The National Day holiday officially arrived.
Li Qing had Chen Ruohua rest at home while she herself borrowed a simple food cart and brought along the handicrafts Chen Ruohua had made earlier in the hospital, preparing to set up a stall at the market in the old town.
The old town had many cultural and scenic spots, attracting numerous tourists during holidays, resulting in high foot traffic.
Before the holiday, Li Qing had asked Zeng Huai to help her secure a stall.
The stall fee was five hundred per day—quite expensive.
But as Li Qing drove the food cart to the designated spot and looked at the sea of people in the park, she felt it was worth it.
They were sure to make back the cost today.
Li Qing set up the food cart, cleaned it inside and out, and then arranged all the tools.
She also placed a folding table beside the cart, displaying the various dolls and flowers Chen Ruohua had crocheted.
Chen Ruohua was very skilled; the dolls were finely stitched with rich, layered colors, looking incredibly lifelike.
As soon as she set them out, many young women gathered around, and Li Qing patiently introduced the items to them.
“Xiao Li.”
At that moment, Zhao Wenyi arrived with Zeng Huai, Luo Zhengyu, and Yuan Miao.
Li Qing acknowledged them.
She had mentioned the stall idea to them earlier, and they all agreed, deciding to partner up.
The food cart might look simple, but it was fully equipped and could sell several types of snacks.
Zhao Wenyi and Zeng Huai quickly got the hang of it.
Luo Zhengyu prepared ingredients in the back.
As for Yuan Miao…
Zeng Huai handed him a bottle of Yakult and told him to set up the simple chairs and tables they had brought.
Yuan Miao, like a little sun bursting with energy, scurried around the food cart after setting up the chairs and tables.
However, he really didn’t know what he was doing and only ended up causing trouble.
Luo Zhengyu sighed and handed him a freshly grilled starch sausage.
“Kid, go play somewhere else.”
“…Hmph!”
Yuan Miao took the starch sausage, took a bite, and stood stubbornly next to the food cart, refusing to move.
With his cold, handsome features, youthful fair skin, and just standing there, he managed to attract quite a few young customers for Li Qing and the others.
“Tsk, Yuan Miao is actually being useful.”
Luo Zhengyu touched his own face. “I’m not ugly either. Maybe I should stand over there too?”
Zhao Wenyi chuckled lightly.
“If you stand there, customers would just run away.”
Luo Zhengyu was indeed handsome, but in a roguish, dangerous way that made him look like trouble.
Luo Zhengyu sighed.
“Is it my fault for being handsome? Xiao Li, tell me, is that fair?”
“…”
Li Qing glanced back at him and said seriously, “I don’t want heartbroken girls showing up at our door in a few days.”
“What are you talking about? I might look like a player, but I’m actually very proper, okay!”
“Got too much free time? Go clean up the tables in the back.”
Zeng Huai said lightly.
As noon approached, more and more customers arrived, and the park’s pathways were packed with tourists. They were all so busy they barely had time to catch their breath.
But the sound of payments kept coming one after another, and they were more than willing to work hard, enjoying every moment of it.
Once Yuan Miao realized his role, he fully embraced his advantage, enthusiastically drawing customers to their stall.
“…Little brother?”
Just then, two young, attractive women appeared in front of Yuan Miao.
Yuan Miao looked up, confused. “Who are you?”
One of them explained, “Miyue Bar, do you remember? Thank you for last time.”
“Oh!”
Yuan Miao raised an eyebrow.
He smiled brightly, “It’s you guys!”
“Yeah!”
The other girl looked at Yuan Miao as if she wanted to say something but felt too shy, her expression hesitant.
Her companion nudged her with an elbow, as if encouraging her, full of anticipation and excitement.
Seeing them standing there without leaving, Yuan Miao frowned in confusion.
“You guys…”
Just as he was about to change the subject, the girl mustered the courage to interrupt him.
“Little brother, was that girl last time your sister? Is she here today?”
“She’s here… Wait, no!”
Yuan Miao instinctively answered but suddenly realized something was off—they were asking about his mom?!
“She really is here!”
The girl in front of him stood on tiptoe, trying to peer into the crowd. When she spotted Li Qing beside the snack cart, her eyes lit up brightly.
“Let’s go over to her!”
Then, the two girls excitedly rushed past Yuan Miao and hurried toward Li Qing.
Yuan Miao stood there, suddenly understanding.
No wonder his dad would later get inexplicably jealous all the time—it turns out the signs were already there.
Who could blame it? His mom’s charisma was just too strong, captivating both men and women.
……
The dolls Chen Ruohua made were very popular. By late morning, Li Qing had sold almost all of them, leaving only two or three.
As the crowd around the stall gradually dispersed, she finally had a chance to catch her breath.
Just as Li Qing was about to take a break, she saw two girls walking toward her. They looked somewhat familiar.
“Do you remember us?”
The two girls repeated the story about the bar.
Li Qing nodded.
She said calmly, “That’s just the bar’s policy. I would have done the same for anyone, so you don’t need to take it to heart.”
Then she heard one of the girls excitedly whisper, “She’s so cool!”
“?”
Li Qing was puzzled.
The other girl, however, noticed the dolls on the table.
“Did you make these?”
“My mom made them.”
Li Qing shook her head.
The girl picked up a doll and examined it.
“The craftsmanship is really clever… But you’re selling them way too cheap. Outside, these would go for at least a hundred or more.”
Li Qing glanced at the price tags of thirty or forty yuan and fell silent for a moment.
The pricing had been decided by Chen Ruohua. At first, Li Qing had worried they wouldn’t sell at that price.
Hearing the girl’s words, Li Qing realized her mom had indeed set the price too low.
No wonder they had sold out so quickly in the morning.
“Can your mom make more?”
After discussing it, the two girls looked at her expectantly.
“We could buy them regularly, at wholesale prices like they sell for outside. Would that work? Wholesale is around fifty or sixty each, higher than what you’re selling now.”
“…I’ll have to discuss it when I get back.”
Li Qing hadn’t expected to find long-term customers on her first day of setting up a stall.
But it was a good thing.
Her mom had been idle at home. If she could find something to do, she wouldn’t overthink things or care about Li Jianhui’s whereabouts.
“Mhm, understood~”
“Can we exchange contact info? To make it easier to stay in touch.”
“Sure.”
Li Qing nodded.
Afterward, the two girls bought the remaining dolls.
Li Qing moved the empty table to the area behind the snack cart. As soon as she turned around, she saw Yuan Miao “floating” over like a ghost.
“Mom, it’s a good thing I’m your biological son.”
“?”
“Are you standing there dumbfounded?”
Li Qing froze in place.
Yuan Miao shook his head with an inscrutable expression. “No, you don’t understand.”
It was a good thing he was her biological child—he didn’t have to live in constant fear like his dad.