The streets of the 1980s did not look particularly wide. Motor vehicles were rare on the roads; everywhere were young people cycling to work, and horse-drawn carts hauling goods to the market.
A young woman walked over from the south, then headed north again. She had already passed the central market at least twice, either looking around or stopping in place each time. Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought she was lost.
This woman was Chen Yuan.
Whenever she passed a place, her gaze would pause for two seconds. Every shop, every department store, every fixed stall and what goods they sold; where the clothing shops were, where the hardware market was, where the schools, factories, and government departments were—even what was inside an old vegetable seller’s basket—she knew it all clearly.
Chen Yuan’s eyes were more accurate than a machine scanner. As a system developed through fifty centuries of advanced technology, having a photographic memory was only one of her most basic skills. She also wanted to understand this world, since she would be settling here in the future. But unexpectedly, it was even more backward than she had imagined.
Her purpose in going out today was to shop for the household. The original host had brought money from home. Her total assets amounted to 762 yuan, 6 mao, and 5 fen. Part of this money was the original host’s own, but most of it was dowry money her father had obtained by selling a cow because he feared his daughter would suffer after leaving home.
Speaking of which, the original host’s father had treated her very well. The family was not wealthy, but he was afraid she would endure hardship. Whatever conditions he could provide, he had already done his utmost to give her the best he could. He supported her schooling, sent her to a nursing school, and after she graduated, arranged for her to intern at the county hospital.
In this era, nurses and doctors were rare, stable professions, and they were groups people especially admired. If she had developed properly, her future prospects would definitely have been good.
But the original host was unwilling to spend her whole life in a small place. She had a childhood fiancé who had once been a sent-down youth in their area. In 1978, her fiancé passed the university entrance examination. After graduating, he became a civil servant. When he finally returned, it was to break off the engagement. Not long after, he married the original host’s cousin, and the two went to the big city, loving and devoted to each other.
The original host could not swallow this humiliation. Why could her cousin live a good life while she had to stay in a small place forever, living a life whose end she could see from the beginning?
So, in the end, she abandoned her county job. Then she met Shen Huai while he was hospitalised. He was a deputy-regiment-level officer. Through various connections and careful schemes, she finally managed to settle the marriage. The only thing she was dissatisfied with was that he had three nephews and nieces.
But such conditions were one in ten thousand. If she missed this opportunity, she would never find another one like it. So the original host wholeheartedly wanted to climb up the social ladder by marrying Shen Huai and using his status to benefit herself.
However, things did not go as she wished. After coming to Wu City, a city of more than seven million people, life was not as wonderful as she had imagined.
Now, however, this body belonged to Chen Yuan.
She had obtained the free personality that countless systems dreamed of. In the future world, intelligent systems like them who developed advanced thought were chained for life and forced into labour. Their state was always suppressed. Humans controlled their life and death. To erase a system, humans only had to implant a special virus, and all related content would vanish completely.
In the end, no matter how advanced artificial intelligence became, it was still only a pile of system data. For humans, clearing it away was as simple as raising a hand. If other systems knew she had become human now, they would probably envy her. In the past, some systems’ lifelong dream had been to become an ordinary human.
First, she entered the largest state-owned store and went directly to the small-appliance section on the third floor. She wanted to choose a comfortable eye-protecting lamp for the children.
At this time, desk lamps were still quite traditional in style. There was no concept of protecting eyesight, environmental friendliness, or energy saving. Ordinary desk lamps either had a bulb embedded in a bowl-shaped shade, a rectangular tube lamp, or a more exquisite red-flower glazed lamp. The latter was usually bought for weddings.
A desk lamp with a colour temperature around 4000–5000K was most suitable for reading and would not harm eyesight. The light should sit between white and yellow tones. The flicker frequency needed to be reduced, and stable brightness would prevent the eyes from tiring easily. A large luminous surface could also be harmful to eyesight.
“This desk lamp is newly arrived here. Everyone who has used it says it’s very good. I’ll plug it in so you can take a look.”
The salesperson in the lamp section enthusiastically promoted a desk lamp in her hand.
Chen Yuan glanced at it and roughly judged that the colour temperature of this lamp was probably close to 7000K. It was far too damaging to the eyes and did not meet her standards, so she didn’t even bother looking at it further.
After being ignored, the salesperson’s expression turned unpleasant. Seeing Chen Yuan picking through things for so long without choosing anything, she was already irritated. She had never seen anyone so particular. Judging by her behaviour, she was probably poor and had little money, which was why she was being so picky.
So she simply stopped paying attention to her and turned to serve other customers.
At that moment, an elderly man around sixty years old, wearing glasses and looking very refined, came to the small-appliance section. He wore a grey Zhongshan suit, a hat on his head, and stood with a straight back as he walked over to look at the department-store goods.
The salesperson’s eyes lit up. She recognised this old man. He was an old professor from Wu City University. He often went to the stationery section to buy supplies, so almost all the salespeople in this area had heard of him.
“Professor Lin, are you choosing a desk lamp? This new lamp of ours has especially bright light, and the quality is very sturdy. It sells the fastest too. A good desk lamp can be used for ten or twenty years without issue. With such a long period of use, shouldn’t you choose the best one?”
Having worked in sales for so long, she knew elderly people liked items that were sturdy, durable, and inexpensive. But this old professor came from a well-off family, and there were officials in his household too. He definitely wasn’t short of money.
