Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

The city's farmers' markets now don't even have sheds; they're more like open-air markets.

Especially right after the Lesser Cold solar term, the outdoor temperature can drop to minus thirty or forty degrees Celsius.

Many people dressed in bulky, bear-like clothes exhaled white breath with each breath, causing frost to condense on their scarves and hats, and tiny ice beads to cling to their eyelashes.

Wearing heavy shoes or cotton-padded shoes, they would stomp their feet from time to time, pacing back and forth.

Xu Bei estimated that anyone with a job or other means of making money would not want to suffer like this.

Aside from those selling candied hawthorns by holding up bundles of straw, many people sell their wares by placing them on the ground.

There were frozen fish and frogs that looked like ice sculptures, frozen pears that were as black as coal, frozen persimmons that were orange, and piles of wild hazel mushrooms, black fungus, pine nuts, and hazelnuts.

These are all local specialties of their forest area, except for the frozen persimmons, which were transported from other places.

Xu Bei had almost reached the end of the road when he finally saw a stall selling stools.

On the snow-covered ground, covered with burlap sacks, were wooden stools, wooden basins, washboards, cutting boards, as well as handicrafts such as baskets woven from willow branches, brooms, and curtains.

The stall owner was an old man, wearing a faded black cotton coat and a worn-out dog-skin hat. His face was covered in wrinkles.

Xu Bei bent down and picked up a wooden stool to examine it. The wood grain was clear and beautiful, and the polishing was also quite good.

However, a handmade one certainly can't compare to a wooden stool produced by the game system.

The old man leaned forward. "Young man, this is genuine hardwood from the Lesser Khingan Mountains. It won't wobble even if three generations sit on it. If you're serious about buying it, I haven't even opened for business yet, so I won't charge you 1.5 yuan. Just give me 1.4 yuan."

"Sir, I'm just browsing."

As Xu Bei spoke, he put it back.

"See? I used mortise and tenon joints entirely by hand, without using a single nail. I spent two hours just sanding them..."

Seeing that the old man was about to start talking non-stop, and since Xu Bei didn't know how to buy anything, there was no need to waste his time and enthusiasm. So he quickly praised the old man, saying that his cooking skills were really good, and then left.

Afterwards, he toured the entire farmers' market and found that it wasn't a suitable place to sell wooden stools.

So he decisively left and went to the spontaneously formed market.

However, they finally found one in a back alley.

However, it turned out to be much smaller than a farmers' market, and the products sold were largely the same.

There were just more stalls selling pheasant and roe deer meat.

Xu Bei slowed his pace.

The man wearing a fur coat with the fur inside out immediately called out, "Brother, buy some roe deer meat, it'll make the fillings taste even better when you get home."

Xu Bei inquired about the price, "How much is it?"

The man replied, "It's 1.6 yuan per jin. I'll cut you a good piece; it'll be perfect for making dumplings at home."

Xu Bei had tried dumplings filled with roe deer meat, but felt that pork dumplings were more fragrant. "I'll take another look."

The man immediately said, "Brother, if you really want it, I'll give you a five-cent discount."

Xu Bei waved his hand and laughed, "Big brother, I just arrived, let me take a look around first."

They both understood each other's pretexts, and the man laughed, "Alright, come back if you want to buy it."

Afterwards, Xu Bei continued walking forward and saw a pork vendor. He bought two jin of pork without needing a ration coupon for two yuan and twenty cents.

He already got up late this morning, and then he went back and forth fetching and delivering chairs. Plus, it took him an hour to get to the city. By now, it's already past 10:30.

So, I quickly headed to my sister's high school to try and have lunch together.

Since Xu Bei had already asked his mother about his class and location, he went straight to the second floor after entering the red brick teaching building.

Once he found the classroom of Class 2, Grade 11 on the east side of the second floor, he easily spotted his sister among the girls in the first row.

Unlike her sister and herself, who are both tall and have a dignified appearance, Xu Juan, the younger sister, is only a little over 1.5 meters tall. Her features are more compact, and coupled with her pale complexion, she looks somewhat unhealthy.

Even the most focused students will instinctively look over when they see a figure appear at the doorway.

Therefore, Xu Juan, who was holding a pen, immediately noticed her brother, and her eyes lit up.

She quickly raised her hand and told the teacher, then ran out impatiently.

"Brother, what brings you here?"

Xu Bei was overjoyed to see his teenage sister running towards him like a little swallow, no longer the sickly girl she was in his previous life.

"I'm in the city on some errands, and I thought I'd pick you up so we can go home together. What time does school get out this afternoon?"

Xu Juan said excitedly, "Brother, you came at just the right time. We have our final exams on Monday, so we don't have classes this afternoon. Otherwise, we wouldn't get out of school until 3 o'clock."

Xu Bei couldn't help but laugh. "Really? Well, timing is everything. I was planning to have lunch together and wait for you for a few hours. You go back to class first, I'll wander around outside."

Xu Juan pouted, "Okay, then don't go too far, or I'll have to look for you again."

Xu Bei gently patted her shoulder. "I know. Go back now."

After watching his sister enter the classroom, he only wandered around upstairs and downstairs.

Around 11 o'clock, the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class.

After the brother and sister met outside the classroom, they quickly went back to the girls' dormitory to pack their things, and then left the school together to catch a bus.

On the way, the two seemed to have endless things to talk about.

Xu Juan suddenly said in a relieved tone, "Brother, luckily I'm in the two-year program. If I enroll in the first year of high school this fall, it will be a three-year program, and I'll have to study for another year."

Xu Bei had some recollection of it; her younger sister attended a two-year high school, while those who followed her attended three-year programs.

"An extra year won't hurt. With more time, you might even learn more thoroughly and have a better chance of getting into university."

Xu Juan bit her lip. "But, each additional year will cost a lot more money. I'm not a top student either. I'm thinking that if I don't get into university, I'll start working and earning money as soon as possible to help my family. Otherwise, my mom has it too hard."

"Your main task now is to study. Your parents and I will take care of the money-making. You don't need to worry about it."

Even if I don't pass the college entrance exam next year, I have to retake it. We have to make sure someone in our family goes to university.

After Xu Bei learned that his younger sister would fail the college entrance examination next year, he did find a job.

Later, through an introduction from a female colleague at work, he went on a blind date with the neighbor's child.

This was also the culprit that caused her a lifetime of suffering.

Therefore, from the moment of his rebirth, Xu Bei had decided that he must make sure his younger sister studied hard, even if she couldn't get into university, she could at least get into a vocational school.

Even if she fails all her exams, I'll support her; I can't let her marry that scumbag.

Xu Juan said with a bitter face, "But my aunt failed the exam twice. My grandma even said I'm far worse than her, not even as good as her on horseback. My aunt also said that she was just held back, and if she had been born at the right time like me, she could have passed the exam with her eyes closed."