Chapter 38.1

The cake shop was full with business, and Lin Shiheng was getting more and more commissions. His watermelon juice had been sold out on the first day, and he was preparing to return with a bulging purse.

Lin Shiheng stayed in the city for two days in total, making money that many villagers couldn’t earn by working hard for a year. Before going back, he calculated that he was still a little short from his target, and then pulled the cake shop owner to ‘chat’.

“Right now, even if I don’t help you with more publicity, the whole city knows that there is a cake shop that many people like down here, and both children and passionate young people would be proud of buying from your cake shop. But, people who see you make so much money would follow suit, and within three months, other cake shops will open in this town.”

The cake shop owner, who didn’t dare to sleep all night for fearing that this was all a dream, immediately panicked.

He certainly had no problems with his own craft. When making cakes, he always paid attention to quality and never resorts to deception. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare to open a shop in his hometown. He only had his craft and little business sense. Even if he had not been able to earn money before, he accepted it. Now that he had earned money by Lin Shiheng’s help, how could he be willing to return to the days when he didn’t earn anything like before?

“Brother, your brain is flexible. Please help me. What can I do to make money like today?”

Lin Shiheng nodded, “I am just an ordinary countryman, how can I think of a way to do this? Uh, older brother, what’s your surname?”

When the shopkeeper finished, he remembered that the two were not familiar at all. He introduced himself and said, “ah, what was I thinking… we haven’t met formally yet. My name is Chen Yangming. I am a native here, and I usually live in the store. I haven’t asked this brother his name…”

“My surname is Lin, Lin Shiheng, from the county, not too far. I recently wanted to go to Shanghai, to sell watermelon and earn money.”

“You dare to wander in Shanghai at such a young age? Younger brother has courage.”

Chen Yangming praised him, and he didn’t mind seeing Lin Shiheng a little bit happier.

In his heart, since Lin Shiheng could make a dying shop prosperous, he must be a man of great skill. Although Chen Yangming himself wasn’t so good at judging, but he knew what kind of people he should follow.

When he went to Shanghai, he was already 31 years old. People of that age weren’t as good in finding jobs as those young people. In the end, it was his skills in seeing who to fawn over that helped him fawn over the manager of the cake shop, even before he was arranged to work in the cake shop.

There were many apprentices following Master Fu, learning to bake. They were much younger and wiser than him. However, only Chen Yangming sincerely regarded Master Fu as Master. He buys him gifts at festivals, and he also buys gifts for him wherever he goes. He also needs to bring some special local products to Master Fu when he went home. Therefore, the Master was good to him and taught him all his skills. This time, when he said that he would go back to his hometown to open a shop, the Master also specially lent him some money.

Chen Yangming didn’t feel that he was fawning over someone to get an advantage. He just felt that the person who treats others with sincerity would treat themselves with sincerity too. Now that he wanted to get good ideas from Lin Shiheng, he would naturally want to be sincere.

“Let’s see… brother, didn’t you say you were going to Shanghai? There are so many people and excessive prices in Shanghai. It costs a lot every month. This older brother will help you out with some travelling expenses. Thank you for helping me today.”

Lin Shiheng motioned with his hand, and his face was slightly embarrassed. “Eh… how can I be so shameless? I’m just trying to help you come up with an idea. I’ve already got the commission before. How can I ask for your money?”

The more he did so, the more Chen Yangming felt Lin Shiheng was magnanimous and unwilling to accept the money, without even looking at it.

He took the money from the cupboard and shoved it into his hand. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have earned the money. This is also a thank you. You can take it.”

“I couldn’t, I couldn’t… er, older brother. Look at you… what are you doing?”

When the two pushed and pushed, Chen Yangming finally put the money into Lin Shiheng’s arms with his ‘great strength’.

Chen Yangming looked at him expectantly. Obviously, the young man was not a thick-skinned, when he took his money, his face immediately blushed in embarrassment. He was hesitating a few times, but took it.

“Older brother, to tell you the truth, I do lack some traveling expenses. I am really short of money, but I feel guilty just holding your money like this. How about, if I give you an idea. Think of it as if you paid for an idea. If it doesn’t work, I’ll give you the money back. What do you think?”

Chen Yangming agreed almost immediately.

This little brother is true and sincere. If this idea works, and he makes money like today every day, then he was the one who would earn more money. If this idea doesn’t work, the money would be returned back and he could still make it himself.

Seeing him agree, Lin Shiheng didn’t hide anything anymore.

In fact, it was quite simple. That is, he taught Chen Yangming to restrict the sale of the most expensive cake in the store.

Only five are sold in a day, first come, first served. Even if you add money, you could only wait until the next day.

Write some more advertising words, and buy an advertising space in the newspaper.

Something like ‘XX Cake, the taste of love.’

“Older brother, don’t worry. The more you restrict the cake, the more people will buy it. But, you must remember that you can’t sell it even if you are offered more money. Of course, if someone offered tens of thousands, it could be sold.”

