Returning to Hu Yuying's home.
Hu Yuying first poured a glass of water for Long Aotian, then looked at him expectantly: "Brother Long, how are we going to sell clothes?"
"You'll find out tomorrow." As he said this, his gaze shifted to Hu Yuying: "Do you dare to go out of town with me?"
"Out of town?" Hu Yuying was surprised. To be honest, she was quite timid. When she first came to this city for school, she had been in a pretty awkward situation.
She hesitated for a moment, but then, thinking that Brother Long would be by her side, she nodded and said, "Okay."
Seeing Hu Yuying's mix of fear, hesitation, and eventual reluctant agreement, Long Aotian couldn't help but laugh.
Sometimes, it wasn't that Long Aotian enjoyed teasing young girls, but they always unintentionally revealed such pure and sincere naivety that he couldn't resist messing with them.
How to describe this feeling? It's like when you're eighteen and you meet an eight-year-old kid—don't you just want to tease them?
"Aren't you afraid I might sell you off once we're out of town?"
Hu Yuying shrank her neck a little, but then she secretly noticed the playful look on Long Aotian's face and realized he was teasing her again. She replied, "I'm not scared at all."
"Alright then, get up early tomorrow. We're going to check out the market."
"Okay, I'll get up early and prepare breakfast."
"Thanks for the hard work, little teacher."
Hearing Long Aotian's teasing tone again, Hu Yuying blushed and said, "If you keep this up, I won't cook for you anymore."
Even her threats were soft and adorable, lacking any real bite—it was kind of cute.
They had eaten a lot of snacks in the afternoon, so she didn't keep Long Aotian for dinner.
After seeing Long Aotian off,
Hu Yuying happily returned to her small room.
She pulled out a metal box from under her bed.
Taking out the cash inside, she muttered, "I wonder if this will be enough." Hu Yuying was a bit worried.
This was money she had saved up bit by bit. Now that she was taking out a large portion of it, she didn't even consider the possibility of losing it—she was only concerned about whether it would be enough.
She trusted Long Aotian completely, but there was no other way. This was all she could afford to give...
Taking a deep breath, she turned on the light, took out a needle and thread, and sewed a hidden pocket into her pants. Then, she tucked the money inside.
"I'm being so cautious," Hu Yuying patted the hidden pocket, pleased with her cleverness.
On the other side,
Long Aotian returned home.
His father had closed up shop early today and was already home.
Seeing Long Aotian come back, his father nervously asked, "Son, how did it go?"
Seeing his father's anxious expression, Long Aotian chuckled, "I did pretty well overall. It should be fine."
Hearing this, his father was also delighted. "Let's go out for a nice meal today. Take this money and treat your little teacher to dinner. We really owe her for helping you with your studies."
"We can just eat at home. Oh, Dad, I want to use the tricycle and the awning."
Long Aotian's savings were quite substantial now. Some of his investments were appreciating, and his stocks were doing well too. He had enough to splurge for a while.
"The tricycle? What do you need it for?" his father asked.
Before they had a fixed stall, his father had used the tricycle to transport pork. But since they got a permanent spot, the tricycle wasn't used as often.
"I want to set up a stall. There are still over two months of summer left, and I don't want to just laze around at home. I want to do something."
Hearing this, his father nodded.
As long as his son wasn't hanging out with those troublemakers anymore, he would support whatever he wanted to do.
"Alright, while it's still light out, I'll go clean the tricycle for you."
"I'll help."
Seeing his son so responsible, the old man couldn't stop smiling. He felt energized no matter what he did.
With detergent and steel wool, the two of them cleaned the tricycle until it was spotless.
The old man had thought Long Aotian wouldn't know how to ride it and was prepared to teach him.
But the kid rode it even better than he did!
Long Aotian took the tricycle for a spin, stopped by an ATM to withdraw some cash, and then drove it back home.
The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten,
Long Aotian rode his bicycle to Hu Yuying's house.
After having a bit of porridge, they headed to the train station to buy tickets for Yiwu.
On the train, Hu Yuying tried to act calm, but her tightly clenched hands betrayed her nervousness.
Looking at the scenery rushing by outside, Long Aotian smiled and said, "Get some sleep. We still have a few hours to go."
Hu Yuying shook her head, her hand firmly on the hidden pocket she had sewn. "I'm not tired. I don't need to sleep."
Half an hour later,
Long Aotian was trying hard not to laugh, his body trembling slightly.
He glanced at Hu Yuying, who was nodding off, her head bobbing. With a soft sigh, he gently guided her head to rest on his shoulder.
Feeling a stable support, Hu Yuying shifted slightly, finding a more comfortable position, and drifted into a deeper sleep.
They had boarded the train at around 4:30 a.m., and by the time they arrived at Yiwu Station, it was already past 9 a.m.
Long Aotian gently shook the still-sleeping Hu Yuying. "Wipe your drool before you keep sleeping."
Hu Yuying groggily opened her eyes and quickly lowered her head, embarrassed, as she touched the corner of her mouth.
But then she realized she hadn't drooled at all and understood that Long Aotian was teasing her again.
Just as she was about to protest, she noticed the train slowing down. She looked out at the platform in confusion. "Brother Long, are we here?"
"We're here. Let's get ready to get off."
"Okay." Hu Yuying felt a bit embarrassed again—she had slept the entire way...
Seeing her dazed and adorable expression, Long Aotian couldn't resist ruffling her hair. "If I really sold you off, with the way you were sleeping so soundly and without a care, how would you ever find your way back home?"
Hu Yuying didn't argue. She just obediently smoothed out her hair, her cheeks turning red...
After getting off the train, as the crowd from each car poured out, Long Aotian said, "Stay close and keep your ticket in hand. It's crowded right now."
"Okay." Once again, she was in an unfamiliar city, but this time, with Long Aotian by her side, she felt nervous but also reassured.
Having Long Aotian with her always gave her a sense of security.
Once the crowd had thinned out, Long Aotian led Hu Yuying out of the station.
"Let's grab something to eat first, then I'll take you to buy the goods."
"Okay."
"Good girl."
"I'm just afraid Brother Long might sell me off."
"Want me to hit you?"
[Another three chapters. You don't even have to say it—I already feel awesome. Since I'm so awesome, how about giving me a five-star review and adding this to your bookshelf? Heart you!]
[Also, most importantly, thank you for the gifts. Thank you ▄█▀█●.]