Chapter 137: Bound to the Birth System, Becoming a Winner in Life Chapter 138: 1970s Hutong Daily Life (36)

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

Regarding the few arrangements for Tian Na, Yuan Li and Grandmother-in-law Zhou had no objections.

The tongzilou had too many people and too many mixed eyes, the space was not large, and simply could not fit so many things.

Sending them to Fengshou Hutong was just right, that place was spacious, and organizing them later would also be easier.

"Fine, put them at your home where it's safe. Let's rest for two days and recover before we talk about how to arrange the next matters."

Although they were all dazzled by the liveliness of Guang City, once they pulled away they had to consider their own circumstances.

The premise of making money is having a healthy body. Right now, being able to breathe is the result of their careful maintenance over so many years. To recklessly insist on selling immediately would be making money for the King of Hell to spend.

No, no.

The three exchanged a few simple words, then separated from one another.

Shen Yao naturally did not forget to care for her own mother and others. Confirming it was only physical fatigue with no other ailments, Shen Yao divided some of the meat buns, steamed buns, and eggs she had bought and handed them over.

"Mom, take them home to eat."

The whole family is this tired; I reckon they won't be able to cook when they get back.

Yuan Li took them, then had Shen Ning and Shen Jin carry their own packages out separately, before helping Grandmother-in-law Zhou to the train station entrance to take a bus and leave.

The Xie family side was more troublesome than the Shen family; there was too much cargo.

They had to take care of the goods first, then the people.

Xie Ci'an and his three brothers, directed by Tian Na, each watched over a tricycle and left.

The remaining one was handed over to Xie Shangjin and the brothers Shitou and Mutou to be responsible for, while the others went out to take the bus.

Shen Yao pushed a bicycle in her hand, not squeezing onto the bus with Tian Na and the others. She shared some of the meat buns in her hand with them—eat them on the road if possible, otherwise eat them at home.

"Rest assured, my body is fine, nothing's wrong."

Tian Na ate while telling Shen Yao about the good things in Guang City. Wu Zhaodi and Wang Yanyan stood by adding to it, while Duoduo brought Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan jumping up and down to show they still wanted to go.

One could say this trip to Guang City completely opened their family's minds—turns out the outside world was so big and so wonderful.

Shen Yao:...

The whole family returned to Fengshou Hutong in a lively manner, and along the way moved the goods unloaded in the courtyard into the two idle rooms of the main house.

"Alright, everyone is exhausted after returning today. Eat something first to fill your bellies, then wash up and rest. If there's anything, we'll talk about it tomorrow morning."

Tian Na had eaten buns on the road, and right now the sleepiness hit her so hard she couldn't bear it at all.

She neatly finished speaking a few sentences, didn't bother with the whole family that had returned, went back to her room, and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Xie Shangjin actually took off Tian Na's shoes and socks for her and covered her with a thin quilt.

The elders were like this, so the young people suddenly had nothing to say.

Wu Zhaodi waved her hand to signal, then pulled Xie Aidang and her two sons back to their room to sleep.

Xie Aimin rode his bicycle to take Wang Yanyan home. As for the eldest daughter Duoduo, she borrowed the house next door belonging to Xie Ci'an's family to sleep with Yuan Yuan for the night, so as not to go back and forth and cause trouble.

"Second Young Master and Second Sister-in-law, ride slowly on the road. Duoduo will stay at home."

After Shen Yao finished speaking, she had Xie Ci'an help fetch water for the three children to wash their faces and clean up their bodies.

Although Shen Yao's family had bought a house around the school, they would still bring the children back to stay for two days every now and then.

Duoduo's clothes would first be those Shen Yao had just newly made and not yet worn.

After being busy for a good while, Shen Yao straightened her sore lower back, stretched out her hand, and wiped the sweat beads that had popped out on her forehead.

Huff.

To be sure, she missed the children when they weren't back, but once they were back, she found them noisy.

She shook her head, had Xie Ci'an knead her shoulders and back to relax her body, Shen Yao let out a breath, and simply tilted her head and fell asleep.

She thought that sleeping early would wake her up in the middle of the night, but unexpectedly she slept until broad daylight.

Once the person was fully awake, Shen Yao stretched and yawned, turned over to wake Xie Ci'an beside her. They should go out to buy breakfast.

The Xie family returned yesterday and suffered a great crime; early this morning, inside and outside the village was very peaceful.

Shen Yao and Xie Ci'an rode their bicycles there and back quickly, buying plenty of fried dough sticks, eggs, and soy milk.

When entering the main courtyard, she happened to see Tian Na come out holding a ceramic jar to brush her teeth.

Shen Yao smiled and greeted her, put the things she was carrying into the square table in the main room, then turned back to her room to call Duoduo and the three children up.

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan had slept for a night, and suddenly reacted to the fact that they had turned black.

Their expressions looked a bit emo, with the focus reflected in the clothes they were wearing.

