Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

"Little tree, hold on tight!"

Chen Mian put the rice cakes and wine into a cloth bag, slung it over his shoulder, and then pushed the 28-year-old beam outside.

This bottle of wine would cost more than thirty yuan at the supply and marketing cooperative, and the steamed rice cake was also a generous gift from the old man.

The gifts weren't given away for nothing. Yang Baoyuan wanted to ask about fishing techniques, but Chen Mian just laughed it off.

If the idea of ​​using lures gets out, it could cause a terrible accident that I can't afford to take.

"If we dawdle any longer, it will get dark."

"Brother, it's only a little past two o'clock."

Chen Shu replied impatiently, then ran out of the side room with his bare bottom exposed and rushed to the main room at full speed. He had just taken a bath and felt refreshed, but he was really depressed.

I only come back for a day and a half a week, and I had a rare chance to have a great time with my friends, but then my second brother, who spoils the fun, showed up.

"If I were you, I'd be too embarrassed to join in. You're the only one in the group who can't ride a bicycle. I'd be ashamed for you if word got out," Chen Mian said to herself, without any intention of turning back.

Two minutes later, Chen Shu stepped out of the house with an air of composure.

"Zhiyong can do it, that's fine. He carried me on his back, and I even let him copy my homework."

Chen Shu felt no shame at all. Instead, he closed the door with a smug look on his face, then slung a colorful cloth bag over his shoulder and adjusted the tassel-like strips at the bottom.

Chen Mian sat on the back of the bicycle with her arms crossed. Looking at her younger brother's vain and clean-cut appearance, she couldn't help but laugh when she imagined his future chubby, unshaven look.

"What's wrong?" Chen Shu looked down at himself, looking completely bewildered. But when he looked up again, he found that his second brother's expression had changed.

"Can Zhiyong take care of you for a lifetime? Can you let Zhiyong copy your homework for a lifetime? Do you believe that you two will have to separate in junior high school?"

Chen Mian's serious words startled her younger brother, who fell silent with a drawn face.

"When winter break comes, you must learn to ride a bike."

……

Anping Village and Daokou Village are more than ten miles apart. Although they both belong to Lianhua Township, their economic environments are different.

Anping Village is located in a remote area, and is known for its small population, large land area, and relatively poor conditions.

Daokou Village is located next to Lianhua Township and is not far from the county seat. It is known for its large population and limited land, with less than one mu of land per person.

People mainly work in various factories or do small businesses. As for the few acres of land they own, they manage them without breaking a sweat, so they are relatively well-off.

Chen Mian stopped outside a factory yard. On the left was a white sign with black lettering that read: Changhe Plastics Factory.

The owner of the plastic factory is Zhuang Changhe, who is the cousin of his brother-in-law, Zhuang Chengzhu. After starting the factory, he brought his whole family into the business, and his salary is much higher than that of outsiders.

"Second brother, my classmates said this factory can earn tens of thousands of yuan a year." Chen Shu got out of the car, straightened his clothes and backpack, and looked at the sign with envy.

"Yes, it costs tens of thousands," Chen Mian exclaimed, pushing the cart inside.

In 1994, the average monthly salary of workers in the county town was around 200 yuan, while only a few core technical jobs could reach 300 yuan.

Although the "ten-thousand-yuan household" label has gradually become a thing of the past, tens of thousands of yuan is still a huge number, whether it is net income or gross income.

My family's annual net income is only four thousand yuan, the difference is huge.

Chen Mian didn't like the odor in the factory, so she asked someone to go in and deliver a message.

A moment later, a middle-aged woman walked towards us, wearing a blue work uniform with the factory's name printed on it, and dark sleeves on her arms.

Those eyes with their whites showing, along with their high cheekbones, made her seem unapproachable even with a faint smile. This person was none other than Huang Guiying, the eldest sister's mother-in-law.

