Guan Baiyu was brought from Changxi City by his grandmother, but he never went to Changxi City again and was full of curiosity about it.

Shi Zhen then told him about things in Changxi City. Just then, his grandmother arrived.

The young lady came to collect her payment for embroidering sweaters. Shi Zhen took out his ledger and calculated that she had embroidered a total of sixty-three yuan.

That's considered a small amount, but Grandma is keen on gossiping everywhere and desperately reveals her family's dirty secrets. She's never been serious about her work, so it's normal for her to act this way.

Shi Zhen took out the money and counted it out for his grandmother.

The young woman took the money but refused to leave: "Didn't Li Xiangwen also embroider a lot of clothes? Give me hers too."

Shi Zhen frowned upon hearing this: "That has her name on it, I can't give it to you. What if she comes to me for money later if I give it to you?"

“She lived in my house back then, so she was one of my family members. The clothes she embroidered should also be considered part of my family’s property,” the young grandmother said matter-of-factly.

Shi Zhen didn't want to waste words with her: "No means no. I won't give you the money unless she comes to collect it herself."

“She’s coming. Just let her come to me to get the money. You’re not giving her the money now. Are you trying to embezzle it? How can you do this!” the young woman wailed.

Shi Zhen ignored her, but when the people who came to collect the money asked later, he simply explained the reason.

Upon learning the reason, everyone was speechless. Li Xiangwen was truly lucky not to have married Guan Wenguo.

The next day, Shi Zhen stayed at home. On the same day, the rest of the people came one after another to collect their money.

Even Li Xiangwen came. She did a few dozen yuan of work for Shi Zhen and politely thanked him when she left.

Women with money are bound to spend it. By noon that day, Shi Zhen's popsicles were sold out, and he had to ride his tricycle through the water to get more.

Unlike motorcycles, tricycles don't stall when they go through water, but riding a tricycle in water is really tiring.

When I get home, I'll need to oil the bike chain and do some maintenance.

A day passed in the blink of an eye, and by the time Shi Zhen and Guan Baiyu agreed to go to Changxi City, the water level on the road had dropped considerably.

In another day or two, the water will probably be gone, and everyone can go back to what they were doing.

Early that morning, Shi Zhen and Guan Baiyu went to town to pick up Shi Ting.

When they arrived, Shi Ting was already dressed and waiting, exuding a rich scent of face cream.

This kind of face cream sells for one cent a pack right now, and recently Zhao Meiyun, Zhao Qiujuan, and Shi Ting have all been using it.

Shi Zhen didn't really like the taste, but it was clear that Shi Ting and the others liked it.

As soon as Shi Ting saw Shi Zhen, she jumped up excitedly: "Brother! Brother!"

It was still early, and Zhao Qiujuan was still selling rice balls at the market, while Shi Dalin and Zhao Meiyun were at home.

They go to bed late and have just gotten up and are having breakfast.

Preparing breakfast is a hassle, so Zhao Meiyun usually cooks extra rice the night before and keeps it in the cupboard. In the morning, she adds water to the leftover rice and cooks it into porridge for her family. Today is no different.

She and Shi Dalin each held a large bowl and ate their porridge with gusto. There were several side dishes on the table, including pickled peanuts left by Zhao Qiujuan and fried eggs. It looked quite a feast.

Shi Zhen asked Shi Ting, "Tingting, have you eaten?"

Shi Ting said, "I ate, I ate a long time ago." Shi Ting got up early in the morning and couldn't wait for Zhao Meiyun to get up and cook breakfast. She made herself a bowl of cold rice, soaked it in boiling water, and filled her stomach.

She waited for a long time before Shi Zhen finally arrived.

"Let's go then," Shi Zhen said.

No sooner had Shi Zhen finished speaking than a voice suddenly interrupted: "You're going to Changxi City? I want to go too."

The speaker was Zhao Dongjuan, who had just come downstairs.

Back then, Shi Zhen always agreed to Zhao Dongjuan's requests.

Zhao Meiyun and Zhao Qiujuan treated him very well, and out of respect for them, he wouldn't refuse Zhao Dongjuan.

But now he's not willing: "If you want to go, you can go by yourself."

There were many similar situations in my past life. For example, when Zhao Qiujuan's child was about to start school, he took the child to buy school supplies. Zhao Dongjuan insisted on coming along, but she didn't care about the child. However, when it was time to pay, she brought a bunch of things with her.

He was concerned about saving face back then, so he could only pay together.

They went to a stationery store, and Zhao Qiujuan bought a lot of notebooks without batting an eye, then went through the trouble of selling them to make money later...

"You're so biased! You treat this cousin, who we don't even know where he came from, so well, but you're estranged from your family! You live with him every day and never come home. Now you're even taking him to Changxi City, which your parents haven't even been to yet!" Zhao Dongjuan directly attacked Guan Baiyu this time.

