Era: Rise from the Wilderness

Li Wanting... I seem to have heard in my past life that she later married a wealthy businessman and lived a good life, but that's all.

I met you by chance in this life, lent you a hand, and formed a good relationship. Who knows, it might come in handy in the future.

Of course, that girl was indeed quite pretty; it was a feast for the eyes.

As for those two thugs, he didn't care at all.

Such a minor character can't cause any trouble.

At this moment, many students who had been dismissed early, as well as some students from various grades who loved to watch the excitement, heard that there was a "hero rescuing the damsel in distress" at the school gate, and they all gathered around, forming a circle about ten meters away. They craned their necks, their faces showing regret at not seeing what was happening.

Such was the campus environment in the early 1990s. "Resolving disputes by force" between students was commonplace, and it was even regarded as a way to demonstrate "masculinity".

In that era, material resources were relatively scarce, and there was no trend of comparing and flaunting wealth like in later generations.

Everyone's circumstances are similar. Even if your family is a little rich, showing it off might not be understood by others, or they might not care at all.

At this time, teenagers admired individual bravery and combat prowess more.

Who is the best fighter in which class, who are the "top ten fighters" in which grade, and even who is the "boss" of the whole school are all gossip topics that students enjoy talking about in their spare time.

The outcome of a one-on-one match can very likely directly affect a student's "status" on campus for the next few years.

Looking at the growing number of students gathering around, Li Yunjing felt a little helpless.

As a mature person, he really didn't want to be the subject of a monkey show, being surrounded by people watching him fight.

But he was even more aware that in this world of teenagers who revered "force" and admired strength, "reputation" and "prestige" were extremely important intangible assets.

The "killing the chicken to scare the monkey" scenario has been played out perfectly, and won cleanly and decisively.

This greatly increased his standing among "powerful" individuals like Fu Chao and Ding Dong, and even allowed him to quickly establish his own voice within the grade level.

With influence, one can build connections. In this era, anyone can be transformed into a resource if used properly, and that resource can help one accomplish things!

"I went back to help out at my family's small shop."

Li Yunjing looked at Fu Chao and Ding Dong and said, "Old Fu, Ding Dong, see you tomorrow!"

After saying that, he ignored everyone's reaction, turned around leisurely, walked through the automatically parting crowd, and headed into the campus. His shadow stretched long in the setting sun, carrying a composure and mystery that was beyond his years.

"This kid seems to have some training!"

Fu Chao and Ding Dong looked at Li Yunjing's departing figure, exchanging glances, both seeing deep surprise and a hint of apprehension in each other's eyes.

This Li Yunjing is unbelievably good at fighting, smokes with an air of expertise that belies his novice status, and speaks and acts with a maturity far beyond his years…

What kind of person is he?

For the first time, the two felt that they couldn't quite figure out their new classmate.

This matter delayed me for a while, and it was almost 5 p.m.

Other grades will also be leaving school soon, and that will be the last peak in business for the convenience store today.

Li Yunjing quickened his pace and jogged to his family's small shop.

Even from a distance, you could hear the noisy chatter coming from inside the shop.

I squeezed my way in and saw that the counter was packed with students!

To his surprise, his father, Li Hongfeng, was also in the store, clumsily but actively helping his mother carry goods and maintain order.

"Dad, you're here too? Off work?"

Li Yunjing squeezed next to his father and asked in surprise.

"Hmm, school's out?"

Li Hongfeng turned around and saw his son, his face beaming with undisguised joy and excitement. He said, "I didn't have much to do after get off work, so I came over to check on things and help your mom out!"

Actually, he barely focused on his work today, his mind preoccupied with how the convenience store's business was on its first day. As soon as the bell rang, he was the first to rush out of the office and ride his bike straight to the school.

Seeing the bustling scene in the store, he finally felt relieved and was even more motivated than at work.

At this moment, the store was filled with mostly younger students.

They often spend most of their pocket money in the morning, but by the time they get out of school in the afternoon, after a day of studying and playing, their stomachs start to rumble.

Looking at the dazzling array of snacks in the convenience store, I finally couldn't resist the temptation and spent the last penny or two in my pocket to buy an ice pop or a small bag of snacks. I ate them contentedly on my way home.

Li Yunjing also crawled inside the counter and joined the "battle".

Seeing his parents looking energetic despite their busy schedules, with smiles in their eyes and brows, he knew in his heart that today's business had definitely exceeded their expectations, giving them real hope.

They were busy until almost six o'clock before the number of students on campus gradually decreased.

The family of three was exhausted, but their spirits were unusually high.

He Ling walked to the door, locked the shop door from the inside, and then drew the small floral curtain on the window to block out the view from the outside.

The small shop fell silent, with only the heavy breathing of the three people remaining.

Next up is a segment full of ritual and something we're all incredibly excited about!

Let's take stock of today's results!

He Ling pulled the entire drawer out of the cabinet and placed it on the empty cabinet that had been cleared out.

With a "whoosh," the mountain of banknotes and coins inside was dumped out all at once!

In an instant, a "small mountain" of coins, cents, and dollars appeared on the counter!

The colorful array of colors is quite spectacular.

Among them were even a few conspicuous "Great Unity" banknotes and a few five-yuan banknotes!

Li Yunjing stared at the few ten-yuan bills, secretly marveling at their value.

These days, a family that can give their child ten dollars as pocket money is definitely a "wealthy family"!

I wonder whose little princess or young master is so extravagant.

"Come on, let's hurry up and take stock!"

Li Yunjing volunteered to assign tasks, "Mom, you have good eyesight, so you're in charge of counting the 'fen' and 'jiao' coins. Dad, you're in charge of counting the 'yuan' coins. I'll roughly sort all the money by denomination first."

"OK!"

"good!"

The three of them immediately sprang into action, surrounding the counter as if dealing with some precious treasure.

Li Yunjing moved swiftly, roughly separating the mixed banknotes into denominations of one cent, two cents, five cents, one mao, two mao, five mao, one yuan, two yuan, five yuan, and ten yuan.

He Ling then took out an old abacus and began to calculate the trivial coins and small bills.

Li Hongfeng was responsible for verifying the quantity and authenticity of large-denomination banknotes.

For a moment, the only sounds in the shop were the clinking of coins, the rustling of paper turning, and the clicking of abacus beads.