Era: Rise from the Wilderness

That's how business is—it's fragmented and intermittent.

A dozen or twenty children would come by each day to buy an ice pop, pool their money to buy a bottle of soda, and occasionally buy a bag of fig shreds for one cent or shrimp chips for two cents.

In total, the daily turnover is roughly around sixteen or seventeen yuan.

Profits are as thin as paper, but they can sustain a steady stream of income.

Every night before closing the shop, He Ling would take out the tin biscuit box with the "harvest" pattern printed on it, which was used to store money, and count out the crumpled bills and coins one by one before tying them up with rubber bands.

On the night of August 1st, He Ling emptied all the money from the tin box and carefully counted it on her own table.

After half a month, the small shop actually made nearly 400 yuan in revenue!

After deducting the cost of the goods, a rough calculation shows that the net profit is around 180 yuan!

One hundred and eighty yuan!

This is nothing short of a shot in the arm for a housewife who is used to being frugal and whose husband's salary is the only stable source of income for the family.

She is no longer a typical housewife who revolves around the stove and works tirelessly!

She earned tangible rewards through her time and hard work!

The sense of security and subtle pride that came from this self-reliance made her walk to the convenience store much lighter each day, and she had a smile on her face more often.

In the evening, when Li Hongfeng came home from get off work, the couple closed the door and discussed things. Just thinking about the scene of more than two thousand energetic students flooding into the campus after the start of the school year filled them with joy and eager anticipation for the future.

"Yun Jing, that kid, is really smart!"

Privately, the couple often praised their son, saying, "If it weren't for his insistence and his meticulous calculations, how could we have seized such a great opportunity?"

"This has provided the family with a stable source of income!"

Of course, there was also one thing that, like a thorn, stuck in the couple's hearts.

That was the long-awaited university admission letter.

He waited and waited, the postman's green bicycle came and went, but Li Yunjing's envelope never arrived.

This kid actually failed to get into university!

For this, Li Yunjing almost got a "double whammy" from her parents.

He Ling secretly wiped away tears several times, while Li Hongfeng, with a dark expression, didn't give his son a kind look for several days.

In the minds of their generation, all other pursuits are inferior, only studying is superior.

If I don't go to university, am I supposed to end up like my parents, working in a factory or just drifting around in society?

What future can one have?

Fortunately, Li Yunjing's recent display of shrewdness and business acumen has somewhat calmed his parents' disappointment and anger.

This kid doesn't seem to be the type to just study all the time, but he's quick-witted, so maybe he can succeed on another path.

But the hurdle of "not going to university" was something Li Hongfeng could never get over.

He almost forcibly used his connections and spent a lot of favors to get Li Yunjing's retake application sorted out.

No matter how Li Yunjing reasoned with him, presented the facts (saying that he wasn't cut out for studying and should focus on expanding the convenience store), or even threw a tantrum, it was all ineffective with Li Hongfeng.

My parents are adamant; I have to repeat a year! I'll take the exam again next year!

"Dad! Mom! I really..."

Li Yunjing attempted a final struggle.

"Really? What do you mean, really?!"

Li Hongfeng glared at him. "Enough nonsense! You must study! You must get your diploma! With that piece of paper, your future will be brighter!"

"You want to run this little shop your whole life? How much of a future can you achieve?"

"Take my advice, you can't go wrong!"

In the parents' view, studying and taking exams to get a "secure job" or at least a respectable "cadre" status is the right path in life.

To them, Li Yunjing's theory of "making money and getting rich" was nothing more than the whimsical fantasies of a child who didn't understand anything, and even carried a dangerous air of "not doing proper work".

"Sigh... going to school is preventing me from making big money..."

In the stillness of the night, Li Yunjing lay on the hard bed, gazing at the blurry starry sky outside the window, and could only sigh inwardly.

Does he need to learn those math, physics, and chemistry subjects that he already knows by heart and are even outdated?

His mind was filled with the economic trends, policy opportunities, emerging industries, and countless business opportunities for the next twenty years!

But he couldn't say it.

He couldn't very well pat his chest and tell his parents, "Dad, Mom, I came back from 2025. I know that house prices will rise, stock prices will rise, and the internet will change everything. If you work with me, I guarantee you'll make a fortune!"

Li Hongfeng's first reaction was probably not surprise, but to quickly take his son to the county hospital's psychiatric department.

So, in the late summer of 1990, Li Yunjing, a young man who had just begun to show his talent in "business" and was full of boundless ambition for the future, was forcibly pushed back to the desk he had long been tired of sitting at by his stubborn and hopeful parents with a notice to repeat a grade.

"Forget it! Since school hasn't started yet and there's still time, I'll go to Bincheng with Ruoxi tomorrow and exchange the treasury bonds I have!"

"Before Ruoxi and I start school, let's make one last big profit near town, and that should be enough!"

The rooster crowed three times, and just as dawn was breaking, Li Yunjing quietly got out of bed.

He didn't turn on the light, but quietly dressed using the dim light coming in from the window.

On the table was an old schoolbag that had been prepared the night before, bulging with treasury bonds that he and Lü Ruoxi had acquired from Fuzhou Town and the surrounding villages over the past two weeks, like ants carrying grains of rice.

It was a thick stack, carefully rolled and bound with old newspapers, and covered with several layers of waterproof cloth.

It's quite heavy; it feels substantial in your hand, representing both hope and pressure.

A slight noise came from the kitchen from He Ling's mother.

She woke up early too, ready to go to the convenience store to open it.

Without disturbing her, Li Yunjing picked up his schoolbag and quietly slipped out of the house.

The morning air was damp and cool with dew, and the town was still asleep.

Li Yunjing walked quickly to the bus stop in the town center, where Lü Ruoxi was already waiting.

"Your mom didn't find out, did she?"

Li Yunjing asked in a low voice.

He knew that Lü Ruoxi's parents had some reservations about the two of them sneaking around all the time, and were especially worried that it would affect Lü Ruoxi's studies.

She's a "prospective college student" who's been accepted into university.

"No, but my acceptance letter has arrived."

Lu Ruoxi whispered, "I have to go report for duty on the 25th of this month."

"Okay! I'll see you off at the entrance of the Industrial University!"

After a moment of silence, Li Yunjing made his assurance.

The two didn't say anything more and waited tacitly for the bus to depart.

The bus heading to Bincheng was an old Jiefang brand vehicle with peeling paint and a strong smell of gasoline.

Most of the passengers were farmers and peddlers who were heading to the city early to run errands, carrying large bags and small packages, crammed into the narrow carriage.