Chapter 4: Found a Place to Stay

Xu Meng’s first reaction was: how should this watermelon be sold?

Then a scene immediately appeared in her mind—decades later, fruit on skewers would be sold everywhere.

Right now, the commercial economy had only just started recovering, and there weren’t many people with these kinds of little business ideas. She hadn’t seen anyone selling watermelon by the slice.

Yes, why not sell sliced watermelon?

“Sell, sell, sell,” Xu Meng responded quickly, her face breaking into a wide smile. “This whole watermelon is too much to eat in one go, so we’ll sell it by the slice. One slice for five mao (0.5 yuan).”

“Five mao…” The woman hesitated for a moment. “That’s a bit expensive, isn’t it?”

Xu Meng quickly sliced off a piece with the knife, then skillfully shaved off the rind, leaving just a small bit for holding: “Pretty sister, we carried this watermelon all the way from far out. Besides, you’re catching a train—if you buy a whole watermelon to bring on board, the watermelon might make it on, but they’re definitely not letting your knife through security. And how would you cut it up on the train? Also, there’s nowhere around here where you can buy watermelon right now.”

The woman blushed immediately at being called “pretty sister.”

But since it came from a young girl, it didn’t sound flirtatious at all. On the contrary, it made her feel quite fond of her.

The child, however, couldn’t hold back and reached out to grab a slice.

Before the woman could say anything, someone behind her who looked like a tourist took out one yuan. “Cut me two slices just like that. Trim the rind a bit more, just enough for me to hold it. Will you take care of the trash?”

“I’ll take care of it, no problem. You just stand here and eat, then hand me the rind afterward—I’ll collect it all and take it away together. Our capital city is working on becoming a model of civility now, so don’t go tossing trash around. If someone with a red armband catches you, you’ll get fined,” Xu Meng said, noticing the person’s out-of-town accent and guessing he was a tourist who had just gotten off the train, so she kindly reminded him.

This area wasn’t inside the train station yet. It was part of the busy entrance-exit zone, crowded with people either about to board or just getting off the train. Judging by his expression, this man had clearly just arrived.

He nodded to her and chatted while waiting for his watermelon.

Xu Meng was born and raised in the capital. Even though her family didn’t give her much spending money, she’d always loved going out. There wasn’t a single tourist spot she didn’t know. On top of that, she was quick-witted and articulate. She rattled off a whole list of tips and reminders, which made the man nod repeatedly, and soon, a small crowd of tourists gathered around her.

Catching her cue, Feng Yanwen quickly went over to collect the money.

Two slices of watermelon were quickly cut, and the tourist took them and stood to the side to eat.

With him was an elderly woman, who took a bite and praised, “So sweet. This watermelon is really delicious. We just got off the train and our mouths were so dry—eating watermelon right now is just perfect.”

If there hadn’t been sliced watermelon for sale, these tourists wouldn’t have bought any even if they were dying of thirst.

After all, it wouldn’t make sense for the two of them to each carry half a melon and stand by the roadside gnawing on it before continuing on their way.

Xu Meng replied with a big smile, “This year’s watermelon is a bit more expensive than usual. If my family didn’t have so many people, we wouldn’t be able to finish a whole one either. I carried this melon all the way from really, really far—it was a tough trip. Five mao isn’t a loss and definitely not a scam. Just one bite and it cools you right down. Come on, everyone, have a taste!”

Elderly folks loved girls who were sweet-talking and good at chatting like her, and they showered her with praise.

Five mao wasn’t exactly expensive. It could buy two meat buns, three vegetable buns, or five bowls of large-bowl tea.

But watermelons were truly pricey this year. Many people hadn’t even had a taste of watermelon yet, even by this time of the season.

And with the recent heat, anyone who made it to the train station was either catching a train or had just gotten off one. After being on the road for so long, who wasn’t both tired and thirsty? The little girl’s mother quickly pulled out a few mao bills. “Cut a slice for my child too.”

Xu Meng had already measured it out—just waiting for the money. Once she received it, she shaved the rind off neatly and handed over a beautiful, clean slice of watermelon.

Seeing how hygienic she was—never touching the flesh of the melon with her hands—the woman was quite pleased. She took the slice and held it up to her daughter’s mouth.

The little girl had been on the verge of tears, but now her mouth was sweetened by the watermelon. One bite in and the crisp, juicy sweetness burst in her mouth. She shouted happily, “Mommy, it’s so yummy! Really yummy!”

The little girl’s voice seemed to carry some kind of magic—people around them immediately began swallowing their saliva.

