Chapter 11: 20,000
Now that his intentions were out in the open, there was no need to hide them anymore. Xu An coaxed his younger siblings into the bedroom to play before returning to the courtyard for a showdown with Granny Xu.
"Grandma, it’s just like my aunt’s mother-in-law told you: this family can’t do without me. If I leave for college, what will happen to you? Am I supposed to just stand by and watch Kangkang and Lele get sent to our aunt’s house like some ’Child-Giving Guanyin,’ only to suffer there for four years?
You’ve seen my aunt’s husband and her mother-in-law. Are either of them easy to deal with? Our aunt has no say in her own house, and the kids are still so young. If they get bullied, there’ll be no one to stand up for them. They’ll just end up thinking it’s their own fault, that they did something wrong.
Even if I bring them back after four years, will they still be as lively and cheerful as they are now?"
"If you’d told me earlier you didn’t want to go to college, why would I have bothered putting you through three years of high school? It would’ve been better to send you off to work on a construction site long ago. Now that you’ve finished high school and can go to college, you’re telling me you’re not going."
Granny Xu slapped the armrest of her rocking chair. THUMP! THUMP!
"Or is it that you think I’m just a useless cripple now that I’ve broken my leg? That I can’t take care of Kangkang and Lele, that I’m dragging you down, and that’s why you won’t go to college?"
Every one of Granny Xu’s words was a knife to the heart.
’In his past life, Xu An had indeed thought that way. He was young back then and always felt like his family was holding him back. Otherwise, he could have gone so much further, flown so much higher.’
’So, when his aunt took Kangkang and Lele away, he hadn’t stopped her. Though he’d felt a little uneasy, his overwhelming feeling was one of relief at having shed a burden.’
’It wasn’t until after graduation that he realized how wrong he was, but by then, it was too late. No amount of effort could ever undo that mistake.’
’Now that he had a second chance, he refused to repeat that same regret.’
Xu An grabbed Granny Xu’s right hand, now red from slapping the chair. He looked into her slightly bloodshot eyes and said seriously, "Grandma, my exam scores aren’t even out yet. It’s still two and a half months until college starts.
Just give me these two and a half months. Let me try something. If I can earn twenty thousand yuan in that time, you’ll agree to let me skip college. How about it?"
Granny Xu tried to pull her hand away. Her fingers twitched a few times, but she ultimately gave up.
’If she had any other choice, she wouldn’t want to send Xu Kang and Xu Le to her daughter’s house either. But it was the best option they had. For Xu An’s sake, and for Xu Kang and Xu Le’s, it was the only choice she could make.’
’But now, Xu An was offering another path—one that would let them all stay together as a family. How could her heart not be swayed?’
’But this choice came at the cost of Xu An’s future.’
Seeing that Granny Xu’s emotions had calmed a little and that she seemed tempted, Xu An quickly struck while the iron was hot, spilling out all of his plans.
The closest Granny Xu had ever come to running a business was selling vegetables at the market; she didn’t know the first thing about commerce. Xu An’s plan sounded logical and well-thought-out, but she still felt a deep sense of unease.
"I’ve talked to Uncle Dongliang about this, and he approves. He’s coming over for lunch in a bit to try my cooking."
’Hua’s youngest son, Dongliang... he could be a bit flighty day-to-day, but he was reliable when it counted. If he thought it could work, then it was worth a shot.’
’Then again, thinking about how Xu An’s cooking had improved by leaps and bounds lately, she figured he must have had this plan for a while and had deliberately learned the skill.’
"Alright, let’s wait and see what Dongliang says after lunch before we decide."
’The matter of college was settled for now. The next step was to see if I could really earn twenty thousand yuan in two and a half months.’
Xu An carried the ingredients and seasonings piled by the courtyard gate into the kitchen. There was also an eggplant from this morning’s harvest, a bit on the older side, which he had set aside for their own meal.
For lunch, he planned to make a three-dish meal, bento-box style. For the meat, he’d do a steamed pork patty with egg. Then, some minced pork with eggplant, and finally, stir-fried cabbage with cellophane noodles.
He also planned to make a kelp and pork rib soup for his grandmother to help her regain her strength. That, however, was just for the family.
The steamed pork patty with egg was the simplest. He just had to mince the pork—a good mix of fat and lean—mix it with seasonings, and spread it evenly onto a plate.
He scored the meat on the plate into six portions, used a spoon to make an indentation in the center of each one, and cracked an egg into the hollows. Fifteen minutes in the steamer and it would be done.
The minced pork with eggplant was prepared just as it was before.
He shredded the cabbage, heated oil in the wok, and bloomed the aromatics—scallions, ginger, and garlic. Then he tossed in the cabbage, stir-frying until it softened and turned translucent. Finally, he added the soaked cellophane noodles and seasonings, mixing everything thoroughly before taking it off the heat.
Finally, he washed the wok and started the rice.
The rice had just finished cooking when Uncle Dongliang pushed the door open.
"Anzi, your cooking’s not bad! I could smell it from way down the road." As he walked in, he spotted Granny Xu under the longan tree and greeted her. Then he helped set up a table and chairs while they waited for Xu An to bring out the food.
"Whoa, steamed pork patty with egg, minced pork with eggplant, cabbage with cellophane noodles, and kelp and pork rib soup, too. Quite a spread!"
