Only after I said that did Huzi remember. He said glumly, "I don't know why the master made such a strange rule. We're in Yanbei City, so of course most people coming to see you will be from here, young master."
"Let's wait and see. An opportunity will come," I said calmly.
"If we don't get any business for half a month, we'll have pretty much used up our money, even if we're careful. You'll have to think of something, young master," Uncle Huzi said worriedly.
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Uncle Huzi gave me a strange look, as if to say, You know jack shit, kid.
No matter how hard things got, life had to go on.
With a little over eight hundred yuan, the two of us could definitely cover food and drink for half a month if we were careful.
I hoped someone else would find their way to our little courtyard during that time.
To my surprise, several groups did come over the next two or three days. But they were all locals from Yanbei City, so after Huzi asked about their circumstances, he politely turned them away.
The man named Zhang Yuncheng also came twice, looking very anxious, but Huzi sent him away too.
There was nothing I could do. I had to follow the rules my master had left behind. I couldn't break them.
Half a month passed like that, and I still hadn't taken a single job.
What I feared most finally happened. We had almost spent all the money my master had left us. On the sixteenth day, Huzi and I had just ten yuan remaining.
When my master was around, I had never worried about food or drink. Now things were different.
I truly understood what it meant for even a hero to be stumped by a single penny.
I had studied under my master for eight whole years and learned all kinds of skills, but I had nowhere to put them to use.
Before leaving, my master must have spread the word that I would be taking over his work. But everyone who came was a Yanbei City local, so there was nothing I could do.
Perhaps this was my master's way of testing me.
When Uncle Huzi told me we only had ten yuan left, I said, "Uncle Huzi, tell me the truth. Did my master leave you some more money? Are the two of you working together to test me?"
Huzi froze for a moment, then said, "He really didn't, young master. You saw him give me the money yourself. That was all there was."
"You haven't saved any money on the side?" I asked, unwilling to give up.
"Heaven is my witness. If I've stashed away even a single cent, then..."
"Stop. Don't say another word." I cut Uncle Huzi off and sighed. It seemed we really had reached the end of our rope.
With just ten yuan left, I said straight to Uncle Huzi, "Come on. Let's eat out."
Huzi looked bewildered. "Young master, how can we eat out with ten yuan? That's only enough for one bowl of noodles with greens. How are we both supposed to eat?"
"Relax. We'll split a bowl of noodles with greens. There's no rice, flour, or oil left at home, so you can't cook anyway. Eating out is our only option," I said.
"Young master, we could buy steamed buns with that ten yuan. If we eat them without any side dishes, we could last another two days," Uncle Huzi suggested.
"Oh, come off it. You eat eight steamed buns in one sitting. They wouldn't last long either."
"That's true." Uncle Huzi nodded and went with me to a little restaurant outside. We ordered just one bowl of noodles with greens.
I looked at the noodles when they arrived, then at Uncle Huzi, whose eyes were practically glowing with hunger. I asked the owner for a small bowl and picked out a few greens and strands of noodles for myself, leaving most of the noodles to Uncle Huzi.
His appetite was astonishing. In one meal, he ate more than twice as much as my master and I combined.
Of that eight hundred-odd yuan for living expenses, Uncle Huzi alone had eaten through well over half.
Looking embarrassed, Uncle Huzi pushed the large bowl back toward me. "Young master, you're still growing. You should eat more. I'm not hungry."
"Enough. Just eat. I don't have much of an appetite. I can't eat that much."
"You should have it, young master..."
As Uncle Huzi and I were each trying to give the other the food, a mocking voice suddenly came from behind us. "Well, well, isn't this our handsome Wu Jie? Just one bowl of noodles with greens for two people? Is that enough?"
I turned around and found a familiar face. It was my classmate, Wang Chaoyang.
Beside him was a pretty girl, also from our class. Her name was Li Na.
Speaking of Li Na, she had once pursued me, but I had turned her down. It wasn't that I found her unattractive-she really was quite pretty. It was just that my master was strict with me. While I was training under him, dating was absolutely forbidden. If he found out, I would have been in serious trouble.
Back when Li Na was pursuing me, Wang Chaoyang had been pursuing her too. After I turned her down, the two of them got together.
That was why Wang Chaoyang held a grudge against me and acted this way whenever he saw me.
When I was born, I had a foxlike face and white hair on my body.
But as I grew older, my features developed, and I became better and better-looking. I had a somewhat feminine face, much like the young heartthrobs on television these days.
Actually, back in high school, Li Na wasn't the only girl who had pursued me. There were other girls too, some of whom weren't even in our class. I had turned them all down.
It wasn't because I was aloof. I was afraid of getting beaten. That old man really didn't hold back.
"Wang Chaoyang, Li Na. Long time no see." Keeping my composure, I smiled and greeted them both.
"We're old classmates. I really can't bear to see you living so miserably. Order a couple more dishes. I'll pay later." Wang Chaoyang gave a cold laugh and called the owner over. Without giving us a say, he ordered seven or eight of the restaurant's most expensive dishes for our table.
Uncle Huzi's face turned green as he looked at the tableful of dishes. Wang Chaoyang surely wasn't going to pay for us. He was deliberately making a fool of me.
I gave Uncle Huzi a look, signaling him to stay calm.
After ordering for us, Wang Chaoyang and Li Na sat at the next table, ordered a few dishes, and began eating. Li Na looked embarrassed and kept stealing glances at me during the meal, but I pretended not to notice.
For Uncle Huzi, the meal tasted like cardboard, mainly because he was worrying about how we would pay the bill. I already had a plan, though, so I ate and drank heartily. Filling my stomach came first.
The two of them soon finished eating. Wang Chaoyang walked over and said with feigned kindness, "Old classmate, why don't I settle your bill? It looks like you're having a hard time."
"No need. You go on ahead. I'll pay for it myself," I replied. Whatever else I lost, I couldn't lose face. I still had that much backbone.
Sure enough, Wang Chaoyang had only been making a token offer. "All right, then. We'll be going..."
As he spoke, Wang Chaoyang seemed to remember something. He turned back to me and said, "Old classmate, I forgot to tell you something. Tomorrow, I'm treating everyone in our class to a meal at the Yanbei Grand Hotel. My college entrance exam results are out, and I've made it into a top university. You have to come."
Before you continue