“Thanks! The breakfast you bring is always so tasty. This morning, my mom tried to give me buns, but I refused,” Yuan Shu said, her round face smiling happily. She took a bite, and the rich aroma filled the classroom.

Everyone looked around, and someone complained, “Tian Jiao, this isn’t fair. We’re all classmates, but you are the only one with food.”

Tian Jiao rested her face on her hands and replied lazily, “Come to my house for lunch at noon. The chef who cooked this was taught by the pie maker.”

“We have to go. We’ve been going every day and our pocket money is running out,” a young man said with a smile.

Tian Jiao was surprised: “I asked them to give you a discount!”

The young man replied innocently, “The food is so good that I accidentally ate too much, so I don’t have enough money.”

Tian Jiao smiled and waved her hand: “I’ll give you five cups of pearl milk tea at noon. First come, first served.”

“Definitely!”

Soon, the teacher arrived, and everyone straightened up for class.

Everyone respected the classroom, especially the students who managed to attend. Each of them studied hard every night before the college entrance exam.

Tian Jiao also focused and listened carefully to the medical teacher. She wrote down every word of the complicated lessons and thought deeply about them.

…

At noon, Tian Jiao kept her word and asked Zhang Rui to serve milk tea to the first five students who came to the restaurant. However, Zhang Rui was even more generous and gave milk tea to everyone in their class.

Tian Jiao covered her face, feeling embarrassed.

Not only was she not making money, but she was also spending it. This wasn’t good.

Xiao He, at the cash register, overheard her mumbling and said, “There will be a garden party in half a month. Your father and I plan to close the store during that time to participate in the event and advertise. There will be many people there. If you help out, I’ll share the money we make with you.”

A garden party?!

Tian Jiao remembered that this event usually took place in early October. Kyoto would be crowded with people during that time. It was a great opportunity to earn money.

She nodded eagerly: “Of course! What can I do?”

Xiao He looked at her gently, noticing her excitement. He said softly, “Can you draw a sign for us? If we have many customers in the future, you may need to help collect payments.”

Tian Jiao replied, “Okay!”

With that settled, they started preparing, already having the stall ready. It would be a shame not to make a big profit during this time.

Many people attended the garden party, and since October weather is cool, the supplies wouldn’t spoil quickly. They had no problem preparing ahead of time.

Zhang Yanran was also eager about this. She loved all money-making opportunities. Being away from Zhang Dong felt freeing. She wanted to fully play her role.

While designing the sign, she offered many suggestions, which led to Tian Jiao wasting several pieces of cloth.

After ruining another piece of cloth, Zhang Yanran asked anxiously, “Jiaojiao, do you mind that I’m giving suggestions?”

Tian Jiao shook her head: “Not at all. I don’t know much about business, and your taste is great. I trust you can do it.”

Zhang Yanran felt very touched by Tian Jiao’s kindness and trust, so she raised her standards, aiming to make it stunning. She wanted their sign to stand out from the crowd. 

In her previous life, Tian Jiao had heard plenty about the complex relationship between clients and contractors. She never expected that in this life, as a client, she would encounter such a well-behaved contractor. Zhang Yanran decided to make some of Tian Jiao’s favorite dishes that night as a way to compensate her.

After a long, tiring day, they enjoyed cola chicken wings and ice-cold cola for dinner, instantly feeling all fatigue wash away.

On the day of the garden party, Tian Jiao and her team woke up at three in the morning and arrived at the designated location by four. Tourists began to appear around five. They had prepared a variety of dishes, including fried vermicelli, fried noodles, fried rice, and refreshing mung bean soup. While the mung bean soup was served hot in the morning, it cooled down by ten o’clock. Fortunately, they had someone on hand to keep delivering ice.

As the morning progressed, they heard voices of curiosity from passersby: “Hey, that sign looks so eye-catching! It really makes my stomach growl; let’s check it out.” 

“It smells amazing! Where is this shop?” 

“This one! The most noticeable stall—there’s something charming about the painting on that sign.” 

“Brother, who painted this picture?”

Zhang Rui, busy but proud, looked up and said, “My daughter is amazing. She’s been painting since she was little.”

“Hey, brother, you look quite young. How old is your daughter?”

Zhang Rui pointed at Tian Jiao, who was busy collecting payments, and said, “This is her.”

“Wow!” 

Envious murmurs spread among the crowd, and soon more people flocked to their stall.

“I heard the boss’s daughter painted that sign. It’s so beautiful!” 

“This painting is better than what you see on TV. Let’s take a look!” 

