I, Yan Jiefang, will live to 2025 in this courtyard house.

Train No. 83 slowly brought its wheels to a stop on the platform of Shenzhen Station in Luohu District.

The car door opened, and a humid, hot breeze carrying moisture rushed in.

The platform was only covered by a simple tin canopy.

A two-story old-style brick building stands in front, with white background and red lettering painted on the wall: Shenzhen Station.

Passengers carried large and small bags and burlap sacks, moving forward shoulder to shoulder.

Stepping off the platform, the plaza in front of the station is half paved with cement and the other half is muddy and uneven.

On one side of the wall, there is a huge GG sign with the words "Flying Pigeon Bicycle" written on it.

Below the text are the four bicycle models currently on sale for this brand.

The bottom right corner of the GG brand also displays contact information such as a phone number and sales address.

Several old-fashioned minibuses were parked in the square not far away.

Several bread trucks and cars were parked nearby.

Not far from the station, barbed wire stretches along the roadside, with border guard posts standing by the road.

Everyone lined up in a long queue, taking out their border pass, business license, ID card, and letter of introduction for travel, waiting for inspection.

Just over a hundred meters away is the Luohu Port, with the Shenzhen River stretching across the landscape, and buildings on the opposite bank faintly visible.

Yan Jiefang carried a canvas bag out of the station exit and walked along the smooth cement road in front of the station, following the group until he reached the border inspection area of ​​Luohu Port.

The armed police checkpoint is conveniently located between the train station and the port.

He had passed through this place two years ago, when the barbed wire was still being built in sections and the port building was only a foundation.

Now, when you step into Luohu again, you see barbed wire stretching along the roadside into the distance.

The border guard posts are neatly arranged, and passengers must line up to have their border passes checked upon disembarking.

The old, low-rise station building still stands in the same place, but the paved road in front of the station has been widened, and the fixed minibuses and vendors are now arranged in a more orderly manner.

The brand-new, tall joint inspection building at Luohu Port, not far away, looks like it's almost finished.

At that time, China's infrastructure development had not yet taken off and was still far behind that of later generations.

Yan Jiefang didn't have any specific mission to accomplish this time; he just wanted to see what this place looked like now.

Over the next two days, he took a bus and visited places such as the Buji Agricultural Products Distribution Market, Shangbu Industrial Zone (Huaqiangbei), Dongmen Old Street, and Guomao Building.

At that time, the Buji Agricultural Products Distribution Market was just a simple open-air fruit and vegetable distribution center, basically consisting of temporary sheds with poor hygiene.

Many merchants from other places purchase goods in bulk here.

The Shangbu Industrial Zone, which later became the famous Huaqiangbei, has now developed into a large-scale electronics industrial park.

But almost all of them are contract manufacturers, which is the so-called "processing trade" model.

Processing with supplied materials, processing with supplied samples, assembly with supplied parts, and compensation trade are collectively known as "three-in-one compensation".

Hong Kong businessmen provide raw materials, parts, blueprints, and machines, while the local side provides the site and workers to assemble the parts, earning a meager living through hard work.

The factory workers were mostly female workers from other places.

Yan Jiefang had never been inside the factory, but he did see large groups of female workers passing by during commuting hours.

A two-shift work model has been established here.

Dongmen Old Street was probably one of the most prosperous areas in Shenzhen during that period.

The streets are lined with shops selling clothing, food, housing, transportation, and various electronic products.

The area is bustling with people and very lively.

To Yan Jiefang's surprise, Hong Kong dollars could be used to buy things here.

There are also places in some corners where you can exchange Hong Kong dollars privately.

Finally, there's the China World Trade Center, which was just completed last year.

This building, with 53 floors and a height of 160 meters, was the tallest building in China at the time and a landmark building in Shenzhen.

The "Shenzhen Speed," which became widely known at that time and for a long period afterward, originated from here.

The speed of building one floor every three days is truly astonishing in this era.

Yan Jiefang only stood outside for a few moments before leaving.

This type of architecture is found everywhere in later generations, so it's nothing special.

He then went to take a look at the "remote" Shekou Industrial Zone.

Although this place is relatively "remote", its roads, greenery, and construction are much better than those of the Shangbu Industrial Zone.

The Chrysanthemum Company, which later became world-famous, seems to have started here.

Of course, their boss hasn't gone south yet.

Moreover, China is currently the strongest country in the field of communications electronics, so it's uncertain whether it will have a chance to rise again.

After visiting all these places, Yan Jiefang had a general idea of ​​what to expect.

He then left and went to Guangzhou.

Compared to the relatively underdeveloped Shenzhen, Guangzhou was far more prosperous at that time.

However, this prosperity meant little to Yan Jiefang.

He didn't stay long; after visiting a few landmark areas, he bought a soft sleeper ticket for his return journey.

...

"Liberation, you're back?"

Liu Ruyan, who was sitting in the fruit shop, saw her husband and immediately stood up.

Yan Jiefang pulled up a chair and sat down:

"Yeah, you're back. How's business at the store?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan immediately beamed with joy:

"It's fine! I don't know what happened, the fruit shop over at Jiaodaokou has been closed for several days now, and their regular customers have mostly come here."

Yan Jiefang nodded, naturally knowing what was going on:

"That's good."

Liu Ruyan, recalling the purpose of her husband's trip south, asked with some curiosity:

"By the way, how well did you learn about the situation there during your trip south?"

Zhao Tingting and Liu Jingjing also looked over curiously.

They too have only ever lived in a small area, and they are equally eager to learn about the outside world.

Yan Jiefang shook his head:

"Not good. The current policies are still too strict. Opening a fruit shop or a small restaurant is okay, but it's impossible to expand it."

Liu Ruyan, however, was quite satisfied with her current income:

"If we can't do it, we can't do it. We have this fruit shop, which is enough for our future livelihood."

Tell us about your experiences in those cities to the south.

Yan Jiefang was not impatient with their curiosity. After organizing his thoughts, he began to speak:

"My first stop this time is Luohu District in Shenzhen..."

After explaining the basic itinerary, he returned to the courtyard and began his daily cultivation practice.

That evening, faced with his sons' curiosity, he repeated what he had told them at noon.

Although there were no grand scenes, just everyday events happening during this period, it broadened everyone's horizons.

Especially for the three children, they might be able to use this knowledge when writing essays in the future.

The children were even more eager to go south; they didn't care about any twists and turns or unexpected events along the way, as long as it was novel.

In the following days, the house returned to its usual tranquility.

Yan Jiefang still practices the two martial arts techniques on time every day.

When he went south, he did not miss his daily cultivation practice except when he was on the train.

No matter what you're doing, you still need to distinguish between primary and secondary tasks.

If doing business or starting a company would interfere with his cultivation, he would not do it at all.