Parallel Universe: Earth
Huaxia, Modu City
Jing'an District
Apartnt 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. Co 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 mont.
"Third Aunt, I'll be back in a few days."
"Ah, that's good. Your sister has been missing you. She keeps asking 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 beco quite mischievous. You should co 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 imdiately replied, "Third Aunt, it seems you're busy at the mont. 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 rembered the circumstances of his arrival a few years ago. The previous owner of his body had just graduated from high school. During sumr 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 arrangents.
Due to the severe overloading by the driver responsible for the accident, the insurance company only compensated a small portion. In the final settlent, the driver's family rely paid 300,000 yuan, and with the combined insurance payout, Zhou Chao inherited a three-bedroom apartnt and a small grocery store. For the ti 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 apartnt, 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 mont 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 so groceries. Co 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 co ho and enjoy a al 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 hotown, Fuzhou (known as the "Hotown 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 handso, 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 ca 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? Co in, give your luggage."
"Chao'er, co in quickly. We're about to have lunch." Third Aunt's voice ca 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 ti since you last had them, right?"
"Dinner is ready. Co over and sit down to eat." Third Aunt walked out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of tender at soup.
"Chao'er, do you drink? Let's have a couple of drinks together."
"I can't handle white liquor, but I can have so beer." Zhou Chao smiled and replied.
"Co, let's start with so beer. We also have your favorite braised pork trotters and tenderloin soup." Uncle handed Zhou Chao two bottles of beer.
Then Third Aunt also erged from the kitchen, holding the dishes. "The food is ready. Let's start eating!" Imdiately, everyone picked up their chopsticks, and as they exchanged words and laughter, ti quietly slipped away.
After a satisfying al, 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 mont 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 co 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 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 ho now to tidy up."
"Alright. For the past few years, we have arranged for a cleaning service to co 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 ho 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 attachnt 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 tis changed, the once prosperous place gradually beca 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 glimr of hope welled up inside him. "I will live a good life, whether it's for myself or for the sake of my parents' mory."
Standing in front of the grocery store, Zhou Chao used the key to open the door.
"Ding..."
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