Zhang Junyi leaned comfortably against the back of his chair, rubbing his stomach with complete satisfaction, "Grandma," he exclaimed cheerfully, "you are truly the best! You actually prepared such a lavish breakfast." His eyes shone with delight before he turned toward Li Shuying, "Little Shuying, I think you should come to our house every single day."
Li Shuying couldn't help but laugh, "That would trouble Grandma too much." She glanced at the table, where only a few empty bowls and bamboo steamers remained, "But I have to admit, today's breakfast was unforgettable."
She smiled sincerely, "I've never eaten such delicious food before. Uncle Zhang was absolutely right. Grandma's cooking is extraordinary. The baozi alone..." She sighed in admiration. "One bite was enough to make people forget all their worries."
Old Madam Zhang's smile deepened, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes becoming even gentler, "Child, don't flatter this old woman so much." She waved her hand modestly, "It only tastes good because I've spent half my lifetime standing beside a stove. What skill I have simply comes from years of practice."
Her gaze softened as she looked at Li Shuying, "And besides... This meal was only possible because of you. If you hadn't brought those ingredients, even if this old woman possessed all the cooking skills in the world, I still couldn't have prepared such a table."
She smiled warmly, "And don't ever think you're troubling us. If you're free, come whenever you like. This house will always welcome you."
Li Shuying's heart warmed. She nodded obediently, "Then I'll shamelessly trouble you in the future, Grandma. I would love to taste your cooking again." She smiled mischievously, "Especially your baozi. I dare say... They're probably even better than the ones in Beijing."
The moment those words left her mouth, Old Madam Zhang's eyes lit up, "Oh?" She looked at Li Shuying with surprise, "You've been to Beijing?"
Li Shuying's expression froze almost imperceptibly. She quickly shook her head, "No, no. I've never had the chance to visit Beijing." She smiled awkwardly, "I've only heard people say that Beijing has the finest baozi in the whole country."
Only then did Old Madam Zhang chuckle, "So that's how it is. You've heard correctly." A nostalgic smile slowly spread across her face, "Beijing's baozi are indeed famous. But that's only the beginning. Shaobing, mantou, douzhi, jianbing, zhajiangmian, luzhu, those are the true flavors of old Beijing."
Li Shuying blinked curiously, "Grandma... you know Beijing exceptionally well."
Before the old lady could answer, Zhang Wenhao smiled, "My mother is a Beijinger."
Li Shuying nodded in sudden realization, "So that's why."
Outwardly, she showed realisation. But inwardly, she had guessed as much the moment she first met the old woman. Everything about Old Madam Zhang was different from ordinary people.
Her posture, speech and manners carried effortless refinement. This wasn't something that could be learned overnight. It was the result of decades of upbringing. Nor did it resemble the temperament of an ordinary scholarly household.
It was something even more distinguished. Maybe a family that had once enjoyed genuine prosperity and cultivation.
Old Madam Zhang seemed unaware of Li Shuying's thoughts. She slowly leaned back in her chair, her gaze drifting somewhere far beyond the courtyard, "I lived in Beijing for nearly forty years." A faint smile lingered on her lips, "Although I've lived away from it for many years now... I have never forgotten where my roots lie."
She gently stroked the edge of her porcelain bowl, "The breakfast I made today was actually nothing remarkable. In those days, you could find these foods on almost every street in Beijing. Step outside at dawn and every few hundred paces there would be another vendor. The aroma of freshly steamed baozi. The fragrance of sesame shaobing coming out of the clay ovens."
"Before sunrise, entire streets would already be bustling with people." As she spoke, nostalgia gradually filled her eyes, "Those were difficult years, the country was in turmoil. Governments changed, warlords fought. Foreign powers occupied parts of the capital. Even Beijing's status as the nation's capital was stripped away for a time."
She sighed softly, "So many things changed, so many old families disappeared and so many familiar streets became unrecognizable." Her voice remained calm, yet it carried the weight of countless memories.
"But..." A trace of pride quietly appeared on her face, "There was one thing no one could ever take away. Our culture, customs, food, and heritage. They could never erase the soul of Beijing."
