Era: Rise from the Wilderness

"Um."

Li Hongfeng nodded, already planning in his mind where to source goods, which products had high profit margins, and which sold quickly.

Those "businesses" that he once found trivial and unfamiliar are now gleaming with a real golden light.

As the sun sets in the west, it paints the sky a warm orange hue.

The noise from the basketball game on the playground gradually subsided, leaving only a few teenagers dribbling the ball with lingering enthusiasm, discussing the exciting goal they had just scored.

Li Yunjing wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand; his short-sleeved shirt was soaking wet and clung to his body.

After arm in arm with his buddy and agreeing to a rematch, he leisurely strolled towards his family's small shop.

From afar, he could see the open door and the warm yellow light shining from inside.

He quickened his pace and reached the doorway. Instead of going in, he clung to the door frame and peered inside.

He Ling was tidying something up with her head down, her profile appearing soft under the light.

Hearing the noise, she looked up and saw her son's sweaty, smiling face peeking in. The slight annoyance she felt for him having been missing all day was instantly washed away.

"mom!"

Li Yunjing called out with a grin and stepped inside.

The small shop was filled with the lingering warmth of the daytime sunshine and the faint aroma of various snacks.

"How's business?"

"I see the shelves are quite empty!"

He has sharp eyes. As soon as he came in, he scanned the room and noticed that several popular popsicles in the freezer were significantly fewer, the soda box was shorter, and several corners of the snack boxes were empty.

"So you finally decided to come back?"

Looking at her son's sunburnt cheeks and bright eyes, He Ling deliberately put on a stern face: "Your mother is so busy I'm practically running around like a headless chicken, and you, on the other hand, have been out having fun all day!"

Her tone was reproachful, but the smile lines at the corners of her eyes were unmistakable.

"I was just making room for you!"

Li Yunjing chuckled, leaned closer to the counter, and rested his elbows on the counter: "If I were here, and brought a whole bunch of people in, wouldn't you be giving them away for free?"

"So, are we still going to do this business?"

He spoke with conviction, displaying the cunning and insight unique to young people.

He Ling was taken aback by his words and wanted to say something to him, but then she felt that what the child said made sense.

"Look at you, all sweaty."

She reached into the freezer, took out a mung bean popsicle, and handed it to her son: "Have you had lunch yet?"

"I ate! I won a meal playing basketball!"

Li Yunjing took the popsicle, skillfully tore open the packaging, and asked, "Mom, you still haven't told me how many you sold?"

He took a bite of the popsicle; it was cool and sweet, so refreshing that he squinted his eyes in comfort, but his gaze fell on the old cookie box that was placed in a prominent position on the counter.

He Ling's smile finally spread across her face.

She didn't say anything, but simply reached out and gently patted the lid of the cookie box.

The sheet metal made a muffled "puffing" sound.

Li Yunjing's eyes lit up, and he stuffed the rest of the popsicle into his mouth in a few bites, mumbling, "Let me see!"

He was about to lift the lid when he said that.

"What's the rush!"

He Ling reached out and pressed down on the lid: "It's already counted."

Looking into her son's expectant eyes, she stopped teasing him and lowered her voice, but couldn't hide her excitement and pride, "Guess how much money we made this morning, until your dad came over at noon?"

"How many?"

Li Yunjing moved even closer.

He Ling held up both hands, making a "fifteen" gesture, and then lowered her voice: "Fifteen yuan and thirty-seven cents!"

Li Yunjing paused for a moment while chewing the popsicle.

He quickly did the math in his head.

He knew roughly the cost of goods, and after deducting that... the profit was quite considerable!

Especially since this is only summer vacation, and only half a day in the morning!

"real?!"

His voice rose involuntarily, then he quickly lowered it again, his eyes wide. "My dad came at noon? What did he say?"

"Your dad,"

He Ling's smile deepened. "He counted twice, and was stunned both times."

"What he's been saying for so long is almost equivalent to a day's wages for him."

"He took the afternoon off to go shopping, saying he wanted to buy more of the best-selling items and also wanted to get some stationery for when school starts."

As Li Yunjing listened, a weight was lifted from his heart, followed by a surge of immense excitement and a sense of accomplishment.

He came up with the idea, his family scraped together the money, and the shop was set up by the three of them working through the night.

Now, the "results" on the first day are so impressive, which means that they are on the right track and there is really hope to break the predicament of this family!

"Mom, what did I say again?"

"It will definitely work!"

He couldn't help but grin, his youthful spirit shining through.

Looking at her son's bright smile, He Ling felt all the fatigue and tension from the day vanish.

She nodded, her gaze softening: "Yes, my son is capable."

She turned around and took out an aluminum lunchbox from under the counter. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Your dad brought some steamed buns for lunch, with green beans and pork filling. I saved two for you; they're still warm. Eat them quickly."

Li Yunjing took the lunchbox, opened it, and the aroma of steamed buns wafted out.

He was indeed hungry, so he grabbed one and took a big bite.

As I chewed, watching my mother's silhouette as she continued tidying the shelves under the lamplight, and then looking at this simple yet vibrant little shop, my heart was filled with a sense of peace and warmth.

"By the way, Mom, how much do you earn for the whole day?"

He asked vaguely.

"Today's gross profit is 27.34 yuan!"

When He Ling mentioned the amount, her eyebrows curved into a smile.

Upon hearing the figure "gross profit of 27.34 yuan," Li Yunjing's eyes widened even further. His mouth stuffed full of steamed buns, he mumbled a "mmm" and swallowed with difficulty before raising his voice to ask, "How much? More than twenty-seven yuan?!"

"Yes! It's twenty-seven yuan and thirty-four cents!"

He Ling nodded vigorously, her smile blooming like a flower: "Before your dad came back, he sold a few more pieces this afternoon. Hong Feng said this is just the beginning!"

Just then, a familiar bicycle bell rang from outside the door, along with the sound of wheels rolling over the ground.

The mother and son turned around at the same time and saw Li Hongfeng riding back on his old bicycle.

"Dad! You're back!"

Li Yunjing immediately went out to greet them, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement: "Dad, Mom, shall we... have something nice to eat tonight to celebrate?"

Li Hongfeng and He Ling exchanged a glance, both seeing the same thought in each other's eyes.

After a long and stressful day, we've finally achieved a truly positive start. It's time to treat ourselves and our family to a good reward.

"OK!"

Li Hongfeng waved his hand with rare generosity, "Let's go to the market and see what good dishes they have! Lingzi, close the shop door."

He Ling's face lit up with a smile, and she readily agreed, quickly starting to tidy up.

She carefully counted all the banknotes, large and small, in the cookie box, tied them with a rubber band, and put them in her inner pocket with the same seriousness as if they were important documents.