Returning to '97, creating a new life

Yunshang hesitated for a moment, but still moved closer to Xu Kai.

The hesitation wasn't because my female companion mentioned Xu Kai, or because she was curious about or somewhat disdainful of his small-time vendor behavior.

She just wanted to avoid touching on the other guy's vanity.

Xu Kai saw her, though he couldn't see her face or make any physical movements, but when their eyes met, the smile in her eyes was completely received by Yun Shang.

She laughed, saying she didn't care about Xu Kai's image at all was a lie. At her age, no matter how mature she was, she couldn't escape the typical girlish thoughts. Even if she didn't want to read, she couldn't avoid the bombardment of romance novels by female authors like Qiong Yao and Xi Juan. People like Yun Shang, who came from wealthy families, could also access comic books from a female perspective, and she did have those prince charming-like pursuit thoughts.

When Yunshang first fell for Xu Kai, it was because of his dashing figure on the basketball court—a stark contrast to his current appearance as a street vendor, bundled up in thick cotton clothes. The unparalleled sense of loss and the disillusionment of a young man's infatuation would affect her perception, making her feel she had misjudged him. However, it was through their time together, through the emotional and personal value Xu Kai brought to their lives, that Yunshang could ignore the teasing glances and comments from her classmates and friends, and even disregard Xu Kai's current "down-on-his-luck" state.

"It's cold, don't catch a cold, go home early."

Xu Kai was generous and open, neither dodging nor hiding, neither humble nor arrogant. He pulled down the woolen neck warmer that was covering his face, revealing his face, a smile, and a greeting.

"Mm." Yunshang nodded. "This is the one I chose. It's unique, and I appreciate it."

After seeing Sun Xiuyun at the hospital, Yunshang greeted her with a smile, "Hello, Auntie."

"Uh, uh, hello, hello..."

Sun Xiuyun was somewhat at a loss for words. The boy was dressed in a school uniform, with a high ponytail, and wore an obviously expensive down jacket. His striking features were enhanced by his refined demeanor. In Sun Xiuyun's eyes, she couldn't quite put her finger on the words, but she simply felt that this kind of child was unlikely to have any connection with her family.

After giving Yunshang a reassuring smile, Xu Kai refocused his attention on the customer, ignoring her status as his 'girlfriend' and the stares of those around her, and even less of the inquisitive gazes of ordinary students.

Nowadays, people don't laugh at poverty, but at those who willingly degenerate; small business owners and vendors are considered inferior by most people.

In the future, poverty will be laughed at.

Xu Kai doesn't want to eat poorly or live a frugal life. He earns money with his own hands, taking advantage of information gaps, time gaps, and cognitive gaps. At an age when he doesn't yet have the opportunity to enter society, he earns some money. He doesn't think he's inferior to anyone. On the contrary, he enjoys the naivety of those people behind the complex and curious gazes.

"Auntie, have something hot to drink."

Yunshang, who had just left, returned less than five minutes later with two bottles of hot "Lulu". Small shops and stores near the school offered similar convenient services to students, using rice cookers to heat water, keeping it warm, and adding suitable warm drinks. This model continued to be popular in small supermarkets around schools even twenty years later.

Seeing that Xu Kai and his mother had taken it, Yunshang didn't linger, said goodbye, and left.

"Yunshang, your boyfriend's family is quite poor..."

It has nothing to do with being a good match in terms of social status. It's just that our relationship is far from the stage where our families would interfere. We're so young, so it's a bit like "puppy love." Among peers, we don't discuss the so-called "good match" in terms of social status. They just feel that there is a gap between the two sides.

Our Yunshang baby comes from a wealthy and powerful family. She is also the eldest sister herself. She is beautiful, tall, and has long, straight black hair.

When we first heard that she had her eye on a younger boy, a basketball recruit who was a special admission to a high school, she was over 1.8 meters tall, with delicate features, healthy and radiant skin, and deep and bright eyes. He was incredibly handsome when playing basketball. Everyone laughed at Yunshang for having good taste and for taking advantage of an older man dating a younger woman.

When girls of this age get "wild" in private, the ferocity of their words is beyond imagination. From their perspective, Yunshang is definitely in charge of everything. After all, she was the big sister who rode a racing motorcycle in high school, and her whole body is full of wildness.

Xu Kai, with his little brother, was completely at her mercy. She could mold him into whatever shape she wanted, whether he was round or flat, it was all up to her mood. Her close female classmates and best friends had asked her more than once in private, "How is it? Isn't your little brother especially good? Obedient and well-behaved, I can bully him however I want?"

Yunshang was embarrassed to say that when the two of them were alone, he was the one in control. She liked Xu Kai's obedient demeanor in front of others, which satisfied her vanity.

Now that Xu Kai is being seen in a different light, Yunshang, having received education from a young age, doesn't think there's anything wrong with him earning money with his own hands. However, the fact that people around her feel Xu Kai's image is damaged, and that he's even selling goods at a high school, makes her somewhat anxious, wondering if he's disgraced her.

However, when she thought about how unusually mature and composed Xu Kai was when they were together, she felt that she shouldn't overthink things, and that she was already enjoying the happiness of being with him.