Shi Zhen ignored her and said to Shi Dalin and Zhao Meiyun, "Dad, Aunt Zhao, we're leaving now."

Zhao Dongjuan doesn't appreciate the kindness others have shown her, so naturally he's not willing to be taken advantage of.

Shi Zhen turned and left.

Zhao Dongjuan still had some sense of shame, so she didn't follow. But she turned to Shi Dalin and said, "Dad, I went out and inquired. Guan Baiyu used to be penniless and extremely poor. It was my brother who went to his door and helped him little by little. That's how he was able to make a living. I don't know how much money my brother gave him. I heard that my brother is even planning to support his education!"

Shi Dalin asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"Dad, my brother gave the family's money to outsiders."

Shi Dalin was even more puzzled: "When did your brother use the family's money?" His son had run away to work before, and he had to find a way to save up for his own travel expenses.

Zhao Dongjuan's expression froze.

Shi Dalin didn't take Zhao Dongjuan's words to heart.

Guan Baiyu didn't have much money before, so he believed it.

But when his son first arrived here, he needed to stay and eat, and everything cost money. Guan Baiyu must have helped his son.

Guan Baiyu must have helped his son when he was setting up his stall.

His son started from scratch, and he only made money because others helped him. It's only natural for him to share some with them.

Besides, it was his son's money, not his.

His son is only eighteen and already earning his own money. He even gave him a profitable business opportunity, which he is already very satisfied with. There's no reason for him to care how his son spends his money.

His son isn't one to squander money.

Unable to reason with Shi Dalin, Zhao Dongjuan could only sit down and eat in a huff.

Zhao Meiyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was better for her daughter to cause trouble for Guan Baiyu than for her to cause trouble for Shi Ting.

Shi Zhen took Guan Baiyu and Shi Ting on a bus to Changxi City.

When Shi Ting came to Anshan Town before, she had taken a long bus ride with Shi Zhen. She felt a little uncomfortable at first, but she got used to it later. This time, she didn't feel uncomfortable at all.

However, Guan Baiyu's expression changed after driving for a short while.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Shi Zhen asked him.

Guan Baiyu nodded with a grim expression.

Shi Zhen asked the ticket seller for a plastic bag for Guan Baiyu: "You're carsick, you might throw up. It's safer to take this bag... If you feel like throwing up later, just throw up in the bag."

Guan Baiyu was indeed carsick; his face looked pale, and he couldn't help but gag, but thankfully he didn't actually vomit.

Shi Zhen was a little worried, but there was nothing he could do, so he could only offer quiet words of comfort.

In his past life, Guan Baiyu would also get carsick, but it was never this bad... If he had known it would turn out like this, he would have definitely bought more motion sickness medicine.

"Would you like to lean against me? It'll make you more comfortable," Shi Zhen said to Guan Baiyu.

Guan Baiyu glanced at Shi Zhen, nodded, and leaned against him.

He felt very uncomfortable, and this discomfort reminded him of what Zhao Dongjuan had said before.

He and Shi Zhen are just cousins...

Guan Baiyu leaned on Shi Zhen's shoulder, clutching Shi Zhen's clothes, her eyes closed, her eyelashes trembling, and her lips pale.

Shi Zhen was at a loss for what to do and could only stare at him without moving.

Shi Ting: "..."

When she got on the bus, she took a window seat, wanting her brother to sit with her.

As a result, her brother sat with Guan Baiyu!

That's not all; her brother has been taking care of Guan Baiyu and has completely forgotten about her.

Shi Ting felt a little wronged.

Is she no longer the person her brother loves the most?

However, Shi Ting only felt aggrieved for a short while before she stopped thinking about it and started thinking about all sorts of things she could buy in Changxi City.

She wants so many things!

Oh, and the view outside is beautiful too! There's a bird's nest in that tree! I wonder if there are any eggs inside...

Guan Baiyu was in a daze the whole way and vomited many times. After getting off the bus, he felt like he had come back to life.

When Guan Baiyu came back to life, the first thing he saw was the train station in Changxi City, and all sorts of cars.

Changxi City already had city buses. The buses were very small, not much bigger than a minivan, and it cost one yuan to get on—it was quite expensive to take the bus at that time. As a result, many taxi drivers made a fortune in the 1990s.

The station wasn't far from the city center, and since Guan Baiyu was prone to motion sickness, Shi Zhen didn't take them by car, but instead walked around.

Anyway, they're used to walking on roads, so they're not afraid of getting tired no matter how many times they walk on these smooth roads.

There are many shops in Changxi City. Shi Zhen took Guan Baiyu and Shi Ting to the stationery store first and let them choose a schoolbag.

Shi Ting chose a flashy pink backpack.

Shi Zhen felt that her aesthetic sense was like that of a child... Well, she herself wasn't very old, because she didn't get enough nutrition in the past, and she was still an undeveloped young girl.

