Xia Baozhu rode the old bicycle out of the yard and found a bicycle repairman to install a child seat, tying a strip of cloth around the metal seat.

"Boss Xia, who is this for?" the mechanic asked curiously, while secretly glancing at Xia Baozhu's belly.

“My sister and brother-in-law brought their child over, but they didn’t have a car to go out with, so I let them ride this bike.”

"Oh dear, Mr. Xia, you've had it tough enough on your own, and you also have to take care of your sister's family. If you ask me, you should help in an emergency, not in a long-term relationship. Don't take on everything yourself."

The mechanic felt this deeply: "Everyone has a few poor relatives."

He started working as a car repairman in the city. When his relatives back home heard about it, they would come to him to borrow money all the time, whether it was because an elderly person was sick or a child was getting married.

He's not a savings bank, so where does all that money come from?

Helping once or twice is fine, but if it happens too often, he can't stand it and stops lending money, which results in offending most of his relatives.

They brought up some old, trivial matter from eighteen years ago and accused him of being ungrateful.

So what if I ate a bowl of rice at your house when I was a kid? When will I ever be able to repay that kindness?

In a fit of anger, he stopped associating with those relatives and treated the money he had lent out as if it were just being fed to dogs.

"I've arranged for them to work in the store; as long as they do their jobs well, that's fine."

"This method is good, but giving them a job means paying them extra money, and you already have enough people in your shop."

"Let's just keep doing it this way for now. They have nowhere else to go, after all, she's my only sister." Xia Baozhu smiled, putting on a saintly act.

Xia Laidi was overjoyed when she heard that the bicycles in the yard were available for her family to ride, and thanked them profusely.

Before coming, she felt both embarrassed and hopeful. She was embarrassed because she had asked her older sister for money and had brought nothing but the money for the train ticket.

She was hoping that her older sister could change her current situation.

Xia Laidi took the child and rode a bicycle, following Xia Baozhu to the new store.

Watching Xia Baozhu direct the workers, she felt extremely impressed. She herself couldn't even speak clearly, let alone know what to do.

How did her sister get to this point?

“Once Liu Guangjun makes money, he will send Nannan to a nursery so you can learn a trade.”

"I'll listen to my eldest sister." Xia Laidi nodded. She didn't understand anything, so listening to her eldest sister was definitely the right thing to do.

Liu Guangjun's eyes widened as he watched pots of meat being placed onto the tricycle food carts.

He had just seen that tall kid working on so much meat and wondered if he could sell it all in one day, but he never expected that he would have to take it out to sell.

Lai Di's older sister hired so many people to work for her, how much money does she earn in a day?

Liu Guangjun thought of the east wing where Xia Baozhu lived; there must be a lot of money inside.

"Hey, new guy, move aside," Lin Aijun called out to Liu Guangjun while holding a rice bucket.

"Liu Guangjun, hurry up and wash the pot, don't get in the way."

San Gou was furious when he saw Liu Guangjun, who had absolutely no sense of propriety.

"Oh, here it comes." Liu Guangjun picked up a steel wool pad and slowly began to scrub.

"I need it in a bit, hurry up and swipe." Chen Wenbin said ominously as he passed by, immediately telling Liu Guangjun to speed up.

He had never done any kitchen work at home, so he was clumsy and didn't know where to start.

Because of this, I've been given the cold shoulder by many people.

Where did Xia Laidi go? If she were here, she could do all these chores, and I wouldn't be in such an awkward situation.

...

Xia Baozhu received the photos sent by Song Yaoyang; she had already sent out two copies of her manuscript.

The third one matches one of the photos, which shows a couple who appear in various places.

The man was a little hunchbacked. He was pushing a small cart, with a shoulder strap connecting it to the handlebars so he could use his shoulder to help the cart go uphill or through mud.

The woman pulled hard on the rope, which cut a deep mark on her shoulder.

The cart has two large tin buckets filled with boiled and cooled water, and next to it is a stack of chipped enamel mugs.

The two of them struggled through the mud, and sometimes when they couldn't pull it anymore, they lifted it up to walk.

They walked from morning till night, their feet soaked and covered in sores, only finding some relief on the way back when the water was gone.

Xia Baozhu sent the manuscript and photos together; this time, she submitted it to the provincial newspaper.

As she sent out more and more manuscripts, her popularity finally subsided.

...

Summer has passed and autumn has arrived. With the first autumn rain, Xia Baozhu's new store has been renovated.

The large sign of the Hong Kong Island fried chicken shop is very eye-catching. From the outside, the windows are bright and clean, which makes people feel comfortable.

A double door with brown checkered glass panels, flanked by large brown checkered glass windows.

Upon opening the door and entering the store, you are greeted by a two-meter-wide corner counter with a white marble surface and natural wood-colored wall panels below, matching the color scheme of the tables, chairs, and walls in the store.

The words "Hong Kong Island Fried Chicken" were displayed on the wall panel.

Behind the counter is a glass partition, which allows a clear view of the kitchen.

Walking out from the counter leads to the kitchen, which is about 25 square meters. It features stainless steel cabinets, sinks, and fryers all custom-made, which are expensive and cost the most, around 12,000 yuan.

The kitchen connects to a storage room, which contains freezers, refrigerators, and shelves of varying heights.

The bathroom is in the northeast corner. It has white tiles and a suspended ceiling. Although it's not big, it's clean and tidy.

The bathroom door faces west and is covered by an orange printed curtain to avoid affecting diners' appetites.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!