Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 45 (Part 1)
Translated by Pure
Edited by Qing
Chapter 45.1 ‘Ah- My Children Are Finally Growing Up’ (Part 1)
Early summer in Yan City was unbearably hot. When Lin Jingzhe woke up that morning, his drowsy eyes just happened to see Lu Xiaojiang's chubby face staring straight at him.
In addition to work, Lin Jingzhe still had to keep up with his studies. He had long wanted to rent a house in a convenient location, but had never found the time. So, Lin Jingzhe still lived in the dormitory most of the time. Fortunately, Lu Xiaojiang, Wang Jun, and Chen Jiankang were easy-going people. Sometimes they would even help cover for Lin Jingzhe when he missed curfew. And because they had been living together for so long, they all got along well.
Lin Jingzhe raised his hand and pinched Lu Xiaojiang's soft and chubby cheeks. Lu Xiaojiang was a good sport and allowed him to do as he pleased. His face was eager and excited. "Get up. The snack bar on Sun Street opens today! I heard since it’s their grand opening, everything is 30% off! Let's all go together!"
It took a moment for Lin Jingzhe to realize that this snack bar referred to the store owned by Father and Mother Zhou. Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang also mentioned it once before, but they only said it was soon, and did not specify when the launch date was.
Wang Jun came into their dormitory room. He had probably just washed his face since there were small droplets of water dripping down his chin. Wang Jun's expression was full of helplessness. He was abruptly woken up by Lu Xiaojiang five minutes ago: "Just get up. If you don’t, he’ll stay in that position and keep staring at you for at least half an hour. Just grant the boy his wish."
Chen Jiankang put on a large t-shirt that had the school emblem printed on it. It was a souvenir distributed by the school on freshmen orientation day. While most people had thrown theirs away, Chen Jiankang's had been worn and washed by him so much that the colors had faded. After getting familiar with his open minded roommates for almost a year, Chen Jiankang’s current personality was much more cheerful than when he first entered this university. He smiled shyly and echoed Wang Jun's words, "You are often away, so you may not know, but he had started planning a month ago and even made a special trip last weekend to familiarize himself with the area.”
He was that excited?
Lin Jingzhe didn't pay much attention to the Zhou family's snack bar. He thought it was just an ordinary opening, but unexpectedly there was such a turbulent undercurrent hidden beneath it.
In fact, the influence of Zhou's snack bar was much larger than he had imagined.
News traveled fast in between the universities in Yan City. This was especially true for young adults their age, because the problems that riddled their minds during their spare time were nothing more than eating, drinking, having fun and finding a part-time job. The snack street near Wutong University was originally not well-known, but ever since Mother Zhou opened a stall there, its popularity rapidly increased. In the first few weeks, only students near the dormitory building of Wutong University visited, but later, students from several surrounding schools all went there. Everything served at this food stall was delicious, and because the supply was always limited, it often closed by noon. It had even made an appearance in the student newspaper of Yanshi University. Many students like Lu Xiaojiang, who had time and money, were more than happy to take a ten-minute bus ride to grab a quick bite.
Even frugal Chen Jiankang was taken to taste their food once. After returning, he didn't feel any distress for splurging, on the contrary, he even thought it was worth the money.
There was a direct bus route leading to Sun Street at the entrance of the economics department building gate, so they all boarded the bus there. They took their seats by the window, where a gentle light poured in, the sun warm against their skin. Lu Xiaojiang looked out the window and said excitedly, "In order to open this store, the boss has not been out for more than two weeks. I miss it so much that I dream about drinking their pork vermicelli soup!”
Lin Jingzhe smiled as he listened to the three of them talk. Although he didn't participate in the topic, he occasionally added a few words of support. He was busy contemplating his current affairs, such as his business dealings and his previous request for Deng Mai to find a suitable office for their real estate company.
There weren't a lot of options for office spaces in the city, because the first CBD[1] that would later exist in the northern part of Yan City had not yet been built.Since office buildings were in short supply, many small companies would rent and work in residential buildings–like Lin Jingzhe had initially done when he arrived at Yan City. However, the amount of people in those areas would be too distracting and noisy. The working environment would also be too casual making it difficult for employees to get into a professional mindset.
Lin Jingzhe was no longer lacking in finances, so he was naturally more willing to invest in a stronger foundation. He had put forward many requirements for the office environment.
Because of his many demands, Deng Mai searched for a long time. It wasn’t until yesterday afternoon that the latter called his dormitory, saying that he had found a suitable place.
In response, Lin Jingzhe had told Deng Mai to go to the management office to sign the lease contract. Based on the estimated allocated time for the planning and development of the triangular plot, they had to rent this office for at least two years.
For this reason, Deng Mai would definitely not be able to make it in time for the opening of the Zhou family’s new store today. Before Lin Jingzhe went out, Deng Mai had called him to report his departure to the management office. This made Lin Jingzhe wonder whether he needed to obtain a mobile phone. Although he was very unused to the current brick phones[2] that could not display the caller ID and was extraordinarily bulky, it was really inconvenient for Deng Mai to only be able to call him when he was at the dormitory or major hotels all the time.
