When a person is desperate to make money, they can wake up early even without an alarm clock.
Besides, this house wasn’t very soundproof.
Zhao Zhenzhen heard the footsteps outside her room and the faint sounds of washing up, and knew it was Kate who had gotten up.
“Huh?” Kate came out of the bathroom and happened to see Zhao Zhenzhen opening her door. She was a bit surprised. “Isn’t today the weekend? Going out to play?”
She remembered the little tag-along who had been following behind Zhao Zhenzhen at the school gate yesterday.
She assumed Zhao Zhenzhen had plans with that person.
Zhao Zhenzhen shook her head. “I’m going to set up a street stall.”
“A street stall? …Fortune-telling?” Kate was quite interested too. Unfortunately, she had work, or else she would have gone along with Zhao Zhenzhen.
“Where do you plan to set up?” Kate asked.
Zhao Zhenzhen thought for a moment. “There’s a fast-food restaurant where I used to work part-time. Right next to it is a very lively street full of small stalls. I plan to go there.”
Whenever the original owner had gone to work before, she would always pass by that place.
Both sides of the street were lined with ground stalls.
Spread out a piece of plastic sheeting, pile all sorts of bags, clothes, and various miscellaneous items on top, and the hawking would begin.
Some were even simpler—they’d carry a suitcase, pop it open, place it on the ground, and that was their stall.
There were also street performers.
The foot traffic was heavy, and it was especially lively.
Zhao Zhenzhen’s requirements weren’t high. As long as ten people came to her throughout the day, she’d be satisfied. If she happened to meet someone she liked the look of, she wouldn’t mind chatting with them a bit more.
“Then I’ll drive you over.” Kate urged her to hurry up and wash up, looking even more excited than Zhao Zhenzhen herself.
It was as if she were the one going out to set up a stall instead of Zhao Zhenzhen.
But of course, having someone drive her was great.
After thanking Kate, Zhao Zhenzhen immediately sped up.
She went back to her room, slung a backpack over her shoulders, then dug out a large piece of cardboard. With a marker, she scribbled a few words, bold and thick, making sure they were eye-catching enough. Her stall equipment was complete.
Kate had already told Mrs. Dalins about Zhao Zhenzhen going out to set up a stall. By the time she came downstairs with her small backpack and the cardboard tucked under her arm, mother and daughter both turned their heads to look at her at the same time.
Their faces wore the same curious, excited expression.
“Zhao, you’re going out to set up a stall and tell fortunes?” Mrs. Dalins couldn’t help speaking up.
Zhao Zhenzhen shook her head and showed them the cardboard with the writing. “Not fortune-telling. It’s ‘Mystery Guess Guess Guess.'”
“Huh?” Kate and Mrs. Dalins were taken aback for a moment, then read the words on the cardboard—
—$1 to guess your age, pay $10 if I guess wrong.
Simple, crude, and direct.
“Will this work? Is it okay to do this here?” Zhao Zhenzhen was actually a bit nervous.
Back in her own country, she definitely wouldn’t dare do this. The police would probably show up the moment she set up.
But this wasn’t New York, after all.
She was a little adventurer, so it was only natural for her to cut loose a bit in the adventurer’s playground, right?
Mrs. Dalins nodded. “Of course it’s fine. Why wouldn’t it be? But you’re charging too little, and the compensation you’re offering is a bit too high.” She looked a little worried. “It’ll be very easy to lose money.”
Zhao Zhenzhen grinned, then flipped the cardboard over—turns out there was more writing on the back.
It read: Divination, $10 per session.
“Then there’s no problem.” Kate had seen Zhao Zhenzhen’s abilities firsthand and said without hesitation, “There’s no way she’ll lose money.”
Mrs. Dalins nodded repeatedly, agreeing with what her daughter said. But she was starting to feel that Zhao Zhenzhen’s stall equipment was a bit too shabby.
Just a piece of cardboard!
…Honestly, it could easily be mistaken for begging.
Mrs. Dalins opened her mouth as if to speak, then thought better of it and quietly closed her lips.
Though she didn’t understand, Zhao must have her reasons for doing this.
What Mrs. Dalins didn’t know was that her daughter shared the exact same thought process.
After what they’d been through yesterday, the mother and daughter now had complete faith in Zhao Zhenzhen.
Kate was eager to get going, so Mrs. Dalins packed their breakfast into boxes for them to take along.
Zhao Zhenzhen took the box and was surprised to find it was still warm.
Mrs. Dalins smiled. “Didn’t you say you’re used to eating warm food? Today it’s toast. I spread the butter on the bread slices for you.”
“Thank you.”
When they arrived at the destination, Kate pulled the car over to the side and asked Zhao Zhenzhen, “Want me to come down with you to find a spot?”
To be honest, even though Zhao had been living in their house for a few months now, Kate had no impression of her at all.
Not until yesterday.
In just one day, Kate had clearly figured out that Zhao Zhenzhen must have lived in a very good environment before.
Because she was a bit… naive.
Her alertness was extremely low, and she was incredibly slow on the uptake.
This made Kate worry somewhat.
The people who set up stalls on this street weren’t just ordinary street vendors. Kate was genuinely concerned that Zhao Zhenzhen might stumble blindly into the path of some dangerous characters.
