Making Money

Early the next morning, the academy held its opening ceremony just as it did every year.

Near noon, Huo Yuhao snuck out of the auditorium and headed toward the academy gates.

He hadn't gone far when a crisp voice rang out.

"Yuhao, where are you going?"

Huo Yuhao glanced at the little girl who had been quietly following him since earlier and sighed helplessly.

"I'm going to sell grilled fish to earn some living expenses."

"Oh, great, great! I want to go too!"

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up instantly, and she looked at Huo Yuhao with anticipation.

It was just hard to tell if she was going to help sell them or help eat them.

Huo Yuhao, pressed for time, didn't refuse and didn't slow his pace in the slightest.

"Then you have to help out. I'll pay you a wage."

Hearing that there would be grilled fish to eat and money to earn, Xiao Wu cheered.

"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry, hurry, I can't wait!"

With that, she grabbed Huo Yuhao's arm and hurried toward the exit.

Once outside the academy, the two divided the labor: Huo Yuhao gave Xiao Wu some money to go to the Blacksmith Shop in the city to buy a grill and an iron rack, while he went to find a vendor to buy fish.

"Boss, how much for the grass carp?"

"Little friend, buying fish? Two copper coins each. They were all caught this morning; take a look, they're very fresh."

Huo Yuhao nodded; the price wasn't high. "Then give me thirty, and help me clean them while you're at it."

Seeing a big customer, the boss beamed and even gave Huo Yuhao a discount.

"Five Silver Soul Coins will do."

After deftly slaughtering and cleaning the innards, he skewered the fish with straw and looked at Huo Yuhao, looking a bit puzzled.

"Young man, how are you going to carry so many fish?"

Huo Yuhao slapped his forehead. "It seems I need to make a storage Soul Tool as soon as possible; otherwise, it's a hassle once I have a lot of things."

Just as he was standing in front of the stall feeling at a loss, he turned his head and saw Xiao Wu walking over, looking around—presumably searching for him—while pushing a waist-high grill.

Huo Yuhao quickly waved to catch her attention.

Seeing Huo Yuhao, a smile bloomed on Xiao Wu's face, and she quickened her pace to push the grill over.

"Yuhao, you wouldn't believe it! The uncle at the Blacksmith Shop said I was pretty, gave me a discount, and even threw in a bunch of charcoal."

Before she even reached him, Xiao Wu was already proudly recounting her experience.

She looked at Huo Yuhao with expectant eyes, pouting her little lips, the meaning quite clear: aren't you going to praise me yet?

Huo Yuhao found the pouting Xiao Wu rather amusing.

"It's a good thing you followed me this time, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to carry all this fish by myself. The first grilled fish will be for you."

"Hmph, then I want two!"

With Xiao Wu joining in, the two carried the fish and pushed the grill slowly down the street.

Huo Yuhao looked around, trying to find a good spot to set up, while Xiao Wu found everything novel, looking left and right.

"Right here."

Huo Yuhao found a satisfactory location and stopped with Xiao Wu.

He set up the grill, mixed the seasonings he brought with perilla, stuffed them into the fish bellies, and skewered them with bamboo sticks.

The grill wasn't large, enough for four fish at a time. Familiar with the process, he started the fire and placed the fish on to begin grilling.

Skillfully monitoring the heat, he kept turning the fish, and in no time, a rich aroma wafted out, drawing curious gazes from passersby and other vendors.

Seeing everyone looking over, Xiao Wu shouted out.

"Grilled fish for sale! Delicious grilled fish! Guaranteed to make you swallow your own tongue!"

Before long, a man dressed in somewhat fancy clothing arrived at the stall.

"Little friend, how much for a grilled fish?"

"Ten copper coins each, sir. Would you like to try one?"

"It smells quite fragrant. Let me have two to try first." The man nodded with a smile and handed over two silver coins.

Signaling for Xiao Wu to take the money, Huo Yuhao looked up and smiled at the man. "They'll be ready in a moment."

