Shi Zhen did not take Guan Pingguo seriously.

He had encountered many people like Guan Pingguo before.

These kinds of people are timid and not very capable. At most, they are a little annoying, but they don't cause much harm.

Putting everything else aside, just look at how he just confronted Guan Pingguo. Guan Pingguo seemed very angry, but a few days later, he was able to come back to borrow money as if nothing had happened. He didn't dare to hold a grudge, and at most he would curse him a few times in private.

In his daily life, Guan Pingguo was often mocked with words like "no son" or "no descendants." If he really wanted to retaliate, he simply couldn't retaliate against them all.

In comparison, Yan Jiangtao, being a minor, is far more harmful. After all, he has never suffered any injustice before, so he will retaliate fiercely for even the slightest thing. He is also very rich and has the ability to retaliate against others.

Without Guan Pingguo clamoring for money, Shi Zhen continued doing business, completely unaffected by what had just happened.

Guan Baiyu, on the other hand, was uneasy.

He did not hold a grudge against Shi Zhen because of Guan Pingguo's words.

He knew that Shi Zhen was genuinely good to him.

His grandmother used to make him do chores. Before she passed away, she was bedridden and he took care of her. But when his adoptive father and others brought him food, his grandmother refused to give him any of the meat.

He knew that his grandmother was so possessive of food because she had suffered too much in the past, but he still felt bad about it.

What about Shi Zhen? These days, whenever there's something good to eat, Shi Zhen always gives it to him and Shi Xinghuo first!

Even if his brother really stopped him from going to school, he would be happy to do unpaid work, not to mention that his brother had always been urging him to study hard.

Guan Baiyu understood all this, but he was afraid that Shi Zhen would be upset because of the misunderstanding after hearing it. Also... so his brother owed money outside? He didn't even know about this!

No wonder his brother is so reluctant to spend a single penny.

When Qian Qi gets his salary, he'll buy food and clothes. Shi Xinghuo, having money, craves fried skewers, but his brother is very restrained and doesn't buy anything other than necessities.

In that case, his brother spent a lot of money buying him books and tape recorders. Will that leave his brother unable to pay off his debts?

While there were few people around, Shi Zhen changed the coal briquettes in the coal stove under the pot.

He's gotten used to the coal stove now, but he has to admit it's very inconvenient. In comparison, a gas cylinder is much more convenient...

But a gas cylinder and a gas stove cost a lot of money.

After changing the coal briquettes, Shi Zhen noticed that Guan Baiyu seemed absent-minded, so he asked, "Xiaoyu, what's wrong?"

Guan Baiyu asked in a low voice, "Brother, how much money do you owe?"

Shi Zhen was taken aback, then laughed: "I don't owe any money."

Speaking of this, Shi Zhen thought of something and said to Guan Baiyu, "Xiaoyu, when you grow up, don't borrow money from others easily, and don't lend money to others easily. It's even more unacceptable to act as a guarantor for others... Of course, it's okay to take out a loan from a bank within your means for a legitimate reason."

Shi Zhen knew that taking out loans was essential to expanding his business, but too much debt could also drag him down.

There are also those who lend money to others... Many people who became wealthy during this period lost everything because they invested everywhere or lent money to others.

He never expected to become rich; he only hoped to protect his wealth and that Guan Baiyu could have whatever he wanted. So from the very beginning, he decided to proceed steadily and cautiously.

Life is long. Sometimes, a person doesn't need to be outstanding. As long as they don't make mistakes, they can already leave a large group of people behind.

These days, most people are still used to eating at home, so there are fewer people around at lunchtime, but after lunchtime, the town gets busier again.

In early May, temperatures generally reach highs of the twenties, which is perfect for going out and having fun.

Shi Zhen and Guan Baiyu divided the work and sold a lot more fried skewers.

However, the most popular items in town were lottery tickets. Quite a few people actually won and left with electric fans, bicycles, and other prizes. Even the television set was taken away by someone.

Everyone looked on with envy at the winners, but Shi Zhen noticed that there were far more people who didn't win.

Among these people, there were even those who spent tens or hundreds of dollars on the lottery... Wouldn't it be better to just buy an electric fan with that money?

Guan Guoping was among them. He came back in the afternoon and bought a few more lottery tickets, but still didn't win. In the end, he left dejectedly.

Shi Zhen got up at four o'clock this morning, and by eight o'clock in the evening, he was a little exhausted. The fried skewers were almost sold out, so he packed up and went home early.

The next day, he got up early as usual and immediately went to sell fried skewers after selling rice balls.

After several busy days, even though Shi Zhen was young and strong, he was a little overwhelmed. Fortunately, after this period, his routine returned to normal.

He can take a nap at noon so he won't be too tired, and Guan Baiyu won't need to help him and can rest.

However, he has made quite a bit of money recently.

Shi Zhen was busy until the 5th, and finally on the afternoon of the 6th, he settled the accounts for the past few days.

He now keeps a portion as capital and saves the rest. After five days of hard work, his savings exceeded 1,500.

He's been earning over a hundred every day for the past few days.

Shi Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. The next morning, after finishing his stall, he went to the bank to open a savings account and deposited the money.

He inquired about high school tuition fees a few days ago.

The tuition fee for high schools in Changxi City is uniform, which is 600 yuan per semester. In addition, there are also fees for textbooks, school uniforms, accommodation, etc., and some living expenses need to be prepared for students.

Guan Baiyu doesn't have many things, but we still need to buy him daily necessities such as hot water bottles, bedding, and mats. New clothes, new shoes, umbrellas, water cups, and the like are also essential. It all adds up to at least 1,500 yuan.

