Chapter 3 Selling Porridge

"I got so scared!" said Ava, clutching her chest when she came home from work. She got a fright when she saw Vera in her disguise. Vera smiled mercilessly. "Did I frighten you so much? I think I look pretty!" she said, batting her eyelashes comically.

"Idiot, people are looking for you everywhere. It's just the police who haven't taken your photos and started patrolling, but apart from that you're in grave danger," warned Ava. She continued somewhat sourly, "If I were you, I would grab the chance to marry into the Zhang family. Five hundred thousand dollars! I guess the reward amount will rise in a few days. If I hadn't known you since childhood, I would have dragged you to the Zhang family to claim the money!" She acted cheekily, stretching out five fingers.

"Well, forget about all that now. I want to discuss my business plan with you..." Vera whispered, patting her on the shoulder with a mysterious smile. Ava's eyes widened as she listened to Vera. She couldn't be more surprised.

She shook her head and stared at Vera incredulously. Then she finally looked up toward the ceiling and sighed. "What an ugly person and what a peculiar plan!" Flopping down on the bed, she pretended to be dead.

"Isn't it a good idea? Selling porridge will be a superhit business. Besides, you gave me only three thousand dollars. My capital is limited,"

Vera murmured to herself, frowning.

Then, she pulled Ava up from the bed and chatted nonstop, but the latter looked absent-minded.

"My dear, I've been on duty the entire day. Can you let me go and rest?"

Ava complained.

But Vera ignored her pleas. After ordering two bowls of spicy hotpot from the stall outside, they went to the market and bought a variety of pots and pans for Vera. Ava was thoroughly exhausted by the end of it, but Vera was full of vigor and enthusiasm to continue.

"Don't worry. I won't forget you when I make a fortune!" said Vera, pretending to wipe her non-existent tears as if she was deeply moved.

"The things I have to put up with!"

Ava said through gritted teeth.

She thought to herself, 'You come from a rich family and you still need money? Even if you wanted to escape from the clutches of the Zhang family and your parents, you needn't sell porridge.' Moreover, she was not entirely convinced of Vera's porridge-selling skills. She knew that her friend could endure hardships. Despite having no shortage of money, Vera's spending habits were not lavish. On the contrary, she was frugal. Both the girls had worked at part-time jobs since junior high school and Vera went to study abroad with the scholarship she received. She was a self-made woman in that sense.

But Ava was sure that Vera would fail in her first business and she didn't want to tell her friend why.

However, Vera was unfazed. Determined to make her business a success, she not only researched the different styles of cooking porridge, but she also bought many tonics, such as wolfberry and longan. She also experimented with a lot of flavors for Ava to try. It was midnight when Ava fell asleep with a full stomach.

"I will make a good start tomorrow!" Vera said to herself, feeling both happy and tired.

She had strong reason to believe that her porridge stall would work. Owing to the fast pace of life in the capital city and the pressure of work, many young workers started their day early and had no time to eat. So they would make a beeline for her quick and nutritious breakfast dish. Perhaps she could even expand her menu later. But there was one catch. As a street stall owner, she was obligated to submit her identity card, which increased her risk of being found. The only consolation was that neither the Zhang family nor her parents would expect her to sell porridge.

And finally, making porridge didn't require extraordinary cooking skills. The simple dish could be whipped up easily, and so, it was the best option for her.

If she was asked to sell steamed stuffed buns, she would never be able to do it.

The next day, Ava was awakened by a noise at dawn, followed by the smell of porridge. When she opened her eyes, she found that Vera was already up and frantically fiddling with the pots and pans.

"I have made a bowl for you. Try it!" Vera turned around and offered her friend excitedly.

"My dear! I ate too much last night!"

Ava felt a little nauseous, looking at the porridge. As the previous night, Vera had forced her to gulp down many bowlfuls of porridge.

Before long, Vera was on her tricycle with the whole bucket of porridge!

The sun had not yet risen, and the sky was still dark. A gust of cold wind was blowing, but Vera did not feel cold. On the contrary, her insides were burning with anticipation. This was the first day of her business. She had already selected the perfect place for her stall-the subway station nearby. It was the morning rush hour, which meant there would be lots of prospective customers. As soon as the aroma of her porridge would waft over, people would throng her stall, waving money and fighting for a bowl.

She dreamed of money raining down on her from the sky. Vera giggled at the surreal image.

Sweating profusely, she finally made it to her destination. She parked the tricycle near the subway station and nodded to the owners of several stalls around her. Then she turned on her megaphone and announced, "VV porridge, two dollars for a bowl of porridge, nutritious and healthy! Don't miss it! Not only will it warm your body on this chilly morning, but also your heart, and keep you happy all day long!"

The low price, coupled with her enticing advertising, suddenly made her the envy of other stall owners!

"Humph, are you intimidated by my business?" Vera raised her chin slightly, looking like a vain rooster.

"Give me a bowl!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't have any change today."

"I'll have a bowl but I'll pay you tomorrow, okay?"

"I only have one and a half dollars. I will give you the rest tomorrow..."

As expected by Vera, her porridge and megaphone attracted the attention of many commuters. Her porridge started selling rapidly but the money she received in exchange was not as much in comparison.

Many customers didn't have change or forgot to bring money, and Vera was careless too. She didn't want to pester them for the money because she saw that they were in a hurry for work. So she didn't end up making much money that morning.

"Oh, no! Why are my earnings so less?" After the rush hour ended and the crowd petered out, Vera took out the money box to count, and she was stumped.

All the other stalls owners shook their heads at her and gloated. 'She's too young!'

"Damn it! The governor is coming! Run!"

someone suddenly screamed, startling Vera. She stared in surprise as the other stall-owners acted quickly. In a few seconds, they had packed up their carts, and run away!

The speed at which they cleared out the area left her in a daze.

When she came to her senses, she realized she was the only one left!

She sprung to action and started clearing up the pots and pans in a hurry, but the police car was just a hundred meters away!