Downtown Shop

After Yu Bing and Xiao Sheng arrived in City F, they checked into the guesthouse near the train station downtown.

It was already late so the two of them went out to eat before strolling around. Most of the small shops had already closed, with only the supply company, state-run restaurants, department stores, and movie theaters still open.

historical

It had been almost a month since the two of them went to the recycling station. Although she was on a business trip now, Yu Bing still took out some math and geography textbooks to read. No matter how tired she was from running outside during the day, Yu Bing would spend at least an hour reading at night.

“You brought textbooks?”

Xiao Sheng realized that Yu Bing kept bugging him about studying, so he had no choice but to take it seriously as well.

His grades were quite good when he was in school. After he picked up textbooks again after so long, he was indeed a little slow at first, but now, he had already read up to the second year of junior high school. “Yes, I brought a physics book over.”

Yu Bing asked, “Is there anything you don’t understand?”

Xiao Sheng smiled and said, “Not for the time being. If there is, I’ll ask you.”

Yu Bing nodded in satisfaction. She hoped that Jiang Chun and Xiao Sheng could both get into university. The college entrance examination was like the turning point of one’s life, especially in this era. If they passed the exam, they would be able to start a brand new life. This was also the fairest way for ordinary people to break the class barrier.

The two of them chatted as they strolled around.

At the corner in the distance, a pair of venemous eyes were staring at the two of them.

Perhaps the hatred in the other party’s eyes was too intense, but Xiao Sheng felt uncomfortable, as if he was being watched.

After he used his intuition to sense the direction of the gaze, he suddenly looked up at the 2 o’clock position, but he only saw the hem of the other party’s shirt.

As Xiao Sheng looked at the hem of the other party’s shirt, he fell into deep thought. He didn’t know if he was too sensitive or if someone was really watching him just now, but this was his first time in F City. Logically speaking, he didn’t have any emnity with anyone here, so why was someone watching him?

Although Xiao Sheng was puzzled, he felt that he might have been overthinking, so he didn’t chase after the person. Not only was he unfamiliar with the place, but he was also worried about leaving Yu Bing alone at night.

The two of them strolled around for a while longer before returning to the guest house.

The following day, Yu Bing and Xiao Sheng went out and started looking for a shop. This time, they were very lucky to find a shop for rent downtown.

The previous tenant of this shop also used it as the office of a food factory. That food factory was the collective industry of a village brigade in City F. However, because they couldn’t get orders in the city, they moved away after the one-year lease ended.

The two of them came at the right time. The previous tenant had moved away two days ago, and the landlord was about to post a rent notice after cleaning up.

Xiao Sheng had sharp eyes and saw the landlord’s actions from across the road, so he pulled Yu Bing over and asked.

This shop, which was 70 square meters, was quite big. Yu Bing planned to create an office and two staff dormitories. This way, she could save on rent.

Because of the good geographical location, the landlord demanded a monthly rent of 35 yuan and refused to lower the rent in the slightest. However, she only had to pay one month’s rent as deposit and one month’s worth of rent up front. She could also change the wall layout of the house. Therefore, Yu Bing gritted her teeth and signed the contract.

Holding the freshly printed contract, Yu Bing looked at the time on her watch. It was already half past eleven. Thinking that it was almost time for the Industrial and Commercial Bureau’s lunch break, she went to lunch with Xiao Sheng first.

Yu Bing was in a good mood after everything went smoothly, so she ate more than usual.

She specifically ordered a large bowl of braised chicken noodles. As she slurped the noodles, she said to Xiao Sheng, “Big plate chicken is a specialty of a province at the border, but I didn’t expect to be able to eat it in an inland city. Speaking of which, during this entire trip, things went the smoothest in F City.”

Yu Bing’s cheeks were stuffed with noodles, making her look adorable. As Xiao Sheng looked at Yu Bing, there was unconcealed gentleness in his eyes. “Yes, if everything goes smoothly, we can complete the filing this afternoon.”

Yu Bing nodded vigorously, then a mixed expression appeared on her face. “I’ve thought about it. After we settle the procedures this afternoon, we’ll go straight to the train station to buy the earliest train ticket back. The blanket in the guesthouse is only washed once every 10 days to half a month. Only once was I lucky enough to get new bedding. If I’m unlucky, even if I don’t use it and put it at the end of the bed, I can still smell the sweat in the air.”

Xiao Sheng was a clean freak to begin with, so when he heard Yu Bing’s plan, he agreed. It was much more comfortable to stay at home.