CHAPTER 99: CHAPTER 99: PREPARING FOR WORK

The two of them cleaned up a bit, lit the stove, and didn’t use any special ingredients. Since both of them were tired, Sun Chan just made scrambled eggs and cooked a few pancakes. They didn’t even have chairs, so they sat on the edge of the kang to eat.

While eating, Guihua asked Sun Chan what she planned to do in the future.

Sun Chan smiled and said, "I don’t have much capital right now, so I’ll just sell some fruits. I’ll also make some snacks to sell, something on the side. If I can make some money, great; if not, it’s no big deal."

Guihua chuckled. She had money in hand and had been planning to rent a house to open a small inn for a while, hoping for Sun Chan’s help. However, seeing that Sun Chan seemed unwilling, she decided to probe a bit.

"I have no problem with money. Now it’s just about finding reliable people. But you don’t seem willing."

Sun Chan grinned and said, "I still want to study, and never thought about doing business long-term. I’m not good with words and don’t quite understand business matters, so I’m afraid I can’t help you."

In her previous life, even though Sun Chan lived to be over forty, she was always living a hard life in the village, knowing nothing about business. It wasn’t her area of expertise, so she wisely refused so as not to hold Guihua back.

"Really? That’s such a shame," Guihua said regretfully. "Where can I find two trustworthy people?"

Sun Chan suddenly thought of Yang Liu and quickly smiled, "I know someone, a colleague from the wellness center. She’s very outgoing and doesn’t want to do temp work there forever. I’m not sure if she’d be interested?"

"As long as the person is honest and hardworking, it doesn’t matter who we hire, right?"

The two laughed and chatted for a while, then got on the kang, lying under the quilt, which was warm from the stove. It felt incredibly comfortable. They didn’t have any curtains, so they could see the moonlight outside through the window. Sun Chan suddenly thought of Gu Junming, wondering what he was doing.

She then felt embarrassed, blushing as she closed her eyes. As for the future, Sun Chan was filled with confidence, hoping to establish herself in the city, save some money, and then study properly, hoping one day to have a future with Gu Junming...

Her mind was a jumbled mess. Why was she thinking of Gu Junming again? She turned over to sleep and saw that Guihua next to her was already asleep. She closed her eyes too.

The next morning, Guihua tidied up and left first: "I need to check on things at home; the child is still with my big brother. I’ll be back in the afternoon."

"Okay! I’ll get my things ready too," Sun Chan said with a smile, "I’ll cook dinner, you just come back and eat."

Guihua agreed with a smile, "I’ll bring some pots and pans, otherwise we’ll have to buy them."

Before leaving, she took the diapers and such that Sun Chan had bought for her. There was no chance to give them back when they had a spat in the village, involving Guihua and Wang Dabao. Only then did she remember.

Guihua didn’t mind such trivial things, but was still touched that Sun Chan was always thinking of her. She said a few words and then left.

Sun Chan had a simple breakfast, then went out to check the nearby recycling stations. There were many things there. Although they weren’t in new condition, they were cheap. Sun Chan had very limited funds, so she had to save money this way.

She first picked out a second-hand bicycle. The bell and the seat at the back were a bit problematic, but everything else was fine, although the appearance was a bit rusty. The person there wanted forty yuan for it.

Sun Chan bargained with him, and finally settled on thirty-four yuan. She also spotted a wooden shelf in the corner. When she asked for the price, the boss, seeing it was cumbersome and that white mold had grown on the surface, waved his hand.

"It’s yours! It’s hard to even burn firewood with this thing. Why do you want it?"

Sun Chan smiled, "I thought I could clean it up and use it as a shelf to put things on."

She pushed the bike out, then went around a few more recycling stations, bought a few chairs, which didn’t cost much because they were old and wobbly. She also picked up a long plastic rope and spent three yuan on a scale. That was basically all the equipment she needed to sell fruit.

She didn’t have much money left, but Sun Chan felt a sense of security in her heart.

She went home and found a hammer to fix those chairs with a few simple knocks.

In her past life, she’d done all sorts of jobs, so this was no big deal for her. After fixing them, she carefully cleaned all the things she had bought.

Time flew, and it was noon. Sun Chan cooked some noodles for herself and went out to the phone booth.

She wanted to call Gu Junming. Although she already had his phone number, it was the first time she was calling him. She thought it might take a while to reach him, but Gu Junming picked up the phone quickly.

"This is Gu Junming."

"I... I’m Sun Chan."

Gu Junming couldn’t help but smile. She finally reached out to me. He had been waiting for news these days, growing anxious when she hadn’t contacted him. Was she resigning? How was she going to stay in X City? All these questions ran through his mind. Unfortunately, she hadn’t reached out at all, making him worry.

Sun Chan, startled, asked, "How come you answered so quickly? Were you waiting for my call on purpose?"

"I was worried about you. I’ve been waiting by the phone at this time every day. Finally, it paid off."

Sun Chan was delighted, a blush spreading over her cheeks. She briefly explained about quitting her job, "I’m planning to sell some fruits. I’ve rented a place. If you have time, come visit."

"Okay," said Gu Junming, "but are you sure you can handle it alone?"

Thinking of the petite young girl having to take on so much, Gu Junming couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.

"I’ll be fine," Sun Chan laughed. "The fruit will be delivered to me directly. I just need to walk the streets to sell them. Once I’ve saved enough, I’ll rent a storefront. If Sister Guihua’s inn gets going, I can rent a space from her, right? Selling food and fruits near the inn wouldn’t be a bad idea." Sun Chan envisioned that most guests at the inn were from out of town, so buying some fruit or food for their journey would be natural, and business should be good.

"But I still think it’s too hard on you."

"It’s only temporary," Sun Chan said. "I want to save some capital, as I’ll need it either for school or opening a shop."

Gu Junming replied, "Alright, do what you think is best. Give me your address, and I’ll help you whenever I can."

"Okay." Sun Chan recited her address and then was about to hang up the phone.