As soon as Jiang Sinian arrived in town, he turned into a winding alley and slowly wheeled out two bicycles, handing one to Fang Jingshan.
“Take this. When we get there, cover your face.”
“Got it!”
Fang Jingshan caught the cloth tossed toward him and stuffed it casually into his pocket, then eagerly turned his attention to the bicycle.
He had seen bicycles in town before, though not many people owned them. He had once ridden one thanks to someone else’s generosity. Now that it was his turn to ride one himself—and for a long time at that—he felt exhilarated.
He had heard that bicycles were invented by foreigners. He didn’t know whether that was true, but they certainly did save effort.
“Brother, I heard there are trains in the big cities~”
His eyes shone brightly. “The day after tomorrow, when we go to the county, are we going to ride that big bus?”
Jiang Sinian hung a large bag over the bar in the middle of the bicycle and replied casually, “We’ll definitely ride them in the future.”
The bicycles of this era were the tall “28-inch bar” kind—big frames that required you to swing your leg over the back seat to reach the pedals.
At first, Fang Jingshan wobbled, but soon he rode more smoothly.
Jiang Sinian rode steadily at a moderate pace, but Fang Jingshan quickly overtook him, riding ahead and bouncing occasionally over the dry, uneven ground.
Turning back, he shouted loudly, “Brother, one day I’m going to buy one too and ride it back just to make that stepfather and stepmother furious!”
“Alright!”
“Someday I’m going to live in a big house and go see the big city!”
His spirited voice echoed in the air, youthful vitality spilling freely under the blue sky.
There was a faint light in Jiang Sinian’s eyes as well—a hope for the future.
…
Ye Shizhi didn’t fully wake up until after nine. As usual, she lay there with her eyes closed for a while before getting up.
At that moment, she opened her control panel and saw that her points had reached 10. The details showed that she had completed three tasks.
Finishing one-tenth of the total points in a single day—she had to admit, it was a great start.
Even so, she couldn’t help worrying. It felt like the beginning of a game—easy tasks to lure you in, then increasing difficulty later to wipe you out.
The thought made her want to laugh. Still, she had about four years to complete the points missions, so there was no rush.
Jiang Suian. What a beautiful name.
She sighed inwardly.
Maybe because he was now growing inside her, maternal instinct made her especially fond of the child. But at only about one month along, she had no noticeable physical reactions yet.
The most urgent matter was making money.
The expenses for later pregnancy necessities and hospital fees would add up to quite a large sum.
She didn’t like waiting for someone else to hand her money while she simply held out her palm. As the saying goes, “Mountains collapse, and people run.” Even if Jiang Sinian could earn well, she wanted her own money. Not for anything else—just so she could spend it happily.
Naturally, she thought of a common money-making method she had read about in novels—setting up a street stall.
In the 1980s, markets were opening up, encouraging people to get rich first. There were plenty of business opportunities.
But she didn’t want to make money by setting up a stall. Compared to inheriting her father’s culinary skills—which she didn’t want—she preferred researching beverages and clothing.
In just a few minutes, Ye Shizhi decided to start with drinks.
If she were selling recipes, both options could work. But clothing she planned to manage herself later; she couldn’t casually lay that groundwork now.
As for drinks, if she remembered correctly, sodas had already appeared in this era—brands like Beihai Ocean and others.
That meant she wouldn’t have much opportunity there. Gradually, she set her sights on milk tea and canned goods.
Milk tea in the 21st century came in endless varieties, with many toppings. As for canned goods, she could upgrade fruit cans by adding ingredients like sago and white fungus.
No one had seen such things before. When introduced, they would certainly spark curiosity. With guaranteed quality and innovative advertising, there was great potential to multiply beverage sales several times over.
But before all that, she needed to visit town. If she remembered correctly, there was a mid-sized cannery there.
What she needed to do first was assess the market before deciding whether the plan was feasible.
Of course, none of this could be rushed. Her stomach was starting to feel hungry.
Rubbing her flat belly, she got out of bed.
Stepping outside, she saw the shadow of a tree cast over her head, while sunlight stretched beyond. The March sun wasn’t too strong. Standing at the doorway, she felt a refreshing breeze spread through her—very comfortable.
Suddenly her gaze paused. On a line stretched between the tree and the wall for drying clothes hung the clothes she had changed out of yesterday, swaying in the wind.
Well then—she had nothing to do.
Though she thought that, happiness still bubbled up inside her. It was nice that Jiang Sinian was so considerate, taking the initiative without her having to say anything.
She washed up at the same place where she had bathed yesterday. After tidying herself up, she slowly walked toward the kitchen.
Breakfast was still warm in the steamer. Ye Shizhi took it out and ate casually, thinking about what she should do that day. She didn’t really feel like going out, so she could only think of something else.
Unfortunately, even after finishing breakfast, she still hadn’t figured it out.
In the end, she moved a small stool under the tree to sit. After thinking it over, she felt it wasn’t ideal and went back to move the kitchen table outside as well.
Now she had both chair and table. What was she missing?
Ye Shizhi went into the room to look carefully and finally found a stack of paper and a pen.
There it was—she knew what she wanted to do.
Honestly, she had nearly forgotten her own field. Comic booklets were popular in this era. Why couldn’t she start from there too?
Once she made up her mind, she immediately got to work. She cut the paper into small pieces and began sketching slowly.
Modern comics and animation were very popular. For now, she chose a children’s theme, something in the style of “Big-Eared Dongdong.”
Very quickly, she settled on the protagonist and the general direction of the story. From there, she just needed to follow the outline.
Still, she drew the opening scene first, refining the main character’s image until she was satisfied.
It was at that moment that she heard noise outside—voices growing louder, mixed with the sound of a child crying.
Ye Shizhi felt puzzled. They lived near the mountain, with only a few households around. How had it suddenly become so lively?
Bang! Bang!
“The Jiangs! Open the door!”
The harsh pounding rang in her ears, unsettling her instantly.
She quickly gathered up the manuscripts on the table, frowning as she went to open the door.
The moment she opened it, people surged in and surrounded her, staring.
“Jiang family’s wife, yesterday your Jiang Sinian came to my house and stole a bowl of rice wine. You need to pay for that.”
There were five or six people—several strong men, a few older women, a girl about her age, and a chubby child standing nearby.
They didn’t look friendly at all. It was clear they had come to bully her through sheer numbers.