Liu Yu was immersed in boundless joy that he could not pull himself out of it.
Selling at a street stall really could make money. Just today alone, he had an income of two yuan and seventy cents. After deducting the cost of flour, eggs, and oil, his profit was a full one yuan and fifty cents, and this was only the first day. He believed that as long as he prepared adequately from now on and sold with full capacity, he could earn at least three yuan.
Three yuan a day meant around ninety yuan a month, which was on par with the wages of three skilled technicians. Thinking of this, Liu Yu could not help taking another deep breath. Earning money this way gave him a much greater sense of achievement than his monthly salary of several thousands in his past life.
He dug out the aluminum lunchbox where he usually stored his money, carefully placed the cash inside, and after a moment of thought, he pulled out twenty-five yuan in paper bills, put the lid back on, and placed it back at the bottom of the box.
He certainly could not prepare only three hundred portions like today. Every single person standing in line might become a loyal customer in the future. Goodness knows how heartbroken he felt when he watched his spring rolls completely sell out while a whole line of customers stood behind complaining.
This time, he decided to bring six hundred spring rolls. Chopping the filling alone took half an hour, and he did not finish wrapping them until nine o’clock at night. Liu Yu rubbed his sore arms, looked at the densely arranged bamboo trays in front of him, and let out a sigh of relief. He finally felt at ease enough to boil water and wash up. Today had been both exhausting and joyful, and he fell into a deep sleep shortly after lying down.
The next day, Liu Yu left the house a little past five o’clock. When he reached the town, he noticed people casting glances at him from all directions, and some even quietly followed behind him. Since there were many people around, he was not afraid, just feeling a bit puzzled.
“Young man, are you still setting up your stall on Tianxiang Street today?” A middle-aged man carrying a pot of herbal tea walked over and asked him.
Liu Yu smiled and nodded. He thought this person looked somewhat familiar, likely someone who had bought his breakfast yesterday. That explained it; they were simply customers eager to buy his spring rolls! He had actually thought he had unintentionally gotten into trouble in town.
As soon as he set up his little stall, those customers who had followed him all the way lined up swiftly.
The bald, burly man at the very front shouted, “Give me twelve spring rolls!”
“Why are you buying so many? Can you finish them?” The person behind him poked their head out and asked with confusion.
“How can I not finish them? My son alone can eat four or five in one breath. If I buy too few, I am afraid it will not be enough!”
The bald man ran a farm tool store in town, and his family consisted only of his wife and a five-year-old son. The son was good at everything, but he happened to be a terrible eater who disliked this and had no appetite for that, remaining as thin as a sapling. His wife, who was used to spoiling their son, worried herself sick over this.
The moment he opened his shop yesterday, he caught a whiff of a fragrant aroma. Following the scent all the way, he ended up in a daze, following the line and waiting. To his surprise, he really did manage to buy them. He took one bite of the spring roll and was enchanted by the flavor. Before he even had time to taste it carefully, he cleverly repositioned himself at the back of the line to buy more for his son to try.
The moment he stepped through his front door, the little fellow, who used to make a huge fuss every time he was fed, took the initiative to run up and point at the spring rolls in his hands, crying out to eat them. Once he tasted it, he fell in love instantly, eating five in a row and following them up with half a bowl of watery porridge that he used to refuse to even look at. His wife was so overjoyed she clapped her hands repeatedly. Learning that Liu Yu only set up his stall starting at seven in morning, she chased him out of the house at six o’clock to wait so that their son could eat earlier, which led to the comical scene just now.
This time, he prepared twice as much as yesterday. On the way over, Liu Yu had thought he could at least sell until past nine o’clock. To his surprise, just like yesterday, everything was sold out by eight-thirty, as customers bought them in batches of ten or eight as if money meant nothing.
By the end, Liu Yu was so tired his brain could barely function, leaving him with only the conditioned reflex of frying spring rolls and collecting money.
This could not go on either. In the end, he would earn the money, but his body would be exhausted. He earned money to live a better life, not simply to earn money for the sake of earning money.
If possible, he wanted to hire someone from the village to give him a hand. Yet, after racking his brains, he could not find a single suitable person. Second Grandma had to cook and take care of her grandson, and sometimes she still had to work in the fields during busy farming seasons.
Aunt Guifang was even more out of the question. The village chief’s family had few members, and both sons were still studying, leaving only the married couple to work at home, meaning neither could spare the time. As for others, Liu Yu was not familiar with them and found it hard to speak up.
Walking and thinking along the way, he slowly entered Ganyuan Street. The flour at home had run out last night, and since he used a large amount of flour nowadays, he needed to buy more from the grain store to haul back. There was a large grain store on Ganyuan Street that reportedly not only sold rice and flour but also concurrently sold eggs and some dried goods.
As soon as he stepped inside, a clerk came forward to greet him. “What do you need? Aside from rice and flour, we also have chicken eggs, duck eggs, mushrooms, soybeans, red dates, longans, and more…”
Seeing the clerk following behind him and chattering away, Liu Yu felt somewhat amused and helpless. “Let me take a look first.”
True to its reputation as the largest grain store in town, the variety of goods inside was indeed much richer compared to other shops.
Liu Yu had earned quite a bit today, and seeing these items made him want to empty out all the money in his pockets.
After thinking about it, he restrained himself. His breakfast stall had not yet completely hit its stride; there was no reason to spend money lavishly right after just breaking even.
In the end, Liu Yu only asked for sixty catties of flour, two catties of green beans, twenty chicken eggs, twenty duck eggs, and a bucket of cooking oil, spending a total of over twenty-seven yuan.
