RGL – Chapter 26

Now that it’s summer, both Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang’s families had started setting up stalls again. Because of the hot weather, Su Changrong had stopped selling roasted and fried snacks. Instead, he sourced rice, flour, and some farm produce from the countryside to sell in the city. He could handle this business on his own just fine.

Though Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang didn’t say anything, Sun Hai was self-aware. His sister and brother-in-law had treated him well, and he didn’t want to overstay his welcome. Times were hard for everyone, and as a grown man, it didn’t sit right with him to keep relying on them. After he had that idea in front of the school gate the other day, he visited a few food factories to see if he could get supplies directly. It was only after several attempts that he finally got information from a distributor at one of the factories. He could regularly pick up goods from their sales department, but payment had to be made upfront each time.

Once Sun Hai found a supply source, he immediately told Su Changrong about it.

Su Changrong was surprised. He knew business had slowed enough that he could manage alone, but he hadn’t planned on Sun Hai leaving. After all, it was he and Sun Qiufang who had brought Sun Hai into the city, and even during the move, it was Sun Hai who helped him set up a stall on the street. Now that things were less hectic, he’d been thinking of ways to grow the business so that everyone would have work. But since Sun Hai now had a better opportunity, he couldn’t stop him. “You think this business will work?”

Sun Hai nodded with a smile. “I’ve already looked into it. I’ll carry two baskets and sell by the school gate. Whether it’s a big business or not, I’ll be making money either way.”

Hearing this, Sun Qiufang felt a little guilty. She had hoped to take better care of her younger brother, but now he was going out on his own. “Xiaohai, why don’t you just stick with us? Once the weather cools down, we won’t have to worry about lack of business.”

“I know, but sis, I’m grown now—I need to stand on my own. I can’t keep relying on you and brother-in-law. Since coming to the city, I’ve seen so much, and I want to try something different.” Seeing that she still looked worried, he grinned. “You don’t believe in me? Even Minzi makes fifty yuan a month—am I worse than Minzi?”

“We didn’t mean it like that.” Sun Qiufang waved her hand. “Alright, if you want to try, go ahead. We’re all in the city anyway—we can still help each other. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll figure something else out together.”

Sun Hai grinned. “Don’t worry, sis. I’ve got hands and feet, I’m not lazy—I’ll do just fine.”

School was out for summer break, so Sun Hai couldn’t set up by the school gate yet. After hearing Su Min talk about selling door-to-door, he simply grabbed his baskets and joined her, walking through streets and alleys hawking their goods.

It was scorching hot, and many people didn’t go out, so going door-to-door was actually a good way to sell.

The next day, after picking up his supplies, Sun Hai went with Su Min on her rounds through the neighborhood.

This time, Liao Zhaodi didn’t come along. She had been going out often the previous month, and Zhang Hui had started cracking down and wouldn’t let her leave the house anymore. Liao Zhaodi didn’t dare tell Zhang Hui about the business, so she obediently stayed home.

But now that she had a few dozen yuan in hand, she was content. She made a plan with Su Min—once she had the time, they’d sell popsicles together again.

Su Min didn’t mind either. She had already done what she could to help. As for how far Liao Zhaodi could go with it, that was up to her.

This time, since Sun Hai was helping, Su Min bought more soda than usual. Soda was a hot seller—sometimes even better than popsicles. Boys especially preferred soda over icy treats.

“Minzi, if you want anything from my basket, help yourself.”

On the road, Sun Hai offered Su Min some of the snacks he was carrying.

Su Min glanced over and smiled. “I don’t really like snacks anymore.” If this were her past life, she definitely would’ve been tempted. But now, as someone mentally much older, she really didn’t care for them anymore.

Sun Hai said, “You’re nothing like a kid. I was going to ask what you kids like to eat, so I could stock up better.”

Su Min laughed. “Flavor aside, the packaging has to be eye-catching. Even better if the shape is unique. And the taste? Either sweet and tangy or spicy—those will definitely sell.” She clearly remembered that spicy strips ruled the snack market for years. They were timeless. If only she knew how to make them, she would’ve been in the spicy strip business already.

