My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 110 My Sister's Thoughts

Zhou Jiye and Xu Guoqing went south again, but this time it wasn't just the two of them. Not only did Lao Wen go with them, but also Awei and seven or eight other people.

With more people, it's easier to take care of each other. Besides, they are all a group of young men who are often out and about in the market. With so many people traveling together, they are not afraid of encountering some traveling thugs on the train.

When they arrived at the train station and boarded the train on the platform, Zhou Jiye couldn't help but frown slightly. This time, he noticed something different from the previous two trips south: there were quite a few people like them on the southbound trains heading to Guangzhou.

He gently nudged Xu Guoqing beside him, gesturing for him to look. Xu Guoqing nodded slightly, indicating that he had seen it too. Lao Wen, standing on the other side, also noticed it. The three exchanged silent glances, all understanding that their previous guesses had become reality. It seemed that not only them, but also the southward-bound army from Shanghai was beginning to take shape, and it was likely that this situation would escalate rapidly soon.

However, compared to others, Zhou Jiye and his group still have an advantage for the time being. At least they still have Achang in Yangcheng, and they also have the supply channels in Macun.

Most of the other people heading south, with a few exceptions, had only heard that there were rare goods in Guangzhou, which they believed could fetch a good price if brought back to Shanghai. As for how to find a way, they traveled together driven by enthusiasm and the thrill of getting rich, which involved uncertainty. But even so, as time went on, once these people had paved the way, everyone would soon be on the same starting line.

"It seems Lin Ying was right. Once the channels for middlemen become transparent, the information gap will no longer exist, and more and more people will head south, as will more people enter this industry."

Zhou Jiye thought to himself, his expression growing increasingly serious. This market was about to see a large influx of people, and this change in circumstances meant that their unique business was about to come to an end.

Once everyone enters the market and starts scrambling for a living, the competition will become fierce, and the profits will gradually decrease. Although Zhou Jiye is well aware that the market for this business is much larger than when he was selling old hens at the market, and continuing to do it is not a problem for the time being.

But with fierce competition and declining profits, how many more years of golden age does this industry have left? Zhou Jiye can't help but consider these questions.

After thinking for a long time, Zhou Jiye still couldn't come up with a solution, so he could only sigh and shake his head.

This matter isn't urgent; the subsequent developments will take some time to unfold. Furthermore, even if a large number of people go south to Lingnan to purchase goods, they still have an advantage for the time being. Therefore, this business shouldn't be greatly affected in the next year or two. As for what comes after that, it's too early to think about that now. Let's focus on the immediate issues first.

The train whistle sounded, and it rattled along the tracks toward Lingnan, carrying many people's hopes for Lingnan and their dreams of changing their future by heading south.

As they left Shanghai by train, Lin Ying was at home tending to the garden with her two younger sisters.

In early spring, Lin Ying and Zhou Jiye tidied up the previously neglected garden, cleared away the weeds, and planted new flowers and plants. After several months of careful care, the garden is no longer the messy and dilapidated place it once was. As the new green grass and flowers grow, bud, and bloom, the garden gradually regains its original vitality.

"Take these up to the old lady." Lin Ying held a bunch of freshly cut flower branches in her hand. Taking care of the garden takes time and effort, and it is already early summer, the time when all the flowers are in full bloom.

It's all because of Lin Wen and Lin Xi. Lin Ying doesn't have so much free time to do these things on weekdays! For the past two months, the garden has been mainly managed by them. Lin Ying only does these things herself when she has free time. The rest of the time, she guides her two younger sisters to do them.

After pruning one section, Lin Ying also collected a few pretty bouquets of flowers. She beckoned Lin Xi over and asked her to take them upstairs to Fang Manxia.

Fang Manxia loves flowers and is skilled at flower arranging. Lin Ying is also somewhat good at it, but she is far inferior to Fang Manxia.

Since the flowers in the garden started to bloom one after another, Lin Ying would pick some every few days and give them to Fang Manxia. Fang Manxia would then arrange them beautifully and place them in the house to add color to the home.

"These flowers are so beautiful, hehe, I'll go right now." Lin Xi happily accepted them, holding the flowers and plants in her hands and taking a deep breath, looking completely intoxicated. Lin Xi was now dressed like a city person.

After more than two months, she and Lin Wen ate and dressed well, and with the nutrition they received, they gradually grew up and lost their previous sallow and thin appearance. Their little faces also became a bit chubby, and the rosy cheeks on their faces gradually faded due to the nourishing climate of Jiangnan and the effect of the face cream. Wearing the clothes that Lin Ying bought for them and with Fang Manxia's guidance, these two girls from the Northwest, apart from speaking with a local accent, looked no different from the girls in Shanghai.

