The person who had been waiting for Li Ye for so long was the peddler selling malt candy whom Li Ye had met when he reclaimed his Phoenix bicycle at the entrance to County First High School that day.
The moment he spotted Li Ye, he hurried over with a smile.
"Brother, have some candy, have some candy."
"I don't eat candy."
Li Ye did not stop walking and kept moving forward, but the peddler blocked him and pulled out a pack of Da Feng Shou cigarettes.
"Brother, have a smoke."
"No need. I have cigarettes. What do you want with me?"
Li Ye brushed aside the offered Da Feng Shou, took out a Da Qian Men cigarette and lit it himself. Then he raised his head at a thirty-five-degree angle to stare at the sky, his eyes slanting sideways as he coolly regarded the fellow shivering from the cold.
It was not that Li Ye was deliberately putting on airs!
In his previous life, Li Ye had also been a "warmhearted person." When he first entered the workplace, he treated everyone kindly, loved helping others, smiled at everyone he met, and did every task he saw.
In the end, he had worked himself to death without earning a scrap of gratitude. Everyone wanted to press down on him and use him.
So later, Li Ye came to understand that with certain people, he could not be too kind or show them a pleasant face.
From their encounter outside County First High School last time, Li Ye knew this fellow was a crafty businessman, possessed of the slyness and petty cleverness unique to this era.
Today, he was offering favors for no reason, clearly because he had come seeking help. If Li Ye seemed too easy to talk to, the man would absolutely treat him as a "kid," which would be highly unfavorable to Li Ye's next plans.
Even the aura of a king needed the right conditions, all right? If a three-year-old child eloquently lectured a fierce general like Zhang Fei, would the man bow his head and pledge allegiance?
More likely, he would smash you into a ditch with one blow and let you lie there for a while.
If he wanted a middle-aged man in his late thirties to follow the arrangements of an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old student, he had to use some tricks.
"Hehe, there really is something I need your help with, brother."
"You want my help? What can a student like me help you with? I wasn't planning to buy malt candy today."
"You can't help, but your relative at Chengbei Police Station can."
Li Ye lifted his eyelids. "How did you know I have a relative at Chengbei Police Station? Besides, I don't even know your name. Why should I help you?"
"I really had no other choice."
The malt candy peddler pulled a bitter face and began pouring out his troubles to Li Ye.
His name was Hao Jian. After being sent down to the countryside in Qingshui County, he had married a local and settled in Chenzhuang Township, thirty li away. Now that the winds were gradually warming, he made some malt candy and brought it into the county town to sell. Things had gone smoothly for more than half a year.
But today, he had run into a gang of street loafers. They ate and took his goods without paying. Seeing that twenty jin of malt candy was about to become a total loss, Hao Jian, who had always believed harmony brought wealth, got into a tussle with them. In the end, they came to blows and even drew the attention of the police station.
The police station had indeed given that gang of loafers a talking-to, but Hao Jian spoke with a thick outsider's accent. The police station confiscated all his malt candy and pottery basin, telling him to go back to his village and write a letter of introduction proving he was not an itinerant criminal.
Hao Jian had sneaked out to sell malt candy. Where could he get a letter of introduction?
The newspapers had acknowledged the "individual economy," but the county had yet to issue clear instructions! Would those old fossils in the village give him such a letter?
After turning it over and over in his mind, Hao Jian remembered hearing Lu Zixue shouting outside County First High School that the police station chief was Li Ye's relative. With no other option, he had come here blindly to try his luck and see whether Li Ye could help.
"Student Li, I truly have no other choice. At home, I have a seventy-year-old mother above me and a sick child of four or five below me. We depend entirely on that little bit of malt candy income."
"I was supposed to sell the candy today and buy medicine for my child. Now I've lost everything."
Hao Jian looked pitiful, with snot and tears streaming down his face. Li Ye could not tell whether he was telling the truth.
He flicked his cigarette to the ground. "How do you want me to help?"
Hao Jian immediately said, "Just say I'm the uncle of your classmate and good friend."
Li Ye asked with a half-smile, "And then?"
Hao Jian blinked. "What? What do you mean, and then?"
Li Ye said coldly, "I say you're my classmate's uncle, then you can fly my banner, use your connection with the police station as a tiger's hide for a great banner, and stop fearing those street punks. Is that it?"
"..."
Hao Jian was a little dazed. He smacked his lips, his mouth full of bitterness.
Sure enough, this damn cop's kid was sharp as a ghost. No good thing.
After a long while, Hao Jian said awkwardly, "I didn't mean it like that... Just help me out. From now on, you can eat my malt candy for free."
"Who cares about your malt candy?" Li Ye curled his lip, took out a White Rabbit candy and tossed it into his mouth. Then he asked, "Let me see the prescription for the medicine you're buying for your child."
Hao Jian quickly pulled two empty medicine bottles and a prescription that had nearly been kneaded to pieces from his pocket and handed them to Li Ye.