Sigh, if she’d known she’d be reborn, she would’ve picked up more skills. Life would be much easier now.

Sun Hai didn’t know what was going on in Su Min’s head, but he took all her advice seriously and remembered every word. He wasn’t into snacks himself, so he’d been unsure what to stock. This time, he just grabbed a bit of everything to test the waters and see what kids liked. Once school started again, he’d be ready to expand.

Kids were on summer break, and adults were generous too. When heading off to work, they’d leave some pocket money for their kids to buy snacks from nearby stores.

With Su Min helping to call out to customers, Sun Hai’s business slowly picked up. When people bought popsicles, they’d grab a few snacks to eat while watching TV. Some students doing homework would even get snacks to stay alert.

Since Sun Hai didn’t have shop rent and wanted to break into the market, his prices were low—sometimes even lower than the local supply stores. And since he delivered to their doors, of course the business grew. Taking advantage of the momentum, he identified a few popular snacks and planned to order more of those next time.

By the end of the summer break, the two of them had made quite a bit of money. Su Min now had over a hundred yuan—fifty from before and the rest from the past month or so. Sun Hai, who had sold more and had more variety, made over eighty yuan just during this break.

Sun Hai was pretty happy with this income. Collecting junk had paid well too, but it wasn’t a long-term plan. Now that he was in the snack business, he saw potential for growth. As for how big it could get, he wasn’t thinking that far ahead yet.

Before they knew it, September 1st was approaching.

That was the national school reopening day, and Su Min was sunburnt. Sun Qiufang scolded her again.

“You’re such a pretty little girl—why’d you have to get all tanned? The other kids will laugh at you when school starts.”

Despite the scolding, Sun Qiufang was proud of her daughter. She hadn’t been able to give her a brother for support or even a sister for companionship. She often worried about her daughter having to face life alone. But now, seeing how capable and determined Su Min was, she felt reassured. Even if she and Su Changrong weren’t around one day, their daughter wouldn’t struggle.

Thinking about the upcoming registration and school start, Sun Qiufang didn’t want Su Min to be looked down on. She shut the door behind them and pulled her daughter out shopping for new clothes. In her mind, clothes made the person. Since her daughter was a bit darker now, she needed to dress her up even more.

Sun Qiufang was usually very thrifty, but she didn’t hold back this time. She took Su Min by the arm and headed to a nearby shopping mall to look at some nice clothes.

At that time, children’s clothes were sold as matching sets—pants and tops together.

Even though summer was over, September was still the season for short sleeves and shorts. Sun Qiufang immediately bought her child a set of plaid dress and another set consisting of a red pair of shorts and a short-sleeved top.

Su Min didn’t really care much about these outfits. As soon as she saw that the two sets cost only 20 yuan, she felt reluctant to spend the money. “Mom, two sets are enough. Let’s go home. When the school provides uniforms, I won’t need this many.”

“No worries—at home, we can still wear them.”

This was the first time Sun Qiufang had bought clothes for her daughter at a mall. Only then did she realize how different her daughter’s standard of living was compared to other kids. Previously, her daughter’s clothes had been secondhand finds—even if they were mended well, they still had patches. Unlike the new, good-looking garments in the mall, these were truly clothes a little girl should wear.

“Minzi, you’re going to be going to school in the city now. No matter how much your dad and I try to save, we can’t cut costs here. Your father even said to buy a little extra so you can alternate what you wear in the future.”

At that, Su Min quickly waved her hand and said, “Mom, I really don’t like these clothes. Please don’t buy them; let’s wait until the weather cools down a bit and then get some clothes for the spring-autumn season.”

“Alright, let’s go buy a pair of shoes next. Yesterday, I saw a kid on the street wearing shoes that looked like butterflies—they were so pretty.” Sun Qiufang’s face lit up as she spoke.

Seeing her mother so enthusiastic, Su Min couldn’t bring herself to refuse. Deep down, she quite enjoyed the feeling of being cared for. In the past, when her father was critically ill and her mother was in tears, no one paid her any attention. Later, it was she herself who had to work hard to keep the family together.

Now, her father was healthy, and life at home was getting better and better—this long-awaited life had finally become a reality.

