My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 62 Boldly Moving Forward
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Director Liu frowned, got up and closed the office door. He returned to his seat, lit a cigarette, took a couple of puffs, and then asked Lin Ying with concern.

"Xiaolin, are you in some kind of trouble? Or have you run into some trouble? Are there some bastards outside causing you trouble?"

"I know things have been a bit chaotic outside these days, but don't worry! Relax. I can't guarantee what will happen elsewhere, but your Uncle Liu still has influence in this little corner of the movie theater. These punks dare to cause trouble at the movie theater; they'll be in big trouble! I'll take care of this for you! I have friends in the joint defense team, damn it! You've got some nerve?"

"No, no, Uncle Liu, nothing's wrong. Thanks to your help, everyone here at the cinema gets along very well. As for the thugs outside, there are indeed some, but my stall is right at the entrance, and I rent space from the cinema. At most, they might try to take advantage of me verbally, but nothing more. After all, the cinema is a legitimate establishment, and they wouldn't dare to do anything like that."

"Why is that?" Director Liu was puzzled. Lin Ying had only been setting up her stall outside the movie theater for a short time, and he knew very well how business was going. Moreover, Lin Ying was very good at interpersonal relationships and maintained good relations with everyone at the movie theater, who treated him with great respect.

Every day, she would not only greet everyone proactively, but also occasionally bring over a few tea eggs. In addition, she never missed a payment for rent, and every few days she would bring some fruit and snacks to share with everyone. This is why Director Liu, even though he knew that Lin Ying's tea egg business was doing well, never thought of raising her rent or even having any other ulterior motives.

In Director Liu's view, the young girl has a hard time on her own, and it is very hard for her to set up a stall in the wind and rain. He would help her whenever he could, and why not do good deeds?
But unexpectedly, Lin Ying suddenly said she was leaving today, which Director Liu couldn't understand at all. Why would she suddenly quit?
"Xiao Lin, if you really have something on your mind, don't keep it to yourself. If you have any difficulties, just tell your Uncle Liu. No matter what, I am a cadre. Just because you can't solve it doesn't mean I can't. Maybe I can help you think of a solution. There's no need to quit just like that!"

Director Liu spoke earnestly to Lin Ying, his expression filled with concern.

Lin Ying was deeply moved by Director Liu's concern. She never expected that Director Liu, who usually seemed so carefree and easygoing, would have such a side to him.

"Thank you, Uncle Liu. It's really nothing. If there was anything, it was a good thing."

Lin Ying smiled and waved her hand, explaining to the slightly puzzled Director Liu that she was about to go back to work and had asked someone to find her a proper job, so she would no longer be able to set up a stall in front of the movie theater. She had already arranged with the other party to report for duty after the New Year. Because the news came so suddenly, she had just received the notice and decided not to set up a stall at the movie theater after the New Year.

Hearing Lin Ying's explanation, Director Liu finally relaxed and a smile appeared on his face.

"Going to work, going to work is good! Going to work is good!"

Director Liu nodded repeatedly: "Doing small business can be profitable, but it's also hard work and risky. The outside world is very chaotic right now, and it's really not suitable for a young girl like you to be out in public. Although the salary of a regular job isn't high, the income is stable, and it's a legitimate job with social security benefits. This kind of protection is something that street vending can't compare to. Now that you're going to work, Uncle Liu is relieved. How about this, I'll calculate the rent and deposit you paid last time, and I'll return any excess to you today..."

"No need, Uncle Liu."

Lin Ying quickly refused. How could she possibly take back the rent and deposit? Not to mention that the money wasn't much at all, she had seen how well Director Liu had taken care of her these past few days. If it weren't for Director Liu taking her in, she wouldn't have been able to open her stall in the first place.

Moreover, she suddenly says she's not going to do it anymore, which means she's breaching the contract herself. How can she expect Director Liu to refund her money? Director Liu isn't like Aunt Wang from back then. If Aunt Wang were like Director Liu, Lin Ying and Zhou Jiye wouldn't have fallen out with her back then!
“A bridge is a bridge, and a road is a road. It’s not easy for you to run a small business. Ten yuan is not a small amount of money,” Director Liu said with a stern face.

"It's really not necessary."

Lin Ying repeatedly refused: "According to the rules, it shouldn't be refunded in the first place, and besides, I'm the one who's causing you trouble. It's almost Chinese New Year, so if you insist on refunding it, please do me a favor and use the money to buy some fruit, melon seeds, peanuts, or something to share with everyone. It would be a small token of my appreciation. I'll come visit you whenever I have time, but if you insist on this, I'll feel embarrassed to come again."

