Chapter 1
Parallel Universe: Earth
Huaxia, Modu City
Jing’an District
Apartment 404
“The boundless horizon is my love, beneath the everlasting green mountains.”
Zhou Chao picked up his phone from the table and looked at the incoming call with a dazed expression. He swiped his finger across the screen.
“Hello, Third Aunt!”
“Chao’er, when are you coming back to Fuzhou? It’s been so long since you graduated. Come back and visit. Your parents left behind a small grocery store, and it’s doing fine.” Zhou Chao listened to the slightly hoarse voice on the other end of the phone and thought for a moment.
“Third Aunt, I’ll be back in a few days.”
“Ah, that’s good. Your sister has been missing you. She keeps asking me to call you every day.”
“It’s been three or four years since I last saw her. Xiaoyan should be graduating from high school soon, right?”
“Yes, she’s become quite mischievous. You should come back and take care of her.” Third Aunt said with a hint of helplessness.
“Hey sir, how much is this?”
Zhou Chao heard the voice on the phone and immediately replied, “Third Aunt, it seems you’re busy at the moment. I’ll hang up first.”
Zhou Chao stared out the window blankly, lost in thought. He was a traveler from Earth, brought to this world through a parallel universe. He remembered the circumstances of his arrival a few years ago. The previous owner of his body had just graduated from high school. During summer vacation, he was helping his parents run the small grocery store. They went to Fog City together to restock, but on the way back, they got into a car accident. Their car was hit by an overloaded truck. The previous owner suffered severe injuries and died, while Zhou Chao woke up in this world, taking over the body. He spent a month and a half in the hospital before being discharged. Regrettably, his parents succumbed to their injuries despite the efforts to save them, leaving Third Aunt in charge of all the funeral arrangements.
Due to the severe overloading by the driver responsible for the accident, the insurance company only compensated a small portion. In the final settlement, the driver’s family merely paid 300,000 yuan, and with the combined insurance payout, Zhou Chao inherited a three-bedroom apartment and a small grocery store. For the time being, Third Aunt took charge of managing the store.
In the blink of an eye, several years had passed. Zhou Chao managed to navigate through university and graduate successfully. Recently, he even resigned from his job. After all, in his original life before the transmigration, he was just an ordinary person, lacking any profound knowledge of literature or cultural references. He hadn’t retained much from the novels or TV dramas he had read or watched, rendering him unable to serve as a carrier of cultural knowledge.
The next morning, Zhou Chao packed his luggage and headed to Hongqiao Airport. He called the landlord the night before to terminate the lease on his apartment, without bothering about the deposit.
“Ding, boarding for the flight from Modu City to Fog City has begun. Passengers, please proceed to the boarding gate.”
Zhou Chao went through the ticket check, boarded the plane, stored his luggage, and looked out the window. He paused for a moment and said, “Goodbye, Modu City. I will be back.”
“Hello, Third Aunt. I’ve just arrived. Yes, I’ll grab a car and head directly to your location.” Zhou Chao had just exited Jiangbei Airport in Fog City when he received a phone call from Third Aunt.
“Sure, I’ll go buy some groceries. Come to my place for lunch when you arrive.”
“I’ll be there in a bit…” Before he could finish his sentence, the call abruptly ended. Zhou Chao chuckled and shook his head, understanding that Aunt San simply wanted him to come home and enjoy a meal together.
Sighing, Zhou Chao let out a breath and shook his head. He lifted his luggage and boarded the airport shuttle bus bound for Fuzhou.
As noon approached, Zhou Chao returned to his long-forgotten hometown, Fuzhou (known as the “Hometown of Preserved Vegetables”). He hailed a taxi without much thought and instructed, “To Golden Coast.” Zhou Chao looked out of the window, gazing at the city he hadn’t seen in years, his thoughts wandering to unknown places.
“Hey handsome, we’ve arrived at Golden Coast. That’ll be 8 dollars.” The voice of the taxi driver snapped Zhou Chao out of his reverie. He took out his phone and paid the fare. After getting off the taxi, Zhou Chao adjusted himself and walked towards the residential area.
Knock, knock, knock. Zhou Chao lightly tapped on the door.
“Coming!” A deep and powerful voice came from inside.
Click. The door opened, and Zhou Chao saw a robust middle-aged man. “Uncle, aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“Didn’t your Third Aunt say that you’re coming back? Come in, give me your luggage.”
“Chao’er, come in quickly. We’re about to have lunch.” Third Aunt’s voice came from the kitchen.
Uncle took the luggage from his hands and walked into the house, saying as he walked, “Your Third Aunt has cooked your favorite dishes. It’s been a long time since you last had them, right?”
“Dinner is ready. Come over and sit down to eat.” Third Aunt walked out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of tender meat soup.
“Chao’er, do you drink? Let’s have a couple of drinks together.”
“I can’t handle white liquor, but I can have some beer.” Zhou Chao smiled and replied.
“Come, let’s start with some beer. We also have your favorite braised pork trotters and tenderloin soup.” Uncle handed Zhou Chao two bottles of beer.
Then Third Aunt also emerged from the kitchen, holding the dishes. “The food is ready. Let’s start eating!” Immediately, everyone picked up their chopsticks, and as they exchanged words and laughter, time quietly slipped away.
After a satisfying meal, Third Aunt finished cleaning up and sat next to Zhou Chao. “Chao’er, now that you’re back, why don’t you take over the grocery store? Its profits haven’t been great in recent years, only about 200,000 yuan. I’ll transfer the money to your account later.”
Zhou Chao shook his head and said, “Third Aunt, I can take over the grocery store, but you should keep the money. You’ve been running it for all these years.”
“That won’t do. You should keep the money for yourself. You don’t have a job right now, and you need the money. That’s final. I’ll transfer the money to you later!” Uncle, who had been reclining on the side, spoke up loudly.
After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Chao said, “Then, I’ll only take half of the money for now. You can keep the rest. If I need money in the future, I’ll come to you. How about that? Otherwise, I won’t take a single penny.”
Third Aunt glanced at Uncle and said, “Alright, if you’re short on money, let me know. By the way, here’s the key. It’s for the grocery store. Keep it safe. You can take over the store tomorrow.”
“Okay, got it.”
In the blink of an eye, it was already 2:30 in the afternoon.
Zhou Chao stood up and said, “Third Aunt, Uncle, I’m going home now to tidy up.”
“Alright. For the past few years, we have arranged for a cleaning service to come to your house every week, ensuring that it is well-maintained and in good condition,” Third Aunt said.
Zhou Chao then turned around, carrying his luggage, and bid farewell before opening the door and leaving.
Returning to his home after four years of separation, Zhou Chao held the photo of his deceased parents in his hands, tears streaming down his face. Perhaps this was the lingering attachment left behind by the previous owner of his body.
Early the next morning, Zhou Chao stepped out of the house, carrying the key to the grocery store, and made his way there. The store was located near an old residential area. It had once been the largest in the city twenty years ago, but as times changed, the once prosperous place gradually became worn out.
The store was not far from where Zhou Chao lived, and it took him about ten minutes to walk there. As he looked at the grocery store that his parents had worked hard on for twenty years, a glimmer of hope welled up inside him. “I will live a good life, whether it’s for myself or for the sake of my parents’ memory.”
Standing in front of the grocery store, Zhou Chao used the key to open the door.
“Ding…”