Era: Rise from the Wilderness

"Sharing joys and sorrows!"

Fu Chao and Ding Dong spoke in unison, their voices not loud, but carrying the undeniable conviction unique to young people.

The three hands shook it a few more times before letting go.

The September wind already carried the chill of early autumn, swirling up a few prematurely withered yellow leaves from the sycamore trees by the playground, which then landed at the feet of the students hurrying by.

The school bell seemed to release some kind of restraint, and the school building instantly erupted in a cacophony of voices, like a flood bursting its banks, quickly drowning out the previous tranquility.

Li Yunjing walked out of the teaching building with the crowd. His hands were in his pockets and his shoulders were empty, which was in stark contrast to the students around him who were carrying heavy schoolbags and walking in a hurry.

This deliberate ease was tinged with an indescribable sense of unease.

The homeroom teacher's conversation that afternoon was like a pebble thrown into the still waters of his heart, which was already somewhat agitated from planning something important, creating ripples of restlessness.

"Good-for-nothing friends..."

He muttered the word to himself, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips.

He didn't really care about the teacher's evaluation, but he was still a little annoyed to be implicated for no reason.

Moreover, Fu Chao and Ding Dong have been elusive this past week, and even he couldn't figure out the specific progress, so he was constantly on edge.

Just as he was about to cross the playground to go home, pondering how to deal with the potential "monthly exam crisis" and the ensuing "beating with a belt," a deliberately lowered, familiar voice came from the side: "Li Yunjing, come here!"

He turned his head and saw two heads peeking out from under the old, leafy locust tree on the side of the teaching building.

Who else could it be but Fu Chao and Ding Dong?

After a week apart, the two seemed to have lost weight and gotten darker, but their eyes shone with a strange light that was a mixture of fatigue and excitement.

Li Yunjing paused, then casually changed direction and walked towards the old locust tree.

As you get closer, you can see even more clearly the weariness on their faces.

"Damn, you two finally showed up!"

Li Yunjing lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of complaint, but more so of inquiry, "He went missing for a week and almost dragged me down with him."

"Today, that pregnant woman dragged me out for a good interrogation, asking me where her two precious students had gone off to!"

"Don't even mention it, Lao Li! My legs are practically worn thin from running around for seven days, and the soles of my shoes are almost completely worn through!"

Upon hearing this, Fu Chao waved his hand dismissively, his face beaming with barely suppressed smugness—the sense of accomplishment that comes from accomplishing something big: "Isn't this all for our 'Golden Week money-grabbing plan'?"

Ding Dong nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice, eagerly adding, "Old Li, you have no idea, Brother Chao really went all out this time, he really went all out!"

Li Yunjing's heart suddenly stirred, and the unpleasantness he felt earlier from being scolded by the "pregnant woman" was immediately thrown to the back of his mind.

Stop keeping me in suspense!

He subconsciously glanced around quickly, making sure that all he could hear was the rustling of the wind through the sycamore trees and the faint sound of basketballs bouncing in the distance from the playground, and that no teacher or any familiar classmates had noticed this secluded corner.

He lowered his voice and pressed on urgently, his speech faster than usual: "Tell me quickly, how did things go?"

"Did we do it according to what we discussed last time?"

"Where's the motorcycle?"

"The one who's there to make a scene, the most intimidating one!"

"And what about the television?"

"These two things are the most crucial!"

"Have we found enough people?"

"Most importantly, money! How much of the initial funding has been secured?"

A series of questions came out of his mouth quickly, showing how urgent Li Yunjing was.

Fu Chao chuckled. He didn't answer immediately, but instead gave Ding Dong a wink.

Ding Dong immediately understood. Like a well-trained sentry, he quickly moved to a position with his back to them, his eyes scanning the direction leading to the teaching building and the playground warily, while his ears were perked up.

Fu Chao then slowly took off the backpack that he had been carrying on his back.

The schoolbag was bulging, as if it contained quite a lot of things.

He held the backpack in his arms, and the zipper seemed to be stuck. He struggled a bit and made a slightly grating "sizzle" sound before finally pulling it open.

Fu Chao didn't rush to empty everything out. Instead, he reached into the bottom of his backpack, fumbled around for a moment, and then pulled out a flat, square object wrapped tightly in the "Bincheng Daily".

The edges of the newspaper were carefully folded and pressed down, and then tied together with two rubber bands crossed over each other.

Li Yunjing was all too familiar with the shape of the newspaper wrapping and its stiff edges.

In the early 1990s, this was the standard packaging for large amounts of cash!

A stack of money!

"Here, take this and tap it."

Fu Chao held the package in both hands, his expression unusually serious and solemn, something Li Yunjing rarely saw. He carefully handed it over, saying, "Be careful, don't let it fall apart."

Li Yunjing reached out and took it. The weight in his hand made him raise an eyebrow unconsciously, and he was slightly surprised.

He instinctively weighed it in his hand, and his brows furrowed even more.

The weight and thickness clearly exceeded his initial expectations!

He quickly calculated in his mind: three thousand yuan, if it were ten-yuan "big unity" bills, would be a thick wad, but the feeling in his hand... was heavier, harder! Could it be...?

"Old Fu, this..."

Li Yunjing looked up at Fu Chao with barely concealed confusion, his eyes filled with questioning and disbelief. "This doesn't feel right! Are you sure it's three thousand? Why is it so heavy?"

"Five thousand!"

Fu Chao's smugness was almost overflowing.

He deliberately cleared his throat, as if announcing a major victory. His voice, though lowered, carried an undeniable and resolute tone: "Exactly five thousand! Not a penny more, not a penny less!"

"Five thousand?!"

Li Yunjing was genuinely surprised, and his voice involuntarily rose a little before he quickly lowered it again.

He stared wide-eyed at Fu Chao, then looked down at the heavy bundle of newspapers in his hand. "Where...where did you get so many?"

"Didn't we agree that you would first try to raise three thousand, and I would figure out how to cover the remaining shortfall, including buying small prizes, printing costs, car rental and gas, or we could add more later?"

Five thousand yuan!

That's an enormous sum of money that would make anyone envious!

"hey-hey,"

Fu Chao patted his chest, a hint of smugness on his face. "What do you think I've been doing this week?"

"Didn't you want to buy a mobile phone before?"

I begged and pleaded with my parents, even crying my eyes out…

He mimicked his possible expression at the time, then said seriously, "Of course, my parents disagreed. They just gave me a thousand yuan each and told me to behave myself!"

"What would I need a cell phone for while I'm still in school?"

"That thing costs 20,000 yuan!"

"Their words made it clear they were reluctant to part with the money, so I had no choice but to reluctantly accept the two thousand yuan."