Entertainment: Starting with a Song of Rice Fragrance

In 2010, a heavy snow had just fallen.

Blue Star, West Continent, Shuncheng.

On a quiet, unassuming street, a young man sat in a music and video store, shivering as he looked at job postings on his phone, his brow furrowed in the orange glow of a heater.

"Hey boss, I've made a purchase!"

He was swiping away a message that looked like a scam to recruit people as customer service representatives when he suddenly heard a middle-aged man shouting in his ear.

Zheng Ning put down her phone and looked up.

It turned out to be a kind middle-aged man wearing a neat wool sweater and trousers, and metal-rimmed glasses.

"Buy whatever you want, tapes and CDs are 10 to 15 yuan, VCDs are 15 to 20 yuan."

He yawned widely and casually pointed to the stalls that had been set up on the sidewalk.

"Um, what, hehe, do you have... those kinds of discs here?"

But the middle-aged man didn't move. Instead, he rubbed his hands together with a somewhat awkward and embarrassed smile.

The western continent of Earth is relatively backward among the five continents, with high-speed mobile networks only being rolled out a few years ago.

Smartphones have been around for a long time, but mobile data charges used to be ridiculously high, so people were still used to buying traditional cassette tapes and CDs to listen to music.

Even though the fees dropped significantly at the beginning of this year, it is only young people who are starting to use their phones more to listen to music and watch videos.

"That kind of plate? Which one?"

Zheng Ning frowned and sat up straight.

"You know, those... awesome discs..."

The middle-aged man chuckled awkwardly, his expression becoming increasingly unnatural.

"Oh, you mean H-discs? No way! Zhengjia Audio-Visual Store is a legitimate business; how could we possibly sell such illegal and criminal items!"

Zheng Ning rolled her eyes, her tone sounding very impatient.

In previous years, regulations weren't strict, and other stores might have actually done it.

However, the Zheng family had a strict family tradition. My mother was a teacher at a key middle school, and she repeatedly forbade Old Zheng from selling pornographic DVDs, so as not to embarrass her at school.

"Do you have a pirated copy of Chen Tianwang's 'Love You Forever'? Could I get one?"

"No, no, I told you we're a legitimate music and video store. Why would someone dressed so respectably want to buy something shady?"

Zheng Ning waved his hand at him unhappily, as if shooing away stray dogs and cats.

"Hey, if you don't have it, you don't have it. Why are you being so fierce, boss!"

"I've walked two blocks and still couldn't buy it, sigh..."

The middle-aged man seemed to be very sensitive about his reputation. After being rudely rebuked by Zheng Ning, he scratched his head, turned around, and left, muttering to himself as he went.

"Tch~ You can't even act properly, no wonder you can't catch her!"

I've heard the news for a while now. These people from the Industry and Commerce Bureau have been going around the streets and alleys for the past two months, catching people selling pornographic DVDs and pirated goods. If they're caught, they'll be fined two thousand yuan, and they might even imprison the boss. Who would dare to sell them now?

If you're a seasoned shopper, you'll just disappear into the dark storage room at the back of the store; who would bother the owner?

Only those who sit in offices drinking tea all day, out of touch with reality, unable to use slang or even find their own way to communicate, naturally wouldn't have any bosses willing to go out of their way to sell to them.

"Hey Ning! Good afternoon! Are you at the shop again today?"

A little girl wearing a school uniform from a nearby school skipped and hopped past, calling out to Zheng Ning from a distance.

"Hey, Xiaohong, school's out? Want a grilled sausage?"

Zheng Ning sat up, greeted the little girl, and pointed to the sausage grill next to him that was emitting an enticing aroma.

"No, Brother Ning, I'm here to buy cassette tapes. Do you have Cui Tianhou's 'Tomorrow's Love'? We need it for our class's performance, I'd like to buy one!"

The little girl skipped over and grabbed a cassette tape from the stall, ready to pay for it.

"Xiaohong, you've been buying things for the class with class funds, right? Why are you buying pirated items?"

Zheng Ning walked into the store, rummaged around in the glass display case for a few moments, and pulled out a beautifully packaged cassette tape, tossing it to her.

"Fifteen yuan, genuine product, much better quality and everything!"

"Oh, hehe, I'm so used to buying these things that I forgot I could get them reimbursed... Thanks, Ning-ge, I'll come eat your grilled sausages next time!"

After paying, Xiao Hong carefully put the cassette tape into her pocket, thanked Zheng Ning sweetly, and skipped away as she had come.

"Hey, this little girl..."

Zheng Ning chuckled helplessly, lay back in his recliner, and opened the job posting again.

But those "high-paying job postings" did nothing to improve his mood even a little bit.

Without him.

This shop will soon no longer belong to the Zheng family.

My dad has been hospitalized for over a year, suffering from intermittent strokes that have been mild and severe, and we've already spent over 100,000 yuan.

The doctor said there was a special drug from the United States, and the treatment period would take more than six months to a year to ensure that the condition would be completely stabilized, but the cost was outrageously high.

If they don't sell the house, they'll have to sell the record store that Dad has worked so hard to run for ten years. But then, the living expenses for the family of four will all fall on Mom, who is a teacher.

Although my mother is a senior teacher, her monthly salary plus bonus is only a little over 5000 yuan.

My situation is relatively easy. At worst, I can just not attend the graduate program that I've already been accepted into. I'm currently browsing job postings, and once I find a job, I can help support my family.

But my younger sister is only a sophomore in college. Her tuition, living expenses, and accommodation will cost at least 20,000 to 30,000 yuan a year.

Where will this money come from?

and……

Even if the record store stops selling, business is getting worse and worse. Everyone is starting to listen to music and watch dramas online, and fewer and fewer people are buying cassette tapes and VCDs.

"well……"

Thinking of this, Zheng Ning let out a long sigh, his face full of worry.

His gaze fell on the cover of the cassette tape that Xiao Hong had just picked up and put down.

Cui Tianhou's radiant smile blossomed on the cassette tape.

That's the smile of a rich person.

"I wish I could be a singer too! I heard her album has sold over 1000 million copies! A genuine copy costs 15 yuan, so that's a lot of money!"

"But how many lucky ones can actually get record companies to spend a lot of money to buy their songs and create a great image for them?"

"I'm so envious, sigh!"

Just then, a soft and warm voice appeared in his ears, slowly singing a slightly melancholic song:

"If this world"

You have too many complaints

Do n’t dare to go forward if you fall

Why do people have to be so fragile and depraved?

The voice was so gentle, yet so full of warmth and encouragement.

It was as if a kind older brother was comforting a younger brother who was hesitant and unwilling to move forward after a setback with loving words.

"Huh? Who's singing?"

He turned his head in confusion, only to find that the nearest pedestrians were more than ten meters away!

"Wait, where is that singing coming from?"

He turned to look at his phone in alarm, but the screen still only showed a job search page; no music app was open.

He was suddenly startled:

"Could it be that I've been too depressed lately, and now I'm finally hallucinating?"