Lin Jingzhe had bought a mobile phone for Deng Mai when he had begun to go out and socialize early on. It cost nearly 20,000 yuan. Although it truly looked like a huge brick when held next to his head, it was currently looked at as a symbol of status and wealth.
During the late stage of social development in his previous life, Lin Jingzhe had never bought a phone for himself. Company executives were always allocated the latest mobile phone model every year. These phones ranged from 3.5 inches to 5.7 inches. As time progressed, these cell phones became more and more advanced and their screens became more and more clear. At the time, he took these advances for granted and didn't cherish it at all. It wasn’t until now that he began to truly miss the technology of the future. There had been no need to rely on memory and handwritten records to dial a number, and a smartphone could immediately tell him who the incoming caller was.
Two years from now, in 1993, BC Company in cooperation with IBM, will announce their latest development of ‘smart’ mobile phones during a joint exhibition[3]. Unfortunately, only a few thousand units were produced and the project was never promoted. It would only be after the 2000’s when smartphones became a common item, which meant Lin Jingzhe had to wait at least ten more years to obtain one.
The business opportunities in this area were also full of potential. In his previous life, the business Lin Jingzhe was engaged in was partly involved in the cell phone industry. Lin Jingzhe really wanted to get involved in this area as well. Unfortunately, he lacked both the technological means and the talent. Moreover, it would be difficult for him to juggle all the additional work along with his upcoming real estate project.
The sound of continuous firecrackers could be heard even before they arrived at Sun Street. The bus they were on passed by the store on the way to its designated stop. Outside the window was a commercial street, with a small shop at the edge of an intersection already full of people. Customers who were unable to enter the store crowded outside, forming a long queue.
The bus windows had all been opened, so when the wind blew in, it brought with it a tantalizing aroma. It was the smell of meat mixed with a variety of spices. It was a fragrant, full-bodied aroma that tickled one's sense of smell, like a soft hand gently caressing one's nose with its fingertips. Lu Xiaojiang jumped up from his seat at once, and even Lin Jingzhe was pulled out of his deep thoughts. He soon recognized the smell as the beef brisket casserole that Mother Zhou had stewed for them before.
"Ohhh—Ahhh—"
Before the bus properly stopped, Lu Xiaojiang dragged Chen Jiankang and rushed over.
From a distance, the crowded queues were even more astonishing. The small shop that was only a dozen square meters was packed to the brim. The flower baskets placed on both sides of the new store for the opening ceremony had already been moved outside. They had been placed on a small stove at the entrance of the store instead. It was from this stove that the fragrance, which caused passers-by to turn their heads back frequently, came out.
Mother Zhou had tied a flower turban on her head, while Father Zhou had worn long sleeves. Both were in the open kitchen, sweating profusely by the stove. The couple was so busy that they did not even notice Lin Jingzhe when he approached. Gao Sheng and Father Gao, who were busy greeting the guests, recognized him first.
Father Gao moved a stack of plastic tables and swiftly spread them out on the sidewalk at the entrance of the store. He then placed a few plastic stools next to each table. A few guests, who had been following him with their ticket numbers, hurriedly sat down on the low plastic stools.
Father Gao then wiped the sweat on his face with the towel around his neck, and shouted, "Gao Sheng! Jingzhe is here!"
"Jingzhe? Why are you here?" Gao Sheng ran up from the back of the queue with a torn homework book. The book pages were almost out from being torn for writing numbers for the queued up guests. Gao Sheng’s face was flushed under the summer sun. "Who told you today was the opening day? Aunt Zhou specifically told us not to tell you since you were so busy."
"Excuse me, can you give me a number please?"
The new guest patted him on the shoulder. Gao Sheng quickly wrote down the corresponding number, then tore the page off, and handed it to them.
Mother Zhou, who was cooking, also looked over. While still busy watching the food, she shouted towards the inside of the store. Zhou Haitang followed the sound out of the crowd and fixed his eyes on Lin Jingzhe. Mother Zhou said, "Haitang, take Jingzhe to the small resting room in the attic inside. Turn the electric fan on, it's too hot outside!"
Lin Jingzhe wanted to help but he could not outtalk them. Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang dragged him away from the crowd and took them to the resting room. Even Lu Xiaojiang and the rest of his friends, who just got their number, received special treatment.
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Footnotes:
[1] CBD - A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city center" or "downtown". [taken from google]
[2] Here’s a video about the earliest brick phones:
[3] In 1993, Bellsouth and IBM announced their creation of the Simon personal communicator phone, touted as the world's first smartphone. Simon was designed to be a cellphone first and a computer second, according to the product's media release. Read more HERE
Also here’s a video of beef brisket casserole:
Translated by pure, hosted on puretl.com / do not repost!