Chapter 36: Explosive Popularity

I don’t know when it started, but phrases like "labor is the most beautiful" and "you look so handsome when you’re striving" have become quite tiresome to people online.

Are these sayings wrong? No, they’re actually right.

To say they are wrong is because, in this day and age, hard labor and diligent striving only solve the problem of having enough to eat; they don’t have much of a necessary connection to changing one's personal destiny or social class.

To say they are right is because, as long as you find the right direction, you will find that the process is full of motivation and pleasure. You’ll feel like a donkey on a production team—you simply won't feel tired at all.

Anyway, during the time I was running my street stall, because there was a glimmer of hope, the pedals of my tricycle would practically smoke on the way to my spot every day...

—Excerpted from Hu Biao’s diary collection, "Hu Says"—

Just past nine in the evening, less than three hours after opening, Hu Biao was full of apologies to a pretty girl who was still wearing a skirt in this cold weather:

"I’m so sorry, miss! Today was my first day setting up, and I never expected everyone to be so supportive. As a result, I prepared too little, and now there’s absolutely nothing left. I even gave the portion I intended for my own dinner to that gentleman over there. I’ll definitely prepare more tomorrow; I promise you’ll be able to eat some."

After the foodie girl—who had come excitedly after being recommended by her best friend, only to be left disappointed—walked away, Hu Biao let out a long sigh of relief and continued what he had been interrupted doing: counting money. Ten, twenty, thirty... fifty, he counted away.

That’s right! Hu Biao’s first day of business was a huge success.

Even before the peak hours he had planned for—when the middle schoolers would pour out of their evening self-study sessions, those growing boys who could eat a man out of house and home—all the ingredients he had prepared for his oil-splashed noodles and meat burgers were sold out.

There were even several people who had hurried over after getting a glowing recommendation from a friend, only to find nothing left. The disappointment on their faces gave Hu Biao an inexplicable sense of guilt.

So, Hu Biao’s stall got off to a flying start on its very first day. With his spirits high, he was already prepared to bring at least twice the amount of ingredients tomorrow.

As for how much he made today and what his profit was?

Well, despite the limited ingredients, the total cash and mobile transfers amounted to 755 yuan, with a profit of nearly 500. For a mobile stall with no rent or labor costs, such a high profit margin was expected. If he prepared more tomorrow, earning a thousand yuan would be easy. Even so, today’s profit was equal to two or three days of his usual odd jobs, and Hu Biao was already quite satisfied.

After putting the change into his pocket, Hu Biao began to pack up, waiting for the two remaining customers to finish their noodles before closing shop to head home. For dinner, he’d cook some rice. He still had some pork lard cracklings at home; with a bit of salt and barbecue seasoning, it would be a delicious meal.

Right! On the way back, he needed to buy a mattress, bedsheets, and a quilt so he could have a warm, comfortable sleep tonight. Then, he’d get up early tomorrow to buy groceries.

Thinking about all this, Hu Biao was filled with bright expectations for the future.

But just then, a surprised voice reached his ears: "Oh! There’s a new stall here today; finally, I don't have to walk this stretch of road in the dark."

Following the sound, he saw two girls with backpacks walking past his cart, looking pleasantly surprised. Under the LED lights, their ponytails bobbed happily, full of youthful vitality—and a feeling Hu Biao couldn't quite describe. Perhaps it was the gratification of an older man seeing the next generation growing up healthy like flowers.

"Forget it! I'll stay a bit longer before packing up, at least until these kids are all gone," Hu Biao muttered to himself as he stopped what he was doing.

It wasn't until just past ten that Hu Biao finally pedaled his tricycle away.

At the same time, in an internet café that had nothing going for it except its low price, "Four-Eyes" slammed his headset onto the table with a loud "clack" after his character was once again headshot by someone with a 98K.

Glaring at his two companions, "Iron Rooster" and "Big Horse Monkey," who looked at him in surprise, he cursed: "Damn it! My form is terrible today; I’m getting headshot every single round. I’m done playing, I’m heading back to sleep. You two keep playing; I’ve already paid for your overnight stay."

With that, he grabbed a jacket he hadn't washed in who knows how long and hurried out.

Stepping out of the café and getting hit by the sub-zero wind, Four-Eyes instantly sobered up, a bitter smile appearing on his face. Why was his game performance so bad today? To put it plainly, his mind was in chaos. After seeing that Hu Biao, despite not arguing back, had a glimmer of light in his eyes, his heart had been completely unsettled.

Even while walking away, and even when eating hot pot with Iron Rooster and the others, he had been bad-mouthing Hu Biao, calling him an idiot for refusing to play ball. But in his heart, he knew he was actually jealous—jealous that the other guy had the courage to escape this mud pit.

After squatting on the curb and smoking three cigarettes in a row, he flicked the butts away and muttered, "Go back to the rental, get some sleep, and wake up early tomorrow to look for work. It’s almost New Year’s! I should send some money home before then."

Later, when Four-Eyes fell asleep in his cramped 25-yuan-a-night single room, he didn't know that Iron Rooster and the other guy hadn't stayed the whole night either. They had each found excuses to head back early.

Then, at five the next morning, when the three of them met at the spot where they waited for job agencies, they first stared at each other in surprise, then smiled with a tacit understanding. Every one of them, to their own surprise, felt quite good...

******

Right! While Four-Eyes and the others were waiting for work, what was Hu Biao doing?

Naturally, he was on his way to buy groceries—or more accurately, he wasn't pedaling his tricycle, but jogging toward the wet market in the cold wind.

He wasn't avoiding the tricycle because of the cold. Even though Hu Biao didn't know he would be heading to the Songhu battlefield in a month, after the embarrassment of panting like a dog during his training, he instinctively wanted to get his body in shape and not be so weak at such a young age.

The question was, how to stop being so weak? Quit smoking? Probably impossible. Buy some kidneys or animal organs to boost his vitality? That wasn't out of the question, but he needed to wait until his wallet was a bit fuller. Go to the gym and train with a private coach in yoga pants? He didn't have the time or the money, but jogging to exercise—a free yet effective method—was something he could do.

So, after a brief warm-up, Hu Biao started running in the biting wind.

By the time he returned to his rented room with a pile of meat and vegetables, the sky was already bright. Hu Biao’s head was steaming, his clothes were soaked with sweat, and he was panting like a dog; yet, despite all that, he was filled with an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.

There was something quite satisfying about this feeling of sticking to something.

The rest of the day wasn't worth mentioning: showering with laundry detergent, doing his laundry, and then processing the ingredients. After finishing lunch, he took a two-hour nap.

It’s worth mentioning that just as the sky was turning dark, Hu Biao arrived at his spot from yesterday on his tricycle and was surprised to find several familiar faces already waiting there.

Before he could even figure out where he had seen them before, they were already chattering away: "Boss Hu, you’re finally here! I didn't even eat lunch, just waiting for you to open up so I could have a good meal."

"Isn't that an exaggeration? Is it really that good?"

"Let me tell you, it’s so good you wouldn't want to put your chopsticks down even if someone slapped you! Plus, not only is the food Boss Hu makes delicious, but the man himself is quite handsome too."

"Oh! Boss Hu, you don't need to busy yourself setting up the tables, we’ll handle these little things. Hurry up and pull the noodles; I want a super deluxe version with extra noodles and extra meat!"

Just like that, a bewildered Hu Biao was forced into business.

For the rest of the evening, because customers kept coming in a steady stream, he was like a spinning top, never stopping once he started.

When the time hit 8:56 PM, even though he had prepared fifty percent more ingredients than the day before, everything was sold out once again.