Su Min tightly wrapped her arms around Sun Qiufang’s arm and said, “Mom, you’re so wonderful.”

While Sun Qiufang was still looking at the shoes, she was suddenly hugged from behind. Startled, she exclaimed, “What’s the matter? At your age, you’re still acting all coquettishly. People will laugh at you.” Even as she teased, her face couldn’t hide the smile.

That enrollment day, both Sun Qiufang and Su Changrong had put aside their business work, joining Zhu Qiang to help the children register. Liao Zhaodi and Su Min each slung a new backpack over their shoulders and walked hand in hand toward the school.

“Su Min, it looks like the two of us might end up in the same class this time,” Liao Zhaodi said joyfully.

Su Min shook her head, “That isn’t certain yet. I’m just an exchange student after all—how the classes are arranged depends on what the school decides.”

“That’s alright. Even if we’re not in the same class, I can wait for you every day when going to and from school.”

Su Min smiled and nodded, then added, “By the way, I heard that the city schools speak Mandarin, so we shouldn’t speak our home dialect here or we’ll be laughed at. Remember to speak proper Mandarin.”

“What do you mean by Mandarin? I’ve never even spoken it before,” Liao Zhaodi replied nervously.

“Just pronounce your lessons the way you read them. The more you listen to others, the quicker you’ll get used to it. It’s better to change your habits early on so things will be easier later.” In a previous life, Su Min had worked away from home and knew that people outside didn’t like it when someone spoke in a hometown accent.

Before long, the two of them arrived at the county middle school.

Su Min was quite familiar with the place from doing business here before. Once inside the school, Su Changrong went off with Zhu Qiang to register, while Sun Qiufang wandered around the campus with Su Min.

“This school is so much better than the one in our town. No wonder people say the county is a lot better than our town. Just look at how many more classrooms there are—and this big hard court is really nice too,” Sun Qiufang remarked repeatedly in admiration.

Liao Zhaodi, equally excited and full of anticipation, tugged at Su Min’s arm, “Minzi, from now on, we’ll be studying here. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Su Min nodded with a bright smile and gazed sparklingly at the school’s teaching building.

Finally, she could go back to school—after more than a decade, she had the chance to start over again. A smile spread uncontrollably on her face, and determination shone in her eyes as she said, “Zhaodi, I promise that I’ll study hard and become a cultured person.”

After touring the outdoor area, Sun Qiufang took Su Min along to check out the classrooms to find out which class they had been assigned to.

Just as they began to ascend the stairs, a family of three—Su Changgui’s family—appeared ahead.

Su Changgui saw them clearly and, with obvious surprise, said, “Sister-in-law, why are you here too?”

Sun Qiufang did not have a very good impression of the youngest son’s family these days, but she forced a smile and replied, “I brought Minzi here to enroll. She had fallen behind in her studies, so she’s re-enrolling in the first year of junior high.”

“Minzi’s household registration isn’t here—how can she study here? Isn’t this a farce?” Su Changgui’s expression instantly hardened as he lectured in a tone befitting a strict teacher. “Not to mention the fees for being an exchange student. In the future, when she has to go back for the entrance exams, it’ll affect her scores. It would have been better if she had attended junior high in the town from the start.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the happy mood and the buoyant atmosphere of the group were instantly dispelled. Even Sun Qiufang found it hard to smile. “It’s alright—the testing standards are the same everywhere, as long as she studies well, it’ll be fine.”

“But what about Minzi’s academic performance? City schools are tougher than rural ones. There are plenty of excellent students here—can Minzi really keep up with them?”

That remark, more than anything else, directly cast doubt on her daughter’s abilities, and Sun Qiufang’s face turned cold. Just as she was about to speak, Su Min tugged at her, and when Sun Qiufang looked down, all she could hear was Su Min saying, “Third Uncle, I’m counting on becoming a university graduate just like you. In those harsh early days, you managed to get into college—why should you worry now that I have such a good environment?”

They all came from the same background, yet he looked down on those with less. Upon hearing this, Su Changgui couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Despite his well-meaning advice, someone had not only rejected it but also said things that made the elders uncomfortable. Regardless of whether Su Min was a child or not, uttering such words wasn’t that of a good child or a good student.

