The next day, Long Aotian took Hu Yuying to another market fair.
This time, Long Aotian didn’t stay at their stall but wandered around several clothing stalls nearby.
Hu Yuying obediently sat on a small stool, watching as Long Aotian handed out cigarettes and chatted with the vendors. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but everyone seemed to be laughing happily.
When the crowd began to gather, Long Aotian finally returned to his stall and turned on the loudspeaker.
The catchy sales pitch and dirt-cheap prices instantly drew attention.
The morning passed in a blur of busy activity.
At lunchtime, Long Aotian carried a few pieces of clothing and visited a couple more stalls.
After some negotiation, he returned with a middle-aged man in tow.
Only then did Hu Yuying realize that Long Aotian had sold the remaining stock—T-shirts for ten yuan each and pants for fifteen—to this man in bulk.
"If it weren’t for having to report to school soon, I’d love to keep selling for a couple more days," Long Aotian said, squatting as he counted the clothes with a grin.
"Who would’ve guessed? Really, who would’ve guessed?" the man muttered between puffs of his cigarette, double-checking Long Aotian’s count.
With his street-smart demeanor—handing out cigarettes, cracking jokes—you’d never know Long Aotian was still a student if he hadn’t mentioned it.
Long Aotian kept a few mismatched pieces for himself. "We’ll wear these. That’s it for now."
Once the count was confirmed, the man promptly paid up without hesitation.
Businessfolk were sharp—he knew he’d still turn a profit at this price. More importantly, his stall was nearby, and he’d seen how well these two young sellers had done earlier.
With the money safely tucked away, Long Aotian and Hu Yuying left.
As they walked off, they faintly heard: ["...ran off with his sister-in-law..."]
The two couldn’t help but chuckle at the familiar market banter.
"Long Aotian, where are we going now?"
"Home, of course."
Back at the house, Long Aotian loaded the last bits and pieces onto the tricycle, ready to haul them away later.
"Long Aotian, come eat," Hu Yuying called softly, lifting the bamboo curtain as she watched him still tidying up.
"Coming." He set down what he was holding, dusted off his hands, and headed over.
"Wash your hands first. I’ve already served the food."
When Long Aotian returned to the living room after washing up, he found Hu Yuying lost in thought, her chin propped on one hand.
"What’re you spacing out for? Eat up," he teased, assuming she just wasn’t used to the sudden downtime.
"Feeling restless with nothing to do? Take my advice—cherish this brief peace. Once you graduate, you’ll be swamped nonstop..."
"Long Aotian."
Hu Yuying called his name quietly, then looked up, hesitating.
"What’s up?"
Facing his questioning gaze, she bit her lip. "Long Aotian, I... I might need to go home for a while. I won’t be able to cook for you."
She wanted to visit her family but couldn’t shake her worry for him.
Ever since that day on the street when she’d met him and they’d gone home together...
The lean pork congee she’d made—he’d devoured two bowls in one go.
After knowing him this long, Hu Yuying had picked up bits about his home life.
Two rough-around-the-edges men—she couldn’t help fearing they wouldn’t take proper care of themselves...
(Proof of how essential a woman’s presence was at home...)
"Pfft! You scared me for a second—I thought it was something serious!
"Don’t worry, I won’t starve without you."
He brushed it off, though her concern warmed him. With Hu Yuying around, he’d almost felt like the head of a household, free from all trivial worries...
"Let me know when you’re leaving. I’ll see you off."
"No need, Long Aotian. You’ve already helped me so, so, so much. I can manage on my own..."
For some reason, the words struck him like a final farewell.
"Alright, my little sidekick’s all grown up. Time to spread your wings," he joked, though the humor fell flat.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Long Aotian backed the tricycle out of the gate.
"I’m off."
"Okay. Be careful, Long Aotian."
Watching him leave, Hu Yuying suddenly mustered her courage: "Long Aotian, I’ll come back soon! I’ll cook for you again!"
The tricycle rumbled into the distance. She took two hurried steps forward, breathless—had he even heard her?
Only when he vanished from sight did she snap out of it and return inside to pack.
Not that there was much to pack anyway.
A backpack, some cash, a book, two photos, and two sets of spare clothes.
On the other side.
Long Aotian parked the car, unloaded the items from it, and then returned to his room.
The old man hadn’t come back yet, leaving the house empty and quiet.
He took off his clothes, planning to take a shower first.
After the shower, he returned to his room, lay on the bed, and let out a long sigh.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the biscuit tin on the stool.
Surrounding the stool were a few unassuming ‘rabbit’ biscuits (specifically picked out to avoid hurting his teeth).
“I stole Hu Yuying’s biscuits today. I should buy her some snacks for the road, or else someone as petty as her might end up starving the whole way.”
With that thought, Long Aotian nodded to himself. “I’m such a considerate and responsible big brother!”
He hopped on his bike and pedaled furiously down the road.
Stopping at the intersection supermarket, he parked his bike and headed inside.
Not long after Long Aotian entered, a figure carrying a backpack emerged from around the corner.
As they passed the supermarket, they glanced at the bicycle parked outside before continuing on their way.
After a few steps, they paused and looked back again, this time with a flicker of confusion in their pretty eyes.
But they didn’t dwell on it and turned to keep walking.
Just as they rounded the corner onto the main road, they couldn’t help but glance back once more.
Long Aotian walked out of the supermarket, lugging a big bag of snacks. “This should be enough to last her, right?”
He hung the bag on his bike and hurriedly prepared to leave.
Just as he started pedaling—
“Long Aotian, where are you rushing off to?”
Screech! He slammed on the brakes.
Long Aotian turned around.
There stood Hu Yuying, her backpack strapped on, breathing slightly heavily but wearing a bright, radiant smile.
Hu Yuying laughed, her breath uneven, her heart pounding wildly in her chest...
+ Slow Paced + Main Character Thrives Together with His Disciples】 Transmigrated into a cultivation world, Chu Xingchen awakens a discipleship system that reveals the tags of his disciples! Starting from scratch, he builds the strongest sect. Disciple One: Li Yingling 【Gold Tag: Genius Cultivator】【Purple Tag: Extremely Lucky】【Blue Tag: Bewitchingly Beautiful】 Disciple Two: Li Hangtian 【Gold Tag: Reincarnated】【Purple Tag: Ruthless and Decisive】【Blue Tag: Loyal and Noble】 Disciple Three: ??? 【Orange Tag: Alluring Demoness】【???】【???】 Thus, in the cultivation world, an unremarkable little sect appears out of nowhere, but little do others know that each member of this sect is a powerhouse in their own right. The book is also known as: Cultivation? It's Exactly Like This!
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
