Chapter 205 Let's Bear It Together

He lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on the yellowed old photograph.

"Let's take another picture when we get to Yuxin."

"How about letting Rong Kai stand in the middle?"

Li Huachen's cheeks suddenly flushed.

She hurriedly lowered her head, her fingers trembling slightly, and quickly folded the photo in half before stuffing it into the left pocket of her bosom.

Then, she bent down and pulled out an old, small tin biscuit box from the very bottom of the suitcase.

A few copper coins lay quietly inside the box.

That was given to her secretly by her mother.

These items are said to ward off evil spirits, protect against disasters, and ensure safety, so they must not be lost.

"What's so special about this piece of junk?"

Zhou Shufen also came over at some point and peeked into the box.

"When we get to Yuxin, I'll have Yufan buy it for you again."

“My mother said that copper coins can ward off disasters.”

Li Huachen didn't look up, but just said something in a low voice.

She carefully tucked the box into the innermost pocket of her backpack.

"Yu Fan, is Yu Xin's house... far from my sister-in-law and brother?"

Zhou Yufan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

"They're not in Yuxin, they're in Ningcheng. Shufen has just opened a new business, and her sister-in-law is shrewd and manages the accounts. Let's stay in Yuxin for a few days, settle in, and then go find them."

"Special Economic Zone?"

Li Huachen suddenly looked up.

"Is it the kind of place they talk about in the newspapers, where you can open your own shop and do business? You can set your own prices and sell your own things, without having to wait for the factory to assign you work?"

Over the years living in the countryside of Guixi, she had no other way to learn about the outside world except by listening to the factory's broadcasts every day.

Occasionally, you might hear snippets of conversation from people returning to the city to visit relatives, but these are always fragmented and difficult to discern as true or false.

I've only vaguely heard that there's a place to the south called a "Special Zone".

Everyone can do business; the streets are brightly lit, and doors are never closed at night.

"That's right there."

Zhou Yufan smiled as he stuffed a piece of dry firewood into the stove.

"The policies there are flexible and there are many opportunities. As long as you are willing to work hard, you will be able to make a living."

Li Rongkai remained lying on the warm kang (a heated brick bed).

At that moment, he suddenly sat up and asked in a clear voice.

"Dad, does Ningcheng have a carousel? Or a flying chair? Like the ones in cartoons, the ones that go round and round and even go up into the sky?"

"More than just the carousel!"

Zhou Yufan burst into laughter.

"And there are tall buildings, more than ten times taller than our big chimney! You stand at the bottom and look up, your neck will get sore from craning your neck, and you still can't see the top."

Zhou Shufen carried a basin of hot water into the outer room.

Li Huachen did not speak again.

She silently re-examined the small tin box.

"Can that place really accommodate someone like me?"

Why not?

Upon hearing her words, Zhou Yufan squatted down.

“Things are different now. We used to be poor and had a lot of rules. But things are different now. Policies have opened up opportunities everywhere. Capable people are in high demand all over the country. You can do accounting, you can use an abacus, and your handwriting is neater than the town accountant's. Going to Ningcheng to help Shufen with the accounts is a respectable job, respectable and promising, much better than working in a textile factory for a lifetime.”

He paused.

“You should go out, Hua Chen, you shouldn’t be buried here.”

Li Rongkai crept up to her.

"Mom, I heard from others that people in the Special Economic Zone wear shirts and sunglasses, and they walk with a swagger. They look so impressive."

Upon hearing this, Li Huachen couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She reached out and pinched her son's cheek, scolding him playfully, "You're so well-informed."

Then, she turned to look at Zhou Yufan.

"Then... we have to bring that too."

She spoke softly.

"I heard that it's warm and rainy in the south, so maybe... the flowers will bloom."

She had never seen that flower before.

But she was willing to believe that one day, this cactus, which struggled to grow in the barren soil of the north, would also be able to bloom a flower of its own in the warm south.

Zhou Yufan looked into her eyes without saying a word.

The snow finally stopped in the middle of the night.

Li Rongkai was exhausted after a long day and fell asleep before he could even finish speaking.

Zhou Yufan and Li Huachen sat side by side.

"Yufan."

Li Huachen suddenly spoke.

"When we get to Yuxin... are you really planning to marry me?"

Zhou Yufan's heart skipped a beat.

He turned to look at her, and then slowly spoke.

"Of course. I will welcome you in."

It wasn't done secretly or by making do with grievances; it was done openly and publicly, announcing it to everyone.

Li Huachen is my woman.

She didn't answer, but quietly snuggled closer to him, her shoulder gently pressing against his arm.

"Hua Chen, don't be afraid."

He said softly.

“Our lives are so much better now than before. Although we’re not rich yet, at least we have something to look forward to. Look, Rong Kai can go to school now, and at least we have hot meals at home.”

“Your dad used to look down on me because my family was poor, and he always felt I wasn’t good enough for you. But these days, without money, you don’t have the confidence to speak, and you have to think twice before buying a pencil for your child. I can’t let you and your child continue to live that kind of hard life. So, I still have to work my ass off to earn money, and I’m willing to work eighteen hours a day. You… won’t think I’m materialistic, will you?”

Li Huachen raised her head, her eyes shining brightly.

"From now on, I'll work hard with you! I'm no longer the woman who can only hide in the house waiting for rice to cook. I want to stand shoulder to shoulder with you, and walk together through wind and rain. You fight, I fight, and neither of us will be left behind."

Although she worked in a textile factory, it was only a day job; she worked one day at a time, and her wages were sometimes there and sometimes not.

Over the years, if it weren't for the help of a few people in the factory, she and Rong Kai would have been unable to survive.

"Okay, let's carry it together."

He gripped her hand tightly.

"Life will only get better and better. I promise you, Huachen, one day we will be able to live in a bright house, without the sound of leaking rain, and without having to count the grains of rice when cooking."

The next morning.

Before dawn, Zhou Shufen went out wearing a thick cotton-padded coat.

She found out that the market was an abandoned vegetable market in the west of the city, and thought she would try her luck there and buy some meat and eggs while she was there.

Rong Kai is growing up, and Yu Fan is also working; the family can't just have pickled vegetables and rice for every meal.

In winter, it's cold, and selling other vegetables makes it easier to get questioned.

Chinese cabbage is the safest, everyone eats it, and it doesn't attract attention.

I had just set up my stall when I bumped into an acquaintance.

Clerk Yang was sent to the market to buy meat by his wife early in the morning.

Looking up, I caught sight of Zhou Shufen and paused for a moment.

He pretended not to see it, hurriedly picked out a piece of pork with a good balance of fat and lean meat, paid, and turned to leave.

When he got home, he went straight to the police station without even taking off his coat.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he sneaked into the office of Deputy Director Wu Qinghai and muttered in a low voice.

"There's a lucrative opportunity over there at the market, just wait and see. You know Zhou Shufen, right? She's setting up a stall there today, and it's doing a great job."

Upon hearing this, Wu Qinghai's eyes immediately narrowed.

He's been worried about not having any achievements lately, so this is a good opportunity to use it as a starting point.

"Well done, I'll give you credit later."

An hour later, Wu Qinghai, accompanied by several uniformed henchmen, braved the cold wind and headed straight for the market.

Inside the market, people came and went, and the stall owners continued to hawk their wares as usual.