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"Xiao Yan! Are you telling the truth? You want to do business? You're still so young!" Aunt Xu finally came to her senses, staring at Su Yan with wide, disbelieving eyes.

Su Yan said seriously, "Auntie, plenty of kids my age are already working outside."

"..." Aunt Xu froze. Wasn't that exactly the case? Her own daughter... after finishing elementary school, she had gone out to work as a nanny, looking after someone else's child for four hundred yuan a month. She had been a nanny for two years before quitting. After that, she drifted from job to job, and eventually they grew distant. She called Aunt Xu two or three times a year to say she was safe, but never said where she was or wanted to come back and see her. She had never given her a single yuan either. Her daughter was sixteen now, already a young woman. The neighbors said terrible things behind her back, claiming her daughter was selling herself outside. Aunt Xu could not find her daughter and barely had the strength to defend her.

Aunt Xu calmed down and sighed. "Xiao Yan, if you really want to do this, Auntie is willing. But the wages are too high. You haven't earned much yourself, so it isn't worth it. Eight hundred is enough. I don't even make this much sweeping the streets."

Su Yan shook his head. "It's enough that you agree, Auntie. It isn't easy for a child like me to hire someone. I'm afraid others might deceive or bully me. You're one of the rare honest people, Auntie. That alone makes this salary worthwhile. I'll come find you again in a couple of days after I've bought a vegetable stall."

"Okay... I'll wait for you."

After seeing Su Yan off, Aunt Xu still felt as if she were dreaming.

Not until a week later, when Su Yan visited again, did it begin to feel real.

Su Yan had taken leave and spent several days finally securing a stall. It was neither the beginning nor the end of the year, so buying a stall had been difficult. Only after asking around everywhere had he found a vegetable vendor willing to transfer one.

"Auntie, I've bought the spot already. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you there."

"You really bought one?"

"Of course."

"...You really do whatever you say you'll do. You'll have a promising future."

Early the next morning, Su Yan carried two huge burlap sacks of vegetables and headed to the market with Aunt Xu. Having a vegetable stall made things much more convenient, and they no longer had to worry about someone taking their spot. They only needed to pay several thousand yuan a year.

The two of them worked together to sort and arrange the vegetables. Only then did Aunt Xu seem to wake from a dream. "It's real... Set the prices, and Auntie will watch the stall for you. Hurry off to school."

Su Yan quickly took out the prices he had decided on. They were slightly higher than other stalls', but he did not cheat with the scales. His portions were always full weight.

After discussing it for a while, time gradually passed. Su Yan felt at ease leaving the stall to her and went to school.

With Aunt Xu helping him sell vegetables, Su Yan could attend school without worry. Every morning, he only needed to deliver the vegetables to Aunt Xu's home, and then she would ride her tricycle to the market. It was not easy for Aunt Xu to run the stall alone. She ate breakfast at home and prepared lunch at the same time, packing it into a thermos to bring to the market so she would not lose time at noon. They sold two sacks of vegetables every day. At first, it took Aunt Xu almost the whole day to sell them out. But as time passed, they gained more repeat customers, and the vegetables sold faster and faster. After a week, the two sacks would be sold out by ten in the morning.

On the weekend, Su Yan went to the market to help. Aunt Xu said excitedly, "The vegetables you buy really sell well. Customers all say they taste good, and they're willing to come back and support us. We're selling out faster and faster now. Xiao Yan, can you find a way to bring in more stock? At the very least, we should sell until evening every day. There are lots of people buying vegetables in the morning, but there are plenty in the evening too. Missing that opportunity would be a waste."

Su Yan nodded vaguely as he bit into an egg pancake. "Sure. I'll go negotiate it later."

Aunt Xu leaned close to Su Yan's ear and whispered, "Lots of the neighboring vendors have been asking me where we get our stock. They asked whether we hauled the vegetables in from the countryside. I didn't tell them."

"Hehe, just tell them you don't know, Auntie."

It was inevitable that business would gradually improve. Su Yan had never doubted it. Good products were never hard to sell. Selling vegetables would not make him rich overnight, but if he accumulated profits day after day, his annual income would be considerable. Then he could buy jade.

On Sunday morning, Su Yan rode his tricycle to the market with four large sacks of fresh vegetables. Aunt Xu beamed with joy and felt much more at ease. Su Yan's business was doing so well that her monthly wage of eighteen hundred yuan felt easier to accept. Before, she had been afraid that bad business would cause Su Yan to lose money.

On Sunday, Su Yan stayed to sell vegetables with her. Having such a handsome young man as a draw attracted quite a few unfamiliar female customers.

"Auntie, have some water and take a break. There aren't many people at noon. I can handle it." The two of them held on until midday. Su Yan handed Aunt Xu a bottle of mineral water. She gulped down nearly half of it and exhaled. "It's September, but it's still unbearably hot. It'll cool down in October."

October. Su Yan froze for a moment, a strange yet familiar face surfacing in his mind.

"Xiao Yan, hurry and eat while it's quiet." Aunt Xu opened two thermoses and handed one to Su Yan.

Both lunches had been prepared by Aunt Xu that morning. Su Yan had originally wanted to refuse, but after accidentally tasting her cooking, he had practically drooled with greed. This was what delicious food was! This was truly delicious. The dishes he used to make could only be called cooked food—edible enough not to kill anyone.

Su Yan forced out a smile and quickly took out the food, eating in huge mouthfuls. The finest vegetables paired with quite impressive cooking made every bite absolutely exquisite. Su Yan ate quickly and emptied his meal in no time. Still wanting more, he said, "Auntie, I want braised pork ribs, garlic mushrooms, and fish-fragrant eggplant for dinner, plus tomato and egg soup. I'll go buy the ribs later."