“This is my contact information, if it doesn’t work, you should come find me. I will give you the money back.”

Chen Yangming listened in bewilderment, but he still took it down carefully. Hearing this, he hurriedly motioned with his hand, “We are all sincere people. How can I receive your idea and still ask you for a refund? You can use the money at ease. We are good friends. You can come to me if you’re short of money again.”

Lin Shiheng got on the motorized three-wheeled cart and drove back, with money in his pocket. Chen Yangming, who had just handed him the money stood there, waving goodbye with admiration and gratitude.

The first bucket of gold was completed, but this bucket of gold had other uses than travelling expenses.

***

This tricycle was relatively shabby. The noise from driving weren’t unusual for town residents, but when it arrived in the county, a group of people were looking at it.

Lin Shiheng drove all the way to the street where people were selling vegetables. Ke Jialing, who was sitting beside her parents, reading a book at the booth, looked up at the noise and paused the next second.

The man sitting in the driver’s seat of the tricycle stopped and winked at her. Ke Jialing’s face turned red and she bowed her head, somewhat embarrassed.

“Liu Zi.”

Liu Zi, who had seen the cart’s shadow long before she did, immediately greeted him with “Eh, Shi-ge, you’re back!”

“Go, return the cart for me.”

Lin Shiheng got off of the tricycle, gave Liu Zi a pat on the shoulder. “Did you take care of your sister-in-law?”

“Yes, yes, took care.” Liu Zi immediately showed a serious hardworking expression, “Shi-ge, are you worrying about my work? Of course, I took care of her.”

“Good, I’ll note down your hard work.”

“By the way, remember, it isn’t an easy relationship for your sister-in-law and me. Don’t let my future old father-in-law and mother-in-law became suspicious. If something is stirred up because of you, I’ll make you an eternal bachelor.”

After Lin Shiheng said so, and looked up and down at Liu Zi, who was dressed even more shabbily and untidier than he was. “Er, didn’t I give you some money? Why are you still dressed so badly? You’ll lose face for me if you go out like this.”

“No, Shi-ge, my father, the old man at home, isn’t very well, he has to take medicine. Rather than buying clothes, it’s better to give it to my father, to buy medicine.”

Liu Zi wasn’t tall and strong, and he wasn’t very good at fighting. Before, he was also a bullied dolt. He entered the eyes of the gangster group because the gangsters in the next county had wanted the watermelon land of Liu Zi’s family, injuring his father. They also made a mess of the watermelon farm. This boy fought half to death. Just then, this gangster group passed by, they saw that the gangster group from the next county actually came to their place and took offence.

In the end Liu Zi, whose family was heavily in debt because of the tragic loss of the watermelon field, joined them in order to earn a living. Because of the same filial piety, the boss also valued him most, so he also had a bit of pride walking on the streets.

“Ok, you hurry return the cart, I’ll go home. I also brought something for the aunt. Take care.”

Liu Zi scratched his head dully. He knew Lin Shiheng hated the Lins.

Why would he buy something for her?

This doubt was immediately answered when Lin Shiheng walked to the fish stall of the Ke family.

He said, we bought things to see the aunt, it turns out the aunt was this stall’s seller.

Old Man Ke, who was just quietly looking at the two of them, saw Lin Shiheng who was walking toward him. He panicked, fearing that the ruffian would do something about their small stall.

“Weigh up two fishes for me.”

Lin Shiheng looked natural and pointed to the fattest fish at the stall.

Old Ke didn’t dare utter a word. He picked up the fish and put it in a plastic bag. He felt pain at the bottom of his heart.

This is the biggest and fattest fish in the booth. It was still alive. Such a good fish is being seized by Lin Shiheng.

Although very reluctant, but the thought of how fearsome Lin Shiheng’s brothers were, Old Man Ke still packed the fish and handed it over.

His fish.

The biggest and fattest fish.

Watching Lin Shiheng pick up the fish in front of him, Old Man Ke heard to him asking, just before the old man’s heartache could reach a higher level. “How much is it?”

“How much… is it …?”

He replied like a parrot, while the young man who once had a rumor that he punched and killed an adult about him, also showed no impatience and nodded, as if he had a good temper and repeated, “tell me how much is it according to weight.”

“Oh oh okay, I will weigh it.”

As if in a dream, Old Ke took the bag of fish and put it on the scale. He didn’t dare to add together the figures on the scale. Ke Jialing on one side saw that her father was nervous. She was afraid of her father, but she was so afraid of her boyfriend. She put down the book and went over to look at the figures and reported the figures honestly.

Old Man Ke was angry at the moment, this girl is too sincere, she didn’t know how to subtract a bit.

What if Lin Shiheng thought it was too expensive, and take the whole fish without paying.

Fortunately, Lin Shiheng seemed to have no such plan.

The handsome young man with a slight ruffian appearance neatly pulled out a handful of money from his pocket and handed it out to Ke Jialing with pride in his eyes.

