Part 2: Becoming a Small Millionaire (2573 words)
Li Yaxi has been living in the space for over a month now. Every day, he marks a line on the calendar with his watch, eating the fruit he grows there. However, because the fruit grows so fast, he can harvest it almost every two days. Moreover, Li Yaxi is expanding the planting area, so now he's worried about the piles of vegetables and fruit. Although they won't spoil, he's afraid that if he keeps piling them up, the space will overflow. He eats a lot of fruit every day, but the increase in fruit consumption is disproportionate to the decrease. He knows these things can be sold, but where is a four-year-old kid like him going to sell them? Looking at his small frame, Li Yaxi sighed helplessly.
Li Yaxi wandered around, unafraid of being mistaken for a runaway and taken back home; he knew they wouldn't bother looking for him. Li Yaxi walked into a residential area and saw a vendor carrying loads of vegetables out. He realized that vegetables didn't necessarily have to be sold at a market. The next day, before dawn, Li Yaxi went to that residential area, took out vegetables from his spatial storage, laid them out on the ground, and waited for his first customer.
An older woman passing by couldn't help but glance at Li Yaxi a few more times. She had never seen such a beautiful child in all her years. Her eyes were as black and bright as ink, and she looked as beautiful as if she had stepped out of a painting.
When Li Yaxi saw the older woman glancing at him for the fourth time, she finally couldn't resist anymore. She smiled slightly at the woman and called out in a sweet, soft voice, "Auntie, are you buying groceries? My vegetables are delicious!"
The old woman's heart softened at the word "Auntie," and she squatted down to get closer to Li Yaxi. Li Yaxi looked even more beautiful up close. "Little girl, where are your parents? How much are these vegetables?"
"Five cents a pound, buy two pounds get one pound free."
The older woman chuckled at Li Yaxi's mature-for-her-own-child demeanor. "Little one, do you know how to use a scale? Give me two jin then, but don't miscalculate!"
Li Yaxi was speechless inside, but with a charming smile on her face, she weighed out three jin (1.5 kg) for the old lady, took the money, and called out to her with a smile, "Auntie, if you like the food, come again next time!"
Li Yaxi sold his food until sunset. Business on the first day wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. Many people came because he was a child and he was cute. Li Yaxi was very confident in the products from his space; he believed that soon everyone would be coming for his dishes.
For several days in a row, Li Yaxi sold his produce in this neighborhood, but he found that he was spending a lot of time waiting for customers. He decided to visit several different residential areas in the future, selling out his produce at fixed times and leaving immediately. After a period of adjustment, because the quality and taste of his produce were unmatched by other vendors, his vegetables were basically sold out as soon as he arrived in the neighborhood. Some people were envious and even tried to stop him a few times, but Li Yaxi wasn't a four-year-old and knew how to handle it. Plus, his vegetable selling was mobile, so nothing serious happened. He wanted to rent a shop to settle down, but his age was a factor, so it wasn't an option.
Li Yaxi was very frugal. In his past life, he lacked both ability and money, so he knew that money was the most important thing in this life. Besides, he wasn't a four or five-year-old child anymore; he had experienced both hardship and prosperity. Society wasn't developed yet, and the things in society held no appeal for him. Therefore, Li Yaxi continued to eat the fruit from his spatial storage every day, saving the money he earned from selling vegetables, and occasionally buying books and pens to practice his skills. Selling vegetables was essentially a no-capital business; the profits were pure.
On good days, he could sell several thousand yuan worth of goods; on bad days, he could still sell one or two thousand. His main strength was his diligence; he would go to several different places every day, selling from morning till night. Back in the 1990s, someone like Li Yaxi with an annual income of several hundred thousand yuan was considered wealthy. Life went on at a leisurely pace, and as he busied himself, the resentment in Li Yaxi's heart gradually faded. Although growing up had many advantages for him, this kind of life seemed to bring him more satisfaction now.
Fortunately, Li Yaxi had taken the family's household registration booklet with her when she left, so she opened a bank account smoothly. Li Yaxi was very satisfied with the number on her passbook; after all, being a millionaire these days was still quite prestigious. Li Yaxi had been living alone for more than three years, and in a few months she would turn eight. While tidying up after selling vegetables, Li Yaxi saw a real estate advertisement posted on the wall. Although she hadn't lived in W City in her previous life, she knew a little about the future development of this area. It would become a famous commercial street, and riverfront properties would become extremely expensive.
Li Yaxi tore down the advertisement and found the head of the neighborhood committee. It turned out to be an older woman who often bought groceries from him. Li Yaxi explained her purpose, which surprised the older woman. "Xiao Tong, are you looking to buy or rent a house? Where are your parents?" Xiao Tong was the name Li Yaxi had given them; she was still quite wary of strangers.
"I need to buy a house. My parents are both very busy and don't live here. I don't want to live with relatives. Auntie, can you help me? I've already brought my household registration book." Li Yaxi looked at the neighborhood committee auntie with sincere yet pitiful eyes.
The older woman guessed that his parents must be busy with work and had left him with relatives. She figured life as a dependent must be tough. She thought the child was sensible and smart, selling vegetables here every day, and must have been independent since childhood. She figured he could manage on his own, and if he did, she could help him out. After a moment's thought, she took Li Yaxi to look at houses.
"Xiaotong, we have two houses for sale. One is over 90 square meters, which is small but enough for the whole family. The other is over 120 square meters, which is bigger and more expensive. Xiaotong, do you want to go home and discuss it with your family?"
"No need, Auntie. I can make the decision myself. I want the bigger one. Auntie, I'd like to transfer my household registration separately so it will be more convenient for school in the future. Is that okay?"
The neighborhood committee auntie's son works at the household registration office, so this was a small matter for her. Knowing that transferring schools across districts would be very inconvenient, she readily agreed, "Okay, no problem, I'll take care of it. Xiaotong, when can you go with the head of household to complete the procedures? I'll go with you, so they won't take advantage of you because you're young."
Although Li Yaxi wasn't very knowledgeable in this area, he wasn't easily fooled. However, seeing the older woman's kindness, he readily agreed. Everything went smoothly; buying a 120-square-meter apartment for 800,000 yuan would be a dream come true in the future. Looking at the property certificate, the household registration book, and the three large characters "Li Yaxi" listed as the homeowner, Li Yaxi finally felt a sense of belonging. At last, he wouldn't have to be a homeless person anymore!
After a simple cleaning and furnishing, Li Yaxi's new home was complete. However, she preferred to stay in the space most of the time, partly because she was familiar with it, and partly because the air inside was much better than outside. The neighborhood committee auntie's house wasn't too close, but it wasn't too far either, so sometimes Li Yaxi would bring her some vegetables and fruits. As she grew closer to the auntie, Li Yaxi discovered that she was a truly kind and helpful person, and she felt less wary of her.
With her household registration in this district, schooling became much simpler. From the start of the school year, Li Yaxi was the only student listed. The school knew that Li Yaxi's parents were deceased and that she supported herself by selling vegetables. Li Yaxi naturally wouldn't tell them about her stepfather, since she was the only person listed on the household registration. The school teachers genuinely liked this sensible and beautiful child, and naturally treated her somewhat better than the other students.
Although Li Yaxi started school a year late, she skipped several grades and was already in sixth grade by the age of ten. Li Yaxi had savings, and her annual scholarships and prize money from various competitions were substantial, enough to support her. However, she couldn't afford to overstock her storage space, so she had to continue selling vegetables. To maintain her time at school, Li Yaxi had no choice but to consider renting a shop and hiring someone to sell vegetables.
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