The thought that buying these supplies would be paid off in five days, leaving the rest as pure profit, made parting with his money feel a little less painful.
Seeing that he was young and lacked physical strength, the clerk called out toward the backyard after settling the payment, “He Yu, come over and help the customer move his things.”
Zhou Yu was resting in the backyard. Having just moved a cartload of grain and sweating all over, he planned to wash his face in the backyard and rest for a bit once things settled down. Hearing someone in the shop calling him, he walked back out.
Catching sight of the familiar figure in the shop, Zhou Yu froze slightly for a moment before stepping forward quickly to take the items from Liu Yu’s hands. “Don’t move, I will move them for you.”
Seeing that there was matched auxiliary service, Liu Yu was happy to take it easy. In any case, his frail little frame could not lift these heavy loads easily.
He looked at the man helping him transport the goods and thanked him softly. “Thank you, Big Brother. You look so handsome and your build is so sturdy. I wish I could be like you.”
Although Liu Yu was delicate and frail in his past life, frequently attracting people who could not bear to watch him struggle to offer help with heavy tasks, his mouth was always sweet, and he was never stingy with providing emotional value to others. However, his compliments were based on facts, rather than spouting nonsense.
Take the man in front of him, for example: his appearance was indeed uncommonly handsome, and his build was exceptionally tall and upright. In his movements, the muscles in his arms and waist were tight and powerful, making Liu Yu genuinely envious. He dared not imagine how relaxed and pleasant pulling a flatbed cart every day would be if he possessed such a physique himself.
Wait… pulling a flatbed cart?
Liu Yu stared at the man with bright eyes. After a moment, he shuffled closer to his side and asked in a low voice, “Big Brother, you work at the grain store, how much do you get paid?”
Zhou Yu paused, then answered concisely, “Forty-five cents a day, paid daily.” He did not stop what he was doing, continuing to load the items onto the flatbed cart.
Looking around somewhat guiltily to ensure no one was nearby, Liu Yu bit his lip and said, “Forty-five cents a day is too little. I have a job here that pays twenty-one yuan a month, do you want to do it?”
Zhou Yu stood in place, locked eyes with him, and put on a posture that invited further explanation.
Seeing this, Liu Yu hurriedly said, “Actually, it is not too tiring, but it does require waking up early. You would only be responsible for helping me pull my cart to town every morning, helping me do odd jobs and procure items along the way, and helping me pull the cart back after finishing.”
Zhou Yu nodded. “Where do you set up your stall? I will come find you the day after tomorrow.” The current job, although it did not require an ID, paid low wages, had high labor intensity, and did not offer work every day, making it unsuitable for long-term employment.
He looked at the innocent and kind child before him. Since a better option had presented itself, true or false, he was willing to give it a try.
Seemingly sensing his gaze, the child turned his head away shyly and coughed lightly. “I set up my stall on Tianxiang Street. If you go between seven and nine in the morning, you should be able to see me barring any accidents. At that time, I will bring you over to my place to recognize the route, and you will have to make the trips back and forth from then on.”
“Alright, I understand.” Upon reaching the entrance, Zhou Yu seemed to recall something. After a brief pause, he said, “Also, thank you for the food and water you gave me that day.” With that, he said nothing more and walked back into the shop.
Leaving Liu Yu standing alone in place, dumbfounded.
So this man was the beggar from before who could not even beg for water? Back then, he could only see the man with his head lowered and covered in dirt, unable to make out his figure or facial features clearly. When he had said “may we meet again if fate allows” back then, it was just a casual remark; he had never expected to run into him again so soon.
Having bought everything he needed, Liu Yu lingered no longer, hauling a cart full of goods out of town.
Just as he entered the village, he happened to bump squarely into Li Cuihong. Having already separated his household, he wanted nothing to do with the old Liu family, especially this arrogant and overbearing aunt of his. Therefore, he simply pretended not to see her and walked straight ahead without a sound.
Yet some people, if you do not block them, assume you have a guilty conscience and rush forward to take a bite out of you. Li Cuihong was precisely that kind of person.
“Hmph, pfft!” She crossed her arms over her chest, stretched her neck toward Liu Yu, and spat a mouthful of saliva. “Wild children really are different. Once nobody manages them, they lose all upbringing. Staying away from home all day is one thing, but now you cannot even address people when you see them.”
Liu Yu: …
Who in the village did not know by now that her, Li Cuihong, had played a major role in his household separation? Treating him like a fool and getting pointed at like a clown last time was not enough; she had forgotten the pain once the wound healed, and after just this short while, she was back to aggressively picking a fight.
“Auntie, whether I have upbringing or not is none of your concern. If you have free time, you should keep a closer eye on your little cousin! I heard he pulls plenty of thieving tricks around the village; by now, people coming to your door to demand an explanation must have worn down your doorstep! How do you still have the leisure to reminisce with your nephew here?” Liu Yu retorted with a smile at the corner of his lips.
He did not mind calling Li Cuihong auntie. As long as she was not afraid of shortening her lifespan, he could call her that every day. It was just that with her temperament, it might be enough to nauseate her so much she could not eat for three days.
It was currently midday, and villagers working in the fields were also returning home for lunch one after another. Seeing the aunt and nephew confronting each other face-to-face at the village entrance with an atmosphere thick with gunpowder, those who loved watching the commotion craned their necks to look over.
“Yo, Guizi’s mother, have you eaten yet? Why are you chatting with Heqing out here in the middle of the day?” A villager asked nosily.