RGL – Chapter 13

Su Min said seriously, “Mom, Dad, think about it. There are a lot of people picking up recyclables now, but many city folks actually keep some of their stuff and don’t throw it out right away. They’re busy with work and feel like selling scrap looks bad. So if we go door to door collecting it, they’ll probably be willing to sell it to us for a lower price. Then we sell it to the recycling stations and earn the price difference. How about that?”

“Ai, I think Minzi’s idea really has some potential,” Sun Qiufang nodded in agreement, then looked over at Su Changrong. “Changrong, what do you think?”

Su Changrong thought about it for a moment and nodded as well. “Yeah, I think she’s got a point.”

Su Min smiled. “And we don’t need the whole family to do it. Dad can go out and try collecting first, see how it goes. Mom and I will keep picking for now. If it turns out Dad can’t handle it all on his own, we’ll all start collecting. I think this will definitely make more money than just picking up stuff. Besides, now we know how much the recyclables are worth, so we won’t get ripped off.”

“Minzi, how are you so smart?” Sun Qiufang happily hugged her daughter and patted her head. “Our Minzi is amazing, way smarter than your dad and me.”

Su Min felt a little guilty. She wasn’t smarter than others—she’d just seen how others made their money in her previous life and was copying them. And even now, she wasn’t totally sure how far she could take this.

After the family settled on the plan, the next day Su Changrong got started. Since collecting recyclables meant gathering more than they ever picked up, he went and bought some wood, spent twenty yuan, and had a big cart built.

Su Min even painted the words “Recyclables Collection” on a wooden board and propped it up with a stick on the cart.

Right before he left, Su Min reminded him, “Don’t forget to call out loudly when you walk the streets and alleys.”

“I have to shout too?” Su Changrong got a little nervous. He’d never done any kind of business before—how was he supposed to call out?

Su Min cleared her throat. “Dad, listen to me—like this: ‘Collecting recyclables–!’” She demonstrated, then looked at him. “When you shout, your voice needs to rise as you go. That way it sounds full of energy and gets people’s attention. Got it?”

After her little demo, Su Changrong relaxed and laughed. “My daughter even knows how to do this. You must be a natural-born businesswoman. Who would’ve thought the Su family could have such a smart girl.”

Sun Qiufang, who was organizing the sacks, overheard and immediately got annoyed. She shot a glare at him. “Ugh, everything’s gotta be your Su family, huh? I think she takes after my Sun family! My mom said my dad used to do business back in the day. If it hadn’t been for bad timing, he’d have made a fortune already. If not for that, you think I’d have married into your Su family?”

“Aiyo, why you saying that again? Fine, fine, she takes after your Sun family. But either way, she’s still my kid,” Su Changrong said with a laugh, muttering under his breath, “Still my blood.”

“What did you just say?” Sun Qiufang narrowed her eyes at him.

Su Min burst into laughter and quickly pushed Su Changrong toward the door. “Okay, Dad, go on now. And remember to weigh things properly. That way people will want to come back to you. Business needs honesty, right?”

“Got it!” Su Changrong grinned at both his wife and daughter, then pushed the cart out the door. As he looked at his big wooden cart, he thought vaguely to himself, How did I suddenly end up running a business again?

Once he left, Su Min and Sun Qiufang also headed out.

It was their first day trying the new business. Who knew how it would go? But they couldn’t just sit around—they still needed to work and earn money. Couldn’t live off yesterday’s success, after all.

It was already December, and the cold wind was biting. Su Min tucked her hands into her pockets. She thought, If this new way of collecting recyclables works, we won’t need to go out picking anymore. Life will be much easier.

Once the family’s income increased and became steady, she’d finally be able to go back to school.

After all, the only reason she knew how to make money in this life was because of all the things she experienced and witnessed in her previous life. But if she wanted to go further, she’d need knowledge. Just knowing what others did to get rich wasn’t enough if she couldn’t carry it through. No matter when or where, education was always important.

As the year-end approached, households were throwing away more waste. Su Min and Sun Qiufang went around a few neighborhoods known for dumping a lot and filled two big bags.

The weather was so cold that Sun Qiufang couldn’t bear to see her daughter suffering with her, so she told Su Min to go buy some groceries instead. Now that the family had more money, they no longer needed to scavenge vegetable scraps for every meal. They could afford to buy a bit of meat and fresh veggies now, and their lives were clearly getting better.

