Chapter 27: I want to set up a small stall here

The county high school, full name is Dengta County No. 1 Middle School.

It is a century-old institution with a long history. In the past decade or so, it has cultivated many outstanding talents.

At this time, Chen Xiang was standing at the school gate, looking inside through the iron fence.

The campus has a quiet environment, with a teaching building standing in the middle, a playground behind it, and a basketball court near the main entrance.

In other places there are many pine trees shading each other.

The combination of these tall trees and dark grey walls makes this century-old university look more majestic and solemn.

It's past six o'clock now, and the gates of the county high school are wide open.

Many students carrying military green backpacks walked slowly from the distant streets and entered the school.

In the mid-1980s, small county towns were not as developed as urban areas.

The people here generally dress conservatively.

Especially for these students who have a heavy academic burden.

The most common outfits worn by female students were floral or plaid cotton jackets with two shiny black braids. Some of the female students pursued fashion and had short hair similar to that in the movies.

As for the boys' clothes, they were much more casual.

The black, gray, and dark blue cotton jackets were loose and large on the body, slightly damp on the surface, still carrying the morning moisture.

Chen Xiang retracted her gaze, turned out a few roasted sweet potatoes and placed them on the surface.

She thought about it, then picked up another big sweet potato and broke it open.

In an instant, the golden sweet potato flesh appeared in the air, emitting hot mist, and the soft, glutinous and sweet aroma drifted far away in the cold wind.

While Chen Xiang was playing with these things, someone shouted from behind:

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Chen Xiang paused what she was doing and looked back.

The person who came was a middle-aged man in his fifties with slightly gray hair on his temples. He was wearing a black work suit and a green military coat on his shoulders.

At this moment, he was staring at her seriously with a frown on his face.

Chen Xiang used to sell clothes and cosmetics, so she has the ability to say the right thing to the right person.

She smiled and said cheerfully, "Hello, teacher. I would like to set up a small stall here. May I have it?"

The middle-aged man was stunned. He didn't expect the other party to call him teacher right away.

Does he look that much like a teacher?

This sudden sentence made him feel at a loss...

The man's serious expression softened and he said with a smile, "Why do you call me teacher? I'm not a teacher. I'm just a gatekeeper here, and I also do night watch."

Of course Chen Xiang knew that he was not a teacher.

This is called just to get closer.

She smiled even sweeter: "Oh, brother, your temperament is amazing! You give people a very elegant feeling, and you can tell at first glance that you are a pen holder."

"Maybe it has something to do with your job. You stay in school for many years and are influenced by culture. You are not a teacher, but you are better than a teacher. No matter where you go, you are a cultured person."

The middle-aged man has come to the tricycle.

After hearing what Chen Xiang said, she smiled innocently, with a hint of pride underneath, "Little comrade, you look quite young, but I didn't expect you to be so good at judging people."

"I'm not bragging, but after working as a security guard for so many years, I can answer the students' papers with my eyes closed, and sometimes I can even speak two sentences in English."

Chen Xiang looked sincere: "Brother, can you speak English?"

"Yes, I'll give you two sentences some other day."

Chen Xiang was very smart and quickly changed the subject, asking, "Brother, what's your name?"

The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief when the girl didn't ask him about English, and replied, "My last name is Xie, you can just call me Lao Xie."

"Thank you, brother!"

"Okay, okay, you can call me whatever you want!"

Chen Xiang turned around and picked up the largest sweet potato from the pot. She used loofah to scrape off the loose sand on the surface, then wrapped half of it in rice dumplings leaves and handed it to Lao Xie.

She smiled and said, "Xie Ge, you haven't eaten yet this morning, come, eat a sweet potato to warm your stomach first."

Old Xie waved his hands repeatedly and refused, "I can't take it! You, my little comrade, are counting on it to make money! No, no!"

Chen Xiang took a step forward and stuffed the sweet potato directly into Lao Xie's hand.

"Big brother, to be honest with you, I'm from Huangjia Village, and this is my first day setting up a stall in the county town. There are many rules that I don't understand, and I will have to ask you a few questions later, so please accept this sweet potato."

Mr. Xie still wanted to refuse.

But I don’t know what the sweet potato in my hand is made of, but its sweet aroma is particularly strong.

The gluttonous worms in his stomach were drawn out through the rice dumplings leaves.

"Well... well then! I'll take the sweet potatoes." Old Xie paused and asked, "Little comrade, what do you want to know?"

Chen Xiang thought for a moment and said, "Brother Xie, is it possible to set up a stall in front of the school?"

"You see, I only have this one little tricycle. It doesn't matter if the school doesn't allow it here. I can push it across the street and sell it!"

It's just a little inconvenient.

Because some students in the county high school live on campus and cannot leave the school.

She was standing right next to the wall. If students wanted to buy sweet potatoes, they could just pass through the fence and hand them over. If they were on the other side of the road, they would have to run back and forth, which would be very troublesome.

Old Xie: "The school didn't say whether we can sell these things or not. No one has ever set up a stall here before. We are all poor students. How can we afford to buy these things?"

Chen Xiang nodded, somewhat understanding: "Brother Xie, ordinary people have a hard time. Even if I can sell one or two, my trip will not be in vain."

Old Xie: "You have some truth in what you said. Life is hard for everyone."

After he finished speaking, he looked in the direction of the school and whispered to Chen Xiang: "You can sell here first, and when the school doesn't allow you to go, you can leave."

"Okay then, I'll stay here for now. Thanks for your advice, big brother."

The middle-aged man waved his hands and said with a smile: "This is no big deal. Okay, I won't bother you with your business anymore."

"Xie bro, take care."

Old Xie walked a few steps, turned back and said, "Little comrade, I'm in the guardhouse. If you feel cold, come in and warm up."

Chen Xiang nodded repeatedly: "Okay, thank you, brother."