The Scorching Sun - 77
Yan Lie's ulterior motives were so painfully obvious, Fang Zhuo put down her phone and laid it face down on the desk, thinking that this man must have forgotten his actual age.
She picked up her notebook and flipped through two pages before suddenly realizing something.
No, that wasn't right. He remembered perfectly well that he wasn't even twenty yet. That was exactly why he could only keep dropping increasingly blatant hints from a safe distance.
She had to give him credit for being that restrained.
After thinking for a moment, she picked up her phone again and typed a reply.
Little Sun: Don't believe rumors or spread them.
They Call Me Lie: [Hmph]
As April drew near, the weather once again became unpredictable. Time slipped away unnoticed amid the constant swings between warmth and cold.
The stall had begun attracting so many people who came specifically to see them pushing and shoving had become a regular problem. Xiao Mu was frightened by it and didn't dare go outside.
Liu Qiaohong quickly helped the two of them obtain all the necessary permits and paperwork, then assisted them in moving into the shopping mall to start operating there.
Whenever Ye Yuncheng called Fang Zhuo to chat, there was still an almost disbelieving delight in his voice. It sounded light and airy, every so often he'd fall silent for a moment before letting out a sigh that seemed to carry all sorts of complicated emotions.
To him, having even a small business that could shelter them from the wind and rain was already a stroke of luck. Being able to move into a shopping mall felt almost like a miracle.
He hadn't experienced many strokes of luck in his life, and there was something almost shamefaced about it, as though he were embarrassed to find himself living inside a daydream.
Xiao Mu, meanwhile, was simply thrilled. He could finally curl up in the back room and concentrate on his work without having to deal with customers. There was also a small supermarket right beside their shop, stocked with every kind of ice pop imaginable. It was practically heaven to him.
Ye Yuncheng also told her he'd developed a new hobby lately: the milk tea shop across from them. Unfortunately, their prices were too high. Xiao Mu couldn't bear to spend the money, often clutching his cash and agonizing over it for two or three days before finally working up the courage to buy a cup.
So lately he'd been trying to persuade Ye Yuncheng to learn how to make milk tea, hoping they could eventually become self-sufficient.
Fang Zhuo hadn't visited the place in person yet, so with no classes that weekend, she caught an early bus and headed over.
The shopping mall had only been open for a short time, but enough had been spent on advertising during its launch that it was neither bustling nor deserted.
It was fairly large, with an eye-catching exterior and a distinctive design that made it surprisingly easy to get lost.
Fang Zhuo entered through the side entrance closest to where she'd gotten off. After wandering around along the same stretch of corridor twice, she finally followed the map and found Ye Yuncheng's shop.
They'd opened too hastily to have time for a proper renovation. The walls had merely been painted white, with the most ordinary dark-colored flooring laid down.
Fang Zhuo glanced over from a distance and confirmed that there was nothing resembling a proper sign. The only thing she could see was a sheet of white paper covered in marker writing, stuck rather pitifully to a little blackboard outside the door with the prices of their various products.
Of course, Ye Yuncheng didn't have the savings to renovate the place, nor did his shop need any luxurious decoration.
There were quite a few customers already, and a long line had formed even though it wasn't mealtime yet. Compared with the businesses around them, Ye Yuncheng's little shop could only be described as packed with customers.
Fang Zhuo threaded her way through the crowd and took a closer look. The little shop had a warm, lived-in quality that seemed almost completely out of place amid the rest of the mall.
Ye Yuncheng had brought his little pushcart with him. Since they didn't have enough equipment, he'd also bought a new shelving unit, and the two had been piled together in the middle of the shop to create a makeshift division between the counter and the work area. The mismatched arrangement looked rough, haphazard, and almost carelessly thrown together.
Ye Yuncheng was completely swamped. One moment he was taking payments, the next he was sorting orders, then he had to wash vegetables or fill drinks. Fang Zhuo stood right in front of him with her backpack for two whole minutes, and he didn't notice her at all.
She glanced at the price list on the counter.
Most of the products had gone up in price. After all, although they didn't have to pay rent, they couldn't squeeze the profit margins of the other shops too much. There was also a new item, which looked like their current bestseller.
Green bean soup. Four yuan for a large cup, generously portioned and filling.
Fang Zhuo was hit with the familiar atmosphere of a school cafeteria, except the prices here were even more generous.
She tapped her finger lightly against the white counter. "One bowl of green bean soup."
"Sure." Ye Yuncheng didn't look up. "Could you line up first? We take orders over there."
He paused, straightened up, and looked at the person standing in front of him. His eyes curved into a smile.
"Zhuo Zhuo!"