With a cold face and a sigh, he said, “Fine, do as you please—I won’t intervene anymore.”

Su Wenwen, upon realizing that Su Min was going to stay in the city for junior high—indeed, starting from the first year, and they would be classmates—wore an unhappy look on her face and declared, “I don’t want to be in the same class as her.” To have people know that she was related to someone who once picked up scraps would be terribly embarrassing at school.

“Wenwen,” Su Changgui scolded her sharply.

Gao Hong even tugged at her hand. Regardless of personal feelings, one should never speak overly harshly in public—it would just be seen as lacking in manners.

Pouting, Su Wenwen said, “It’s only natural. If people find out I have a relative who picks up scrap, none of my friends will like me.”

Sun Qiufang’s expression turned cold as she glared steadily at Su Changgui. Though she felt it was hard to control what her child said, she believed that as an elder, he should properly educate her.

Su Min smiled and said, “Don’t worry, if we really end up in the same class, we can pretend we don’t know each other. There are plenty of people with the last name Su, no one will suspect our relationship.”

“How can we do that? We’re relatives, we can’t be so distant,” Su Changgui frowned, “You two are cousins, you should get along well in school, understand?” Even though he didn’t like Su Min, he couldn’t let the kids cause trouble.

Gao Hong pursed her lips and suddenly said, “Minzi just said she won’t recognize you, so forget it. Why are you interfering with the kids’ thoughts? You might as well focus on managing the kids at your school.” She tugged at Su Changgui’s sleeve, “Let’s go, my parents are waiting for news.”

Su Changgui had nothing to say, so he frowned and said to Sun Qiufang, “Big sister-in-law, we’ll head back first.” Then, he took his daughter and wife and left.

Sun Qiufang looked at their backs and couldn’t help but grit her teeth. “This county town is really small, we run into people everywhere. Minzi, from now on, pretend you don’t know them at school. Back when your uncle was studying, your dad saved money to buy him books and food. Now that he’s made something of himself, he doesn’t recognize people anymore.”

A university student, that’s something that was developed bit by bit, and even though the tuition isn’t high, it’s still money. Back in high school, that half-grown boy ate a lot of the family’s food. She was dating Su Changrong at the time, so she knew everything clearly.

Su Min had never really interacted with her third uncle in her past life, so she didn’t know his character. In this life, after a few encounters, it was clear that he wasn’t exactly an honest person. Not to say he was bad, but his words and actions certainly weren’t pleasant.

Zhang Hui and Liao Zhaodi didn’t know how to speak. After all, this was someone else’s family matter, and it was awkward for them to watch from the side.

Fortunately, Su Changrong and Zhu Qiang came back from registration and, upon seeing the group, rushed over, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

“The class lists haven’t been posted yet. They said they’ll be on display at the school bulletin board when school starts.”

“Why so complicated? How many classes are there?” Sun Qiufang didn’t expect there to be so many students.

Su Changrong said, “It really is because of Minzi; now a lot of the children of the workers are coming here to study. There are more students this year than before. Minzi, you’d better work hard.”

Su Min nodded seriously.

Zhu Qiang also gave a few instructions to Liao Zhaodi, placing her textbooks into her bag.

He then turned to Su Changrong and his family and said, “Today’s the registration day, it’s a big occasion, let’s go to a restaurant and eat.”

Zhang Hui pulled Zhu Qiang, “You and Zhaodi go ahead, I need to go back and check on Bingzi. He hasn’t gotten up yet, and if he wakes up, there’ll be no food for him.”

Hearing about his son, Zhu Qiang got angry, “Don’t worry about that brat. Let’s eat first, and we’ll bring some back for him. He’s been sleeping until the afternoon again.” He turned to Su Changrong and his wife, “Let’s go, time to eat.”

Since they all had to work in the afternoon, they skipped drinking and just ordered a few dishes. After finishing, they chatted casually and then headed back.

On the way back, Liao Zhaodi quietly asked Su Min, “Minzi, do you know how to get back to our hometown?”

