“Xiao Yue should be fine with it.” Gu Huaichuan didn’t immediately agree but instead looked toward Li Yue across from him.
“Sure, we’re almost finished eating anyway.”
She had a small appetite, having only eaten one bing juan jidan, with about a third left that she’d finish soon.
While Li Yue and the others agreed, the other party suddenly hesitated.
“Master, would you like to sit? If not, we can wait until they finish before we eat.”
Nan Si suddenly remembered that his master had disliked being near girls since childhood—getting too close would make him feel nauseous.
But this time, Jiang Lian directly sat down next to Li Yue.
Nan Si’s eyes widened in shock before he suddenly understood.
Right, his master was only allergic to beautiful women—he should be fine with plain ones.
Li Yue only felt that the way the other person looked at her was somewhat strange. She even specifically glanced down to check if she had spilled oil on her clothes, or if her collar was too low, exposing something inappropriate or suggestive.
Finding nothing wrong, she didn’t think much of it.
“Boss, four zhutou rou rolls.” Nan Si called out to the busy old man at the front.
The old man acknowledged while making change for a takeout customer.
“Alright, alright, just wait a moment.”
During the wait, Nan Si—being quite talkative—struck up a conversation with Gu Huaichuan.
Naturally, he also wanted to learn more about the local customs here, which would surely be helpful if his master decided to invest in the area.
“Sir, are you a student?” Nan Si began making small talk.
Gu Huaichuan swallowed the meat in his mouth and shook his head: “Not anymore. I’ve already graduated and returned from abroad.”
He didn’t feel the least bit guilty saying he’d graduated—his mother had told him to say this, otherwise she’d lose face.
Hearing this, Nan Si’s eyes lit up: “I didn’t expect you to be so learned?”
“Not at all, I just followed the rules.”
Only after finishing her last bite did Li Yue notice there was still a whole uneaten portion on Gu Huaichuan’s plate.
“Hurry up and eat. Talk less during meals.” Li Yue thought it was a miracle this guy had survived abroad on his own.
He’d blurt out whatever he was asked, practically revealing all his secrets.
A few more questions and he’d probably give out his bankbook password.
“Okay.” Gu Huaichuan actually stopped talking and began eating heartily.
Nan Si smiled awkwardly: “Miss, don’t worry, we’re not bad people. We’re just making conversation to learn more about this small town.”
He could tell the other party was somewhat guarded.
Hence his explanation.
Li Yue nodded, indicating it was completely fine, but she didn’t continue the conversation.
Jiang Lian, who was hard to ignore, spoke up in a pleasant voice near Li Yue’s ear.
His voice hovered between warm and clear, like the soothing sound of a bubbling spring in a mountain creek.
“Miss, what skincare products do you use?”
Li Yue stiffly turned her neck—this person’s presence was too intense to ignore.
“Me?” She pointed at herself.
“Yes.”
Jiang Lian nodded slightly, his calm eyes almost seeming to draw people in.
Li Yue forced a dry smile: “Xuehua gao.”
These past few days she’d been using her own skincare products. The original owner had none—only a jar of Youyi hand cream.
Jiang Lian didn’t speak further, quietly waiting for the food.
As if he’d really only wanted to know what skincare products she used.
In reality, Jiang Lian had noticed she carried a faint tea-like fragrance—similar to tea yet not quite tea.
It just smelled really good, so she wanted to ask about it.
Moreover, she didn’t feel any aversion toward this woman at all—no urge to vomit even when standing close.
To think that even the elderly street cleaner on the main road made her feel intensely uncomfortable if she got too near.
Gu Huaichuan had finally finished eating. Li Yue let out a soft sigh of relief and immediately stood up.
The presence of the handsome guy beside her was too strong; even if she tried not to look, it was hard to ignore.
“Seven mao for the egg roll, two yuan for the two zhutou rou rolls—total two yuan and seven mao.”
The vendor happened to be bringing over the two rolls for the other customers and smiled at Li Yue and Gu Huaichuan, who had just finished.
Li Yue was genuinely shocked by the prices, mainly because her perception was still stuck on last night’s Western meal.
The original owner of this body had never eaten out either. If she searched her memories carefully, she could recall that during her school days, the original owner’s meals cost only two or three mao each.
She paid.
Unable to resist, she asked, “Boss, how much does it cost to make one of these rolls?”
The boss chuckled, just looked at her, and didn’t say anything.
Li Yue realized she had spoken out of turn but didn’t mind too much.
After they left the stall, Gu Huaichuan said, “An egg roll probably has about three mao in profit. One egg costs one mao and one fen, and the pancake is very thin, so it doesn’t use much flour. For the meat rolls, there’s at most three or four mao worth of meat inside, so the profit is a bit higher.”
“I see.”
“What? Interested in starting a small business?”
Gu Huaichuan teased with a laugh, revealing his small, pointed canine teeth, which made him look both honest and playful.
“Yes, I’m going to divorce Lu Xiao. After the divorce, I can’t go back to the countryside and have my parents support me. I need to earn my own living. Without an education, I can only do some small business.”
Li Yue told him this precisely to give him a heads-up—no matter what she did, she would definitely need various permits.
If she had the County Magistrate Gu’s support, it would shorten the time required for anything she undertook.
It would be a waste not to latch onto this opportunity—that’s what she thought.
The last traces of orange in the west faded away, and the sky turned completely dark.
The streetlights stretched their two shadows long.
Suddenly remembering something, Gu Huaichuan said excitedly, “Xiao Yue, how about we partner up? I don’t like working a regular job or being constrained, so I want to start my own small business. Don’t worry about money—I can give you shares, and my parents will fund me.”
His tone was sincere, his eyes burning with anticipation.
Li Yue didn’t respond immediately; she was calculating.
After a moment of thought, she asked, “What do you want to do?”
“Haven’t decided yet. Do you have any ideas?”
“Are there any hot pot restaurants around here?” Li Yue asked.
If she were to open a shop, it would have to be something already present on the commercial street. Although Jinniu Jie had all kinds of shops, the only one she could handle would be something like Haidilao.
Looking around the snack street, she really hadn’t spotted any hot pot restaurants.
“Hot pot? You mean where you dip meat and vegetables in boiling broth?”
Gu Huaichuan had only tried a copper hot pot once, when he passed through Beijing on his way abroad.
“Yes, I haven’t seen any here. If we opened a shop like that, it might be worth a try.”
She wouldn’t let Gu Huaichuan invest all the money; she would definitely contribute part of the capital.
“Alright, if you’re willing, I’m in.” Gu Huaichuan’s smile was like a spring breeze, soothing the bustling atmosphere around them into something gentle.
Li Yue, infected by his smile, laughed along with him.
Gu Huaichuan frowned at her gaunt, skeletal face. “You need to eat more, Xiao Yue. You’re too thin.”
“Mm, alright,” Li Yue responded faintly, coming to a stop.
She looked up at the towering cinema building and suddenly lost all desire to go in.
“Why did they have to build so many steps for this cinema?”
The staircase was as tall as three regular flights, though the cinema steps were wider.
Yesterday, her legs had started trembling halfway up – this body of hers was truly too weak.
“This place used to be an old bookstore, a particularly large one. It went out of business later, that’s why it was converted into a cinema.”