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The woman's smile grew even brighter. She filled an entire bag with eggplants and bought extra tomatoes and green beans today. Happily, she said, "I've got guests coming over for lunch today, so it's perfect to buy more from you. Where will you be selling tomorrow, handsome?"

Su Yan smiled. "I have school tomorrow, so I can't set up a stall. I'm only free on weekends." Besides, once school had been in session for a full month, after the National Day holiday, the two-day weekend would be canceled and become just two days off per month. High school life was painfully hard.

The woman was surprised. "You're still in school? That's really tough. Your vegetables are so delicious—it'd be a shame not to sell them. Doesn't anyone in your family help you run the stall?"

Su Yan shook his head with a smile. "Actually, these vegetables are grown by relatives in the countryside. I'm just the pioneer, coming out to test the market. I'll go back and discuss it with them. Maybe someone else will come run the stall after a while. Big Sis, you have to support my family's business."

"Oh, that would be wonderful. Definitely, definitely. Your vegetables are easy to recognize—they're all a little bigger than everyone else's, and the color is prettier too."

After chatting for a few more minutes, the woman left. Then more and more returning customers came by, and Su Yan was delighted. Basically, all of yesterday's customers had decided on him, saying they would support his business from now on. Gradually, more unfamiliar customers arrived as well. Before the morning was even over, the two large bags of vegetables had sold out. Satisfied, Su Yan packed up his stall and rode his bicycle home.

At the street corner, he ran into Aunt Xu sweeping the road again and greeted her. Aunt Xu said eagerly, "The vegetables you gave me yesterday were so good. They were delicious even raw. You gave me so much yesterday—I can eat it for days by myself. Thank you so much."

Aunt Xu was extremely frugal. Those leftover vegetables from yesterday would probably last her a whole week. Honest people had a hard time these days, and there were fewer and fewer of them. Aunt Xu lived in great poverty, but she was especially warmhearted. Whenever something happened to someone's family, she was always willing to help. In the popular terms of several years later, she was a total saint.

What was so bad about saints? Being able to meet a real-life saint was a blessing.

Su Yan had classes on Monday, so selling vegetables was absolutely out of the question.

Why not ask Aunt Xu to help me run the stall in the future? I'll pay her. But how am I supposed to explain where the goods come from? I'm telling you, this space of yours is so inconvenient. I have to hide everything like a thief. Is selling a few vegetables really that easy? Six hundred thousand is hard to earn.

"You can let that woman enter the space to pick vegetables."

"Who are you trying to fool? Wouldn't she get trapped by you the moment she went in? I don't traffic people."

"Heh heh, you saw through me. Then think of something yourself. A vegetable seller like you shouldn't talk to me."

"...Who do you think I'm working this hard for?" Su Yan said disdainfully.

As soon as morning self-study ended, quite a few classmates rushed out to buy breakfast. Su Yan reached into his desk and pulled out a tomato, slowly biting into it. Wan Fang forced herself to come over and speak to him again. "I always see you eating tomatoes. Su Yan, do you really like tomatoes that much?"

Su Yan glanced at her but did not respond.

Suppressing the frustration in her heart, Wan Fang leaned against the edge of Su Yan's desk and said, "Other than tomatoes, what else do you like to eat? I know a breakfast place that's really delicious. Their soup dumplings are so good you could swallow your tongue. It's a little far from school, but it's very close to my house. How about I bring you breakfast from now on?"

For a girl to voluntarily offer to bring a boy breakfast, the meaning was obvious. It was especially rare for a beauty like her to say such things. Most pretty girls were rather proud, or else reserved and shy. Even if they liked a boy, they would not necessarily confess first, as though taking the initiative would cost them their dignity. Of course, there were not many boys as tactless as Su Yan either, remaining completely unmoved by a beautiful girl's confession.

Su Yan felt rather helpless. He had little impression of Wan Fang and did not know her well. But he did not dislike her now. In fact, he found her more pleasing to the eye than quite a few other girls and admired her decisiveness and courage. He really wanted to try the soup dumplings Wan Fang had mentioned, but he could not let her bring them. If she truly did, the relationship between them would change and invite misunderstandings.

"Give me the address. I'll go buy them myself later." As Su Yan spoke, he took out a pen, ready to write it down.

Wan Fang froze. Before she could even feel the disappointment of being rejected, she had already been immersed in the joy of Su Yan finally speaking to her. She hurriedly rattled off the address, then used a string of glowing descriptions to praise just how delicious those soup dumplings were. That free advertisement was truly thorough.

Su Yan could not help laughing. Wan Fang's face turned bright red, and she gave a few foolish laughs as well. "I'm serious. I'm not bragging."

Su Yan smiled and took a tomato from his desk, handing it to Wan Fang. "Thanks for the advertisement. I'll go try it tomorrow."

"Ah, th-this... is this for me?" Wan Fang took the tomato, flattered and overwhelmed.

"Yeah. It's good for your complexion," Su Yan said with a smile.

"Thank you!" Wan Fang was overjoyed. In an instant, she felt closer to Su Yan. Although that closeness seemed to have nothing to do with romance or love, she was happy from the bottom of her heart. The first boy who had ever made her heart flutter—she would be happy even just being friends with him. Besides, as long as Su Yan did not have someone he liked, she still had a chance. Taking the initiative had indeed been the right move. When it was time to act, act. Let others laugh if they wanted; walk your own path and let them talk!

When the class bell rang, Su Yan gave an apple to his deskmate, Chen Yan.