As for Guan Baiyu... he said he didn't know how to choose, so he asked Shi Zhen to help him choose. Shi Zhen then chose a black backpack that was suitable for adults, wouldn't go wrong, and was also dirt-resistant.

Then there are all kinds of stationery.

Shi Ting wanted to buy everything she saw, while Guan Baiyu said she didn't need anything and wasn't planning to buy anything.

In the end, Shi Zhen made the decision and picked out some stationery for Guan Baiyu. When it was Shi Ting's turn, Shi Zhen said directly, "Buy whatever Baiyu buys. You can choose the styles, but not too many kinds."

Shi Ting was a little annoyed: "Brother, he bought so little!" Take pens for example, Guan Baiyu bought a five-yuan fountain pen and a bottle of ink, and he said that was enough!

There are so many nice ballpoint pens here!

Shi Zhen bluntly stated, "I don't have much money on hand. Sending you to junior high school will cost two thousand in tuition fees alone, not including the tuition itself."

Shi Ting was taken aback, and then stopped looking at those pretty ballpoint pens, ultimately choosing only a red fountain pen that was about the same price as Guan Baiyu's pen.

Shi Zhen led them away from the stationery store, then said to Shi Ting, "Tingting, everything costs money outside. I don't have much money right now, so you need to be careful."

Shi Ting nodded, and although she saw many other things she liked along the way, she didn't ask for them.

Shi Zhen bought them a lot of things, such as a folding umbrella for each of them, and also bought them watches.

In later times, you can buy a very nice watch online for ten or twenty yuan, while at this time, even the cheapest and ugliest watch costs twenty or thirty yuan.

Shi Zhen bought one for each of them so they could tell the time.

After leaving the watch shop, Guan Baiyu said, "Brother, I'm hungry. Let's find a place to eat."

It was getting late, so Shi Zhen took them to a nearby restaurant for a fast food meal.

The food at this fast food restaurant is served in individual bowls. The most popular dish is steamed egg for 50 cents a bowl, and you can also buy a large bowl of rice for 20 cents. It's enough for an adult man.

Shi Zhen ordered a 50-cent steamed egg, a 50-cent bowl of minced meat and cowpeas, a 1-yuan plate of poached chicken, and three large bowls of rice, which was barely enough for the three of them.

Shi Ting couldn't finish that big bowl of rice, so she shared half with Shi Zhen.

Guan Baiyu ate exceptionally fast today. After finishing, he said, "Brother, I'm going to the restroom."

“I want to go too.” Shi Ting stood up as well.

However, Guan Baiyu ran out the door and disappeared. Shi Ting couldn't catch up with him and could only return dejectedly.

After hearing what Shi Ting said, Shi Zhen was slightly taken aback, and then suddenly thought of something.

When Guan Baiyu returned, Shi Zhen looked at the cheerful Guan Baiyu and asked, "What did you buy?"

Guan Baiyu looked at Shi Zhen in surprise, and finally took out a watch from his pants pocket and gave it to Shi Zhen: "Brother, this is for you."

This is the same model of watch that Shi Zhen bought for Guan Baiyu before, only the dial color is different.

Guan Baiyu's watch had a white dial, while this watch had a black dial.

Guan Baiyu originally wanted to buy Shi Zhen a more expensive watch, but he was afraid that Shi Zhen would think he was wasting money, so he chose this one instead.

After all... he also wanted Shi Zhen to wear the same watch as him.

Shi Zhen had previously guessed that Guan Baiyu might have gone to buy him a gift, and it turned out to be true.

Guan Baiyu relied on him a lot in his past life and treated him very well. He still does the same now and thinks about him all the time.

Shi Zhen was about to say something when he saw a young man with permed hair, a gold chain around his neck, a gold ring on his hand, wearing a floral shirt, and a cigarette in his mouth. Although he was good-looking, his forehead was covered with pimples. He walked in from outside.

As soon as the man entered the fast food restaurant, he went straight to the ordering area and ordered four meat dishes, including chicken, duck, fish, and meat. He also ordered rice for one cent.

A large bowl of rice costs two cents, while a small bowl costs only one cent, less than half the amount of two cents.

However, since this person ordered so many dishes, a meal costing only one cent would be enough.

The fast food restaurant wasn't big. The man brought his food and sat down at the table next to Shi Zhen and the others.

Noticing Shi Zhen looking at him, the man turned around in confusion, only to see Shi Ting gazing longingly at the dishes in front of him. He immediately flashed what he thought was a dashing smile and said to Shi Ting, "Little sister, would you like some? You can come and have some if you want!"

Shi Zhen: "..."

He never imagined that his friend, whom he remembered as very steady and always looking weathered, would look like this when he was young.

It's truly... an eye-opener.

However, his friend himself said that he was very arrogant when he was young, but he suffered a lot before he changed his personality.

As for now... this person's personality clearly hasn't changed.