Kaohe Town.
Early morning, at dawn, Chen's Fish Shop.
"These knife fish are too small, two cents."
"Aunt Qin, these knife fish are so small, how could I charge you? They're a gift for you. Look at these black fish, just caught, I saved them specially for you."
"The size is good, how much are they?"
"Twenty cents each."
"Twenty cents, isn't that expensive?"
"It's not cheap, but you don't lack money. These black fish were originally meant to be sent to the county. Last week, you mentioned your daughter-in-law is pregnant, so I asked the Shopkeeper to save them for you. They say eating black fish brings a good grandson."
"Alright, pack them up for me, and give me these knife fish too."
"No problem, I'll pack them up for you right away."
A skinny teenage boy swiftly packed the black fish into the basket handed over by the woman, and even added two lake clams into the basket, which made the woman smile even wider.
"Oh, Aunt Zhang, coming early might not be as good as coming at the right time; these two carps are very fresh..."
"Uncle Li, you're here personally to buy fish today, you really care about Aunt, just tell me what fish you want..."
"Uncle, same as always, I'll scale them for you."
The boy grabbed the fish with one hand and swiftly scaled them with scissors in the other, without even looking at his hands.
"Chen, have you thought about finding a wife?"
"It's still early."
"What's early, at your age, you should start considering it. When I was your age, Baby was already born."
"Uncle, the scales are done, I've put them in the basket for you."
"It's done? Chen, you really are fast." The middle-aged man wanted to chat more, but seeing the boy busy with another customer, he left somewhat reluctantly with the basket.
...
...
Half a two-hour later, the three baskets of fish in front of the boy were almost empty.
The shopkeeper, smoking dry tobacco, approached: "Chen, how about working for me? I'll talk to the boss and get you ten cents more than the usual starting wage every month."
"Shopkeeper Yang, I'm still learning martial arts at the Martial Hall." The boy politely declined.
"Learning martial arts isn't easy. Without money, you won't achieve much. If you work here, and perform well, I can recommend you to become a shopkeeper in the future."
"Thank you for your kindness. If I get kicked out of the Martial Hall, I'll come to you."
The boy wiped the fish slime from his hands, which were peeling from scaling, and declined again while accepting the fifteen copper coins handed by the shopkeeper.
"You've got a good head for business, why learn martial arts? That's not something ordinary folks can afford to learn."
The shopkeeper watched the boy walk away, sighing.
Pursuing martial arts without money leaves you empty-handed.
"Shopkeeper, this Lin Chen is so ungrateful, you appreciate him so much, and yet he refuses you."
The store clerk was displeased with Shopkeeper Yang's admiration of Lin Chen, feeling he could also handle the scaling work and even faster than Lin Chen.
"You know nothing!" Shopkeeper Yang glared at the clerk: "You think it's just about scaling? Other fish shops try the same method but still can't outsell us; that's his skill."
Shopkeeper Yang understood clearly; Lin Chen's skill lay in turning customers into regulars.
But the clerk had a point; he did admire Lin Chen and hoped he'd work at the fish shop. However, Lin Chen's polite yet firm response showed he had no intention to be a worker, so this odd job couldn't be extended.
Ten cents isn't much, but it's an extra expense; given to a store clerk, there's no need to spend those ten cents at all.
He's just a shopkeeper and needs to account for it to the owner, and also to protect Lin Chen.
...
...
Leaving the fish shop, Lin Chen sighed; this fish-killing job was no longer viable.
Once, not twice; twice, not thrice.
Having refused Shopkeeper Yang three times, it was unlikely he'd let him continue with fish vending side jobs.
Even though he could sell more fish than other clerks, Shopkeeper Yang was just a senior worker; giving him ten cents was hard to account for to the owner after a long time.
This offer was likely his final chance.
Even if Shopkeeper Yang hadn't asked today, he would have only continued a few more times before quitting.
The neighboring fish shopkeepers were already eyeing him unfavorably.
If he were a fish shop worker, being good at selling fish would be fine; it's about skill in the trade.
But as a part-timer, taking their business was bound to attract resentment.
Lin Chen shook his head. In recent months, he had done many odd jobs in the town, each for about a month before leaving, for the same reason.
...
...
Lin Chen returned to the town's Martial Hall.
At the Martial Arts Arena, many boys were practicing boxing, their shouts continuous.
"Chen, back again."
A boy in the arena saw Lin Chen returning and whispered, "This is the last month. If your strength doesn't reach two hundred pounds, you'll be eliminated. If you run out of money, I still have some, take it and don't miss practice by taking jobs."
Lin Chen felt warmth in his heart: "Don't worry, if I'm really short, I won't hesitate to ask you."
The boy was from the same village, having grown up playing together, sharing a bond like brothers.
"Your grandfather sure is something, paying for your cousin's martial arts, but not for yours," Gu Fei muttered.
"The family already spent a lot on my cousin's martial training."