Chapter 29

Self-reliance

“I’m thinking about how to earn money!” Li Xiaoran said without looking up, “Look, our family doesn’t have much income now, and we have to feed so many people and mouths. This can’t go on!”

Luo Cheng didn’t expect Li Xiaoran to be thinking about this. He couldn’t help but remind him, “Have you forgotten what I showed you before?! We still have a lot of money. You don’t have to work so hard to earn money!”

Li Xiaoran couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Luo Cheng.

“Don’t say that to my parents. It’s fine as long as you know it yourself! You know that those things were found in the ground by you. They’re pies that fell from the sky. This kind of money is too eye-catching. It’s better to hide them! Humans have to rely on themselves to earn money. That way, they can live a stable life.”

Luo Cheng was amused by Li Xiaoran’s words.

“Alright, you’re right. You have to rely on yourself! Then what can you think of to earn money?”

When Li Xiaoran heard Luo Cheng’s words, she immediately became dejected.

“I’m trying to think of something, aren’t I? To be honest, I don’t have any money on hand right now, so there’s not much I can do. I was thinking that I could set up a noodle stall to make money. There’s not much that a noodle stall needs. All I need is a small stove and a pot. There’s a stove and pot ready, and I can get my father to chop some bamboo for the seats and benches that the stall needs. That way, I just need to buy some wheat to grind the noodles, and this stall can open!”

Hearing Li Xiaoran’s explanation, Luo Cheng became interested.

“Are you planning to set up a noodle stand in town to do business?”

Li Xiaoran shook her head and said something that Luo Cheng didn’t expect.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“I’ve already asked. There are already many noodle stalls in town. It will be highly competitive. It won’t be easy to earn money!”

“Competitive?” Luo Cheng asked while raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

“That’s right! Think about it, there are only a few fixed customers in town. There are already three noodle stalls. If I add in more, I won’t be able to earn that much money. Instead, I’ll attract the hatred of the other noodle stall owners. I won’t be earning much money, but I’ll end up attracting a lot of hatred. The loss outweighs the gain!” Li Xiaoran said righteously.

“So where do you want to set it up?” Luo asked bluntly.

Li Xiaoran thought for a moment and said, “Next to the road not far from our village. Actually, our village is located in a very good location. Merchants from all over the country will pass by here. Many people won’t stop in town, but they will pass by here and then head straight for White Foothill City. Along the way, there are barely any towns. It’s not easy to find water to drink or eat something warm. We can sell noodles and some steamed buns. When it’s cold, we can also make a pot of broth. It would be nice for everyone to drink warm soup!”

“Actually, you don’t have to do this! I can feed you guys by hunting!” Luo Cheng suddenly said as he looked at the energetic Li Xiaoran.

Li Xiaoran was stunned for a moment before her gaze landed on Luo Cheng.

“Luo Cheng, you should be able to tell! No one in our family is lazy. My parents, my sister, and Xiao Qing are hardworking, and so am I. Being hardworking is in our bones. Instead of being raised by you, we want to earn money with our own hands to support ourselves. To be honest, I’m actually very grateful to you. You’ve already done a huge favor by pulling our family out of living hell in the Li family!”

“There’s a saying that goes, ‘The mountain will fall, and everyone will run.’ You must rely on yourself. Similarly, you don’t want the people you bring back to be a burden! Although we earn very little now, we will also work hard to earn more and not drag you down!”

Luo Cheng had a new understanding of Li Xiaoran.

Actually, when Li Xiaoran found him and persuaded him to cooperate, he felt that the person in front of him was very bold.

Now that they had gotten to know each other, he discovered another side to her.

There was something about her he hadn’t seen in anyone else before.

Li Xiaoran asked in confusion when she saw Luo Cheng staring at her.

“Did I say something out of line? Was I out of my place? In fact, that’s exactly how I am. I don’t attach myself to anyone. I just want to live my own life!”

Luo Cheng came back to his senses and looked at Li Xiaoran. He thought of something and reminded her.

“Don’t you forget, you’re my wife now!”

When Li Xiaoran heard Luo Cheng’s words and remembered her identity, she immediately felt a little embarrassed.

Oh yes! She seemed to have forgotten that!

Before Li Xiaoran could explain anything, Luo Cheng said, “I understand what you mean! Do whatever you want! I’ll help you! Even a noodle stall needs money. There are two taels of silver here. Take it first and consider it a loan from me! When you earn money, just return the two taels of silver to me!”

Li Xiaoran thought for a moment. She really lacked the starting capital.

Now that Luo Cheng was willing to invest in her, she was naturally happy to accept it.

“How about this?! I’ll take this money and treat it as you joining my business. When my noodle stall earns money in the future, I’ll give you money! Don’t worry, with my cooking skills, we definitely won’t lose money!” Li Xiaoran said confidently.

Luo Cheng smiled and nodded in agreement.

He just wanted to see what tricks Li Xiaoran could come up with if he only gave her two taels of silver.

Even if he lost money, it didn’t matter. In any case, it was only two taels of silver. He could afford to lose money.

After receiving the silver, Li Xiaoran immediately began to think about what to do.

When Li Shun and Zhao Xiu learned that their daughter wanted to set up a noodle stall and that their son-in-law had taken out money to support their daughter, they decided to help.

It took a few days for Li Shun to make the chairs and benches with bamboo. He even specially took the two pieces of wood that were abandoned in the courtyard to make a large wooden table.

In order to make it easier for her to set up her stall in the future, Li Shun went to find some stones and sticky yellow mud and directly built two simple and firm stone stoves at the place where she set up her stall.

When Luo Cheng learned that Li Xiaoran and the others had built a stove, he called Zi Yang out and instructed him to do something.

Ten days later, it was a sunny day.

Li Xiaoran, who had prepared everything, set up a stall beside the official road and started selling noodles.

As soon as everything was ready and the dough was kneaded, Li Xiaoran stood in front of the noodle stall with a mask she had made herself.

She wasn’t the only one. Everyone else in the house wore masks.

In Li Xiaoran’s words, this was to prevent her saliva from falling into the pot and making the customers unhappy.

Luo Cheng heard this and glanced at Li Xiaoran.

She seemed to have thought of something that others couldn’t think of but the idea was very practical.