Xia Qingqing first pushed the car into the yard before replying, "This is my younger brother, Xia Jiale. This is my friend, Lele. You can call him Brother Hui."

This was the first time Gou Dan had met Xiao Hui. Seeing this man with a scar on his left cheek, he nervously grabbed his sister's clothes and refused to let go: "Hui... Brother Hui, hello."

"Hey Lele, do you want some candy? I'll get you some," Xiao Hui said, then went into the room and grabbed a bag of White Rabbit milk candy, handing it to Gou Dan.

Gou Dan didn't answer, but instead looked at Xia Qingqing for her opinion.

"Take it, and remember to thank Brother Hui," Xia Qingqing said with a smile, patting Gou Dan's head.

After receiving his sister's permission, Gou Dan smiled and accepted the White Rabbit milk candy, then obediently thanked Xiao Hui.

In just a short while, Gou Dan's fear of Xiao Hui lessened considerably. This older brother was incredibly generous, giving him a bag of White Rabbit milk candy—the most generous person he had ever met.

Xia Qingqing unloaded all the chili sauce from the back of the bicycle: "Here are 100 bottles. Try them out first and see if they sell well. If they do, I'll send more over."

"It will definitely sell well," Xiao Hui said with a strange confidence. This chili sauce tastes excellent and will definitely be a hit.

When Gou Dan saw Xiao Hui hand his older sister a stack of ten-yuan notes, his eyes widened instantly.

Dog Egg, who could only earn a few cents after a hard day of catching small fish, never expected that ordinary chili sauce could be so profitable.

If he goes back and asks for a raise, his mother will probably allow it, right?

"What are you thinking about?" Xia Qingqing patted Gou Dan's shoulder, pulling him back from his reverie.

Gou Dan told his sister his thoughts: "Sis, do you think Mom will agree?"

"Why don't you give it a try? Maybe they'll agree," Xia Qingqing said, suppressing a laugh.

Agreeing is out of the question. If Gou Dan dares to bring up raising wages, he'll most likely get a beating. Of course, it's not impossible if Zhang Hongyan is in a good mood. Kids should be willing to try.

The naive Gou Dan didn't notice his sister's wicked humor and nodded seriously, saying, "Then I'll go back and discuss it with Mom."

Xiao Hui wanted Xia Qingqing to stay for a while, and then he would invite them to eat at the state-run restaurant when it was time for lunch.

Xia Qingqing smiled and declined his offer: "We just finished breakfast and came here. Let's have it again next time. I need to take Lele to buy some things first."

"You always say 'next time,' but you never actually go eat there. Do you look down on me?" Xiao Hui pretended to be angry.

"Oh, to be honest, I just don't want to ride my bike home in the blazing sun. The midday sun is too intense," Xia Qingqing said helplessly, revealing her true feelings.

Xiao Hui glanced at her speechlessly: "What's wrong with sunbathing for a while? You're already so fair-skinned, it doesn't matter if you get a little tanned."

Xia Qingqing retorted, "Mind your own business when it comes to girls' affairs."

"Okay, let's have dinner together again next time." Xiao Hui still found it strange that he was being disliked for treating someone to dinner.

Xia Qingqing rode her bike with Gou Dan to buy four mung bean popsicles, which cost a total of 20 cents.

Looking at the popsicle in his hand, which was clearly different from the one his sister brought back last time, Gou Dan asked in confusion, "Sis, why is it different from the one you bought last time? It tasted better last time."

"Oh, I bought that popsicle on the street last time. It cost 10 cents a piece. You know you get what you pay for," Xia Qingqing casually made up an excuse to get by.

Dog Egg said, "Oh, I see. Then this one is more cost-effective, only 5 cents a stick."

"Is there anything else you want to buy? If not, we'll head back now," Xia Qingqing asked, munching on an ice pop.

She actually thought the popsicle tasted pretty good; at least it was all-natural and didn't have many additives, so she could understand that the flavor wasn't as strong.

After thinking for a moment, Gou Dan asked Xia Qingqing to take him to the state-run restaurant to buy four meat buns, which cost a total of 40 cents. Of course, Xia Qingqing paid for them with the food coupons.

Looking at the mere 2 cents left in his pocket, Gou Dan felt a pang of heartache: "Money really doesn't last long at all."

However, this was the first time he had used his own money to buy food for his parents and sister, and he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

......

As soon as he got home, Gou Dan hurriedly grabbed two half-melted popsicles and went out to deliver them to his parents.

Those working alongside them, witnessing this scene, remarked enviously:

"Hey, Hongyan, your dog is so filial. He even gave you an ice pop he bought."

"Yes, my son puts all the good food into his own mouth and doesn't remember his mother at all."

"It's infuriating how different kids are!"

"I think Gou Dan will definitely be a filial child in the future. Hong Yan, you two are truly blessed."

Zhang Hongyan savored the popsicle that was almost half melted, unable to hide the smile on her lips: "It's not as good as you all say. Gou Dan can be quite naughty at times."

On the other side, Xia Heping experienced the same situation as Zhang Hongyan.

They usually hear a lot of praise from others because of their daughter, but this time they were proud because of Gou Dan. After getting home from work, they showered Gou Dan with praise, making Gou Dan a little embarrassed.

"Mom, I have something I want to tell you," Gou Dan said, seeing that Zhang Hongyan was in a good mood and immediately wanted to seize the opportunity.

Zhang Hongyan looked at Gou Dan with a loving expression: "Speak up, my good son, what do you want to tell your mother?"

"I want a raise, is that possible?" he said, waiting expectantly for Zhang Hongyan's reaction.

Zhang Hongyan paused, her smile freezing on her lips, but she couldn't immediately turn on her son after just praising him.

After thinking for a while, he said, "Okay, I'll raise the price by 2 cents per pound."

Dog Egg immediately cheered happily: "That's great, Mom, you are the best mom in the world."

“What a little money pit,” Zhang Hongyan shook her head and chuckled.

Xia Qingqing handed the money she earned today to Zhang Hongyan: "Mom, this is the money I received for chili sauce today. Count it and see if it's correct."

Zhang Hongyan handed Xia Qingqing five ten-yuan bills, saying, "This is for buying glass bottles and oil, salt, and seasonings."

"Mom, you keep it for now, I still have money here," Xia Qingqing said, but she didn't accept the money. She thought that the reason she brought the family into the business was to improve their living conditions.

“Just take it. It’s yours to keep. You paid for this money yourself,” Zhang Hongyan said, forcibly stuffing five ten-yuan bills into her daughter’s hand.

After putting away the remaining 60 yuan, Zhang Hongyan kept another matter on her mind: all the chili peppers at home were used up, and if she wanted to continue making chili peppers, she would have to buy them from someone else. She needed to think about which family to buy from.