Chapter 24

Xin Geling went to check her refrigerator again. She took out a screwdriver, unscrewed the cover on the back of the fridge, and repaired the densely packed parts inside.

Xie Zhitang stood behind her, completely unable to understand what she was doing. After about ten minutes, she saw Xin Geling screw the cover back on, plug it in, and turn on the power. Unexpectedly, it started running.

“It’s fixed.” Xin Geling put all the tools into her bag and helped her move the refrigerator back to its original position.

Just then, the moving company’s people had brought everything downstairs and were moving the items up one by one.

Xin Geling originally wanted to go back. At the door, she brushed past a burly man from the moving company.

After taking two steps, she stopped again.

Perhaps she should not overthink it…

After pondering for a few seconds, Xin Geling still chose to turn back. It was fine to stay a little longer.

Seeing Xie Zhitang directing the movers, Xin Geling said, “I’ll help you check again and see if there’s anything else in the apartment that needs repairing.”

“Sir, put these boxes here.” Xie Zhitang turned around and saw her come back. Just as she was about to be surprised, she had not expected Xin Geling still wanted to help her inspect the whole apartment.

“There shouldn’t be anything else, right?”

“Mm. I’ll check for you.” bailiantales.com Xin Geling walked into the kitchen and bathroom, checking the walls, sink, pipes, water heater, drains…

Xie Zhitang instead felt a little embarrassed. She took a bottle of green tea from her bag. “Sister, are you thirsty?”

Xin Geling was checking whether the nails on the wardrobe door were secure. Just after closing the cabinet door, she saw Xie Zhitang behind it, handing her a bottle of green tea.

“A little.” Xin Geling took it, twisted open the cap, and drank. “You don’t need to work this afternoon? Or did you come over to move during your lunch break?”

Xie Zhitang said, “I asked for leave. Half a day.”

Xin Geling said, “Then you’ll be busy this afternoon. These things won’t be sorted out quickly.”

Xie Zhitang stood beside her with her hands behind her back. “It’s fine. I quite like organizing things.”

Xie Zhitang asked, “Does Sister have anything to do this afternoon?”

Xin Geling said, “Skewer meat.”

Xie Zhitang asked, “What time can you usually finish skewering?”

Xin Geling said, “A little over two hours. I set up the stall at four in the afternoon.”

Xie Zhitang glanced at the time. “It’s already past one. Sister needs to go back and work, right? I’ve delayed you too long.”

Xin Geling caught sight of people still coming and going in the living ​bailiantales.com​room outside the bedroom door. “There’s no rush. Since I’m already here, I’ll help you check again, so you won’t be uncomfortable living here.”

Xie Zhitang smiled faintly. “Why are you so good to people?”

Xin Geling looked up at the air conditioner. “You helped me sell barbecue last night, and I didn’t even settle your wages. What’s wrong with me coming over to help you take a look?”

Without waiting for Xie Zhitang to speak, she moved over a chair. “I’ll clean the air conditioner for you. It’s covered in dust. It probably hasn’t been cleaned for several years.”

Toward this kind of initiative from Xin Geling, Xie Zhitang’s heart felt as if honey had been poured into it. “Okay. Be careful.”

She held the chair from the side and watched as Xin Geling installed a layer of transparent film under the air conditioner to catch water. Then Xin Geling opened the air conditioner panel, revealing two black filters inside.

Xin Geling removed the filters and the air deflector, then went downstairs to buy a bottle of air conditioner cleaner and a small brush. She aimed at the dirty fan wheel, evaporator, and air outlet inside, rinsing them gently. After wiping everything clean, the clear water in the basin had already turned into a basin of pitch-black water.

One could imagine how dirty it had been.

“So dirty.” Xie Zhitang frowned.

“It’ll be fine after it’s washed clean.” Xin Geling used a rag to wipe the water from the air conditioner. Only then did she go to the bathroom to rinse the two black filters and the air deflector.

After installing the filters and air deflector back in place, the movers had also left.

