When I said that, Huzi suddenly remembered and said gloomily, "I don't know why the master made such a strange rule. We're in Yanbei City—surely this is where most people would come to find you."
"Let's wait and see. The opportunity will come," I said calmly.
"If we don't get any business for half a month, even if we pinch pennies, this little money will be gone. Young master, you need to think of something," Huzi said worriedly.
"Don't worry. I've got a plan."
Huzi gave me a strange look, as if saying, "You better know what you're doing."
No matter how tough it got, life had to go on.
With those eight hundred yuan, if we ate and drank frugally, it should last us at least half a month.
During this time, I hoped someone would come to this small courtyard.
To my surprise, over the next two or three days, a few groups did show up. But all were locals from Yanbei City, and after Huzi asked about their business, he turned them away politely.
That guy Zhang Yucheng also came twice, looking very anxious, but Huzi sent him off both times.
No way around it — I had to follow my master's rules and not break them.
So half a month passed, and I still hadn't gotten a single job.
The worst thing happened — the money my master left was almost gone.
By the sixteenth day, Huzi and I were down to ten yuan.
When my master was here, I never worried about food or drink. But now, it was different.
I truly understood the saying, "A penny can bring down a hero."
I had studied under my master for eight years and gained many skills, but no chance to use them.
Before leaving, my master must have spread the word for me to take over his business, but all who came were from Yanbei City, where I was forbidden to accept jobs.
Maybe this was my master's test.
When Huzi told me we had only ten yuan left, I asked, "Huzi, be honest — did the master secretly leave you some more money? Are you two in on some test together?"
Huzi was stunned and said, "Young master, really no. You saw the money the master gave us back then. That's all there is."
"Don't you have some secret savings of your own?" I pressed.
"Honestly, if I saved even a cent..."
"Stop, don't say more," I interrupted with a sigh. It looked like we really were down to our last penny.
Only ten yuan left. I said to Huzi, "Let's go eat out."
Huzi looked puzzled. "Young master, what can we eat with ten yuan? That's barely enough for a bowl of vegetable noodles. How are we supposed to share?"
"Relax. One bowl of vegetable noodles split between us. We're out of rice, flour, and oil at home. You can't cook either. Eating out is our only option."
"Young master, we can buy steamed buns instead — no veggies, but it'll last longer."
"Forget it. You eating eight buns at once won't stretch that far."
"True." Huzi nodded and followed me to a small eatery nearby. We ordered one bowl of vegetable noodles.
When the bowl came, I looked at it and then at Huzi, whose hungry eyes were practically glowing green. I asked the waiter for a small bowl, took a few strands of noodles and vegetables for myself, and left most of the noodles for Huzi.
He had an enormous appetite — he ate twice as much in one meal as my master and I combined.
That eight hundred yuan living expense? Huzi alone ate up more than half.
Huzi looked a little embarrassed and pushed the big bowl toward me. "Young master, you're still growing — you should eat more. I'm not hungry."
"Fine, you eat. I eat less."
"You really should eat, young master..."
As we were politely refusing each other, a sarcastic voice came from behind: "Well, well, isn't this handsome Wu Jie? Two people sharing one bowl of vegetable noodles — is that enough?"
I turned around and saw a familiar face — my classmate Wang Chaoyang.
Beside him was a pretty girl, also from our class, named Li Na.
Speaking of Li Na — she once chased me, but I rejected her. Not because I wasn't interested — she was indeed quite beautiful — but my master was strict; no dating was allowed while training. If he found out, I'd be in big trouble.
Back when Li Na was pursuing me, Wang Chaoyang was also after her. After I turned her down, they got together. So Wang Chaoyang held some resentment toward me, which explained his attitude.
When I was born, I had a fox-like face and white hair. But as I grew up, I became quite good-looking, somewhat androgynous — like those fresh-faced young stars on TV.
Actually, in high school, I had more than one girl interested, not just Li Na — some weren't even in our class. I rejected all of them.
Not because I was aloof, but because I feared getting beaten — my master was ruthless.
"Wang Chaoyang, Li Na, long time no see," I said politely, maintaining my composure.
"You've had a rough time, huh? I can't stand to see it. Let me order a few more dishes; I'll pay," Wang said with a smirk, calling the waiter over and ordering seven or eight of the restaurant's most expensive dishes for our table.
Huzi's face turned green looking at all the food. Wang Chaoyang definitely wasn't paying — he was mocking me.
I gave Huzi a calm look to ease his worries.
After ordering, Wang and Li Na sat at the next table, eating. Li Na's face was a bit embarrassed, and she kept sneaking glances at me. I pretended not to notice.
Huzi's meal tasted like cardboard, mainly because he was worried about the bill. I, however, had already made up my mind — I was going to eat my fill.
They finished quickly. Wang came over and pretended to be considerate: "Old classmate, let me pay your bill. You look like you're struggling."
"No thanks. You go ahead. I'll pay," I replied, not about to lose face. I still had some pride left.
As expected, Wang only made a show of it and said, "Alright, we're leaving then..."
He seemed to remember something, turned back and said, "Old classmate, forgot to tell you — tomorrow at Yanbei Grand Hotel, I'm hosting a dinner for our class. My college exam scores are out — I got into a top university. You have to come."