She smiled gently, "Because true heritage does not live in buildings. It lives in people. As long as someone remembers, our roots will never disappear."
For a brief moment, the entire room fell silent. Neither Zhang Wenhao nor Zhang Junyi spoke.
Even Li Shuying quietly lowered her eyes. Although she knew history would continue to sweep countless people along like leaves in a river, hearing the old lady speak with such quiet dignity made her feel a deep sense of respect.
She quietly looked at Old Madam Zhang. For reasons she herself couldn't explain, Li Shuying suddenly found herself becoming curious about that distant city.
Just what kind of place was Beijing?
What was so extraordinary about it that everyone who spoke of it did so with reverence, while those born there carried an unmistakable pride wherever they went?
Even Old Madam Zhang, after leaving the city for so many years, still regarded it with such affection.
In both of her lifetimes, Li Shuying had never once set foot there. She had only heard people mention it in passing. Occasionally, she had seen images of the capital on television or on the small screen of a mobile phone in her previous life.
Yet she had never truly considered visiting it. Partly because it was simply too far away. But more importantly, because she had grown up hearing the same saying repeated by countless villagers, "Going to Beijing is harder than ascending to Heaven."
To ordinary rural people, Beijing was not merely a city. It was another world entirely. A place that seemed forever beyond their reach.
Then, a painful memory quietly surfaced in her heart. In her previous life, her eldest brother had once left home with dreams of finding work in Beijing.
Yet... He had never returned.
Even after she gradually has enough money later in life to travel if she wished, she had never gathered the courage to visit Beijing.
But... This life was different. Everything had changed. She possessed the System Space. As it continued to level up and unlock new functions, she would only become wealthier and more resourceful.
Almost unconsciously, a bold thought emerged in her heart. What if... One day... I bring my entire family to settle in Beijing?
The thought startled even herself. When she had first awakened in this body barely a month ago, her ambitions had been astonishingly simple. Survive the coming disaster and protect her family from all the evil eyes.
Leaving this village was also the part of the plan. After carefully considering the future, she had merely hoped to appear for the National College Entrance Examination and enter a university. She had believed that would already be the pinnacle of her aspirations.
But now... Listening to Old Madam Zhang speak of Beijing... She suddenly realized just how narrow her vision had been.
Leaving the village was one thing. Moving to an ordinary city was another.
But Beijing... That was entirely different. No one understood the future better than she did.
She knew that few decades later, settling in Beijing would become extraordinarily difficult. Even graduating from a prestigious university would not necessarily guarantee a permanent Beijing household registration. Countless talented people would spend their entire lives chasing that single hukou without success.
If she truly wished to establish her family there... Then now... These early years... Might very well be her greatest opportunity.
Yet as soon as the excitement arose, another question immediately followed.
But... how? She slowly lowered her eyes. Her eldest brother and her second brother, both possessed outstanding academic talent. If they studied diligently, they would certainly have the opportunity to enter Peking university.
But she and her third brother were different. She knew her own abilities better than anyone else. Even in her previous life, despite studying diligently, she had usually ranked only within the top ten of her class. To ordinary people, that was already impressive. But compared to the fierce competition in college entrance exam this days, it was nowhere near enough.
She had never been a genius. She was simply someone willing to work harder than others. For a brief moment, uncertainty quietly spread through her heart. Could she really achieve something that even countless brilliant people failed to accomplish?
Then, her expression gradually firmed. A sharp light slowly appeared in her eyes.
No, how can I think like this? I've already lived an entire lifetime. How can someone who has been granted a second chance lose before even beginning? She silently rebuked herself.
A person's talent might determine how high they could leap. But determination decided whether they leapt at all.
She slowly took a deep breath. The hesitation within her heart quietly dissipated. No matter what the future held. Trying could never be wrong.
A faint smile unconsciously curved her lips. She had found a dream that reached far beyond simply surviving, within her heart, a tiny seed had silently taken root, called ambition.
Whether it would one day grow into a towering tree... Only time could answer.