Li Ye looked them over. He could not make sense of what illness the medicine and prescription treated, but they at least somewhat proved the truth of Hao Jian's words.
"Come on. I'll go take a look with you."
Li Ye returned the bottles and prescription to Hao Jian, then turned toward Chengbei Police Station.
Hao Jian, who had already given up hope, froze for a moment before hurriedly taking off after him.
The two reached Chengbei Police Station, only to find that Li Ye's uncle-in-law Zhao Yuanchao was not there. Hao Jian, following behind, felt his heart turn cold again.
Malt candy was not something that could be kept for long.
But Li Ye gave Hao Jian his pack of Da Qian Men, then immediately went into an office. Before long, he came back out arm in arm with a young man.
Li Ye jerked his chin at Hao Jian. "There he is. He's the relative of one of my good classmates. Chenzhuang Township is thirty li from here. Tell me, what procedures should he go through?"
The young man laughed. "Procedures, my ass. With the relationship between us martial brothers, you're trying to embarrass me?"
Two minutes later, Hao Jian had gotten back his pottery basin and malt candy. Not even a liang of candy was missing.
Hao Jian hurriedly took out the Da Qian Men Li Ye had given him and lit one for Wu Xiong. He smoothly slipped the cigarette pack into Wu Xiong's pocket, his movements quick and entirely natural. At a glance, he was the kind of businessman worth cultivating.
The young man said to Hao Jian, "Remember, my name is Wu Xiong. If Liu Er and his people give you trouble again, come directly to me. They've got some nerve, turning the world upside down like this."
Hao Jian nodded again and again, gaining a new understanding of Li Ye's capabilities.
When he had gone looking for Li Ye today, he had merely treated a dead horse as though it were alive. He had never expected things to go so smoothly.
After they left the police station, Hao Jian asked Li Ye what his relationship with Wu Xiong was. Li Ye answered lightly, "Martial brothers who practice boxing together."
The way Hao Jian looked at Li Ye changed yet again.
Seeing how long his arms and legs were, he probably hit people pretty hard.
"Brother, take this candy and eat it. I'll pay you back for that pack of Da Qian Men in a few days."
Hao Jian took out a sheet of newspaper and wrapped Li Ye a huge package of candy, almost a quarter of the malt candy in his basin.
Li Ye waved his hand and looked at him. "Have you been to the provincial capital?"
Not understanding why, Hao Jian nodded. "A few times. I have two Educated Youth friends who invited me over after they returned to the city."
Li Ye said in an unquestionable tone, "Take this candy and make a trip to the provincial capital. Check out the market for malt candy. If it works, I'll take a share in your business."
"..."
Hao Jian's smiling face stiffened. Several seconds later, curses began pouring through his heart.
Fuck, I knew this kid was no good. Letting him eat for free isn't enough—he wants to keep taking advantage of me forever? Even landlords and rich tyrants aren't this ruthless, are they?
"Taking a share" meant getting a cut from a business. Hao Jian had originally planned to keep looking up Li Ye from time to time and supply him with candy, thereby maintaining the connection.
But now Li Ye was directly demanding "a share." This was fucking peeling off a layer of skin!
"My little business... The provincial capital is eighty li away... It isn't worth... Sigh."
Hao Jian forced a smile, wanting to refuse Li Ye, but suddenly his vision blurred as a five-yuan "big bill" appeared before him.
Li Ye handed the five yuan to Hao Jian. "Go to the provincial capital and investigate carefully. Focus on finding people like you. What future is there in retail? If you're going to do it, do wholesale."
Hao Jian touched the five yuan in his hand, feeling as though it was not real.
These days, the largest banknote was ten yuan. He sold malt candy for a few fen or a few jiao at a time; he might not even see a five-yuan "big bill" in an entire month.
One had to know that giving birth at the county hospital only cost eight or nine yuan in medical fees altogether.
Yet now, a "child" casually flicked five yuan into Hao Jian's hand just to have him "make a trip to the provincial capital?"
Did he not know that a ticket from the county town to the provincial capital only cost a few jiao?
Was he not afraid Hao Jian would take the money and not do the job?
Hao Jian thought it over and finally concluded that, though the youth before him was young, he truly was not afraid Hao Jian would swallow those five yuan.
Once he understood that, Hao Jian's mind became nimble. He tucked away the five yuan and asked, "Brother, this wholesale you mentioned... what does it mean?"
Li Ye asked, "What does your malt candy cost per kilogram to make?"
Hao Jian said, "About thirty fen! If I can buy grain at the fixed price, it can be even lower."
Li Ye said, "Then how about selling it for sixty fen?"
Hao Jian froze. Normally, he sold it retail for one yuan a kilogram, and he had even sold it for two yuan to fools. How could he sell it for sixty fen?
Li Ye shot Hao Jian a sidelong glance and curled his lip. "Do you know your numbers? Any problems with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division?"
Hao Jian rolled his eyes.
What kind of question was that? He had at least graduated middle school before being sent down to the countryside, all right?
Before you continue