Chapter 114: Third Brother Returns

Chapter 114: Third Brother Returns

Since Lin Yue was still at the reading club, Ye Xiaoxiao and Tang Xiuxiu decided to head back to the dorm first.

On the way, Tang Xiuxiu shared many more stories about Lin Yue.

In short, she was a very cunning woman who also excelled at winning over elders.

Ye Xiaoxiao listened with great interest.

This character was even more dramatic than those in fiction.

This was truly the quintessential supporting female character.

Indeed, the world is one giant melodrama.

At the dorm entrance, a man in a leather jacket stood there.

He waved enthusiastically when he saw Ye Xiaoxiao.

"Xiao Xiao!"

"Third Brother!"

Ye Xiaoxiao ran over. She knew Ye Changning would be coming soon but didn’t expect him to show up so quickly.

"Xiuxiu, this is my third brother, Ye Changning."

"Third Brother, this is Tang Xiuxiu, my roommate."

Ye Xiaoxiao introduced Tang Xiuxiu and Ye Changning to each other.

Tang Xiuxiu greeted politely and then said, "You and your brother can catch up; I’ll head back to the dorm first."

After Tang Xiuxiu left, Ye Xiaoxiao and Ye Changning started talking.

"Third Brother, are you in Beijing on business? Where have you been staying lately?"

Ye Changning looked even more dashing than the last time they met. His clothes were less flashy, leaning more towards a sophisticated style.

"These are special times; it’s National Day. Where else would you find more people than in Beijing during this time? It’s the perfect time to sell goods.

I’m staying at a guesthouse near the university area. There are lots of students here, great for business. I’ve just acquired a batch of durable workwear, resistant to dirt and wear, in various styles. They’re bound to sell well."

Ye Changning said, "Xiao Xiao, you don’t have classes today, right? Third Brother will take you out to eat."

Ye Xiaoxiao wasn’t hungry but was very eager to hear about Ye Changning’s recent life.

"Third Brother, wait for me. I’ll grab a few things from the dorm."

There’s a two-day break starting tomorrow. During the break, the dormitory didn’t conduct checks, giving students more freedom.

"Go ahead, I’ll wait right here."

Ye Xiaoxiao nodded, went back to the dorm to grab some money and other items, then came downstairs with a sling bag.

Ye Changning’s good looks caught the attention of many female students.

He even flirtatiously winked at them.

Ye Xiaoxiao came over, "Third Brother, what's up?"

Ye Changning got serious right away, "Let's go, the students at your school are too bold, they don’t even watch out for strangers."

Ye Xiaoxiao was speechless.

"Third Brother, I’m not hungry yet, let’s check out your guesthouse first."

"Alright, but it’s a mess over there, even if we go, there’s no room to move."

Ye Xiaoxiao got her bike from the shed, then Ye Changning rode it and took her to the guesthouse.

Ye Changning stayed in the very last room on the third floor of the guesthouse.

When they opened the door, there were over a dozen sacks piled up, filling the bed and floor of the room.

Ye Changning really wasn’t exaggerating.

There was barely enough room for him to sleep, let alone any space to stand.

"Third Brother! How did you bring so much stuff?"

Ye Changning: "Just crammed it in, we couldn’t afford a truck, so we had to stuff it all into the train."

Ye Xiaoxiao had really underestimated today’s trains.

"Are they all clothes inside?"

"Yes, all wholesale goods." Ye Changning opened a sack, which was full of leather jackets, "A jacket like this sells for thirty or forty in the mall, but wholesale, it’s only five yuan."

Ye Changning pulled out a wine-red waist-cinching leather jacket from inside, with a nice women’s decorative belt on the waist, "Xiaoxiao, this is for you, try it on and see how it looks."

Ye Xiaoxiao took the leather jacket, "Third Brother, this is great, it’d sell like crazy here."

Ye Changning shook his head, "I only brought five, the cost is too high, and if I brought more and couldn’t sell them, I’d lose money."

Ye Xiaoxiao put on the jacket—she was tall, slim, and fair-skinned.

Seeing her in it, Ye Changning’s eyes lit up.

"Xiaoxiao, I regret it—if you were the model, we could sell a hundred more."

Ye Xiaoxiao took off the jacket and put it aside—it was perfect for Beijing’s autumn.

"Third Brother, did you come by yourself?"

"Gangzi’s next door, just the two of us made the trip this time."

Ye Changning sighed, "We asked Shengzi to come, but he didn’t want to go through the hassle of coming to Beijing."

Gangzi and Shengzi were the two who did business with Ye Changning.

Since Grandpa Miao was a scholar, the Ye kids had more literary names, but the other village kids weren’t so fancy.

Gangzi’s real name was Yu Gang.

Shengzi’s real name was Wang Sheng.

These two were Ye Changning’s buddies from childhood, and Ye Xiaoxiao always thought one of them would end up betraying Ye Changning.

This matter was only briefly touched upon in the original book, so it's unclear who that person really was.

"What’s Wang Sheng up to down south?"

Ye Changning: "Shengzi’s got a license to drive big rigs. He used to drive for the forest farm, and now he’s found a driver’s job in the south, pulling in more than your average worker each month."

Ye Xiaoxiao didn’t press further.

No point dwelling on that now; the urgent matter is to sell all these goods.

The room’s so packed you can’t even move, and according to Ye Changning, there’s another room with just as much stock.

"Third Brother, I have a place near the school. Why don’t you guys crash there?"

Ye Changning: "A place?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Well, technically, it’s Lu Hanchuan’s place."

Ye Changning had heard about this from Ye Changsheng’s letter.

Lu Hanchuan’s that officer who crashed with their family once.

Tch!

Not only did he mooch off them, but he also whisked away his sister.

"Forget about your boyfriend’s place; we’re not going there. And here, it’s all goods; the guesthouse is a security risk. We’ve gotta have someone watch over them. Gangzi and I can’t both be out at the same time; one of us must stay to keep an eye on the goods."

"So, what time are you heading out to sell the stuff tomorrow? I’ll go with you. I’m on break anyway, so I’ve got nothing better to do."

Ye Changning: "We’re hitting the road early tomorrow, at seven sharp."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I’ll swing by with breakfast in the morning, so you don’t have to go downstairs."

Ye Changning nodded, "Tomorrow, Chang’an Street’s a no-go; we’ll set up shop near a busy spot."

Before leaving, Ye Xiaoxiao called Song Guangjing from the guesthouse phone.

"Master, I won’t make it over tomorrow. I’m going to set up a stall with my third brother."

Song Guangjing asked a few questions.

"I’ll have Xiaoguang give you a lift."

"Master, that doesn’t seem right."

Feels like we’re just using Song Xiaoguang as free labor.

Song Guangjing: "Why the formalities with your master? Your brother Xiaoguang has nothing to do usually, and I won’t need the car tomorrow. It’ll be convenient for you to have a car to transport the goods."

Under Song Guangjing’s arrangement, Ye Xiaoxiao got a helper.

Ye Xiaoxiao told Song Xiaoguang the address of Lu Hanchuan’s house, and they would meet there at six-thirty the next morning.

At six-thirty the next morning, as dawn was breaking, Song Xiaoguang came to find Ye Xiaoxiao with breakfast for four.