Xin Geling silently picked up her tool bag. “I’m going back.”

Xie Zhitang followed behind her, suddenly reluctant, but read the original at bailiantales.com she could only send her to the door. “Goodbye.”

Xin Geling returned home and began skewering meat.

At four in the afternoon, the evening sun still shone faintly on the snack street. Xin Geling put on a black baseball cap before coming out to set up her stall.

“You’re out so early today.” The girl selling sushi started chatting with her. “Usually, you only come out at four-thirty.”

Xin Geling said, “Recently, more and more people have been setting up stalls. If I come late, the spot will be taken.”

The girl sat on her stool and nodded. “That’s true.”

Her sushi stall was very small. Compared with Xin Geling’s barbecue stall, it was several times smaller, but hers was a little more refined. Even the six wooden trays she used to display the sushi had been specially bought online.

They just happened to fill the entire surface of the stall cart. Each wooden tray held small, delicate pieces of sushi in various flavors.

Seeing that her prices were not high and the quantity was not large, Xin Geling asked, “Do you come here part-time after getting off work?”

The girl said, “Yeah. I sell however much I can. I’m not expecting to earn big money, but earning a little is still earning.”

Xin Geling said, “I see.”

The girl suddenly said in surprise, “You raised your prices today?”

Xin Geling had not expected the stolen contentfirst person to notice the price increase would be her. “Yes. A little.”

The girl was a little sad. “I was thinking of buying some barbecue today. I didn’t expect you to raise the prices.”

Xin Geling turned on the gas cylinder. “I’ll treat you.”

The girl instantly stopped feeling sad. “Really?”

Xin Geling said, “Really. What do you want to eat?”

The girl looked at her several times. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony?”

Xin Geling gave her a reassuring look.

The girl said, “Then I want three beef skewers, three lamb skewers, one chicken wing, one sausage, and two chive skewers.”

Xin Geling asked, “Just these?”

The girl said, “Mm, this is enough. Otherwise I’ll eat you poor.”

Xin Geling found the way she spoke quite interesting. “All right. I’ll grill them for you.”

The girl was bored and began chatting about other things. “Yesterday, I think I saw a pretty jiejie helping you. What is she to you?”

Xin Geling knew she was talking about Xie Zhitang. “She’s my… friend.”

She also did not know how to define her relationship with Xie Zhitang. She should count as a friend.

The girl asked, “Then why does she call you Sister?”

Xin Geling actually did not know why Xie Zhitang called her Sister either. Back then, during the prison visits, Xie Zhitang said Xin Geling had saved her, so she had recognized Xin Geling as her sister.

“Maybe because I’m older than her.”

The girl seemed to understand and yet not quite. “Oh…”

Xin Geling brushed oil onto the skewers and continued grilling. Unexpectedly, Xie Zhitang also came.

“Why did you come over again? Didn’t you need to organize your things?”

After coming once, then twice, Xie Zhitang was already familiar with it. She walked behind the stall cart. “Of course it’s because I finished organizing, so I came over to see you and check if there’s anything I can help with.”

Hearing her tone, Xin Geling guessed that tonight, she would probably still help her sell barbecue until closing.

“Is it done?” The girl came over with a box of sushi. “This is for you. I’m treating you.”

“It’s almost done.” Xin Geling packed the barbecue for her. “How can I accept this?”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? I’m eating your barbecue, so I’m treating [read the original at bailiantales.com]you to sushi in return.”

Xie Zhitang listened to their conversation, her red lips pressing together slightly, her gaze falling on Xin Geling’s face as she studied her carefully.

“Then thank you.” Xin Geling exchanged food with her, then turned and looked at Xie Zhitang. “Do you want some?”

Xie Zhitang glanced at the sushi in her hand. It was indeed wrapped very exquisitely and looked tempting. She smiled and shook her head, saying gently, “I prefer eating Sister’s barbecue.”

