Chapter 13: Feeling Sorry for a Man Sure Brings Bad Luck

The winter in Haicheng was cold and gloomy without the sun, but when the sun came out, everything felt warm and bright.

Riding a tricycle from home to the construction site in the southern suburbs took about half an hour. Xie Yunshu was bundled up thickly but pedaled hard, sweating profusely. When she arrived at the construction site gate, she took off her hat and scarf, revealing a flushed, rosy face that made her look even more radiant.

The workers at the construction site were all big burly men, and some passing by couldn’t help but steal a glance. In such a dusty, messy place, what was a young girl doing here?

Xie Yunshu was not shy at all. Her personality was straightforward, and she immediately gave a sweet smile to the men: “Big brother, want some food? For just thirty cents you can eat your fill, with vegetables and meat—it’s delicious!”

Selling meals?

A man in a blue-gray padded jacket hesitated: “Too expensive, I won’t buy…”

He had bought two big steamed buns this morning. At noon, just some hot water and pickled vegetables could get him by. Things in Haicheng were expensive! A thirty-cent meal wouldn’t be much better and wouldn’t fill him up, buns were more practical.

Xie Yunshu wasn’t in a hurry. She quickly lifted the lid off the dish, letting the aroma of meat fill the air: “Cabbage, pork, and vermicelli, a big container for thirty cents; braised tofu, one container for ten cents. Rice and buns are hot, buy as much as you want!”

The dishes stewed in soy sauce had a layer of oil on top; the fatty pork looked mouth-watering, and the soft tofu was bright red, clearly good side dishes for rice.

She also put some chili oil in front of him: “If you like it spicy, help yourself. Chili is free!”

Free chili?

The man’s interest was piqued. He grabbed two buns; with fried chili, that would be really tasty!

“I’ll just take the chili!” The man pulled two cold buns from his pocket, looked at the meat, swallowed hard, and said, “Just the chili. You said it was free!”

Xie Yunshu’s smile faded a little. The business hadn’t even started, and he already wanted to take the chili for free! People always want a freebie, and if everyone came just for free chili, wouldn’t she lose money?

Seeing Xie Yunshu silent, the man looked a bit embarrassed. He pulled his cracked hands back and said, “You said the chili was free, well, if you don’t want to give it, that’s fine…”

He looked about thirty-something, wearing a ragged padded jacket with dirty cotton stuffing showing, his thin black cloth shoes had a big toe sticking out, and his hands were cracked with black dirt in the gaps.

Xie Yunshu sighed, thinking maybe she really wasn’t cut out for business, especially selling to hard-working folks like these. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh or sarcastic.

Quietly, she scooped a container of chili for him and said, not too cheerfully, “Alright, try the chili. If you don’t buy any food next time, no more chili for you!”

The man was surprised she actually gave it to him. His mouth had been dry for a long time. Emboldened, he spread the chili on the cold buns, tucked them in his jacket, thanked her, and left.

Xie Yunshu angrily covered the dishes again, glanced at the sun—it was nearly noon—and saw hardly anyone had come out. Would she really fail to sell any food and have to go home empty-handed?

Doing business seemed simple in theory but difficult in practice!

“Are you leaving now?” The man who took the chili walked a few steps then came back. He looked at the food on her tricycle: “You brought a lot.”

Xie Yunshu gritted her teeth. Had he not taken enough advantage yet?

“If I don’t sell it, I’ll eat it myself. At least the food and buns won’t go to waste!” She said, looking toward the construction site, her heart sinking. Plenty of workers were inside, but no one was coming out to buy food!

The man awkwardly scratched his dirty hair and said, “I didn’t mean that. Don’t worry. I’ll go inside and see if anyone wants to buy food.”

Not everyone on the site was so penny-pinching. The work was hard but well-paid, and if there was hot food, thirty cents wasn’t much. Especially younger workers without wives or kids—they were more willing to spend.

“Oh, thanks.” To be honest, Xie Yunshu didn’t have much hope. If he brought out a crowd just to mooch chili, she’d be furious!

After the man entered the site, Xie Yunshu shouted again, “Selling boxed meals! Cabbage with stewed pork—so delicious! Hot rice and buns, only thirty cents to fill your stomach!”

But the site didn’t allow just anyone in, and it wasn’t safe for a young girl like her to go in. No one really heard her.

Disheartened, she sat down on the ground. She had already spent nearly two hundred yuan on the tricycle. She had hoped to break even in two months, but now it looked like she wouldn’t make a single cent—and would lose a whole container of chili!

The hardest part was always the beginning. Was it just too hard for her?

Her energy drained, she started to feel cold. After shouting a few times, she was exhausted. She put her scarf and hat back on, sat there feeling bored and lost in thought.

Lu Zhixing still owed her three thousand yuan. The divorce needed to be handled soon. If selling boxed meals didn’t work, she’d have to find some odd jobs first. She couldn’t just sit and eat into her savings. She wasn’t afraid of hardship—after all, could this life be worse than the last?

Once the foolish love was gone, people became completely clear-headed. Thinking back, everyone envied her for marrying a good man, but after marrying Lu Zhixing, there was no such thing as happiness.

Lu Zhixing was a busy doctor and took care of family matters himself. To give him more rest, she had moved out from their marital home to the hospital’s staff housing.

That marital home was close to the packaging factory where she worked, so it was more convenient for her. The staff housing was behind the hospital, and biking there took over twenty minutes. Good weather was fine, but wind or rain made the trip difficult.

Who would have thought? She cared so much for Lu Zhixing, but he cared for another woman. Without even discussing it with her, he let Zhou Xinyue move into their marital home.

Thinking of this, Xie Yunshu gave a self-mocking smile. Feeling sorry for a man really brings bad luck…

“Hey little girl, are you selling boxed meals? Why haven’t you said a word? I’ve been walking around twice already!” A man’s voice broke her thoughts, snapping her back to reality.

Outside the tricycle stood four men, clearly construction workers by their clothes. The leader looked down at the food on her tricycle: “Smells good. Are you really selling food or not?”