Su Min nodded, but then looked at her curiously, “Why are you asking? Do you want to go back?”

Liao Zhaodi whispered, “I want to find some time to send money back to my sisters. I don’t know if they have enough to pay for the school fees. I also want to buy them some things.” Her family was in a bad situation, and thinking about her good life here, her two sisters were suffering at home. They couldn’t sleep peacefully at night.

“My sisters have always treated me well. They never let me do any hard work. I want to help them.”

Su Min sighed, “Zhaodi, you’re still too young, you can’t do much to help. If you go back alone, your uncle and mom will definitely worry. And what if you run into bad people?”

“Zhaodi, listen to me, wait until your mom goes back next time, then you can go with her. Don’t go alone.”

Liao Zhaodi was a bit scared after hearing that and nodded, “Alright.”

School was about to start, and in the last few days, Sun Hai had brought in more goods, not only snacks but also some stationery like pencils and small knives.

On September 1st, Su Min wore her newly bought checkered dress, carried her first-ever new school bag, and walked with Liao Zhaodi through the gates of the county middle school.

The bulletin board already had the class lists posted.

Su Min dragged Liao Zhaodi inside, and after looking for a while, she finally found her class—Grade One (Class 3).

Liao Zhaodi wasn’t in her class; she was in Grade One (Class 5).

Liao Zhaodi felt a bit disappointed, but it couldn’t be helped. The school had organized the classes this way, and they couldn’t be placed together. Fortunately, the two classes were on the same floor, so they could still meet easily.

After both went up to the third floor, they went to find their own classrooms.

Su Min no longer had the sense of wonder she had when she first entered middle school, nor did she feel the excitement of meeting new classmates. Now, even when she interacted with her peers, it was hard for her to think of them as kids her own age. Even with Liao Zhaodi, she often treated her like a little sister.

Once in the classroom, she took a seat in the last row. As a transfer student, she was self-aware that the teacher wouldn’t assign her a good seat. She was just a temporary student, and even if she did well on the entrance exams later, it wouldn’t bring honor to the school, and she wouldn’t get any good resources.

After settling into her seat, Liao Zhaodi took out her textbooks and began to review them seriously. Some of the books had changed, but the content was similar, and since she had already reviewed, it wasn’t too difficult for her. However, she didn’t dare be careless. Most of the kids from the city had attended extra lessons during the summer, so they had professional teachers guiding them for a month, which gave them an advantage over her.

“Why are you so dark?” a voice, belonging to a boy just entering puberty, came from beside her.

Su Min looked up and saw a boy with a crew cut sitting in the seat next to hers, about the same age, with a pale face and a hint of disdain.

The person looked at Su Min as she looked over, frowned, and said, “What’s your name? We’ll be desk mates from now on.”

Although Su Min didn’t really want to talk to this person who clearly disliked her, she didn’t want to start off on bad terms with her classmates either. She smiled and said, “My name is Su Min.”

“Such a plain name,” the boy with the short hair wrinkled his nose in disdain. “I’m Xue Mian.” He looked at Su Min and added, “How come you’re so dark?”

Even though Su Min was quite mature for her age, she couldn’t tolerate being continuously teased for being dark. She took a deep breath and replied, “I got tanned from playing outside in the summer.”

“Then how come I didn’t get tanned?” Xue Mian looked at her skeptically, with a hint of complaint in his voice.

Su Min could tell that this guy must be quite fair-skinned and insecure, so he was taking it out on her. She thought to herself, “What a brat, no need to explain!”

Before Xue Mian could say anything else, the bell for class rang.

The once noisy classroom suddenly quieted down, and soon after, a middle-aged male teacher wearing glasses entered.

The teacher introduced himself in a serious tone, “My name is Wu Yong,” a name with a notable legacy. However, most of the first-year students hadn’t read Water Margin, so they didn’t know the origin of the name, and many of them giggled lightly.

Su Min hadn’t read it either, but the restaurant where she used to work often played the TV series, so she recognized the name.

Teacher Wu seemed accustomed to the reaction. With a serious gaze, he began arranging the seating for the class.

The seating was arranged based on their results from the high school entrance exam. Su Min, of course, ended up at the back. To her surprise, Xue Mian was called first.

