A faint suspicion flickered in the system’s core, immediately followed by a wave of regret. It had been so easily swayed! To think it had actually believed its host was stingy, stealing items from its own mall just to save money… The system nearly sighed.
[The host is the system’s little chicken intestine. My dear host, you are simply too good.]
“Since I’m so good, what reward can you give me?” Xu Ying blinked, extending her palm expectantly.
The system vanished without a trace, its internal processors whirring silently. Even if the host was “too good,” it remained stubbornly stingy.
Xu Ying rolled her eyes and began to pack the essentials for her journey tomorrow. Chinese New Year was just over a week away. By tomorrow afternoon, she’d likely be in another province. With a bit of luck, she could secure orders worth hundreds of thousands for both factories. Even if this year’s earnings were modest, at least she would have paved the way for New Year’s goods, ensuring steady business for the coming year. More importantly, she could infiltrate various villages, expanding their reach.
The next morning, Xu Ying, ready long before dawn, headed for the train station. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, tied with a vibrant red rope. She wore the new clothes she’d bought yesterday: a striking red coat with fluffy white cotton on the collar and cuffs, a slim red skirt, and a pair of polished leather shoes. The outfit was both stylish and incredibly festive, drawing gazes from countless passersby.
Uncle Xu, even more eager than she, had already packed and purchased the tickets. Seeing Xu Ying approach, he waved excitedly. “Yingying, hurry! Are you wearing enough? You look so thin to me!” He’d bought the tickets early, envisioning a swift departure to secure orders, but then worried his niece hadn’t arrived. What a false alarm! Thankfully, she wasn’t too late.
“It’s not cold. The fabric of these clothes is windproof and warm. Feel it, Third Uncle, it’s thick enough,” Xu Ying said, watching his panicked expression and checking her lip. “Okay no need to tell me, let’s go now!”
Third Uncle Xu chuckled, grabbing Xu Ying’s luggage without even stopping to admire her outfit. He practically sprinted towards the train.
They made it just in time, stumbling onto the carriage, both breathless and exhausted. Uncle Xu’s face was etched with guilt. “I… I’m doing this for the factory, Yingying! I want to make more money!”
Xu Ying took a long sip of water, recovering her breath, and rolled her eyes. “Third Uncle, we don’t need to be quite so frantic.”
“No, no, no! This is how it must be! Since I’ve taken on this sales job, I must give it my all!” Uncle Xu thumped his chest. He’d earned good money this year, and it had brought him immense pride among his parents and brothers. Even his wife’s eyes had changed when she looked at him yesterday. His male ego had received a significant boost, and he vowed to work tirelessly for more wealth. He knew many in their village planned to build houses next year, and he wouldn’t be left behind. His wife was right: daughters could be just as capable as sons. If his own daughters could be like Xu Ying, he wouldn’t mind finding a son-in-law to live with them when the time came for his family to build their own home.
“Okay, okay, okay,” Xu Ying quickly agreed, delighted by her third uncle’s newfound motivation. As long as they worked hard, a good life awaited them, and her third aunt would surely enjoy the prosperity in it . Xu Ying pulled out their breakfast: two cups of Eight-Treasure porridge, several tea eggs, large meat buns, and egg pancakes. Of course, she also packed their most important samples: the duck products and fried goods.
The moment the food emerged, its tantalizing aroma filled the entire carriage. Heads snapped towards them, eyes wide with envy, throats visibly swallowing. Under this fiery gaze, Uncle Xu wasted no time, devouring the porridge and steamed buns. He sighed contentedly between bites. “Yingying, how are you so capable? Everything you make tastes so delicious!”
“If it’s delicious, then eat more,” Xu Ying said with a smile. “Remember to eat well. Those people in the carriage might just become our customers.”
Uncle Xu’s eyes widened in realization. Of course! Trains were bustling hubs, carrying all sorts of people – ordinary folk and high-ranking officials alike. Thinking this he felt parched so he tell Xu Ying , I’m a little thirsty. I want to get some water. Yingying, stay here while Third Uncle goes to get water.” He grabbed a bag of fried goods and braised duck, then darted towards the sleeper berths. The wealthy traveled there, and money was no object to them. Though, a train station had its rules as of no entry into the sleeper car without a ticket.
Third Uncle Xu settled by the door, opening the bags of braised food and fried goods, fanning the irresistible aroma towards the sleeper car. It was a long shot, but even one customer was a customer.
Fortune favored Uncle Xu. A man, just about to enter, paused, his face etched with surprise as he caught the scent from Uncle Xu’s hand. “Little brother, what delicious food do you have? Why does it smell so good?”
Seeing a potential customer, Uncle Xu beamed, straightening up from his slouch against the door. He immediately launched into a passionate praise of his products, not forgetting to mention their hometown. “Hey, brother, you have such a good nose! This is our local specialty, braised duck and fried food. These are truly delicious! You look like a foreigner; you wouldn’t understand this. Try it and see how good it tastes. You can’t buy this anywhere else. Only our local food factory sells it.”
Uncle Xu pinched a piece of braised duck and offered it to the man. The aroma intensified, making the food lover’s mouth water. He swallowed, about to take a bite, when a woman suddenly appeared, patting him on the shoulder. “Brother Aijun!” she practically shouted, “Why are you taking everything from strangers to eat? What if it’s drugged? You could die!” The woman’s face was contorted with anger, as if she hated his naiveté.
Zhang Aijun instantly snapped back to reality, realizing he’d almost lost himself to the lure of food. He glanced at Uncle Xu, a sheepish smile on his face. “I’m sorry, I can’t eat this.”
Uncle Xu, whose spirits had been soaring just moments before, instantly lost all good impression of the woman. Beautiful she might be, but her perception was twisted! Did he look like some nefarious character who would drug people? He wasn’t a human trafficker!
“You girl,” he protested, “I have good intentions! You can’t just accuse me casually. My food is clean, and it’s not poisoned.” To prove his innocence, Uncle Xu took a deliberate bite of the duck himself.
The woman remained unconvinced, her face still wary. “This is meat! People’s lives are hard now, and meat isn’t cheap. What are you thinking, giving this to Brother Aijun to eat for free ?”