Good grief, they were all dark-colored, giving Shen Yao a headache.

"When they were made before, you didn't want to wear them. How did you put them on yourself today?"

Shen Yao took out Snowflake Cream and applied it to the two children's faces, necks, backs of hands, and so on.

Tuan Tuan sighed, saying that this way of matching would make him look not so black.

"Mom, Dad said this is called self-deception," Yuan Yuan said with teary eyes. "I want to change back." It was too black; even after the lights were turned off at night, they couldn't find themselves.

Shen Yao touched his head. "Stay at home and don't go out. It'll be fine once school starts."

As for those whitening products, none worked as directly as physical methods.

"Alright, go quickly to Grandma's room to eat."

Shen Yao put down the Snowflake Cream, called Duoduo who was standing by the mirror primping, and the four of them went out straight to the neighbor's.

The large bag of soy milk bought back had already been poured into a basin and divided out.

Tian Na ate while sighing, "Home is still the most comfortable. Guang City is fine in its own way, but eating and drinking there is just not to my taste."

Whether light or sweet-and-sour, nothing appealed to Tian Na.

As a northerner, Tian Na still preferred eating big mouthfuls of rice and meat.

Wu Zhaodi came in from the doorway, nodding to agree that she too was not used to it.

"Mom, when are we going to set up a stall? I see the Supply and Marketing Cooperative side is all selling vegetables and eggs. Why don't we take some out later to try selling?"

Wu Zhaodi had personally witnessed the frenzy in Guang City and wished she could become a superman herself.

Shen Yao swallowed the fried dough stick in her mouth, "I think there's no rush with this."

"Mom, why not rent a storefront first? Having a business license means you never lose out, whether advancing or retreating. It's fully licensed operation, so there's no fear of trouble."

Wu Zhaodi thought renting a storefront was too expensive and not cost-effective. "Our family doesn't have much stock. Setting up for two days at the Machinery Factory gate should sell it all."

Renting a storefront would take several months, completely pouring money down the drain.

"We can keep restocking, turning short-term business into long-term trade. Steady profits can also make money."

Shen Yao felt that at this time some policies hadn't been fully finalized, and everyone worked with anxiety in their hearts. It would be better to do the preparation work well, at least without living in fear.

Tian Na nodded, "Yao Yao is right. If this license isn't hard to get, it's good to go get one."

Wu Zhaodi looked up at Tian Na, didn't refute her, but still felt in her heart that it was useless.

However, most of the goods brought back from Guang City this time were paid for by her mother-in-law; she just chipped in a little as a token gesture.

By the time her own goods were sold out, Wu Zhaodi wouldn't need to worry about other matters.

Although this idea was rather odd, Wu Zhaodi was essentially that kind of person—doing things by her own logic, which seemed not wrong.

The topic ended there, and everyone buried themselves in eating the fried dough sticks and soy milk they had bought back.

After eating and drinking their fill, Tian Na patted her belly, first went out to shoot the breeze with people in the courtyard, then came back to divide the goods among Wu Zhaodi's family and what Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan had bought.

As for Wang Yanyan's family, Duoduo said everything would wait until her mother came over. She did take some pocket money and joined Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan's small group, but the money was allocated by Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan according to plan, and the goods naturally followed Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan's arrangements.

Shen Yao:... Ah?

The goods Tian Na and Grandmother-in-law Zhou brought in this time mainly included various fabrics and daily necessities.

There weren't many finished garments, but plenty of old sweaters and white T-shirts, with socks and panties being the most numerous.

There were also things like hair ties, scrunchies, and hair clips that Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan bought.

Oh, Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan had already told Shen Yao yesterday about how they made money by their own abilities.

The extra 200 bought a lot of stationery, and they planned to sell it at the school gate when school opened.

Shen Yao looked at Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan and Duoduo discussing how to set up a stall with a complex expression, feeling in her heart that her family's two children might be good seedlings for business.

Like modern promotional tactics, including but not limited to buy one get one free, rounding down for bulk purchases, and even referral discounts, etc.

One specialized term after another popped out of Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan's mouth, and Shen Yao found it very unbelievable.

Did the book teach them these things?

"The book doesn't have them, but Grandma takes us to buy vegetables and likes to haggle."

Tuan Tuan was good at observation, Yuan Yuan was good at analysis, and the two combined their thoughts for a very comprehensive arrangement.

Tuan Tuan propped her chin with one hand, "Mom, children don't have much pocket money, but as long as we buy study-related items that are useful, parents will be willing to spend money."

Yuan Yuan took over to explain, "As long as we children are cute and obedient, parents usually won't refuse."

Just like I really like eating sugar and biscuits, as long as I do well on exams, whether it's Dad and Mom or Grandpa and Grandma, they're always easy to talk to.

Duoduo scratched her head after listening, "Seems like that's true." As long as she didn't make her mom angry, her mom would give her a few more yuan in pocket money every week.

