Chapter 3: A Bleak Outlook
Chapter 3: A Bleak Outlook
The old woman's smile faded, and with a sigh, she spoke, "The day you had a fever, I took you to the clinic. Just the examination and IV drip cost over six hundred, and then we bought three types of medicine, another five to six hundred. In total, it was over one thousand two hundred. If not for Chen Sao covering three hundred for me, I wouldn't have been able to pay it all at once."
Jiang Cheng fell silent upon hearing this.
The currency here is also Yuan, but the paper money has larger denominations, and the figures on the bills are different.
Before the transmigration, a trip to the clinic for a cold or fever would cost one or two hundred.
Now, it's normal to spend a thousand for a cold.
During the prosperous era of Yan, a thousand Yuan was insignificant for any family on the planet.
However, with the decline of Yan, and the arrival of the Jue Ren Clan, the difficulty of earning and saving money has increased tenfold.
According to the original body's memory, a roasted sweet potato weighing around 300-400 grams sold for 6 Yuan. Here, selling fifty sweet potatoes in a day is considered good. After deducting costs, the profit per sweet potato is around 3 Yuan, so for fifty, it's 150 Yuan. In a month, it could amount to nearly 4500 Yuan.
It seems like a substantial income, but every month, two thousand Yuan must be paid for the stall fee, taking up half of the profit. Additionally, the area where they live is occupied by a gang called the Wild Wolf Gang, and every household in the area pays a management fee of one thousand Yuan monthly.
These are fixed expenses that cannot be avoided.
The remaining money might not even be theirs to keep.
Every evening, people with ill intentions roam nearby. If they set their sights on someone and that person wants to avoid injury, they'd have to pay a few hundred Yuan.
Such incidents happen three to five times a month, a common occurrence.
Only then is the money truly theirs.
With this money, they buy fresh sweet potatoes and charcoal, and whatever is left can be used to purchase daily necessities like food supplies.
Because of this, ordinary families can't even eat their fill. It's rare to have meat once every ten days or half a month. When they can't bear it anymore, they grit their teeth and spend ten Yuan to buy two or three eggs to savor the taste.
This time, the medical expenses amounted to over a thousand Yuan, depleting their savings and leaving them with a small debt.
Seeing this, the old woman smiled and comforted him, "Xiao Cheng, don't worry. As long as you get better, Grandma will be content. I'll repay Chen Sao's three hundred soon, including the stall fee at the end of the month. I'll work hard, getting up early and returning late, and we'll definitely save up."
Her son and daughter-in-law passed away early, and she raised Jiang Cheng by selling roasted sweet potatoes.
"Grandma, I'll go sell them."
Jiang Cheng responded without hesitation.
The original body was a filial person, aware that the elderly might face danger outside. So, whether it was buying supplies or selling roasted sweet potatoes, he always went himself, leaving the elderly at home.
He wouldn't be any worse than the original body, or rather, he wanted to provide a better life for the elderly.
Hearing this, the old woman shook her head repeatedly, "Xiao Cheng, you just recovered from a fever. You need more rest. Don't worry, Grandma will come back early, nothing will happen."
The reason that incident happened that night was also because she was eager to earn money and wanted to sell a few more sweet potatoes, and it got late before she returned.
If she had returned earlier, there were still many people in the alleys, and such incidents were rare.
"Grandma, I'm really fine."
Jiang Cheng held the old woman's hand and pressed it against his forehead, "How is it? Is it not hot anymore?"
"It's not hot, but..."
"Grandma, don't worry. If I feel unwell later, I'll return early from selling sweet potatoes. Will that be okay?"
"The old woman had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
Immediately, she reached into her pocket and took out a folded handkerchief. After opening it, she revealed some money, totaling over a hundred coins.
'Xiao Cheng, this is the money Grandma earned from selling sweet potatoes today. Business was okay today, but...'
She felt ashamed as she recounted the events that occurred on her way back.
After all, the sweet potatoes in the cart had been taken by others.
The amount of money didn't add up, and it was obvious to anyone who took a closer look.
Jiang Cheng clenched his fists, his anger burning within.
These bastards! They not only stole things but also dared to lay their hands on a sixty-year-old woman!
He took a deep breath and consoled her, "It's alright, Grandma. As long as you're safe, we can just feed the sweet potatoes to the dogs. From now on, I'll take over the sweet potato selling."
"Yes, be careful. If you encounter those people again, just give them the money."
The old woman spoke up, fearing that Jiang Cheng's anger might lead him to do something foolish.
"Yes, I understand."
Jiang Cheng nodded.
Those people were generally armed, and there were many of them. If a physical conflict were to occur, the one most likely to get injured would be himself.
In his previous life, when encountering such situations, he would usually grit his teeth and give them a few hundred coins, considering it a small price to avoid trouble.
But Jiang Cheng's heart was filled with resentment.
Moreover, his current savings were less than two hundred coins.
The remaining sweet potatoes at home were also running low. At the latest, by the day after tomorrow, he would have to purchase more from the grain store.
Under these circumstances, he couldn't afford to lose the money on the table.
"I must find a way to get out of this situation quickly!"
Jiang Cheng clenched his teeth.
...
The night passed by quickly.
Perhaps it was out of habit, or perhaps because this body had just recovered from a serious illness and was still weak, that when Jiang Cheng woke up, it was already past ten in the morning.
Light shone through the cracks, brightening the room significantly.
"Damn!"
Jiang Cheng's heart sank.
He had planned to go out and sell roasted sweet potatoes, but even though business wasn't great in the morning, he might earn more with each additional sale.
However, he had overslept.
When he looked up, indeed, the old woman's figure was no longer in the room.
Even the tricycle was gone.
"It's my fault."
He felt guilty.
He had promised to start selling sweet potatoes himself from today, but on the very first day, things went awry.
Logically speaking, by noon, Grandma would definitely return. But he didn't want to wait.
Hurriedly putting on his shoes, he quickly walked to the door, opened it, and a slightly pungent smell hit his face. The light was blinding, and it took a while to adjust.
Looking outside, he saw an uneven dirt road with garbage scattered on the ground.
Across from him was a row of mud brick houses. At the door, some people were chatting, all of them emaciated and malnourished.
Hearing the noise, many eyes turned towards him.
"Isn't that the Jiang family kid? He's awake?"
"I heard he had a high fever."
"Jiang Grandma was so worried these past few days that she couldn't eat. Thankfully, he's better now."
Hearing the noise outside, a young girl poked her head out from the neighboring house and looked over.
Seeing Jiang Cheng's gaze, she quickly retracted her head.
"Who's she?"
Jiang Cheng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered something.
(End of Chapter)
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