Some had only come over to watch the commotion, but now they started reaching into their pockets.

“Give me a slice too,” someone said, pulling out money. “And don’t cut it too small.”

Feng Yanwen had a sharp eye. After taking the money, she told her daughter, “Cut it nicely. Measure it carefully—don’t make it too small.”

Xu Meng grinned and said, “Got it. If I cut it too small, I’ll make up for it.”

There were a lot of people in the Xu family. If the watermelon slices weren’t cut evenly, the smallest piece would end up with her. So she had developed solid skills in slicing watermelon. At the very least, to outsiders, the difference between each piece wasn’t noticeable.

Crowds always followed a trend. As soon as one person pulled out money, others immediately started doing the same. The watermelon wasn’t very big to begin with, and selling it slice by slice meant it didn’t go far. However many slices Xu Meng could cut, she could sell—and before long, it was all gone.

Feng Yanwen had collected so much money her hands were going numb. Once the watermelon was finished, there were still plenty of people who could only leave in disappointment, and she felt a wave of relief inside.

Good. At least they wouldn’t have to carry that watermelon around anymore.

Besides, they had made quite a bit just now.

Only thing was, that watermelon had originally been gifted to them to eat, and in the end, they sold it instead. It felt a bit like they owed someone.

But holding that thick wad of bills in her hand, she suddenly felt a real sense of security.

Just now, Feng Yanwen had been in charge of collecting the money, and she had counted each one. Altogether, they had sold seventeen slices—that made eight yuan and five mao.

“Xu Meng, I was wondering why it was so lively over here. What are you doing?” Once the crowd had dispersed, a petite girl squeezed in from the edge and started calling out loudly the moment she saw Xu Meng. “Aiya, I heard outside someone was selling watermelon, and turns out it was you. See? Just such a coincidence. We’re totally in sync! What are you doing?”

She enthusiastically reached out to grab Xu Meng’s hand.

This was Chang Xi from their teenage years. Xu Meng felt a sudden warmth in her chest.

The two of them had been desk mates in middle school. Back then, the canteen lines were so long that Xu Meng often couldn’t get any dishes, while Chang Xi often couldn’t get any rice. So the two of them started teaming up—one would get rice, the other would get dishes. After three years of doing that, they became very close. Later, when they tested into high school, they were assigned to different schools.

So Chang Xi was also going into her final year of high school next semester.

In her previous life, Chang Xi hadn’t managed to get into university. In the end, she was recruited to work on the railway, becoming a train attendant just like her mother.

Later on, Xu Meng heard that Chang Xi had met someone through an introduction—a young man who worked at a station. He was from out of town, good-looking for sure, but he came from a large extended family. Every time a relative came to the capital, they would stay at Chang Xi’s place, turning her home into something like a provincial liaison office in Beijing. That man cared a lot about appearances, and whenever relatives visited, he insisted on hosting them properly. Eventually, it became hard to tell who the house even belonged to. The couple had a lot of conflict.

When her family’s house was demolished, the compensation payout was substantial. But the man secretly diverted the funds and ran off with a younger woman. Still, Chang Xi was tough. She spent years fighting a lawsuit and actually managed to get the money back.

In this life, Chang Xi should be getting ready for her final year of high school. Her parents were too busy to keep an eye on her, and as the child of railway workers, she had an easier path to getting hired, so she didn’t feel any real sense of urgency.

After her shouting, Chang Xi finally noticed Feng Yanwen standing nearby and called out shyly, “Teacher Feng.” Feng Yanwen had taught her in the past.

“Chang Xi, are your parents at home?” If Chang Xi’s parents were around, it wouldn’t be very convenient to stay over.

Chang Xi waved her hand. “Don’t mention it. My dad’s out for an eight-day trip. He just left yesterday, so he won’t be back for another seven days.”

Xu Meng let out a sigh of relief, then told Chang Xi about needing a place to stay for a few days. “I’ll go out tomorrow to look for a place. Once I find one, I’ll move out.”

Chang Xi said, “Sure, you can stay longer if you want. We’ve got a utility room that’s still empty.”

Xu Meng thought about how both of Chang Xi’s parents were still around, and staying there wouldn’t be that convenient in the long term—but now wasn’t the time to bring that up. She gave Feng Yanwen a little wink, motioning for her to follow.

But Feng Yanwen didn’t have Xu Meng’s thick skin. Since they were asking to stay at someone else’s home, she still felt awkward and hesitant to take that step forward.