Faced with Lin Ying's explanation, Director Liu thought for a moment and then laughed.

"Okay, then I'll consider it a favor. Remember to come visit when you have time, and don't forget about us once you start working."

"Of course, how could I forget? My husband and I will be coming to the movies together on our days off in the future, so you'll have to save me a good seat then."

"Haha, no problem at all. Just come find me whenever you want to watch a movie, it's easy!" Director Liu laughed heartily, then suddenly remembered something and asked Lin Ying, "By the way, Lin, since you're not running a stall anymore, what are you going to do with your stall equipment?"

"Uncle Liu means...?"

"Hehe, speaking of which, I just thought of that too. My next-door neighbor's child is also a former educated youth who returned to the city. I've watched her grow up since she was little; she's a nice girl. But she's been back from out of town for over half a year and still hasn't been assigned a job. She's just been staying at home without a job. Her family isn't well-off, and it's not good for a young woman like her to stay like this forever. Besides, there are so many young people out there now, a bunch of them without jobs, just hanging around aimlessly. Her parents are really worried that she'll go out and hang out with these people and go astray."

Since you're not planning to continue this line of work, I'm thinking of having her give it a try. This spot has been empty anyway, and you've had your stall here for so long; it would be a shame to just let it go. She could learn from you and sell some tea eggs here, that way she could support herself.”

At this point, Director Liu sighed and said that his neighbors had been looking worried these days, seeing their daughter unable to find a job and asking around for help without any results, which had driven them to despair.

Director Liu doesn't have the ability to get her into his unit; hiring isn't something he can decide, and the unit has limited staff. But if she could set up a stall selling tea eggs like Lin Ying, that would be good. Although it's not as good as a regular job, it would still be a way for her to support herself.

Moreover, the stall was right at the entrance of the movie theater, and with Director Liu, a neighbor uncle, looking after it, he felt at ease. However, Director Liu considered that this girl had never done this kind of work before, and setting up a stall required things like a cart and a coal stove, which would probably be difficult to acquire. Since Lin Ying was no longer doing this kind of work and had the tools readily available, Director Liu, who suddenly remembered this matter, tentatively asked if he could sell these things to her for her to use.

"I thought it was something important." Lin Ying laughed and said readily, "Is this such a small matter worth your time? Why buy this? It's just junk that's not worth much. I won't need these things in the future anyway. I'll have to figure out where to put them when I get back. It's perfect, I'll just leave them to you."

"No, no, you didn't do all this for nothing. This isn't official business, it's a personal matter. You should be thanking me for helping you, not taking it for free."

"Uncle Liu, these things aren't worth much. The cart was picked up from the scrap yard, and the coal stove is second-hand. I have no use for them if I take them back. Here, you can keep them."

"Absolutely not! This has to be paid for!"

One insisted on giving the money, while the other insisted on calculating the cost. After a long tug-of-war, Lin Ying had no choice but to give a number. Upon hearing this, Director Liu took out the money from his pocket without saying a word, counted it out, and gave it to her. Seeing that Lin Ying accepted it readily, he was finally relieved.

Before leaving, Lin Ying made a point of leaving her recipe for tea eggs to Director Liu, telling him that his neighbor's daughter could use this recipe to make tea eggs.

As for eggs, you can buy them at the market at a negotiated price. Nowadays, more and more people from rural areas are coming to the city to sell agricultural products, and quite a few of them bring eggs to sell on weekdays.

Although the price is higher than buying directly from the suburbs, it saves some trouble. In addition, the profit margin of tea eggs is not low, so this is more convenient.

Director Liu carefully noted all of this down and thanked Lin Ying profusely for her help. They chatted for a while longer in his office, and when it was almost time, Lin Ying got up to leave.

As she left the movie theater, she couldn't help but glance at the small cart and coal stove in the corner, feeling a little reluctant. After all, these belongings were something she and Zhou Jiye had painstakingly acquired, and they had relied on them to get through the most difficult days of the past six months.

Stepping out of the movie theater, the cold wind howled outside. Lin Ying subconsciously tightened her cotton coat and looked in the direction of her way back.

Sister, go ahead boldly!

Keep moving forward! Don't look back!
A broad road leading to heaven.

Nine thousand nine hundred, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety!

Sister, go ahead boldly...

A song echoed in Lin Ying's mind. She hummed it softly, raised her head and took steps, her steps becoming lighter and lighter, and a relaxed smile spread across her face.

(End of this chapter)