After helping Old Madam Zhang clear the bowls and wipe down the table, Li Shuying chatted with Zhang Wenhao for a little while longer before politely taking her leave.
Zhang Wenhao insisted on walking her to the door, but Li Shuying politely declined with a smile, "It isn't far, Uncle Zhang. You should stay and accompany Grandma."
Old Madam Zhang smiled warmly and waved her hand, "Come visit this old woman whenever you're free."
Li Shuying nodded obediently and only then did she step out of the Zhang residence.
Zhang Junyi naturally followed after her. Neither of them spoke until they had walked several hundred meters away from the Zhang residence.
Only after making sure no one familiar was nearby did Li Shuying suddenly stop.
She turned to Zhang Junyi with bright eyes, "So... You've already sold everything?"
Zhang Junyi, who had been eagerly preparing to announce the good news himself, froze on the spot. His eyes widened, "How... how did you know?"
Li Shuying simply smiled, "That's not important." She looked at him curiously, "I'm more interested in knowing how you managed it."
At the mention of this, Zhang Junyi immediately puffed out his chest proudly, "Hmph, didn't I tell you before? Our Dong Tian Gang isn't just for show. Every brother in the gang knows the county like the back of his hand. And more importantly, they each have their own acquaintances. Instead of dumping all the grain in one place, we divided everything into small portions. Each brother took a little and quietly sold it to people they trusted. No one handled enough to attract attention. And because the transactions were scattered throughout the county and surrounding communes, no one suspected a thing."
He scratched the back of his head with a grin, "Our brothers may not know many characters, but when it comes to surviving on the streets, they're all clever."
Li Shuying couldn't help feeling impressed. She had originally worried that selling such a large quantity of grain in one go would inevitably attract unwanted attention. She hadn't expected Zhang Junyi and the Dong Tian Gang to think of such a discreet method.
Her expression relaxed considerably, "But wasn't that dangerous? What if someone became suspicious and reported you?"
Zhang Junyi waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry, we've already cleaned up every loose end. No one knows where the grain came from. Even if someone asks, every answer will be different. Our brothers have been surviving in the county for years. They know how to protect themselves."
As he spoke, he cautiously glanced around before slipping his hand inside his jacket. After confirming no one was watching, he secretly produced a tightly wrapped cloth bundle. Without another word, he stuffed it into Li Shuying's hands.
"Here. This is all the money we earned."
Li Shuying instinctively lowered her head. The moment she untied the corner of the cloth... Her breathing paused. Inside lay neatly stacked banknotes of various denominations.
One-yuan notes, five-yuan notes and even several precious ten-yuan notes. Beneath them was a small pile of coins.
Zhang Junyi scratched his nose proudly, "I counted everything twice. Three hundred and twenty-seven yuan and eighty-six fen. That's the total profit after selling all the supplies."
Although Li Shuying had mentally estimated a similar amount beforehand... Actually holding such a large sum of money in her hands felt completely different.
The weight of the bundle seemed astonishingly heavy. Three hundred and twenty-seven yuan. Added to the money she already possessed...
She now had well over five hundred yuan. In 1958, that was already a fortune many ordinary families could not accumulate in several years.
A faint smile unconsciously appeared on her lips. I'm already halfway to becoming a thousand-yuan household. She couldn't help feeling a surge of excitement.
Forget Shitou Village, even throughout the entire commune, there probably wasn't a single family with one thousand yuan in savings.
If she truly reached that milestone... Her family would become the wealthiest household in the entire village.
Yet before the joy could linger for long, another matter immediately surfaced in her mind. Without hesitation, she looked at Zhang Junyi.
"What about the brothers from the Dong Tian Gang? The money should be enough now. We can arrange for everyone to return to school, can't we?"
The smile on Zhang Junyi's face slowly disappeared. His expression became unusually complicated. He looked at Li Shuying for a long while before quietly asking, "Little Shuying, are you really certain?"
Li Shuying frowned, "This is already the second time you've asked me that." She looked at him in confusion, "What's gotten into you? Didn't I tell you before? If the brothers are willing to study, then I'll help every single one of them. So why do you keep asking whether I'm sure?"
