Chapter 269: Wealth and Life Are Predestined, Life and Death Are in Heaven’s Hands

Chapter 269: Fortune Favors the Bold

Liu Hongtao noticed Su An gaping at him like he was a ghost, which made him feel quite uneasy.

He could now focus on his own business with peace of mind, all because he had met Su An. He regarded her as a guardian angel in his life, and their relationship was one of mutual success—he remembered her kindness.

Otherwise, he might still be slaving away from dawn to dusk at his cousin’s shop, scraping by on a fixed wage under their thumb. There was no way he could have afforded a diesel tricycle otherwise.

Moreover, Su An, despite her youth, dared to run goods down south—clearly, she was both capable and bold. He admired that about her.

Sharing this business channel with her and charging her just a thousand yuan was practically a token gesture, especially since she wouldn’t compete with him—her market was up north, far from his own.

If it were anyone else, even if they offered several thousand, he might not have bothered.

Back when he was trying to establish this channel, he had bled money—not just on bribes but also on playing pretend boyfriend a dozen times, risking the clap by frequenting massage parlors and barbershops, all while bankrolling the whole charade for these "romantic encounters."

Su An fixed Liu Hongtao with a sharp gaze. Buying at 50, selling at 500? That was practically no cost at all.

"Is this reliable?"

Liu Hongtao suddenly felt a twinge of regret. Maybe he shouldn’t take Su An along after all.

"Of course it’s reliable! You think I only bought this diesel tricycle recently? To be honest, I’m even looking at houses now."

"Plenty of fishermen transport goods here, dumping them along the coastline. People come from all directions to grab and dash—just stuff the money in, pick up the goods, and run."

Su An tensed. "What if you get caught?"

Liu Hongtao scoffed. "They don’t care about that! Wealth is fated, life is in heaven's hands—if you don’t get caught, one night’s haul is enough to make you rich!"

"Business is for the bold. Can you succeed by hesitating?"

Then his bravado faltered. "Heh, but I wouldn’t dare!"

"Y’know, I think life’s too precious. You gotta be alive to enjoy your wealth. Otherwise, I might as well just keep eating rice noodle rolls every day."

"Even though I don’t dare to snatch goods along the coast, I’ve carved out another straight-and-narrow path for myself—this one’s aboveboard. I pay to get the goods!"

"Those confiscated smuggled goods—no one dares to claim them anyway. Apart from what gets handed over to the authorities, the insiders sneak them out. A little today, a little tomorrow—it adds up. They can’t just dump it all in the sea, right?"

Su An steeled herself. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

She pointed at the list in Liu Hongtao’s hand. "Fine, you keep the price cuts as you said. I’ll also pay you a thousand as a finder's fee—but only after the goods are secured and shipped."

Liu Hongtao didn’t mind Su An’s caution. With all kinds of cons out there, if she weren’t careful, she wouldn’t have gotten this far.

As they ate, they finalized their plans to meet early the next morning at the trade fair, aiming to secure the first sales of the day to drive prices down.

After the meal, Liu Hongtao drove Ren San and Su An back to Granny Liang’s place.

Inside the room, Ren San watched as Su An finished washing up and entered. Worried, he asked, "Sister An, do you really trust Brother Tao? He won’t trick us, will he?"

Su An sat on the edge of the bed. "He doesn’t seem like a liar, but I don’t understand why he’s willing to give me such a big advantage."

"If he helped us buy these at the trade fair, he could make plenty himself!"

Ren San hesitated before cautiously adding, "Sister An... do you think maybe he’s sweet on you?"

An smirked. "You're overthinking it. The locals look down on outsiders the most—how could he possibly like me?" she countered.

At this time, most locals in the south looked down on outsiders, especially with all the out-of-town girls peddling romance in hotels and small inns. The locals viewed young women like them with suspicion.

Even if Brother Tao had such intentions—which he didn’t—his parents would intervene, or he himself would cut it off.

"Alright, don’t overthink it. We shouldn’t harm others, but we must stay cautious. I don’t know how this trip will turn out—it's a fifty-fifty gamble. Have you decided what goods to take with your share of the money? I suggest playing it safe and just sourcing from the trade fair!"

Ren San was silent for a moment. "I think so too. Better to start cautiously. The goods at the trade fair are already a steal—reselling them in City A will earn us several times the profit. As for what Brother Tao mentioned, we’re still not sure what the situation is there."

"An, I suggest you spend most of your money at the trade fair. If you want to take a risk, set aside a small portion to dip your toes in. Even if you lose it, it won’t hurt much. But if it works out, we can invest big later with experience."

An nodded. "I’ll consider it. Alright, let’s sleep early. We have to wake up early tomorrow to snag the early-bird deals at the trade fair."

They slept dreamlessly. The next morning, An and Ren San caught the earliest bus. By the time they arrived at the trade fair, most shops were still closed.

"An, it’s still early."

An nodded, scanning the surroundings before pointing to a stone bench nearby. "When we came in, I saw a bun shop up ahead. Go sit there—I’ll buy us some buns."

Ren San stopped her. "I’m faster. I’ll go. You wait here."

"Fine!"

Ren San had money on him too. Seeing An’s nod, he dashed out and soon returned with several steaming buns.

"An, here—still hot. Got the good stuff—all meat."

They sat shoulder-to-shoulder on the stone bench. Just as they finished eating, the obnoxious sputtering of a diesel tricycle echoed through the air.

Brother Tao had arrived—with three portions of cheung fun in hand.

"Beat me here, did you? Had breakfast yet?"

"We did. We ate buns."

Brother Tao paused, then set down two bags, keeping only one for himself.

"I haven’t eaten yet. It’s still early—by the time I finish, shops should start opening."

An’s lips twitched again at the two-liter water bottle hanging from his trike’s handlebars. Say what you will, he was well-prepared.

After eating, Brother Tao marched them right into action.

Boss Liu of the nylon sock wholesale had just crouched to roll up his shutter when Brother Tao rushed over.

"Boss Liu, wake up! I’m bringing you good business~" [in Cantonese: Loose translation of local business banter]

The exchange was lost on An and Ren San, who stared blankly as Brother Tao went on like a carnival barker.

The shop owner’s expression darkened. Even without understanding, they could tell he was furious.

He suddenly roared, "Out out out, move it!!!" [in Cantonese]

Brother Tao got in the last word before smiling and leading An to the next shop.

"Sorted. I told him to get the order ready while I ‘fetch the cash.’ Come on, let’s hurry to the next one."