Tian Jiao greeted each customer warmly, “Hello, uncle and auntie! We have a restaurant over at Tsinghua University. We’d love for you to come by and try our food!”

“Thank you, Auntie. That’ll be twenty cents.” 

“Sister, would you like a cup of green bean smoothie?” 

By two o’clock in the afternoon, they had completely sold out.

The stalls next to them had become quite busy, benefiting from their success. A long queue had formed at Tian Jiao’s stall, while some hungry customers opted for the nearby stalls.

Thanks to their two chefs and multiple assistants who efficiently managed the payments, they served customers quickly, ensuring they were always first in line.

At two o’clock, they packed up their stall.

Just then, a middle-aged man with a big belly approached. Surprised to see them closing early, he commented sourly, “Closing up so soon? Did you sell out everything?”

Zhang Rui smiled knowingly and replied, “We didn’t prepare much, so it sold out quickly.”

The man scoffed, “You really think that’s enough? Look around—there are tourists enjoying food from everywhere, and I still haven’t sold out what I prepared.”

Zhang Rui’s smile faded. “Brother, that’s not right. We all rely on our own abilities. We can’t force customers to come and buy from us.”

The man curled his lips, touched his belly, and walked away.

However, he couldn’t resist glancing back at the sacks they had packed with their goods.

Meanwhile, Tian Jiao was oblivious to this exchange, focused on protecting the money from the day’s sales. She had a bag hanging in front of her that had started off deflated but was now bulging with coins.

…

“What? They said all the goods we prepared were taken by someone else?” Zhang Rui was shocked as he listened to the two employees reporting this news.

The two were staff from their store. The event would last three days, and they had agreed with the vendors that someone would come to collect supplies each day at five o’clock.

The two employees, a chef and an assistant, had just returned with a trailer only to report that their supplies were gone.

Tian Jiao and Zhang Yanran, who were about to head to bed after dinner, paused and sat back down silently.

The chef, a middle-aged man whose wife worked as a cleaner at their store, explained with a bitter face, “When we arrived, the boss said everything was sold out, and there was nothing left.”

Zhang Rui shook his head in disbelief. “Did he forget the contract he signed with us? If he doesn’t provide enough ingredients, he’ll breach the contract and owe us double!”

The chef shrugged helplessly. “The boss insists they simply didn’t have enough ingredients. Even if we demand compensation, what good will it do? Without ingredients, we can’t do anything!”

Zhang Rui’s expression hardened. “If we signed a contract without enough ingredients, does that mean our contract is invalid?”

It was clear the boss was either dismissive of the contract or didn’t believe it would hold any weight.

The atmosphere grew tense. The chef who had gone to collect the goods sat silently, awaiting Zhang Rui’s decision, now feeling the pressure.

Today’s revenue had equaled what the store typically earned in a week. Despite the hard work, they had enjoyed the bustle. Once they returned, Xiao He organized the money, and everyone kept eating without stopping.

But now, it seemed they would have to forfeit the profits from the next two days.

Zhang Rui was unwilling to let that happen. He stood up, determined. “I’ll go get the ingredients for tomorrow.”

He had no time to deal with the boss’s unprofessionalism at the moment.

Everyone in the room shared Zhang Yanran’s frustration, her face turning red with anger. “They at least need to pay us double the compensation stipulated in the contract. If not, we should find other ingredients ourselves. What if they push back against us?” 

Tian Jiao nodded and said, “Yes, let’s think of a solution! How about we find a lawyer now? Where is the nearest law firm?”

Li Mu shook his head and smiled. “It’s already five o’clock in the afternoon. It’s too late to find a lawyer.”

Zhang Rui had a serious expression and felt angry, but he was calming down. He knew that doing business was not always easy. Those who want to achieve big goals, especially those who are just starting out with little money or power like them, have to face many challenges. He let out a breath.

Song Zhen took a slow sip of tea and joked, “In this case, the most urgent thing is to find a new supplier first. As for the contract, I will handle it!”

Zhang Rui was surprised. “How will you solve it?”

Song Zhen replied proudly, “Don’t forget where I teach! Professor Chen from the Law School is a good friend of mine. He has a lawyer’s license, so helping with a small lawsuit should be no problem. Plus, he doesn’t even need to go to court. Just a few words from him, and the person will definitely pay back the money.”

Zhang Rui felt completely relieved and said gratefully, “Thank you, Uncle Song.”

“Thank you, Grandpa,” Tian Jiao said happily.

