☆, Part Three: Becoming a Small Business Owner (2348 words)

In his past life, Li Yaxi suffered immense abuse and experienced numerous ups and downs, which led to his somewhat gloomy and xenophobic personality, and his inconsistent nature in public and private. However, he was extremely handsome in his past life, and his introverted personality was seen as cool, while his inconsistent nature was interpreted as composure and tact.

Nourished by the spiritual spring throughout her life, and subsisting on food from the space, her skin was delicately fair and translucent. Her large eyes had pupils as dark as ink that could not be blurred, and often, even an unintentional blink could exude a myriad of charms. Her otherworldly beauty was captivating and enchanting.

The teacher often worried about him. With such looks, he would be an outstanding individual if he came from a prominent family, but unfortunately, this child was orphaned and had no connections. The teacher hoped he wouldn't be ruined by this. The teacher's concerns were reflected in his education, even sending him to calligraphy classes for free. Practicing calligraphy cultivates character. Li Yaxi had been studying for nearly three years, and her temperament had mellowed, becoming like warm, lustrous jade, not dazzling or eye-catching, yet captivating once one came into contact with her.

Li Yaxi was carrying her calligraphy brush and inkstone home when she bumped into someone without noticing. Song Qing quickly caught her as she fell backward, his eyes smiling. "What were you thinking about so intently? Luckily, this isn't an impenetrable wall, or you would have definitely hit your head and gotten a big hole in it." Song Qing was the aunt's son, and over the years, Li Yaxi had gradually become acquainted with him, but they were just nodding acquaintances who passed each other by.

Li Yaxi smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, Brother Song, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Did you hurt yourself?"

Song Qing was slightly stunned when he saw Li Yaxi's smile, but quickly came to his senses. "With your small frame, you think you can hurt me? You need to practice more. What are you thinking? It's dangerous to be distracted on the street. Is it because you're not behaving well at school and your parents need to be called in?"

"No, Aunt Song has been busy lately. I'd like to ask her about something."

"Oh, no rush. You can just come up from home. If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know. I'm not calling you 'brother' for nothing."

"Yeah, don't worry, I definitely won't pass up a good deal."

Li Yaxi chatted with Song Qing for a few minutes, then said goodbye and went straight to find Aunt Song. Song Qing watched Li Yaxi's retreating figure and sighed inwardly. This child was used to being independent, even preferring to suffer a loss rather than take advantage of others. He understood that the child's greatest fear was owing favors. Li Yaxi casually took some fruit from her spatial storage and knocked on the door. Aunt Song's eyes lit up with a smile when she saw Li Yaxi. "Little Tong, what brings you here today? Your uncle went fishing, so you'll have lunch here later."

Li Yaxi actually dislikes interacting with people and would rather be alone than with someone else, especially when eating at someone else's house, which makes her feel awkward. "I came here to ask Auntie to help me find out some things, but I have to rush to my calligraphy class with my teacher later, so I can't stay for dinner."

Aunt Song was a little disappointed, but still glad that Li Yaxi had thought of coming to her for help; at least she didn't treat her like an outsider. "Alright, you can't miss your classes. What do you want to ask about? Auntie will definitely help you if I can."

"I'll be graduating from elementary school soon, and after junior high comes high school. The curriculum will definitely be very heavy, so I won't have time to sell vegetables anymore. Although I have some savings, the tuition fees and extracurricular activities at school, and I might even need to hire tutors, will definitely not be enough to cover all these expenses. So I'd like to ask you to help me find out if there are any shops for rent nearby. I want to rent one and hire someone to help me sell vegetables, so I can at least cover some of the future expenses."

Aunt Song knew all too well how expensive and costly it was for children to go to school, but hearing Li Yaxi's words, she felt nothing but heartache and sorrow. Which child this age didn't drop their schoolbag and run out to play after school? And after graduation, during the summer vacation when there was no homework, they would play like crazy. But this incredibly beautiful little girl in front of her was starting to worry about the future and even making plans for her own future. How could she not feel heartbroken?

"Is that all? No problem, leave it to me! I'll keep an eye out for potential clients. Have you decided who to hire yet?"

Li Yaxi shook her head. "No, I was just thinking that summer vacation is coming soon, so I have two months to run the shop myself. I can take my time figuring out how to hire someone."

Aunt Song patted Li Yaxi's head. "Little Tong, don't worry. I'll keep an eye on the shop rental and hiring for you. Just wait for my news."

Li Yaxi gave Aunt Song a grateful smile, said a few words of advice to take care of herself, and then left.

Aunt Song was very efficient; she quickly arranged the shop rental for Li Yaxi. Song Qing knew Li Yaxi wanted to open a fruit and vegetable shop, so he also helped her get the business license. However, since Li Yaxi was underage, the business license remained with the Song family. He appreciated the help the Song family had given him over the years and knew they weren't the type to take advantage of others, so he trusted them completely.

Aunt Song had even arranged for her to hire someone—a relative from her hometown. The relative had been struggling to make ends meet in the city with her child, working as a nanny. Later, that family emigrated, and she lost her job. Aunt Song happened to contact her; although the salary hadn't been discussed, at least she'd have some income.

Dai Li looked hesitantly at the little boy in front of her, who seemed to have stepped out of a painting. Seeing him, Dai Li unconsciously felt inferior and even felt that she was dirty in front of him. There was no reason, but that's just how Dai Li felt.

Li Yaxi gave Dai Li a deep look. She was indeed an honest person, at least she hadn't been corrupted by society yet. "Aunt Song has already told you, right? She mainly sells vegetables and fruits. Do you know how to use a scale? Do you know how to keep accounts? Do you know how to distinguish between real and counterfeit money?"

Not only was she beautiful, but she also had a lovely voice. Dai Li felt even more inferior and quickly nodded, "Yes, I know how to use a coin, and I know how to keep accounts. It's just that I don't know many words, but I can tell real money from counterfeit money."

Li Yaxi nodded. "Okay, bookkeeping is very simple. It's just the names of these fruits and vegetables. I'll teach you if you can't write them. Although there's a money detector, you still need to be able to identify them yourself. The salary is two thousand a month, and I'll give you a raise if you do well. There's a seven-yuan daily food allowance, but accommodation isn't provided. Is that alright?"

Dai Li was a little taken aback. She only earned 1200 yuan a month as a nanny, with room and board included but no accommodation. She hadn't expected this young man to offer her such a high salary. After a moment of stunned silence, she quickly nodded with delight, afraid that if she hesitated, he might change his mind. "No problem, no problem! I can do it well!"

The shop that Aunt Song found for Li Yaxi wasn't far from his home, only a ten-minute walk. There was a small warehouse at the back of the shop, accessible from both inside and outside. Li Yaxi would move the items from his storage space to the warehouse before opening the shop in the morning, and Dai Li would naturally take them out and arrange them when she arrived. Li Yaxi's fruits and vegetables had a good reputation in the area, but since starting school, he only sold them on weekends. Now that Aunt Song was helping him promote it, the neighbors were naturally very supportive when they learned he had opened a shop.

On the first day, Dai Li was overwhelmed with sales. Luckily, Li Yaxi was there, otherwise things would have been chaotic. However, good business attracts envy, and envy naturally leads to trouble. But Li Yaxi's shop remained peaceful. He knew in his heart that Song Qing must have helped him, but since Song Qing hadn't mentioned it to him, he pretended not to know.