"You two are here so early! Your sister took the child to see a doctor today, she'll be back later."

Huang Guiying spoke casually, but her gaze lingered on Chen Mian's bulging cloth bag, wondering if he had brought some gifts.

She was not too keen on this marriage in the first place because Chen Jiachun earned money by farming, which was very hard work, and his family was much worse off than hers. He also had three younger brothers to support, which made her very worried.

As a result, the youngest son was adamant about his choice to have a free love relationship, and the old man in the family, who doted on his grandson, spoke up, leaving them with no choice but to give in.

Sure enough, trouble came not long after the wedding. The brother-in-law came to Daokou Village to study and insisted on eating, drinking and staying there. Before the son could even give back his earnings, he had given all of them to his in-laws.

Although the Chen family would occasionally bring some things, compared to her son's contributions, those little things were nothing, which made her feel increasingly disgusted.

The three of them stood at the factory gate chatting. They didn't seem too busy at the moment. A worker passed by and, since they were either relatives or acquaintances in the factory and knew each other's situation, came over and asked them a question.

Huang Guiying was also a person who cared about her reputation. No matter what was going on at home, she had to go out and talk to people. So she pretended to smile and replied that it was Jia Hua's brother from her family who had come.

Chen Mian could naturally understand the implication in Huang Guiying's tone. He then calmly took out a Daqianmen cigarette and offered one to the two workers. They accepted it without much hesitation and casually tucked it behind their ears.

"It's alright, let Chen Shu wait a little longer, he's just killing time anyway." Chen Mian took off the large cloth bag in front of him, and then pulled out a box of steamed rice cakes. "These steamed rice cakes are pretty good, better than the ones sold at the market. They're good for filling your stomach when you're hungry."

Huang Guiying took the box, glanced at it indifferently, and thought, "How good can it be? It's worth no more than ten yuan inside and out."

But then, Chen Mian pulled out a long box.

Although she wasn't very educated and didn't know much about baijiu (Chinese liquor), she had seen a lot of information about it.

In her mind, the more attractive the packaging, the more expensive the item, so she quickly stepped forward and accepted it.

"I don't really know much about it either. I heard that Grandpa likes this kind of thing, so I bought this bottle." Chen Mian explained as she opened the packaging. The glass bottle was frosted.

My sister's husband's grandfather, who is over seventy years old, remembers my sister mentioning that he really likes a sip of Lao Baigan (a type of Chinese liquor), which is why he specifically asked Yang Baoyuan to exchange for this kind of liquor.

"Wow~ Look at how generous Jia Hua's brother is," a worker receiving a cigarette couldn't help but exclaim.

Another person chimed in, "This baijiu doesn't look cheap; it must cost twenty or thirty yuan."

In an era when people only eat meat a dozen or so times a year, gifts exchanged in rural areas are mostly eggs, brown sugar, pastries, and locally produced agricultural products, generally costing no more than 20 yuan.

This time, Chen Mian's gift of a single bottle of wine cost more than 20.

They all knew that Zhuang Chengzhu was in charge of his brother-in-law's schooling, but they didn't expect that his father-in-law's family was not a good family either, and that they would be so generous as to come once a week. How many things must they be bringing?

Huang Guiying held the liquor in both hands, twirling it around to examine it. A genuine smile crept onto her lips. Seeing the surprised and envious looks on the faces of those around her, her smile widened even more. This in-law had finally come to her senses.

"This child, it's fine if you come, but why buy all this stuff? It's ridiculously expensive."

Chen Shu had lived at the older sister's house for quite some time and knew the woman well. Seeing her change of expression, he turned his head away and pursed his lips.

Chen Mian patted her younger brother on the back, signaling him to be mindful of the occasion, especially since they were in front of strangers.

"It didn't cost much, and I even caught a mandarin fish..."

Before Chen Mian could finish speaking, a series of rapid footsteps echoed from inside the factory.

"Mandarin fish?!"