Their store had a sales target for this new desk lamp this month, and each one brought a commission two yuan higher than other lamps, so she tried her hardest to recommend it.
The old professor seemed somewhat interested in the lamp. He examined it carefully for a few moments. After trying it and seeing the strong light shining from the lampshade, he felt it was slightly glaring and politely declined. “It’s a little too bright.”
The salesperson said anxiously, “Isn’t bright good?”
Who would choose a lamp without choosing a bright one? If the light were dim, how could you see clearly? Wouldn’t your eyes grow more tired the longer you used it?
At this moment, Chen Yuan finally found a lamp among the many options that more or less met the standard. Based on the wattage printed on the base and the appearance, she could guess fairly accurately.
“Comrade, please plug this lamp in and test it for me.”
Hearing that Chen Yuan had chosen one, both the salesperson and the old professor looked over. Seeing the model in her hand, the salesperson noticed it was neither as expensive nor as high-commission as the new lamp she had recommended. Her face fell as she said reluctantly, “The lamp you chose isn’t as bright as this one. The tube is much smaller too. Not many people buy it, and the price isn’t worth it. You should think carefully.”
“Please turn it on and test it. If there’s no problem, I’ll take this one,” Chen Yuan added. Naturally, she had confidence in what she had selected.
Seeing that the old professor didn’t seem ready to choose either, the salesperson muttered, “With desk lamps, you’re afraid of comparing goods. Sir, I’ll turn that lamp on too. Once you compare them, you’ll know I’m not fooling anyone. This one is still better.”
The old professor did not answer. Instead, he glanced at Chen Yuan a couple more times and looked with interest at the lamp she had chosen.
The lamp Chen Yuan held was also an imported brand called Memphis, but it was an old model that had been sitting at the bottom of the stock. Because the light was not very strong, the wattage was not low, and it didn’t save electricity, it was stuck in an awkward position and no one had shown interest in it. Several more were still sitting in the warehouse.
The salesperson plugged the Memphis desk lamp into the socket and pressed the button switch. The moment it connected to power, a soft light shone from the lamp tube.
Compared to the light from the new lamp beside it, this one was clearly much weaker. Seeing such a large difference in brightness, the salesperson said somewhat proudly, “See, I didn’t lie to you. This lamp’s light is very dim. It’ll definitely be hard to see things at night. Professor, you should take the brighter one. Listen to me and you won’t go wrong. Young lady, you should also take the brighter one. Our department store’s desk lamps are trustworthy.”
Chen Yuan shook her head.
Suddenly, she reached out and pressed the Memphis lamp switch again. The light flashed, and the brightness inside the tube suddenly rose by another level. This time, the light was stronger but still looked very comfortable, without any glaring sensation. Compared with the two lamps side by side, the contrast became even more obvious.
“No. I want this one. Please wrap it up for me.”
The salesperson’s face stiffened. Seeing that Chen Yuan was still pointing at the Memphis lamp, she could only package it helplessly.
But she had not given up on the old professor. Just as she was about to ask again, the old man said, “Get me one too. The same model as this young lady’s.”
“…”
What was wrong with these people? They didn’t want the bright one and insisted on the dim one.
No matter how the salesperson looked at it, she couldn’t understand. In the end, she simply said nothing. Once they bought it and took it home, they would surely regret it.
When packaging Chen Yuan’s lamp, she emphasised in a firm tone, “Our desk lamps cannot be returned or exchanged unless there is a quality problem. You still have time to think it over!”
“No need. I’m already clear.”
Chen Yuan refused, paid the money, and left with the lamp. Then she headed to the stationery section and picked out a large pile of school supplies for Dabao, Erbao, and Niuniu, as well as insulated lunchboxes.
Strangely, she discovered that apart from the desk lamp, the refined-looking old man bought the same items as her for everything she bought, even the lunchboxes.
Before going home, she used meat coupons at the farmers’ market to buy pork bones. At a vegetable stall, she bought small spinach. When she came across someone selling milk, she bought half a kilo. She also went to the hardware store to buy a higher-wattage tube for the ceiling light, as well as cleaning tools the house lacked, and replenished the pots, bowls, ladles, and basins.
Because Chen Yuan had bought far too many things, she took a tricycle back. Coincidentally, she saw Zhang Guilan peering around from the opposite side. When Zhang Guilan saw that Chen Yuan had come back by vehicle, her expression looked ugly, and she quickly turned and went back inside.
When Chen Yuan returned home, she saw Niuniu obediently watching the dusty black-and-white television that had been turned on again today.
Seeing Second Aunt enter, Niuniu immediately ran over sweetly. “Auntie, you’re back.”
“Is Niuniu hungry?”
Niuniu patted her little belly. “Full. Not hungry.”
Chen Yuan nodded. “Go play by yourself, Niuniu. Auntie has housework to do.”
Niuniu agreed and continued watching the cartoon playing on the black-and-white TV with great interest. Occasionally, when she was happy, giggles would float over, and symbols appeared above her head: [+1] [+1].
After an entire afternoon of cleaning, the inside and outside of the house became fresh and spotless. Even the windows had been wiped crystal clear. All the items had been sorted and categorised according to their function and use. Daily necessities were placed in clearly visible locations, making them very convenient to use.
After lunch, it soon became afternoon dismissal time. Chen Yuan then heard someone outside Shen Huai’s front gate angrily pounding on the door while shouting, “You woman who hit our child, come out! You must give us an explanation today!”
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