Everyone knows that business deals are a one-shot deal, there's no saying "next time" this round.
But you can't hit someone who's smiling at you, Lin Xiang smiled beautifully, calling him "brother" and saying he's "worked hard," which made Huang Laizi feel a lot more comfortable compared to the couple with sour faces who refused to pay more and called him shameless.
After all, he often got scolded by the villagers for doing such shameless things.
But so what? If they have the ability, they can learn from him too!
He could earn this brazen money, it was what he deserved!
"Alright! I'll sell you two tablets!" said Huang Laizi, vengefully accepting Lin Xiang's two cents, handing over two anti-inflammatory tablets to Lin Xiang in front of the couple.
"Thank you, Brother Huang! I'll have my brother thank you another day!" Lin Xiang took the medicine and quickly ran off.
Sure enough, the couple was not having it behind them, "You sell to her for one cent, but to us, it's one and a half cents per tablet, aren't you ripping us off?"
"So what? She has a good attitude! I'm happy to sell it to her for one cent!" Huang Laizi replied confidently.
The couple's expressions changed repeatedly, but they eventually compromised and handed over the money.
"Fine! One and a half cents it is!"
The next moment, Huang Laizi gleefully announced, "Now it's not one and a half cents anymore, it's two cents!"
Another round of bickering ensued.
*
Lin Xiang held two tablets.
One was bought for Lin Yun, mainly because the book said Lin Yun would have a fever for three days; she was afraid one wouldn't be enough, so she bought an extra one just in case.
After walking for more than ten minutes, someone was panting behind her.
"Girl, wait."
Turning around, it was the couple who had been holding a child earlier.
"Girl, you have two anti-inflammatory tablets, could you sell us one? Our child is very sick and has been burning up for two days already, we're desperate." The man now looked at Lin Xiang with a good expression.
After all, they had already been tricked earlier.
The other party didn't recognize the original host, so they knew she wasn't from the same village.
The Li Hua Team included four or five nearby villages, with the farthest being ten miles of mountain roads away, not everyone had seen each other.
Looking at the child's flushed red face, Lin Xiang felt a twinge of sympathy.
After all, she managed to buy it for one cent per tablet, thanks to this couple making Huang Laizi's face red with anger; she could turn a little profit by selling one, but while pulling out the tablets, Lin Xiang thought of something.
With her eyes rolling, "I can sell you one, but it'll be one and a half cents per tablet..."
The same one and a half cents, they begrudged buying it from Huang Laizi.
But from Lin Xiang, they could accept it.
Just as they were about to pay, Lin Xiang said, "If you have some money-making news to tell me, I can also sell it to you for one cent per tablet."
The couple was stunned, saving five cents for a piece of news?
But for money-making news, who wouldn't want to go after it themselves!
"Girl, we..."
"I'm talking about the kind of job that can make money, but you can't handle." Lin Xiang said, "Think about it carefully?"
The book's setting described that the male lead's rural area wasn't too remote; it was only dozens of miles to the town. Hitching a ride on an ox cart required a one-cent fare.
The male lead occasionally got jobs to go to town, and a day of urgent work could earn about a dollar. He was reluctant to spend on fare, so he drove the ox cart to walk, taking two days to earn nine or eight cents for a job.
But these opportunities were rare, and even though the male lead was well-liked, chances to get jobs were limited.
Getting some useful information from the couple's mouth would be better than five cents.
The couple racked their brains, thinking for a long time over these five cents.
Just when Lin Xiang was about to say forget it, they finally thought of a piece of information.
"Yes! Half a month ago, we went to town to sell mushrooms and heard that the town's state-run restaurant was looking for a chef who can make Western food. It's for entertaining foreigners, but that was news from half a month ago, not sure if they're still hiring now."
Western food?
She could do it!
Lin Xiang, before getting into the book, was a food blogger with over three million followers on short video platforms.
But coming here, without the tools, even the most capable person can't cook without ingredients.
"Thank you."
Lin Xiang didn't delay any more time, gave the medicine to the couple, took the dime, and continued heading towards the Lin Family.
She wanted to make money; the book's setting was during the time when college entrance exams were being reinstated, and educated youths were approved to return to cities. The message of reform and opening up hadn't officially spread yet, but at this time, many foreign businessmen had already come to investigate investments and explore the market here.
The state-run restaurant hiring for Western food chefs was a sign.
No matter what, she had to go see, was she really going to work the fields?
Going back and forth, she returned to the village already around two or three in the afternoon, and the sky darkened, indicating it might rain soon.
Lin Xiang patted the feverish Lin Yun awake, "Brother, wake up, take the medicine and go back to sleep."
Lin Yun blinked awake to see Lin Xiang's concerned eyes, thinking it was a dream.
After all, he had longed for familial affection since he was young, but never had it.
Obediently drank water and took the medicine.
Lin Xiang wanted to turn him over and use antiseptic to clean his wound.
Mrs. Lin came in, "You silly girl, you really bought him medicine! Where's the rest of the money?"
Afraid Lin Xiang had spent an extra penny.
Lin Xiang returned the money, "Here it is, Mom, our family can't just have these few bucks!"
Mrs. Lin immediately retorted, "What do you think? How much do you expect? These two dollars were saved over a long time! Aren't you the reason? Going to town during New Year, asking for this or that, what money could be saved!"
Got it, the original host was a spendthrift.
At this moment, someone outside called out, "Aunt Lin!"
Lin Xiang saw someone wearing a white shirt, black cotton pants, and black-framed glasses come in.
"Oh, Smartie Liu, why are you here?" Mrs. Lin immediately stood up.
"I heard Brother Lin is ill, so I came to bring him some medicine." Liu Pei locked her eyes on the man with the feverish red face, eyes full of both concern and shyness.
Lin Xiang was about to say it wasn't necessary, but Mrs. Lin had already warmly received the medicine and stuff from Liu Pei's hands.
"Smartie Liu, you're too kind! Our Lin Yun is usually robust, not sure how he suddenly fell ill! But he's sleeping now, once he wakes, I will definitely tell him you came to see him!"
Lin Yun drowsily heard the commotion.
Mrs. Lin warmly chatted with Liu Pei for quite a while, seeing the rain coming, she finally sent her away.
After Liu Pei left, Lin Xiang frowned, "Why accept so much stuff from her again?"
All these have to be returned once the male lead wakes up!
Mrs. Lin pointed her hands at Lin Xiang's head, "You silly girl, I just heard you beat up Smartie Wen; how are you going to work things out with him later on?"
"That Smartie Wen isn't any good!" Lin Xiang muttered, "I don't like him now!"
Better clear up the relationship right away! Preferably never have any contact again!
Mrs. Lin sighed and sat down, "This afternoon, the team had a criticism meeting for Smartie Wen, and all the matters he had with the village girls were brought to light, which is fine. But then Mom thought, Smartie Liu is pretty good! You can tell she likes your brother, right? I heard her parents are teachers in the county; together, they make twenty yuan a month! Plus, she's their only daughter; if your brother marries her, then everything they have will be ours, wouldn't life be sweet!"
Lin Xiang: ???
No, does she really think that now things wouldn't work out with Wen Siyuan, so she's trying to tie Lin Yun and Liu Pei together?
But in the book, there was no mention of Mrs. Lin trying to matchmake Liu Pei and Lin Yun?
Could it be she changed the plot, leading to a butterfly effect?