“Don’t worry.” Zhao Zhenzhen waved her hand at Kate. “No need to be concerned, I’ll be fine. Aren’t you in a hurry?”
“Alright then.” Kate shrugged. She didn’t dare linger too long—any longer and she’d have to pay for parking.
She quickly drove off.
Can’t tell good from bad?
Zhao Zhenzhen stood at the street corner with the cardboard under her arm, looking at the passersby and the Virtual Lightbulbs above their heads, and smiled.
That Asian woman had just gotten out of the car, and the moment she stood on the street, she caught the attention of quite a few people on this block.
Stuart stood there watching for a while.
This had nothing to do with looks or skin color. …Well, for a few particular people on this street, it did have a bit to do with it.
Everyone had their own aura. The first time you looked at someone, you could tell whether they were your kind of person.
In any case, that Asian woman definitely wasn’t.
She should be in a safe yard, quietly nibbling on her grass.
That’s right—Stuart thought Zhao Zhenzhen was a herbivore.
The kind of harmless creature with no offensive capability, not even possessing the intimidation of size.
If he had to describe it specifically, she was probably like a rabbit.
That gentle, adorable, fluffy-haired lop-eared rabbit.
Anyway, she had nothing to do with him. Someone like that would get foolishly bullied a few times, then go home crying and learn not to wander around anymore.
Stuart withdrew his gaze and tidied his bag.
But the person he thought he’d have no connection with, after looking around in place for a moment, actually walked straight toward him.
Oh? Here to buy a bag? Let him quote a high price.
Stuart put on a warm smile. “Hi, pretty lady, what can I—”
…Wait, why did you stop again? …And why are you frowning slightly and stepping back?
What was wrong with this Asian woman? Was she messing with him?!
Zhao Zhenzhen was the one who wanted to ask what was going on!
How could a perfectly friendly green name, the moment she walked over, quickly jump to neutral white, and then rapidly shift to a lawful evil yellow name?!
Don’t you think that’s rather suspicious, Mister whose name is Stuart?
Zhao Zhenzhen secretly complained.
Zhao Zhenzhen looked around, but still felt that Stuart was the optimal choice.
She had no choice but to steel herself and strike up a conversation with Stuart, who had turned yellow. “Hi, can I set up a stall next to yours?” she emphasized, “I won’t steal your business.”
The yellow instantly turned white. The speed of the color change was so fast that Zhao Zhenzhen was caught off guard for a moment.
It wasn’t the green from before, but it was still better than yellow.
He’d thought she was a sucker walking right into his hands, but it turned out she was just here to set up a stall.
The warm smile on Stuart’s face instantly collapsed. “Suit yourself.”
“Thanks.” Zhao Zhenzhen walked over to Stuart’s side, turned her head to smile at the girl selling nail polish, then pulled out her own cardboard sign.
Set it down. Stood behind it.
Alright, stall set up.
The girl selling nail polish widened her eyes. She didn’t want to get up, so she just tilted her chin toward the man setting up across from her. “What does it say?”
More than one person was curious, and they all looked over, so when they heard the man read out loud, “Guess my age for $1, get it wrong and I pay you $10,” they all burst out laughing.
Someone even gave a frivolous whistle at Zhao Zhenzhen and said nastily, “That’s a pretty novel way to beg.”
Never seen that one before anyway.
After he spoke, more people joined in the laughter.
Zhao Zhenzhen watched as quite a few people who had been white names gradually turned yellow… and even two red names appeared!
This really was…
Zhao Zhenzhen slowly let out a breath.
“Then do you want to play a round?” Zhao Zhenzhen looked at the whistler. “Free of charge.”
Then she swept her gaze around the crowd and smiled. “Consider it a closing special.”
“No, no, no!” The whistler, basking in so much attention, looked rather excited. He hopped over from his stall and walked toward Zhao Zhenzhen while pulling out a dollar.
He made a show of handing it to her, winking and grinning. “I can get $10 right away—where else are you gonna find a deal like that? Please, I beg you, don’t make it free.”
Someone nearby started egging him on. Amid the ruckus, Stuart rolled his eyes in boredom and went back to organizing his bags.
—He had no interest in joining this circus.
Quite a few people shared Stuart’s sentiment, standing off to the side with their arms crossed and amused smiles, watching the spectacle.
The whistler, meanwhile, raised his hand and turned to acknowledge the hecklers, as if he were on stage taking a bow, bowing to the crowd all around and saying, “Thank you, thank you.”
He looked at Zhao Zhenzhen and raised an eyebrow smugly. “Alright, let’s see your act.”
Zhao Zhenzhen glanced at him. “Should I guess the age on your ID, or your actual birth age?”
She paused, then spoke his full name. “Mr. Abraham Luther Spock?”
The laughter came to an abrupt halt. Stuart’s hands froze mid-motion, and he turned his head to look at Zhao Zhenzhen in surprise.
And Spock, whose middle name had been called out, had already lost the smile on his face. He stared at Zhao Zhenzhen with suspicion for a moment, confirming he’d never seen her before, before speaking. “How do you know my name?”
“That answer costs extra.” Zhao Zhenzhen smiled. “So, Mr. Spock, which age do you think I should guess? Or should I say both?”
The girl selling nail polish stared at Zhao Zhenzhen, uncrossed her legs, and let out a “Whoa—”
She’s kind of cool!