If she didn’t eat staple food in the morning, she always felt like she hadn’t eaten. In the end, she had another pack of instant noodles before she finally felt full.

She got up and started preparing the ingredients she needed for the day. First, she took out some cilantro and green onions from her storage space, washed them clean, chopped them up, and placed them in a small bowl.

Then, she fished out the marinated duck intestines, chicken intestines, and goose intestines, sorted them, and set them aside. She also chopped the sheep offal into small pieces and placed them in a large stainless steel basin.

After that, she poured the simmered sheep soup into a large stainless steel bucket and covered it with a lid.

Next, she went to the storage room, grabbed a piece of cardboard, and wrote on it with a black marker:

• Sheep Offal Soup: 10 yuan/bowl (small), 12 yuan/bowl (large)
• Flash-Boiled Tripe: 15 yuan/bowl (small)
• Duck Intestines: 70 yuan/jin
• Goose Intestines: 50 yuan/jin
• Chicken Intestines: 35 yuan/jin
• Vegetables: 8 yuan/box

After getting everything ready, Ji He went to the nearby morning market to check the prices and see if there were any vendors selling disposable meal boxes. If possible, she also wanted to buy some tofu. Marinating tofu puffs would be delicious too.

Even though it was already past 7 AM, the morning market was still packed with people. Many were carrying large bags of groceries, walking back and forth.

There were also small stalls selling daily necessities, socks, and underwear—ten pairs of socks for ten yuan, ridiculously cheap.

Ji He focused on finding disposable meal boxes and soon located a vendor. She picked up a box and felt its thickness—it was quite sturdy and of good quality.

The prices varied based on size. She bought 500 each of large, medium, and small sizes.

In total, she spent 400 yuan on 1,500 disposable meal boxes.

The vendor also gave her a bunch of free plastic bags and disposable chopsticks, telling her to come back when she needed more.

Now, she had 600 yuan left.

Carrying the plastic bags and meal boxes, she glanced at her surroundings.

Many people were sitting down for breakfast—noodles, soy milk with fried dough sticks, buns, and tofu pudding. Despite the hot weather, the sun wasn’t too harsh at this hour.

Seeing the endless stream of people, Ji He thought for a moment before quickly heading home.

She packed up the sheep soup, duck intestines, and flash-boiled tripe, then loaded everything onto her tricycle and rushed back to the morning market.

Instead of squeezing inside, she set up her stall at the market’s edge, hung up her sign, and started selling.

She turned on the gas, letting the flame slowly bring the sheep soup to a boil again.

Soon, the aroma of the soup spread, attracting attention, though no one came to buy right away.

Ji He wasn’t anxious. She stood patiently to the side and waited.

After a long while, instead of a customer, a market manager arrived.

It was a middle-aged man in his forties, looking stern. He had a loudspeaker clipped to his belt. Glancing at Ji He, he asked, “Young lady, how old are you? Are you an adult? Where are your parents?”

Ji He obediently replied, “Uncle, I’m 18, just became an adult. My parents passed away in a car accident, so I have to earn a living.”

If the original owner had been in her place, she might have felt too embarrassed to admit her struggles. After all, for an 18-year-old who had never stepped into society, saying something like this was quite difficult.

But Ji He had long since trained herself. She had thick skin and showed no shame as she spoke, only a face full of sorrow and loss.

She had learned to use her own hardships appropriately to gain sympathy—it wasn’t stealing or robbing, just hard work to survive. There was nothing shameful about it.

Sure enough, the man’s expression softened. He no longer seemed impatient. Looking at Ji He, he said, “This is a legitimate morning market. You need to pay a stall fee—20 yuan per day. Do you know that?”

Ji He quickly nodded, pulled 20 yuan from her pocket, and handed it over. “I know, Uncle. I’ll pay now.”

The man didn’t take the money. He glanced at the bill in her hand and said, “There’s not much time left today. Just set up here. If you want to come again tomorrow, be here early—between 6 and 9 in the morning.”

After saying that, he turned and left without waiting for her response.

Ji He put the money back in her pocket and smiled at the passing crowd.

When she had mentioned being an orphan earlier, quite a few people had overheard. Now, many of them looked at her with pity.

She didn’t mind. Instead, she smiled and called out, “Sheep offal soup! Delicious and affordable, made with real ingredients!”

Before long, her first customer arrived—a middle-aged man who ordered a large portion of sheep offal soup.

Ji He generously scooped a big ladle of sheep offal, heated it in the soup, then poured it into a disposable meal box along with a full portion of broth.

“Do you want green onions, cilantro, and chili oil?”

“All of them.”

“Alright! Here you go.”

After paying, the man left without saying much.

Then came the second and third customers. Business quickly picked up. Ji He was so busy selling nonstop that she barely had time to breathe.

Some people asked why she was selling soup at such a young age. She didn’t hide it—she openly said she was an orphan earning money for school.

Her tone was calm and optimistic, her face still carrying a smile. This moved many elderly women, who bought extra marinated snacks out of sympathy.

By 9 AM, when it was time to pack up, her sheep offal soup was almost sold out—only a little remained at the bottom of the stainless steel basin.

She put the remaining offal into the pot to reheat and filled a large bowl with sheep soup. Carefully, she sealed the lid on the disposable meal box.

Then, she packed a large meal box full of marinated snacks.

Just as the stern-faced market manager returned with his loudspeaker to clear the stalls, she waved at him.

“Uncle, Uncle!”

The man lowered his loudspeaker and walked over, still looking stern. “If you’re asking for favors, forget it! No exceptions—you have to pack up on time. Got it?”

“Uncle, don’t worry. I know the rules. I wouldn’t put you in a tough spot,” Ji He said sweetly, looking obedient. She handed him two disposable meal boxes.

“Uncle, I set these aside just for you. Take them home and try them. Let me know if they taste good!”

The man: “…”

Damn. He might have scolded too soon.

What now? Would she cry?

The stern-faced manager hesitated, glancing down.

The soup was packed full of offal, and the side of marinated snacks looked abundant.

It smelled delicious.

His stomach growled audibly.

Both Ji He and the manager heard it.

The man: “…”

Damn it. He wanted to leave.

He pretended nothing had happened and cleared his throat.

“Alright, I’ll take them. Come earlier tomorrow—around 5:30. I’ll save you a good spot.”

With that, he hurried away with his soup, his steps a little flustered.

Ji He watched him go, then quickly packed up, loaded her tricycle, and left the market.

She still had to go to the traffic police station to get a license plate.