С нетерпением жду весеннего ветерка!

Глава 18

"It's the 'yang' in 'ocean,' not the 'yang' in 'sheep.' Shunzi, what were you doing in elementary school geography class?"

"Looks like he went to play soccer—Little Lin, you still haven't told me which seven continents and five oceans he's talking about. I'm going to save the world someday, so I should at least understand the scope of my responsibilities."

"Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, North America, Oceania..."

"Ah, I see. American imperialism, isn't it?"

"..."

"Saving American imperialism... I don't really want to save them. Can I just not save them?"

No one is forcing you.

"But it doesn't seem right not to save him. I'm so majestic and righteous, I should save him."

"Yes. You are a hero, you are Superman."

"Hehe, of course. Little Lin, you're pretty good too, you have such a sharp eye, you immediately saw that I'd be a great hero someday. Oh right, I haven't thanked you for helping me that day—that guy in the floral shirt was really skilled, did you know I'd be a great hero before you helped me?"

"Perhaps... that day the weather was fine, the breeze was warm, the flowers were in full bloom, the willows were green, I felt relaxed and happy, and my blood circulation was good... so I wanted to help you."

"Little Lin, stop using such academic jargon when you talk. It's hard to understand. I know about 'relaxing muscles and improving blood circulation,' but what are all those other things?"

"...I made it up, it's okay if you don't know."

"I knew it!"

"Brother Shunzi, here are these two books for you. Please read them carefully when you get back. I'm begging you."

"Huh, what's this? — The idiom '舌每'?"

The voice suddenly became sharp, rising three tones from the ground: "Idiom Dictionary, Dictionary, Dictionary, not tongue-everything!"

She thought that if things continued like this, she would break down before he even got into police academy.

The man lingering beside her was named Lü Shun, one of the thugs who came to collect protection money, and the only person she found agreeable. Their ill-fated connection began the day she casually remarked that he looked like a policeman, and then, in a moment of kindness, saved him from the clutches of the man in the floral shirt. Whenever she set up her stall, Lü Shun was always there.

I have no idea what he ate to grow up so big, and I have no idea where he went through those six or seven years of schooling. He doesn't even know basic common sense that elementary school students should know, yet he's stubbornly determined to be a policeman. If he wants to be a policeman, he should study properly! No, he keeps bothering Qiu Shanglin, insisting on hearing her say, "You'll definitely be a policeman someday," and he gets all smug as if he can immediately put on a majestic uniform!

Although making a guarantee didn't require payment, Shanglin always felt guilty and indebted. He worried that if his friend didn't become a policeman in the future, wouldn't he have harmed him?

Every time he was urged to study hard, Lü Shun knew that being brave and aggressive wasn't enough to become a policeman. He needed to get into police academy, which required high scores and connections, so he did listen attentively and study diligently. However, his foundation was too weak. He seemed to know everything the teacher said, but upon closer examination, he realized he didn't really understand it.

His brothers laughed at him for being fooled by a child. Lu Shun knew they were just jealous. Jealousy had spurred him to study harder and given him a goal, even if it seemed unattainable. But it was still a hundred times better than mindlessly eating and playing around—as Xiao Linzi had said, a person should have dreams, strive for them, and stop at nothing to achieve them—that's the mark of a hero!

Her words differed slightly from what the teachers said. The teachers always said that as long as you've tried your best, you don't need to care about the result. The process is important, not the outcome. But she scoffed at that, saying it was all nonsense, a self-comforting charade used by losers, the idea of a coward. If you put in 100% effort and still don't achieve the desired result, it's not that the result is unattainable, but rather that your effort wasn't sufficient. You should have put in 200% or 300% effort!

He knew who Ah Q was; he had just learned about him a few days ago. He was also very glad that he had listened attentively in class, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to understand what she was saying.

He couldn't understand much of what she was saying. When he asked her, she wouldn't explain, only saying she was talking nonsense. He was actually a little unhappy, feeling that she looked down on him and was just giving him the runaround—but what could he do when he hadn't studied before?

It's one thing for Xiao Linzi to look down on him, but even that brat Yin Yeyao dares to look down on him and give him the cold shoulder!

Can you even understand? You're only half-understanding, otherwise why wouldn't you dare explain! — He didn't know that Yin Yeyao disdained explaining to an 'idiot'.

