Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

Chen Mian leaned against a wooden cabinet with peeling paint and patina, looking at the group of elders in the room, chatting enthusiastically with her cousin who had suddenly arrived. She had a feeling that it was all unreal.

He couldn't help but reach out and twist the Huanyu brand black-and-white television next to him, then glanced at the square calendar beside him, which clearly stated: August 21, 1994, auspicious for sacrifices, betrothal, moving into a new house...

"It really is a rebirth!"

I woke up to find myself reborn from 2019 back to 1994, 19 years old and in the prime of my youth.

For Chen Mian, the timing of her rebirth was crucial; everything could start over.

This cousin, named Liang Chuncheng, was a non-agricultural resident of the city. He rarely visited these poor relatives during holidays, but today he came to our door wearing a loose-fitting suit and trousers, carrying a gift box, seemingly unconcerned about the heat or embarrassment.

"These are some of the 'Eight Treasures of Beijing' that I brought back from the city. Ordinary families wouldn't dare to buy them. This stuff can't compare to things like 'Zaozi Gao' (a type of steamed rice cake)."

With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, Liang Chuncheng deliberately tugged at his cuffs, flicked his wristwatch, and ostentatiously opened the packaging box, intending to distribute pastries to the children staying in the main room.

As the packaging was opened, the children stared at the pastries with wide eyes, their mouths watering.

After receiving the pastries, the children would have stuffed them into their mouths long ago if the adults hadn't reminded them to call out to the guests.

Liang Chuncheng spoke a few words with a kind expression in the main room, and after the women and children had all left, he got straight to the point.

"I've come here this time to find a way for us families to make money."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

They had been waiting for Liang Chuncheng to speak, curious as to why he suddenly wanted to visit relatives and why he insisted on gathering everyone together before saying so.

Upon hearing this, they realized it was about making money, and considering Liang Chuncheng's background as a city dweller, they eagerly began to ask questions.

Only Chen Mian couldn't help but sneer.

Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious and potentially malicious. I failed to see this back then, which led to my imprisonment.

Fengyuan County is a county in HEB Province. Anping Village is located in a large depression within the county. It is known for its remoteness, with few people and a lot of land. The entire village has less than 600 people, but each household has 40 to 50 mu of land, which is mostly saline-alkali land, mainly used for growing cotton.

Liang Chuncheng hoped that the Chen family would help him secretly resell cotton, so that he could be a hands-off manager and make a profit without lifting a finger.

However, in 1994, the domestic cotton industry system was not yet perfect, so it was not open to the market.

After cotton farmers harvested seed cotton in September and October and dried it to a certain extent, they had to go to the cotton purchasing stations of the supply and marketing cooperative system to sell it, and settle accounts according to the price given by the government at that time.

However, regulatory standards vary from region to region, and the price of seed cotton can fluctuate over a one-month period.

In this situation, some cotton dealers who operate in the gray area have emerged. These people have their own ways of buying cotton at low prices with cash and then selling it at high prices.

For some cotton farmers, securing a low price is far better than paying high prices at cotton stations.

Liang Chuncheng's sales channels were not limited to cotton stations, but also included cotton ginning plants that further processed seed cotton.

This is a kind of open secret; some people have made their fortunes and become rich by trading cotton.

But Liang Chuncheng did not expect that cotton production would be severely reduced this year. The supply and marketing cooperative has a cotton purchase quota every year, and it was worried that it would not be able to purchase enough cotton this year, so it intensified its inspection efforts and arrested a number of typical cases, including his business.

After the incident was exposed, all the cotton purchased was confiscated. The owner of the cotton ginning factory shirked all responsibility and even helped Liang Chuncheng collude with several other companies to shift the blame onto himself, becoming a scapegoat.

At the time, Chen Mian was reluctant to let her older brother go in because he was already married and her sister-in-law was pregnant, and she couldn't bear to let her father, who was nearly fifty, go in. So she resolutely took on everything.

Although he didn't spend much time in jail, he kept that humiliation in his heart. After he got out, he acted recklessly and ended up being imprisoned for six years, suffering a lot.

When he came out again, he was almost thirty. People avoided him whenever they saw him, and he couldn't even find a wife. Later, Chen Mian got over it and lived a bachelor life for half his life.

"The way to make money is through family. Outsiders don't even have a chance. Don't worry, everything is ready over there. We'll just pass it on and it'll be over. We can make a fortune while lying down."

Liang Chuncheng vividly described a bright future, which moved everyone, and they couldn't help but look at the two elderly people on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Chen Mian's grandparents both passed away early, so she didn't have much say in this large family and could only listen to her uncles Chen Tiejun and Chen Tietian making the decisions.

Even though he already knew the result, he still cast a playful glance at it.

The two elderly people sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), their heads close together as they chatted in hushed tones, a faint layer of smoke swirling around them.

Then the old man said meaningfully, "This is a good thing, but the higher-ups are very strict about it."

Second Master chimed in, "It's not going to be easy. If something goes wrong, not only will the cotton be confiscated, but we'll also have to go in."

The two elderly people spoke with concern, but Liang Chuncheng was unconcerned and asked confidently, "Uncle, go and ask around. Whoever got arrested last year was making a fortune."

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, rummaging through his pockets and pulling out a bunch of keys from his suit jacket pocket. He slammed them on the round table, pointed at them, and said, "The bold get rich, the timid starve."

"I bought this motorcycle for 10,000 yuan. Think about it, how many years would it take to save up for one? Are you willing to buy it?"

Then he looked around, put his hands on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), jumped up, and stuck his butt out to whisper in the old man's ear: "Don't worry, we have people to rely on."

After Liang Chuncheng finished his performance, the whole room fell silent.

Motorcycles were a rarity in 1994. While most families could afford to buy one, they were out of luck and would starve to death.

Having money to buy and having spare money to buy are two completely different concepts.

Apart from Chen Mian, everyone's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the bunch of keys, and they were all touched by it.

Chen Mian sat next to her father, then patted his shoulders with both hands, gave him a wink, and shook her head.

But he knew that wasn't enough, so he decisively said, "Uncle, our family can't be of much help either, so let's just forget about it and be on the safe side."

Liang Chuncheng was waiting for the two elderly people on the kang to reply when he heard a harsh voice behind him, and his face turned dark instantly.

He suddenly turned his head to look at Chen Mian, then at the bewildered Chen Hongguo, feeling extremely dissatisfied: "What do you know, you little kid?"

Chen Hongguo naturally understood that this was a direct reference to him. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed that his son's grip tightened suddenly. He wondered what was wrong with the child today.

Chen Hongguo has a rather stable temperament and has never done anything theft in his nearly half-life. He avoids anything illegal.

In fact, he understood the cotton reselling business better than Liang Chuncheng, and he was also very interested in making money, but his worries still prevailed.

Since the two elderly people hadn't spoken yet, he thought he should wait a little longer. But since his son had made it clear first and Liang Chuncheng had also mentioned him, there was no point in waiting any longer.

"Cousin, this is indeed a good thing for you, but I'm just not cut out for business, and I don't know many people, so I'm unlikely to be able to help." As he spoke, he stood up and met the gaze of the two elderly people on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Chen Hongguo was usually taciturn, but he knew very well that ever since his father passed away, his uncles' families had become estranged from his own.

People who lack social skills rarely take the initiative to interact, and if you suddenly find yourself gathered together, it can feel a bit awkward, like offering a warm welcome only to be met with indifference.

"Uncle, Second Uncle, you two talk. I'll go back and tidy up. I still need to spray pesticides tomorrow. These bollworms in the field are really hard to deal with."