Shen Yao spread her hands, "You observed very carefully and analyzed very well. You can try it."

Tian Na rested at home for three full days. On the morning of the fourth day, Grandmother-in-law Zhou brought Yuan Li over.

The three of them were the biggest buyers of this batch of goods, and they definitely had to get together to discuss how to handle them.

Tian Na finished explaining Shen Yao's suggestion, "I think this is good."

With a fixed stall, everyone can come over after work to take care of the business.

Even if it doesn't sell well, we can still use these things at home."

It can be said to minimize losses. Whether or not it becomes a hit, they won't lose too much money.

Grandmother-in-law Zhou pondered for a moment, "We can take on some sewing work to make clothes."

Nowadays young people all like trendy foreign styles. We saw quite a few in Guang City.

Make some with the fabric and hang them in the shop. If someone likes them, sell them."

If there aren't enough people, we can hire workers, or ask employees from the Garment Factory to help take private orders, paid by the piece.

Before going to Guang City, Grandmother-in-law Zhou specifically looked around at the styles in the department store. They were old-fashioned and vulgar, and no one bought them at all.

Yuan Li suggested opening the shop in a place with heavy foot traffic. "Even good wine fears a deep alley. If it's too remote, no one will come."

Although the three of them were older, they all accepted the idea of opening a shop and doing business quite well.

Simply put, regarding what to do next, the three of them decided to split up and act separately.

Shen Yao and Xie Ci'an did not participate in these matters. The two of them still focused mainly on school matters.

Xie Ci'an was currently more inclined toward theory, occasionally following his mentor to do hands-on experiments.

Shen Yao basically stayed rooted in the Experimental Field. Every day she was either studying herbs or studying herb planting techniques. Even when she occasionally rested, she was concerned with the utilization issues of the herbs that had previously produced results.

"As for the Flavor-Enhancing Powder, it is still undergoing large-scale experiments. Once we have enough samples to prove it, we can formally put it into production."

Shen Yao's teacher happily told Shen Yao about the relevant progress of the Flavor-Enhancing Powder.

This speed was not slow. After all, Flavor-Enhancing Powder appeared as a condiment.

Taking MSG as an example, from the discovery of its relevant components to being put into consumption and then widely recognized by the public, it took several decades.

Flavor-Enhancing Powder would definitely have to go through the relevant process. After all, things that go into the body need to be handled with caution.

"Food safety is most important; better to go a bit slower than to let any slip-ups appear."

Good food fears no delay; with the relevant patents in hand, Shen Yao isn't worried about failing to collect patent fees later.

"Teacher, the new batch of herbs in the field has matured, and the relevant drug efficacy has improved greatly in animal experiments.

This is the data the laboratory has finished; please take a look and see if there's anything that needs perfecting. On my end I'll start preparing new experimental standards."

Handing over the thick stack of experimental data in her hands, Shen Yao mentally tallied the research directions she would pursue next.

It is visibly clear that the people's lives will get better and better, and that in the future certain 'diseases of affluence' will also appear.

Diseases of affluence refer to a number of non-communicable epidemic diseases that arise after people's lives become relatively affluent, they eat well and eat refined foods, resulting in nutritional excess and reduced activity levels. (Internet search conclusion)

For example constipation, obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, and so on.

The term 'health preservation' has not yet appeared nowadays, but in the future this kind of discourse will absolutely not be few.

Shen Yao believes that research in this area, if done well, will very easily gain momentum.

Of course, this is only one aspect; Shen Yao will still mostly continue researching the efficacy of certain herbs used to treat stubborn human ailments.

After finishing discussing her own matters with the responsible teacher, Shen Yao mounted her bicycle and rode all the way toward the experimental field.

At this moment the sunlight was just right, sprinkling onto one's body and giving rise to a warm, toasty heat.

Shen Yao smiled as she took in the surrounding scenery, her mood bright as never before.

……

Summer 1982, Xie Ci'an earned his doctorate and entered the National Mechanical Research Institute that same year to continue advanced study.

Summer 1984, Shen Yao should have graduated as a graduate student, but because of certain experimental results she produced, she was smoothly promoted to a doctorate during her graduate studies and continued advanced study at the Traditional Chinese Medicine University.

That same September, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, having skipped several grades, entered Jing City University with quite excellent college entrance exam scores, becoming university students.

One studied physics, the other mathematics; upon enrollment they were both spotted by big shots, and before a single semester was finished they were exceptionally selected into the experimental group — a sense of déjà vu like the protagonist of a rebirth feel-good novel that made Shen Yao dizzy.

Shen Yao: … I've seen this script before?!

With the chirping, chattering kids no longer at their side making a racket, both Shen Yao and Xie Ci'an found it quite hard to get used to.

Such a peaceful life did not last long before Shen Yao became pregnant again, catching the two of them off guard once more.