Anyway, talking to Xiaolinzi was very educational. She taught me to start looking for connections now, because you never know when it might come in handy. After listening to her, I went back and told my dad. Sure enough, my dad remembered that my uncle had been in the army before and should know someone. My uncle inquired further and found out that a comrade-in-arms, through some roundabout way, was now working in logistics at a police academy. He said he could help me find connections when I took the exam, and as long as my grades were good enough, he would definitely make sure I wouldn't be squeezed out by someone else's connections.

He was happy, his uncle was happy, and his father was happy too.

For so many years, the Lu family has finally produced someone with great ambitions. Dad told him to focus on his studies, get along well with his classmates, especially Qiu Shanglin, and not to bully him.

They all thought Qiu Shanglin was his classmate, but he didn't reveal it, waiting to give them a surprise later.

Xiao Linzi is very smart, smarter than many people. But sometimes he thinks she's quite stupid—like right now, it's so cold, and her family isn't short of money, why does she have to come out and sell these useless, tattered books... Oh, I can't insult books.

'You can insult me, but you can't insult a book.'

Anyone who says her books are junk will be met with her wrath.

"Achoo..." I picked up a yellowed book and flipped through it randomly. The strong smell of old books rushed into my nose, and I sneezed loudly without warning.

Shanglin quickly snatched the book away, patted it carefully, as if afraid that he would get his saliva on it.

Lu Shun pouted, disapproving of her cautious manner: "You own a stationery store, why don't you put books out there to sell? It's so cold outside."

He shivered and hugged her even tighter.

I rolled my eyes; I was utterly speechless. I've already said it's a stationery store, not a bookstore. How many times do I have to explain before they understand? Besides, they only sell used books, and their customer base is mainly students. Although the stationery stores in town aren't far, it's still not as convenient as the ones near the school.

Staying at home all the time is so boring, I might as well go out for a walk and maybe I'll find a few old books that I like.

"Xiao Linzi, let me see that book you have here."

"Teacher Lin, what brings you here?" Shang Lin asked in surprise as she eagerly handed him the book.

The visitor was Lin Tongmao, an elementary school teacher and Shanglin Juice's first customer, who also provided much support and assistance to her used book business. She held this teacher in the highest esteem.

Lin Tongmao smiled and said, "Something came up."

Flipping through the book, he looked up after a while and exclaimed in surprise, "This is... Mr. Li Jianwu's signature..."

She smiled and said, "I don't know if it's true or not, but I don't think anyone would fake it."

Lin Tongmao was holding a copy of "The Complete Plays of Molière," published in 1949. It was only 41 pages long, but the title page bore the calligraphy signature of Mr. Li Jianwu. Lin had seen it a few days earlier at a small bookstall in the provincial capital while accompanying Yin Yeyao. According to the bookstall owner, a cultured person had rented his house for a while, but then hurriedly moved out, leaving behind many books, which he gave to the landlord. This was one of them.

The landlord was illiterate, and his children didn't like looking at these things, so he simply put them up for sale.

Shanglin bought it for three cents, and the landlord felt he had overpaid and was quite embarrassed. Little did he know that Shanglin was even more embarrassed. If this were in later times, let alone three cents, even three hundred wouldn't be enough to buy such a signed, thread-bound old book.

In this era, there is virtually no interest in old books. The wealthy would rather spend money on new books than pay attention to valuable classical texts. Especially under the sweeping tide of economic development, more people are focused on money and power, and only a small minority are willing to read seriously.

In their view, old books that others have read are simply garbage and should be thrown into the garbage dump and burned along with them.

Shanglin didn't actually know much about old books, but she was grateful to a friend in later generations who specialized in reselling old books and had actually made a fortune, which truly amazed her. Thinking about how a single book could easily sell for thousands of yuan in later generations, she couldn't help but have an idea.

She reads quickly, and buying new books all the time would be too wasteful. So she decided to buy and sell used books, which would allow her to read books, benefit the students in the neighborhood, and collect valuable books along the way.

Unfortunately, it's an inland city, not a cultural center, and not in the city proper, so there are very few items with collectible value. I can only console myself that it's just something to pass the time, since I don't rely on it to make a living anyway.

When it comes to making a living, one cannot help but mention Zhang Hongwei's popsicle factory and Mocha Cat Stationery Store.

It was winter of 1987, two months before the Spring Festival. Xinglong Popsicle Factory was thriving, just as its name suggested. Every day at three or four in the morning, long lines of people would come from other places to buy popsicles wholesale. As the sun rose high in the sky, the wholesale crowds would gradually disperse, and the retail windows would be busy again.

