Chapter 1: Rebirth in 1989
The first sensation Lu Yuanfan felt upon opening his eyes was like someone beating a drum inside his skull with a hammer.
The old ceiling fan above him whirred, its blades turning slowly, stirring up only hot air.
He raised his hand to block the light and touched a rough mosquito net.
What era is this thing from?
He squinted, surveying his surroundings.
Wooden window frames, a crack in the glass patched up with newspaper.
The room was small. Against the wall stood an old wooden table, on which sat an enamel mug, half of the red paint peeling off the large characters "Serve the People" printed on its body.
The bed was an old-fashioned wooden plank bed, creaking rhythmically, the bedding smelling of a mix of mothballs and stale fabric.
A yellowed Beyond poster was pasted on the wall, and several cardboard boxes were piled in the corner, covered in a thick layer of dust.
Where the hell am I?
Lu Yuanfan sat up abruptly, his head spinning, nearly causing him to fall back down.
Where is my bachelor pad? Where is my 5090?
He remembered playing Valorant late last night, only lying down when it was nearly dawn, and scrolling through his phone for a bit... It was then that a ball of fire suddenly erupted in his mind, followed by a rush of unfamiliar memories.
Scene after scene flashed by... He had transmigrated.
The year 1989.
A small southern city.
The Original Owner was also named Lu Yuanfan. He was nineteen, and his parents had both died in a car accident when he was seven. His older brother, Lu Yuanhang, had raised him single-handedly.
His brother was six years older than him and joined the army at seventeen, rising from a common soldier all the way to Captain of the Reconnaissance Company.
Three years ago, his brother received a top-secret mission, going deep into the border region for long-term undercover work, and had been completely out of contact ever since.
Before leaving, his brother entrusted his wife, Shen Tinglan, to him, repeatedly urging him to take good care of his sister-in-law and their two children.
The military unit transferred two hundred yuan home every month. Two hundred yuan was not a small amount back then; the average person's monthly salary was only a little over one hundred.
Logically speaking, life should have been quite comfortable.
But the Original Owner was a scoundrel.
A complete and utter scoundrel.
Not only did he squander all the money his brother sent back, but he also took away most of the meager salary his sister-in-law earned working hard at the textile factory.
His sister-in-law raised two children alone, worked at the factory, and then had to come home to cook, wash clothes, and manage the household for everyone.
And the Original Owner?
He spent all day fooling around with a bunch of bad friends, drinking, gambling, and visiting dance halls, acting like he was somebody important.
Some of those so-called friends coveted the money he had, and some even coveted his sister-in-law... The more Lu Yuanfan thought about it, the more disgusted he felt.
"He's a damn scoundrel."
He couldn't help but curse out loud.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he froze.
Wait, wasn't I just cursing myself?
This body was now his, those memories were his, and all the terrible things the Original Owner had done were now attributed to him.
Lu Yuanfan scratched his head, feeling his skull start to ache again.
Just then, a gentle knock came from outside the door.
"Yuanfan, are you awake?"
The voice was very soft, carrying a cautious tentativeness.
Lu Yuanfan paused, recognizing his sister-in-law's voice.
He cleared his throat: "Come in."
The door was pushed open, and a woman walked in carrying a tray.
She was wearing a faded white shirt, dark blue trousers, and a pair of cloth shoes.
The shirt was slightly too large, making her look even thinner.
She wore no makeup, her hair simply tied back in a ponytail, revealing a delicate face.
Her features were well-defined, especially her apricot eyes, which were so gentle they seemed to drip with kindness.
But there were faint fine lines around her eyes, and her expression conveyed weariness and exhaustion, traces left by long-term toil.
This was his sister-in-law, Shen Tinglan.
She was only twenty-five this year, yet she looked like she was in her early thirties.
A wave of bitterness rose in Lu Yuanfan's heart, and he blurted out: "Sister Tinglan."
Shen Tinglan's movements paused.
She looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, followed by disbelief.
Yuanfan... called her'Sister'?
Before, it was always "Hey," "Come here," or just calling her name directly. He had never been this polite.
Sometimes when he was drunk, he wouldn't even bother with a name, shouting from the room, "Bring water!" or "Is dinner ready?" as if she were a servant.
Shen Tinglan's heart inexplicably quickened a few beats.
She looked disbelievingly at the young man on the bed.
The youth lowered his head, his expression surprisingly showing a bit of embarrassment, completely unlike his usual frivolous demeanor.
Could it be... had Yuanfan truly turned over a new leaf?
But quickly, she shook her head again.
She couldn't hold too much hope; maybe it was just a coincidence.
The boy lost his parents young, and his character was ruined by those bad friends. How could he change so easily?
Shen Tinglan sighed softly, walked to the table, and set down the tray.
On the tray was a bowl of plain congee, a dish of pickles, and a boiled egg.
"You drank too much last night."
Her voice was calm, carrying her usual gentleness.
"Eat something light; you'll feel better."
Lu Yuanfan looked at the bowl of congee, his throat tightening.
He remembered that the Original Owner had been drinking outside with some friends until midnight, returning home past two in the morning.
Drunk, he had pushed open the door and seen his sister-in-law still waiting for him under the lamp, with warm food laid out on the table.
He hadn't even glanced at it then, walking straight into his room and collapsing onto the bed.
And after his sister-in-law finished cleaning the kitchen, she still had to wake up early to make breakfast for the children and take them to school.
Lu Yuanfan clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
"Thank you, Sister Tinglan."
He looked up at Shen Tinglan, saying every word distinctly.
"From now on... I won't go fooling around anymore."
Shen Tinglan's hand froze in mid-air.
Her eyes widened, and her lips moved, but no sound came out.
After a long moment, she finally found her voice, which held a slight tremor.
"Wha... what did you say?"
"I said, I won't go fooling around anymore."
Lu Yuanfan repeated himself, his expression incredibly serious.
Shen Tinglan stared blankly at him, her eyes suddenly turning red.
She bit her lip, blinking fiercely to stop the tears from falling.
After a while, she managed to force out a smile.
"That's good, that's really good... I need to go to work now."
Having said that, she turned and left, her steps slightly hurried, nearly bumping into the doorframe.
Lu Yuanfan watched her retreating figure, feeling a heavy weight settle in his heart.
The door closed with a creak.
Lu Yuanfan took a deep breath, stood up, and walked over to the table.
He picked up the bowl of congee. It was still warm, and a few grains of white sugar floated on top, sparkling faintly in the morning light.
He took a sip. The rice congee was soft and sticky with a hint of sweetness. A warm current slid down his throat into his stomach, and his headache genuinely felt much better.
His sister-in-law must have specially added the sugar.
Lu Yuanfan slurped down the entire bowl of congee, then peeled the egg and ate it in a few bites.
After eating, he wiped his mouth and began to consider what he should do next.
He had read many novels online about transmigration.
Protagonists who transmigrate to the past usually get rich by relying on their "foreknowledge"—stock trading, buying property, dabbling in the internet—becoming trendsetters of the era instantly.
But it was 1989!
The stock market? The Shenzhen Stock Exchange wouldn't open until 1990, and the Shanghai Stock Exchange wouldn't even be established until the end of 1990.
Real estate? Houses were still allocated by work units in this era; the concept of commercial housing hadn't even become widespread yet.
The internet? Don't be ridiculous. At this moment, there weren't many people in the entire country who could even get online, and computers were still rare luxuries.
Bitcoin? That thing wouldn't appear until 2009.
E-commerce? Ma Yun was still working as an English teacher right now.
Gold? That might be worth considering, but he didn't have a single penny right now. What would he buy it with?