Chapter 441: I

"Hey, Auntie, come take a look! The trendiest coat in Hong Kong—only our shop in Qingshui County has it. Just forty kuai."

"Forty kuai isn't expensive—you'll look just like Feng Chengcheng in it. Don't believe me? Try it on."

"Big brother, big brother, want an Xu Wenchang trench coat? Complete with hat and scarf, straight from Hong Kong. Check it out. Pengcheng's right next to Hong Kong—you can walk over in a step."

"."

"Don't laugh at me—I'm young, but that has nothing to do with whether the clothes are good or not. Just judge the clothes themselves, not me."

"Alright, alright, I'll knock off eight mao. Can't go lower—we're not making money, just keeping face."

Li Ye had come with Li Ying today, never expecting the little girl would show off her "skills," and certainly not that her "skill" meant setting up a street stall to sell clothes.

Li Ying shoved aside the clearly inexperienced Shuanzi, stood behind the stall, and shouted loudly to customers—soon drawing a wave of laughter.

But Li Ying wasn't fazed at all; she bargained seriously with customers and quickly got the business going.

Li Ye sat on a small stool behind the stall, watching silently, and soon realized Li Ying had already sold over a dozen pieces of clothing.

Li Ye squinted and asked Han Chunlan: "Did Xiao Ying often come out with you to set up stalls before?"

"No, no," Han Chunlan hurriedly said. "She used to say she was buying clothes for classmates, so I gave her cost price. After my sister told me, I found out she was doing business at school—after that, she hardly came anymore."

Li Ye snorted. "You never took her? Then how does she know the market prices for these clothes? And look at her—she doesn't seem like a beginner at all."

"."

Han Chunlan's face twisted. Finally, she awkwardly admitted: "Our county has a market every five days. Xiao Ying would always come over then—even sometimes skipping recess to run over."

"At first she just watched. Later she'd help shout out prices. I really didn't want her learning this, but she threatened me—said if I kicked her out, she'd get you to kick me out."

Oh my god!

Li Ye was truly impressed. Li Ying was small but cunning—she'd even learned to use his name to intimidate others.

The county did have a big market every five days, and the market was just one street away from the middle school where Li Ying studied—two minutes' run. No wonder she had the perfect chance to learn.

Han Chunlan's business had grown precisely because of Li Ye's influence. If Li Ye had just told An Xiaoxu and the others, Han Chunlan's stall would've been shut down.

So Han Chunlan truly had no way to resist Li Ying.

Seeing Li Ye's expressionless face, Han Chunlan felt uneasy and whispered: "I've urged Xiao Ying many times to follow your example, to study hard and not do this unseemly work. But she says she doesn't care about shame."

"I couldn't stop her. Last month my sister scolded her, but all it did was beat her—and it didn't help. You're clever, Master Zhuangyuan. Can you think of a way?"

Li Ye slowly shook his head. "All roads lead to Rome. Selling goods on the street isn't shameful."

"."

Han Chunlan froze. She didn't know where Rome was, but the words "not shameful" surprised her—and warmed her heart.

Since she started selling two years ago, she and her husband had worked from dawn till dusk, rain or shine, and earned a good sum.

At first they didn't even own a bicycle—they pulled a handcart by hand. Now, each of them owned a JianShe 50, pulling two carts—mechanized operations achieved.

Yet even so, many with official jobs looked down on them, and the educated despised them utterly.

But now listen—listen to what Li Ye said! He's the top student in the whole province!

The top student in the province says street vending isn't shameful—then who are you to judge?

Li Ye watched Li Ying sell for a while longer, then called out: "Alright, Xiao Ying, come here. I've got questions for you."

Li Ying dropped the stall and walked over, nervous, waiting for Li Ye's questions.

Knowing her sharp older brother, she guessed he'd ask: "Do you like vending? Do you hate school and want to follow your aunt?"

But Li Ye asked: "How many pieces did you sell just now? How much money total?"

Li Ying blinked, then answered instantly: "Twenty-one pieces. Three hundred and six yuan and fifty fen."

Li Ye: "What was the cost? How much profit? You sold for forty-two minutes—if you sold for two hours, how much could you make?"

This time, Li Ying didn't hesitate. She answered instantly: "Cost was one hundred ninety-seven yuan and thirty fen. I made one hundred nine yuan and twenty fen. If I sold for two hours, I'd make three hundred twelve yuan."

