Before dawn, Wang Peng got up, brushed his teeth, washed his face, took out his diary from his waist bag, and wrote: "Buy toothpaste and toothbrush."
After finishing the last packet of instant noodles, Xiaobai locked the door to the main room and prepared to leave. He leaped onto the cart and squatted on the watermelon to keep his owner company.
He didn't wake Du Lei, who was sleeping next door, because he didn't want others to know about that shortcut, that broad road to wealth.
Five hundred pounds of watermelons is very heavy. He walked and stopped along the way, and arrived at the textile factory's residential compound around ten o'clock, where he gave two watermelons to the gatekeeper.
The old man gave him a small stool and allowed him to set up a stall at the gate. "Young man, the factory manager doesn't allow small vendors to come in, there's nothing I can do."
"Thank you, sir. I'll set up my stall right at the entrance." Wang Peng sat on a small stool, petting a cat and patiently waiting for customers to come in.
Yesterday, Wang Xia discovered him selling melons here. He was planning to move to another location, knowing that his awful relative would definitely come looking for him.
Thinking about it carefully, I realized that I couldn't just keep hiding. You can run away from the first day of the month, but you can't hide from the fifteenth. You can avoid selling melons, but you can't avoid going to school.
When school registration starts, Wang Song will definitely cause trouble at the school, which will definitely have a negative impact. It's better to resolve this problem as soon as possible.
Fifteen miles away in Wang Village, Wang Song pulled a cart with a bundle of hemp rope on it, followed by Li Guifen and Wang Cheng.
The thought of Wang Peng having a hundred yuan made Wang Cheng's heart itch with desire. He was determined to get the money from Wang Peng today so he could buy a few pounds of beef to satisfy his craving.
Wang Cheng sneered inwardly. If he didn't know what was good for him, his parents would tie him up with ropes and take him home. In any case, he had to hand over the money today.
Yesterday he went to Wangcun Junior High School to play basketball. The class monitor was showing off his new jeans, surrounded by a group of girls, which made him extremely envious.
“The textile factory’s residential compound is right across from the People’s Department Store. I can just get the money and buy the pants directly, saving me all the trouble.” He was very excited.
Looking down at the coarse cloth pants I was wearing, I felt they were incredibly ugly.
Ten miles away in Duzhuang, Du Lei overslept and hurriedly rode his bicycle out, heading straight for the textile factory's residential compound.
Passing by Fengcun, he saw his first love, Feng Lingling, standing at her doorstep in the distance. He hesitated for a moment, then rode away on his bicycle.
...
Du Lei arrived at the textile factory's residential compound and saw a group of people gathered at the gate. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was indeed Wang Peng selling melons.
The scene was chaotic. The little white cat was squinting on a stool, being patted on the head and ears by two little girls.
An elderly man handed Wang Peng three yuan, then took two watermelons and left.
A burly man gave him twelve yuan, received forty cents in change, and left carrying a bag of melons.
"Young man, are these melons ripe?" asked the young woman with a ponytail.
"They're all cooked, pick whichever you like, we'll cut them open right here and let's see." Wang Peng was too busy to waste time on small talk.
"Okay, you said it yourself, I'll buy it as soon as it's ripe." The woman picked out a watermelon the size of a football. "I'll take a look at this one."
Wang Peng swiftly sliced the watermelon in two, revealing its bright red flesh and black seeds.
He quickly cut the watermelon into pieces. "Try the watermelons I grew. It doesn't matter if you buy them or not. If they're not sweet, you don't have to pay."
"Good, young man, you're straightforward!"
"This is how you do business; this attitude is much better than at the farmers' market."
"Everyone, try it. If you think it's delicious, then support the young man."
A middle-aged man reached out and took the first piece, and then countless hands reached out as people stood in front of the melon cart and started eating.
"Delicious, I'll pick a few." The uncle wiped his mouth and opened the snakeskin bag to select watermelons.
"Sister Liu, let's buy a few too, they're not expensive."
"Go ahead and buy it. I'll go home and get the bag."
...
Du Lei squeezed through the crowd, "Brother Peng, I'm here to help you."
"Good heavens, you've finally arrived! Hurry up and deliver the goods to my sister's door." Wang Peng pointed to the snakeskin bag full of watermelons.
"Okay." Du Lei lifted the bag with force, and immediately felt his eyes roll back from the weight. This bag of melons weighed at least fifty pounds.
He followed his older sister into the residential compound, carried a watermelon weighing fifty or sixty pounds up to the fifth floor, and was panting heavily from exhaustion.
"That melon-selling kid is smart and knows how to do business. This is the first time I've ever encountered someone delivering to my door." The older woman gave him a bowl of water.
Du Lei finished his water in one gulp and laughed, "He's the top scorer in this year's high school entrance exam, very smart. Big sister, I'm leaving now."
He returned to the gate, barely had time to catch his breath, when Wang Peng arranged for another delivery to his door, another bag full of watermelons.
Du Lei: "..."
...
Not far away, Wang Cheng stared at Wang Peng's fanny pack, a hint of jealousy flashing in his eyes.
"Brother, I'm your younger brother. Now that you're making money, how can you not let me spend it?!" He clenched his fist.
“Old Wang, let’s go ask for the money.” Li Guifen also stared at Wang Peng’s wallet.
Ten yuan, five yuan, two yuan... one bill after another was put in.
Her hands began to tremble. With this money, why buy fabric? She could just go to the People's Department Store and buy a dress; those would be much more stylish than clothes she made herself.
"No rush," Wang Song shook his head. "Wait until he sells all the watermelons."
Wang Peng also noticed them.
He had been keeping an eye on all directions and knew they were coming, but he hadn't expected them to be so greedy as to want to take all the money.
Du Lei returned panting, his shirt soaked with sweat, his wet hair plastered to his scalp, and his face covered in sweat streaks.
"Brother Lei, you've worked hard. I'll treat you to beef later," Wang Peng said with a smile.
"I'm a little tired, but I'm in a good mood. I've found that communicating with strangers isn't difficult; you can just talk normally," Du Lei said.
Wang Peng gave him a thumbs up, saying, "It wasn't a difficult thing to begin with; you'll get used to it eventually."
"Brother Lei, my parents are watching over there; they'll try to take my money. Brother Lei, you'll have to cooperate with me in this later. I won't treat you badly in the future." Wang Peng untied his fanny pack and handed it to him.
Wang Peng sighed, and whispered about his family's troubles, then whispered his solutions.
Du Lei was stunned by Wang Peng's family: "How can there be such heartless parents in the world? They don't deserve to be parents. Don't worry, with me here, they won't take a single penny."
"Thank you, Brother Lei." Wang Peng patted him on the shoulder and gave the remaining two watermelons to the gatekeeper.
"Young man, come again tomorrow." The old man smiled broadly.
He hoped Wang Peng would come every day, so he could get a few watermelons for free each day.
"Thank you for your help, sir." Wang Peng put Xiaobai in the car. "Brother Lei, let's go."
The two men pulled the cart to the entrance of the department store, and Wang Song and his two companions rushed out of the alley.
"Wang Peng! You unfilial son! How dare you steal my money to do business? Give me the money back!" Wang Song roared angrily.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com