Chapter 1:
"Have you found a job yet?"
Lin Qi () looked at his girlfriend, who was busy cooking, and shook his head apologetically. His girlfriend displayed neither disappointment nor much emotional fluctuation, as if not finding a job was entirely normal.
He, who had just returned home from outside, tried to minimize verbal communication, afraid that this woman who slept beside him every night might discern his abnormality.
Carrying a slightly deformed frying pan, his girlfriend walked over to the rickety, paint-peeling wooden table, placed a fried egg atop a plate of minced meat, and then sat down.
"Don't worry too much. I still have some money. Maybe you'll find a job tomorrow. Let's eat for now." she said.
Lin Qi nodded and began to consume the not-so-tasty dinner.
The fork pierced the slightly congealed surface of the egg, making the thick yolk cascade onto the minced meat like a natural seasoning or some kind of sauce, enhancing its appeal.
Eating the meal absentmindedly, Lin Qi's mind was occupied with other thoughts.
He was not from this world. He didn't know the scientific principle or any reason behind it, but indeed, he had transmigrated to this world.
Before the transmigration, he had held various jobsdelivery man, insurance salesman, waiter, a part-time chef, etc.
The thirty years preceding his transmigration were filled with unremarkable odd jobs. But after thirty, a tremendous change occurred.
In his later account, he claimed that it was the experiences he had accumulated in the preceding thirty years and his emotionally charged speech that finally changed the judge's mind...
Then, on his first night sleeping in that cramped cell, intending to write a memoir about his legendary life, he gradually drifted into a slumber.
When he woke up, he found himself in a home in another world that was completely unrelated to his previous life, and he was in a body belonging to someone who also happened to be named Lin Qi.
This person who had nothing except for a girlfriend resembled the epitome of a societal failureliving off his girlfriend, residing in her place. Apart from helping her with some issues at night, he seemed like a parasite.
In the last few days, he had been using the excuse of going out to look for a job to check out the world outside. This world gave him a kind of indescribable sense of novelty.
It felt like the 1940s or 50s, or the 60sa time of technological explosion yet not overly advanced. Numerous products kept emerging in front of the public, making it hard for people to take it all in. He even saw a slogan on a promotional poster in the street that said: "Every day is a new day."
To him, this world, this society was overflowing with money, waiting to be picked up; all he needed to do was merely bend over slightly, which would require little effort.
His blood was simmering, his heart was becoming strong and vigorous, and deep within him, there was a kind of longing. He firmly believed that there was a reason for his transmigration.
Perhaps, the reason why he was brought to this world was to create his own legacy!
"Go fill the bathtub with hot water. Let's take a bath tonight," his girlfriend instructed while clearing the dishes.
Lin Qi nodded, stood up, and walked toward the bathroom. As he walked, he casually asked, "We just took a bath yesterday..."
Since he came to this world, he noticed that he and his girlfriend had very clear life plans, and things weren't entirely chaotic.
The current weather was neither hot nor cold; unless engaged in intense exercise, one wouldn't easily break into a sweat. Therefore, there was little necessity for a daily shower.
It wasn't that people were unwilling to cleanse themselves daily; it was more because changing clothes and using hot water incurred expenses.
For the affluent, these were trivial expenses. They might even install a boiler for a heating system in their homes or purchase a washing machine for convenient laundry at any time.
However, for the impoverished, these were unnecessary and unaffordable expenses. Their lives had to become structured.
They meticulously planned every expenditure, adhering to a routine life like monks to save every penny. That was their way of life.
It wasn't that they desired such a routine; it was more due to poverty.
His girlfriend turned and walked to the edge of the sink, turning on the faucet to rinse the dishes. "After midnight, our hot water will cut off until we pay again next week. This way, we can save a bit."
Lin Qi shrugged, walking into the bathroom. He turned the faucet, letting out the initial cold water before hot steamy water flowed out from the pipes.After their bath, lying on the narrow bed, they soon succumbed to slumber.
Lin Qi's girlfriend worked in a supermarket as a cashier, clocking in ten hours daily, which included an hour for breaks.
Often, she would bring back some near-expiry or expired food items or inexpensive household goods from the supermarket. This was one of the reasons they could get by with just one of them working.
Both of them were classmates in high school and hadn't managed to get into college. Lin Qi worked as a laborer for a while but eventually gave up due to the exhausting nature of the job.
Katherine (), his girlfriend, found this job at the supermarket and managed to hold onto it.
Theirs was a typical story of a family facing failure. Neither Lin Qi nor Katherine knew how long they could sustain this kind of life.
Perhaps they would hold on until the day they got married, then continue to barely scrape by for the rest of their lives.
But at any moment, due to some sudden outburst of emotions, their fragile relationship could come to an end.
The next morning, Lin Qi quickly freshened up. Katherine had already left, leaving a box of cereal and a bottle of milk on the table.
He walked to the cupboard and poured the milk into a pot to heat it on the stove. In passing, he glanced at the expiration date and, unsurprisingly, found that it had expired two days ago.
Such milk would typically be discarded in the supermarket, but it was items such as this the reason why many people were willing to endure extremely long work hours and low wages just to keep working there.
The rich aroma of the milk was somewhat intoxicating. Lin Qi was used to consuming other food with warm milk for breakfast, while Katherine and others were accustomed to cold milk, which felt unpleasant.
After finishing breakfast, he tidied up his appearance and headed to a nearby street not far from where they rented a place.
During these past few days, he hadn't been idle, although not in terms of seeking employment. Instead, he pondered over where to acquire his first pot of gold.
Although this world was entirely different from another, some trajectories of development were still traceable.
For instance, you know that the land beneath your feet would be worth a fortune in a hundred years. You know that the prices of artworks skyrocket annually. You know...
Standing in Lin Qi's current position, everyone would feel a sense of ambition because most of them could seize the pulse of the future.
However, the problem was that most people's ambition only remained as suchit wouldn't materialize. That's because the present isn't the future, and anything requires capital.
Where does the capital come from?
It doesn't fall from the sky or come drifting in on water. In reality, even if many were given the chance to go back in time, they wouldn't have the ability to change their lives.
Perhaps some might, but within limits. It might mean buying a few extra houses and then staring at twice the assets than in their previous lives when they grew old, which wasn't quite what they initially envisioned.
Some are destined to stir up the world, while others, even if given the opportunity, are powerless.
Clearly, Lin Qi belonged to the former. He possessed all the qualities; he had succeeded before, and that was the decisive key.
He stood there, staring at a laundromat across the street for most of the morning, jotting down notes and sketches in a notebook. He was making his first pot of gold.
Approaching noon, as the pedestrian traffic began to dwindle, two men wearing trench coats blocked his view. One of them had his hand tucked inside the coat, seemingly gripping something.
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