He stood up and sat back down.

Teacher Wu was puzzled and called out, “Xue Mian, you can choose a seat.”

Xue Mian propped himself up on the desk, resting his chin on his hand. “I’ll sit here,” he said.

Well, if that’s where he wanted to sit, Teacher Wu didn’t force him to move. He awkwardly continued calling out names.

To Su Min’s surprise, she heard the name “Su Wenwen” being called. She realized that Su Wenwen was sitting in the front row, which she hadn’t noticed earlier. She immediately felt a little embarrassed. It was as if the more she tried to avoid something, the more it would happen. But since she had agreed with Su Wenwen to stay strangers, she was determined not to engage with her and to keep that distance.

Afterward, no one else stood out like Xue Mian did. Everyone else took seats in the front, and no one seemed to care about Su Min’s seat. Once the seating was done, only Su Min and Xue Mian were still sitting in their original spots.

The process of seating took up most of the class. Teacher Wu didn’t want to continue teaching, so he told everyone to review the material and would start the real lesson in the next class.

Soon, the bell rang for the break. Xue Mian immediately ran out like a monkey.

Su Min also decided to take the opportunity to check on how her uncle Sun Hai’s business was doing.

As expected, with the new school term starting, people were more willing to buy food. Her uncle’s stall was surrounded by customers. Su Min quickly went over to help.

She only rushed back to the classroom when the bell was about to ring.

“Hey, Little Black, you’re a girl, why are you so wild? Running out even during a 10-minute break,” Xue Mian said, propping his head up as he looked at her.

Su Min didn’t feel like dealing with this brat anymore. She just took out her book and lowered her head to read.

Xue Mian reached over and tugged at her ponytail. “Your hair is pretty long. Why do girls like to keep their hair so long? Isn’t it troublesome?”

This time, Su Min couldn’t hold back. She looked at him helplessly and said, “Haven’t you ever seen a girl with long hair?”

“I have,” Xue Mian nodded, then suddenly raised an eyebrow, “But I’ve never seen a girl with hair this long and this dark.”

Su Min: “……”

When the bell for class rang, Su Min felt like she was finally rescued. If she weren’t a transfer student, she could have changed seats. She really didn’t like kids, especially bratty ones with sharp tongues.

During class, Xue Mian didn’t cause any more trouble. Instead, he kept his head down and read his book.

Su Min watched him sketching on scrap paper and began to suspect how Xue Mian could have ranked first. She really didn’t want to believe that this brat was the so-called “talented” student who succeeded without studying.

After a whole morning of class, Su Min felt that her ability to understand the material was quite good. At least she could understand everything the teacher was explaining, and she could do the exercises after class.

To be on the safe side, she decided to go back and buy some extra practice books to reinforce her learning.

Xue Mian left quickly after class and vanished in no time. As Su Min was heading out the door, she ran into Su Wenwen face to face. Neither of them spoke, and Su Min pretended not to notice the disdain in Su Wenwen’s eyes.

When she went out with Liao Zhaodi, her uncle Sun Hai was still waiting at the school gate. Taking advantage of the after-school rush, he had made quite a few sales and had a big smile on his face. On their way home, Liao Zhaodi was still excitedly talking about school. She had already made friends with several classmates, and everyone was very easy to get along with.

Su Min, still thinking about what the teacher had said earlier, didn’t talk much.

“Minzi’s back! How was school today? Are the classmates and teachers easy to get along with?” Sun Qiufang asked as he helped her take off her bag.

“It was good. Don’t worry, Mom,” Su Min said as she wiped her face with a towel and then went over to ask Sun Hai, “Uncle, how’s the business going?”

Sun Qiufang also leaned in. “Yeah, Xiaohai, how was business today, your first day at school?”

Sun Hai smiled. “It went pretty well. I made more than ten yuan just this morning.”

“That’s great!” Sun Qiufang exclaimed happily. “This is just the start. It’s definitely going to get better. Xiaohai, you’re smart, this business is good, you should stick with it.”

Sun Hai nodded. “But the school charged me 50 cents today as a fee for setting up a stall.”

