Chen's Variety Store's business was getting better and better, making Grocery Strong feel very proud. He also had time to go out and play with his old friends. At his age, it was all about chatting and reminiscing about their younger days, reminiscing about the glorious past, and boasting about his son who was now a shining star, making him proud.
He felt more confident when facing others.
When he went out in the morning and came back from fishing with his old friend, he had two sea fish that Zheng Bai Cheng couldn't name. He said to Zheng Bai Cheng, who was settling accounts with a customer, "Good boy, your old man caught two fish, big and fat, we'll have fish for lunch."
"A Cheng, your dad is so lucky, I've never seen him catch any fish before, but since you came, he's been catching fish." The customers here were all neighbors, so naturally they knew Grocery Strong inside and out.
Zheng Bai Cheng took out a candy and gave it to the neighbor's child, then said, "He's busy, fishing requires peace of mind, naturally he wouldn't catch any fish."
The neighbor said, "Don't you thank your brother!"
The seven or eight-year-old child who was peeling the candy wrapper immediately smiled and said, "Thank you, Cheng Gege."
"Hehe...so good, this handsome boy, he's going to be very smart."
Everyone loves to hear good things. Before, Grocery Strong didn't have this kind of attitude. He often had a "you want it or not" look on his face, and he didn't have a good temper. Zheng Bai Cheng was the opposite of Grocery Strong. Not only did he speak nicely, but he was also diligent and generous. When he saw children, he would not only compliment them, but also give them one or two candies, so children would often come to him to buy things.
This was normal. Children at this age love sweets, so naturally they liked it. Zheng Bai Cheng's way of buying over the children also made more children bring their parents to buy things here.
After the customers left, more customers came. It was almost noon before he was busy. There were still quite a few customers. After he finished, he made the rice first, then started to deal with the two sea fish. These sea fish were easier to handle than river fish, and the pollution at this time was less.
"A Cheng, you're giving away things like this, how are you going to make any money? To make money, you have to be careful with every cent. Look, many of the customers who come here have children with them, they bring a lot, and you give them more candy. This is very wasteful..."
Zheng Bai Cheng was handling the fish while listening to Grocery Strong talk about business, nodding from time to time. He finished processing the fish quickly, and started steaming them. They didn't have the means to stir-fry fish yet, steaming was the best way, and Hongkongers loved to eat steamed fish.
Just add scallions, ginger, garlic, then pour in soy sauce, and you're done. It would be ready to eat in a few minutes.
He washed his hands and took some things to get rid of the fishy smell. In less than twenty minutes, lunch was ready.
Just then, a customer came over and said, "A Cheng, you're so diligent, what's that smell? Wow, this fish, your steaming skills are the best."
"Ah Shu, you haven't eaten lunch yet, have you? Let's eat together."
"A Cheng, you're really a good guy, next time I'll buy something to take home, my family has already cooked dinner and is waiting for me to go back."
Although Grocery Strong was reluctant to see his son being so generous, he didn't say anything. Just then, another customer came in. This time it was someone buying a lunchbox. The customer asked, "A Cheng, do you have any lunchboxes left for today?"
"Nan Ge, yes, but I need to heat it up."
"Okay, there's still some for lunch. Your lunchboxes are really amazing, they're delicious."
This was a customer from last night. The lunchboxes here were cheap and delicious, he thought they only had them in the morning, he didn't expect there to be any for lunch.
Zheng Bai Cheng set up the table, then scooped rice, took out the braised meat and sliced it, and cut a piece from the middle of the fish. He smiled and said, "Nan Ge, I just made fish, braised meat plus fish, how about that!"
"Okay, why not! A Cheng, I've been wanting to eat the fish you made, I could smell it from a long way off."
Zheng Bai Cheng took out a bottle of soda and put it on Nan Ge's table, which made Nan Ge very happy. Grocery Strong was eating his food slowly on the side, thinking this boy was really willing to do anything.
"Nan Ge, why don't you just open a fast food restaurant? Your skills are top-notch."
"Nan Ge, this is my side hustle, I'm providing a convenience for the neighbors who come back at night." Zheng Bai Cheng was very humble, making Nan Ge feel that this young man had a promising future.
"Good, good, young man, you have a promising future."
Nan Ge worked the night shift. Last night when he came back, he was tired from working all day, and after eating once, he felt it was particularly delicious, so he remembered it. When he woke up this morning, he just asked casually, and he didn't expect there to be any, and it was the smell of fish that drew him over.
"Well, A Cheng, I've put the money here, I'll come back tonight." With that, he got up and left. When Zheng Bai Cheng received the money, it was three Hong Kong dollars. He immediately shouted, "Nan Ge, you gave me one extra cent."
"Today, I'm eating fish, count it as the fish money!"
"Someone gives you a tip, just take it, you're going to give it back? You're such a fool, how many times do I have to tell you before you remember?" Grocery Strong was a little exasperated.
"No, Dad, if someone gives you extra money, you have to return it."
Grocery Strong grumbled a few more words, then stopped talking and sat in the shade, fanning himself and listening to the radio. This silence also gave Zheng Bai Cheng some peace. It was the hottest time of the day, and there weren't many people around. He also found a place, took a newspaper, and read the latest news.
Recently, the news had been reporting on Lei Tan Chang's great achievements, how he had cracked many cases and become a rising star in the police force. Of course, Zheng Bai Cheng knew about Lei Tan Chang, the "Five Billion Inspector," the "Money Empire," someone who had connections with both the white and black worlds.
He had seen him in movies and TV shows in later years. The movies from the 1980s and 1990s that depicted this period all mentioned him, the first of the "Four Great Inspectors" in Hong Kong. To put it in his own words, his status was much higher than that of the other three.
Then came the Hong Kong business news, including the "Ship King," who was said to have made a fortune in several shipping crises, becoming the richest Chinese person in Hong Kong and the world's top shipping magnate.
These were people he looked up to, naturally they were unattainable, he could only look and admire.
Over the past few days, he had also confirmed that there were no systems or cheat codes here. He felt that this was a real world, not a world with systems.
If there were a system, he would feel like he had ascended to a digital world, his soul had been controlled by some high-tech, entering a super, super, super computer, living only in his own imagination. He would be better off just vanishing.