Ke Jialing looked at the several red notes of money and knew that he did it on purpose. She turned her back on her father and looked at her boyfriend angrily. She counted out the extra fish money and gave him the rest. “It’s too much.”

“Too much? Really? I didn’t pay attention.”

Lin Shiheng withdrew the money and winked at her.

Ke Jialing was both happy and nervous.

The two youths flirted for a second under the nose of Old Man Ke. Ke Jialing just sat back in her place and watched Lin Shiheng leave with the fishes.

At the side, Old Man Ke didn’t dare breathe too loud. Only when he saw the tall and straight back moving away, did he dare to sit down, clutching his chest, and spoke to his daughter, “this Lin Shiheng looks quite reasonable. Why does he get along with those gangsters? Such a young man, also pretty good-looking, even if not working, people still need to be a stand-up man.”

“Dad, don’t say that. I think they are quite normal, aren’t the gangsters in the next county so much worst?”

“True.” Old Man Ke agreed and nodded. “Liu Zi in our street saw me pushing fish yesterday and came to help. I thought he wanted to help and ask me for fish later on, but he left after helping. He also smiled at me, I was so scared.”

“Your mother also told me that when she came this morning, she slipped and no one helped. Liu Zi saw her hurt, he helped to pick her up and asked if she would like to go to the hospital with him. Do you think, these young people, who usually look fearsome, are actually warm-hearted in doing things?”

“But thinking about it, the child also came to our village to play when he was small. How lovely and honest he was back then, running behind a group of children every day…”

Liu Zi who just passed the back of the booth, turned red when he heard this.

He is not a good boy. He was small and weak. No one wanted to play with him. but he still wanted to play with him, that’s why he followed them every day.

The reason for helping Mother Ke was because she fell at the street under his control. If Shi-ge knew what his future mother-in-law fell at the street under his control, it wouldn’t end well for him.

After imagining Shi-ge crushing his skull with a smile, Liu Zi shuddered.

Otherwise, if he wouldn’t be attending to them so nicely. He not only took care of the sister-in-law, but also to took care of the sister-in-law’s family together, but considering the benefits from Shi-ge, Liu Zi’s mouth hooked up a bit, and he smiled silently.

That’s Shi-ge. He’s very good.

I was beautiful, but he suddenly heard Old Man Ke feeling strange and said, “but this is a little strange, Liu Zi is recently so polite to your mother and I, but to others, he is still the same. This makes me a little uncertain, Jialing, you learned a lot of things, what do you think he’s up to?”

Ke Jialing’s cheeks flushed a long time ago, thinking of the day Lin Shiheng told Liu Zi to take care of her parents that day. She lowered her head with a bit of sweetness, gripped at the pages with her white fingertips, and said, “I don’t know.”

“Ah, you study so hard, but can’t know these ah… When the stall is closed later, I will go to your Uncle Liu and inquire about it. Otherwise, I would always have a feeling that he is paying too much attention to our family.”

***

Liu Zi crouched quietly behind the bushes, looking solemn.

What should we do now? He only took care of them, and that was a mistake.

Why not ask Shi-ge to come forward?

If Shi-ge abandons him for such a small matter, it wouldn’t end well.

Remembering Shi-ge’s earlier remark; that if Old Man Ke became suspicious, he would make him remain single for the rest of his life. Liu Zi’s face turn bitter.

Offending Shi-ge was not good for him. But being good to only them would make them suspicious. This was really pushing him to a dead end.

Liu Zi crouched behind the tree, pondering and pondering. His thick eyebrows scrunched up really hard. He couldn’t come up with a good idea.

“Ah!”

A loud exclamation sounded, Liu Zi raised his head, and a vegetable farmer who was carrying a load of vegetables to sell slipped not too far from him.

Their land was covered with mud. A few days ago, it rained and there was water on the ground. How could people not slip with this much mud? Therefore, every time it rained or a few days after it rains, there were plenty of people falling.

Liu Zi watched the vegetables in the vegetable farmer’s box fall all over the ground, and the old man hurried to pick them up before he could stand firm.

It would have been nice if he hadn’t gone up and taken advantage of him a few times before, but now, thinking about what Old Man Ke said just now, he suddenly had a flash of an idea. He came over to help him pick up the vegetables regardless of the surprised and scared sight of the vegetable farmer.

Wasn’t he suspicious if he took care of them alone?

Then he should be so kind to everyone!

Moreover, he can’t be kind to them alone, then let other brothers learn from him!

When the time comes, and the brothers treat these people well, no one would see if he treats the Ke family specially.

Hehehe, he was really smart guy!

Liu Zi hurried to Lin Shiheng village that night and asked his opinion.

Lin Shiheng was not surprised at all, praised Liu Zi for his flexible mind, and went to the county with him the next day. He called the brothers to start a meeting, and conveyed the idea that everyone should be a kind person and not so domineering as before.