He picked up his chopsticks and tried each dish. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but the taste was a few notches better than the food from the restaurants and stalls outside the construction site.
"This is delicious! You could easily open a small restaurant with cooking like this."
He took a sip of the kelp and pork rib soup and let out a long, contented sigh.
"On a day like this, a sip of soup after the meal... it’s heavenly!" He gave Xu An a thumbs-up. "Food this good? You bring it to the construction site tomorrow, and I guarantee I can get you twenty customers."
Hearing Uncle Dongliang’s straightforward praise, Xu An and Granny Xu both let out a sigh of relief.
’This could actually work.’
"Uncle Dongliang, it’s a deal then! I’ll come to your construction site tomorrow to sell bento boxes. You have to bring me twenty customers!"
"Done. Twenty people is nothing," Uncle Dongliang said, finishing his soup in one gulp. His eyes darted around playfully. "So, what’s on the menu for tomorrow? Give me a heads-up so I can hype it up for you."
"It’ll probably be the same three dishes tomorrow, but without the soup."
Uncle Dongliang frowned, stroking his chin. "It’s too hot these days; you’ve got to have soup. Just make something simple, like a seaweed egg drop soup or a tomato and egg soup. Either would be fine."
Xu An nodded in agreement.
Uncle Dongliang still had to go to work at the construction site in the afternoon, so he didn’t stand on ceremony with Xu An. After eating, he said his goodbyes and went home for an afternoon nap.
After Xu An finished cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks, Granny Xu called out to him. "I don’t understand this business stuff, but since Dongliang says it can work, then you should give it a try. How much money do you have on hand right now?"
’The money from selling vegetables these past few days totaled just over 150 yuan. But he’d already spent 30 on meat and cigarettes, and he just bought another pile of supplies. He only had eighty yuan left.’
"I have eighty yuan left. It should be just enough. Once I sell the bento boxes tomorrow, more money will come in."
"Go get the cloth pouch from under my pillow."
The cloth pouch under Granny Xu’s pillow contained some loose change for daily expenses.
"Grandma, you don’t have to. I’m not planning to make a lot on the first day, maybe just twenty or thirty servings. The money I have is enough."
"When I tell you to get it, you get it," Granny Xu insisted, unyielding.
Seeing Granny Xu’s determined look, Xu An had no choice but to go into the room and take out the cloth pouch from under the pillow.
The pouch was a simple rectangle, with the opening on one of the shorter sides. Near the top were small bills and coins: five-yuan notes, one-yuan coins, and fifty- and ten-cent coins.
Granny Xu emptied out the loose change from the top. In the middle was a thin roll of bills: tens, twenties, and fifties.
After she took out the roll, the pouch went limp. But Granny Xu kept digging, finally pulling out three hundred-yuan bills from the very bottom.
She set aside one of the hundred-yuan bills, counted out another two hundred from the rest of the money, and handed the three hundred yuan to Xu An.
"I may not know anything about business, but I know how to be a decent person. With a food business, the most important thing is to have a clear conscience. You use fresh ingredients, even if it costs more or you make a little less profit.
Setting up a stall costs money, no matter how you look at it. Since you’ve made up your mind, you do it right. Spend where you have to, and save where you can.
I can’t help you with much else, so just take this three hundred yuan. If you fail, we’ll just say it was your red envelope for getting into college. But if you succeed... well, that would be the best outcome of all."
Xu An looked down at the three hundred yuan in his hand, a bundle of small bills and change, and his eyes welled up with tears. He clenched the money tightly and nodded forcefully. "I understand, Grandma."
When he went to sleep at night, Xu An lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
’In his past life, he’d been just another nine-to-five office worker with a normal job and a salary just big enough to support a family.’
’The thought of starting his own business had occasionally crossed his mind, but it always vanished just as quickly.’
’He’d always thought running a business was something far removed from his life. He never imagined that, back at eighteen and with barely a hundred yuan to his name, he’d be on the verge of opening his own food stall.’
When he turned over again, he saw his younger siblings, whom he’d thought were sound asleep, staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes.
"What’s wrong? Did I wake you up when I turned over?"
Two little heads shook in unison. They kept staring at Xu An, silent.
Xu An propped himself up on his stomach, meeting their gazes. "It’s so late, why are you two still awake? You won’t grow big and strong if you don’t sleep. You’ll never get as tall as me."
"Brother," Lele called out, her voice bright.
"Hm?"
"Brother, do you and Grandma not want us anymore? Are you planning to send us to the Old Witch’s family?"
"Why would you think that?"
"We heard everything. The Old Witch wants to take us away."
Xu An reached out and pulled them both into a hug, comforting them softly. "Never. As long as I’m here, the Old Witch can’t take you. You’ll be my little brother and sister for your whole lives."
"Really?"
"Really."
"You have to promise, Brother."
"Okay. If I break my promise, I’ll turn into a little stray puppy that nobody wants."
"Then let’s pinky promise."
One big finger and two tiny ones hooked together, shaking.
"Pinky promise, a hundred years, no changing. Anyone who breaks their promise becomes a little stray puppy nobody wants."
After Xu An’s repeated assurances, the two children drifted off to sleep. Xu An kissed their little cheeks and fell into a deep sleep himself.