Su Min took two yuan and headed to the market on her own.

They had been in the city long enough that she was familiar with the area. Sun Qiufang trusted her to shop alone now. As Su Min walked off, her mom called out, “Come home soon! Don’t wander around!”

“Got it, Mom!” Su Min turned and waved with a smile.

The market was busiest in the mornings and after work in the afternoons. Right now, it was midday, so there weren’t many people around.

Su Min moved confidently through the stalls, buying a head of napa cabbage and some glass noodles. She planned to make a cabbage stew with noodles for lunch. Both items were cheap and kept well, and her parents loved the dish.

After buying the veggies, she headed over to get a bit of pork.

“Minzi’s here. Your parents didn’t come today?” Boss Zhu greeted her with a smile as he cut the meat.

Su Min had a good impression of Boss Zhu. Since they came to the city, they hadn’t known many people—besides the landlord’s family, this pork seller was probably the most familiar face.

She smiled back. “They’re still busy. I’m going home to cook.”

Boss Zhu handed her the pork with a smile. “Such a thoughtful kid.”

“Uncle, lunch’s ready!”

Just as Su Min was about to leave, she heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned around and saw a girl in a green padded jacket, braided hair, and carrying a basket.

She blinked. “Liao Zhaodi?”

Liao Zhaodi looked over at the sound of her name, clearly stunned. “Su Min!”

“It really is you!” Su Min was instantly excited—like meeting a fellow villager in a foreign land. In her last life, she and Zhaodi only really connected in middle school. Even in this life, Zhaodi had been her closest friend. She never expected to run into her here in the city.

If she remembered right, this was around the time Zhaodi had also come to the city in the last life.

Boss Zhu noticed they knew each other and beamed. “You two know each other?”

Zhaodi seemed a little shy around him. She nodded. “Su Min was my middle school classmate. We used to sit together.”

Boss Zhu looked back at Su Min and chuckled. “What a small world.”

Su Min felt the same. She hadn’t expected to run into Liao Zhaodi of all people. Seeing the basket in her hand, she asked in surprise, “Zhaodi, are you delivering lunch to Uncle Zhu?”

Zhaodi nodded and took the food out of the basket. “Uncle, time to eat. I’m heading back to help my mom.”

Boss Zhu smiled. “Alright, go on back.”

Zhaodi nodded sweetly, then turned to Su Min. “Let’s walk together.”

Su Min glanced at her, then at the cheerful Boss Zhu. She gave him a quick goodbye before taking Zhaodi’s hand and leaving the market with her.

Once they were outside, Su Min asked, “Zhaodi, how do you know Uncle Zhu?”

Zhaodi lowered her head, staying quiet for a while before saying, “My mom’s going to marry him. They’re planning to register after New Year’s.” She looked at Su Min. “My parents got divorced recently. My mom brought me to the city, and later we met Uncle Zhu.”

So it really was Boss Zhu.

Su Min suddenly remembered why his face always seemed vaguely familiar. In her last life, she’d seen Zhaodi once with an elderly man using a cane while waiting in line at the hospital. She was there to get medicine for her mom. Zhaodi had looked even older than Su Min, her eyes filled with sorrow from a hard life.

It had been such a fleeting encounter she hadn’t remembered it clearly until now. But thinking back… that old man with white hair really was Uncle Zhu. Who would’ve thought how much things could change in just ten-plus years?

“Zhaodi, where do you live now? Come find me when you’re free,” Su Min said, squeezing her friend’s hand.

Zhaodi’s hand was ice cold, and Su Min felt it tremble slightly in hers.

Startled, Su Min looked up and saw tears brimming in Zhaodi’s eyes. “Zhaodi, what’s wrong?”

Zhaodi pressed her lips together, wiped her tears with her sleeve, and said, “Su Min, how did things end up like this? It hasn’t even been that long, and my parents already divorced. Now I have to call a stranger ‘Dad’. You don’t know—when we left, my older sisters were crying their eyes out, even knelt down begging my mom to stay. But she still left crying. And I can’t even bring myself to blame her. My dad hit her so many times over the years… it was just too hard for her.”

Su Min didn’t know what to say.

Emotionally, no child would want their mom to remarry. But logically, this was reality. No one would willingly leave their husband and children behind—unless life made it unbearable.