Two weeks had passed since Li Yichen and Shen Anran arrived in the 1990s, yet neither of them had managed to adjust to the harsh reality of poverty. On Li Yichen's side, meat still appeared on the table from time to time, but it did little to soften the pressure of living with so little. For Shen Anran, the gap between what she knew from the future and what she could actually do here felt even wider.
That night, Shen Anran lay awake, staring at the dark ceiling. She turned the same thoughts over and over in her mind — what could she make, and what could she sell? Hot peppered meat sauce came to her first, then homemade smoothies. The ideas were good, but the money was not. Two hundred yuan sat in her hands, thin and fragile, stretched across ingredients, rent, and tools she didn't even own. No blender. No mixer. What a time to come back to.
Her mother had spent the day going from house to house, borrowing what she could for her sake. Shen Anran felt a tightness in her chest when she thought of it. She truly was fortunate to have Liu Meilan as her mother. By the time dawn crept closer, she had made up her mind. Tomorrow, she would go to Yuxi County, find a stall, and start something — no matter how small.
Sleep eventually claimed her, though it came reluctantly.
Li Yichen's night was no different. He sat quietly, counting and recounting the little money in his possession. The lender had told him to return the next day, and he was desperately hoping the loan would be approved. He, too, thought of spicy meat sauce, even smoothies — simple things, but things people would buy. With machines the workload was slightly easier. What an era to live in, he thought bitterly. After forming a rough plan in his mind, he finally lay down. Tomorrow was uncertain, but worrying through the night would not change that.
The next morning, both parties prepared to leave for Yuxi County Market.
Shen Anran went with her mother, Liu Meilan. Li Yichen set out with his cousin, Chen Mingyu. A little after ten in the morning, they left their villages, each group heading toward the same destination, unaware of how closely their paths were about to cross.
Shen Anran and her mother met Mr. Xu at the roadside and boarded his ox cart. As they waited for other passengers, they exchanged small talk. In this era, ox carts were the most common means of transport to the city county. Their village road had been developed somewhat, making travel easier and slightly faster than before. There were people with the ability to change their lives, but most of them had already gone off to the cities, enriching themselves elsewhere.
After half an hour of slow, steady travel, they arrived at Yuxi County Market. Shen Anran paid Mr. Xu one yuan and fifty cents, then followed her mother into the bustling streets to search for a stall.
Almost at the same time, Li Yichen and Chen Mingyu arrived from another direction, also scanning the market for vacant shops.
After nearly an hour of searching, both parties found what they were looking for.
The area was close to a school, with a bank and a courthouse nearby — a steady flow of people, students, and workers. Two small stalls stood opposite each other, both vacant, both suitable for food-related businesses. Shen Anran and her mother inspected one carefully, while Li Yichen and Chen Mingyu circled the other with barely contained excitement.
Satisfied, they each moved forward to speak with the respective landlords.
Shen Anran's stall was priced at three yuan per month. Li Yichen's, slightly larger and closer to the road, cost five yuan per month. Both landlords demanded upfront payment for a year and six months.
For Shen Anran, the calculation came to fifty-four yuan.
For Li Yichen, it totaled ninety yuan.
Though the sums made their hearts ache, they paid, signed the agreements separately, and took the keys.
For now, the problem of securing a shop was settled.
What remained… was renovation.