“That’s expected,” Sun Qiufang replied. “Your brother-in-law also has to pay for setting up his stall outside. They even moved his spot the other day, saying it has to be in a designated area so it doesn’t affect the city’s appearance. These small fees don’t matter, as long as they let us run our business.”

Su Min interjected, “Mom, now that Dad’s selling rice and local products, we have too much stock at home. Setting up a stall isn’t a long-term solution. How about we just rent a shop and sell some snacks, oil, vinegar, and seasonings? We could expand, make more money, and be more comfortable. Plus, setting up stalls still requires a fee, and it adds up to a lot over time. Renting a shop doesn’t cost much more, and we could sell more.”

Sun Hai thought about it for a moment and nodded. “That sounds like a good plan. This business needs to grow. Brother-in-law has found a good source, and getting a shop is a good idea. I know where to get groceries, so I can take you guys there. We’ll also figure out where to get oil, vinegar, and seasonings. Selling more things is definitely better than just selling rice.”

Sun Qiufang was hesitant about the idea of renting a shop. “I’ve been doing well with the stall. It’s making money every day. Why do we need to spend money on renting a shop?”

“Mom, you can’t think of it like that,” Su Min said. “We shouldn’t just count the costs. What matters is the final profit. Since not many people are doing it right now, we need to seize the opportunity. Remember, the early bird gets the worm, but if we wait too long, we’ll be left with the scraps.”

“Minzi’s right,” Sun Hai clapped his hands and gave her a thumbs-up. “You’re really business-minded. Sis, you and your husband need to think about it. If we want to make big money, we need to take some bold steps.”

Sun Qiufang, influenced by their words, couldn’t make up her mind. She laughed and said, “Alright, let’s wait until your brother-in-law gets back, and then we’ll discuss it.”

When dinner was ready, Su Changrong came home.

The family gathered around the table, eating happily. After asking Su Min about her day at school, Sun Qiufang brought up the idea Su Min had mentioned earlier about renting a shop.

Su Changrong was surprised. “I was just admiring how those with shops don’t have to suffer from the wind and sun. And here you are, already talking about it.”

Sun Qiufang hurriedly said, “What do you think? Tell us your opinion.”

Su Changrong scratched his head and smiled, “Well, it’s clear now. Business doesn’t stay the same. Like when we first started collecting scrap, then we started recycling. We’ve done everything. As long as it’s good, we should do it.”

“So what’s your point?” Sun Qiufang asked, looking at him. Su Min and Sun Hai were also waiting for his response.

Su Changrong lightly tapped the table. “Alright, I’ll go check out the shop’s condition first. Let’s see how it goes. If it works out, we’ll do it.”

Su Min smiled and chimed in, “Dad, now that’s what I call confidence. My dad’s definitely going to be a big boss!”

“You child,” Su Changrong laughed. Sun Qiufang also reached over and patted her daughter’s head.

Su Changrong had become someone who took action.

Having made up his mind to open a shop and expand the business, he immediately took action. He told Sun Qiufang to stay at the stall while he went to look for a shop nearby and gather information on the rental situation.

Shop rents weren’t cheap now. The government, unlike in the past, now supported businesses, and had built a row of shops for rent to help boost the city’s economy.

With the rise in the number of laid-off workers, more people were starting businesses. However, not many could afford to rent a shop. A rent of 50 or 60 yuan a month was the equivalent of an entire month’s salary for many people.

Su Changrong had always been in business and understood the relationship between investment and expenses. A business without capital could make money, but it would never last long. If he wanted to grow the business sustainably, he had to be willing to spend money.

With nearly 10,000 yuan in household income, he felt confident. A 20-square-meter shop, with a rent of 50 yuan per month, Su Changrong immediately decided to rent it.

After finding a suitable shop, Su Changrong went back to find Sun Qiufang and directly took her to see the shop with the stall.

Sun Qiufang was satisfied with the shop, but hesitated at the cost. However, since Su Changrong was in charge of the major business decisions and both her brother and daughter supported him, she didn’t voice any objections.

The couple was in agreement, and they immediately went to find the person in charge and rented a shop in the middle.