Li Ye: 【You're not a failure student? How'd you calculate that so fast?】

Li Ying didn't know what Li Ye was thinking. She kept showing off: "But that's impossible—business is always busy in bursts."

"Only during New Year do people buy new clothes. Otherwise, you sell half as much. And if clothes don't sell in two months, you have to slash prices."

"Alright, alright, enough."

Li Ye waved his hand. "Your math's pretty good. Then explain this—why did you score so few points on your math exam?"

"."

Li Ying opened and closed her mouth several times, then whispered weakly: "I—I'm bad at math. I always mess up calculations. But I'm good at counting money."

Li Ye nodded. "Alright. I've seen your skill. Let's go home."

Hearing Li Ye wanted to leave, Li Ying grabbed his sleeve. "Brother, we only came once—let me shout a little longer!"

Seeing the pitiful child, Li Ye nodded reluctantly.

Li Ying returned to the stall, shouting again and counting money.

Li Ye watched closely and realized the little girl wasn't just showing off—she genuinely loved the feeling of being a middleman, profiting from the spread.

Just counting money was boring. The thrill came from turning goods into profit.

But near noon, Li Ye noticed someone.

A middle-aged woman, forty or fifty, kept pacing in front of the stall, her eyes constantly scanning Li Ye and Li Ying.

Li Ye called Han Chunlan and Niu Dali over. "Do you know her?" Both said they didn't recognize her.

Li Ye stopped Li Ying from selling and pulled her aside. "Look closely—do you know her? Is she from the Bi family?"

Li Ying stared for a long time, then shook her head. "I don't know her. I was too young when we got kicked out—I don't recognize everyone."

"Let's go. Home."

Li Ye pulled Li Ying away. Han Chunlan and Niu Dali insisted on inviting him to dinner—but couldn't persuade him.

Because Li Ye felt uneasy. The woman's gaze was strange—full of resentment, hesitation, and sorrow.

【Who is she?】

On the way home, Li Ye asked Li Ying: "The favor you asked of me—was it to set up a stall like your aunt and sell clothes?"

"No, it's different."

Li Ying hugged Li Ye tightly from the backseat, shaking her head. "I'm going to buy a big car. Drive it to markets and sell clothes."

"One car equals five handcarts. One person earns five people's money. I won't just go to Qingshui County's market—I'll go to Linxian's too."

So that's what she'd planned when she asked him for a driver's license.

Back home, Li Ying eagerly waited for Li Ye to speak to her parents—hoping he'd let her walk her own path, the right path.

But after talking with Li Kaijian, Li Ye delivered a devastating blow.

"If your grades reach the class average this summer, I'll give you a bicycle and thirty pieces of clothing to sell daily. If you rank in the top ten, fifty pieces daily."

"If you can match your sister and rank in the top five of your grade, I'll give you a Liang 130 and a helper—you can go to markets and sell however you want."

Li Ying counted on her fingers for a long time, then tearfully asked: "So if I rank second-to-last, I can't sell clothes anymore?"

Li Ye nodded seriously. "You got it."

"But... brother, who are you even on the side of?"

"."

Li Ying burst into tears. She'd waited for months, hoping for someone who'd understand her—and now this person was even harsher than her own family?

Well, truthfully, Li Ye wasn't as cruel as Han Chunmei.

When Han Chunmei got home, after hearing her sister Li Juan's exaggerated story, she twisted Li Ying's ear.

"You won't study, and now you're bothering your brother? Aren't you ashamed? You want a car? Where do you think you'll get the money? Do you even know how much a car costs? Waaahhhhh."

Han Chunmei ended up crying herself.

She was furious—how could her daughter make such an outrageous demand?

Look at Li Yue with her car—you want one too? Are you even her real sister?

But Li Ying's next words shattered everyone.

"Waaahhh, I don't want this either—but..."

"Mom, why were we kicked out? Because we were useless. Because we didn't make money."

"If we made money, who'd call us a burden? I just want to earn money—I want my brother to know I'm bad at studying, but I'm useful. I'm useful, waaahhh."

Li Ye, two rooms away, heard Li Ying's sobs and defense. His heart ached.

He thought he was smart, clever—using Li Ying's greed to push her to study harder.

But who knew a middle-schooler, barely graduated, carried such a deep, hidden conviction?

(End of Chapter)