Chapter 21: How to Eat, How to Crave

"I've been asking around for the past two days. The apartment I just moved out of is small and old; it won't fetch much," Ni Fang said with a grimace. "But I have another property. The problem is that it's registered under the names of Dongliang and his sister, Lin Xiaomeng. With Xiaomeng not here, I’m afraid I can't sell it. If we could add those two properties together, they should be worth about 30,000 to 40,000 yuan."

Xiao Yuanbing frowned. "30,000 to 40,000? I'm afraid that won't be enough."

Ni Qingguo, who had been feeling a glimmer of hope, widened his eyes in an instant. "That's not enough? If you add the previous 30,000, that’s 70,000 to 80,000 in total!"

"Do you still not realize the gravity of the situation?" Xiao Yuanbing's face turned ashen. "Before, it was just one person; now there are three. With a matter this big, how could that little bit of money ever be enough? I've already poured quite a lot of my own money into this. I don't have any more to give."

"Besides, this is your family's affair. It's not fair to expect your sister to shoulder the cost alone."

Xiao Yuanbing's words were harsh, and Ni Qingguo felt immediately aggrieved. However, because Xiao Yuanbing was the only person who could help him, he dared not defy either Ni Fang or Xiao Yuanbing.

"I don't have any money on me. That family of three has been guarding against me; they never told me where they kept the money. But my wife must know, and my savings were with her. The Yan family's house has already been sealed by the police; I can't sell it even if I wanted to. The apartment I live in belongs to my workplace; I can only live in it, not sell it."

"In short, we have to get my wife out first."

Once Ni Qingguo finished speaking, everyone understood the situation. To put it bluntly, he was penniless. The matter reached a stalemate. But Ni Qingguo had a devoted sister, and after much pleading from Ni Fang, Xiao Yuanbing reluctantly agreed to take on the task, using his connections to arrange the sale of Ni Fang's two properties.

As for the outcome—it wouldn't be arriving anytime soon.

***

Jiang City. Outside the stock exchange.

Because the boxed lunches tasted so good and there was virtually no competition, the business was booming, just as expected. The key was that Lin Wei only prepared a limited amount of ingredients; once they were sold out, that was it. If people didn't arrive early, they were likely to go hungry.

"Little boss, prepare more! The people who come late don't get anything. You're leaving money on the table!"

"Not many people play the stock market, so my usual quantity is enough for you all. I suspect you’ve been spreading the word for me—I've noticed many local residents coming by to buy food these past two days, which is why we're running short."

The residents at the back of the line shouted, "Who needs anyone else to spread the word? The moment you open the lid on that braised pork, the aroma fills the air. I had dinner ready, but my grandson wouldn't eat it; he insisted on having yours. I had no choice but to come down and buy some."

"Oh, is that so? I thought everyone was helping me advertise."

Lin Wei took a moment to glance at the back of the line. Seeing that the crowd hadn't thinned at all, she shouted, "Stop lining up, stop lining up! There isn't much left, please don't wait anymore."

Fearing they couldn't hear, she quickly sent a few of the children to the back of the queue to relay the message. Once the remaining portions were sold, the containers were completely empty.

Those who missed out were unhappy. "Come on, little boss, prepare more! We didn't get any."

"Exactly. Knowing there were lunches today, I didn't bring anything to eat. Now we’re going to be hungry all day."

"And another thing, can you sell the braised pork separately? I want to buy a bowl on its own—it's just too fragrant."

"This..." Lin Wei looked hesitantly at her tricycle. After a moment of thought, she said, "I'll prepare more tomorrow and see if I can manage the workload."

If she could handle the extra work, she certainly wanted to make more money. But if she couldn't, then she would have to apologize.

***

After packing up the stall with a satisfied heart, Lin Wei took the children and headed home slowly, enjoying some popsicles along the way.

"Thank you all for your help today. Is it alright if Yuanyuan stays at your place to play for a while? I need to go out and buy a few things."

Lin Yuan quickly asked, "Sister, what are you buying? I'll go with you."

"I'm going to Jiangzheng Street to get two more thermal buckets and deposit the money from the last few days at the bank. It's too crowded there, so you don't need to squeeze in with me. I can be faster on my own."

After thinking about it, Lin Yuan agreed. "Alright."

"Good kids. I'll bring you snacks later. Just stay in and play, and don't open the door if strangers come."

Amidst the children's cheers, Lin Wei hurried to the bank. She had originally had over 2,000 yuan in her account. After deducting expenses for the last few days and adding the profits from three days of vending, her bankbook now showed 5,300 yuan.

If she kept this up for a solid month... that would be tens of thousands of yuan.

Jiang City wasn't a first-tier city, and with housing prices currently at 400 yuan per square meter, she could barely afford a small commercial apartment.

"No wonder people say doing business is lucrative; it really is."

If she worked a regular job for a salary, she would spend half her life just saving for a down payment. But in business, based on the current trend, two months would be enough. It truly was a golden age; this was no different from picking up money off the ground.

"Oh, I shouldn't think about it. The moment I do, I don't even want to go to school—my head is just full of money."

***

At dinner, Lin Wei hesitantly brought up the topic with Lin Xiaomeng.

"Aunt, I've been running the stall for three days now. I can't say the business is perfectly stable, but there are quite a lot of people during lunch hours. I seem to be having trouble keeping up. Do you think I should hire someone?"

"Three days in, and you're sure the business is stable? Aren't those kids helping you every day? Is it still too much for you?" Lin Xiaomeng paused, her chopsticks mid-air, and considered her words. "I'm off tomorrow, Sunday. I'll go help you for the day. If it's truly too busy, we can discuss hiring someone when we get back."

"I've only heard your Aunt Zhang mention your stall, but I haven't seen it myself, so I'm a bit uneasy."

"Alright."

Almost before dawn, Lin Wei went to the market to buy the ingredients for lunch. For an 8-yuan boxed lunch, the meat was the most important part. She had already sold braised pork and pig's trotters, but it seemed people hadn't had enough of the braised pork. After a moment of hesitation, Lin Wei chose to make the braised pork again.

After a busy morning, two buckets of meat, vegetables, and rice were all prepared. Two adults and three children trudged toward the entrance of the stock exchange.

Before they had even pushed the cart into place, Lin Yuan shouted, "Sister, there are so many people lining up ahead!"

Su Sijin ran from behind the tricycle to the front and immediately cried out, "Oh my, Sister Weiwei, it's our spot! We must be late; everyone is waiting for us."

Perhaps hearing Su Sijin's voice, the people in line turned toward them in unison. The regular customers even waved at them.

Lin Xiaomeng said in surprise, "Weiwei, are all these people here to buy your lunches?"

"Yes, some are from the stock exchange, others are local residents. Aunt, people in this area aren't short on money, so everyone is willing to spend a bit on a decent lunch."

"Hey, little boss, we thought you weren't coming today."

"Didn't you complain that I didn't make enough? I prepared a bit more today, so I was running late," Lin Wei explained with a smile. "Wait a moment, please. I need to feed the children first; they shouldn't be left hungry."

As she lifted the lid, the aroma of braised pork made everyone's mouths water.

"It's true that in this day and age, no household is short of meat, but your meat... no matter how you eat it, it’s just so addictive."

"That's because I don't use the old-fashioned fatty pork. I use pork belly with three distinct layers—it's fatty but not greasy, and combined with my secret technique, it’s naturally delicious."

"Quick, give me a portion!"