Zhang Junyi let out a long sigh, "It's..." He hesitated, "It's not as simple as you think." Several times he seemed about to explain. Yet each time, he swallowed the words back down. Finally, he shook his head helplessly, "No, I don't think I can explain it properly. You should see it with your own eyes."
He raised his head and looked at her seriously, "Didn't we already agree to meet tomorrow? I'll come to the school gate and than I'll take you to the Dong Tian Gang's base. When you see the brothers yourself, you'll understand why I keep asking."
Li Shuying studied his unusually solemn expression. Although countless questions arose in her heart, she ultimately chose not to press further. She simply nodded, "Very well, tomorrow, then."
The two continued walking together for a while, discussing a few minor matters regarding future grain sales and renting a place place to store the grain.
Only after reaching the crossroads did they part ways. Watching Zhang Junyi disappear into the bustling county streets, Li Shuying tightened her grip on the cloth bundle hidden inside her jacket.
The bundle of money felt pleasantly heavy in Li Shuying's hands. But to her, this was only the beginning. Five hundred yuan was merely the first few steps.
With the System Space in her possession, she firmly believed that one day her family would not merely become a thousand-yuan household, they would become a ten-thousand-yuan household. Perhaps even wealthier than that.
A faint smile unconsciously appeared on her lips. Her thoughts once again drifted toward the dream that had quietly taken root in her heart.
One day, she would take her entire family to Beijing. Not as temporary visitors or as migrant workers struggling to survive. But as people who truly belonged there.
A permanent household registration. A family that could proudly call Beijing their home. Just imagining that scene made her heart race with excitement. Her steps became noticeably lighter as she walked along the county road.
Far away, however, back in Shitou Village, Zhao Hongmei finally pulled her feet free from the muddy paddy field. She looked down at the mud coating her legs and trousers, and her expression immediately twisted with disgust.
Ever since being reborn into this lifetime, she had avoided any kind of work whenever possible, especially farm labour, and thanks to the "Protagonist Halo Points" she possessed, things had unfolded far more smoothly than expected.
Even Wang Chunhua, who had previously ordered her around without mercy, had gradually stopped assigning her heavy work over the past month.
Today, however she had willingly stepped into the fields. And the reason...
"Aiya!" A old woman laughed heartily as she sat beneath the shade of a willow tree, leisurely fanning herself with a worn palm-leaf fan, "Hongmei, ah, Hongmei! You truly are a blessing sent by Heaven. If it weren't for you helping this old woman, who knows how many more days it would have taken me to finish this field?"
Hearing the praise, Zhao Hongmei inwardly rolled her eyes. 'Old hag, you didn't lift a single finger.'
Yet outwardly, she immediately put on an obedient smile, "It's nothing, Grandma Jiao. I'm just happy I could help." Her voice was gentle and well-behaved, exactly like that of a filial junior.
The surrounding villagers immediately began praising her.
"See? That's what a proper girl should be like. Helpful, hardworking, and virtuous. Hongmei is truly a good child."
Another woman nodded repeatedly, "Exactly. She's still so young, yet she's already so sensible."
Someone else looked at Old Jiao with open envy, "Aunt Jiao, you've really struck good fortune today. Your entire plot is nearly finished, yet you barely moved an inch. You've earned your work points while sitting comfortably beneath a tree."
The others burst into laughter.
Old Jiao laughed until the wrinkles around her eyes deepened, "Don't envy me, everyone." She looked at Zhao Hongmei affectionately, "Our Hongmei simply couldn't bear to see this old woman working herself to exhaustion. So she came to lend me a hand."
The more she looked at Zhao Hongmei, the more satisfied she became.
Suddenly, she clapped her hands, "Hongmei, you should come again tomorrow. We'll work together."
At this rate, we'll finish planting within a week." She grinned broadly. "And this old woman will tell you even more village gossip. How about it?"
