Era: Rise from the Wilderness

He checked again to make sure the freezer was closed tightly and the shelves were tidy before pulling down the simple wooden door and hanging a newly bought small lock on it.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of the three people.

The three of them pushed their bicycles toward the farmers' market not far from the campus.

The market was bustling with activity during the evening session. The lights were dim, the noise was deafening, and the air was filled with the earthy smell of vegetables, the salty tang of seafood, and the aroma of cooked food.

They usually spend shrewdly when buying groceries, choosing the most affordable options, but today was different.

Li Hongfeng walked ahead, his steps lighter than usual.

"Look at the seafood! We just got some clams today, they're really plump!"

Li Hongfeng stopped in front of a stall.

"Dad, let's buy some shrimp? We haven't had them in ages."

Li Yunjing's eyes lit up as he looked at the lively shrimp jumping around in the water.

"Okay, weigh one pound!"

He Ling quickly did the math in her head. Normally, she would have hesitated, but today she only hesitated for a moment before nodding and smiling, "I'll also buy a sea bass, steam it, it'll be so fresh!"

She went and bought some green vegetables, cut a small piece of pork belly, and weighed out a pound of noodles.

Li Hongfeng also made an unprecedented move by buying half a glistening roast chicken from a cooked food stall.

Come back fully loaded.

Back home, the small kitchen immediately came alive.

He Ling put on an apron and quickly processed the seafood, while Li Hongfeng helped by peeling garlic and washing ginger, and Li Yunjing was responsible for setting the table and getting the bowls and chopsticks.

The small room was filled with the aroma of stir-fried scallions and ginger, the savory flavor of steamed fish soy sauce, and the tempting smell of roast chicken fat.

The meal was served, and it was quite sumptuous.

Steamed sea bass is tender and white, blanched prawns are bright red and tempting, stir-fried clams with garlic are fragrant and delicious, roasted chicken has crispy skin and tender meat, plus a plate of stir-fried water spinach and a big bowl of tomato and egg noodles.

Under the dim light, the small folding round table was filled to the brim.

The three of them sat down together.

Li Hongfeng took out a beer, poured himself a glass, and then symbolically poured some for He Ling and Li Yunjing as well.

"Come on, let's... have a bump."

He picked up his cup, looked at his wife and son, his throat tightening, and after a long pause, he finally said, "May our little shop have a prosperous opening!"

He Ling's eyes were slightly red as she smiled and picked up her cup.

Li Yunjing quickly raised his glass as well.

The three cups gently tapped together, making a crisp sound.

The sound was not loud, yet it seemed more pleasant than any sound of metal or stone.

"Grand opening!"

He Ling and Li Yunjing said in unison.

The crisp clinking of glasses still seemed to echo in my ears, carrying the lingering aroma of last night's meal and the slight buzz of hope.

The next day, just as dawn broke, the Li family's biological clock woke them up on time.

Li Hongfeng hastily ate a few mouthfuls of porridge, picked up two pieces of leftover water spinach from last night, then grabbed his briefcase and headed out to work.

But today, when he opened the door, he paused, glanced back at his wife who was still busy in the kitchen and his son who was putting on his shoes, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

The heaviness in his eyes had lessened, replaced by a sense of steadiness and anticipation.

After cleaning up the dishes, He Ling carefully combed her hair in front of the mirror and changed into the faded but cleanest floral shirt.

She checked the keys before pushing the door open and going out.

The small shop was quiet in the morning light. She unlocked the door, opened the window, and fresh air rushed in.

She sat in the old chair behind the counter, just like yesterday, her back still straight, but her eyes were much more composed than yesterday.

She knew that customers would come today, the empty shelves would be filled, and the cookie box would become heavy again.

After seeing his mother off, Li Yunjing did not head straight for the playground as he had the day before.

He returned to his hut, pulled a schoolbag from under his bed, and carefully examined its contents.

A bulging cloth bag contained the principal he and Lü Ruoxi had pooled together, as well as the profits they had earned from their first "trial run" a few days ago, which they planned to reinvest.

It wasn't much money, only 3100 yuan, but when stacked together, it had a heavy, substantial feel.

He took a deep breath, slung his backpack over his shoulder, pushed out his bicycle, kicked open the stand, and nimbly straddled it.

The wheels rolled over the potholes in the concrete road, making a rhythmic "thump-thump" sound, as they rode towards the place they had agreed to meet with Lü Ruoxi.

Lü Ruoxi was already waiting under the old locust tree in front of her house.

I rested for a day yesterday, but I still got a severe scolding from my parents.

She naturally dared not tell her parents and Li Yunjing that she had gone to Bincheng, and only said that she was playing outside and had stayed out a little late.

Now that her parents were at work, Lü Ruoxi naturally went out to wait for Li Yunjing.

She was wearing a light blue dress today, her hair was tied in a high ponytail, revealing her smooth forehead. Her bicycle was parked under a tree, and she was looking around anxiously.

"Here!"

Upon seeing Li Yunjing, her eyes lit up, and she waved vigorously.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Li Yunjing braked the car in front of her, his feet touching the ground.

"No, I just arrived too."

Lü Ruoxi smiled, her face showing eager excitement mixed with a hint of nervousness. "Yun Jing, are we really going to go from village to village today?"

"Of course!"

Li Yunjing's gaze was firm, and his voice revealed a composure and decisiveness rarely seen at his age. "We can't go to the town, otherwise we'll be recognized and our parents will be informed."

"In the villages and hamlets below, almost every household probably has some stockpiled goods, but they don't know us. Our prices are reasonable, and we'll come to collect them door-to-door. It's guaranteed to work!"

Are you scared?

He paused, looking at Lü Ruoxi: "? It might be a long journey, and it will be very tiring."

"Don't be afraid!"

Lü Ruoxi shook her head, her ponytail swaying gently with the movement: "Being able to make money makes me happy, I don't feel tired at all!"

She recalled their first collaboration a few days ago, where they pooled their money to buy treasury bonds at an 80% discount, then went to the bank to redeem them, took them to Bincheng, and made a profit of 179 yuan.

The feeling of earning money with her own hands and brains made her heart race and showed her a real world full of opportunities beyond textbooks.

"Then let's go!"

Li Yunjing stomped on the pedal. "Let's go to Zhangjiatun first! Same old rules, I'll handle the negotiations, you keep the accounts and manage the money!"

The two bicycles rode side by side, leaving the cement road of Fuzhou Town and turning onto the dirt road leading to the countryside.

The dirt road was uneven and bumpy, but the two boys did not slow down at all.

On both sides of the road are endless cornfields, the green corn stalks rustling in the morning breeze, and the outlines of distant villages are faintly visible in the thin mist.

When they arrived at Zhangjiatun, they parked their bicycles under a big tree at the entrance of the village.

Li Yunjing stood on a high place, looked at the layout of the village, and determined the possible number of households and their approximate locations.

They started with the families at the edge of the village who seemed to be relatively well-off.