Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

The portable folding round table produced by the system is much simpler and lighter than the side table currently on the market.

Simply hold the edge of the round tabletop with one hand and gently pull.

The four smooth, rounded solid wood table legs springed open and stood firmly on the ground.

Xu Bei squatted down and looked closer, discovering that the table legs used a special double-bar cross structure.

Two wooden strips are connected in the middle by an ingenious wooden pin to form a scissor block.

The more wood is pressed together, the more stable it becomes, even when shaken.

Xu Bei nodded in satisfaction.

I feel this one is much better than the ones sold at Peking University; I think someone would buy it for fifteen yuan.

After admiring it for a while, Xu Bei put away the portable folding round table and pondered as he walked towards the train station.

I came to the provincial capital to buy goods this time, but time was very tight. I was busy doing this and that, and I didn't have a chance to sell the wooden stools.

Once I get back and sort things out, I'll definitely explore more next time I come, and find a suitable place to try my hand at cooking.

Then, Xu Bei, carrying a bag, followed the other passengers through the ticket check and onto the platform to board the train.

With a long, deep whistle, the train slowly started moving.

As Xu Bei gazed at the winter scenery rushing past the car window, he also felt a longing to return home.

I was away from home for two nights in total, and now it's difficult to contact them, so I have no idea what's going on at home.

I didn't realize it until I finished my business, but now that I'm on the way back, my mood is completely different.

As time went by, the train headed north, and it was pitch black outside the window, with only one or two lights occasionally flashing by. The temperature was also dropping rapidly.

Although a boiler was burning inside the carriage, Xu Bei could feel that the frost on the windows was getting thicker and thicker.

I drifted in and out of sleep that night to the accompaniment of clanging and banging.

At 6:30 a.m., just as dawn was breaking, the train's loudspeaker announced: "Passengers, the next stop is Lindu Station. The temperature is -39 degrees Celsius..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Bei thought to himself that this was much colder than the provincial capital, where the temperature was below minus twenty degrees Celsius.

Suddenly I remembered that today is Laba Festival.

There's a saying in the forest area: "On the seventh and eighth days of the twelfth lunar month, your chin will freeze off." No wonder it's so cold.

Xu Bei tightened the collar of his coat and followed some other passengers who had disembarked to the transfer area between the carriages.

The moment the train conductor opened the door, a chilling blast of air rushed into the carriage like a ferocious beast, instantly dispelling the stench of smoke and sweat.

Xu Bei, carrying a bag, got off the bus with the others.

Standing on the platform, I took a deep breath and instantly felt a sharp pain in my nasal cavity—the sensation of the extremely cold air irritating my nasal mucosa.

He also smelled the familiar scent of his hometown, which, if he had to describe it, would be the kind of cold yet refreshing scent that belongs to winter.

After exiting the station, Xu Bei did not immediately buy a ticket to take the small train back to the Forestry Bureau. Instead, he found a place outside the station and ate a hot meal first.

Then, I went to the baggage claim area.

There weren't many people in line, and it was his turn soon.

Xu Bei handed the baggage claim tag through the window, and a staff member flipped through a notebook and pulled out a large woven bag from the mountain of luggage.

Xu Bei checked and confirmed that the items were his own and undamaged before signing for them and taking them away.

However, the Senkaku train does have a timetable, and we waited for quite a while.

As a result of this delay, it was almost ten o'clock when we returned to Beishan Forestry Bureau.

After Xu Bei got off the train carrying a woven bag, he found a horse-drawn carriage in front of the station.

Pay five cents to have an old man wearing a sheepskin coat and a dog-skin hat take him to the alley next to the bureau's store.

As soon as the carriage turned into the alley, Xu Bei saw Zhu Wenliang picking and choosing among some pieces of timber piled up outside the shop.

"Brother-in-law."

"Hey bro, you're back so soon!"

Zhu Wenliang's loud shout was so loud that it woke up Zhao Fengying, Xu Juan, and Xu Li, who were working inside the shop.

"Son, you're back so quickly!"

"Yeah, bro, I thought you'd have to get off the train tomorrow."

"I was just saying before that I was thinking of having your brother-in-law wait at the station, but you came back by yourself."

"None of you know when I'll get off the train. Going to the station is just a waste of time and you'll just be waiting there."

Xu Bei was genuinely happy to see his family, especially when he saw that his mother and the others looked quite well, which finally put his mind at ease.

For a while, their storefront was bustling with activity.

Two households away, Sister Liu also opened her shop and leaned out.

As for the two tailor shops that didn't come out, there were people standing at the windows looking out.

Xu Bei had no obligation to provide entertainment for others. He simply greeted Sister Liu warmly, then quickly unloaded the woven bags he had brought back from the carriage and urged everyone to come inside.

The group had seen the large bag and were curious and eager to know what was inside, so there was no reason for them to object.

So, the group of people filed in and went inside.

As soon as Xu Bei entered, he felt the warm air rushing towards him.

I also noticed that there was a half-finished shelf on one side against the wall, and various carpentry tools and utensils on the ground.

The cracked cement floor has also been repaired, and it looks much smoother and more pleasing to the eye now.

The stove and furnace in the kang (heated brick bed) have also changed a bit; the buzzing sound makes it seem like it's easier to heat up now.

"Son, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and take off your shoes and get on the kang (heated brick bed) to warm up. You must have suffered a lot on this journey, right?"

"It's alright. There were seats available."

While the mother and son were talking, Xu Li and Xu Juan had already opened the large woven bag with Zhu Wenliang's help.

"My goodness, my brother really went all out with this. There are three big bags in the bag."

"Brother, what did you wear?"

As Xu Bei sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) untying his shoelaces, he said with a smile, "Anyway, there are quite a lot of varieties. You can just open them all and see for yourselves."

Unable to contain her curiosity, Zhao Fengying leaned over and looked through it.

What followed was a series of exclamations and questions from the mother and her two daughters.

"This hair accessory is really beautiful; I haven't seen it in any of the shops near the Forestry Bureau."

"That's right, the goods from the provincial capital are definitely more fashionable."

"Wow, this scarf is so beautiful! It even has shimmering threads."

Zhao Fengying asked with concern, "Son, how much did this cost? How much should we sell it for?"

Xu Bei recalled, "It's about 1.2 or 1.3 yuan. State-owned stores sell it for 1.8 yuan. We're just opening, so we'll only sell it for 1.5 yuan because we want to make a small profit and sell a lot."

Zhu Wenliang, a grown man, was naturally not interested in these things, but he still helped with the searching and organizing.

However, he got excited when he saw the men's version of those twenty pairs of flared jeans.

"Hey bro, you're even wearing jeans now? They feel pretty good quality. How much did you pay for them? How much do you sell them for?"

Just as Xu Bei was about to mention the wholesale price, he saw two cyclists get off their bikes through the plastic sheeting covering the shop window...