Chapter 3

Su Le is an inherently optimistic person. Even when his mother lost all their possessions, even when she left home to avoid debt without saying goodbye, and even when she left in such a hurry that she didn't even leave him a single cent, Su Le's mood remained largely unaffected. As his mother used to say, "How can you be so heartless? I wonder if you're really my child?"

Su Le believes that whether it's happiness or烦恼, it's all self-induced. Life must go on, and a living person can't be held back by a full bladder. He is already seventeen, almost at the age where he can be independent. In foreign countries, people start living independently at eighteen, so he's just a year early. Besides, there's always a way out, and at least he has a place to stay for the next three days. Sighing and frowning are a waste of life. One must smile at each day. Su Le is very open-minded; this kid is the type who can treat even the sky falling as a blanket. In this era, the more you have, the more you fear losing. Since he has nothing, what is there to fear? Not just him, many young people with nothing share the same mindset.

The boss of Xiao Dongfeng, the waiter, and the cook are all Su Meihong. After Su Le grew up, he occasionally played the roles of waiter and cook, but he had never truly been the boss.

He suddenly realized that Xin Yuejiang wouldn't come to collect the property until three days later. During these three days, wouldn't he be the true boss of Xiao Dongfeng?

There was no money at home, and there was no money in the restaurant. Su Le searched every corner of Xiao Dongfeng and found only two one-yuan coins. His mother's actions were a bit unscrupulous; when she left, she even took the fifteen yuan in his wallet.

Fortunately, there were vegetables in the freezer. Su Le quickly came up with a plan. The revenue from three days would be some income. In today's society, without money, one can't take a single step. He needed to get some money first.

Su Le spent the morning tidying up the dilapidated Xiao Dongfeng, arranging four long tables, and taking inventory of the store's stock. He then neatly wrote the menu on a small blackboard and hung it outside.

For two consecutive days, business was neither hot nor cold, with a total revenue of 530 yuan. For Su Le, this was already a considerable amount of wealth. He first topped up his phone with 50 yuan to ensure it remained functional, as his mother might call back at any time. By the second evening, Su Le was already thinking about his next move. He wanted to go to the provincial capital, Nanwu, where he had an uncle, the only relative he remembered from his mother's side. His mother might go there, but since they rarely contacted each other, Su Le didn't know his uncle's phone number. However, he had his uncle's home address.

While Su Le was packing, he received a call from a classmate. The call was from the class president, Zhao Guowei. Although Su Le's grades were average, he was always smiling and talkative, and he had good relationships with his classmates. In the past, he often played ping-pong and soccer with Zhao Guowei, and even learned a few taekwondo moves from him. However, after entering the third year of high school, Zhao Guowei distanced himself from all sports activities to focus on the college entrance exam, which also led to a cooling of his relationship with Su Le. In the eyes of many parents, Su Le was the type who was too playful and needed to be kept away from their children. Compared to other parents, Su Meihong never made excessive demands on Su Le's studies. She believed that whether one was a dragon or a wind was determined by heaven, and a child's future success couldn't be forced. For this, Su Le was grateful to his mother, as it allowed his natural character to develop and grow healthily during his childhood and adolescence.

Su Le's phone was an old Nokia 3210, which his mother had discarded after switching to an N70. Although it wasn't aesthetically pleasing, it was very durable. It had been dropped numerous times, including once into a toilet, but after drying it out and using a hairdryer, it still worked perfectly.

Zhao Guowei called to invite him to a class reunion that evening. Su Le politely declined. Compared to his classmates, who were full of enthusiasm and dreams of a bright university life, Su Le's goals were much more practical. He wanted to seize the last opportunity, do his best to operate the restaurant for the last day, and try to earn as much money as possible, as it would directly impact his future life. The more money he had, the more comfortable his life would be.

Xiao Dongfeng was just a small restaurant, usually serving fast food and casual drinks, catering to the ordinary people of society. The wealthy and powerful, who sought grandeur, would never come to the dilapidated Chunfeng Street. The business on the last evening was particularly brisk, with even the private rooms filled. They made over 600 yuan, more than the combined revenue of the previous two days. In a sense, it was a last burst of energy.

After sending off the last group of customers that evening, Su Le looked at the sign of Xiao Dongfeng and suddenly felt a deep sense of attachment. He took a few steps back to get a full view of Xiao Dongfeng. After tonight, this place would no longer belong to him. In the sunset, Xiao Dongfeng looked very old and worn, but no matter how old and worn it was, it was still his home. It held many childhood memories, recording the laughter and tears of him and his mother. Without Xiao Dongfeng, he wouldn't have grown up. Su Le crossed the street and looked at the somewhat broken neon sign of Xiao Dongfeng. He could almost hear his mother's loud and boisterous laughter again, and his eyes became moist.

