Chapter 30: Doubling Down
Chapter 30: Doubling Down
With less than ten days left until the end of the month, it was already a challenging task to gather the 3,000 yuan for the Wild Wolf Gang.
And now, he had to come up with another 2,000 yuan to purchase a membership at the Falcon Fist Gym.
How could this be easy?
If it were next month, based on his current roasted sweet potato sales, it wouldn't be difficult.
The critical issue was, would those people give him that much time? What if he encountered them in a few days?
Jiang Cheng's brows furrowed in worry.
Even if they did give him this much time, he would still have to pay 5,000 yuan per month to the Wild Wolf Gang and the Falcon Fist Gym combined. It would be better to directly purchase a premium membership at the latter, at least he'd have a chance to learn their secret martial arts.
"Money, I must get more money!"
Jiang Cheng's eyes shone with determination.
He had originally planned to set up an extra stove for roasting sweet potatoes in a few days, but now it seemed imperative to do so sooner.
As the roasted sweet potatoes sold out, the crowd surrounding him gradually dispersed, still whispering about what Bai Wei had said as they left.
Becoming a gym member not only meant protection from the Wild Wolf Gang but also learning valuable skills, a two-in-one benefit. However, the price was steep; how many could afford it?
Time passed, and Jiang Cheng sat in his tricycle, eating as he drove. From a distance, he spotted Lu Zicheng approaching, pushing his tricycle.
Strangely, Lu Zicheng kept his head down, looking ashamed.
"You're here?" Jiang Cheng greeted him.
"Yeah." Lu Zicheng nodded, parking his tricycle and silently unloading various items from it.
"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?" Jiang Cheng found this odd.
In his memory, Lu Zicheng was an outgoing guy.
Why was he so quiet and reserved today? Could it be that his behavior these past two days had dampened Lu Zicheng's spirits?
At these words, Lu Zicheng paused, then slowly turned his head, revealing a swollen face.
Jiang Cheng's smile froze. "What happened?"
"What else could it be?" Lu Zicheng lowered his head, sadly, as he opened a package, "Last night, I was unlucky. Some people blocked my way and demanded money. If I didn't pay, they'd beat me up. I had no choice but to give them the money I had on me, so yesterday's work was for nothing."
Jiang Cheng fell silent.
His original body's relationship with Lu Zicheng was just casual acquaintanceship, as their stalls were close by, they would chat.
His relationship with Lu Zicheng was even more distant.
However, they shared a similar situation, and he could empathize.
"It's not a big deal. I'm used to it by now."
Lu Zicheng chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I knew something bad would happen with my twitching eyelid, and it did in the end. Sigh."
He sighed, "I just hope my appearance won't affect business today, and that the kids won't be scared."
Jiang Cheng didn't know what to say.
Perhaps offering to help Lu Zicheng at this moment would be a good choice.
But those people often lurked in the shadows, and most people didn't know where they lived, making it difficult to confront them.
Unless he escorted Lu Zicheng back every day... that was asking too much.
After some thought, he decided against saying more. Ensuring his own safety was already a challenge; helping others could wait until he became stronger.
Before long, evening arrived.
Jiang Cheng calculated his earnings for the day, which were similar to yesterday's, close to 600 yuan, with a pure profit of 300 yuan.
Lu Zicheng's spirits were low, and unlike yesterday, he merely nodded when Jiang Cheng greeted him.
After buying fresh sweet potatoes and returning home without incident, Jiang Cheng brought up the idea of setting up an extra stove again during dinner.
The elder thought about it and eventually agreed.
Jiang Cheng's words made sense. If business was good, having two stoves for roasting sweet potatoes would double the profits. If it wasn't, he could simply remove one, as the stove itself wasn't that expensive.
Early the next morning, Jiang Cheng bought a stove made from an oil drum for less than thirty yuan. According to the seller, it was previously used by another sweet potato vendor, but they didn't make much money and ended up selling the stove with the tricycle.
Upon returning home, Jiang Cheng cleaned the stove and sealed it with some soil before modifying it.
Now, his tricycle had two stoves, making it look a bit crowded.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Jiang Cheng realized he hadn't practiced his short stick techniques that morning due to all the preparations. Glancing at the time, he saw it was already past ten, almost eleven.
"Grandma, it's getting late. I'm heading out," Jiang Cheng said hurriedly after finishing his lunch.
The elder put down her chopsticks and said, "Xiao Cheng, with two stoves, can you manage by yourself? Or should I come with you?"
"It's not that much work."
Jiang Cheng smiled, "It's just two stoves, not three. And Grandma, if you come with me, who will watch the house? I can't keep bothering Chen Sao, can I?"
"That's true."
The elder sighed, "Then you must be careful, especially when you return in the evening. If you encounter those people, just give them what they want."
She glanced at the new stove on the tricycle, her eyes holding both expectation and worry.
Good business was, of course, a good thing.
But if word got out, things might change.
Those thugs weren't fools; they would realize Jiang Cheng was making a lot of money with two stoves on his tricycle.
"I understand, Grandma. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'm off," Jiang Cheng assured her as he pushed the tricycle towards the street.
Indeed, as he made his way, more curious eyes gathered.
There were looks of curiosity, surprise, confusion, and suspicion.
Jiang Cheng kept his gaze forward, pushing the tricycle. To his surprise, Lu Zicheng had arrived earlier.
Seeing the tricycle with two stoves, Lu Zicheng's eyes widened, "Jiang Cheng, you... what's this?"
"Hehe, business has been good lately, so I thought of expanding a bit," Jiang Cheng explained with a smile.
"Oh, really?"
Lu Zicheng moved his lips, then nodded, "Good, very good."
"Hehe."
Jiang Cheng didn't say more, fearing he might discourage him.
However, he also felt a bit nervous inside.
Although business had been excellent the past few days, with long queues and customers unable to buy, logically, he shouldn't worry about sales.
But now that the time had come, he felt a bit anxious.
"What's there to fear? If business is slow, I can just modify the tricycle back to its original form," Jiang Cheng thought.
With this thought, he felt much better and started roasting sweet potatoes with newfound proficiency.
Soon, someone approached, exclaiming, "Hey? Boss, you got two stoves going?"
"Yeah, there were always complaints about long waits, so I added another stove. Now I can roast with both," Jiang Cheng laughed.
"That's right, one stove doesn't cook enough sweet potatoes. Two stoves are much better. But boss, you're on the path to riches!" the customer exclaimed, his tone filled with envy.
However, he also knew that Jiang Cheng's skills were exceptional; others couldn't match him.
The other vendors on the street had far less business.
"It's just enough to get by," Jiang Cheng smiled bitterly.
Lu Zicheng, standing nearby, was taken aback by Jiang Cheng's words. He wanted to ask if he misunderstood the phrase 'get by.'
(End of Chapter)
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