Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Cheng Rongguo laughed heartily in front, and Zhou Tianfu couldn't help but laugh too; he simply couldn't hold it in any longer.

Zhao Da'e got angry, her face flushed, and said, "Big Cousin, Uncle, why are you making fun of me again!"

Zhou Tianfu couldn't help but laugh, "Big Goose, it's because you're really funny, hahaha!"

After saying that, Zhou Tianfu tugged at Zhao Da'e's braid, saying, "Even his hair is easy to pull."

Zhao Da'e pouted and complained to Cheng Rongguo, "Uncle, look at my older cousin, he only knows how to bully me!"

Cheng Rongguo couldn't suppress his smile. Ignoring the two arguing, he quickened his pedaling. Cheng Rongguo reminded them, "I'm going to speed up. Hold on tight, or I'll throw you off."

As he spoke, Cheng Rongguo quickened his pace. Pedaling was hard work, but he was putting in all his effort so that Zhao Da'e and Zhou Tianfu could get to the train station by bus as soon as possible.

The road was bumpy, and several times Zhao Da'e was almost thrown into the air. She had to hold on tightly to the railing and kept calling out, "Uncle, my bottom hurts from all the jolting. Please slow down."

Zhou Tianfu said from the side, "Uncle, don't listen to the goose. Just pedal faster, it'll be more fun this way."

"Hahaha, you two siblings are really something!"

……

...

Cheng Rongguo took the two to the town's bus station, where they caught a bus that was about to depart for the train station.

Cheng Rongguo watched the two board the bus and reminded them again, "The journey is long, so please be careful. Tianfu, as the older brother, remember to take good care of Da'e. Da'e, you also need to be careful not to go with strangers."

Zhou Tianfu opened the window and shouted, "I understand, Uncle. Don't worry, I will take good care of the goose."

Zhao Da'e shouted loudly to Cheng Rongguo, "Uncle, please be careful on your way back!"

As Cheng Rongguo grew further and further out of their sight, Zhao Da'e had no choice but to return to her original seat. She never imagined that her first long trip would be on the way to pick up her aunt.

Not long after they boarded, a ticket seller came to collect their money. Cheng Rongguo and Zhao Dage were the type who paid for their tickets after boarding.

Adult tickets cost 2 yuan each, and children's tickets were half price. Zhou Tianfu counted out three yuan from his pocket and gave it to the ticket seller to pay the fare.

It takes an hour and a half to get to the train station from here, and during that time, Zhao Da'e kept looking at the scenery outside the window.

From the mountains to rows of bungalows, and then to three- or four-story buildings, the population grew, and many bustling markets sprang up nearby. This was the city. A short drive later, we arrived at the train station.

People came and went in the train station, carrying large and small bags. Zhao Da'e carried a change of clothes in his small bundle, while Zhou Tianfu carried a similar small bundle, along with a food box and fruit. One was wearing a red cotton-padded jacket, and the other was wearing a black cotton-padded jacket. They did not stand out much in the crowd.

Zhou Tianfu took Zhao Da'e to the ticket window and bought a train ticket to Qiqihar. The train was scheduled to depart in an hour. Zhou Tianfu only bought one ticket, which cost about thirty yuan. This money was jointly funded by the Cheng family siblings, who wanted Zhou Tianfu to bring Cheng Jinxiao home safely.

With an hour to spare, Zhou Tianfu took Zhao Da'e to get some hot water. Before getting in the car, they ate a steamed bun, which filled their stomachs a little.

An hour later, I boarded the train. The green train slowly pulled into the station, and I sat down according to the seat number on my ticket.

Zhou Tianfu instructed Zhao Dage, "Dage, we'll be on the train for two days this time. It's quite far, and there will be a lot of people on the train, so don't wander around."

Zhao Da'e nodded, indicating that she understood. Even without Zhou Tianfu's reminder, she knew that she couldn't wander around, as the train was crowded and unsafe.

However, Zhao Da'e felt that sitting for two days and two nights was too long and a bit boring.

Just then, a vendor pushed a cart past Zhao Da'e, shouting, "Boxed lunches for sale! Boxed lunches for sale! Four yuan a boxed lunch!!"

Zhou Tianfu glanced into the cart; the boxed lunch contained vegetables and meat, and smelled delicious. Suddenly, the steamed bun in his arms seemed tasteless.

The boxed meals are good, but they're too expensive—four yuan a serving—so Zhou Tianfu can't bear to spend that much.