In the distance, the sound of "tap, tap, tap" could be heard. An old man with a walking stick and a white enamel teacup in his hand, wearing a gray-black travel bag with patches all over it, approached. Although the old man was dressed relatively cleanly, his outfit clearly indicated his profession—he was a beggar.

Since he ran a restaurant, Su Le had dealt with many beggars, but this old beggar was the first he had seen.

The old beggar looked up at the sign of Xiao Dongfeng, his gaze lingering on the three characters for a moment. He muttered, "It's here!"

Su Le hurried over, "Old man, who are you looking for?"

The old beggar glared at him with dissatisfaction, his white beard jutting out. "Can't you see? I'm dressed like this, do I look like I'm looking for someone? What do I do? What do I do?"

Su Le smiled, "Old man, if I'm not mistaken, you're a beggar." The outfit was clearly a standard beggar's uniform, and Su Le could see that, but the uniform and equipment were too clean, lacking the usual disheveled appearance of a beggar.

The old beggar tapped his walking stick on the ground, "You're a good student, see this? This is a dog-beating stick." He raised the teacup, "This is a treasure pot!"

Su Le quickly took out two coins and threw them into the teacup, but he didn't expect that this action would anger the old beggar.

The old beggar glared at Su Le, "Kid, what do you mean by this?"

Su Le replied, "Nothing, you're a beggar, right? Do you think it's too little?" He searched his pockets and threw in five more yuan. Su Le had no ill intentions.

The old beggar's white beard jutted out in anger.

Su Le said, "Old man, I'm being honest, I'm not rich." He thought, "What bad luck, meeting a greedy old man tonight. In today's society, even beggars are picky. If you give them too little, they'll give you a hard time. People are really impatient. Debtors are treated like kings, and creditors like lords. I suddenly feel that my mother is a failure. She owes so much gambling debt, and she should be a big shot, but instead, she's like a rat everyone wants to catch and run from. In the end, she owes too little. If she owed hundreds of billions, even the bank manager would treat her like a father."

The old beggar looked extremely angry, as if he was about to throw the teacup at Su Le's head. "Do I look like I'm asking for money? I'm a beggar, do you understand? I've lived for half a century and have never been insulted like this. What are you doing? Giving me seven yuan to mock me? At my age, you're insulting me, a young man? Do you know how to respect the elderly and care for the young? Do you have any basic compassion?"

Su Le was at a loss, never expecting to encounter such a strange old man at this hour. He hadn't provoked him and had even given him seven yuan, but still received a scolding. "Old man, don't be angry. If you don't mind, I'll go get you some leftovers."

The old beggar looked inside the private room under the light, "It's quite a feast. Why don't I go in and pick some myself?"

Su Le thought, "Since tomorrow Xiao Dongfeng will belong to someone else, and since we've met, it's a matter of fate. Why refuse?" So he nodded.

The old beggar's anger turned to a smile, "Kid, you're not bad. Which school are you from? I'll write you a commendation letter."

The old beggar entered Xiao Dongfeng and saw that there was a lot of leftover food on the table. He shook his head and sighed, "The rich feast while the poor freeze to death!"

Su Le said, "Old man, don't exaggerate. This is just a small restaurant, not a grand mansion. Besides, it's summer, so there's no one freezing to death."

"Hey! You're quite argumentative!"

The old beggar looked at the teacup, took out the seven yuan, and put it in his pocket. He pointed to the food on the table, "I won't be polite!"

Su Le said, "Old man, don't be polite. If you don't mind the leftovers, sit down and eat." He thought, "That seven yuan is in your pocket now. You acted so righteous earlier, but you're quite cunning!"

The old beggar smiled, "Really?"

Su Le sat down beside him, "Why would I lie? I'll be honest, this place will close tomorrow, so you can eat whatever you want tonight."

"I won't be polite then." The old beggar picked up a pair of chopsticks, picked up a piece of stir-fried pork, took a bite, and immediately spat it out. "Phew! I thought this stir-fried pork was untouched because it looked golden and oily, like it would be delicious. But it's hard and dry, like wood. It almost broke my teeth."

During the new book period, recommendations and collections are very important. I hope every brother and sister passing by can leave a recommendation. Thank you to wingofgod, Bing Feng Feng Bing Bing Feng Bing, Feng Yu Piao Yao, and Hai Zhong Yi Sheng for their recent support. Squid will continue to work hard!

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