Chapter 8: This Rebel, Uncontrollable

In Xu Mo’s mind emerged a slender, high ponytailed, exquisite young girl. He immediately said, “Right! Once the storm calms tomorrow, prices are likely to rise! Huanxi, just wait and see!”

Upon hearing this, the girl rejoiced, “Xu Mo, we trust you! I also believe it will rise; this storm is just too intense!”

This young girl is Gu Huanxi, a friend from the orphanage. They both got into the No. 27 High School together. In their younger days, they relied on each other and shared a deep bond.

When Xu Mo was found by his parents later on, the three of them were envious yet very happy for him, shedding tears of joy separately.

Now that Xu Mo has reconnected with them, they are all extremely thrilled.

“You guys wait here! Review the questions first! I think the storm will calm down a bit by tomorrow afternoon! The day after tomorrow, we can check the prices of live shrimp and crabs! Remember to aerate well, don’t let the shrimp and crabs die!” Xu Mo said.

Gu Huanxi smiled, “Xu Mo, rest assured, we treasure them dearly! We can’t bear to see even one of them die. Tang Lei, Banzhuang, and I each invested three thousand yuan in them!”

“Just take good care of them! See you the day after tomorrow!” Xu Mo chuckled.

“Alright!”

Gu Huanxi, Tang Lei, and another girl named Li Banzhuang lived together. They went to school together, worked hard together, lived together, and depended on each other.

If Xu Mo hadn’t been found by his parents, he would probably be with them too, but he was found and taken away.

Now Xu Mo was happy to be able to help them out.

He paid no attention to these distractions and continued reviewing questions, aiming to finish all the test papers the teacher handed out today and tackle new ones tomorrow, followed by selling live shrimp and crabs the day after.

His time was tight, and he needed to make every second count.

…

“Mr. Xu, Mrs. Xie, we’ve obtained surveillance footage! After Xu Mo left the residential area dragging a suitcase, he seemed to have taken bus 956 to the outskirts of the city!” a police officer informed Xie Bingyan and Xu Deming in the Xu family living room.

Upon hearing that the police had arrived, the eldest sibling, Xu Wanting, hurriedly rushed out of her room.

“To the outskirts of the city?” Everyone was surprised.

“Yes, he got off at Binhe Road, and then we lost track of him! We currently don’t have surveillance from that area! Due to the storm, it might take two to three days!” the police officer stated.

“What was he doing in the outskirts? Isn’t the outskirts rural?” Xie Bingyan asked.

“When Xu Mo went, it was clear and decisive, without any hesitation. He probably planned to go to the outskirts in advance. Here is the surveillance footage for you all to see!” the police officer explained.

Xu Wanting leaned in to watch and indeed saw the footage of Xu Mo boarding the bus, still wearing the same sneakers and school uniform.

“Mom, does Xu Mo not have a car and driver?” Xu Wanting looked at Xie Bingyan and Xu Deming.

Xie Bingyan replied, “Why would he need a driver? He can just ride his bike to school!”

“But…” Xu Wanting hesitated, “Junzhe has his own driver and car for school transport. Why doesn’t Xu Mo have one?”

Xie Bingyan immediately looked impatient, “If he had been accepted into Xiahai High School, he would have had one too. Since he didn’t get in, why would he need these privileges?”

Xu Wanting fell silent, feeling a sense of discomfort within her.

She was a part of it too.

“He went to the outskirts; he’s probably gone to meet up with his unruly friends! I knew he would contact those troublemakers of his!” Xie Bingyan said through gritted teeth, glaring at Xu Deming, “Xu Deming, your son needs discipline! He’s completely gone astray!”

Upon hearing Xu Deming’s cold response, “When he returns, you can discipline him for a few days to reflect on his actions! This unruly child has gone too far!”

Xu Wanting couldn’t sit still after hearing this, feeling a suffocating sensation in her chest.

She immediately got up and went back to her room.

It would be another three days before they knew where Xu Mo had gone.

For now, she believed he was safe, which brought some relief to Xu Wanting.

As the storm continued to rage, police work was temporarily halted.

Xu Wanting had no time to go to the company or to repair Xu Mo’s phone; all she could do was sit at home and wait.

With Xu Mo’s safety confirmed, there was a noticeable sense of relaxation among the family members.

Xie Bingyan had Zhao Ma prepare some snacks, and they all sat in the living room, snacking and watching TV, leisurely enjoying themselves.

On the other side, Xu Mo was busy taking care of the crabs and shrimp while doing his homework, multitasking tirelessly.

Time quietly passed, and in the blink of an eye, two days had gone by.

Thanks to his careful attention over these two days, only a few of Xu Mo’s crabs and shrimp had died, just two or three.

At that moment, he saw a news article on his phone stating that the coastal areas had suffered significant damage to fish and shrimp ponds due to the storm, estimating losses in the billions…

Xu Mo’s heart skipped a beat, realizing an opportunity had arisen.

Unable to sit still, he braved the strong winds and hurried to the seafood market to inquire about the prices of live crabs and shrimp.

The storm had passed, and most people could now venture outdoors. Along the roads, numerous trees had fallen, creating a chaotic scene.

However, when Xu Mo arrived at the market, he couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.

“Xu Mo!”

“Xu Mo!”

A few voices greeted him, and as Xu Mo turned, he saw three familiar faces.

Who else but Gu Huanxi, Tang Lei, and Li Banzhuang?

Gu Huanxi, tall and slender with a delicate appearance, her hair tied back in a ponytail, dressed in a simple shirt, with a few acne marks on her face, looking very unassuming.

Li Banzhuang was slightly shorter, appearing petite and delicate, with a doll-like face, dressed in simple and modest attire like the rest of them. They were all children from humble backgrounds.

Tang Lei, with a dark complexion, exuded a sunny youthfulness and a touch of charisma.

They had likely already visited the seafood market and seemed somewhat excited.

“I inquired about it; the prices have indeed risen significantly!”

“At least doubled! From twenty yuan to forty-three yuan per kilogram!”

“Many fishing boats got destroyed, and numerous shrimp ponds were damaged! This time, we can make some money!”

The group of young boys and girls looked at Xu Mo, all getting excited.

Xu Mo was also thrilled and quickly exclaimed, “Let’s set up stalls immediately! Each of you takes a market. Huanxi, you go to Huandong Vegetable Market, Tang Lei, head to Xiahe Road Vegetable Market, and Banzhuang, you go to Tiangu Road Vegetable Market! We each take a market and sell these live shrimp and crabs as quickly as possible!”

“Alright!”

Their experiences from a life of orphanhood had already prepared them for various challenges. Doing business was a breeze for them, with no issues whatsoever.

They swiftly set up their stalls and began selling live shrimp and crabs together.

Without official stalls, they improvised by selling outside the markets. Although occasionally shooed away, it wasn’t a big problem; they could easily relocate.

Being orphans, they were tough and unafraid of being driven away.

Xu Mo quickly got busy, taking out his 300 kilograms of live shrimp and crabs.

Since he couldn’t carry all of it at once, given his still recovering body and slight malnutrition due to being relatively frail, he had to make multiple trips.

It was unlikely that all of it would be sold on the first day, so it would take three to four days to sell everything.

Xu Mo immersed himself in his tasks.

On the other side, Xu Wanting, seeing the storm nearly subsiding, started feeling a bit anxious.