Chapter 333: An Hong’s Shock

Nothing happened that night, and Li Yi got up early the next morning!

He was heading to Dong’an Market to help pick out beef and mutton, and take a look around the produce section while he was at it.

Ever since he’d had Long Zhanjun and Liu San’er, he’d actually rarely had to handle these matters personally.

The main reason he was going was to take An Hong to see the big markets in the capital.

After all, he’d promised to bring her to the capital to broaden her horizons—he couldn’t very well have her stuck in the kitchen helping out every day!

Upon learning that Li Yi was taking her to explore the capital’s vegetable market, An Hong was thrilled and got up early as well.

Third Sister Li Na, upon hearing that Long Zhanjun was going too, naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity—after all, her whole reason for coming to the capital was him.

And so, the scale of this trip to the market suddenly grew.

After the three of them got up, they freshened up briefly.

They then left their rented apartment and headed to the nearby shop to meet up with Long Zhanjun and the others.

The early morning in Beijing was quite unique—not only was it cold, but the sky was also overcast and gray.

Looking up, it felt as if a huge pot had been placed over their heads—not even a star or the moon was visible—a stark contrast to the crisp, clear skies of Qingshan County.

Mainly because the capital is so crowded, and on top of that, everyone in the city needs to stoke their stoves in winter. With so many chimneys constantly belching thick smoke every day, the sky overhead is naturally a hazy gray.

As soon as they stepped outside, Third Sister exhaled a puff of white breath and said, “It’s so cold!”

An Hong agreed, “It is a bit cold. Besides the cold, I think the capital smells a bit unpleasant—it has a smoky odor.”

Li Yi smiled and said, “It’ll get better.”

Soon, the three of them arrived at the hot pot restaurant.

The lights inside were already on, indicating that Long Zhanjun and the others had woken up.

Immediately, Li Yi knocked on the front door!

Hearing the knock, Long Zhanjun immediately called out to Liu San and came out of the shop, then pushed a tricycle out from inside.

Long Zhanjun had bought this tricycle specifically for the shop, mainly because buying vegetables and meat every day made it both inconvenient and uneconomical to rely on others.

Afterward, Long Zhanjun pedaled the tricycle himself while the others sat on the flatbed, heading straight for Dong’an Market.

Since there wasn’t much traffic on the road and it was all paved, the tricycle made decent speed.

They covered the seven or eight kilometers in less than an hour!

Upon arriving at Dong’an Market, Long Zhanjun took Liu San to select beef and mutton, with Third Sister tagging along to help.

Meanwhile, Li Yi took An Hong to a nearby vegetable stall to buy various vegetables.

It was An Hong’s first time at such a large market, and she was naturally curious.

But she soon realized that this market was completely different from what she had imagined.

In Qing Shan County, you needed ration tickets for everything; without them, it was nearly impossible to buy what you needed, even if you had money.

Here, however, things were different. While ration tickets were still required, having money was sufficient if you didn’t have them.

As long as you were willing to pay a high price, you could buy almost anything.

It might not seem like much of a difference, but in reality, it’s a huge one.

After browsing the market for an hour and a half, around 7:30, Long Zhanjun and the others finally finished buying all the meat and vegetables.

Afterward, Li Yi told him to head back with Liu San first, while he took Third Sister and An Hong for a stroll around the city center!

To give them a taste of the real capital, a single farmers’ market wouldn’t be enough, so Li Yi planned to take them to the bustling downtown areas to experience the city’s large shopping malls.

After seeing Long Zhanjun and Liu San off, he noticed it was nearly 8:00.

Realizing they hadn’t eaten yet, Li Yi decided to take Third Sister and An Hong out for a meal first; after all, the big shopping malls in the city center usually didn’t open until after 8:30.

The three of them walked along the streets of Beijing, each lost in their own thoughts as they looked at the shops lining the streets and the throngs of bicycles passing by.

Li Yi felt a touch of nostalgia, while Li Na and An Hong were curious—but more than anything, they were in awe.

Even though it was already the 1980s, bicycles were still a luxury in their hometown of Qingshan County. If any family owned one, it would be the envy of countless people.

But here in the capital, it seemed like everyone—men and women alike—had one.

Especially when they stopped at traffic lights, the lines of bicycles waiting on both sides could number in the hundreds—a truly awe-inspiring sight!

What shocked them even more were the shops lining both sides of the street—their sheer number was staggering.

Since the policy was relaxed, more and more ordinary people have started opening their own shops.

There are also street vendors selling everything from steamed buns and fried dough sticks to pancakes, scattered all along both sides of the street.

Even early in the morning, the place is already bustling!

This was something completely unimaginable in Qing Shan County. Never mind the police or the industrial and commercial authorities—you wouldn’t even get past the street patrols with their red armbands.

An Hong finally understood why Li Yi had insisted she come out for a walk; without seeing this scene with her own eyes, it would have been impossible to imagine.

In just a single day, she felt that Beijing and Qingshan County were two completely different worlds!

Compared to the poverty and isolation of her hometown, the capital’s attitude toward small business owners was completely different—it was as if all restrictions had been lifted.

The three of them picked a random breakfast shop and walked in; the place specialized in millet porridge and pork buns.

The shop was quite crowded; when Li Yi and the others arrived, every table was occupied, so they had to share a table with a young man.

While eating, An Hong munched on a meat bun while quietly surveying the shop.

The shop wasn’t large, consisting of just an open kitchen and six small tables.

The owner was a young man in his twenties, assisted by an older man.

Yet business was brisk. From the moment they entered until they finished eating and paid the bill—a span of just ten minutes or so—over twenty customers had come and gone.

An Hong did a quick mental calculation: in just that short time, the young man had taken in at least 15 yuan.

Li Yi had once mentioned that the gross profit margin in the restaurant industry is around 50 percent. That meant, in such a short time, the young man had earned 7.50 yuan.

This figure shocked her!

After all, she was a junior manager at the cotton mill and earned 38 yuan a month—which was considered a decent income in all of Qingshan County.

But on average, that came to less than 1.30 yuan a day.

And this unassuming young man had just earned nearly a week’s worth of her salary in a mere ten minutes or so—wouldn’t he make a month’s worth of her income in a single day?

This realization only strengthened An Hong’s resolve to quit her job and go into business!

Li Yi had no idea what was going through An Hong’s mind; if he had known, he might have chuckled to himself.

That’s nothing!

These days, it’s no exaggeration to say that Beijing is a goldmine. Earning an ordinary worker’s monthly wage in a single day by running a restaurant is nothing out of the ordinary.

And what about those selling small goods? Every single one of them was raking in a fortune.

Especially those running inns and hotels—a single bed for 80 cents a night. Larger inns often have 150 or 60 beds; just imagine how much that adds up to in a single day!

Of course, making money is a given, but not everyone has the guts to go into business.

After breakfast, Li Yi took the two of them straight to the nearby Wangfujing Street; he wanted to give Third Sister and An Hong a taste of the capital’s most bustling commercial thoroughfare.

While Li Yi was showing his third sister and An Hong the bustling streets of the capital, things were quite different over at the Jiang family’s place!