The smile on Zhao Hongmei's face nearly froze. Her eyelids twitched violently, "Ah... Grandma Jiao, I... I have school tomorrow. I'm afraid I won't be able to come."
Old Jiao immediately frowned, "School? What use is school for a girl?" She waved her fan dismissively, "A girl's proper place is helping around the house. When you marry in the future, will your mother-in-law ask how many characters you know? No."
"She'll ask whether you can cook, work in the fields, and manage a household. If you work hard while you're young, your body will become strong. And a strong body means healthy sons. That's real ability."
As she spoke, her experienced eyes instinctively swept over Zhao Hongmei's figure. They eventually settled on her hips. Compared to the other malnourished village girls, Zhao Hongmei's figure was noticeably fuller.
Old Aunt Jiao's eyes suddenly lit up. She slapped her thigh excitedly, "Aiya! Hongmei! Why don't you marry my grandson?" She enthusiastically pointed toward a young man laboring nearby. The boy was thin and wiry, his dark skin scorched by years beneath the sun. Sweat continuously streamed down his face as he worked without stopping.
"Look at him! My grandson is hardworking. He can work like an old ox from dawn until dusk without complaining. If you two became husband and wife, you'd surely make a fine match." Her eyes widened in exitment and she slapped her thigh and said, "that's such a good idea, I'll immediately go and find a good matchmaker and send proposal to Wang Chunhua and Sun Guifeng."
The moment Zhao Hongmei heard this, her entire body stiffened. Her gaze landed on the dark, skinny young man. His face was weathered, clothes were covered in patches and hands were rough and cracked. A surge of disgust rose uncontrollably within her.
Me? Marry him? In your dreams! She nearly vomited from the thought. Her face instantly turned pale, "No, I won't marry anyone. I'm only thirteen and it's not a proper age to get married," she gulped and than said hurriedly, "I... I just remembered... I still have something important to do."
Without waiting for another word, she hurriedly turned around and almost fled from the fields.
Behind her, Old Aunt Jiao shouted in confusion, "Hongmei, think about it, my grandson is really a good young man!"
But Zhao Hongmei had already disappeared. She ran several hundred meters before finally slowing down. Only then did she let out a long breath.
Her expression darkened. That old hag...
If I hadn't needed information about Wang Xiuying and Li Guoqiang... Do you think I'd waste half a day helping you plant seedlings? And she actually wanted to marry me off to that ugly grandson of hers?
She sneered coldly.
Her mood gradually calmed. Although the morning had been unpleasant, the information she had obtained made the trip worthwhile. Even now, she still found it difficult to believe it.
Li Shuying's father, had actually been that popular to the extent that a proud woman like Wang Xiuying, who had become an urban resident and a state factory worker, remained hopelessly infatuated with him after all these years.
Thinking of Li Guoqiang's handsome face and extraordinary future, Zhao Hongmei couldn't suppress the jealousy rising within her.
But soon, that jealousy transformed into delight. For over a month now, Li Shuying had repeatedly slipped beyond her calculations. Every plan she devised seemed to fail.
It had left Zhao Hongmei increasingly frustrated. Yet now, she finally believed she had found a leverage. A slow smile crept across her lips. She didn't care what happens between Wang Xiuying and Li Guoqiang.
The only thing that mattered, was how she could manipulate this situation for her own benefit. As long as she played her cards well, she could completely shatter the Li family's harmony followed by her entire future.
Just then, another thought suddenly surfaced. Something isn't right, in her previous life Wang Xiuying had never returned throughout all those years, Zhao Hongmei had never heard any rumors involving Wang Xiuying and Li Guoqiang. After settling in Anshan, Wang Xiuying had seemingly vanished from everyone's lives. She had never returned to the village again.
At least, not until Zhao Hongmei died. So, what had changed in this lifetime? She frowned deeply, searching through the memories of her previous life again and again. But no matter how much she thought, she couldn't find an answer.
Finally, she shook her head. There was no point dwelling on it now. The important thing was what lay ahead. With that thought, Zhao Hongmei quickened her pace.
She hurried toward home. She couldn't wait to tell her mother everything she had discovered today.