Lin Wanqiu nodded and added, "The counter should be made higher so that customers can easily choose what they need. We can also add a few drawers underneath to store ledgers and change. Oh, and the sign at the entrance should be eye-catching. Use red paint for the lettering and draw some simple patterns, like peanuts and sesame seeds, so that people can tell at a glance that we sell food."

The couple chatted away, planning every detail of the shop. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting warm shadows on them. Chen Nian sat on the steps by the door, drawing on the ground with a twig. He drew a family of four standing at the shop entrance, all smiling, with the words "Late Autumn Food Shop" written crookedly next to them.

"Mom and Dad, look!" Shen Nian'an held up the painting and shouted excitedly, "When our shop opens, let's take pictures here as a family, okay?"

Lin Wanqiu walked over, squatted down and hugged her son, her eyes getting a little hot: "Okay, once the store opens, we'll definitely take pictures here, and we'll hang them in the most prominent place at home."

Shen Tingzhou looked at the mother and son, his heart filled with happiness. He knew that every step they had taken, from the countryside to the county town, and then to the city, had not been easy, but as long as the family was together and worked together, there was no difficulty they could not overcome.

As they left the city, the setting sun cast a golden glow on the commercial street. Lin Wanqiu looked back; the shops under renovation were faintly visible in the twilight, and her heart was filled with anticipation. She could almost see it: when the shops opened next month, customers lining up to buy baby food and snacks, children smiling happily with sesame brittle in their hands, and her and Shen Tingzhou standing behind the counter, busy yet happy.

"Things will get better and better from now on," Lin Wanqiu said softly, as if she were talking to herself, and also as if she were talking to Shen Tingzhou.

Shen Tingzhou held her hand tightly, his tone firm: "We definitely will. We will not only open a good store in the city, but also open stores in more places in the future, so that more people will know the name 'Late Autumn' and our children can live a better life than we have."