Soon, four fish were grilled. Huo Yuhao handed them to Xiao Wu and the man respectively, and the eyes of the passersby nearby also fell upon the man.

The golden-brown grilled fish was garnished with red seasoning, the aroma mouth-watering.

The man hesitated for a moment before taking a bite. The crispy fish skin crackled, followed by the tender meat, with the unique fragrance of perilla lingering in his mouth.

The man's eyes widened; he was too busy eating to speak, and with his other hand, he held up two fingers to Huo Yuhao—he wanted two more!

The onlookers swarmed forward. "Little brother, I want two too!" "I want one!" "Give me four!"

"Everyone, don't rush. I only have twenty-six left, so please line up in the order you arrived."

Huo Yuhao replied with a smile and shot a glance at Xiao Wu, who was currently wolfing down her food.

Xiao Wu understood immediately. Although she couldn't stop eating, she was still lightning-fast at collecting the money.

The grilled fish were selling like hotcakes. In the blink of an eye, Huo Yuhao was grilling the last two, sparking a bidding war among the passersby.

"I'll pay four Silver Soul Coins for one!"

Xiao Wu's eyes widened. A sucker like this actually existed? She immediately looked at Huo Yuhao for guidance.

Huo Yuhao shook his head, refusing to maliciously drive up the price. This left the next customers in line deeply moved, and they insisted on buying the last two fish at double the price.

"Little brother, to be so trustworthy at such a young age—this is what you deserve. Take it, I'll be back tomorrow!"

Huo Yuhao couldn't refuse, so he thanked them and accepted the payment.

"Stall's closed!"

Xiao Wu waved her arms happily, celebrating today's massive sales, and Huo Yuhao also wore a smile.

Since it sold so well on the first day, it seemed he could appropriately increase the number of fish in the future.

"Yuhao, look at what we earned today! A full three Gold Soul Coins!"

Having never seen so much money before, Xiao Wu was beside herself with excitement. She opened her hand to display the day's earnings, then pushed her hand toward Huo Yuhao, signaling for him to take it.

Huo Yuhao smiled slightly, taking all the small change and a portion of the Silver Soul Coins, leaving ten Silver Soul Coins resting quietly in Xiao Wu's palm.

"These are for you. You worked hard today."

"Huh? So many? I only shouted a couple of times; I didn't really help."

After Wang Sheng's tutelage, Xiao Wu had a concept of money. She knew that what she held was already two or three months' worth of income for an ordinary family.

Huo Yuhao pushed her hand back and looked up at Xiao Wu with clear eyes.

"I couldn't have sold so many fish today without you. Besides, the Blacksmith Shop gave me a discount because of you, so this is all well-deserved."

"If I sell grilled fish next time, I'll need your help again. Of course, you'll have all the grilled fish you can eat, haha."

After saying this, Huo Yuhao lowered his head and continued packing up the grill.

Xiao Wu stared at Huo Yuhao, slightly dazed.

She tightened her grip on the silver coins.

"Mm."

It was still afternoon, so after leaving the grill at the Blacksmith Shop, Huo Yuhao led Xiao Wu around.

Watching Xiao Wu walk ahead, pulling his hand and looking around with curiosity, a faint smile appeared on Huo Yuhao's face.

Whether in his past life or the present, Xiao Wu's attitude toward him had always been very friendly. Her simple, playful personality had brought many smiles to Huo Yuhao back in the God Realm as well.

"Huh."

"Boss, how much for this stone?"

Huo Yuhao picked up a blue stone the size of a pinky finger; there was another one of the same size next to it.

"I just thought those two stones looked nice, so I put them out to see if anyone liked them. If you want them, take them for one Silver Soul Coin!"

Huo Yuhao nodded, paid two Silver Soul Coins, and tucked the two small stones into his pocket.

"Yuhao, why are you buying these useless stones? Even if they do look nice..."

Huo Yuhao blinked without explaining. "Let's go buy some more materials. I'm going to make you a gift."