Xing Zhaozhao was somewhat dazed as she walked along the road in the direction of the town she remembered.
She didn't know if her memory was playing tricks on her or if she had gone the wrong way, but she arrived very quickly. Before, it had taken her half an hour to get home from the town hospital by tractor.
Looking at the bustling market, the beautiful high-rise buildings, and the stylishly dressed people coming and going on the street, Xing Zhaozhao felt dizzy and suffocated.
She quickly reached out and grabbed the lamppost beside her.
Colorful flags fluttered from the lampposts, with the words "Lanyuan·2025" embroidered at the bottom.
Xing Zhaozhao was certain that she hadn't come to the wrong place. She just hadn't expected that the town would have already expanded to the edge of their village by now, even though their village had already been submerged.
What made Xing Zhaozhao feel most dizzy was the "2025" part.
That door actually took her 56 years into the future.
So this is what the world will be like 56 years from now.
How wonderful it would be if her children could live here.
As Xing Zhaozhao walked down the street, she looked at everything in front of her with greed and curiosity.
Compared to the trendy and stylish people on the street, she was dressed in a drab gray cotton-padded coat and looked like a beggar. People would occasionally look at her with disdain.
Xing Zhaozhao didn't care.
No matter how the world changes, some people's nature of judging others by their appearance will never change. She's seen it all before, so she doesn't care.
However, she believes that there are still more good people in the world.
Xing Zhaozhao unexpectedly turned into a pedestrian street. The street was lined with all kinds of stalls, and the cries of vendors rose and fell. They sold all kinds of food, drinks, toys, household items, and clothing, which dazzled her.
"Come and see! Come and buy! Fleece-lined thermal underwear, factory direct sales, quality guaranteed, great price, you won't regret it!"
Xing Zhaozhao's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she curiously leaned over.
This is great! The fleece feels so soft and warm. It will definitely keep you warm when worn close to your skin in winter. Plus, it's worn underneath, so even if you take it home and wear it, it won't be easy for anyone to notice.
"How much is this set?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
The vendor glanced at Xing Zhaozhao.
This outfit is a bit shabby, but these days, even billionaires wear shorts and slippers on the street. We shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
"Sir, it's 60 for a set, or 100 for two sets, and it's for beautiful ladies."
The shout of "beautiful lady" sent a shiver down Xing Zhaozhao's spine. If she hadn't seen him call out like that to others, she would have thought he was trying to harass her and was ready to slap him across the face.
"What about the children's?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
"For children, 30 yuan for a set, or 100 yuan for three sets."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..."
Something feels off.
As they were talking, the vendor made another sale.
Then, the woman buying clothes took out a rectangular machine and shone it on a piece of paper with square patterns on it displayed on the vendor's stall.
With a "beep," a woman's voice immediately came from a small loudspeaker on the vendor's stall: "100 yuan received via Alipay."
Then, the woman who bought the clothes took them and left.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..."
Is it even possible to pay like this?
She doesn't have it, what should we do?
Xing Zhaozhao looked at the vendor, pointed to the piece of paper, and asked, "Is this the only way to pay?"
The vendor smiled and pulled a 100-yuan note from his fanny pack, showing it to her: "I accept cash too, beautiful lady."
Xing Zhaozhao stared at the bright red banknote she had never seen before and fell silent once again.
She didn't have that kind of cash either.
In the end, Xing Zhaozhao could only leave with reluctance.
We need to figure out how to make money first.
Xing Zhaozhao was wandering aimlessly down the street when she suddenly saw a truck unloading cargo on the side of the road ahead. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately went over and asked, "Do you need any help here? I'm very strong."
The person unloading the goods glanced at her and shook his head: "Sorry, we don't need any more people."
Xing Zhaozhao said with a regretful expression, "Oh, I'm sorry to have bothered you."
Before leaving, she paid special attention to the cargo they were carrying, and it turned out to be all rice.
She couldn't help but turn her head to look at the store next to them where they were unloading goods. It looked like it had a huge area, and she exclaimed: Are grain depots this big now?
As she continued walking and reached the storefront, she saw many people pushing carts filled with various foods and supplies out of the store. Only then did Xing Zhaozhao realize that she had made a mistake; this was not the grain depot.
"Supermarket? What's a supermarket?" Xing Zhaozhao asked curiously as she walked in.
Seeing the rows of neat shelves inside, filled with all kinds of food and household goods, and people pushing small carts to grab what they wanted and leaving, Xing Zhaozhao was stunned again, and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Can you just take whatever you want here?"
An old man happened to be passing by, overheard this, chuckled, and said, "That's right, you can take whatever you want in the supermarket, it's free."
Other people nearby heard this and couldn't help but laugh along.
Xing Zhaozhao snapped out of her daze, her lips twitched, and she looked at the old man: "Sir, although I may be naive, I'm not stupid. How could someone buy something and not pay?"
The old man chuckled and quickly looked her up and down: "Where are you from?"
"I'm from the mountains," Xing Zhaozhao said.
The old man was somewhat surprised: "There are actually people living in these mountains?"
“The mountains are vast,” Xing Zhaozhao said.
The old man nodded: "That's true."
“But now that you’re out here, don’t go back. Work hard outside; life is much better than it was in the mountains,” the old man said earnestly, looking at her.
Xing Zhaozhao looked troubled: "I would like to, but I feel that it's not easy to find a job."
"What can you do?" the old man asked.
“I’m quite strong,” Xing Zhaozhao said.
The old man thought for a moment and said, "If you're not afraid of hard work, go straight ahead after leaving the supermarket. You'll see a construction site. It's a new hotel being built by Zhaohong Group. I heard they're rushing to finish it and are preparing to open it next year. They're short of people. You can find a job there, like carrying bricks. You can earn at least 100 or 200 yuan a day."
Upon hearing this, Xing Zhaozhao's eyes immediately lit up: "Really? I'll go take a look right away. Thank you, sir."
After saying that, he left in a hurry.
Following the directions given by the old man, Xing Zhaozhao quickly found the place. It was a huge construction site, with people working hard even in the dead of winter. Although only half of the houses were built, the scale was already evident; it was truly enormous.
I wonder what this Zhaohong Group is all about, how they can be so rich.
Xing Zhaozhao couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Daily pay for porters, 200 yuan a day, limited spots available, those interested hurry up and line up to register," the foreman shouted through a megaphone.
Xing Zhaozhao immediately composed herself and ran over.
Jobs are hard to find these days, and so many people have already come. If she's a step too late and misses this rare opportunity, she'll have nowhere to go but cry.
Just as Xing Zhaozhao squeezed into the crowd and joined the queue, a car drove in from outside the construction site and stopped by the roadside. Two men in suits got out of the car.
The site manager was already waiting nearby. As soon as he saw the newcomer, he immediately went over to greet him: "You've arrived, Mr. Gao."
"Hmm." Gao Yang nodded slightly to him, then turned to look at the crowd of people queuing up to sign up for bricklaying not far away.
He thought he just saw a familiar figure slip inside.
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