*
Yu Shu has just graduated and has yet to find a job.
She never expected to open her eyes and find herself in the booming 1990s, in the body of a little kid whose father had just died and whose mother had run off. She was so hungry that all she could do was collect trash and sell scrap every day.
To survive, Yu Shu, a mechanical engineering major who had never worked a day in her life, could only put what she learned in class to use, hoping to make a living with her skills. But when she took apart the old appliances she had collected, she was dumbfounded.
Yikes, we never learned how to build this... Oh well, never mind!
After fixing an appliance, Yu Shu finally managed to find a customer and tried her hardest to sell it. The customer eyed the strange contraption before him, unconvinced.
But the very next day, he came running back, eating his words and eagerly handing over his money. He said that if she got anything else this good, she had to save it for him.
Yu Shu stared at the deposit on the table in shock. Am I rich now?
By collecting trash and turning waste into treasure, she finally managed to eat her fill.
But Yu Shu wasn't content with that. She went from scavenging to opening a scrap yard, making her way from a small village to a big city. No matter how badly something was broken, if it passed through her hands, she could work a miracle and make it useful again.
She kept earning money and fixing things, never expecting to make a name for herself and get invited to teach a class. Looking at the future big shots sitting below her, Yu Shu felt her scalp tingle.
Oh well, never mind. Just go for it!
Bonus Scene:
In class, the teacher asked everyone what they wanted to do in the future.
"I want to join the army." "I want to be a worker." "I want to go to college."
Dreams of all kinds rose up one after another. Yu Shu raised her hand and declared in a booming voice, "I want to become the greatest scientist in the world!"
The chubby boy sitting beside her snorted with laughter. "You? You'd be better off opening a scrap yard and collecting junk!"
Little did he know that his words would come true. Years later, Yu Shu had done both.
Bonus Scene 2.0:
When Yu Shu first arrived, she was broke and starving. Every night, she snuck out to gnaw on the corn in her neighbor's field.
She chewed while feeling guilty, secretly swearing that once she had money, she would pay them back double.
For days on end, the neighbor never noticed.
Just as she started making money and finally no longer had to sneak corn, the handsome son of the family next door suddenly showed up. Seeing the freshly cooked sweet potatoes on her table, he assumed she'd stolen those from someone, too.
The handsome neighbor sighed in exasperation. "Stop stealing other people's vegetables. My mom says you should come over for dinner."
Yu Shu: ... If I say it was a misunderstanding, would you believe me?
1. A face-slapping, power-up story, with the main plot front and center
2. There is a male lead
3. Fictional, alternate-world setting
Theme: When the people have faith, the nation has strength and the people have hope.