Zhao Da'e, however, was drooling with envy. Zhou Tianfu covered Zhao Da'e's eyes and said, "Da'e, stop looking, the more you look, the uglier you get."

Zhao Da'e muttered helplessly, "Big cousin, what's the use of covering my eyes? You should cover my nose so I can't smell the fragrance."

"Besides, cousin, you're already drooling with envy, and you're still criticizing me."

Zhou Tianfu pursed his lips. "Don't even mention the boxed lunch. It's more tempting the more you think about it. But this boxed lunch is too expensive. It only costs one yuan in town, but it costs four yuan on the train. That's four times more expensive. Although Mom says that money should be spent when necessary, I feel bad spending this money. I'd better forget about it."

Zhou Tianfu felt guilty when he thought about how busy his mother was with the bride price. She was so frugal with money, trying to save as much as possible.

Zhou Tianfu took out the steamed buns made by Cheng Jinxi, as well as a jar of pickled vegetables. "Big Goose, let's eat steamed buns instead. That way we won't be hungry and won't keep thinking about the boxed lunches."

Seeing this, Zhao Da'e had no choice but to pick up the steamed bun and start eating.

But the train salesman wouldn't just make one trip; he would usually make several trips back and forth until he had sold almost everything in his cart before leaving.

The aroma of the lunchbox wafted over, and Zhao Da'e smelled it; it was the aroma of stewed pig's trotters. He was really craving it.

No matter how much a steamed bun can fill her stomach, it can't fill her heart.

"Buying a boxed lunch, a boxed lunch for 4 yuan!"

Zhao Da'e glanced at the salesperson's cart. In just one hour, the cart had passed by him four times, but only about ten boxes had been sold. There were still more than thirty boxes left unsold. It was clear that the boxed meals were not selling well on the train, mainly because they were too expensive. Everyone was a working person, and it wasn't easy to earn money, so they couldn't bear to buy such expensive boxed meals.

Only a few people with a little money can afford to buy boxed lunches. It's already 1 p.m., and at most, no one will buy boxed lunches in another hour or two. The next time they sell boxed lunches will probably be around 6 or 7 p.m.

At this moment, Zhao Da'e suddenly had an idea: if she helped sell boxed lunches, could she also earn some money from it?

Zhao Da'e thought this method was feasible. Besides, the train journey would take two days and two nights, which would be quite boring anyway. Moreover, she was really short of money recently and needed to think of ways to earn some. Her older cousin needed money to get married, and her family also needed money to build a new house. She absolutely couldn't do without money.

After making up her mind, Zhao Da'e had an idea in mind, but she didn't rush to implement it. Instead, she waited until 2 p.m. when the salesperson came out to sell the boxed lunches for the last time. There were still about twenty boxed lunches in her cart, which she guessed would not be sold.

Zhou Tianfu had already fallen asleep by the window. Taking advantage of Zhou Tianfu's sleep, Zhao Da'e sneaked out and caught up with the salesman. Coincidentally, Zhao Da'e was currently in a carriage near the train's small canteen, which was also where the train cooked.

As the salesperson loudly returned to the rest area, Zhao Da'e quickly followed, "Sister, sister, how much are your boxed lunches?"

The saleswoman stopped when she heard someone call her. She looked at Zhao Da'e, who looked only six or seven years old, with a puzzled expression and said, "Didn't I just say that the boxed lunches are four yuan a box? Do you want to buy one?"

Zhao Da'e quickly shook his head and said, "Sister, I came to you this time to help you sell boxed lunches."

Upon hearing Zhao Da'e's words, the saleswoman couldn't help but laugh. Clearly, she didn't take it seriously. "You're so young, how can you help me sell boxed lunches? Little friend, you should go home. If you come to buy a boxed lunch, I can sell it to you for three yuan because you're so cute, but don't come here joking with me."

Zhao Da'e got a little anxious and said seriously, "I'm serious, sister. I can help sell boxed lunches, and we can split the profits."

Seeing how serious Zhao Da'e was, the saleswoman sighed, thinking he was just looking for fun and wanted to get rid of him. But then Zhao Da'e began to speak logically and persuasively.

"Sister, I grew up in the countryside. My family makes a living by farming and selling vegetables. I know a bit about vegetable prices. I can guarantee that the cost of this box of food is only a few cents. If you add the transportation costs on the train, the cost will not exceed one yuan. If you sell it for four yuan, really no one will buy it."

