Chapter 39: Choices
Chapter 39: Choices
Next door, Chen Sao and her daughter, Lin Yue, were having a simple meal of rice and pickled vegetables inside their home.
"Chen Sao, are you home?" Jiang Cheng's voice called out from outside.
"Yes, I'm here. The door's unlocked, come in." Chen Sao hurriedly responded, putting down her chopsticks and walking towards the door.
As she opened the door, she saw Jiang Cheng standing outside with a smile on his face, holding two plastic bags in his hands.
Lin Yue's pupils widened slightly at the sight.
She hadn't expected Jiang Cheng to bring more gifts.
But remembering a similar incident from a few days ago, and the outcome... she didn't hold out much hope.
"Xiao Cheng, what's this?"
Chen Sao saw the contents of the bags—a piece of pork and a pound of eggs—and her face immediately showed her dilemma.
"Chen Sao, I wanted to give you something last time, but you didn't accept it. This time, you should take it, right?" Jiang Cheng blinked his eyes.
Chen Sao understood his intention but still instinctively refused, "Xiao Cheng, why don't you take these things back and eat them yourself? We have these at home."
"It's a different matter."
Without waiting for a response, Jiang Cheng stuffed the items into her hands, "Alright, Chen Sao, I'm going back to eat. After I finish, I'll rest. We can talk about anything else tomorrow."
After saying this, he turned and ran off.
"This kid."
Chen Sao watched as Jiang Cheng hurried into the house, unable to contain her amusement.
Her heart was also deeply touched.
Since Jiang Cheng was currently making money, and quite a lot at that, she decided to accept these items worth a few dozen yuan.
"Mom, what's going on?"
Lin Yue looked on in surprise.
The last time, her mother had firmly refused.
This time, why did she accept so quickly?
Chen Sao smiled and explained, "Your brother Jiang Cheng's business has been doing well recently, and this is also a token of his heart. Tomorrow, I'll cook this meat and invite him over for a meal."
"Oh, I see."
Lin Yue understood.
She remembered the roasted sweet potatoes Jiang Cheng had brought the last time.
The taste was indeed very good! It made sense that his business was doing better.
"Sure, let's invite him for dinner tomorrow."
Lin Yue smiled, and her heart gradually filled with anticipation.
It had been over a week since they last had meat, if she calculated correctly.
On the other side, the elderly woman was delighted to see Jiang Cheng return empty-handed, and she asked, "Did they accept it?"
"Yes."
Jiang Cheng smiled, "Chen Sao was reluctant at first, so I directly put the things in her hands. She had to accept them."
"That's good."
The elderly woman sighed, "Over the years, they've taken good care of us. Just the other day, when you had a fever, they were running around taking care of you. It's only right that we send them some things in return."
"Yes."
Jiang Cheng agreed.
"You didn't stay there for a while?"
Suddenly, the elderly woman realized something.
"Grandma, Xiao Yue is already asleep. It's useless for me to stay longer." Jiang Cheng casually replied.
"I suppose so."
The elderly woman felt it was a pity.
She wanted Jiang Cheng to come back earlier, but she was also worried about affecting his business.
"Then tomorrow, when you're home during the day, go over there more often."
"Alright."
Jiang Cheng responded and quickly changed the subject, "Grandma, guess how much money I made today?"
"How much?"
As expected, the elderly woman immediately perked up her ears and lowered her voice, as if afraid someone was eavesdropping from the corner.
"Twenty more than yesterday, four hundred and eighty."
Jiang Cheng took out a thick stack of money and placed it on the table.
"Grandma, do you want to count it?"
"No need, no need. Put your hands away quickly."
The Elder couldn't contain his laughter, "If only we could earn this much money every day."
"Definitely."
Jiang Cheng put away the money, found the savings box, and placed it together with the earnings from the past few days.
Now, his savings had reached close to 1,800 yuan. With an additional 200 yuan on hand for emergencies, he could now afford to purchase a regular membership at the Falcon Fist Gym.
To play it safe, he should go ahead and buy the regular membership tomorrow morning.
With this identity, he wouldn't have to worry about encountering those thugs with connections on his way back.
However, most of the thugs in the area would avoid him, and spending 2,000 yuan to guard against those few thugs with connections seemed a bit wasteful.
If he wanted to maximize his profits, he could wait a few more days, save up 5,000 yuan, and directly obtain the qualifications for a premium membership, which would be the best option.
That way, he wouldn't have to pay the stall fee and management fee to the Wild Wolf Gang at the end of the month. Perhaps, he might even have the opportunity to learn secret martial arts.
The only issue was the time it would take. Based on his current daily profit of over 400 yuan, it would take at least a week to save up 3,000 yuan.
A week was a long time, and many variables could come into play.
"It's better to play it safe."
Jiang Cheng thought it over and decided to secure the membership first, just to be prepared.
Moreover, if everything went according to plan, he should be able to upgrade to a premium membership by paying an additional 3,000 yuan after becoming a regular member.
In that case, paying for the regular membership first would be a good deal.
"I'll go and check it out tomorrow, and by the way, I'll also tell Grandma and the others about this." Jiang Cheng thought to himself.
If possible, he would like to keep it a secret.
But how could he explain suddenly having an extra set of gym clothes? On top of that, becoming a member meant not only having a powerful backer but also the opportunity to learn genuine skills.
With the proficiency panel, even if he practiced Monkey Fist Technique, he could do it with style and precision. However, if he went to the martial arts hall and received systematic training, along with sparring and guidance, his progress would be even faster.
That way, even without a weapon in hand, he would have the strength to fight, unlike now, where he would be at a loss if he dropped the short staff he was holding.
After finishing dinner, as usual, he washed the sweet potatoes and practiced with them.
With the foundation of the short staff, his experience with the twin sticks increased rapidly.
Over an hour passed, and a sense of fatigue set in.
Jiang Cheng put away the two short staffs and took a look at the proficiency panel. He estimated that with another practice session tomorrow morning, he would reach the proficient level.
Fortunately, he had decided to go to the gym tomorrow, and the proficiency in twin sticks wasn't an urgent matter.
...
The next day.
Jiang Cheng woke up early, eating breakfast when Chen Sao brought over her own breakfast.
"Good morning, Chen Sao."
Jiang Cheng immediately greeted her, thinking that he had something to discuss, and Chen Sao had arrived just in time.
"Chen Sao, sit, sit." The Elder smiled warmly and pulled out a stool for Chen Sao.
"Jiang Nainai, you eat yours; I'm not without hands." Chen Sao put on a deliberate stern expression.
The Elder knew she was just pretending and didn't mind. She glanced outside and asked, "Where's Xiao Yue? Still not up yet?"
"She's up, eating breakfast at home. This child, she's so shy that she won't leave the house all day." Chen Sao shook her head, exasperated.
"Xiao Cheng..."
"Chen Sao..."
The next moment, the two of them, facing each other, spoke simultaneously.
(End of Chapter)
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