Xinglong Popsicle Factory's popsicles have become well-known far and wide, gradually penetrating the provincial capital's market. Zhang Hongwei hired professional technicians and strictly controlled hygiene and ingredients, turning Xinglong popsicles into a well-known brand that occupies half of the local popsicle market. The factory has more than doubled its size, with four production workshops operating day and night. A sales department was recently established, with four or five sales staff dedicated to developing business.

I bought a used van before the Lunar New Year. I would go out to deliver goods before dawn every day and wouldn't be back until the afternoon.

Yin Yeyao's seven thousand yuan had long been repaid. Zhang Hongwei herself was probably confused about how much savings the Qiu family had now. After being poor for half her life, suddenly becoming rich made her tremble with fear. She held onto her money tightly, not daring to spend it recklessly. All she did was expand production. If Shang Lin and Yin Yeyao hadn't stopped her, she would have wanted to invest all the money and build three more workshops.

They disagreed for two reasons.

First, the current apparent supply shortage is actually a false prosperity. The root cause lies in the unsound management system of Xinglong Popsicle Factory. The wholesale counter and its staff are unprofessional, often neglecting one task for another. Shang Lin suggested that sales staff should only be at one counter, with cash collection at another, and pickup handled by a separate person. After Zhang Hongwei implemented this suggestion, the chaotic situation indeed improved.

Secondly, a tall tree catches the wind. Many people are already envious of the current situation, and further expanding production would inevitably attract too much attention, and it's hard to guarantee that no one will try to sabotage it. Although Zhang Hongwei is never stingy with his resources in various departments, he can't always prevent oversights.

Yin Yeyao also suggested that they temporarily halt their expansion, stabilize their local territory, and then seek further development later.

Over the past year, the family's circumstances have improved dramatically; their house went from being next to a latrine to the best apartment building in town. Zhang Hongwei was utterly impressed by her daughter and Yin Yeyao's foresight. Of course, she admired Yin Yeyao the most—in her eyes, her daughter's current knowledge was all thanks to Yin Yeyao. After all, he was the son of a wealthy merchant from the south, with a massive business. Just look at the teachers who came specifically to teach him—weren't they all incredibly learned?

She felt that her daughter had incredibly good luck to win Yin Yeyao's favor.

Mocha Cat Stationery Store is a boutique stationery store that has emerged in the small town, targeting students.

Don't assume that Qiu Shanglin has given up on the stationery market just because she's selling used books. She has high hopes for this sector and won't easily let go. Last year's lull was paving the way for future growth. With Yin Yeyao's investment, the two decided to jointly open this stationery store. He used his connections to find a factory to produce their own brand, called 'Mocha Cat'. They even designed a logo: a somewhat goofy cartoon white cat. Shanglin really wants to make it a nationally recognized brand, maybe even create a comic or a movie featuring her. However, with limited funds, Yin Yeyao advised her to just make do for now and work on it later.

She had no choice but to regretfully let go for the time being, and privately began writing a series of stories about Mocha Cat, a silly stray cat abandoned as a kitten, who survives, struggles, and eventually succeeds in a garbage dump.

I plan to find a publisher to publish it or find someone to turn it into a comic book when the time is right.

In her plan, Mocha Cat will not only make stationery, but also cover student bags, clothes, shoes and other products in the future. It would be even better if it could be made like Disney.

Currently, due to limited resources, sales have only been conducted in small towns and certain areas of the city, and the response has been quite good. At least Qiu Shanglin has enough to eat and drink and even has some savings.

She was too young to open a bank account and didn't want her parents to know about her secret stash of money, so she hid it under the bed. Unfortunately, Qiu Xialin, that mischievous monkey, found it one day and accidentally burned it while playing with fire!

Shanglin was so angry he couldn't speak. He knew he had caused trouble and was so frightened his face turned pale. Fortunately, he found only a small portion of the money, but from then on, Shanglin never dared to hide money anywhere again. He asked Brother Hua to open a bank account and set up a savings account.

With her current wealth, she doesn't need to set up a stall outside in the wind and sun. She just can't stand being cooped up at home every day; even a good person can get sick from being cooped up—and she's not like other kids her age who just eat, drink, and play all day without thinking.

This has benefited nearby students, providing them with affordable books.

The books at Qiushanglin are not only for sale, but also for rent. For a small fee, you can rent them at a very low price, which is very popular among students.

Her books circulate quickly; every few days she goes to the provincial capital to sell some and buy others back. Even Lin Tongmao likes to buy books from her.