Song Zhen’s expression softened a lot when facing the young apprentice. “It’s nothing, really. Professor Chen owes me a favor from the past. Don’t worry, it will be handled quickly.”

Song Zhen had a special driver and car provided by the academy because he was an old artist with health issues. As long as he was in office, he had a dedicated driver.

After discussing, they split into two groups. Since it was only five o’clock and they had time, one group went to find Professor Chen, and the other looked for a new supplier.

Zhang Yanran wanted to follow, but Tian Jiao held her back. “You are tired today; take a rest first.”

Zhang Yanran felt embarrassed. “But you want to go too.”

Tian Jiao raised her head proudly. “I’m different; I’m luckier. Maybe I can find a good supplier quickly.”

Zhang Rui wanted to laugh but quickly stopped himself. He took the little girl out. Of course, Xiao He followed them, but his presence was weak and easy to ignore.

At first, Zhang Rui didn’t want her to come along. She had been out with them since four in the morning. Although he woke up earlier, she was still young and should not stay out late.

But thinking about Tian Jiao’s strange luck, Zhang Rui couldn’t say no. “Okay, let’s finish this quickly and then you can sleep.”

Tian Jiao smiled and looked up at the sky. “Father Tian Dao! Please bless us so I can go to bed early!”

Maybe her prayer worked because most of the stalls in the market were closed in the afternoon. However, they decided to walk a bit further in search of luck. They found a stall owner whose stand was not very busy. He had many things, including the flour and noodles that Tian Jiao and her friends needed.

Zhang Rui’s eyes lit up, and he quickly started asking questions.

After a few questions, he discovered that the stall owner still had a lot of stock at home.

The stall owner patted his chest and assured him, “If I don’t have enough, my cousin has some. Just tell me how much you want!”

Zhang Rui was thrilled and asked, “Can we get two hundred kilograms today and tomorrow?”

“Of course!” The stall owner laughed. “My cousin and I happen to have more than 200 kilograms. We will run out soon.”

Zhang Rui felt relieved and rubbed his daughter’s soft hair. It seemed that things were going much better with her around.

They quickly agreed and signed the contract. Because the stall owner showed up at the right time, Zhang Rui generously gave him an extra five yuan as a thank you. The stall owner was grateful for the extra money, which was a significant amount.

However, after suffering a loss before, Zhang Rui told the stall owner that the contract was legally binding and that there would be compensation if he broke it.

The stall owner didn’t fully understand but promised seriously. He even raised three fingers to the sky and swore, showing he was sincere.

Zhang Rui happily transported the goods back on a cart but realized that Song Zhen hadn’t returned yet, and the chef who went with him was also missing. This made him understand that they had not finished their work.

Zhang Rui told Tian Jiao and Xiao He, “You two should take a shower and go to bed first.”

“Okay,” Tian Jiao replied, feeling very sleepy. She yawned and finished her shower. She staggered out of the bathroom and headed to her room. Xiao He silently watched her, worried she might fall, but felt relieved when he saw her safely reach her room and close the door before taking his own shower.

He was sleepy too.

Zhang Rui went to the original stall alone.

Professor Chen was in his fifties and looked very dignified. He wore glasses, a Zhongshan suit, and polished leather shoes. He looked very serious and spoke with authority about the law.

Professor Chen’s strong voice left the vendor speechless!

Zhang Rui had only been standing there for a few minutes when the vendor handed over the compensation money, trembling.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was so serious. Please don’t blame me!” The vendor bowed repeatedly and handed over the amount stated in the contract without missing a penny.

Zhang Rui looked at him, feeling helpless and sad, but he accepted the money. It was better to take the money to avoid trouble. If he didn’t accept it, the vendor might think the contract didn’t matter.

Once everyone left, the vendor collapsed to the ground, wiping sweat from his face. “I will never do something so wrong again. Not only did I not make money, but I also lost money and goods!”

His wife came out of the house holding their child after everyone had gone. She glared at him angrily. “I told you not to do this at the beginning, but you didn’t listen. Now you’re facing the consequences! We didn’t have much money, and you ruined our one chance at business!”

His wife’s angry voice scolded him, and he felt a splitting headache. Guilt washed over his face as he sat there in silence, full of regret. If he hadn’t been tempted by the man’s offer, he wouldn’t have made such a foolish decision. Unfortunately, his greed had led to this painful outcome. They were not like successful businessmen, so they could only rely on hard work to make a living, struggling to figure out how to achieve a profit.

The vendor covered his chest with his hands, heartbroken and unable to bear the thought of it any longer. The more he reflected, the more uncomfortable he felt.