Chapter One Hundred and Nine: Courtesy

"I'm your sister. How could I not know what you're thinking?" Xu Qing said with a smile, glancing at him.

"Alright, you guessed right this time," Xu Fei nodded.

"By the way, where did you get the money?" Xu Qing asked, looking thoughtful. "I remember you put all your money into your business. Do you really have enough left to pay back the Du family?"

Xu Fei smiled and patted Xu Qing on the head. "You're quite the little smart aleck. Don't worry about this. Besides, the college entrance exam is just around the corner. You should focus on yourself."

"Me?" Xu Qing waved her hand dismissively. "I've already decided where I want to go. I'm leaving Donghai."

"Why?"

"Why? You're actually asking me why?" Xu Qing looked at him, finding it somewhat ridiculous. "I don't want to stay in this place for another second."

"Do you hate me that much?"

Xu Qing froze for a moment. "Hate you?" She thought about it. "Not entirely."

Having said that, she walked toward home with her head down, looking as if she had a lot on her mind.

Seeing her like this, Xu Fei didn't press further. Girls change as they grow up; their thoughts naturally become more complex.

The two of them walked into their courtyard in silence.

The house had been dark, but the light flickered on as soon as they entered the yard.

Xu Qing glanced at Xu Fei. "Go and comfort my sister-in-law."

Xu Fei nodded, and Xu Qing returned to her own room.

Pushing the door open, Xu Fei stepped inside. Du Man was leaning against the bed, two streaks of tears visible on her face.

"Have you been crying?"

Du Man looked at him. "What did you do to them?"

Hearing her question, Xu Fei walked over and leaned against the bed beside her. "They apologized."

"What did you say?!" Du Man was stunned. She knew her mother and brother all too well. "They apologized?"

Xu Fei nodded.

"How... how is that possible?"

Xu Fei lay down, pulling the blanket over himself. "Go to sleep. This matter is behind us now."

"Wait, did nothing else happen?"

Xu Fei glanced at her. "What else did you want to happen?"

"I... I mean, didn't they make you do anything?"

Xu Fei closed his eyes. "Pay back the money."

Du Man watched Xu Fei turn over and switch off the light. In the darkness, she murmured, "Pay back the money? You mean pay back what we owe them?"

"Yes."

"But... but that's three thousand yuan?!"

"I know."

"Where are we going to get that much?"

"Don't worry, we'll have it soon."

In the darkness, Xu Fei's soft snoring soon drifted through the room.

***

The next day, Xu Fei left the house early. He arrived at the Second Department Store, where Zhang Mingyang was already waiting for him.

"Third Brother, you're here early," Xu Fei said.

"How's your back?" Zhang Mingyang asked.

Xu Fei stretched a bit. "It's fine. I can walk now, though I probably can't do heavy labor yet."

"Honestly, you should be resting at home, but..."

Xu Fei glanced at the warehouse. "We can't wait. We have so much stock; if we don't sell it, this inventory won't turn into cash!"

He walked toward the warehouse as he spoke, and Zhang Mingyang followed.

Just as they reached the warehouse, Zhang Mingyang's friend walked down from the nearby stairwell.

"You're here?" His name was Li Hai, a purchasing agent for the Second Department Store and a childhood friend of Zhang Mingyang. The two of them were very close.

"Haizi, did you ask about it?" Zhang Mingyang pulled Li Hai aside and asked.

"Well..." Li Hai looked at Zhang Mingyang with a troubled expression. "You know how it is. Our department store doesn't have much interest in televisions right now. Besides, the higher-ups are counting on using TV coupons to curry favor with others."

He shook his head helplessly. "Yangzi, I'm just a purchasing agent. I could make the decision to let you store the TVs in our warehouse, but when it comes to the store buying your TVs, I have no say."

Seeing him say this, Xu Fei nodded. In truth, Li Hai was telling the truth. Since the store didn't want them, Xu Fei had already thought of a backup plan.

Once the warehouse doors were opened, An Laosan's truck drove in from outside.

"Third Brother An," Zhang Mingyang greeted him with a smile as An Laosan climbed down from the truck.

"Mingyang," An Laosan nodded back. He then walked over to Xu Fei and asked, "Fei, where are we hauling these?"

Xu Fei led them into the warehouse. "Third Brother An, we're going to the cinema."

"Why go there?" An Laosan was taken aback.

Xu Fei looked at Zhang Mingyang and An Laosan. "Brothers, the open square in front of the cinema usually gets a big crowd. We're going to hold a grand TV exhibition and sale there."

Xu Fei's words left both of them completely baffled. "What's an 'exhibition and sale'?"

"Yeah, what is that?"

Xu Fei smiled and said, "You'll see when we get there. Let's load the truck first."

An Laosan quickly backed the truck into the warehouse.

"How many are we loading?" Zhang Mingyang asked, looking at Xu Fei.

"Thirty units."

"What?!" Zhang Mingyang was stunned. "Fourth Brother, thirty units? Can we really sell that many?"

Xu Fei thought about it. "Don't worry, I'm confident."

And so, An Laosan and Zhang Mingyang loaded thirty television sets. The Jiefang truck rumbled and swayed as it drove out of the back yard of the Second Department Store.

In front of the Donghai Cinema, there was a spacious square spanning several thousand square meters. Because of its size, the shade from the many trees planted there, and the numerous benches and seating areas, it was a popular spot for people to hang out and rest.

Xu Fei had An Laosan park the truck right in front of the cinema entrance. Along the way, he had bought a few sheets of red paper.

Once they unloaded the televisions and lined them up, Xu Fei used a calligraphy brush to write several large characters on the red paper.

They used paste to stick the red paper signs onto the truck. Zhang Mingyang stood in front of the truck and read aloud, "Grand TV Exhibition and Sale."

He nodded skeptically. "Just this? This is going to sell the TVs?" Clearly unconvinced, Zhang Mingyang looked at Xu Fei and asked.

"Don't worry," Xu Fei said, leaning back against the truck.

Two hours quickly passed. Although quite a few passersby stopped to ask questions, they only seemed curious; not a single person showed any intention of buying.

"What do we do?" Zhang Mingyang was getting anxious. "Hey, Fourth Brother, didn't you say people would be fighting to buy them?"

He glanced over and saw Xu Fei still leaning against the truck bed, looking completely confident. "Seriously, aren't you worried at all?" Zhang Mingyang asked.

"Is worrying going to help?" Xu Fei turned to look at him.

"Well, even so, we have to think of something!" Zhang Mingyang had a short temper and couldn't stand just waiting around. "I know, I'll go find Eldest Brother and Second Brother and see if they can come up with something." With that, Zhang Mingyang rushed off in a hurry.

Watching him walk away, An Laosan stepped forward. "Fei, do you actually have a plan?"

Xu Fei glanced at him. "Yeah. I actually just thought of something, but I'll need your help, Third Brother."

"My help?" An Laosan nodded. "Why are you being so polite with me? Tell me what to do, I'll follow your lead."