After listening to Zhao Da'e's long explanation, the salesperson finally looked at Zhao Da'e properly, his face full of surprise. "Little guy, you're so young, but you know a lot. The boxed meals here usually cost four yuan a box, but the price only goes down when we're almost at the final stop. But people on the train are usually very frugal, so very few of them would spend money on boxed meals. Tell me, what skills do you have to sell them?"

Zhao Da'e said mysteriously, "Sister, you'll find out soon enough. How about this: I'll buy the boxed lunches from your cart, and you give me the lowest price. I'll sell them to you so you won't have to worry about what if I buy the lunches and run away without paying."

The salesperson was quite surprised. "You want to buy all the boxed meals I have?"

Zhao Da'e nodded after hearing this, and then spoke first, "Sister, how many boxed meals do you have in this little cart?"

The salesperson honestly replied, "There are twenty."

Zhao Da'e had a rough idea of ​​what to do. "Okay, sister, how about you sell me these boxed meals for thirty yuan?"

Thirty yuan buys twenty boxed meals, averaging one yuan and fifty cents per meal.

The salesperson immediately shook his head upon hearing this, "No, this price is too low. Two yuan and fifty cents a boxed meal, I'll sell all of these to you. You see, I sell them to outsiders for four yuan a boxed meal, so selling them to you for two yuan and fifty cents is already cheap enough."

Zhao Da'e looked conflicted and troubled. "Sister, it's difficult for me too. You're selling me these boxed meals for 2.5 yuan each, but I'm planning to buy all the boxed meals you can't sell. Twenty boxed meals is already a considerable expense, not to mention your cost is less than 1 yuan. Your price is too high."

The salesperson sighed when he couldn't convince Zhao Da'e. As Zhao Da'e said, the cost of these boxed meals was less than one yuan, but those that weren't sold at noon were usually kept for the evening. But people with sharp eyes could tell at a glance what was sold at noon and what was sold in the evening. People basically wouldn't buy them. These boxed meals would basically be thrown away after one night. Even if the price was reduced to three yuan, there would still be more than a dozen boxed meals left over. So after deducting the cost, the profit was not much.

Selling them all to Zhao Da'e now seems like a good option.

At least all the boxed meals were sold, and after deducting costs, the profit was substantial.

So the saleswoman stepped back and said, "Those two-yuan boxed meals, if you buy them all, it'll be forty yuan. Buying them individually is free, how about that?"

Zhao Da'e was actually quite satisfied, but on the surface she had to pretend to be in a difficult position, as if she didn't have enough money. After hesitating for a long time, Zhao Da'e pointed to the ten bottles of mineral water that came with the cart and said, "If you give me these ten bottles of mineral water, I'll buy these boxed meals."

Upon seeing the ten bottles of mineral water, the salesperson immediately made a estimate. The mineral water was bought from the wholesale market, and the cost price for ten bottles was only one yuan. Giving them to Zhao Da'e for free wouldn't be a problem, so the salesperson agreed, "Okay, as long as you buy these boxed meals, these ten bottles of mineral water will be a gift from me."

Upon seeing this, Zhao Da'e continued, "Then I'll borrow this cart for a while, and I'll return it to you after I've sold everything."

Seeing this, the salesperson felt that Zhao Da'e's tone was quite arrogant. She had been selling for so long and had never sold out completely, yet Zhao Da'e was still confidently saying that she could sell them all.

The salesperson readily agreed to borrow the trolley, even though it was just a small cart.

Zhao Dage no longer hesitated and took out forty yuan from his pocket to give to the salesperson.

Zhao Da'e used to make money by selling water, earning several thousand yuan. He would always carry about a hundred yuan with him, as money is a necessity when you're out and about, and it's always good to have some on hand.

When the salesperson saw that Zhao Da'e could actually pay forty yuan, he happily accepted it and gave Zhao Da'e all the boxed lunches and bottled water in the cart.

"Okay, you can call me Sister Zhang. But I have to make it clear beforehand that I don't accept returns after you buy the boxed meals from me. I won't give you your money back. Don't come crying to me later when the boxed meals don't sell."

Saleswoman Sister Zhang deliberately said this, as if afraid that Zhao Da'e would really do it. Anyway, she had made money and didn't care whether Zhao Da'e would lose money or not. She just thought Zhao Da'e was stupid and rich.

There are only so many people on this bus, and the boxed meals are priced like this. Why can't I sell them while others can? There's no such thing as a free lunch. She's lived for decades and really doesn't believe in such things.

When people are on a train, they eat when they get hungry.

It's that simple.