This honest child, not yet hardened by the cunning and worldliness of society, possesses a pure heart, which is quite rare.
In his past life, Xie Sui was accustomed to schemes and betrayals, where one person would scheme against another. Now, interacting with these straightforward individuals, he found himself unaccustomed to it.
Fortunately, the young man felt too shy to accept the offer, and the lunchbox wasn't large enough, thus saving him from a financial loss this time.
The young man's name was Zhao Liang. Being associated with Gu Lei, his family background was not poor. He likely intended to probe Xie Sui's capabilities, but instead, Xie Sui cunningly elicited information about his relatives until Zhao Liang left with dizzy eyes, wondering what exactly he had said.
Because he was standing there, it attracted quite a few customers. Wang Tie Zhu was busy selling fish. In just a short while, a basin of fish, weighing over a hundred catties, was almost completely sold out.
"Brother Xie, it's all sold out. Thank you so much."
"Don't thank me, Brother. This is just my usual operation. Once it's sold, return the items, clean them up, and help with some tasks. Be quick on your feet."
Xie Sui still had to go sell the medicinal herbs. Both bags on the back of his bicycle were filled with them: one bag of dried scorpions, and one bag of cicada shells. They might look unremarkable, but they were worth over a hundred yuan.
"Understood, Brother Xie. Why don't we prepare them at home and sell them again? I think selling fish like this is quite profitable."
Wang Tie Zhu was quite ambitious. After deducting the cost of the food stall and spoilage, he had still earned over seventy yuan, a substantial sum.
"Can you do it?"
"No, can Brother Xie teach me?"
Xie Sui: "..."
He really didn't consider himself an outsider. "Let's talk about it later."
Wang Tie Zhu scratched his head. After selling the remaining fish, he wasn't lazy either. He helped out for a good portion of the day, and even finished the work of the waitstaff.
When Xie Sui and Zhang Wen Feng came to pick him up, the waitstaff even saw them out, saying, "Little Wang, come again next time!"
"We'll see, I have to ask Brother Xie."
The waitstaff's surname was Hao. She was a twenty-five-year-old woman, not particularly beautiful, but with a kind smile. She greeted everyone with a welcoming demeanor, and Xie Sui liked her very much.
"Sister Hao, aren't you bothered by the trouble? We'll come every day, we're just afraid you'll find it annoying."
Hao Yu Xiu chuckled, "I'm annoyed when you come, but not when Little Wang comes. Who's like you, slick as a ghost, with only sweet words? Get lost, or it'll be dark before we know it."
"Goodbye, Sister Hao."
Wang Tie Zhu cherished the bicycle and rode it all the way home, a look of smug satisfaction on his honest face. Having tasted the joy of making money, he would never return to tending his two acres of land.
Whether this was good or bad, he didn't know.
Xie Sui unloaded the packaging bags, filling the entire courtyard. The once spacious courtyard seemed to shrink with all the bags laid out.
He really needed to build a house!
Xie Sui's next plan was to build a house.
"Little Sui, Tie Zhu is so thoughtless, letting you help him so much. Take this money."
Wang Da Niang came in and handed Xie Sui forty yuan, which was half of what Wang Tie Zhu had earned.
"Oh, Auntie, what are you doing? Tie Zhu earned this money; it's what he deserves."
Xie Sui refused to take anything. He had merely helped out, and Wang Da Niang had helped his family a lot in the past.
"Your help was invaluable. Without you, Tie Zhu's fish would have all died, and his hard work for days would have been in vain. That foolish child of mine didn't even think to give you half."
Wang Tie Zhu entered, a thick stack of money making his entire family gasp in astonishment. He had earned so much by selling fish, equivalent to half a year's income from farming.
After Wang Tie Zhu explained, Wang Da Niang exploded. So, it was Little Sui's help that made them money again. She immediately came to give Xie Sui half the money. They were already very satisfied with the money they made selling fish.
"Auntie, if you do this, it makes us strangers. I see Tie Zhu like a younger brother. It was just a small matter, and it's what I should do. If you give me money, it's like slapping my face."
He firmly refused. Wang Da Niang had no choice but to say, "Then in the future, if your family has work, this auntie will help you. Don't treat this auntie as an outsider."
"I've never treated you as an outsider."
Xie Sui continued, "Selling fish isn't a long-term solution for Tie Zhu. I noticed the chefs at the state-run restaurant liked him. If he could learn to be a chef, he'd have a skill for life, which is better than farming. Right now, fish can still be caught, but in a few days, everyone will be catching them. How many fish are there in that river to be caught? We need to plan for the long term."
Wang Da Niang exclaimed in surprise, "Would they take him?"
"Next time I go, I'll help ask."
"Oh, good. Auntie thanks you first."
"You're welcome. You should also ask Tie Zhu his opinion. He has to be willing to learn; I'm just mentioning it casually."
Wang Da Niang left happily. She had been worried. The villagers were all rushing to catch fish. Seeing that they made money catching fish, they all went to do it, and now they could barely catch any fish in the last few days.
Xie Sui's suggestion was a timely rain.
Xie Sui didn't notice, but Zhang Wen Feng's wife, who was working under the shed, heard their conversation. Her eyes flickered, and she almost burned her hand.
"Let's call it a day. This work can be finished in the next two days, so there's no need for overtime."
Xie Sui let them leave early, mainly because with so many people around, it would delay his time to cultivate his relationship with his wife.
"Wife, look what I bought for you?"
Xie Sui took out a hairpin from his pocket. It was made of crystal, shaped like a butterfly, shimmering brightly under the sun. It had a metal clip at the bottom, and with a gentle press, it could be fixed in the hair.
There were also those red butterfly knot clips in the counter, which sold the best. Xie Sui really couldn't appreciate the aesthetics of this era, so he bought this crystal one, which was also the most expensive, costing three yuan.
"What are you buying this for? It's a waste of money!"
Lin Wan Wan was secretly delighted, but she also felt it was a waste of money. She was also worried that those aunts would tease her, and she was a bit unaccustomed to them joking about her and Xie Sui.
"My wife is beautiful, so no amount of money is a waste. Let me put it on for you."
"No, I'll do it myself."
Xie Sui didn't force her. Lin Wan Wan was outwardly gentle but inwardly strong. It would take time to change her mind.
He wasn't in a hurry; they had a lifetime to spend together, to get to know each other slowly.
"Daddy, Daddy, Dou Dou is hungry. It says it wants candy."
"Ding Ding's tummy also needs candy, preferably White Rabbit milk candy."
Xie Sui: "..."
As expected of his son, to ask for candy so elegantly. Only these two little clever ones could do it.
"Yes, my little masters."
He gave each of them one candy, which delighted them immensely. They ran around Lin Wan Wan a few times before carefully unwrapping the candy wrappers and holding them out together to Lin Wan Wan: "Mommy, share half with you."
"No, Mommy's tummy doesn't want candy. You two eat it."
"Hmph, ungrateful. Do you forget who bought it?"
Xie Sui felt jealous and snorted sideways at them.
"Daddy, share half with you too, but you can only take a tiny bite."
The two children's survival instincts were strong, but they were still reluctant to share with Xie Sui. Children were naturally closer to their mothers.
Xie Sui opened his mouth wide and, under their terrified gazes, swallowed their little hands as if he could devour them whole.