Fang Zhuo slipped her backpack off her shoulder. "I'm here to help."
Ye Yuncheng urged her, "Go wash your hands first. Uncle will get you a bowl of soup."
Fang Zhuo washed her hands at the little sink, gulped down a bowl of soup, then put on a mask and helped them take payments.
At one-thirty in the afternoon, Ye Yuncheng put up a sign announcing that they were taking a break and would reopen two hours later.
He stood at the entrance, apologizing softly as he sent the slightly disappointed customers away, handing each of them a one-yuan voucher.
Xiao Mu could finally take a break. He followed the dispersing crowd and darted straight toward the little supermarket next door.
The moment Fang Zhuo saw him, she ruthlessly reported him. "He's definitely going to buy ice pops again. How many does he eat in a day? This isn't good."
"He isn't." Ye Yuncheng grabbed a towel from the side and walked over to the sink to wash it. "He's buying groceries. Xiao Mu's been very motivated lately."
Fang Zhuo remained unconvinced. She rolled her stiff shoulders and said, "There really are a lot of customers."
"A lot of influencers have come by to check the place out. The videos they've posted have brought us even more traffic." Ye Yuncheng efficiently cleared the counter, stealing a glance at the time whenever he had a spare second. "We've hired someone to help. She should be here soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged woman carrying a huge sack walked past the shop entrance.
She was thin and wiry, wearing a loose floral dress one size too large. Her skin was dark, and a deep, uneven scar ran across one of her exposed arms. As she moved, pronounced lines of muscle stood out beneath the skin.
The woman hesitated at the doorway, looking around uncertainly. Only when her eyes met Fang Zhuo's did she timidly approach. When she reached Fang Zhuo, however, she didn't speak. Instead, her gaze passed over her and found Ye Yuncheng inside. In a quiet voice, she called out, "Teacher Ye? I'm the one who came to work. Do you still need someone?"
Ye Yuncheng hurried over to greet her. "Hello."
The woman visibly relaxed.
She answered him and immediately began handing out oranges. Opening the large sack in her hands, she pulled out several bright orange fruits and pressed them into their hands, saying with awkward courtesy, "Have some oranges. Here, miss, these are grown by my family. Safe and sweet."
Fang Zhuo accepted one and thanked her. She hadn't actually understood much of what the woman was saying, since half of it was in a local dialect and the other half in Mandarin.
Remembering the reason she'd come, the woman wiped her hands and pulled some documents from a side pocket, holding them out. "This is my health certificate."
Through a combination of guessing and piecing together what the woman told her, Fang Zhuo gradually understood her circumstances.
She'd suffered domestic violence, had never been to school, two years ago her husband had cheated on her and demanded a divorce. She'd had no choice but to return to the countryside, where life had become extremely difficult. Then her mother was diagnosed with diabetes, the family had no money. She'd initially considered getting married again to take a bride price, but Liu Qiaohong had talked her out of it and helped introduce her to other work.
She'd originally been assigned to make dumplings at a hotel. The workload was heavy, but the pay wasn't bad. Then the hotel temporarily closed for a round of restructuring, forcing her out of work. Just as Ye Yuncheng happened to need someone, she'd come over.
The two were still working out her pay and responsibilities when Xiao Mu returned carrying a large bag.
He really had gone grocery shopping, but he'd also bought three ice pops on the side. He generously handed them to Fang Zhuo and Ye Yuncheng, only to notice that there was another person in the shop. Looking rather put out, he turned around and went back to buy another one.
It was getting late, Fang Zhuo got ready to return to school.
She picked up her backpack from the corner and was about to leave when Ye Yuncheng, who was showing the new employee how to use the equipment, turned around and stopped her.
"Oh, right, Zhuo Zhuo. Do you know what our shop is called?"
Fang Zhuo looked at him curiously. "What is it?"
She found the little shop, still without a proper sign, oddly strange and endearingly cute. It had come together bit by bit, one small kindness building upon another, gathering strength until several lost people could finally find somewhere to settle.
Fate had never particularly favored them, but somehow the tide of the times had stopped here.
She hoped this place could become a small wall, something that might shelter even more people.
"Xiangyang." Ye Yuncheng raised a hand to indicate the size and smiled. "I had someone paint a picture of a sunflower. Once it's finished, I'll hang it on the wall opposite the counter. I also had someone make a new mold so that we can stamp a little sun onto the rice balls as our logo. Once we hire another employee, we might even be able to start doing delivery."
Fang Zhuo thought it was wonderful, though she didn't quite know how to put the feeling into words. She simply played along.
"Wow."
"Things will be better tomorrow," Ye Yuncheng said with a smile. "All right, head back to school early. Stay safe.”
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