his chaotic memories.

The key point is to focus on the key point!

How can we secure the contract for the convenience store in our home?

This is the most critical problem at present.

"Oh, right!"

"There was no behind-the-scenes manipulation!"

As fragments of memories from more than twenty years ago gradually came together, Li Yunjing's eyes suddenly lit up, like torches lit in the dark night.

"The person who eventually took over the convenience store in my past life was just a family member of an art teacher..."

He muttered to himself, his heart pounding faster than usual.

This means that at the time, no one realized the value of the small shop, and no higher-ups intervened.

Thinking of this, his heart ached.

That "golden goose" is more than just a money-making machine!

In the 1990s, when material goods began to become abundant, the small shop that monopolized the daily consumption of thousands of students in the whole school was simply an unattended gold mine!

At the time, however, most people, including his parents, turned a blind eye to this.

This is an era where perception determines destiny.

In this heavy industrial city in Northeast China, large state-owned enterprises are like towering trees, sheltering tens of thousands of employees' families.

Except for a few people with rural household registration, almost everyone was woven into the giant web of the planned economy.

Taking over their parents' jobs in factories, receiving iron wages, and enjoying labor insurance—this is the predetermined life trajectory for a generation.

Here, "work unit" is everything: it is identity, security, honor, and also an invisible shackle.

For state-owned enterprise employees who are used to having a secure job, the phrase "doing business" is almost synonymous with "not doing their proper job."

People were used to receiving monthly wages, eating in the factory canteen, taking baths in the factory bathhouse, seeing a doctor in the factory hospital, and their children attending the factory-run school.

While this comprehensive protection brings a sense of security, it also subtly restricts people's thinking.

But the cage of thought can never truly contain people's yearning for wealth.

If one can break through the encirclement and become a "millionaire" like Ma Zhifu, a legendary figure in the town, even the most stubborn old workers will show awe when they mention him.

The power of real money far surpasses any empty slogan.

"It is precisely this widespread cognitive limitation!"

Li Yunjing suddenly realized, "Everyone has overlooked the enormous business opportunity hidden in that 50-square-meter convenience store after the merger of No. 25 Middle School!"

He recalled his past life, when there were so many "connected" people in the town, all focused on promotions and scarce resources, and no one noticed this inconspicuous corner of the campus.

Finally, this lucrative opportunity easily fell into the hands of an ordinary teacher's family member, enabling a poor family to achieve upward social mobility in just a few years.

He felt like he was about to vomit blood!

This is like a windfall, a free business opportunity!

"Chance!"

"This is an opportunity tailor-made for our family!"

Li Yunjing suddenly stood up, a long-lost passion surging in his chest.

He could no longer live a life of ignorance like he did in his previous life, and he could no longer watch helplessly as his parents worried about making a living in the future.

"We must fight for it!"

"We absolutely must convince our parents!"

He clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm.

In this blue ocean era brimming with opportunities, as long as you dare to think and act, and dare to break free from the shackles of conventional thinking, you will surely reap fruitful results!

Pushing open the thin wooden door, the aroma of stir-fried dishes and the clanging of spatulas wafted from the kitchen.

That was the taste of home, the warmth he vowed to protect.

Li Yunjing stepped into the even smaller kitchen.

His mother, He Ling, was busy in front of the gas stove with her back to him.

She just turned forty this year and still has a slender figure. She wore a plain polyester dress with a faded apron tied over it, and her black hair was simply tied back, revealing her fair neck.

Looking at her mother's upright back, and recalling her increasingly hunched figure and prematurely gray hair from overwork, Li Yunjing felt a lump in her throat, and a surge of sorrow and a stronger resolve welled up in her heart.

"Mom, when is Dad coming back?"

He tried to keep his voice calm as he stepped forward and picked up a plate of stir-fried shredded pork and bean sprouts that his mother had just cooked.

There wasn't much shredded meat; bean sprouts made up the majority of the dish, but it was considered a decent meal at the time.

"Soon, right?"

Without turning her head, the mother casually replied, "At this time, your dad should be off work too, probably riding his bike home."

"oh!"

Li Yunjing nodded and responded casually.

He focused all his attention on how to persuade his parents.

"Huh? Is the sun rising in the west?"

After finishing her work, He Ling turned her head, wiping her hands with her apron, her eyes filled with surprise: "Why did you suddenly think of asking about your dad today?"

Looking at his mother's young and beautiful face, Li Yunjing grinned, revealing his white teeth: "When Dad comes back, I'll call a family meeting to discuss our family's future plans!"

"What do you know at such a young age!"

He Ling was amused by her son's grown-up attitude and habitually scolded him with a laugh, "Developing grand plans? Be careful your dad hears you and thinks you're not doing anything productive, then he'll punish you again!"

Li Yunjing didn't argue and neatly brought the stir-fried bean sprouts and stewed potatoes and green beans to the round table in the inner room.