Xin Geling was silent for a moment and could only set it aside. “I’ll grill some for you. What do you want to eat?”

Xie Zhitang listed the items she liked, then sat on the only stool and watched her busily grill.

“Sister, where’s the claw clip?”

Xin Geling put down the meat, crouched down, and took it out from the top layer of the storage compartment. “Here.”

When she handed it over, her fingers were touched. Xin Geling rubbed them slightly and lifted her gaze from below to look at Xie Zhitang.

Her legs were crossed. When tying up her hair, both hands lifted slightly. Even though she was sitting on an ordinary red plastic stool, the aura she gave off never made anyone feel that the stool was cheap or tacky.

Xin Geling noticed that she was still wearing a pair of high heels and felt somewhat puzzled. A moment later, she overturned her earlier guess. “Are you going shopping tonight?”

Xie Zhitang said, “No. I don’t really have anything I want to shop for.”

Xin Geling fell silent, then opened the [stolen content]storage compartment again and took out a comfortable, soft pair of slippers. “If your feet get tired, wear these.”

Xie Zhitang froze for a moment, her expression turning complicated… But since the shoes had already been placed in front of her, she could only take off her high heels and change into the comfortable, soft slippers.

“I’m used to wearing them at work,” she made up a random excuse.

Xin Geling continued grilling barbecue for her. Just as she finished and handed it over, someone came to order. “Boss, you raised your prices?”

Xin Geling said, “Yes. By one yuan.”

Beef, lamb, and pork belly had all gone up by one yuan. Vegetables, chicken wings, and chicken cartilage had not gone up. Grilled sausages had become three yuan per skewer.

That person hesitated for a moment and only ordered a few chive skewers, chicken wings, and sausages.

Xin Geling recognized him. Last time, he had ordered quite a lot. This time, it was noticeably less. She did not know whether it was because of the price increase.

“Okay, please wait a moment.”

Seeing this situation, Xin Geling’s heart sank. She was somewhat worried that this price would drive away most customers, and she became much quieter while grilling.

Xie Zhitang came over again to help bag the order. “Come again next time.”

“Sister, I have an idea.” Taking advantage of there being no one around, Xie Zhitang discussed it with her. “There’s a Little Bear Snacks store right across from us. Their small bottles of Coke are on sale right now for one yuan and five mao each. We can do a promotion: spend thirty yuan and get one chilled Coke for free. What do you think?”

Xin Geling said, “Chilled Coke? Most of their items are placed on shelves at room temperature. They probably don’t have many chilled ones.”

Xie Zhitang said, “It can be negotiated. This kind of snack store has freezers. We can give them another two mao in profit and have them refrigerate the drinks for us every day.”

Xin Geling thought about it. With a promotion of spending thirty yuan and getting a chilled Coke, they would still make money. It was just this cooperation… could it really be negotiated?

The snack store’s freezer was for ice cream and popsicles. Ice cream and popsicles had high unit prices and high profit. Using so much space to chill Coke with extremely low profit… she felt that the other side would not agree.

Xin Geling was not very optimistic about this cooperation. “Will they be willing?”

Xie Zhitang took off the claw clip and fixed her hair. “How will we know if we don’t try?”

As Xie Zhitang walked toward the snack store opposite, Xin Geling’s gaze followed her closely the entire time. She watched as Xie Zhitang chatted with the front desk worker, and the worker immediately turned and called out a man who should have been the store manager.

Five minutes passed. Seeing that Xie Zhitang had not come out yet, Xin Geling felt both expectant and worried.

“Boss, five beef skewers.”

“Okay.” Xin Geling grilled while glancing toward that snack store from time to time.

Just as she finished packing the order and handed it to the customer, she caught sight of Xie Zhitang walking out of the snack store from the corner of her eye.

“How did it go?” she turned slightly and asked.

Xie Zhitang smiled with ease. “It’s Read on BaiLianTalesdone. The manager is willing to provide fifty bottles of chilled Coke every day. We’ll just give them away while supplies last.”