Even 1,500 might not be enough.

They can manage to get by in the countryside, but they can't just send Guan Baiyu to high school when he has nothing.

Now that Guan Baiyu has the money for his studies, the next step is to save money for bringing his family here. This won't cost too much, but accommodation and such must be found in advance.

His stepmother broke her leg during the summer vacation, and Guan Baiyu's high school entrance exam was on June 25th. Shi Zhen planned to wait until Guan Baiyu finished the exam and then immediately set off back to his hometown to bring his entire family with him.

In that case, there's still a month and a half left.

After Shi Zhen came to Anshan Town, he wrote home to let his family know he was safe and sound, and also wrote his address in the letter he sent, but he did not receive a reply and did not know whether his family had received his letter... He can write another letter in the next two days.

Actually, Shi Zhen could make phone calls. Although his family didn't have a phone, their village had one installed.

But... when Shi Zhen left the village at the age of eighteen, he knew the village's phone number by heart, but now Shi Zhen has long forgotten that number.

Guan Baiyu knew that Shi Zhen had saved up 1,500 yuan. Shi Zhen had told him about it and even showed him his savings book.

Shi Zhen did this for two reasons. First, Guan Baiyu used to be too poor and was particularly stingy, which made him seem insecure. Shi Zhen thought that letting Guan Baiyu know how much money his family had would make Guan Baiyu more confident.

Secondly, and most importantly... Guan Baiyu was the only one he considered his own.

His father has a stepmother and other children. His sisters don't get along well with him and all have their own families. He doesn't mind helping them, just as he is happy to help Shi Xinghuo. But he can't treat them as his own people. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, right?

But Guan Baiyu is different.

When he was with Guan Baiyu in his previous life, he treated Guan Baiyu as his wife. Back then, no matter how much he boasted or hid his wealth when he was out in public, he always told Guan Baiyu everything about his financial situation.

He couldn't tell anyone that he hadn't received the project payment. He had to act nonchalant and tell his friends and family that nothing was wrong. But he could hug Guan Baiyu and curse that bastard who hadn't paid him.

He made a lot of money, but he couldn't tell anyone. His father would make him give money to his younger siblings, and his relatives would always find a reason to borrow money from him. But he could show off to Guan Baiyu and happily count his money in front of Guan Baiyu all day long.

Not long before Guan Baiyu passed away, he said he wanted to give Guan Baiyu a long life.

He wanted to buy a house in Xishi, but before he could, Guan Baiyu passed away.

After that, he didn't know who to talk to.

If he could do it all over again, he would want Guan Baiyu to grow up properly and choose the life he wanted to live. Even if Guan Baiyu wanted to get married and have children, he wouldn't stop him.

But he probably won't like anyone else.

He was also used to not hiding anything from Guan Baiyu.

What was the point of him making money? Wasn't it to give Guan Baiyu a better life?

Guan Baiyu didn't know what Shi Zhen was thinking, but Shi Zhen and Shi Xinghuo usually kept very clear about the accounts. He didn't tell Shi Xinghuo many things, but only him... He could feel that in Shi Zhen's heart, he was more important than Shi Xinghuo.

He was quite happy.

That evening, Shi Zhen went to sell fried skewers again, while Guan Baiyu stayed home doing various preparations, such as boiling braised eggs.

These tasks are all very simple; he already knew how to do them all.

Since they got a coal stove, they have been slowly cooking many things on it. At first, when Guan Baiyu used iron tongs to change the coal briquettes, he would always accidentally break the thoroughly heated coal briquettes. But now, he can change the coal briquettes incredibly fast!

After replacing the coal briquettes, Guan Baiyu put a pot of eggs on top and then poured in water.

Pouring water in advance would make the pot very heavy, and he couldn't move it, so this was the only way to do it.

Just then, someone came in from outside, wanting to buy some braised tofu.

Guan Baiyu happened to have some braised tofu that was already prepared, so he weighed some out and gave it to the other party.

The man bought what he wanted but didn't leave. Instead, he asked Guan Baiyu, "Xiaoyu, are you really not going to school anymore?"

"Who said that?" Guan Baiyu asked, puzzled.

"Your great-aunt said that you won't be going to school anymore and will be helping your cousin set up a stall... I heard your cousin makes a lot of money. How much does he give you?" the man asked.

Guan Baiyu was a little unhappy: "Grandma is talking nonsense. I still have to study in the future."

"High school and vocational school must cost a lot of money, right? Where did you get the money? Besides, you don't even go to school anymore." The man didn't believe Guan Baiyu's words.

Actually, they already had such suspicions even before Guan Baiyu's grandmother said anything.

Guan Baiyu doesn't go to school, but runs around town every day, which shows he doesn't plan to continue his studies.

However, they also felt it was normal.

It's strange that other people's parents are perfectly fine and they don't even continue their studies after junior high school, but Guan Baiyu is actually going to study.

“I’ve just been studying at home lately,” Guan Baiyu said, frowning.

The man continued, "Actually, it's better not to study. You can start earning money to support yourself sooner. Your cousin bought a tricycle and a tape recorder; he's making a good living, isn't he? If you work for him, you'll always have a salary... By the way, does your cousin have a girlfriend?"

Guan Baiyu was taken aback.

The man laughed and said, "If he doesn't have a girlfriend, I can introduce him to someone." Shi Zhen was tall and good-looking, and as soon as he came to the village, many people took a liking to him.

However, since he was from out of town and no one knew his background, no one had any designs on him.

But now that Shi Zhen has been here for a while, they have gotten to know him a bit. This young man is eloquent, hardworking, and diligent... There are quite a few families who want to arrange this marriage!