Era: Rise from the Wilderness

In the days that followed, Li Yunjing neither went out to play with Lü Ruoxi nor contacted his other friends.

It wasn't that he was tired of the happy memories.

Rather, it was beyond their control.

Since taking over the convenience store, the Li family has entered a state of enthusiastic "entrepreneurship".

In addition to his regular job, Li Hongfeng was also responsible for contacting carpenters and painters, and he had to keep an eye on the dusty site every day.

He Ling was in charge of logistics support, cooking different dishes for the workers, such as steamed buns, stewed cabbage, and stir-fried shredded potatoes. Although simple, they were filling.

Li Yunjing ran around helping out, moving planks, handing over tools, and offering suggestions from time to time.

What is the ideal height for the counter? How should the shelves be arranged for maximum convenience?

In this respect, his experience far surpasses that of his parents and construction workers.

After all, he had been to countless supermarkets and convenience stores in his life, and he had seen all kinds of decorations and layouts.

From his perspective, he can better optimize this small shop of about 50 square meters and maximize its effectiveness.

Besides the Li family of three, their aunts who live nearby also came to help when they heard that the Li family was going to open a small shop.

Sweeping dust, wiping windows, washing rags—the women chatted as they worked, and their family bonds grew stronger through their shared busyness.

On July 1st, the convenience store was completely transformed.

The walls were painted snow-white, the doors and windows were painted sky blue, and two 40-watt fluorescent tubes were installed on the roof. When the lights were turned on, the whole house was brightly lit.

Most importantly, a row of brand-new wooden shelves stands against the wall, painted with clear varnish, and you can smell a faint scent of pine.

In the center of the room was a long glass counter, polished to a shine so bright that one could see their reflection.

Aside from these, the most important part of the normal renovation, the storefront, was not done because it didn't matter, since it was the only store in the school.

Whether there's a plaque or not makes no difference.

At Li Yunjing's suggestion, they decided not to waste time or money.

Standing at the door, looking at the brand-new store, the family of three wore tired but satisfied smiles.

"tomorrow!"

Li Hongfeng announced with great enthusiasm, "I'll borrow a van from my workplace, and we're going on a big shopping spree in the county town! We'll fill the shelves to the brim and get ready to open!"

"Very good!"

"Dad, take me with you, I want to go see it too!"

"I haven't seen what the county town looks like yet!"

Li Yunjing's eyes lit up.

That's true. In his previous life, his whole family didn't move to the county until 2000.

At this time, there were still nine and a half years until 2000, and he really didn't know what the county town looked like during that period, or how different it was from his memory.

Being able to see what the county town used to look like is another benefit of its rebirth.

"Yes! The three of us will go!"

After a hearty laugh, Li Hongfeng announced his decision.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Li Hongfeng drove back from his workplace in a tan-colored Tianjin Dafa van.

This car has a boxy shape and not much space, but it was a rare sight in the small town in the early 1990s.

Li Yunjing walked around the car twice and touched its cold body.

Except for the Chinese New Year when his father used his work unit's car to take him back to his hometown, he has almost never ridden in a car.

Cars are really a rare thing.

He was even considering driving the van to practice his skills. After all, since returning from the future, riding a bicycle every day was very inconvenient. It would be great to have his own car.

"Get on the bus!"

Li Hongfeng opened the car door.

He Ling and Li Yunjing climbed into the carriage.

The car was filled with the smells of gasoline and leather, and the seats were a bit hard, but it didn't dampen my excitement at all.

Li Hongfeng had clearly been "mooching" company cars quite often, as he was skilled at driving them.

Insert the key and turn it, and the engine roars to life, causing the car body to vibrate.

Engaging gear, releasing the clutch, and accelerating, the Daihatsu truck slowly drove out of the compound and headed towards the county town fifty kilometers away along the town's dirt road.

The national highways of the early 1990s were far inferior to those of later years.

The road is narrow and full of potholes.

The Daihatsu train has poor shock absorption, and the ride was bumpy the whole way.

He Ling gripped the armrest of the front seat tightly, her face pale.

Li Yunjing, however, excitedly leaned against the car window, watching the fields, villages, and distant mountains flash by outside.

Fresh air filled the carriage, carrying the scent of earth and grass.

The 50-kilometer journey took nearly two hours of bumpy travel.

As the car entered the county town area, the scene gradually became more prosperous.

This small county town in northern China stands out because it is home to several large state-owned enterprises that rank among the top in the country.

The streets are wider than in the town, and the buildings are taller and more numerous.

Although the overall atmosphere still carries the gray and somber tone characteristic of the era, the clothing and expressions of the pedestrians on the street, as well as the variety and number of shops along the street, all exude a vitality and affluence far exceeding that of an ordinary county town.

In an era of relative scarcity, this place was practically a small "bustling metropolis".

"Dad, where are we going? Should we go to a wholesale market?"

Li Yunjing withdrew his gaze and asked.

"Yes, I asked Old Wang at the convenience store near our house."

Li Hongfeng carefully drove the vehicle, weaving through the streets, which weren't crowded but had many pedestrians and bicycles. "The largest wholesale market in the county is in front of the train station square, let's go there!"

The car soon arrived at the square in front of Fuxian Station.

What comes into view are rows of simple, even dilapidated, single-story shops with small storefronts and rough signs: "Old Wang's Grocery Wholesale," "Zhang's Candy Store," "Li's Shop," and so on.

If you didn't know better, it would be hard to imagine that this is the famous Fuxian Small Food Wholesale City, which serves many surrounding towns and villages.

But Li Yunjing knew that these seemingly unsophisticated shop owners were all quite wealthy.

By the standards of that era, almost everyone was a "ten-thousand-yuan household," and even more specifically, a "hundred-thousand-yuan household" with an extra zero at the end.

These are the people who got rich first.

Sunlight shone on the dusty cement ground, and the air was filled with a complex mix of saccharin, flavorings, and fried food odors.

Porters pushed flatbed carts, calling out as they moved through the streets. Boxes of goods, tightly bound with hemp rope, were piled up in front of each shop.

After observing the surroundings for a while, Li Hongfeng found an empty spot nearby and carefully parked the Dafabet.

It was already 8:30 in the morning.

The sun had just begun to slant across the corrugated iron roof of the wholesale market.

The car door creaked open, and the hot, dusty wind of a 1990s summer hit my face.

Before the family of three could even get their footing, figures emerged from the shops on both sides of the road.

First they peeked out, then they stared wide-eyed.

Those eyes were like hooks, specifically targeting unfamiliar faces, and even more so, that still-steaming bread truck.

In just two or three seconds, seven or eight people, both men and women, darted out of the grocery store, food stall, and hardware store. They were wearing polyester shirts or faded vests with the cuffs rolled up to their elbows, and their faces were plastered with the kind of smile that was unique to the lower-class businessmen, a smile that was a mixture of flattery and calculation.