Chapter 8 The Little Joys of Counting Money

Jiang Chao placed his palm on the little boy's forehead, pushed him away, and said impatiently, "I don't like sweet things. Wash your face after you finish eating, and if you get your clothes dirty, I'll give you slippers."

After saying that, he sighed, and after Jiang An finished eating the candied hawthorn, he resignedly wrung out a warm, damp towel and roughly wiped the sugar residue off his face. When he heard someone calling him from the main room, he angrily pinched Jiang An's little cheek, then got up and left.

Steamed corn bread and pork stew with vermicelli—the combination of the two is truly exceptional.

"Aunt Wu, your cooking is so delicious! Even the simplest dishes become as beautiful and fragrant as flowers in your hands..."

Jiang An didn't sit at the table, and Jiang Chao always had a cold face. In the past, the Wu family's dining table was always as quiet as it could be.

Now, a little girl has arrived, and she's incredibly sweet-talking. Listening to her speak, Wu Lifang's smile never stops.

*Thud*, a large piece of pork belly landed precisely in someone's enamel bowl.

Yun Xia turned her head slightly, her eyes filled with deep confusion. Jiang Chao...

"After talking so much, your lips must be dry. Eat a piece of fatty meat and moisturize them with lard."

Yunxia successfully grasped his subtext: "Don't talk while eating, don't talk while sleeping."

But she didn't intend to comply, made a face at him, and continued to chatter on and on, showering him with compliments.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the gloomy boy's face grow even uglier. A wicked smile flashed in the girl's eyes. "You stinky Jiang Chao, I'll teach you to drag someone by the collar in the street!"

The touching scene of mother and daughter was too dazzling, so Jiang Chao turned away and angrily struggled with the steamed bun.

In the afternoon, the rubber band team took action again.

Despite his physical limitations, the gloomy young man Jiang Chao was incredibly skilled at using a sewing machine, producing neat and tight lines that rivaled those of professional textile workers.

For a moment, the sound of clattering echoed throughout the main room.

Yunxia skillfully used a ruler to cut the strips of cloth neatly, and occasionally leaned closer to describe the novel hair tie styles. Jiang Chao understood immediately and was able to successfully copy them after a few tries.

Jiang An wasn't idle either; he handed out strips of cloth and tied hair ties, working very hard at odd jobs. The three of them worked for half a day and managed to sew dozens of hair ties before dark.

Looking at the brightly colored and stylish hair ties, Yunxia felt as if she could see a small mountain of gold beckoning to her, and she wished she could dive right in.

"Jiang Chao, let's count how much money we made this morning?"

"Yes, we settle accounts daily and keep records of payments so that we can distribute the money later."

Without further ado, they emptied the money from the cloth bag, smoothing out each bill. The highest denomination was a red one-yuan banknote, and the lowest was a one-cent coin with a wheat ear.

Jiang An leaned against her brother, her large, grape-like eyes staring curiously at the banknotes in Jiang Chao's hand.

Yunxia buried herself in her work, counting the various coins, as if she wanted to polish them.

"Five dollars and eighty-three cents!"

Jiang Chao narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the numbers on the notebook, and said with a smile.

"Wow, including the money for the candied hawthorn, I've made 6 yuan today."

"No, it's two cents, it's from my personal account."

Upon hearing this, Yun Xia was stunned for a moment, her expression one of disbelief, which earned her a glare from the gloomy young man.

"Brother, you're amazing! An'an loves you the most."

Hearing the baby hug him, Jiang Chao's hard shell softened considerably. He was about to raise his hand to pat the baby's head in response when he noticed the shiny, sticky, linear water stains on the baby's cotton-padded jacket.

"Jiang An, where are you wiping your snot? Are you itching for a beating?"

Jiang Anmen knows perfectly well whether Jiang is genuinely angry or feigning it!

Upon hearing this, he sniffed hard, climbed off the chair, and dashed into the side room.

"Brother Jiang Chao, An An is expressing his love. He's still just a child, so please don't be angry with him!"

Upon hearing the words "Brother Jiang Chao," the boy knew that someone was up to no good. "Calling me Jiang Chao or Brother, when put together, gives me goosebumps."

Ha, I've found someone's weakness! Yun Xia smiled slyly, "Brother Jiang Chao~ Brother Jiang Chao... Brother Jiang Chao!"

Jiang Chao, his face cold, took off his cotton-padded coat and pointed the water stains at the girl. "If you yell again, I'll cover your head with this coat. Your snot will stick to your hair. In the dead of winter, you'll freeze to death while washing your hair."

Yunxia quickly shut up, her chubby little hand even making a zipping motion, showing her strong desire to survive.

"Roll the coins up with newspaper, tie the banknotes with yellow rubber bands, put them in a cloth bag, and take them to Binyang Park tomorrow."

As she spoke, she gripped the collar of her cotton-padded jacket and strode towards the kitchen. It was obvious what she was going to do.

The joy of managing money is unparalleled. Yunxia raised her eyebrows slightly, cut up old newspapers, and happily rolled up the coins.

...

The following day, the hair tie and hair band stalls were set up again in Binyang Park.

Just like yesterday, Jiang Chao guarded the stall while Yun Xia acted as a promoter. The two worked together seamlessly, and in no time, their small business took off.

After running all morning, Yunxia's feet were sore and she wanted to find a place to rest. But when she thought of the scene yesterday when she was 'hit' by a perverted man, she couldn't help but shudder and the thought vanished instantly.

Dragging his tired body, he slowly strolled back to the stall, snatched a small stool from someone, plopped down, and smiled sweetly with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth... acting as a mascot.

Who wouldn't love a cute little girl?

Before long, a stylish young woman with a respectable job and no family to support attracted her. She had more spare money than others and was generous, buying the most expensive headband.

After successfully closing a big deal, Yun Xia smiled even more sweetly, completely absorbed in her adorable charm, unaware of the ashen face of the young man beside her.

"Auntie, come and take a look. It's okay if you don't buy anything?"

After seeing off the fashionable young lady, Yun Xia smiled and said to the potential guests who had been hesitating for a long time not far away.

"Young lady, which one is the cheapest?" The woman with her hair up asked cautiously as she stepped forward, before even choosing a style.

"Auntie, this row is the basic style, two for one cent, they're very sturdy, and the styles are also novel and diverse."

The woman casually picked out a navy blue hair tie, pulled and tugged it hard, and after the elastic tightened, the hair tie returned to its original shape. She pried open the gap and stared intently at the cotton thread...

Wow, it's such a shame not to do quality control.

"One stick... for sale or not?"

In business, you have to be flexible. Yunxia blinked. "Sell, of course I sell. Auntie, they're right here in this row. Just pick one you like."

"No need to pick, just take the one I have."

As he spoke, he opened the cloth bag and rummaged through it. Finally, he looked up slightly and said apologetically, "Miss, can we negotiate the price? Three cents, is that alright?"

"No way!"

Before Yunxia could reply, a sinister voice came from beside her.

"Yunxia, ​​we can't start this, or we won't be able to do business."

Yun Xia understood Jiang Chao's concerns and gave him a wink, indicating that she could rest assured and leave the matter to her.

"Auntie, this is a small business, so we don't haggle. However, you are our 50th customer today and have successfully unlocked a hidden discount... Barter! You only need to provide an item of equal value to take your favorite hair tie home!"

The woman with her hair up was taken aback for a moment, then smiled gratefully, opened the cloth bag again, rummaged through it, and finally pulled out a triangular bundle of newspapers.