Throughout the entire process, Yunshang never entertained the thought of stopping her, nor did she ever consider giving her money if she needed it.

………………

It took more than an hour, until the senior high school students finished their business, before Xu Kai and his mother finished their business for the night.

During the last self-study period between the second and third years of high school, Xu Kai took his mother to a nearby convenience store to switch shifts and go inside to warm up.

I bought a box of Red Bean Paste, some snacks, and some boiled corn that the owner had prepared. After spending some money and chatting, this temporary act of warmth didn't provoke any resistance from the owner.

In the end, Xu Kai gave the shop owner some "peace apples" at a much lower price so he could sell them. There weren't many, but with so many students coming and going tomorrow morning or at noon, he wouldn't have to worry about selling them. Even if they didn't sell in the end, he could unpack them and sell them in the shop at the price of apples, and he wouldn't lose money.

Throughout the entire conversation, Sun Xiuyun barely spoke, only exchanging a few words with others. Watching her son talk so eloquently, so unlike her own introverted personality, she felt gratified, warmed, and filled with anticipation.

It's hard to keep a family afloat without a man. Over the years, I've thought about taking the next step, but not finding a suitable one is one reason. The more important reason is that I don't want my son to suffer.

A mother's love makes her strong, but her inherent personality determined that Sun Xiuyun was not someone who could successfully take charge of the family. Over the years, why has she been outcast among her siblings? It's because she always had to ask others to support her and her son's small family. Over time, she lost her voice when speaking to her family and always stood on the sidelines.

My son has grown up; I have hope for the future.

Sales were even better for the senior year students, as the pressure of their studies made every student yearn for a chance to catch their breath.

Even if you can't fully immerse yourself in the festivities, it's still good to experience the atmosphere during a holiday.

Giving apples as a symbol of peace is quite meaningful.

At this age, when hormones are at their strongest during growth, there aren't many opportunities for boys to give gifts to girls or girls to give gifts to boys openly. It's only a few dollars, and high school students in key high schools have a lot more pocket money, so they don't mind participating in such holiday greetings.

The apples that the mother and son brought for their peace were almost gone. On the way home, Sun Xiuyun kept muttering, "We didn't bring in enough, we didn't bring in enough."

There's not much left at home; tomorrow is the real sales day, and we'll sell even better.

"Son, how about Mom goes to the wholesale market with you tomorrow morning?"

Back home, it was nearly eleven o'clock. After relighting the fire to heat the kang (a traditional heated brick bed), Xu Kai rode his mother's bicycle to a barbecue restaurant outside and bought some meat skewers and two plates of fried noodles.

After returning home, Sun Xiuyun, who had been thinking about it alone for a long time, blurted out this sentence.

Xu Kai chuckled, "Mom, by tonight everyone's already imitating. Those who wanted to buy have already bought, and those who didn't will buy some apples to wrap themselves. Tomorrow won't be as easy to sell as today. It's just right now. Tomorrow morning, we'll shake them out, and if we can sell them all, that'll be great. By tomorrow noon, those small shops near the school gate will probably be stocking up. The smart ones will just get some apples, unpackaged, but with wrapping paper, and sell them separately to the students, letting them buy the wrapping paper to wrap themselves. That way, even if there are leftover apples, they can sell them as fruit. They have the unique advantage of having a shop. Believe it or not, if we weren't going to familiar places, our mobile stalls would definitely be targeted. Those who can open small shops near the school gate must have connections within the school. If they drive us away, what advantage do we have...?"

He knew that his mother might not understand everything he said, but he was just trying to dispel her idea that doing business was easy. Why shouldn't he go to unfamiliar places, or go to places where he had someone to support him?

You don't know how wicked people can be, but when it comes to interests, you can think without any limits.

For example, at Tieyi Middle School, as long as he makes money, and if he makes a little more, those local thugs will feel that they are stealing their business. They will call on the hooligans inside and outside the school, and the school security, to make trouble for him, a small vendor. Is that difficult?

Seeing that his "peace apples" were selling well at noon, he followed suit in the evening. He found a few local thugs to cause trouble for him, and they would stand in front of his stall and give the students a look that said, "Don't come here to buy." Would the students dare to mess with them?

At the school gate, where everyone is familiar with basketball team members, it's the same for everyone. Sports players are definitely at the top of the food chain. Just like the owners of convenience stores and stationery shops who have connections, they won't easily provoke them. Instead, they will deliberately get to know them and become familiar with them in order to gain more customers.

Tieyi Middle School pulled Dong Bin and other basketball team members along, while Yigao High School greeted familiar basketball team members in advance, without asking them to do anything. They stood together at the school gate and chatted enthusiastically, letting more people know who I am, which is enough.

The world of students also has its own rules.

You all know me. I'm the same age as you. I'm a small vendor. Do you want to come and support me? Even if you're just curious and want to see if someone like me really doesn't care about appearances, it might increase your customer traffic.

The reborn benefits improved physical fitness, allowing him to fulfill his mother's long-cherished wish of getting into high school through a special sports admission program, and also providing some small conveniences for his young age when he was not suited to doing business.

Constrained by age, status, capital, and social environment, Xu Kai can only squeeze in as much material security as possible.