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墨書 Inktalez
Getting off the bus with Uncle, Jiang Yizhou walked along the street for a long time until they reached a construction site, then slipped into a residential area. Jiang Yizhou's future home was in one of the courtyards there.
Carrying a large bag, Jiang Maode freed one hand to knock on the courtyard door of one of the houses. "Knock knock, knock knock, is anyone there?"
Jiang Yizhou surveyed the Residential Area. In this era of no major demolitions or rapid development, these courtyards were hardly different from rural villages; they were just suburbs.
Some dilapidated villages or Hutongs had rising smoke from cooking fires, and a large expanse of farmland to the south further indicated this reality.
Only by looking north towards the tall buildings in the city could one feel that this was indeed an urban area.
"Creak~~"
The courtyard door was made of iron, and it sounded fine; although loud, it was not harsh.
A young man appeared, in his twenties, with skin so pale it was somewhat alarming. He was very thin, wore glasses, and had a scholarly appearance that gave off a vibe of melancholic illness.
"Cough cough, it's Uncle Jiang! You're back so early," the young man said upon seeing Jiang Maode, momentarily gaining some spirit. He then turned his gaze to Jiang Yizhou. "And this is..."
Jiang Maode smiled broadly, put down the bag he was holding, and hugged his nephew's shoulders, giving him a hearty pat. "This is my nephew, named Jiang Yizhou. He plans to work with me."
Jiang Yizhou felt Uncle's strength and straightened his back in agreement, nodding at the landlord.
The landlord's gaze shifted back and forth between the two men and gradually began to trust Jiang Maode's companion. "I have rules: no noise, no trouble, no littering or damaging things. I won't interfere with anything else."
"Of course, of course! My nephew is very honest; he just eats, works, and sleeps," Jiang Maode assured him without hesitation. Jiang Yizhou was indeed very honest; there was nothing to worry about except for concerns about him being deceived.
Once the landlord opened the door to let them in, he turned and returned to his own room, closing the door and windows tightly as if engaged in some shady business inside.
"Uncle, why does this landlord feel a bit strange?" Jiang Yizhou subconsciously felt curious about him.
Jiang Maode remained unfazed, curling his lips as he gestured towards the few houses where the landlord was located. "People in this city are just pretentious. It's like they were dumped by someone and went a bit crazy for a while, but then gradually got better. Although they don't want to trouble their families, they end up cooped up alone in their houses for long periods, unable to stand any noise!"
For someone as pragmatic as Jiang Maode, being played with didn't matter much. He had gone through arranged marriages, and his wife had run off with someone else, yet he still managed to carry on. People have to live after all.
As for why to live and how to live, that comes after ensuring survival. Only by guaranteeing one's own existence can one ponder such questions. Right now, Jiang Maode's goal was to earn a sum of money for retirement. In a few years, he planned to return home and find a job watching the gate or something similar—enough to eat and have a place to stay would suffice.
Picking up his luggage, Jiang Maode led his nephew towards a large room next to the landlord's main house. It seemed the rent wasn't too expensive; otherwise, someone like Uncle, who was frugal, wouldn't rent such an extra room.
The quiet city that had yet to flourish remained silent from morning until everything was tidied up. This area of Hutong was always quiet; even when someone shouted occasionally, it could be heard from far away.
"Uncle, what are we having for lunch?" After helping Uncle for a while, Jiang Yizhou began to feel a bit hungry.
Facing his nephew's serious question, Jiang Maode glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and realized it was indeed lunchtime. "It's fine; aren't there still two leftover pancakes? Heat them up and we'll make do with that. Also, boil some water."
Well! Jiang Yizhou couldn't help but complain about this habit of eating leftovers. The older generation always hated wasting food; so why make or buy so much in the first place?
He usually cooked just enough for himself; aside from fried rice which required leftover rice for better texture, he had no habit of saving food for the next meal.
"Is there any paper and pen at home?" Jiang Yizhou felt anxious as he wanted to jot down all the information about the future that was swirling in his mind. Now that he was at Uncle's place, he thought there should be a notebook and pen for recording accounts or writing letters. However, while cleaning the room, he found nothing at all.
"A pen? What do you need that for? I can't read," Jiang Maode replied matter-of-factly. This was indeed true; most people from his generation had dropped out of school early to help their families earn work points and contribute to building the country.
In recent years, with the opening up of society, they came to big cities to work hard. With fellow villagers acting as foremen keeping accounts, there was no fear of being taken advantage of; otherwise, returning home would only lead to being ridiculed. In short, there was no need or desire for such things—he just needed to know how to plant rice and how to paint walls and lay bricks.
"Oh, I see. Is there anywhere nearby that sells paper and pens?"
Jiang Maode waved his hand dismissively. "If you want to buy some, I can give you some money to go find it yourself. By the way, what do you need those things for?"
"Nothing much, just to keep a diary and learn some things. Now that I'm in the big city, it's always good to learn a bit!" Jiang Yizhou replied with a sheepish grin. After all, he couldn't be scolded for wanting to improve himself!
Jiang Yizhou sighed. His starting point in this life was indeed low, and he couldn't help but reminisce about his parents from his previous life.
"Even if we were poor, I would support both of you through college as long as you studied hard. If you succeed in the future, that's all that matters!"
In his previous life, his father had only completed third grade, but he placed great importance on his children's education. Although he didn't earn much working odd jobs, he still gritted his teeth and managed to send both children to college. Otherwise, even if he had crossed over to become a Billionaire, he would still be an uneducated farmer at heart.
Now that he had at least received a college education, while he might not be smarter than others, the breadth of his perspective and knowledge, as well as his ability to learn, were all benefits of his education. Perhaps in this era, he could discover business opportunities more easily. Ultimately, taking advantage of opportunities was important, but following the trends was the right path. No matter the era, even if one gained an initial advantage, it ultimately came down to one's own abilities. Without sufficient capability, one would still fail to achieve anything substantial.
"Time to eat! Go wash your hands outside!" The old man nudged Jiang Yizhou, who was lost in thought, pointing towards the water basin outside.
Jiang Yizhou obediently washed his hands and sat down at the table inside. For lunch, they made do with leftover flatbreads from the train, while dinner consisted of boiled rice porridge paired with a jar of pickled vegetables prepared by the old man.
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