Chang Xi said, “My parents would be happy to have more people at home to keep me company. I’m just saying, don’t rush to move out. I didn’t say you couldn’t move, but you came to me for help, which means things must be a bit tight for you right now, right? I know how you are—always pretending everything’s fine. My parents are both going on long-distance trips for a while, so they probably won’t be home much anyway.”

Xu Meng didn’t refuse right away.

In her previous life, Chang Xi had been the same. Xu Meng had stayed at her house for over a month, and her family had been welcoming the whole time.

But this time, Xu Meng planned to find a place for the long term. Once Chang Xi’s parents came back, the space definitely wouldn’t be enough. So she still needed to look for another place. Even so, having a week’s buffer was already a huge help, and just now she had come up with an idea for earning some temporary income.

The three of them chatted as they walked, and soon arrived at the Chang family’s home.

The place where Chang Xi lived now was a small courtyard house left behind by her grandparents. The people who used to live in this area weren’t well-off, and the houses were all built low. The storage room she mentioned was actually a room she had lived in when she was little. It was located on the outermost side of the courtyard. After her grandparents passed away, Chang Xi moved in with her parents, and that room ended up vacant and turned into a storage space. Right now, it was filled with all kinds of things, messy and cluttered.

Xu Meng remembered that this room had been rented out before, so it had a door facing the outside and could serve as an independent unit, which was quite convenient.

People in this era didn’t care much about privacy—otherwise, living in shared courtyard houses would’ve driven them mad. Having a room like this wasn’t much different from living in a big shared courtyard.

“I’ve been saying we should clean this place up for ages,” Chang Xi said, “but the whole family’s been too busy. Now’s the perfect chance to finally get it done.”

No matter how run-down the place was, since they’d be staying here for the next few days, it needed to be tidied up properly. The mother and daughter got to work together, and with Chang Xi joining in, the three of them began moving things out and throwing things away. A lot of it was old household stuff that hadn’t been used in years.

Xu Meng looked around and did a quick sweep—there was barely anything in the room that could be used.

“Do you have any bed boards at home?”

Chang Xi was stunned for a moment. That meant no.

In this era, people didn’t just throw things out randomly. Xu Meng went around inside and outside the room, found a few bricks, and had Feng Yanwen help her stack them into a makeshift bed frame. They still needed to find a bed board. In any case, they’d need it eventually, and they could probably find some second-hand furniture in nearby shops.

“Mom, we need to buy a few things.”

“What do we need to buy?”

Feng Yanwen had no experience with running away from home, so she was completely in the dark.

Xu Meng glanced around the room. “We need to make a list. Some things we’ll be using long-term, so we can’t go for the cheapest stuff.”

Chang Xi cut her off. “Xu Meng, did you really run away from home?”

Xu Meng was momentarily speechless. She had always dreamed of running away from home since she was little, and Chang Xi knew that.

“I guess… yeah.”

“All right, then I’ll take you to a second-hand furniture store later so you can find some things to bring back. Buy what you need, but don’t overdo it.”

Xu Meng thought for a moment, then took out her pen and paper and actually made a list. It included, but wasn’t limited to: bed board, bamboo mat, a cup, toothbrush, towel, and other toiletries. Luckily, the weather wasn’t too hot right now, so there was no need for a blanket—that was one thing they could skip for now.

Fortunately, they were in the city, and there were second-hand furniture shops nearby where some of the needed items could be purchased.

Chang Xi had lived in this area for many years and knew it well. “There are a lot of residents around here, and quite a few shops that collect and sell used goods. If you’re looking to buy furniture, you can go there. Sometimes you can even find some really good pieces, and the price is less than half of new ones. But if you want, you can use one of the beds at our place.”

How could she feel right about that? They were already staying in someone else’s house—how could they also take apart their bed for its boards? What kind of person would do that?

Besides, Xu Meng was planning to stay long-term. Once she rented a place, she could just carry the bed board over directly. So she didn’t intend to cut corners.

Xu Meng hadn’t realized there were already second-hand furniture stores around at this time. “Besides bed boards, what else can you buy?”

“Oh, tons of things. You’ll know once you take a look. They collect everything people can’t bring along when they move.”

“All right, then I’ll go with Chang Xi to browse the furniture stores.” She assigned Feng Yanwen to buy towels and toothbrushes.

Feng Yanwen wasn’t sure what had gotten into her. They had only made eight yuan and five mao, yet she felt especially excited. When Xu Meng told her to go buy some things, she darted out the door without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Xu Meng and Chang Xi, carrying the money, headed toward the second-hand shops.