"What stories has the old lady read to you these past few days?" Lin Ying continued pruning a clump of roses in front of her, with Lin Wen helping her.

“Pride and Prejudice,” Lin Wen answered softly. “Pride and Prejudice?” Lin Ying was slightly taken aback. She hadn’t expected that after Fang Manxia finished reading Jane Eyre to her two younger sisters, the next book would be this one. Like Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice is a classic work, and both share some similarities in their core content, telling the story from a female perspective.

If Jane Eyre focuses more on women's independence and resilience, then Pride and Prejudice profoundly analyzes the humanity, emotions, and attitudes towards marriage of men and women. While the two differ, they share the same theme of love. Fang Manxia's choice of these two books is both surprising and, upon reflection, quite reasonable.

"Can you understand?" Lin Ying asked as she cut off a branch with scissors.

"I can understand some of it now. The first time I heard the old lady tell the story of Jane Eyre, I found the names of the foreigners particularly difficult to pronounce and I was a little confused. Now I understand Pride and Prejudice much better, and both stories are quite good and very interesting."

Who is your favorite character in this book?

“Of course it’s the arrogant Mr. Darcy!” Lin Wen blurted out, her eyes shining and a smile playing on her lips. Seeing her like this, Lin Ying smiled too. It seemed that this girl really understood. However, she wondered if Lin Xi could understand the story. Compared to the quiet Lin Wen, Lin Xi was always more outgoing and carefree. But that didn’t matter. Even if they just listened to these two books as stories, they would still gain something. Moreover, Fang Manxia did more than just read books. When telling stories, she would also talk about the historical background of the time, some past events behind the stories, and combine them with reality to teach them many principles of life.

Where does this book stand?

"I'm almost done," Lin Wen said, then hesitated before asking Lin Ying, "Second Sister, have you read this book?"

"Yeah, I've seen it."

"Could you tell me, did the arrogant Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth, who was prejudiced against him, end up together?" Lin Wen asked cautiously.

Lin Ying smiled and shook her head. Just as Lin Wen's eyes darkened, thinking that they hadn't ended up together, she heard Lin Ying say, "Don't spoil it, okay? It won't be fun if I tell you the ending. I'll leave you in suspense. Wouldn't it be better if the old lady finished telling the whole story?"

These words immediately put Lin Wen at ease. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then smiled. Her second sister was right. It was more meaningful to learn the ending of the story gradually, and Fang Manxia was almost at the end. She could finish the book in a couple of days, so why rush to ask about the conclusion?
Having figured it out, Lin Wen felt relieved. She helped Lin Ying put the cut branches into the basket next to her. Looking at Lin Ying's serious expression, Lin Wen hesitated, as if she wanted to say something, but was also a little embarrassed.

Lin Ying kept moving her hands and didn't notice Lin Wen's expression. But when she cut off another branch and handed it to Lin Wen, Lin Wen was stunned and didn't take it immediately.

"What's wrong? What are you lost in thought about?"

"Oh, it's nothing..." Lin Wen quickly took it, saying this somewhat apologetically. But then, as if gathering her courage, she said to Lin Ying, "Second Sister, I want to ask you for a favor, is that alright?"

"what's up?"

“I…I’ve been in Shanghai for quite a while now. During this time, my second sister and brother-in-law have provided food and drink for my fourth sister and me, and even bought us nice clothes. The old lady treats us even better than our own grandmothers. She not only gives us books but also teaches us principles. I’ve never had such a good life before. It’s like a dream…”

"Silly girl..." Lin Ying turned to look at Lin Wen, took off her gloves, patted her head, and smiled, "I'm your second sister! You are my sisters, isn't this how it should be? As for the old lady, although she is not a real relative, she is an elder, and after getting to know her these days, don't you know what kind of person she is?"

"It's precisely because I know this that I've been feeling uneasy," Lin Wen couldn't help but say. "I always feel guilty for letting you, my brother-in-law, and the old lady eat and drink for free, so... so I wanted to ask, second sister, could you find me some work to do?"

"Looking for work?" Lin Ying smiled and pointed to the garden: "Aren't you working now? Besides the garden work, you also do the house cleaning and take care of the old lady, don't you?"

"Second Sister!" Lin Wen immediately became anxious upon hearing this and quickly shook her head: "How can cleaning the house be called work? Isn't this just something I should do as a favor? As for keeping the old lady company, needless to say, the old lady has helped us so much and treated us so well. We should be thanking her. How can this be called working?"

With a chuckle, Lin Ying couldn't help but laugh at her expression. She was teasing the girl, and she actually got agitated. However, what Lin Wen said wasn't unreasonable. They had been here for almost three months, staying at home and rarely going out. Moreover, in their eyes, what she had assigned them was hardly a task. Young girls always have their own ideas, and she, as their older sister, had to consider that.

(End of this chapter)