Summer vacation was approaching. Before Xu Mengyao could not wait to leave the classroom, she turned back and reminded him, "Chen Chen, if you need anything, come to my house to find me. If I'm not here, you can find my eldest sister. Take care during the vacation. I'm leaving now!"
Chen Chen nodded, smiled, waved to her, and watched her leave.
Xu Mengyao had already planned her summer vacation plans. She was so excited that she almost jumped up and down. Finally, she had time to go to Pengcheng! She seemed to see piles of money waving at her.
The next morning, Xu Mengyao hurried to the train station with her older brother and sister. All three of them were excited, knowing that this trip to Pengcheng would be a new starting point for them to make a profit.
This time, they didn't head straight for the small commodity market, but instead turned to the broader wholesale market for clothing and footwear. Their target was the latest fashion trends in clothing, sandals, and sun hats. Furthermore, they carefully selected some adorable children's items. Xu Mengyao knew that dual-income families in mining areas often invest generously in their children. She planned to bring some back to test the market.
As expected, on their first day at the Workers' Village stall, the adorable and novel children's styles were instantly sold out. Many parents who hadn't bought anything came up to Xu Mengyao, begging her to order more for their children. Faced with such enthusiastic customers, Xu Mengyao readily agreed. By the next day, after selling most of the women's styles, she set off again for Pengcheng.
After several trips back and forth, Xu Mengyao felt the strain was growing. The summer heat, the strange smells in the car, the strain of carrying the goods onto the bus...it all left her exhausted. More importantly, her older brother and sister's complexions grew increasingly pale, clearly unable to bear the constant hustle and bustle.
Finally, on the way back from Pengcheng, Xu Mengyao thought over and over again and decided to tell her family about her thoughts. That night, Xu Mengyao sat at the dinner table and said to her family solemnly:
"I want to rent a house in the city so that we don't have to rush to catch the bus every time, and we can also do more shopping in Pengcheng."
This sudden proposal stunned the family for a moment. Huang's mother asked with concern, "Why do we have to go all the way to the city to rent a house? Don't we still have to go back to the mining area to sell things?"
Xu Mengyao patiently explained, "Mom, I was just about to bring this up. Our business at the mine is booming, but the mining area's population is limited after all. Whether in terms of population size or spending power, we can definitely make more money setting up a stall in the city."
This series of plans bombarded the family's mind like a barrage of bullets. Father Huang frowned, and after a while he slowly spoke:
"While what you said sounds reasonable, does this whole family have to move to the city with you? Are you just going to give up the popcorn business? What about the mining business?"
Xu Mengyao looked at Father Huang with a confident smile on her face. "Dad, don't worry, I've thought about all this. The popcorn business is now run by Grandma and Brother Tiger, and they can continue to manage it without me. As for choosing someone to go to the city, I'm thinking of my eldest brother and eldest sister. It would be fine if one of them can accompany me. The other one is still running a stall at the mine, so I need to find two more people to help run the stall."
When Huang's mother heard this, she pointed at herself and Huang Wenxia and said, "Why are you still looking for people? Wenxia and I are already ready-made people, aren't we?"
However, Xu Mengyao gently held Huang's mother's hand and said, "Mom, it's so hot, I don't want you and Wenxia to suffer like this. Besides, you've worked hard all semester and finally made it to the students' holiday. It's a good time for you to take Wenxia back to visit Grandma and the others. As for staffing the stall, I can look for people from my classmates or my brother's friends. I'm sure I can find suitable candidates."
Huang Wenbin immediately perked up upon hearing this, patting his chest and assuring, "Yes, yes, yes, I have a lot of brothers like this! They've been envious of Hu Zi making money with me for a long time, and they've all been pestering me for ages, just waiting for me to speak. Especially those two dropouts, they're worried about finding a way out. As soon as I say something, they'll definitely rush over!"
Xu Mengyao nodded slightly and said to Huang Wenbin seriously, "Okay, big brother, bring the person to the stall tomorrow so I can see him. But I have to make it clear first, I want someone who can endure hardships, is moral, and is eloquent. I won't accept those who are cunning, cunning, or have complicated minds."
Seeing that everyone had almost finished their discussion, Huang Nai also spoke up, "Let's do as Er Nizi says. She's a child with her own ideas. I think if we want to make this family a better place, we have to listen to her."
Everyone smiled and nodded after hearing this. Father Huang also smiled and said, "Your grandma is right. Then let your eldest brother accompany you to the city. Otherwise, if you and your sister get into trouble, we will be worried."
The three siblings all agreed, and the matter was settled.
The next day, before closing the stall, Huang Wenbin arrived with a group of six or seven people. Xu Mengyao looked and saw that there were familiar faces who had helped fight last time, two new faces, and even a girl.
Xu Mengyao was slightly surprised and looked at Huang Wenbin in confusion, with a hint of inquiry in her eyes: "What's going on? Why did you bring so many people?"
Huang Wenbin obviously understood his sister's expression, laughed heartily, and began to introduce them one by one:
"These are all my good brothers. When they heard we were going to set up a stall, they couldn't wait to come and help. This is Jie Zi, this is his girlfriend Xiao Fang, that's Shao Zi, that's Gui Zi, this is Badan, and lastly, this is Niao Wu. They are all my best brothers, people I can trust!"
Xu Mengyao and Huang Wenrong greeted them one by one. Jiezi looked very decent, with a slicked-back hair and a denim jacket. He smiled and asked his partner to pick out a few items from the stall. When paying, he joked:
"Wenbin said earlier that he had something going on at home and hadn't been with us for a while. I only found out about you guys setting up a stall today. Don't be offended if I only come now to show my support, girls."
The two of them quickly shook their heads to show that they didn't mind. Huang Wenbin patted Jie Zi's shoulder and said, "Alright, alright, stop being so flowery. We haven't finished talking about the real business yet."
He pointed at the four people and said, "Whistle and Parrot have dropped out of school and are anxious to make money. Guizi and Badan have nothing to do during the holidays, so I brought them here to show you."