Era: Rise from the Wilderness

All three of them were extremely focused, and the air was filled with a tense yet excited atmosphere.

It took more than half an hour to finally count this "huge sum of money".

All the coins were sorted and stacked neatly.

Looking at the pile of wealth before them, symbolizing the fruits of a day's hard work, the family of three couldn't help but beam with happiness, satisfaction, and even a hint of disbelief.

"The totals are in!"

He Ling's voice trembled slightly with excitement. Looking at the final number on the abacus, she took a deep breath and read out, word by word, "The total is three hundred and fifteen yuan and seventy-five fen!"

"How many?!"

Li Hongfeng suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide open, wondering if he had misheard.

"Three...three hundred and fifteen dollars and seventy-five cents?"

He Ling checked the abacus again and nodded vigorously.

"My God!"

Li Hongfeng muttered to himself, plopping down on a nearby stool, his face a complex mix of elation, shock, and disbelief. "This...this is almost a month's salary for me! Just...just one day?"

Although this 300-plus yuan is the turnover and includes the cost of goods, even after deducting the cost, today's net profit is definitely far greater than Li Hongfeng's monthly salary!

The intense impact left him momentarily stunned.

Seeing his father's incredulous, dreamlike expression, Li Yunjing first calmed down from his immense joy and couldn't help but chuckle.

Looking at her husband's surprised and delighted expression, as if he were walking on clouds, and then at her son's calm yet excited face, the fatigue she had accumulated from being busy was swept away by this warm joy, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hahaha!"

The laughter was clear and bright, like a pebble thrown into a calm pond.

Li Hongfeng was awakened by the laughter. Looking at his wife with her smiling eyes and his son with his bright eyes, the last bit of confusion in his heart was replaced by a great sense of security.

He scratched his somewhat disheveled hair vigorously, opened his mouth, and burst into hearty, unrestrained laughter!

The laughter was deep and resonant, carrying the man's relieved ease and undisguised anticipation for the future.

The small but thoughtfully designed shop seemed a bit brighter than usual, even the dim lighting.

The shelves were laden with a dazzling array of goods, the heavy cookie box on the counter, and the lingering scent of money in the air—a mixture of snacks and brand-new stationery—all of which made the laughter seem particularly confident.

At this moment, the backache from staying up all night to clean the shop, and the heartache and anxiety from gritting your teeth and investing your savings, all vanished in this heartfelt laughter.

A real, tangible path of hope seemed to be unfolding beneath the feet of the family of three, piece by piece, from these colorful snacks, soft drinks, and spare change.

The laughter gradually subsided, and Li Yunjing was the first to composed himself.

He walked to the door and peeked outside.

There were hardly any people left on campus, only the dim yellow light cast by the streetlights in the distance.

He turned around, gently closing half of the door, blocking out the cool summer night breeze and preventing any prying eyes from entering.

As he walked back to his parents, the excitement on his face faded, replaced by a solemnity beyond his years.

"Dad, Mom,"

He lowered his voice and said seriously, "How much money we made today, only we family members know the exact amount."

He Ling and Li Hongfeng's smiles faded slightly as they looked at their son.

"No matter who asks,"

Li Yunjing's gaze swept across his parents' faces. "Relatives, friends, neighbors, no matter how good the relationship is, you can't tell the truth."

"Standardize the wording,"

He held up one finger and said, "I'm just doing a mediocre job, barely enough to support my family of three. It's better than working a regular job, but I'm not making any big money. I have to say it like that, I have to keep a low profile."

"Yun Jing is right!"

Upon hearing this, He Ling immediately nodded, a look of deep agreement on her face. "You're getting more and more clever, child. You've thought this through so well!"

She lowered her voice, speaking with the caution of someone who's been through it all, "In this world, you can't tell what people really think."

"There are plenty of people who are envious. If our family flaunts our wealth, who knows what kind of trouble it will cause? Lending money is the least of our worries."

Li Hongfeng didn't speak immediately. He picked up the enamel mug on the counter, took a big gulp of the now-cold boiled water, and then said in a deep voice, "That's right, we should keep a low profile."

"And our initial investment was indeed quite substantial."

He counted on his fingers to his wife and children, as if he were organizing his thoughts: "The freezer alone cost nearly two thousand; custom-made counters and shelves, painting the walls, connecting the electricity, and all that stuff cost several hundred more; this time, the inventory purchase emptied our savings... In total, almost eight thousand yuan has been thrown in!"

This number made He Ling feel a pang of heartache again.

"Such a large investment,"

Li Hongfeng continued, "We've told the public that we can barely stay afloat this semester, and we'll have to wait until next semester, or even next year, to break even."

"We can't let people think we're going to make a lot of money right away, and get envious."

He paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes—a calculation fueled by years of experience at work and newly ignited by new hopes for his family: "In about two weeks, when the weather cools down a bit, I'll have to go on a business trip to Datong, Shanxi, to purchase coal for the boilers during the winter."

"So early?"

Li Yunjing was somewhat surprised.

As far as I can remember, my father would go to Shanxi to haul coal, usually in mid-to-late October.

"Yes, it needs to be done earlier."

Li Hongfeng explained, lowering his voice even further, "The factory has a heavy workload this year. We need to transport enough high-quality coal back before the heavy snow in December closes the mountains."

"This time, I'll visit several mines, compare prices, and figure out the ropes..."

In the past, Li Hongfeng would never have discussed these specific work plans with his son, who was still a teenager, let alone reveal the subtle thoughts hidden beneath the "comparing prices" approach.

But after this summer, especially seeing his son's experienced way of running the small shop and taking stock, he subconsciously stopped seeing Li Yunjing as a complete child.

He even had a vague feeling that his son might know more than he had imagined.

It's good to let him understand the complexities of society sooner rather than later.

Li Yunjing immediately understood the implied meaning in his father's words.

The father was spurred by the family business's successful start, and his mindset was subtly changing.

In my previous life, my father was also often away on business trips, but he was an honest man who would at most get some food and drink and rarely sought any extra benefits for the family.

In this life, stimulated by real money and with his own intentional or unintentional "stirring up trouble," the father has obviously started to "get active," and even seems to be "racing against time" to use his limited authority and business trip opportunities to add more fuel to this little family that has just begun to have hope.